Jaspers

The 2023 NBA Draft could go down as a special class, with talented prospects such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins as well as some interesting depth pieces.
But will it ever be considered one of the best draft classes in NBA history? That remains to be seen.
Today, we're going to identify the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of NBA draft classes.
The 2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft featured multiple generational talents that would come to define the NBA for the next two decades. Led by LeBron James, this class also included household names such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not only did this draft have star power, it was also very deep. Twenty-seven players from the 2003 class played at least 10 seasons in the NBA: James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh, Kyle Korver, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, Dahntay Jones, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Willie Green, Matt Bonner, Travis Outlaw, Keith Bogans, Darko Milicic, Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic, Josh Howard and Luke Walton. This class featured nine All-Stars and plenty of quality role players.
The 1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft stands as a legendary class, and some might argue that it's the greatest draft of all-time. Two of the top three picks &mdash; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon &mdash; would ultimately etch their names in the annals of basketball history and redefine greatness. In addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, players like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Alvin Robertson showcased their immense talent as well. This class produced five Hall-of-Famers and seven All-Stars.
The 1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft changed the landscape of the league, heralding the arrival of future Hall-of-Famers and icons. Led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and the enigmatic Allen Iverson, this class boasted an array of talent that reinvigorated the game. This class also featured Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Derek Fisher. The 1996 NBA Draft was deep, producing 10 All-Stars and five Hall-of-Famers. Jon Finkel recently revisited this star-studded class in his book "1996," and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran a terrific excerpt on Basketball News</a>.
The 1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft was certainly special. This class featured 10 All-Stars including Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, &nbsp;AC Green, Terry Porter and Michael Adams. The class also featured Arvydas Sabonis, an overseas legend and terrific Portland Trail Blazer. Like the 1996 NBA Draft, this class has the star power and depth to be considered one of the best drafts in NBA history.
The 2009 NBA Draft
While not as immediately illustrious as some of the other classes on this list, the 2009 NBA Draft proved to be a treasure trove of talent. This class exemplified the importance of patience and player development, as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague would all go on to become All-Stars. Griffin missed his rookie year with an injury, but dominated as soon as he stepped on an NBA court. Curry battled injuries early in his career, but would become a four-time champion and two-time MVP. Harden went from being an elite sixth man to an MVP once he got the opportunity in Houston. This class also featured Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Taj Gibson and Patrick Beverley among others.
Which class is the greatest in NBA history? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts</a>!&nbsp;

Basketball News examines the crème de la crème of draft classes throughout NBA history.

Exploring the 5 best draft classes in NBA history

Every now and then, a trade comes along that ends up shifting the landscape of the NBA.
There are quite a few NBA legends who have been traded, forever altering the course of franchises. Today, we're revisiting some of the biggest trades in NBA history.
Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics
One of the most significant trades in NBA history occurred in 1956 when the Celtics acquired Bill Russell from the St. Louis Hawks in a draft-day trade. In a stroke of genius by Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach, Boston acquired No. 2 overall pick Russell in exchange for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. Russell, a dominant defensive force and rebounder, quickly became the linchpin of the Celtics' dynasty, leading them to an unprecedented 11 NBA championships in his 13 seasons with the team. His shot-blocking prowess and unyielding will to win solidified his legacy as one of the greatest winners in sports history. The trade not only transformed the Celtics into a perennial powerhouse but also established Russell as a symbol of defensive excellence and team-oriented basketball. His impact on the franchise and the league as a whole remains unparalleled, making this trade a cornerstone of NBA history.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers
In 1975, the Milwaukee Bucks sent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers. At that time, Abdul-Jabbar was already established as one of the league's dominant forces, but his desire for a change of scenery led to this monumental deal. The Lakers gave up Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers for Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley. This trade proved to be a game-changer for the Lakers, as Abdul-Jabbar's presence immediately elevated them to championship contention. Abdul-Jabbar and his unstoppable skyhook led the Lakers to five NBA championships in the 1980s, solidifying Kareem as one of the greatest players in basketball history and cementing this as one of the most impactful NBA trades of all-time.
Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers
In another major trade that reverberated throughout the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968. Chamberlain, already an established superstar and prolific scorer, brought his dominant presence and unparalleled scoring ability to the Lakers. The trade was a strategic move by the Lakers to bolster their roster and create a formidable trio of Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Chamberlain's arrival in Los Angeles marked the beginning of a successful era for the Lakers, culminating in a championship in 1972. The trade reshaped the Lakers' fortunes and added another illustrious chapter to Chamberlain's storied career, solidifying him as an all-time great.
Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers
While Kobe Bryant only ever suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his 20-year NBA career, he was actually drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. However, immediately after the selection, a pre-arranged trade sent Bryant to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. This trade, orchestrated by general manager Jerry West, proved to be a stroke of genius that forever altered the course of the Lakers' franchise. Bryant went on to become one of the most iconic figures in NBA history and a five-time champion. This trade not only transformed the Lakers' future but also set the stage for Bryant to become one of the greatest players to ever grace the basketball court.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kg.png" alt="" width="723" height="363" />
Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics
In 2007, the Boston Celtics orchestrated a masterstroke by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join forces with Paul Pierce. While these were two separate trades, Garnett and Allen were in communication throughout the process and Boston pulled off both moves over the course of three days &ndash; transforming the Celtics from a struggling franchise to a powerhouse contender. The Celtics' Big Three revolutionized the concept of superstar collaborations, and their union culminated in an NBA championship in 2008, rejuvenating the storied Celtics franchise and igniting the era of superteams.
LeBron James to the Miami Heat
While many NBA fans know about "The Decision" and LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach, they may not realize that James ultimately landed in Miami via a sign-and-trade. James, the league's reigning MVP, made the highly controversial decision to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat. In exchange for parting with James in the sign-and-trade, the Cavs received two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick swap (as well as a large traded-player exception).
The move instantly transformed the Heat into a juggernaut and created a new era of superteams. While "The Decision" ignited a firestorm of criticism, it also showcased the power and influence that superstar players had in shaping the league's landscape. With James leading the way, the Heat reached the NBA Finals in all four years of his tenure, winning two championships in 2012 and 2013. This trade not only marked a pivotal moment in James' career but also had a profound impact on the way teams approached team-building, ushering in the player-movement era in the modern NBA.
What's your favorite league-altering trade? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts here</a>! And for <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/fa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a list of the biggest free-agency signings of all-time, click here!</a>

Basketball News looks back on six blockbuster trades that altered the course of NBA history.

Revisiting 6 blockbuster trades that altered the NBA landscape

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.
Less discussed &mdash; at least these days &mdash; was their willingness, in 1999, to dive into a messy acquisition process for a largely irrelevant franchise that had been considered a relocation prospect as the 21st century approached.
All of the talk of them relocating no longer exists.
Now, the conversation is about how the Nuggets were able to reach their first NBA Finals thanks to the stubborn patience displayed by the Kroenkes, who have taken an unorthodox route toward assembling an unorthodox winner. Denver hosts the Miami Heat in Game 2 Sunday night after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-denver-nuggets-nba-sports-755531bae7f944958c4225f8d5f54bad">winning the Finals opener</a>.
Kroenke&rsquo;s deal to purchase the Nuggets, along with the Colorado Avalanche and their home arena for $450 million, included a clause that tethered the NBA franchise to Denver for the ensuing 25 years. These days, the Nuggets are estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.93 billion.
&ldquo;One thing I know about Stan is that when he sets his mind to doing something, and when he thinks he&rsquo;s right, he&rsquo;s going to fight for that,&rdquo; said Wellington Webb, who was Denver&rsquo;s mayor in 1999 and helped broker the deal that closed a year later between Kroenke and the Nuggets.
Though Kroenke married into money &mdash; he wed Walmart heiress Ann Walton in 1974, a few years after meeting her during a ski trip to Aspen &mdash; he had already honed his business chops. His first deal: Taking a $1,500 loan at 6% interest from his dad so he could buy part of a clothing shop with his friend.
Not long after, he got into the real estate business, building shopping centers with a developer who was tight with Walmart founder Sam Walton.
Real estate and sports are, these days, almost intertwined &mdash; a reality Kroenke grasped quickly.
&ldquo;I always thought I&rsquo;d enjoy (owning a sports franchise) because the professional sports business is part business and part sports,&rdquo; Kroenke told the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune in 2022, &ldquo;and I love both of them.&rdquo;
Kroenke&rsquo;s representatives did not return messages left by The Associated Press seeking an interview.
His first major jump into sports was his partnership with Rams owner Georgia Frontiere. In the mid-1990s, Frontiere was chafing at the inability of Los Angeles to build a new stadium, She was looking for partners to bankroll a move to St. Louis. Kroenke bought in, and when Frontiere died in 2008, he exercised his right to purchase a majority stake in the team.
The sad irony is that it was Kroenke, the Missouri native, who moved the Rams out of St. Louis and back to LA where they are the main tenant in his $5.1 billion stadium. His connection with Denver &mdash; much different.
&ldquo;One of my dreams was to be involved in a professional basketball team,&rdquo; Kroenke told The Denver Post, shortly after closing the deal for the Nuggets. &ldquo;This is a dream I&rsquo;ve had for a long time.&rdquo;
There is, in fact, a strong argument that the basketball trophy might be the most meaningful for a family that has amassed three Stanley Cup trophies with the Avalanche, a Super Bowl trophy with the Rams and is still looking for glory with Arsenal, the Premier League soccer team it has had a controlling interest in since 2011.
Kroeke&rsquo;s son, Josh, was a standout basketball player in high school and played at University of Missouri. He now runs the Nuggets.
&ldquo;I thought that you could bring a championship to Denver,&rdquo; Josh said in a recent interview on team-owned Altitude Sports Radio. &ldquo;Trying to do something that&rsquo;s never been done before, it&rsquo;s not always easy, and it&rsquo;s usually met with a lot of resistance. ... We&rsquo;re mostly excited for the city to get to experience this. But the job&rsquo;s not done.&rdquo;
The Nuggets were parked squarely in NBA purgatory when the team went on the block in 1999, having not sniffed relevancy since their mid-80s heydey, when the teams were highlighted by coach Doug Moe&rsquo;s uptempo offense. Their situation off the court wasn&rsquo;t much better. In the late &rsquo;80s, then-owner Sidney Shlenker had toyed with the idea of moving the team to Memphis.
His sale to a media conglomerate that was never truly hot on owning sports teams did nothing to tamp the idea that the Nuggets were a team that might be available to move. And teams were moving; Between 2001-08, Memphis (from Vancouver), Oklahoma City (from Seattle) and New Orleans (from Charlotte) all adopted existing franchises in a flurry of NBA reshuffling.
When Denver went on the block, the highest bidder, billionaire businessman Donald Sturm, came in with a $460 million offer, but balked at the idea that he couldn&rsquo;t move the team.
In stepped Kroenke, who had no problem with the arrangement. A side note: To close the sale, Kroenke had to outmaneuver another group fronted by none other than John Elway.
&ldquo;It was clear Sturm wasn&rsquo;t going to work out,&rdquo; Webb said. &ldquo;And my only question was, &lsquo;Is the new guy going to be supportive of the team winning?&rsquo; Because if the arena is full, not only do the owners make money, but city makes money, as well.&rdquo;
The Kroenkes have answered Webb&rsquo;s question with their willingness &mdash; increasingly rare in pro sports &mdash; to play the long game, both on the roster and on the bench.
The roster was built in workmanlike,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-nuggets-jokic-murray-malone-18329e13dfecae50834ebc06d409027c">no-drama fashion</a>,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-mvp-lebron-lakers-8e668572f9f43942175ded63e7a61832">highlighted by Nikola Jokic</a>, who entered the league as an unheralded second-round pick from Serbia. The coach, Michael Malone, was hired in 2015, and there was never much talk of making changes after disappointing finishes to their seasons in 2018, 2019 and even last year.
Today, Malone sits behind only Gregg Popovich (Spurs), Erik Spoelstra (Heat) and Steve Kerr (Warriors) &mdash; who have a combined 11 championships on their coaching resumes &mdash; in terms of longevity among the NBA&rsquo;s 30 head coaches.
&ldquo;That has a ton to do with where we are today,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be more thankful for working for an ownership group that is not impatient and is not trying to find the next great thing, but is saying &lsquo;Hey, listen, let&rsquo;s let this grow and marinate into something special.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Despite his family&rsquo;s large role in the Denver sports scene &mdash; the Kroenke business also owns the MLS Colorado Rapids, and the National Lacrosse League&rsquo;s Colorado Mammoth, who lost the deciding game in that league&rsquo;s title series Saturday &mdash; Kroenke has still taken his fair share of criticism around town.
It&rsquo;s a byproduct of his 2004 move to bundle his teams&rsquo; TV rights and air them on company&rsquo;s new regional television network, Altitude.
In 2019, the region&rsquo;s biggest cable operator, Comcast, stopped carrying Altitude due to a disagreement over fees the cable giant was charging to carry the network. The ensuing legal battle has kept the Nuggets off the local airwaves in millions of homes for the last four seasons. The battle between billion-dollar companies has left many average Nuggets fans feeling like the only real losers in the equation.
But whatever bitterness lingers from the cable dispute has mostly been set aside over the past few months. All the playoff games have been on national TV.
Meanwhile, Kroenke stays firmly in the background. He can make it from his apartment at the top of Ball Arena through some back passageways and into his luxury suite to watch games in less than two minutes. Sometimes he brings his German Shepherd along.
&ldquo;I think that not only is he a good businessman,&rdquo; Webb said, &ldquo;but he also feels he has something special in Denver. And I think it&rsquo;s always been his goal to do right by Denver.&rdquo;

Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.

Kroenke bought Nuggets, kept team in Denver, now hoping to deliver title

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Wayne &ldquo;Big Daddy&rdquo; Sims, who played in four NCAA Tournaments with LSU from 1987-1991, died Wednesday at age 54.
LSU&rsquo;s athletic department confirmed Sims&rsquo; death. No cause of death was immediately disclosed. Sims&rsquo; coach at LSU was Dale Brown, and his teammates included Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Vernel Singleton. During Sims&rsquo; senior season, LSU won the Southeastern Conference championship. &ldquo;He brought the best out in players, and everyone liked him,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;He was a team player &mdash; didn&rsquo;t get the credit maybe he deserved for the great run they had, but he was a wonderful person.
&ldquo;He was never a flashy guy that needed stardom, but he was the base to our team.&rdquo;
Wayne&rsquo;s son Wayde, also played for two seasons for the Tigers before he was fatally shot during an off-campus altercation on the eve of LSU&rsquo;s first scheduled practice before the 2018-19 season.
Following their son&rsquo;s death, Wayne Sims and his wife, Fay, set up the Baton Rouge-based Wayde Sims Foundation.
&ldquo;He and Fay worked tirelessly to keep Wayde&rsquo;s memory alive,&rdquo; said McNeese State coach Will Wade, who was Wayde Sims&rsquo; coach at LSU. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never forget Wayne and Fay saying that God will find a way to save lives through Wayde&rsquo;s death.&rdquo;
Wayne Sims, listed at 6-foot-7, 247 pounds during his playing days, appeared in 117 games for LSU, starting 74, and scoring 1,107 career points and grabbing 603 rebounds. He is one of 21 LSU players to reach 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds, and one of nine players in program history to appear in four NCAA Tournaments.
Sims scored 24 points in one of LSU&rsquo;s most memorable upset victories, an 82-80 triumph over No. 2 Georgetown on Jan. 28, 1989 &mdash; a game played in the Superdome in New Orleans in front of a crowd of 54,321.
Sims grew up in Deridder, Louisiana, and was a two-time All-State selection at Deridder High School, where he averaged 21.9 points and nine rebounds as a senior.
Funeral arrangements are pending.

Wayne “Big Daddy” Sims, who played in four NCAA Tournaments with LSU from 1987-1991, died Wednesday at age 54.

Former LSU basketball player Wayne Sims dead at 54

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; For Haley and Hanna Cavinder, the Elite Eight apparently was enough and their time at Miami is over.
The Cavinder twins &mdash; two of the most prominent athletes in the name, image and likeness era of college athletics &mdash; announced Tuesday that they will not return to the Hurricanes next season, ending their Miami tenure after one year with the program.
The Cavinders &mdash; who are 22 and were listed as seniors on the Miami roster &mdash; both played four seasons in college, but they could have played next season, too, because of the NCAA ruling that restored a year of eligibility to all athletes who went through a pandemic-affected season.
They transferred from Fresno State to Miami in April 2022 with hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament and probably exceeded even their own expectations by helping the Hurricanes fall just short of reaching the Final Four.
&ldquo;We would like to thank our teammates and coaches for bringing us in as family and being part of a historic season,&rdquo; the twins said in a statement. &ldquo;With that being said, Hanna and I have decided to not take our fifth year and start a new chapter in our lives. The U will always be home and we are forever proud to be Hurricanes.&rdquo;
Haley Cavinder ended this season with 2,065 career points, which was 19th-most among all active Division I players. She averaged 12.2 points per game this season, a team best for Miami &mdash; and her 65 makes from 3-point range was another team high, by a wide margin.
Hanna Cavinder averaged 3.8 points this season for Miami. The Hurricanes lost a regional final to eventual national champion LSU, ending the year with a 22-13 record.
The decision was a bit of a surprise, at least from the standpoint of one of the twins. Haley Cavinder said before the NCAA Tournament that she planned to return to the Hurricanes next season for what would have been her final year of collegiate eligibility. Hanna Cavinder said at that time she was leaning toward no longer playing after this season.
And that begged the question: Would one Cavinder twin play without the other? Barring a change of heart, their announcement Tuesday provided the answer.
&ldquo;I love basketball,&rdquo; Hanna Cavinder told The Associated Press last month when she discussed leaning toward not playing. &ldquo;I ride or die basketball. I&rsquo;ve given basketball so much of my life. And sometimes I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;I just want to breathe.&rsquo; I really just want to breathe. I want to live. I don&rsquo;t want to be on a plan. I don&rsquo;t want to be on a schedule. But at the end of the day, I&rsquo;m so competitive in life that I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;m going to regret it or not.&rdquo;
The twins have 4.5 million followers on TikTok, part of their enormous footprint in the social media space. When the NIL era started on July 1, 2021, and NCAA rules began allowing athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, the Cavinders were among the first stars: Boost Mobile signed them immediately, touting the deal with a giant advertisement in New York&rsquo;s Times Square, and many other deals followed.
&ldquo;What started as us playing basketball 16 years ago turned into something bigger than we could ever imagine,&rdquo; the twins said Tuesday.
Their decision to come to Miami was scrutinized, and a probe by the NCAA led to coach Katie Meier missing the first three games of this season through a university-imposed suspension that was handed down in anticipation of sanctions surrounding how the twins and their family met with a Hurricanes booster before signing.
The NCAA probe never accused the Cavinders of wrongdoing. Miami eventually was placed on one year of probation after the school and the NCAA agreed that coaches arranged impermissible contact between the booster and the Cavinders.

The Cavinders — who are 22 and were listed as seniors on the Miami roster — both played four seasons in college.

Cavinder twins say they’re leaving Miami after one season

While almost everyone in March Madness wants to be this year&rsquo;s version of reigning national champion Kansas, almost anyone playing over the next three weeks would also love to be this year&rsquo;s version of Doug Edert.
If that name doesn&rsquo;t ring a bell, maybe Edert&rsquo;s wispy mustache will. Edert was the reserve guard from Saint Peter&rsquo;s who turned into a social media sensation after scoring 20 points in a first-round upset over Kentucky last March.
By the time he and the Peacocks made history by becoming the first 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight, Edert&rsquo;s mustache had its own Twitter handle and Edert himself had deals hawking chicken wings and a few other products.
All of this was spurred by the confluence of social media&rsquo;s ever-growing imprint on society (and sports) combined with the new and loosely regulated world of NIL, the name, imagine and likeness deals that allow college athletes to cash in on paid endorsements.
Edert&rsquo;s success story is one of several examples of the ways social media has turbocharged March Madness, that one-of-a-kind American sporting event that had communal elements built in &mdash; think, the bracket and the office pool &mdash; long before the internet even existed.
The key for someone like Edert &mdash; and there will almost certainly be another &ldquo;someone like Edert&rdquo; once the shots start flying &mdash; was to move quickly.
&ldquo;My main focus was basketball, and obviously, I&rsquo;m trying to do whatever I can to help my team win games,&rdquo; Edert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;But at the same time, I&rsquo;m trying to capitalize on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.&rdquo;
Some things &mdash; namely, the emerging love affair with his jump shot, to say nothing of his &rsquo;70s-style &rsquo;stache &mdash; took on a life of their own, the way things often do on TikTok, Instagram and the other social media platforms that help drive the tournament&rsquo;s popularity. Others &mdash; namely, the hot wings deal and a few more sponsorships &mdash; came because he struck quickly at the urging of his friends and parents, who were watching this unheralded guard from a tiny school blow up in real time.
&ldquo;Nobody was pressuring me, saying, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve gotta do this, or you&rsquo;ve gotta do that,&rsquo;&rdquo; Edert said. &ldquo;They were just behind me, and they were offering to help in any way they could.&rdquo;
Edert would not divulge the amount he has made from his sponsorships, which included a deal shooting celebrity video messages and another promoting a website that offers adult recreational sports leagues.
But, he said, it gave him a &ldquo;nice little start, for whatever happens after college.&rdquo; Certainly, it gave him more than someone like him might have gotten only a couple years ago. And it was not something anyone saw coming for a guard from a 3,400-student school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always that chance that a star player, or an underrated player from a team that goes far, will capture the hearts of America, and where will they capture it? On social media,&rdquo; said Jeffrey Weiner, senior vice president for NIL marketing at GSE Worldwide. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be on TV, and then they&rsquo;ll go look for that person on social media. People are watching these games with their phones in their hands.&rdquo;
Edert said he rarely posted on social media, and had a following of about 1,500 on Instagram in early March of last year.
&ldquo;And after the Kentucky game, I look at my phone and it&rsquo;s 6,000 followers and it&rsquo;s going up,&rdquo; he said. It is now 149,000, barely a blip by hoop-star standards, but a 1,000 times more than he had a year ago.
Perhaps the single most impactful social media post to emerge in the NIL era came from the TikTok account of Oregon&rsquo;s Sedona Prince.
Her takedown of the NCAA for the sparse weight room facilities at the 2021 women&rsquo;s tournament shined a spotlight on the disparities between men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s college sports. That video currently has been viewed more than 12.3 million times.
In the month between February 2021 and the time Prince posted a month later, the hashtag &ldquo;NCAA&rdquo; spiked from 7 million to 490 million views on TikTok. The hashtag &ldquo;March Madness&rdquo; has gone from 957 million views in 2021 to 1.4 billion views this year on TikTok &mdash; and that 2023 figure was calculated before a single basket had been made in the actual tournament.
Prince&rsquo;s TikTok following now numbers 2.8 million. With the explosion in popularity came a deal with an energy drink that includes equity and cash in exchange for creating content on social media. Her current feed also includes sponsored content with Buick and Crocs, which means she now has a bank account to go with her unexpected fame.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve tried to optimize my NIL opportunities.,&rdquo; Prince said in an interview last year with Yahoo Finance. &ldquo;I take what I do off the court, which is TikTok and certain brand deals, but turn them into something I can use for the rest of my life., money that I can retire with, put my kids through college with.&rdquo;
The NIL platform Opendorse estimated that companies spent $917 million on college athlete deals in the first year they were approved. Most of those earnings were made via social media.
These days, many arrangements come on the front end through so-called collectives that are tied to schools, often sealed during the recruiting process. Edert, however, was making no such money when he signed to play for Shaheen Holloway at Saint Peter&rsquo;s.
&ldquo;At the beginning of the year, when they explained to students that you can start your own business or have your own brand, I&rsquo;m thinking, &lsquo;This doesn&rsquo;t really apply to me,&rsquo;&rdquo; Edert said of the preseason athletic department presentations he sat through.
Now, it does, and Edert&rsquo;s star turn at March Madness last year also played a roundabout role in his second run through the recruiting process. When Holloway left Saint Peter&rsquo;s for a job at his alma mater, Seton Hall, several Peacocks, including Edert, used social media to let the world know they were entering the transfer portal.
&ldquo;I announced early in the morning, and by 7:30 or 8, my phone started blowing up,&rdquo; Edert said.
Most of those calls and messages were from coaches at Edert&rsquo;s new school, Bryant University, where they knew a lot more about the guard out of Nutley, New Jersey than they might have the year before. Those coaches weren&rsquo;t the only ones.
&ldquo;Even yesterday, I was signing autographs and taking some pictures with kids in middle school and high school,&rdquo; Edert said. &ldquo;They said &rsquo;We love you, Doug.&rdquo; And I felt great. I&rsquo;m just doing what I love to do. There&rsquo;s a lot of love and support from a lot of people, and it really means a lot.&rdquo;

Doug Edert’s success story is one of several examples of the ways social media has turbocharged March Madness.

Social media madness gives opportunities to Edert and others

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association clearly do not agree on everything, as evidenced by the fact that there&rsquo;s no new Collective Bargaining Agreement yet.
One thing they do agree on: A record-setting trade deadline this season is a good thing.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in his annual news conference preceding All-Star Saturday events that he felt the robust amount of player movement &ndash; 12 deals involving 24 teams and 49 players on trade-deadline day, Feb. 9, alone &ndash; only speaks to how many teams think they can make deep playoff runs this season and ultimately compete for a title.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s interesting also that we&rsquo;ve had probably as much player movement this year than at any time in our history,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And I think that speaks to teams, as we got close to the trade deadline, trying to situate themselves in the best possible position to compete going into the playoffs. And in this case over 10% of the entire league was moved roughly in the last week before the trade deadline.&rdquo;
Among those traded leading up to the deadline: All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, both dealt by Brooklyn, with Durant going to Phoenix and Irving to Dallas.
Not everyone believes that players are right to ask for trades. Durant said he believes it&rsquo;s a good thing.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s bringing more eyes to the league,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;More people are more excited. The tweets that I get, the news hits that we got from me being traded, Kyrie being traded, it just brings more attention to the league and that&rsquo;s really what makes you money, is when you get more attention. I think it&rsquo;s great for the league, to be honest. Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time. Now a player can dictate where he wants to go, leave in free agency or demand a trade, it&rsquo;s just part of the game now.&rdquo;
Irving asked for a trade shortly after it became evident that the Nets were not going to meet his expectations regarding a contract extension.
&ldquo;I had a plan in place where I wanted to stay in Brooklyn long term, be a Net. It was a dream come true for me,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;Obviously, I wish things could have worked out for the best of all of us in terms of winning a championship and etching our names into history of the NBA. Those are big aspirations. It sounds easier said than done.&rdquo;
NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio, speaking at a separate news conference before Silver&rsquo;s annual event, echoed the players&rsquo; stance.
&ldquo;Certainly the fact that we have seen so many trades just sort of signifies that, you know, people do believe that they can create a championship team,&rdquo; Tremaglio said.
In other matters Silver addressed Saturday:
LABOR UPDATE
Talks between the NBA and NBPA are continuing with hopes of getting a new labor deal done. The sides have until March 31 to decide if either wants to opt out of the current deal on June 30; that deadline has already been moved twice and can be again, if necessary.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my hope that the deal will be done by then,&rdquo; Silver said.
Among the issues that the NBA and the NBPA have been discussing in recent weeks is a return to letting players enter the draft straight out high school without waiting a year &mdash; that move is expected to be included in the next CBA &mdash; along with what the league considers an &ldquo;upper spending limit&rdquo; that would significantly tighten the rules on how much teams can spend each year on their roster.
&ldquo;Yes, it has been considered,&rdquo; Tremaglio said of the spending limit. &ldquo;And no, it is not acceptable.&rdquo;
LOAD MANAGEMENT
There doesn&rsquo;t seem to be much of an appetite for the NBA to abandon the traditional 82-game schedule, though injuries and load management leave fans going to games sometimes to learn upon arrival that their favorite players aren&rsquo;t going to be in the game that night.
It has been an issue for years. The NBA has tried to make the schedule more player-friendly by lowering back-to-back games and eliminating stretches of four games in five days.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re approaching in an adversarial way with the players association,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re working collectively, together with our doctors, our data scientists and trying to see if there&rsquo;s an optimal way for player performance. If it means at some point we conclude that we&rsquo;re better off elongating the schedule ... that&rsquo;s worth looking at. If we thought it made sense to reduce the number of games we would.&rdquo;
TV DEAL
Silver said he isn&rsquo;t concerned about the potential issue that could come if Diamond Sports Group &mdash; which owns several regional sports networks, including 16 broadcasting for NBA teams &mdash; enters bankruptcy.
Diamond, the parent company of 19 Bally Sports networks, skipped about $140 million in interest payments that were due Wednesday, starting a 30-day grace period that could be the prelude to a bankruptcy filing.
&ldquo;Short term, I&rsquo;m not all that concerned,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;It largely affects the regular season for the NBA in terms of distributing, delivering those games directly to our consumers. And if they were to indeed, you know, file for bankruptcy, there won&rsquo;t be that much of the regular season left. For that period of time, we will have in place arrangements, if necessary, to continue to distribute those games to fans. So I think that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s most important.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I would say long term I&rsquo;m not that concerned because there are many other ways, platforms, including local over-the-air television, streaming services, other methods, to bring those games linear and digitally directly to fans,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;In the mid-term, it&rsquo;s an issue we&rsquo;re going to have to work through.&rdquo;

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the media in Salt Lake City on Saturday to discuss a number of popular topics.

Adam Silver speaks on load management, TV deal at NBA All-Star

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado&rsquo;s drifting 3-pointer clinched a 25-20 win for Team Pau (Gasol) over Team Joakim (Noah) in the title game of the Rising Stars event Friday at All-Star weekend.
Alvarado, who was named the Most Valuable Player, had five points in the title game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A certified bucket getter. Peep Jose Alvarado's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JordanRisingStars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JordanRisingStars</a> MVP mixtape 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/6SoruJRNsP">pic.twitter.com/6SoruJRNsP</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1626800481539354630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The win capped a memorable day for Gasol, who was named a Basketball Hall of Fame finalist earlier Friday.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going out on top. It may be one and done for me,&rdquo; Gasol said of his coaching debut.
New York&rsquo;s Quentin Grimes scored 14 points in the final but was wrapped up &mdash; literally held at times &mdash; by Alvarado down the stretch.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know you could do that in the Rising Stars game. I should have alerted the refs to call a technical or something,&rdquo; Grimes said. &ldquo;It was all fun but I was going for the win tonight.&rdquo;
Said Alvarado: &ldquo;It might not have been (legal), but he was doing good.&rdquo;
The four teams, comprised of 21 first- and second-year NBA players along with seven G League players, competed in semifinals games to a target score of 40.
Alvarado&rsquo;s 13 points helped Team Pau top Team Deron (Williams) in the first game 40-27, despite an array of spectacular dunks by Trey Murphy III.
In the second semifinal, Grimes scored 13 points including the winning 3 to power Team Joakim over Team Jason (Terry), composed of the G Leaguers. Mac McClung, who is competing in Saturday&rsquo;s Dunk Contest, nearly stole the show with 10 points in the comeback bid but missed a jam on his last attempt.
CELEBRITY GAME
Team Dwyane rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Team Ryan 81-78 in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and Basketball Hall of Fame finalist Dwyane Wade served as honorary captains of the celebrity teams.
Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf paced Team Dwyane with 20 points and 10 rebounds &mdash; but he&rsquo;ll be best remembered for an array of dunks. Actor Everett Osbourne led Team Ryan with 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Metcalf was named the game&rsquo;s MVP.
Each celebrity team included a WNBA All-Star. Phoenix Mercury guard Diamond DeShields played for Team Ryan. Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale played for Team Dwyane. Other notable athletes participating included former NFL player Calvin Johnson and former MLB player Albert Pujols.
Wade added former NBA player Carlos Boozer to his team in the second half. Smith countered by adding former NBA player Richard Jefferson. Jefferson served as part of the officiating crew during the first half; he also worked as an official for one quarter of a Summer League game in Las Vegas last year.
Between the game, and a 3-point shootout between Smith and Wade, $142,000 was raised for 5 for the Fight, a charitable foundation devoted to funding cancer research.
Smith said the funds raised on Friday would benefit the Huntsman Cancer Institute on the University of Utah campus.
JABARI ON JORDAN
Houston&rsquo;s Jabari Smith Jr. was asked if Michael Jordan &mdash; who turned 60 on Friday &mdash; could compete if they were were to play 1-on-1 now.
Smith was pretty sure Jordan wouldn&rsquo;t be getting buckets.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not beating me right now. If a 60-year-old is hooping on me, I need to hang it up,&rdquo; Smith said. He then added, &ldquo;Happy Birthday, MJ!&rdquo;
SHORT STUFF
Alvarado is listed at 6 feet, which might be a tiny bit generous.
He doesn&rsquo;t mind.
When told before Friday&rsquo;s Rising Stars event that he was a hero for the undersized, Alvarado had a message for others who consider themselves vertically challenged.
&ldquo;Hey short people, I&rsquo;m just like y&rsquo;all. We got a lot of heart,&rdquo; Alvarado said. &ldquo;I see lots of other little guys tagging me on Instagram. I see your love. Keep being yourself, don&rsquo;t try to be nobody else.&rdquo;
Alvarado admitted that the highlights of him hiding behind bigger players to get steals in the backcourt is making it tougher to surprise opponents.
&ldquo;Everybody seen those clips. Now, so I just got to find another way, but I&rsquo;m crafty,&rdquo; he said.
WELCOME MOMENT
Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Jalen Williams said the season has been like a dream. He used to wear Derrick Rose&rsquo;s shoes constantly when he was younger and then found himself guarding D-Rose in Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;So wild,&rdquo; Williams said before the Rising Stars games. &ldquo;Going up against people that I watched on TV is definitely kind of surreal.&rdquo;

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado’s drifting three clinched a 25-20 win for Team Pau over Team Joakim in the Rising Stars title game.

Jose Alvarado wins Rising Stars MVP, leads Team Pau over Team Joakim

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; There will be something missing from what should have been a festive occasion Monday night at Kansas, when the No. 5 Jayhawks celebrate their latest national championship before opening the new season against Omaha.
Namely, their head coach Bill Self.
Rather than following his team to the court for pregame introductions, Self will probably be sitting at home, forced to watch on TV while beginning a four-game suspension. Kansas officials imposed the punishment on its coach and assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout of a lengthy FBI investigation into college basketball corruption.
Norm Roberts, who spent six seasons as the head coach at St. John&rsquo;s, will serve as the acting coach.
&ldquo;Norm and I have been together off-and-on since &rsquo;95,&rdquo; Self said, &ldquo;and he&rsquo;ll probably be a voice that the players probably enjoy and respect hearing far more than they have been hearing.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s something (where) hopefully we can become more mature,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;and if that&rsquo;s the case, it&rsquo;s still not good by any stretch. But I have to own it, though, and our players have to make the most of it, and I believe they will.&rdquo;
Self was allowed to coach the Jayhawks in their lone exhibition, when they overcame a sluggish start against Division II Pittsburg State in a 94-63 win. And the terms of the school-administered suspension allow him to coach the Jayhawks any day but game day, which means the Hall of Fame coach will still largely determine the game plan.
He just won&rsquo;t be on the sidelines against Omaha, North Dakota State and Southern Utah or a showdown against seventh-ranked Duke in the Champions Classic next week in Indianapolis.
Self and Townsend will be back on the bench to face North Carolina State at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 23.
&ldquo;Norm will go into the game knowing who the first big off the bench is, who the first guard off the bench is. He knows what plays we&rsquo;ll script,&rdquo; Self said, &ldquo;but he&rsquo;ll be in charge. He will be in charge. I&rsquo;ll be at practice, but everything that happens after 12 a.m., that&rsquo;s going to be Norm&rsquo;s call. And as a coach, you really hope nothing happens after 12 a.m.&rdquo;
Jeremy Case, who helped the Jayhawks win the 2008 national title, will be alongside Roberts on the bench. The Jayhawks also can use Joe Dooley, a longtime assistant and now director of student-athlete development, and Brady Morningstar, a former player who usually serves as the video coordinator, as fill-in coaches on game day.
Still, it&rsquo;s hard to substitute for a two-time national champion coach who&rsquo;s won more than 81% of his games at Kansas.
&ldquo;Norm will do a great job. The guy has been a head coach in the Big East,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been together a long time, and there&rsquo;s a correlation in us being successful and who your coaches are, and we&rsquo;ve had the best staff. I don&rsquo;t know anybody can compare the staff we&rsquo;ve had over time, and Norm has been a huge part of that.&rdquo;
The suspensions, along with a series of recruiting penalties, were punishment for an infractions case that stems from a federal investigation in 2017 that led to the conviction of a shoe company executive, a middleman who worked with them and several assistant coaches. It involved Kansas along with Arizona, LSU, Louisville and North Carolina State.
When it came to the Jayhawks, the issue was whether representatives of apparel company Adidas were acting as boosters &mdash; the school contends they were not &mdash; when they arranged payments to prospective recruits. Kansas never disputed that the payments were made, only that it had any knowledge the inducements were happening.
The school asked that the case be decided by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, which was created to handle particularly complex cases and acts outside the purview of the NCAA. But the soon-to-be disbanded panel has been painfully slow in its work, and it remains unclear when &mdash; or even if &mdash; there will ever be a conclusion.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand all the nuances that go on,&rdquo; Self said, &ldquo;and to be real candid with you, if I don&rsquo;t understand it, it&rsquo;s hard for anyone else to understand it, because I&rsquo;m right in the middle of it.&rdquo;
Rather than wait out the process, Kansas imposed penalties last week in a gesture it hopes will mitigate any additional punishment. Self will sit out the next four games &mdash; an important developmental period for his young team &mdash; and put his trust in Roberts, who hasn&rsquo;t been a head coach since he was fired by St. John&rsquo;s in 2010.
&ldquo;We have a culture that&rsquo;s been built here,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been with Bill a long time. We kind of end each others&rsquo; sentences. And we talk about how faces change but expectations don&rsquo;t. Our players know our expectations are what they are at Kansas, and what we do on the court doesn&rsquo;t change.&rdquo;

Rather than following his team to the court for pregame introductions, Bill Self will begin a four-game suspension.

No. 5 Kansas opening season without Hall of Fame coach Self

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The NBA made its voice heard during the 2020 election cycle. LeBron James&rsquo; &ldquo;More Than A Vote&rdquo; initiative, formed after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked a national protest movement, was everywhere. Players were leading get-out-the-vote marches and rallies, making themselves more visible politically than ever before.
This year, the approach is of a more grassroots variety.
All 30 teams are doing various things in advance of Tuesday&rsquo;s midterm election, like airing public service announcements, leading registration drives and having employees volunteer at polling locations. The league won't play any games on Election Day.
But the volume is lower than two years ago. The &ldquo;More Than A Vote&rdquo; campaign is dormant, <a href="http://morethanavote.org/">its URL says the site can't be reached</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/morethanavote/status/1480240992745885697?s=20&amp;t=2YCPWi0mHQ1lbdCS746MoA">its last tweet coming in early January</a>.
That said, Golden State guard Stephen Curry&rsquo;s still has a clear message: All elections, including Tuesday's that will decide control of Congress, very much matter.
&ldquo;I think the message has been broadcast loud and clear for a decade now in terms of how important these moments are,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;Athletes can leverage their platforms to different politicians, different communities that are important to them, different causes, and that&rsquo;s happening.&rdquo;
Curry&rsquo;s 17 million Twitter followers have seen him post multiple times in recent weeks about voting &mdash; &ldquo;our future is on the ballot,&rdquo; he said. He also promoted a summit for young voters in California.
If there is a trend in the NBA in this election cycle, it&rsquo;s just that &mdash; getting young voters involved.
Francesca Pierre-Michel, an 18-year-old high school student in Miami, just voted for the first time last week.. She was with about 500 other students at an event organized by the Miami Heat that brought them all to an early voting location to cast ballots. They came in on a caravan of buses, the line snaking around the outside of the building.
The significance of the Heat getting involved wasn&rsquo;t lost on Pierre-Michel.
&ldquo;For me, that&rsquo;s not the reason why I went to go vote,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But I feel like for the rest of my peers, seeing the Heat or their favorite basketball team being involved and encouraging young adults, that helps. I wanted to vote because I wanted to get my voice heard. I&rsquo;m 18. My vote really counts now.&rdquo;
The Heat arranged for the new voters to celebrate with pizza for lunch. Pierre-Michel also got the &ldquo;I Voted&rdquo; sticker, which has become her prized souvenir.
&ldquo;I put it on my binder,&rdquo; she said.
Boston guard Grant Williams also promoted &mdash; and participated in &mdash; early voting, flying home to North Carolina to make sure his ballot got cast last month.
&ldquo;I encourage everyone to go out and make a difference!! Our state and local elections are just as important if not more than the presidential so let&rsquo;s use that right for the better!!&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/Grant2Will/status/1584961396176867329?s=20&amp;t=NgigKrquZYvovQmMXKYJxA">he tweeted.</a>
Taking a regular-season day off is a rarity for the NBA, which typically does not play on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and tries to avoid scheduling games on the day of the NCAA men&rsquo;s basketball championship game. It also has a few days off built around the All-Star Game, which takes place in February.
All 30 NBA teams are in action Monday, the night before Election Day, and there will be voting-themed messaging at many of those game sites.
In Chicago, the Bulls will have a player speak to fans about getting out to vote, and their opponent, the Toronto Raptors, will be wearing shirts encouraging voting, even though there is no national election in Canada on Tuesday.
Atlanta will encourage <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-race-and-ethnicity-atlanta-political-parties-5ca73a0e7aaa2022038281394e1ee6ea">Georgia voters to go to the polls</a> in a state where the race between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker will help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. In Dallas, the Mavericks partnered with several nonpartisan organizations to promote voter registration in a state where the governor's seat is on the ballot, as well as with Black churches to support &ldquo;Souls to the Polls&rdquo; efforts.
Curry believes that even if it's not as apparent as 2020, things are getting done.
&ldquo;Everybody has to do their part and you might not understand the ramifications of it in the moment but I think the trickle-down effect is really presenting itself in a loud way every year,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s because I&rsquo;m getting older, but it&rsquo;s more on my radar, front of mind, way more than it ever was. That matters.&rdquo;

All 30 teams are doing various things in advance of Tuesday’s midterm election. The league won't play any games on Election Day.

NBA teams' approach to Election Day more muted than 2020

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) &mdash; After five agonizing years, Louisville finally gets to look forward.
An independent panel placed the Cardinals&rsquo; basketball program on two years of probation and fined it $5,000, but spared the school major penalties from NCAA allegations leveled in the aftermath of a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball.
The Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) also declined on Thursday to penalize former Cardinals coach Rick Pitino, whom the NCAA initially cited for failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance. Chris Mack, Pitino&rsquo;s successor who was fired in January, also was not penalized for additional allegations announced last year by the NCAA.
&ldquo;The panel views this decision as exonerating both coaches,&rdquo; IARP chief panel member David Benck said in a conference call with reporters.
Pitino, now the coach at Iona, thanked the IARP for its fairness and reiterated his adherence to the rules.
&ldquo;So, do I feel vindicated? It&rsquo;s not really that important anymore because it&rsquo;s been five years,&rdquo; Pitino said in a conference call.
Former Cardinals assistant coach Jordan Fair and associate head coach Kenny Johnson, now a Rhode Island assistant, received two-year show-cause orders for Level I violations. The IARP concluded that Fair &ldquo;was knowingly involved&rdquo; in arranging a cash payment in exchange for a player enrolling at Louisville.
The IARP, created to decide complex cases, also restricted Louisville&rsquo;s recruiting visits for this academic year and issued a public reprimand.
&ldquo;We were hopeful of a successful outcome through this process, and that&rsquo;s what we received,&rdquo; Cardinals athletic director Josh Heird said in a news conference with Louisville&rsquo;s acting president, Lori Gonzalez.
The IARP was created out of proposals from a commission led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2018 to reform college basketball. The panel&rsquo;s decision cannot be appealed.
The NCAA in May 2020 accused Louisville of committing a Level I violation for an improper recruiting offer and several Level II violations. Pitino was accused of failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance &mdash; an accusation the IARP concluded was unfounded.
The NCAA case followed a federal investigation announced in September 2017 that involved numerous college basketball programs accused of giving illicit cash to recruits. The school acknowledged it was the subject of allegations related to the recruitment of Brian Bowen II.
Louisville had previously been placed on NCAA probation because of a sex scandal. Thursday&rsquo;s decision by the IARP put the latest disciplinary matter to rest for a school that has endured several scandals since 2015.
&ldquo;The panel felt that the institution and the coach were hypersensitive on compliance issues coming right on the heels of the prior case,&rdquo; Benck said.
The IARP also recently announced minor sanctions against Memphis in a similar case, signaling that the era of harsh NCAA penalties may be coming to an end with college athletes now allowed to make money off their name, image and likeness. Kansas is still under investigation by the IARP as a result of the federal probe, and this week it self-imposed a four-game suspension on coach Bill Self while reiterating the program&rsquo;s commitment to the Hall of Famer.
In the Louisville case, federal prosecutors alleged that Adidas representatives funneled $125,000 to a recruit&rsquo;s family to get him to attend the school. Pitino was not named in the federal complaint and repeatedly denied authorizing or knowing of any payment to a recruit.
Benck also rejected NCAA allegations that Adidas, as Louisville&rsquo;s sportswear partner, was acting on behalf of the school&rsquo;s athletic interests.
&ldquo;It was our interpretation that it was merely their own brand promotion,&rdquo; Benck said. &ldquo;On top of that, the institution never requested any assistance with recruiting in our opinion, had no knowledge of any assistance that the apparel company provided.&rdquo;
The Hall of Fame coach and athletic director Tom Jurich were fired in the wake of the federal complaint. That episode occurred with Louisville on NCAA probation after a 2015 sex scandal in which a basketball staffer was alleged to have hired strippers to entertain recruits and players.
Louisville&rsquo;s sanctions from that scandal included vacating 123 victories, including its 2013 men&rsquo;s basketball championship and 2012 Final Four appearance &mdash; both under Pitino.
College sports&rsquo; governing body amended its Notice of Allegations in September 2021 for violations committed under Mack during the 2020-21 season. The NCAA accused the program of impermissible activities and said Mack did not promote an atmosphere of compliance.
Mack was fired in January after three-plus seasons and eventually replaced by former Cardinals player and Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne. Mack&rsquo;s final season began with a six-game suspension by the school for failing to follow university guidelines in handling an extortion attempt by fired ex-assistant Dino Gaudio.
University officials pushed back against the accusations and noted coaching and administrative changes among their corrective measures.
The IARP&rsquo;s decision closes a long period in which Louisville has been stifled competitively, administratively and financially. The Cardinals&rsquo; lone NCAA Tournament appearance since Pitino&rsquo;s departure came in 2019, and the revolving door of coaches has limited Louisville on the recruiting trail.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s finally over,&rdquo; Heird said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a cloud over this program for five years now, whether it&rsquo;s recruiting or just the fans feeling the impact of it, the staff, the athletic staff, the university staff. For all of that to just be lifted today. ... It&rsquo;s relief.&rdquo;

An independent panel placed the Louisville basketball program on two years of probation and fined it $5,000.

Louisville escapes major sanctions in hoops bribery case

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Kansas suspended Hall of Fame coach Bill Self and top assistant Kurtis Townsend for the first four games of the season Wednesday, along with imposing several recruiting restrictions, as part of the fallout from a lengthy FBI investigation into college basketball corruption.
Norm Roberts will be the acting coach for the defending national champions beginning with their opener Monday night against Omaha. Self and Townsend also will miss games against North Dakota State and Southern Utah along with a high-profile showdown between the No. 5 Jayhawks and No. 7 Duke in the Champions Classic.
Self and Townsend will rejoin the team to face North Carolina State at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Nov. 23.
The school already had barred the two coaches from off-campus recruiting this past summer. It will also reduce the number of official visits during the 2023-24 academic year, reduce the total number of scholarships by three over a three-year span and reduce the number of permissible recruiting days during the upcoming year by 13 days.
There were no official visitors this year for Late Night at the Phog, the annual celebration to kick off the season.
&ldquo;Coach Townsend and I accept and support KU&rsquo;s decision,&rdquo; Self said in a statement. &ldquo;We are in good hands with Coach Roberts, and I am confident that he will do a great job on the bench leading our team. I am proud of the way our guys have handled this situation and I look forward to returning to the bench for our game against N.C. State.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The infractions case against Kansas stems from a federal investigation in 2017 that led to the conviction of shoe company executives, a middleman who worked with them and several assistant coaches.
Kansas was among the schools named in the case, along with Arizona, LSU, Louisville and N.C. State.
The Kansas case hinged on whether representatives of apparel company Adidas were considered boosters &mdash; the school contends they were not &mdash; when two of them arranged payments to prospective recruits. The school never disputed that the payments were made, only that it had any knowledge that the inducements were happening.
Auburn received four years of probation through a traditional NCAA infractions process for a similar case, but Kansas joined other schools in appealing its case to an Independent Accountability Review Panel, which was among the proposals made by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2018 to reform the sport.
The panel works outside the purview of the NCAA and was designed to handle particularly complex cases. But its work has been painfully slow &mdash; NCAA president Mark Emmert acknowledged the process takes &ldquo;way too long&rdquo; &mdash; and Kansas decided to self-impose restrictions while continuing to wait for the IARP to announce its decision.
&ldquo;We are hopeful these difficult self-imposed sanctions will assist in bringing the case to a conclusion,&rdquo; Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said in a statement, and declining any additional comment. &ldquo;Until then, we will continue to focus on supporting our outstanding men&rsquo;s basketball student-athletes and coaches.&rdquo;
Kansas had already doubled down on Self by signing him to a new contract in April 2021.
Under the terms of the five-year deal, Self gets one additional year after the conclusion of each season &mdash; in effect, making it a lifetime contract. It guaranteed him $5.41 million per year with a base salary of $225,000, a professional services contract of $2.75 million and an annual $2.435 million retention bonus.
The contract includes a clause that states the school cannot fire Self for cause &ldquo;due to any current infractions matter that involves conduct that occurred on or prior to&rdquo; the signing of the deal. And while he would have to forfeit half of his base salary and professional services pay while serving any Big 12 or NCAA suspension, it&rsquo;s unclear whether that includes any self-imposed suspensions such as the one handed down Wednesday.
&ldquo;Throughout this process, we have had ongoing conversations with all the involved parties,&rdquo; Kansas chancellor Douglas A. Girod said in a statement. &ldquo;We believe the actions we are announcing today move us closer to resolving this matter.&rdquo;
Making the Kansas case more complex, though, is the rapidly shifting landscape of college sports. Some of the alleged infractions from the 2017 investigation would no longer be against the rules following name, image and likeness legislation, which has allowed athletes in all sports to begin making money from endorsements and other off-the-field business arrangements.
Meanwhile, the days of postseason bans and crippling scholarship reductions as punishments appear to be ending.
Memphis was placed on three years of probation in August and slapped with a public reprimand and fine for violations in the recruitment of James Wiseman, now with the Golden State Warriors. But the Tigers escaped any scholarship penalties or postseason bans because the IARP said it did not want to punish current athletes.
Even as the IARP continues to work on several cases, the NCAA&rsquo;s Division I Transformation Committee earlier this year put forth a recommendation to end the process. The proposal was swiftly adopted by the Division I Board of Directors.
&ldquo;We look forward to commenting further when this process is fully resolved,&rdquo; Girod said of the IARP process. &ldquo;Until then, I want to reiterate our unwavering support of Coach Self and our men&rsquo;s basketball program.&rdquo;

Bill Self and Kurtis Townsend will rejoin the team to face North Carolina State at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Nov. 23.

Kansas suspends Self for 4 games in ongoing infractions case

Creighton has its best preseason ranking ever thanks in part to the big victory it earned in the transfer portal.
Baylor Scheierman&rsquo;s decision to return to his home state and play for Creighton after three stellar seasons at South Dakota State gave Creighton one of the nation&rsquo;s more versatile players.
Scheierman, a first-team all-Summit League selection each of the last two years, was the only Division I player last season to lead his conference in both rebounds (7.8) and assists (4.5). He was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award given annually to the nation&rsquo;s top mid-major player.
South Dakota State went 68-22 in Scheierman&rsquo;s three seasons, including a 30-5 mark last season that included an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Now he&rsquo;s taking his game to the Big East.
&ldquo;It was definitely a tough decision,&rdquo; Scheierman told reporters. &ldquo;Obviously, being there for three years and winning as much as we did, the relationships were pretty strong. This was a move for me individually, hoping to reach my dreams of playing in the NBA.&rdquo;
Scheierman, who is from Aurora, Nebraska, showed his ability to deal with Big East competition in his final game at South Dakota State. The 6-foot-7 guard collected 18 points and 10 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament loss to Providence.
His addition has helped Creighton earn a No. 9 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25. The Bluejays also return three players who averaged at least 10 points last season in Ryan Kalkbrenner, Arthur Kaluma and Ryan Nembhard.
&ldquo;He can score the basketball, but he&rsquo;s an elite, elite passer,&rdquo; Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. &ldquo;Adding that to what we already had returning is quite a skill to add to this group.&rdquo;
Scheierman is one of the more notable players switching teams this season (former schools are included in parentheses):
MEMPHIS G KENDRIC DAVIS (SMU)
Davis will try to defend his American Athletic Conference player of the year title at a different school. The 6-footer led the AAC with 19.4 points per game at SMU and also ranked third in the league in assists (4.4) at SMU last season.
KANSAS STATE F KEYONTAE JOHNSON (Florida)
Johnson was the Southeastern Conference&rsquo;s preseason player of the year in 2020-21 but collapsed during a game in December 2020 and hasn&rsquo;t played since. This season marks his comeback with a new team. Johnson was an Associated Press second-team all-SEC selection in 2019-20. He had 14 points and 7.1 rebounds per game that season.
NORTH CAROLINA F PETE NANCE (Northwestern)
Nance never got to play in an NCAA Tournament for Northwestern but the 6-foot-11 graduate student now gets a chance to play for the top-ranked Tar Heels, who reached the national championship game last season. Nance, the son of former NBA player Larry Nance, had 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range.
MIAMI G NIJEL PACK (Kansas State)
This 6-footer earned first-team all-Big 12 honors last season and was named the conference&rsquo;s most improved player. He averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals. He also made 95 3-pointers and shot 43.6% from beyond the arc. Pack was one of seven Division I players to score at least 17 points per game while shooting at least 43% from 3-point range.
GONZAGA G MALACHI SMITH (Chattanooga)
Smith was the Southern Conference player of the year and won the Lou Henson Award as the nation&rsquo;s top mid-major performer last season. He had 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while helping Chattanooga reach the NCAA Tournament.
LSU F KJ WILLIAMS (Murray State)
This 6-10 forward followed coach Matt McMahon from Murray State to LSU after leading the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring (18.0 ppg) and ranked second in the league in rebounding (8.4) last season. He had 18 points and seven rebounds as Murray State defeated San Francisco in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams averaged 13.7 points for Murray State in 2019-20 and 15.6 points in 2020-21.&nbsp;

Creighton has its best preseason ranking ever thanks in part to the big victory it earned in the transfer portal.

Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman tops list of impact transfers

Last year, the Houston Rockets paid John Wall $44,310,840 to stay home all season. The two sides couldn't agree on a buyout or find a trade, so they decided that Wall would stay away from the team and train on his own. After sitting out a whole year, Wall was bought out this summer and joined the Los Angeles Clippers.
Could Russell Westbrook be headed for the same fate?
Jovan Buha of The Athletic <a href="https://theathletic.com/3537009/2022/08/25/patrick-beverley-lakers-trade-roster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that the Los Angeles Lakers may consider a similar arrangement for Westbrook if they can't trade him prior to the start of the season, especially now that Patrick Beverley is on the team (since the two have some bad blood).
"Beverley&rsquo;s arrival makes it more likely that Westbrook will be off the active roster by the start of training camp, either through a trade or the team sending him home a la the Rockets with John Wall last season, according to a source close to the situation," Buha <a href="https://theathletic.com/3537009/2022/08/25/patrick-beverley-lakers-trade-roster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
Westbrook is owed $47,063,478 next season and his contract is expiring (which could make it easier for the two sides to negotiate a buyout).
Last season, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.9 threes while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.8% from three and 66.7% from the free-throw line.

Last season, the Rockets sent John Wall home. The Lakers are reportedly considering a similar arrangement for Russell Westbrook.

Lakers may have Russell Westbrook stay away from team

Pete Carril, the rumpled, cigar-smoking basketball coach who led Princeton to 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, where his teams unnerved formidable opponents and rattled March Madness with old-school fundamentals, died Monday. He was 92.
Princeton released a statement from Carril&rsquo;s family, which said he died &ldquo;peacefully this morning.&rdquo; It did not give a cause of death.
&ldquo;We kindly ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we process our loss and handle necessary arrangements. More information will be forthcoming in the following days,&rdquo; the statement said.
Carril, a Hall of Famer, schooled his teams in a distinct and throwback brand of ball &mdash; the Princeton offense, a game marked by patience, intelligence, constant motion, quick passing and backdoor cuts that often ended in layups.
It was an offense that could be played at any level of basketball &mdash; as Carril proved when he left Princeton and joined the NBA&rsquo;s Sacramento Kings as an assistant.
At Princeton, Carril&rsquo;s offense was performed by players often dismissed or overlooked by some of the nation&rsquo;s basketball powers. Come the NCAA Tournament, however, Princeton&rsquo;s unforgiving discipline could offset the disparity of talent on the floor.
During Carril&rsquo;s 29 seasons as the Tigers&rsquo; coach, the system worked splendidly. His teams won 13 Ivy League titles and posted a 514-261 record without the benefit of scholarship players. Its deliberate approach draining the high octane from many opponents, Princeton led the nation in scoring defense in 14 of his last 21 seasons, including the last eight in a run that ended in 1996.
He guided Princeton to the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1975 and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Basketball fans loved to watch the headaches Carril&rsquo;s teams caused in March. That was certainly the case in 1989 for Georgetown&rsquo;s John Thompson, the Hall of Fame coach sweating late in the game with his trademark towel draped over his shoulder.
Princeton gave a No. 1 seeded Georgetown team featuring Alonzo Mourning and Charles Smith all it could handle, and as a No. 16 seed was on the verge of a monumental upset. The Tigers had two shots in the closing seconds at sending Thompson and his team home but were denied, losing 50-49.
Carril&rsquo;s final season in 1996 was highlighted by a first-round NCAA victory over defending champion UCLA, an outcome many consider one of the biggest surprises in tournament history.
Former Princeton athletic director Gary Walters was taught civics by Carril in the classroom and played on the hardwood under Carril in high school in Pennsylvania. He later served as an assistant coach to him at Princeton and was a lifelong friend.
&ldquo;His adaptability as a coach and being able to put the pieces together in a constructive way, was very, very important,&rdquo; Walters told The Associated Press on Monday. &ldquo;He also understood the game so well fundamentally. Very few coaches had his ability to teach fundamentals.&rdquo;
There was an outpouring of sympathy and praise on social media for Carril.
&ldquo;I believe that in defining greatness in coaches u must determine if they get maximum out of their TEAM personnel,&rdquo; ESPN sportscaster Dick Vitale tweeted. &ldquo;PETE CARRIL is a prime example of a brilliant coaching mind that got max out of his talent. May Coach RIP !&rdquo;
Peter Joseph Carril was born on July 10, 1930, to Spanish immigrant parents in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He played at Lafayette College under a venerable coach in Butch Van Breda Kolff. After an Army stint, Carril coached in high school in Pennsylvania in the 1950s and &rsquo;60s before getting a college head coaching job at Lehigh. He spent the 1966-67 season there, going 11-12, and then was on his way to Princeton.
Carril was more than a basketball coach. Friends and former players say he was intelligent, philosophical, a great judge of character, honest and caring. He was not the country-club type. He was down to earth, his attire simple: open-collared shirts, wrinkled sweaters, his thinning hair never quite combed. Occasionally, there would be a sport jacket.
On the court, Carril was demanding. He worked his players hard and sought perfection. It would not be unusual for him to sit on the bench with a 20-point lead and a pained look creasing his face following a bad pass, a turnover or missed layup. It was the craft, the process that mattered, never mind the score.
If asked, he would recall what his father had told him growing up in Bethlehem, one of the country&rsquo;s steel capitals.
&ldquo;When you lower your standards, they can turn around and attack you,&rdquo; Carril said often.
Success on the court never changed Carril. He liked his cigars. He enjoyed a drink, a coffee or just chatting with people at Andy&rsquo;s Tavern in Princeton, that is until it became a sushi bar in the 1990s. Conte&rsquo;s Pizza remained one of his hangouts. He would occasionally stop at the Princeton basketball office to talk hoops with Mitch Henderson, who became Princeton&rsquo;s coach in 2011.
After leaving Princeton, Carril jumped to unfamiliar ground &mdash; the NBA. He spent 10 seasons as a Kings assistant, helping coach Rick Adelman&rsquo;s teams win two Pacific Division titles and a spot in the 2002 Western Conference finals.
He joined the Washington Wizards&rsquo; staff in 2007 and in 2009 returned to the Kings. He retired from coaching in 2011.

The Princeton offense was a game marked by patience, intelligence, constant motion, quick passing and backdoor cuts that led to points.

Pete Carril was an old-school offensive maestro at any level

<a href="https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2022/8/15/mens-basketball-a-statement-from-the-family-of-pete-carril.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A statement from the family of Hall of Fame head coach Pete Carril</a>:
"The Carril family is sad to report that Coach Peter J. Carril passed away peacefully this morning. We kindly ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we process our loss and handle necessary arrangements. More information will be forthcoming in the following days."
A 1998 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Carril coached the Tigers for 29 years where he guided the program to 514 wins, 13 Ivy League championships and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Princeton Basketball and Princeton Athletics will have further tributes to Coach Carril in the days and weeks to come.

A 1998 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Carril coached the Tigers for 29 years where he guided the program to 514 wins.

Hall of Famer, Princeton coach Pete Carril passes away at 92

KHIMKI, Russia (AP) &mdash; U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and smuggling and was sentenced to nine years behind bars in a politically charged case that could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow.
The 31-year-old Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and a eight-time all-star with the WNBA&rsquo;s Phoenix Mercury, listened with a blank expression as an interpreter translated the verdict by Judge Anna Sotnikova, but her lawyers said later she was &ldquo;very upset.&rdquo; Griner also was fined 1 million rubles (about $16,700).
U.S. President Joe Biden denounced as &ldquo;unacceptable&rdquo; the verdict and sentence, which came amid soaring tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine.
&ldquo;I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates,&rdquo; Biden said, adding that he would continue to work to bring home Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction.
Outside court, the U.S. Embassy&rsquo;s charge d&rsquo;affaires Elizabeth Rood called the outcome &ldquo;a miscarriage of justice.&rdquo;
Griner, recognized as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, has been detained since Feb. 17 after police said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage upon landing at Moscow&rsquo;s Sheremetyevo Airport. She was returning to Russia, where she has competed since 2014.
As she was led out of court, Griner said: &ldquo;I love my family.&rdquo;
The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years that Griner had faced under the charges. Most Russians possessing small quantities of drugs get at most five years in prison, lawyers said.
Defense attorney Maria Blagovolina told reporters later that Griner was &ldquo;very upset, very stressed. She can hardly talk. It&rsquo;s a difficult time for her.&rdquo;
Before the unusually swift verdict was reached, an emotional Griner apologized to her family, teammates and the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, where she plays in the WNBA offseason, &ldquo;for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them.&rdquo;
With her voice cracking, she added: &ldquo;I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.&rdquo;
Under Russian law, Griner has 10 days to appeal, and her lawyers say they expect a hearing in Moscow regional court next week. Asked if Griner could ask for pardon from President Vladimir Putin, Blagovolina said they would consider every possibility, but the lawyers said they were not part of any discussions about a prisoner swap.
Griner&rsquo;s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas tweeted that the sentence &ldquo;was severe by Russian legal standards and goes to prove what we have known all along, that Brittney is being used as a political pawn.&rdquo; She added that she supported Biden&rsquo;s efforts &ldquo;to get a deal done.&rdquo;
A conviction is usually a prerequisite to arranging a prisoner exchange and also allows Griner to apply for a presidential pardon. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last month that the &ldquo;necessary judicial procedures&rdquo; must be completed before other steps can be taken.
The disclosure in July that the U.S. government was seeking a prisoner swap involving Griner reflected the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring her home. The U.S. State Department had earlier declared Griner to be &ldquo;wrongfully detained&rdquo; &mdash; a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
When she took the stand July 7, Griner said: &ldquo;I would like to plead guilty on the charges against me. But I had no intention of breaking any Russian law.&rdquo; She added that she brought the vape canisters into Russia because she had packed in haste for her flight.
Griner also described a confusing scene while being held at the airport, saying an interpreter provided by authorities translated only a fraction of what was being said to her and that officials told her to sign documents without explaining what they were. She also said she was not informed of her rights.
Her lawyers introduced evidence that Griner was using the medicinal cannabis for chronic pain and injuries sustained during her career and included a letter from her doctor. Griner testified she was aware cannabis oil was outlawed in Russia and had not intended to break the law or &ldquo;plan to smuggle anything into Russia.&rdquo;
Griner&rsquo;s case and her nearly six months behind bars have raised strong criticism among her supporters in the United States, including her wife, Cherelle, that Biden was not doing enough to win her freedom.
Griner sent a personal appeal to Biden, and more than 1,100 Black female leaders urged the administration to &ldquo;make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly and safely and to meet with Brittney&rsquo;s wife Cherelle immediately.&rdquo; Biden later called Cherelle Griner &ldquo;to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney&rsquo;s release as soon as possible,&rdquo; the White House said July 6.
Cherelle Griner, who also spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris, later said she was &ldquo;grateful to the both of them for the time they spent with me and for the commitment they expressed to getting BG home,&rdquo; using her wife&rsquo;s initials.
On July 27, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home Griner and Whelan in a sharp reversal of previous policy. Details of the proposal were not announced, though a person familiar with the matter said the U.S. has offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Russian media have speculated repeatedly that Griner could be swapped for Bout, nicknamed &ldquo;the Merchant of Death,&rdquo; who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization. Russia has agitated for Bout&rsquo;s release for years.
The severity of Griner&rsquo;s sentence could give Russia leverage in a swap by increasing pressure on Washington to negotiate her release.
&ldquo;I think that the harsher the sentence, the more pressure there will be on the Biden administration to make a deal, and obviously they like leveraging that pressure,&rdquo; Tom Firestone, a lawyer who formerly served as the resident legal adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said of the Russians before the sentence was imposed.
Her detention was made public only after Russian troops moved into Ukraine, as relations between Russia and the United States hit new lows after Washington led the West in bringing sanctions against Moscow.
Griner&rsquo;s plight has been highlighted by her supporters at home, including top athletes, especially after little news emerged from her initial weeks of detention in Russia, where she had limited access to officials from the U.S. Embassy. It was only in May that the State Department designated her as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, effectively the government&rsquo;s chief hostage negotiator.
At the ESPY Awards last month, soccer player Megan Rapinoe referred to Griner as &ldquo;a political prisoner,&rdquo; and tennis great Billie Jean King said, &ldquo;First, bring BG home. Gotta do that.&rdquo;
NBA Finals MVP Stephan Curry wore Griner&rsquo;s jersey under his track suit at the awards show and urged &ldquo;the entire global sports community to continue to stay energized on her behalf. She&rsquo;s one of us, the team of athletes in this room tonight and all over the world. A team that has nothing to do with politics or global conflict.&rdquo;
Griner, a 6-foot-9 center, has 12 of the 15 regular season dunks in WNBA history and set the single-year record for blocks with 129 in 2014. She led the league in scoring twice. She was a two-time Associated Press college basketball player of the year and led Baylor to a 40-0 season and the 2012 NCAA title. She was the No. 1 pick by Phoenix in the 2013 draft.
The commissioners of the WNBA and NBA called the trial&rsquo;s outcome &ldquo;unjustified and unfortunate, but not unexpected and Brittney Griner remains wrongly detained. ... It is our hope that we are near the end of this process of finally bringing BG home to the United States.&rdquo;

An emotional Brittney Griner apologized in a Russian court, as her drug possession trial drew to a close, calling it "an honest mistake."

Russian judge sentences WNBA’s Brittney Griner to 9 years in prison

The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are actively engaged in trade discussions centered on a Russell Westbrook-Kyrie Irving package, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1543378879099703297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are actively engaged in trade discussions centered on a Russell Westbrook-Kyrie Irving package, league sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YahooSports</a>: <a href="https://t.co/trNOzrmNbI">https://t.co/trNOzrmNbI</a>
&mdash; Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1543378879099703297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Haynes also included that the Nets want to include Joe Harris, but the Lakers prefer Seth Curry instead.
"Draft compensation is an ongoing talking point for the Nets and they want shooting guard Joe Harris &mdash; who is recovering from left ankle surgery &mdash; and his remaining $38.6 million owed over the next two years included in the deal, sources said.
"The Lakers have been disinclined to the inclusion of Harris, and are instead seeking the insertion of sharpshooter Seth Curry as part of the arrangement, sources said."

Chris Haynes reports that the Lakers and the Nets have discussed a potential Kyrie Irving for Russell Westbrook swap.

Haynes: Lakers, Nets discussing Irving for Westbrook swap

Bookmark this page and we'll keep you up-to-date on every NBA rumor. We'll continue updating this tracker over the next 24 hours.

Aryan