Fighting Saints

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

The Orlando Magic have had their fair share of ups and downs in their relatively short history. However, since the franchise was established in 1989, they have provided their fans with some unforgettable seasons. From the early success of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway to the dominant play of Dwight Howard in the late 2000s, the Magic have had some remarkable teams.
The Magic have had quite a bit of lottery luck, landing the No. 1 pick in 1992 (which allowed them to select O'Neal), 1993 (which allowed them to pick Chris Webber and trade him to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks), 2004 (which allowed them to select Howard) and 2022 (which allowed them to draft Paolo Banchero).&nbsp;
The current Magic squad has fans in Orlando excited about the future, with a core of Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Markelle Fultz among others. But today, let's look back at the past and examine the five best seasons in franchise history.
5. 2007-08 SEASON RECORD: 52-30 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
This season, the Magic won 52 games and finished as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. The team was led by a 22-year-old Dwight Howard, who earned his second All-Star selection while emerging as a two-way force. During the regular season, Howard averaged 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, while shooting 59.9% from the field. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, averaging 18.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. Orlando defeated the Toronto Raptors in five games in the first round, but they were ultimately eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This season laid the groundwork for Orlando's Finals run in 2008-09.
4. 2009-10 SEASON RECORD: 59-23 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE FINALS
Despite coming off of an NBA Finals run, the Magic decided to make some big changes entering this 2009-19 season. Orlando acquired Vince Carter in a blockbuster trade with the New Jersey Nets and added some new role players in Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass. The Magic won 59 games, which was the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Orlando was once again led by Howard, who earned his second-straight Defensive Player of the Year award. The Magic were dominant through the first two rounds of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced off against the Boston Celtics and lost in six games. Still, their regular-season success and deep postseason run cannot be overlooked.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/8887.jpg" alt="" width="728" height="384" />
3. 1995-96 SEASON RECORD: 60-22 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE FINALS
The 1995-96 season was another successful year for the Magic. The team finished with a record of 60-22, which was the second-best in the Eastern Conference and is still the franchise record for most wins in a single season. Led by one of the best one-two punches in the league in Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, Orlando went 7-1 through the first two rounds of the 1996 NBA Playoffs, eliminating the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks with ease. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic ran into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who got their revenge from the previous year by sweeping Orlando.
2. 2008-09 SEASON RECORD: 59-23 FINISH: LOST IN NBA FINALS
This team was ahead of its time, as Stan Van Gundy surrounded Dwight Howard with shooters and made teams pick their poison. The Magic had a terrific core of Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson, plus excellent role players such as Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Mickael Pietrus, J.J. Redick and Marcin Gortat. Orlando's run in the 2009 NBA Playoffs was incredible, as they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics (led by the Big Three) and Cleveland Cavaliers (led by LeBron James). Until this year, the Magic were the only team to defeat James in a Conference Finals series. In the NBA Finals, the Magic matched up against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, ultimately losing in five games. What if Courtney Lee hits the game-winning layup at the end of Game 2 in the 2009 NBA Finals? That's one of the biggest "what ifs" among Magic fans to this day.
1. 1994-95 SEASON RECORD: 57-25 FINISH: LOST IN NBA FINALS
The 1994-95 season was the most successful season in the Magic's franchise history. Shaquille O'Neal was virtually unstoppable, averaging 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 blocks, while shooting 58.3% from the field. Penny Hardaway was excellent as well, averaging an efficient 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 51.2/34.9/76.9 shooting splits. The team won 57 games, which was the best record in the East. Prior to the 1995 NBA Finals, the Magic became the only team to eliminate Michael Jordan in the playoffs during the 1990s, beating Chicago in six games in the Conference Semifinals. Jordan came out of retirement midseason and the Magic spoiled his return. After defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Conference Finals, the Magic faced off against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon put up 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game and helped the Rockets sweep the Magic. Still, the Magic's run to the Finals was nothing short of spectacular.
While the Magic have not won an NBA championship, they have had some great seasons and provided their fans with plenty of memorable moments.&nbsp;

From Shaq and Penny to the Dwight Howard era, Basketball News looks back at the five best teams in Orlando Magic history.

Ranking the 5 best seasons in Orlando Magic history

Purdue&rsquo;s Zach Edey decided it was the right call to go back to school instead of staying in the NBA draft. His predecessor as national player of the year, Kentucky&rsquo;s Oscar Tshiebwe, is sticking with his pro pursuit.
And Connecticut&rsquo;s reign as NCAA champion will begin with multiple starters having left for the NBA draft and one returning after flirting with doing the same.
The 7-foot-4 Edey and UConn guard Tristen Newton were among the notable names to announce that they were withdrawing from the draft Wednesday, the NCAA&rsquo;s deadline for players who declared as early entrants to pull out and retain their college eligibility.
Edey&rsquo;s decision came Wednesday night, in social media posts from both&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/zach_edey/status/1664075497490227202?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the center</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/boilerball/status/1664076605637947392?s=12&amp;t=srroTo7kpdGXnm7-atvQSA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Boilermakers program</a>&nbsp;that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-player-of-year-edey-97210ca64c44cd64ca0120406dcc969a">behind Edey, The Associated Press men&rsquo;s national player of the year</a>.
But Tshiebwe&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs7A_lVv4CC/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced late in the afternoon that he would remain in the draft</a>&nbsp;after a college career that included&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-st-peters-peacocks-mens-basketball-sports-oscar-tshiebwe-johnny-davis-7174341881f37ac8750f8f9119a6fce8">being named the AP national player of the year in 2022</a>.
For the current champions, Newton (10.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds)&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/D1Tristen/status/1663887976647237632?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is returning</a>&nbsp;after being one of four Huskies to declare for the draft after a run&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/final-four-uconn-san-diego-state-1de224560610defcbc4eb9c40cbb588a">to UConn&rsquo;s fifth national championship in early April</a>. He scored a game-high 19 points to go with 10 rebounds in the victory over San Diego State in the title game.
The others were&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-championship-uconn-san-diego-state-782bd15323bda90f2b664653cae99e6e">Final Four Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo</a>, wing Jordan Hawkins and versatile guard Andre Jackson Jr. Sanogo (17.8 points) and Hawkins (16.3) have made it clear they have closed the door on their college careers, while team spokesman Phil Chardis said Wednesday night that Jackson (6.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists) would remain in the draft.
The Huskies have 247sports&rsquo; No. 3-ranked recruiting class for next year to restock the roster, led by McDonald&rsquo;s All-American point guard Stephon Castle.
The NBA&rsquo;s withdrawal deadline is June 12, but is moot when it comes to college players returning to school due to the NCAA&rsquo;s earlier timeline to retain playing eligibility.
STAYING IN SCHOOL
TREY ALEXANDER:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/TrickyTrey23/status/1664070367982280707?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Creighton gets back</a> a 6-4 guard who averaged 13.6 points and shot 41% from 3-point range in his first full season as a starter.
ADEM BONA: The 6-foot-10 forward and Pac-12 freshman of the year&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/UCLAMBB/status/1663947898332286976?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is returning to UCLA</a>&nbsp;after starting 32 games as a rookie and averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks &mdash; with coach Mick Cronin praising his toughness for &ldquo;competing through multiple injuries for as long as he could&rdquo; in a statement Wednesday.
EDEY: He averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists while shooting 60.7% from the field. His presence alone helps Purdue be a factor in the Big Ten race.
JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: The 6-6 guard went through the NBA G League Combine and had workouts with multiple teams&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://utsports.com/news/2023/5/31/mens-basketball-james-set-to-rejoin-vols-for-fifth-year.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">before opting to return</a>&nbsp;to Tennessee for a fifth season alongside teammate Santiago Vescovi.
JUDAH MINTZ: The 6-3 freshman averaged 16.3 points and 4.6 assists&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://cuse.com/news/2023/5/31/mens-basketball-hes-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">for Syracuse</a>, ranking third among Division I freshmen in scoring behind only Alabama&rsquo;s Brandon Miller and Lamar&rsquo;s Nate Calmese.
OWLS&rsquo; RETURNEES: Florida Atlantic got good news after its surprise Final Four run with the return leading scorers Johnell Davis (13.8) and Alijah Martin (13.4).&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37768605/johnell-davis-alijah-martin-withdraw-nba-draft-return-florida-atlantic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ESPN first reported</a>&nbsp;their decisions, while Martin later&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/martin_alijah/status/1664007891882328066" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">posted a social media statement</a>.
TERRENCE SHANNON JR.: Illinois got a big boost with Shannon&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Sn1per_T/status/1664063397468438530?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announcing his return Wednesday night in a social media post</a>. The 6-6 guard is returning for a fifth college season after averaging 17.2 points.
SPARTANS&rsquo; RETURNEES:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MSU_Basketball/status/1663931468761169926" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michigan State announced</a>&nbsp;that guards Jaden Akins and A.J. Hoggard have withdrawn from the NBA draft. Standout guard Tyson Walker had previously withdrawn in April, setting up Tom Izzo to have five of his top scorers back.
GOING PRO
KOBE BROWN: Missouri&rsquo;s 6-8 swingman&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/TheKobe24Brown/status/1664041800917729281" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">opted against returning for a fifth college season</a>&nbsp;after being an&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/all-sec-team-brandon-miller-tshiebwe-taylor-aa366b637e7352bacaab5e7cd4e5dd9e">AP first-team all-Southeastern Conference pick</a>&nbsp;averaging 15.8 points last season.
JAYLEN CLARK: The third-year UCLA guard averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while leading the Pac-12 with 2.6 steals en route to being named Naismith national defensive player of the year. Cronin called him a winner with strong intangibles who made UCLA &ldquo;a better program because he chose to be a Bruin.&rdquo;
BRICE SENSABAUGH: The Ohio State freshman averaged 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 31 games before missing his final two in the Big Ten Tournament due to a knee injury. He&rsquo;s a potential first-round prospect.
TSHIEBWE: The 6-9, 260-pound forward is a tough interior presence who led the country in rebounds for two straight seasons (15.1 in 2022, 13.7 in 2023) while racking up 48 double-doubles. But he faces an uncertain next stop and is projected at best as a second-round prospect.

Purdue’s Zach Edey decided it was the right call to go back to school instead of staying in the NBA draft.

Purdue’s Edey returning to school; Kentucky’s Tshiebwe stays in NBA draft

UCLA is surging, both toward the postseason and in The Associated Press men&rsquo;s college basketball poll.
While Houston was No. 1 for a third straight week in Monday&rsquo;s poll, the Bruins rose two spots to No. 2 for their highest ranking of the season. UCLA (27-4) has won its last 10 games, including a showdown with highly ranked Arizona in the regular-season finale behind star Jamie Jaquez Jr. to complete a perfect home record.
&ldquo;I will say this, the recipe for success in March usually &ndash; I mean, aside from talent &ndash; is a great point guard and some senior leadership, like a guy like Jaime Jaquez,&rdquo; UCLA coach Mick Cronin said afterward. &ldquo;I mean, we&rsquo;ve got a chance. But as you know, that tournament&rsquo;s crazy. It isn&rsquo;t &lsquo;March Normal.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Kelvin Sampson&rsquo;s Cougars remained firmly entrenched at the top in their third stint at No. 1 this season, earning 58 first-place votes with the other three going to UCLA.
Houston hadn&rsquo;t reached No. 1 before this season since 1983 during the &ldquo;Phi Slama Jama&rdquo; era, but the Cougars have now spent a total of seven weeks at the top to tie Purdue for the most of any team this season.
Houston (29-2) closed out its regular-season schedule by winning at Memphis on a last-second basket Sunday, marking its 11th straight win.
THE TOP TIER
The only change in the top five came with UCLA trading places with No. 4 Alabama, with Kansas remaining at No. 3 despite a loss at Texas in Saturday&rsquo;s regular-season finale and the Boilermakers staying at fifth.
Marquette stayed at No. 6, followed by the Longhorns climbing two spots to No. 7. Arizona, Gonzaga and Baylor rounded out the top 10.
RISING
Texas A&amp;M is the week&rsquo;s biggest climber, leaping six spots to No. 18 after beating Alabama in its regular-season finale. That&rsquo;s part of a strong finish under fourth-year coach Buzz Williams, with the Aggies going 17-3 since mid-December and losing just once since the start of February. Before this season, Texas A&amp;M hadn&rsquo;t been ranked since February 2018.
In all, eight teams climbed from last week&rsquo;s positions.
SLIDING
Tennessee took the week&rsquo;s biggest tumble, falling five spots to No. 17 after losing at Auburn in its regular-season finale and its first full game since losing Zakai Zeigler to a season-ending knee injury. Indiana was next, falling four spots to No. 19 after losing at home to Iowa by 22 points.
In all, six teams slid from their ranking last week.
STATUS QUO
Nearly a third of last week&rsquo;s ranked teams (eight) stayed in their same position, including No. 13 Virginia, No. 22 TCU and No. 23 Kentucky.
WELCOME BACK
The week&rsquo;s three new additions are all returnees to the poll, headlined by No. 21 Duke.
The Blue Devils (23-8) returned to the poll for the first time since falling out in mid-January after opening the year at No. 7. First-year coach Jon Scheyer has led Duke to six straight wins to close out the regular season, including Saturday&rsquo;s win at North Carolina for a rivalry sweep that wounded UNC&rsquo;s iffy NCAA Tournament hopes.
Creighton checked in at No. 24, returning after a one-week absence for a third stint in the poll this season. Next came 25th-ranked Missouri, which won its last four regular-season games to return to the poll after spending two weeks there in the first half of January.
FAREWELL (FOR NOW)
Providence (No. 20), Maryland (No. 21) and Pittsburgh (No. 25) dropped out this week. All three will be playing in their conference tournaments this week.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 12 and Southeastern conferences shared the lead this week with five ranked teams each, though three of the Big 12&prime;s group were inside the top 10.
The Big East was next with four ranked teams, including No. 11 Connecticut. The Atlantic Coast Conference had three, followed by the Big Ten, Pac-12 and West Coast conferences with two each.
The American Athletic and Mountain West conferences each had one ranked team.
ONE MORE
Next week&rsquo;s poll marks the final edition for the 2022-23 season.

While Houston was No. 1 for a third straight week, the Bruins rose two spots to No. 2 for their highest ranking of the season.

Houston, UCLA, Kansas top latest AP Top 25; Duke back in

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 points and Tyger Campbell had 13 of his 14 points in the second half as No. 4 UCLA hung on to beat Colorado 60-56 on Sunday.
Amari Bailey added 11 points for UCLA (25-4, 16-2 Pac-12), which won its eighth in a row to close out an undefeated February and clinch the regular-season conference title.
&ldquo;This doesn&rsquo;t change anything,&rdquo; UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. &ldquo;Our goal along the way was going to have to be winning the Pac-12 to try to be able to stay in the West (for the NCAA Tournament). So, we&rsquo;ve got more games to win to be able to try to accomplish that goal. Also, we have the longest home winning streak (23 games) in the country we take a lot of pride in. So we&rsquo;re focused on Arizona State.&rdquo;
With the Pac-12 tournament and NCAA Tournament on the horizon, Jaquez agreed with his coach that now was not the time to rest on their regular-season title.
&ldquo;That was one of the goals that we had in the beginning of the year. And we accomplished it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And now, we&rsquo;ve got two more goals that we want to accomplish, as well. And we&rsquo;re just going to keep working hard.&rdquo;
KJ Simpson had 14 points to lead Colorado (15-15, 7-12). Tristan da Silva, who left the game with just over five minutes remaining with an apparent lower leg injury, and Luke O&rsquo;Brien each scored 13 points. Colorado nearly pulled off the upset against UCLA after coming off a lopsided loss to USC.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a different feeling today after the loss than after Thursday night&rsquo;s loss, and something I talk to the players about, is that the reason that they&rsquo;re down and disappointed tonight is because they fought their tails off,&rdquo; Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. &ldquo;They competed their tails off, and they came up short.&rdquo;
The Buffaloes fought back to take a 45-44 lead on da Silva&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 8:13 remaining, capping an 8-2 run by the Buffaloes. The game remained tight down the stretch with the score tied twice in the final 3:41.
Jaquez made one of two free throws with 2:17 left to put UCLA on top by a point and Campbell added another basket for the Bruins. The Buffaloes got back within two points on a pair of free throws by Lawson Lovering with seven seconds remaining. Amari Bailey was fouled on the subsequent inbounds play and he made both free throws to secure the victory over Colorado, which did not get a shot off in the final seconds.
Down by a basket at the break, UCLA scored the first seven points of the second half to go in front 35-30. It was the Bruins&rsquo; first lead since Jaquez scored on a dunk in the opening minute of the game. Tyger Campbell capped the burst with a 3-pointer, the first make from beyond the arc for the Bruins, who went 0 for 6 in the first half.
UCLA missed 10 of its first 11 shots and fell behind 11-2 before gradually cutting into the deficit, pulling to within 30-28 on a layup by Jaylen Clark just before the halftime buzzer. Colorado couldn&rsquo;t build on its early lead because of offensive problems of its own and actually finished the first half shooting 37.9%, some two percent lower than UCLA in the same span.
3-POINT STREAK
The Bruins made one of their 14 3-point tries but that was enough to extend a 23-year streak. Tyger Campbell&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the second half extended UCLA&rsquo;s streak with at least one made 3-pointer to 782 games. The Bruins have not gone without a 3-pointer in a game since going 0 for 14 from beyond the arc in a 78-63 loss at then No. 2 Stanford on Feb. 3, 2000.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins earned a gritty victory that will serve them well as they turn their attention to post-season tournament. They overcame a slow start and spotty offensive play by maintaining their composure against an underdog, but determined, opponent, leaning on their defensive intensity to see the game through to a win.
Colorado: The Buffaloes put up a strong effort against a high-powered UCLA team, going toe to toe with their opponent until the final moments. They showed they can compete with the best in the conference and, with a young squad, showed they have the potential to improve in the near future.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Opens last regular season homestand Thursday against Arizona State ahead of Saturday&rsquo;s finale against No. 7 Arizona. The Bruins are riding a 23-game home winning streak dating to last season, the longest active streak in the nation.
Colorado: Hosts Utah on Saturday in a regular-season finale.

The Bruins won their eighth in a row to close out an undefeated February and clinch the regular-season conference title.

No. 4 UCLA tops Colorado, claims Pac-12 regular-season title

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and Tyger Campbell added 18 to lift No. 4 UCLA to a 78-71 win over Utah on Thursday night.
&ldquo;Jaime is a big-time player. He&rsquo;s an All-American and a guy that&rsquo;s going to play in the NBA for 10-12 years, so it&rsquo;s not a surprise,&rdquo; UCLA coach Mick Cronin said.
Jaquez, who was UCLA&rsquo;s only effective offensive player in the second half, made a 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining to seal the win just moments after Campbell made a 3 from the corner.
&ldquo;I prepare myself to be in these situations,&rdquo; Jaquez said. &ldquo;My guys have faith in me that I&rsquo;m going to make the right play every time down the stretch.&rdquo;
UCLA (24-4, 15-2 Pac-12) has won seven in a row despite giving up more than 70 points for just the fourth time this season.
&ldquo;The key is number one, taking care of the ball, and two, relying on your defense to get things done, not your offense,&rdquo; Campbell said.
Mike Saunders Jr. came off the bench to score a career-high 25 points for Utah (17-12, 10-8 Pac-12), which has lost three in a row.
&ldquo;Honestly, it felt amazing and it was crazy because I envisioned it,&rdquo; Saunders said. &ldquo;I was just waiting for an opportunity. I feel like my teammates believe in me.&rdquo;
The Utes played without their starting backcourt of Rollie Worster and Gabe Madsen, who are both injured. Utah finally started making 3-pointers in the second half and cut the Bruins lead to 62-59 after Wilguens Exacte and Saunders hit from beyond the arc.
But Jaquez came up with baskets when the Bruins needed them most.
&ldquo;The game was never in jeopardy,&rdquo; Cronin said, despite Utah&rsquo;s late runs. &ldquo;When you have Jaime and Tyger, it&rsquo;s easy to be confident.&rdquo;
Utah held the Bruins without a field goal for more than six minutes in the middle of the second half, highlighted by a couple of thunderous blocks from Branden Carlson and Keba Keita.
&ldquo;It was a heck of an effort. We&rsquo;re not into moral victories but really, really proud of the way they played today,&rdquo; Utah coach Craig Smith said.
Saunders, who only had three points in all of conference play coming into the game, brought a new element of speed to the Utes but made some mistakes characteristic of seldom-used players.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to learn. They were some things tonight he&rsquo;s got to do better, but he really sparked us on the offensive end,&rdquo; Smith said.
UCLA&rsquo;s 15-2 mark through 17 Pac-12 games marks the program&rsquo;s best conference start since the 2007-08 Final Four team with Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.
Jaquez thinks this team can go even further.
&ldquo;National championship. That&rsquo;s what we got in mind,&rdquo; Jacquez said.
Tyger Campbell scored 10 of his points in the first half and helped manufacture open shots for his teammates while the Bruins held the Utes to 33 percent and 0-for-10 from 3-point range to take a 43-31 lead at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins took what the Utes gave them, so they consistently scored from the mid-range. Even with their scoring drought, the Bruins took care of the ball with only six turnovers, marking the 27th of 28 games this season they have less giveaways than their opponent.
Utah: The Utes made it difficult at times for the Bruins with a determined effort on the boards and a lot of hustle, but the Utes couldn&rsquo;t shoot. Without their guards, Saunders was a pleasant surprise, but it didn&rsquo;t matter because UCLA shot so well early and held Carlson in check.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
UCLA has been in the Top 10 for the last month and further upward mobility will probably depend on one of the top three losing this weekend.
UP NEXT
UCLA: At Colorado on Sunday.
Utah: Hosts Southern Cal on Saturday.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and Tyger Campbell added 18 to lift the No. 4 Bruins to a 78-71 win.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads No. 4 UCLA to 78-71 win over Utah

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; UCLA came in way too cocky, according to coach Mick Cronin, and it nearly cost the Bruins.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 26 points and fourth-ranked UCLA rallied in the second half to beat Stanford 73-64 on Thursday night, improving to 14-0 at home this season.
&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t ready for the fight,&rdquo; Cronin said, adding: &ldquo;They dug it out tonight.&rdquo;
The Bruins got outplayed in the first half, then built a lead in the second half only to fall behind again before closing out their 22nd consecutive home victory dating to last season &mdash; the nation&rsquo;s longest current streak.
&ldquo;We did come in a little overconfident. Sometimes that happens,&rdquo; Jaquez said. &ldquo;It was also good to get checked by Stanford in the first half and realize we&rsquo;ve got to stay humble and composed. This is the time of year anything can happen. I said in the huddle, &lsquo;We got an opportunity and let&rsquo;s not mess this up.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Jaylen Clark added 16 points for the first-place Bruins (22-4, 13-2 Pac-12), who have won five in a row overall.
Michael Jones scored 15 points to lead Stanford (11-15, 5-10), and Harrison Ingram added 13. Maxime Raynaud had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Spencer Jones, the Cardinal&rsquo;s leading scorer at 13.7 points per game, was held to six.
The Bruins burst out to start the second half, outscoring the Cardinal 16-4 to take a 43-36 lead. Clark stole the ball from Michael O&rsquo;Connell and dunked, then he hit a 3-pointer before Jaquez completed a three-point play to cap the spurt.
&ldquo;This is my last year and I realized I&rsquo;ve only got so many games left, so I&rsquo;m going down swinging,&rdquo; said Jaquez, who made 9 of 11 free throws and had nine rebounds and three assists.
Stanford responded with a 14-2 run, including 12 in a row, to go back in front, 50-45. Michael Jones scored seven straight points and Spencer Jones dunked.
The Cardinal had five players in foul trouble in the second half: O&rsquo;Connell, Michael Jones, Spencer Jones, Ingram and Raynaud. O&rsquo;Connell fouled out in the closing seconds.
Four times the Bruins clawed within one. Clark grabbed a defensive rebound and streaked down the court to dunk and put UCLA ahead, 58-57.
After Ingram&rsquo;s jumper cut the Bruins&rsquo; lead to one, Will McClendon hit a high-arcing 3-pointer in front of UCLA&rsquo;s bench that extended their lead to 63-59. UCLA made all eight of its free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Stanford controlled the first half and led 31-27. The Cardinal were better than the Bruins in shooting (48%), rebounding (22-15), bench points (10-5) and paint points (22-12). Stanford was in front for 17 1/2 minutes of the half, and its largest lead was eight points.
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: The Cardinal came into Pauley Pavilion full of confidence, having beaten then-No. 4 Arizona last week for their first win over a top-four team since 2007. But they couldn&rsquo;t make shots in the closing minutes against the Bruins&rsquo; defense.
UCLA: The Bruins have four games remaining until facing their last ranked opponent of the regular season, No. 8 Arizona at home on March 4. They figure to have no problem against last-place California before going on their final road trip.
SITTING TYGER
Cronin kept Tyger Campbell and Amari Bailey on the bench to start the second half.
&ldquo;It would have been bad coaching to start them,&rdquo; Cronin said. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t have a basket, deflection or rebound (in the first half).&rdquo;
Campbell re-entered with 16 1/2 minutes remaining. He hit a big 3-pointer that cut the Bruins&rsquo; deficit to one and also fed McClendon for his critical 3 when UCLA led 60-59. Dylan Andrews also got 13 minutes of playing time and scored three points.
&ldquo;It was amazing to see Will and Dylan coming off the bench to make plays for us,&rdquo; David Singleton said. &ldquo;For those guys to step up big in games like this, we really showed the depth of our team.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Stanford: Visits Southern California on Saturday.
UCLA: Hosts California on Saturday.

“We weren’t ready for the fight,” Bruins head coach Mick Cronin said, adding: “They dug it out tonight.”

No. 4 UCLA rallies to beat Stanford 73-64 behind Jaquez

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; At least most of the fans went home happy. UCLA was anything but.
The 10th-ranked Bruins blew an 18-point lead in the second half before rallying to beat crosstown rival Southern California 60-58 on Thursday night for their 11th straight victory.
&ldquo;Do I look happy?&rdquo; groused Bruins coach Mick Cronin.
Jaylen Clark added, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re not supposed to let them come back, especially at home.&rdquo;
Clark scored 15 points to lead the Bruins (14-2, 5-0 Pac-12). He missed a 3-pointer, but David Singleton grabbed the offensive rebound and fed Clark again. This time, he nailed it, putting the Bruins back in front, 59-58, with 14 seconds to go.
&ldquo;At least we grabbed rebounds,&rdquo; Clark said, noting a 36-30 edge on the boards. &ldquo;We lucked out but it&rsquo;s not a performance we&rsquo;re really proud of.&rdquo;
Boogie Ellis missed missed a potential tying jumper that would have forced overtime and Adem Bona grabbed the rebound to seal the win and keep UCLA undefeated at Pauley Pavilion in front of 13,659 with a 9-0 mark.
The Bruins are on their longest winning streak since 2016-17.
Reese Dixon-Waters scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half to lead the Trojans (11-5, 3-2). He made all seven of his shots and both of his free throws.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our defense was really bad the entire second half,&rdquo; Cronin said. &ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t guard Reese Dixon. He looked like an NBA iso machine.&rdquo;
USC&rsquo;s leading scorers, Ellis and Drew Peterson, had off-nights, with Peterson in foul trouble. Ellis finished with 10 points; Peterson had nine.
&ldquo;We planned for Ellis and Peterson to go off,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;Once they realized we weren&rsquo;t giving them nothing they started moving the ball.&rdquo;
Trailing by 18, the Trojans outscored the Bruins 19-6 to open the second half. Kobe Johnson had a steal and a score and Harrison Hornery came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer that drew the Trojans within five.
Bona and Tyger Campbell picked up their third fouls in under a minute of each other. Bona had the defensive play of the second half, blocking Malik Thomas on a dunk.
The Bruins missed 5 of 6 free throws while Dixon-Waters carried the Trojans. He scored eight of their 10 points to get USC to 56-53.
Hornery scored and got fouled on USC&rsquo;s next possession. He missed the first free throw but made the second for a 56-all tie.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. missed a layup and Ellis scrambled and came up with the rebound in the clogged paint. Dixon-Waters scored to give the Trojans a 58-56 lead, their first since the start of the game.
Ellis got called for an offensive foul that gave UCLA the ball back with seven seconds to go. The Trojans fouled Singleton, whose first free throw hit the iron, drawing agonized groans from the crowd. He made the second for a 60-58 lead.
&ldquo;Obviously that was not a performance we&rsquo;re proud of,&rdquo; said Jaquez, who finished with 12 points. &ldquo;We came out in the second half flat and there&rsquo;s really no excuse for it. I put that on myself.&rdquo;
The Bruins raced to an 18-4 lead to start the game, hitting four 3-pointers in the spurt that included 13 straight points. In one sequence, Clark got blocked by Peterson, grabbed the offensive rebound and made a layup. UCLA had a 9-0 run later in the half and went into the break leading 44-26.
BIG PICTURE
USC: The Trojans have dropped back-to-back games for just the second time this season. Before the skid, they won seven in a row, including a 6-0 mark in December that included a pair of Pac-12 road wins. They&rsquo;ll face the Bruins again in three weeks.
UCLA: The Bruins continue on a winning streak that began after losses to ranked Illinois and Baylor at Las Vegas in November. They have seemingly bought into coach Mick Cronin&rsquo;s hard-nosed defensive style, which helped them scrap to a one-point road win at Washington State last weekend. Later in January, the Bruins travel to No. 5 Arizona for a pivotal showdown in the desert in their lone remaining game against a ranked opponent.
SEEING STARS
The rivalry game brought out former Bruins Russell Westbrook and wife Nina, who played for UCLA&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s team, Baron Davis, and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who played baseball in Westwood. Dwyane Wade sat next to Utah Jazz executive Danny Ainge. Also in the crowd was Henry Winkler and Jessica Alba, whose father-in-law Michael Warren starred for UCLA in the John Wooden era.
UP NEXT
USC: Hosts Colorado on Jan. 12 in the first of a two-game homestand.
UCLA: Hosts Utah on Jan. 12 in the second of three straight home games.

The Bruins are on their longest winning streak since 2016-17.

No. 10 UCLA blows 18-point lead, hangs on to beat USC 60-58

Purdue maintained its grasp on No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men&rsquo;s college basketball poll on Monday.
Another unbeaten is closing the gap, though.
The Boilermakers received 40 of the 60 first-place votes from a national media panel after knocking off Davidson in their only game last week, allowing them to hold the top spot for a second consecutive week. But after then-No. 2 Virginia lost to Houston, Connecticut leaped into second place and scooped up the remaining 20 first-place votes.
It&rsquo;s the highest the Huskies, unranked in the preseason, have been in the AP poll since they were No. 1 on March 2, 2009.
&ldquo;We just have to stick to our identity,&rdquo; said UConn star Adam Sanogo, who had 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 68-48 romp at Butler on Saturday. &ldquo;No pressure, just play the way I&rsquo;ve been playing.&rdquo;
The Cougars&rsquo; 69-61 road win over the Cavaliers, along with an earlier win over North Carolina A&amp;T, allowed them to climb two spots to No. 3. Kansas moved up four spots after blowing out then-No. 14 Indiana at Allen Fieldhouse, while Arizona rounded out the top five after knocking off then-No. 6 Tennessee.
&ldquo;For us to get a gritty &lsquo;W&rsquo; against a team like Tennessee, it was a great night,&rdquo; Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said.
Virginia dropped to sixth while Texas, which played its first game without suspended coach Chris Beard, remained at No. 7 following a win over Stanford. The Volunteers fell to eighth to begin a run of Southeastern Conference teams with Alabama falling to ninth after a loss to Gonzaga and Arkansas holding onto 10th for the second straight week.
The Bulldogs, who also beat Northern Illinois before their 100-90 road victory over the Crimson Tide, came in at No. 11 while UCLA climbed four spots to No. 12 after arguably the most impressive week of anyone. The Bruins won 87-60 at then-No. 20 Maryland before beating then-No. 13 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;Long week,&rdquo; said UCLA coach Mick Cronin, whose team has followed back-to-back losses with seven straight wins. &ldquo;We know what we&rsquo;re capable of if we defend and play with the toughness we played with this week.&rdquo;
Baylor checked in at No. 13 ahead of Duke, the only Top 25 team that did not play last week, while Mississippi State &mdash; one of five unbeatens left in men&rsquo;s Division I basketball &mdash; came in at No. 15.
Illinois began a run for the Big Ten at No. 16 with Wisconsin and Indiana right behind it. Kentucky tumbled six spots to No. 19 after its third loss in its first 10 games, while TCU rounded out the top 20 after its win over Mississippi Valley State.
Virginia Tech, Miami, Marquette, Auburn and Arizona State rounded out the poll.
RISING AND FALLING
Wisconsin made the biggest move in the poll, climbing five spots following its win over Lehigh. But that victory came on the heels of more impressive wins over Maryland and in overtime at Iowa the previous week to open Big Ten play.
Kentucky took the biggest fall after its 63-53 loss to the Bruins. The Wildcats&rsquo; other two losses are to Michigan State and Gonzaga, and they are just 1-3 in games played at Rupp Arena this season.
IN AND OUT
Marquette moved into the poll at No. 23 for the first time this season after beating Creighton to open Big East play, while Arizona State entered in the final slot after its own win over the Bluejays and another over San Diego.
Maryland fell out after its loss to UCLA. So did Ohio State, which lost in overtime to North Carolina in New York.
CONFERENCE WATCH
Seven different leagues fill up the first eight spots in the Top 25, though the SEC has the most teams in the poll with six this week. The Big Ten, American Athletic and Big 12 conferences have four apiece.

Purdue maintained its grasp on No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday. Another unbeaten is closing the gap.

Purdue holds top spot in AP poll as UConn climbs to No. 2

After spending nearly 300 days detained in Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner was brought back to the States last week.
Griner made her first public statement on Instagram on Friday, thanking everyone for their support, expressing her desire to help other U.S. detainees overseas, as well as announcing her intentions to play for the Phoenix Mercury next season.
From <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmPAWB5O8F1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">her IG post</a>:
"It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help. "I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my whole team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and the Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA, and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, Gov. Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Roger Carstens and the SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration. "President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole. "As I transition home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base. I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey. "I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA&rsquo;s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say &lsquo;thank you&rsquo; to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon."
Per ESPN's <a href="https://twitter.com/alexaphilippou" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexa Philippou</a>, Griner was paid her full salary in 2022 without it counting against the Mercury's cap. But with her receiving that salary, she was also credited with a year of service despite not being able to play, thus technically making her an unrestricted free agent this offseason.&nbsp;
The Mercury have nearly $900,000 in potential cap space this summer, per the good folks at <a href="https://herhoopstats.com/salary-cap-sheet/wnba/team/2022/phoenix-mercury-11eaecc7-357f-c1ca-b611-2362f5011b0b/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Her Hoops Stats ($)</a>, which is more than enough to bring Griner back.
What matters most is Griner's mental health; it's hard to imagine what she's felt over the past 10 months, and what the process of reintegrating into public life will be like.&nbsp;
If she's feeling well enough to pursue playing, the Mercury surely won't turn down her services. The last time we saw Griner, she was dominating the interior to the tune of 20.5 points (58.5% on 2s), a career-high 9.5 rebounds (2.4 offensive) and 1.9 blocks per game.&nbsp;
The Mercury outscored opponents by 5.1 points per 100 possessions <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/wnba?TeamId=1611661317&amp;Season=2021&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=203398&amp;OnlyCommonGames=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in her minutes</a>, with opposing teams converting a paltry 44.9% of their twos with her on the court. The Mercury were outscored&nbsp;by 6.1 points per 100 possessions with Griner off the floor, suffering drop-offs on both ends of the floor. Griner's plus-11.2 differential was one of the best marks in the W.&nbsp;

WNBA star Brittney Griner released her first public statement since returning home after being detained in Russia for nearly 300 days.

Brittney Griner makes first public statement, intends to play next season

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic prisoner exchange, as the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout but failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for nearly four years.
The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden but carried a heavy price.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s safe, she&rsquo;s on a plane, she&rsquo;s on her way home,&rdquo; Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner&rsquo;s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials.
The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose monthslong imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.
Biden&rsquo;s authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed &ldquo;the Merchant of Death&rdquo; underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also confirmed the swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout has been flown home
Russian and U.S. officials had conveyed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of strained negotiations, with Biden saying in November that he was hopeful that Russia would engage in a deal now that the midterm elections were completed. A top Russian official said last week that a deal was possible before year&rsquo;s end.
Even so, the fact that the deal was a one-for-one swap was a surprise given that U.S. officials had for months expressed their their determination to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government has said are baseless.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,&rdquo; Biden said. &ldquo;We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul&rsquo;s release.&rdquo;
Whelan&rsquo;s brother David said in a statement he was &ldquo;so glad&rdquo; for Griner&rsquo;s release but also disappointed for his family. He credited the White House with giving the Whelan family advance notice and said he did not fault officials for making the deal.
&ldquo;The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn&rsquo;t going to happen,&rdquo; he said.
In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world&rsquo;s most prolific arms dealers. Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that U.S officials said were to be used against Americans.
The Biden administration was ultimately willing to exchange Bout if it meant Griner&rsquo;s freedom. The detention of one of the greatest players in WNBA history contributed to a swirl of unprecedented public attention for an individual detainee case &mdash; not to mention intense pressure on the White House.
Griner&rsquo;s arrest in February made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad. Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial, gender and social dynamics into her legal saga and made each development a matter of international importance.
Her case not only brought unprecedented publicity to the dozens of Americans wrongfully detained by foreign governments, but it also emerged as a major inflection point in U.S.-Russia diplomacy at a time of deteriorating relations prompted by Moscow&rsquo;s war against Ukraine.
The exchange was carried out despite deteriorating relations between the powers. But the imprisonment of Americans produced a rare diplomatic opening, yielding the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow &mdash; a phone call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov &mdash; in more than five months.
In an extraordinary move during otherwise secret negotiations, Blinken revealed publicly in July that the U.S. had made a &ldquo;substantial proposal&rdquo; to Russia for Griner and Whelan. Though he did not specify the terms, people familiar with it said the U.S. had offered Bout.
Such a public overture drew a chiding rebuke from the Russians, who said they preferred to resolve such cases in private, and carried the risk of weakening the U.S. government&rsquo;s negotiating hand for this and future deals by making the administration appear too desperate. But the announcement was also meant to communicate to the public that Biden was doing what he could and to ensure pressure on the Russians.
Besides the efforts of U.S. officials, the release also followed months of back channel negotiations involving Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage talks, and his top deputy, Mickey Bergman.
Griner was arrested at the Moscow&rsquo;s Sheremetyevo Airport in February when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia&rsquo;s judicial system does not automatically end a case.
She acknowledged in court that she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.
Before being sentenced on Aug. 4 and receiving a punishment her lawyers said was out of line for the offense, an emotional Griner apologized &ldquo;for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them.&rdquo; She added: &ldquo;I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.&rdquo;
Her supporters had largely stayed quiet for weeks after her arrest, but that approach changed in May once the State Department designated her as unlawfully detained. A separate trade, Marine veteran Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot convicted in the U.S. in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, spurred hope that additional such exchanges could be in the works.
Whelan has been held in Russia since December 2018. The U.S. government also classified him as wrongfully detained. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.
Whelan was not included in the Reed prisoner swap, escalating pressure on the Biden administration to ensure that any deal that brought home Griner also included him.

“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle.

WNBA star Griner freed in swap for Russian arms dealer Bout

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jalen Hill, who played basketball at UCLA for three seasons until leaving last year for personal reasons, has died, according to his family and the university. He was 22.
His family posted on Instagram Tuesday that Hill had died after going missing in Costa Rica. No further details were provided.
&ldquo;We know Jalen has played a part in the lives of so many people,&rdquo; Hill&rsquo;s family wrote in the post. &ldquo;We also acknowledge the role that so many of you have played in his. As we try to navigate this devastating time in our lives, we ask that you please give us time to grieve. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.&rdquo;
UCLA and coach Mick Cronin posted statements on social media Wednesday acknowledging Hill&rsquo;s death.
&ldquo;Our program is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former student-athlete Jalen Hill. We offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time,&rdquo; the school said.
Cronin called Hill&rsquo;s death &ldquo;heartbreaking.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Jalen was a warm-hearted young man with a great smile who has left us far too soon,&rdquo; the coach tweeted.
Hill, a forward-center from Corona, California, averaged 6.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while starting 40 of 77 career games for the Bruins during three seasons.
In April 2021, Hill posted an Instagram video in which he explained his reasons for leaving the program that February. He said he would be retiring from basketball as he dealt with anxiety and depression.
&ldquo;The reason I left had nothing to do with the team or Cronin or coaches, nothing like that. Just so everybody can understand, it was me,&rdquo; he said in the video.
As freshmen, Hill, along with LiAngelo Ball and Cody Riley, were arrested in China in November 2017 for shoplifting during the program&rsquo;s goodwill visit to play a Pac-12 game. UCLA suspended all three players for the entire 2017-18 season.
Ball left school, but Hill and Riley returned to complete their college careers.

According to his family and the university, Jalen Hill has died after going missing in Costa Rica. He was 22 years old.

Former UCLA basketball player Jalen Hill passes away at 22

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

Soccer player Megan Rapinoe admonished her fellow athletes for not doing enough to speak out and encouraged them to support detained WNBA star Brittney Griner at The ESPYS on Wednesday night.
Griner was arrested in Russia in February after customs officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transporting drugs.
&ldquo;For me, the most striking thing is that BG&rsquo;s not here. BG deserves to be free, she&rsquo;s being held as a political prisoner, obviously,&rdquo; Rapinoe said while accepting a trophy for best play at the show honoring the past year&rsquo;s top athletes and moments in sports.
&ldquo;Like what are we doing here dressed up like we are when our sister is detained abroad? We haven&rsquo;t done enough, none of us. We can do more, we can support her more, and just let her know that we love her so much.&rdquo;
&ldquo;First, bring BG home. Gotta do that,&rdquo; tennis great Billie Jean King said.
Griner has pleaded guilty in court and acknowledged possessing the canisters but said she had no criminal intent.
Rapinoe urged her fellow competitors to keep Griner&rsquo;s face and name on social media.
&ldquo;Every time we say it in interviews, it puts pressure on everybody,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It puts pressure on the administration, it puts pressure on Russia, it puts pressure on Putin, it puts pressure on everyone, and it lets BG know also above everything that we love her and that we miss her and that we&rsquo;re thinking about her all the time.&rdquo;
NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry hosted the show and joined WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith in calling attention to Griner&rsquo;s plight.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,&rdquo; Diggins-Smith said. &ldquo;All throughout that time, we&rsquo;ve kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know that ain&rsquo;t nearly enough to bring her home, y&rsquo;all.&rdquo;
Wearing her Phoenix Mercury jersey under his track suit, Curry noted the effort being made to free Griner.
&ldquo;But as we hope for the best, we urge the entire global sports community to continue to stay energized on her behalf,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;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;
They were applauded by Griner&rsquo;s wife, Cherelle Griner, who was in the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Curry picked up a trophy, too, for best record-breaking performance, having set the mark for most 3-pointers made in league history. He also shared the best team award with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani won best athlete in men&rsquo;s sports.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor to be in the same category as all of you. You are the best at what you do,&rdquo; the Japanese player said, speaking in English via videotape. &ldquo;Have a wonderful everything and enjoy your afterparties.&rdquo;
Olympic swimming champion Katie Ledecky won best athlete in women&rsquo;s sports.
Ledecky earned two golds and two silvers at the Tokyo Games last year, giving her 10 career Olympic medals. She received her trophy from Maybelle Blair, the 95-year-old who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
&ldquo;I represent one of the few sports that is also a really important life skill, so I want to encourage all the parents here, anyone watching, to make sure your kids learn how to swim,&rdquo; Ledecky said. &ldquo;Our planet is 70% water, so it&rsquo;s very important.&rdquo;
Former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, having impacted the world beyond sports. Klitschko, mayor of embattled Kyiv, Ukraine, since 2014, wasn&rsquo;t present. He appeared in a pre-taped video.
King led off a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the federal legislation that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools that receive government funding.
She was joined by Lisa Leslie, Brandi Chastain, Chloe Kim, Allyson Felix, Aly Raisman and Rapinoe, among others. They spoke against a background of black-and-white photos showing women athletes in action, on the field or in the streets advocating for gender equality. Their comments were interspersed with country singer Mickey Guyton performing her songs &ldquo;What Are You Gonna Tell Her?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Remember Her Name.&rdquo;
The ESPYS were criticized by South Carolina women&rsquo;s basketball coach Dawn Staley for not inviting consensus player of the year Aliyah Boston to the show. Boston had hoped to attend and was disappointed not to be asked. She was issued a last-minute invitation but declined it.
ESPN said COVID-19 concerns and a smaller venue forced organizers to prioritize invitees to the show. Boston was nominated in a non-televised category that was handed out a night earlier. She lost to Oklahoma softball star Jocelyn Alo, who took part in the Title IX tribute.
ESPN college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The 83-year-old has undergone multiple melanoma surgeries and six months of chemotherapy for lymphoma over the last year. In March, he said he was cancer free.
Vitale dismissed messages on the teleprompter urging him to conclude his remarks, which stretched to 20 minutes.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m gonna wrap up in about three minutes,&rdquo; he said in a raspy voice. &ldquo;Jimmy&rsquo;s dream was to beat cancer. We must do it because it doesn&rsquo;t discriminate. It comes after all.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Soccer player Megan Rapinoe admonished her fellow athletes for not doing enough to speak out in support of Brittney Griner.

Rapinoe, King urge freedom for Brittney Griner at The ESPYS

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Tyler Herro got through an ankle scare and scored 26 points, Duncan Robinson scored 19 points in 19 minutes and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-108 on Friday night.
Bam Adebayo had 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and Kyle Lowry added 16 points for the Heat. Miami used a 16-2 run late in the first half to take control of what was a tie game, and pushed the lead out to 29 in the second half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played through ankle soreness and scored 26 points for the injury-depleted Thunder, who have dropped eight straight and reached the 50-loss mark in back-to-back seasons. Tre Mann added 25 points.
&ldquo;It's our jobs to be professionals," Lowry said. &ldquo;They've got a bunch of talent down there. They play hard. We had to do our jobs and stick with the game plan."
The Thunder have used five starting lineups in their last five games, giving them 30 such combinations so far this season. That ties the franchise-record total that the Thunder used a season ago.
&ldquo;They have guys out of the lineup and, you know, their record is what it is,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Those teams can be extremely dangerous. With 10, 12 games left in the year, they&rsquo;re just playing free and young guys can play with a lot of confidence and they can become dangerous.&rdquo;
Markieff Morris scored 13 points, Max Strus scored 12 and Caleb Martin &mdash; back after missing just over a week with a knee injury &mdash; added 11 for Miami (47-24), which moved 2-1/2 games clear of second-place Milwaukee in the East standings. The Heat played without Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with an ankle sprain, and Victor Oladipo (back spasms).
&ldquo;They bring the fight to their opponent every night,&rdquo; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re such a good team. They&rsquo;re a good team because they do everything well. And that&rsquo;s the baseline for any good team. It&rsquo;s that competitive spirit over 82 games and they&rsquo;re ready to rock every single night.&rdquo;
The scare for Miami came midway through the third quarter when Herro went airborne and twisted his left ankle after landing on Thunder reserve Isaiah Roby&rsquo;s foot. Herro stayed down briefly, punching the floor in obvious pain and even went to the Heat locker room for evaluation.
He missed all of 1:04. Herro returned to the court, checked right back in and remained in the game until midway through the fourth.
&ldquo;He brings it every single night," Robinson said. &ldquo;As a young player, it can be tough to establish that. He's establishing himself as a star."
TIP-INS
Thunder: Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points and Darius Bazley added 15 for the Thunder. ... Oklahoma City plans to update the status on rookie Josh Giddey (right hip) in about a week, Daigneault said. ... This is the sixth losing streak of at least eight games for the Thunder since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. Of those, four have come in the last 12 months.
Heat: Miami went 5-2 in its seven-game homestand. ... Butler&rsquo;s ankle sprain doesn&rsquo;t have the Heat overly concerned. &ldquo;Thankfully, this is not something that&rsquo;s long-term,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. ... The Heat play eight of their next 10 games against teams that are, at worst, likely to be in the play-in tournament. ... Chris Bosh, part of Miami&rsquo;s 2012 and 2013 NBA title teams, was honored at halftime for his enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an amazing journey,&rdquo; Bosh said.
UKRAINE GIFT
The family foundation of Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine is donating $3 million to World Central Kitchen, Direct Relief and UNICEF USA to assist Ukrainians affected by the war in their homeland. Carnival Cruise Line donated an additional $50,000 to World Central Kitchen in honor of employees and crew members from Ukraine.
HERRO 1K
Herro&rsquo;s sixth point Friday gave him 1,000 in games where he came off the bench this season. He&rsquo;s the third player in Heat history to have that many in a reserve role; he&rsquo;s now up to 1,020, closing in on the team single-season reserve record of 1,028.
SWEPT AGAIN
The Thunder have now been swept by nine teams this season &mdash; Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland, Golden State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Washington and Miami. They still could be swept by Atlanta, Boston, Phoenix and Utah. OKC was swept by 10 clubs last season; that&rsquo;s the most since it endured 12 sweeps in 2008-09.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Visit Orlando on Sunday.
Heat: Visit Philadelphia on Monday.

Tyler Herro scored 26 points and Duncan Robinson scored 19 points Miami Heat topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-108.

Herro has 26 points, East-leading Heat beat Thunder 120-108

Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final home game at Duke had just ended in an unexpected defeat to the Blue Devils&rsquo; fiercest rival. The time had come for the school to hold its postgame on-court ceremony in Krzyzewski&rsquo;s honor.
Only, the retiring Hall of Famer was still thinking about Saturday&rsquo;s 94-81 loss to North Carolina.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry about this afternoon,&rdquo; he began, then waved off cheers from the fans. &ldquo;It was unacceptable. Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And I&rsquo;ll tell you: this season isn&rsquo;t over, all right?&rdquo;
It was a slightly awkward moment to start of the ceremony, yet a sign that the 75-year-old coach was already thinking and driven about what&rsquo;s still to come: a maximum of nine games left for the No. 4 Blue Devils with chances to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and a sixth NCAA championship.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not my last game &mdash; it&rsquo;s my last game in Cameron,&rdquo; he told reporters afterward. &ldquo;But it seemed like it was your last game. ... So many people are saying great things about you and whatever, and you say, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s not over yet.&rsquo;&rdquo;
The focus had been on Krzyzewski all week leading up to the rivalry game that was an even bigger spectacle than usual.
It drew more than 90 former players who participated in a pregame photo with their coach, taken from the Cameron rafters. And there were other celebrities in the building.
According to the school, the guest list for Krzyzewski&rsquo;s going-away party included comedian Jerry Seinfeld, actor/comedian Ken Jeong, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook, quarterback Kyler Murray of the NFL&rsquo;s Arizona Cardinals, former NFL players Terrell Owens and Todd Gurley, record producer 9th Wonder and coach Nick Nurse of the NBA&rsquo;s Toronto Raptors.
There was also a sighting of retired NBA great Dirk Nowitzki, who took a walkthrough of the Duke practice facility earlier Saturday and ran into current player Wendell Moore Jr. Moore quickly asked for a photo with the former world champion.
The buzz turned to disappointment by the end of the game as Krzyzewski left the court to talk to his team in the locker room. But the seats in Cameron remained full as fans awaited his return for the school&rsquo;s postgame ceremony, which included Krzyzewski holding his wife Mickie&rsquo;s left hand while everyone watched a presentation on the videoboard about Krzyzewski&rsquo;s long run of success in Cameron.
The ceremony ended with Krzyzewski&rsquo;s family, children and grandchildren included, at midcourt as he addressed the crowd a second time.
&ldquo;For my entire family, all these munchkins here, thank you,&rdquo; Krzyzewski said. &ldquo;This has been so ...&rdquo;
Krzyzewski trailed off, offering a wave as the cheers began to erupt. Then he and his family began walking off the court a final time, with the coach giving a few claps and a thumbs-up along the way.
His time at Cameron may be over, but there&rsquo;s still work ahead.

Mike Krzyzewski's time at Cameron may be over, but there’s still work ahead.

Duke’s Coach K turns focus to next steps after North Carolina loss

Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 99-82 on Saturday night.
Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 14 for the Heat, who are 11-2 in their last 13 games. Miami was again without Kyle Lowry, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of personal reasons.
Miami went 3-1 on the week against four East contenders, beating Chicago, Brooklyn and now Philadelphia. The only loss was at Milwaukee, a game where the Heat led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter before collapsing.
Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds for Philadelphia, which held out James Harden on the second night of a back-to-back as he recovers from a left hamstring injury. The 76ers had a season-low in points and fell to 1-14 when scoring less than 100 points.
Tyrese Maxey added 17 points for the 76ers, who ended a five-game winning streak. Tobias Harris added 16 for Philadelphia.
The win gave Miami (43-22) a season-high three-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the second-place 76ers (39-24), with Milwaukee and Chicago (both 39-25) 3 1/2 games back.
&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t look at the standings,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;What do they matter? You have to win. And I swear to God, after 82, someone&rsquo;s going to tap me and say &lsquo;This is who you&rsquo;re playing.&rsquo; ... You can only control what you can control. The other stuff is for everyone else to talk about.&rdquo;
It was the first time since a three-game stretch in mid-December where Philadelphia trailed by 20 in consecutive outings. The 76ers trailed by 21 against Cleveland on Friday night before rallying to win 125-119.
The biggest deficit Saturday was 20, with Miami taking a 40-20 edge on a 3-pointer by Martin with 8:03 left in the half. Philadelphia went on a 12-2 run to cut the margin in half over the next 3 minutes, but Miami wound up taking a 54-40 edge into the break.
In the third, the 76ers kept chipping away. An 11-2 run got Philadelphia within two, before Vincent made a 3-pointer to end the quarter and send Miami into the final 12 minutes with a 73-68 lead.
Miami then outscored Philadelphia 26-14 in the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia remained 12 wins shy of 3,000 all-time, a milestone only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have reached. ... Embiid got his ninth rebound with 3 seconds left in the first quarter. He didn&rsquo;t get his 10th until 9:05 remained in the third quarter.
Heat: Duncan Robinson&rsquo;s first 3-pointer of the night was the 713th of his career, breaking a tie with Eddie Jones and moving him into No. 2 on Miami&rsquo;s all-time list. Tim Hardaway has the club record with 806, something Robinson has a shot of reaching before the season ends. ... Heat managing general partner Micky Arison was among those at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final home game at Duke. Heat CEO Nick Arison was Duke&rsquo;s manager during his college days there.
SLAP HAPPY
Embiid flailed at a loose ball in the third quarter and wound up slapping Butler &mdash; his former Philadelphia teammate &mdash; in the side of the head, a play that did not appear to be intentional. Embiid went over to Butler and apologized but was given a technical anyway.
STAYING HOME
This was the opener of a stretch where Miami plays 11 out of 12 games at home. The Heat play one road game between now and March 30 &mdash; that being at Philadelphia on March 21. Miami has now played 29 home games so far this season, tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando, Houston and Denver. The Heat also have only five road games left, also tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host Chicago on Monday.
Heat: Host Houston on Monday.

Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the 76ers, 99-82.

Heat top 76ers 99-82, move 3 games ahead in East race

The WNBA has announced a $75 million capital raise &mdash; the largest-ever for a women&rsquo;s sports property.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1489219199612424193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Office Sports</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The report adds that those who invested will each receive an equity stake in the league, the first time the WNBA has ever done such a raise. The league has seen tremendous growth in recent years. This past year's WNBA Finals averaged 548,000 viewers on television, up 63% from 2020.&nbsp;
Official press release:
NEW YORK &ndash; The WNBA announced today the largest-ever capital raise for a women&rsquo;s sports property, featuring new investors and existing WNBA and NBA owners. &nbsp;This groundbreaking transaction is part of a multi-faceted financial growth strategy designed to generate new revenue through increased investment in priority areas as part of the league&rsquo;s long-term business transformation.
Proceeds from this transaction are expected to be used for brand elevation and marketing; globalization of the WNBA; innovation, digital, and growth of consumer touchpoints; and human capital and operational optimization as part of an overall effort to address some of the league&rsquo;s obstacles to growth and generating new revenue.
&ldquo;We are incredibly fortunate to be able to capitalize on the current momentum around women&rsquo;s sports and are grateful to the investors who have chosen to support the WNBA in an unprecedented way and to our team governors who continue to invest in the players and teams,&rdquo; said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. &nbsp;&ldquo;Our strategy is to deploy this capital to continue to drive the league&rsquo;s brand as a bold, progressive entertainment and media property that embodies diversity, promotes equity, advocates for social justice, and stands for the power of women. &nbsp;Having just completed our historic 25th season, with this access to additional capital, we are setting the WNBA up for a successful future and it represents a sign and signal of the future direction of women&rsquo;s sports as a whole.&rdquo;
As part of its ongoing commitment to empowering women athletes and women&rsquo;s sports, NIKE, Inc., one of the league&rsquo;s current premier partners and inaugural WNBA Changemaker, has made a significant equity investment in the WNBA. &nbsp;Nike&rsquo;s investment further deepens the company&rsquo;s support for women&rsquo;s basketball and enables the WNBA to elevate the marketing and storytelling of WNBA athletes.
&ldquo;Women&rsquo;s sport is one of the best investments, with great potential to impact and grow the next era of basketball,&rdquo; said Sonja Henning, VP, North America League Partnerships, NIKE, Inc. &ldquo;Nike has always been more than a sponsor with the WNBA &ndash; we&rsquo;re a strategic partner. And we&rsquo;re proud to be part of a movement to redefine the future of sport for a new generation &ndash; for WNBA players, fans and girls.&rdquo;
The initial investors are: Micky and Nick Arison, Carnival Corporation and Miami HEAT; Bill Cameron, CEO and President, American Fidelity, Dallas Wings; &nbsp;Swin Cash, WNBA legend and current New Orleans Pelicans Vice-President of Basketball Operations and Team Development; Baron Davis, NBA legend; Michael and Susan Dell, Dell Technologies and minority investors, San Antonio Spurs; Karen Finerman, CEO and Co-Founder, Metropolitan Capital Advisors; Pau Gasol, NBA legend and Member of the IOC Athletes&rsquo; Commission; Ginny Gilder, Seattle Storm; Dee Haslam and Whitney Johnson, Haslam Sports Group, Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew; Linda Henry, Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club; Brad Hilsabeck, former CEO, Grantham, Mayo Van Otterloo &amp; Co. and minority investor, Dallas Wings; Eric Holoman, President and CEO, EquiTrust Life Insurance, Los Angeles Sparks; Mark Walter, CEO, Guggenheim Partners, Los Angeles Sparks; Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder and President, Emerson Collective; Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment, Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards; James and Heather Murren, former Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International; NIKE, Inc; Condoleezza Rice, Stanford University and 66th US Secretary of State; Angela Ruggiero, CEO and Co-Founder, Sports Innovation Lab; Herb and Steve Simon, Fever Basketball, LLC; and Joe and Clara Tsai, New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets.
&ldquo;Susan and I are excited about the growth opportunity in women&rsquo;s sports and specifically the WNBA,&rdquo; said Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Technologies and minority investor, San Antonio Spurs. &ldquo;We also are proud to support a league that is committed to empowerment, and we look forward to supporting Cathy and all the accomplished and diverse women of the WNBA to make a positive impact in the world.&rdquo;
Both the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors approved the transaction. Allen &amp; Company LLC served as the financial advisor for the transaction.
The 2021 season marked the WNBA&rsquo;s 25th anniversary and featured new partnerships with Google, the latest WNBA Changemaker, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Dick&rsquo;s Sporting Goods and Coinbase. &nbsp;The companies joined a growing lineup of partners led by WNBA Changemakers AT&amp;T, Deloitte and NIKE, Inc. &nbsp;The league also introduced an innovative in-season competition &ndash; the WNBA Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup &ndash; which will continue with the upcoming 2022 season.
About the WNBA
Having concluded its historic 25th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. &nbsp;Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. &nbsp;Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women&rsquo;s basketball &ndash; and women&rsquo;s sports overall &ndash; with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. &nbsp;Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league&rsquo;s new platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&amp;T, the WNBA&rsquo;s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc, and the recent addition of Google. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.

The total is the highest ever for a women's sports property.

WNBA announces $75 million capital raise

As the league continues to morph into an inferior product of what we saw last month, primarily due to COVID, we can&rsquo;t ignore the impact of injuries as well. Without rehashing that brutally long inactive list, if you&rsquo;ve been paying attention, you just know it&rsquo;s rough out here.&nbsp;
While the Miami Heat, sans Caleb Martin, have luckily evaded COVID thus far (knock on wood, everyone), they&rsquo;ve missed Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro with injuries, often playing without all three of them this month. P.J. Tucker is now out as well, and Markieff Morris still hasn&rsquo;t played since Nikola Jokić tried to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNMh2MRQIs4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marcus Cor Von his ass</a>.
But even before all that, the Heat entered the season with 12 healthy, fully-contracted players. That's excluding their pair of two-way slots, Victor Oladipo, who is recovering from <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31433979/miami-heat-victor-oladipo-season-ending-surgery-right-quadriceps-tendon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quad surgery</a> (again) and the O.G. Udonis Haslem, who obviously won&rsquo;t be playing a ton.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Good news, Miami: Victor Oladipo traveled with the Heat to Cleveland. Here's some footage of some shootaround stuff he did. <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z0cmExXOsd">pic.twitter.com/Z0cmExXOsd</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470430451982548999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

The open roster spot? Well, their CEO Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Cruise Line, wants no parts of that luxury tax during this pandemic. Rightfully so, since it isn't exactly cruise season right now.
This is admittedly a long-winded way to get to my point, but it still needed to be laid bare so we can&nbsp; understand and appreciate what the Heat have done this season despite all this wear and tear (which really goes back to the 2019-20 season, that&rsquo;s for another piece). And not only the team, <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305/status/1473490041603346435">specifically the guy helping pull the strings</a>, a man who is affectionately <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=QB1%20%40MiamiHEAT&amp;src=typed_query">referred to as QB1</a>.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s no need to overcomplicate this any further: Kyle Lowry makes your team better.&nbsp;
Morris hasn&rsquo;t played since Nov. 8; Butler since Nov. 27 (save for a 25-minute cameo on Dec. 6); Adebayo since Nov. 29, and Herro missed three games in mid-December on top of Nov. 27 and 29.&nbsp;
Even with Erik Spoelstra as your conductor, playing musical chairs could feel like trying to beat Allyson Felix in a 100-meter sprint. And the Heat just experienced this last season, which is why they went through that 7-14 start before going 33-18 until the playoffs.&nbsp;
The difference? It starts with Lowry; it has to.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kd8TCvBPZA0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
First of all, producing without much of your playoff rotation is a pain in the ass for anyone.
Secondly, while Lowry&rsquo;s 13.7 points and 8.3 assists &ndash; along with 4.7 rebounds per game &ndash; have come on just 42/33/83 shooting splits, it's upticked to 16.0 points and 9.4 assists on 44/35/78 splits (3.8 free throw attempts per game instead of 1.9 previously) since Nov. 27, a 13-game stretch.&nbsp;
As much as some people would like more 20-point games out of him, that&rsquo;s not where Lowry needs to be at his best. The definition of point guard is convoluted in the modern-day, but old-school floor generals were taught to make their teammates better, first and foremost. As the game has grown more perimeter-centric and positionless, and with smaller guards being more ball-dominant, it&rsquo;s more common to see guys accumulating 22 points and 5 assists at the position instead of what Lowry&rsquo;s box scores look like.&nbsp;
Go look at the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_per_game.html#per_game_stats::pts_per_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-25 NBA scorers from this season</a> &mdash; more than half of them are guards, and almost 10 of them play point guard. <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2012_per_game.html#per_game_stats::pts_per_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ten years ago</a> was much more forward-heavy, and only five of the top-25 (top-30, actually) ran the point. <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2002_per_game.html#per_game_stats::pts_per_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twenty years ago</a>? Just three point guards were in the top-25 in scoring, and two of them averaged at least 8 assists per game. This isn&rsquo;t to say this is good or bad for the position, but it&rsquo;s changed, and it&rsquo;s probably why Lowry&rsquo;s contributions have been underappreciated.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fbQ1Tv_syZI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Now, that whole thing about making your teammates better...
Firstly, Lowry&rsquo;s had 10 or more assists 10 times just this season, a feat previous Heat starter Goran Dragić didn&rsquo;t achieve with the Heat until Jan. 27, 2017, nearly two years after being traded there. Dragić more closely resembles what we refer to as the modern-day point guard by comparison. But the need for a Lowry-type in the starting lineup for Miami's roster construction is probably why Dragić came off the bench in his last two years; Butler was the de facto floor general next to Adebayo, one of the best passing bigs in the league.&nbsp;
Secondly, and more importantly, the role players people were scared about suddenly look like competent guys who Spo might occasionally plug in to distort a specific foe or playoff series.
<ul>
<li>Max Strus, who our Spencer Davies <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-max-strus-on-heats-nextman-up-mentality-building-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke with last week</a>, is up to 10.3 points per game on 46/40/73 shooting this season, and 13.8 points on 48/41/83 shooting since Nov. 27.</li>
<li>Gabe Vincent a.k.a. Fred VanVleet Lite (mad lite, though) &mdash; he&rsquo;s at 12.8 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 46/40/74 since Nov. 27.</li>
<li>Before COVID sidelined him after a Dec. 8 breakout game, Caleb Martin was in a six-game stretch averaging 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 57/52/71.</li>
<li>Veteran big man Dewayne Dedmon&rsquo;s up to 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds over his last six while going 65% from the field and 5 of 8 from three.</li>
</ul>
And even the mainstays like Adebayo, Butle and Tucker &ndash; and Herro, in particular &ndash; have seen offensive advancements with Lowry on the floor. With Butler and Adebayo missing games, Herro has an outside shot at All-Star Weekend if he remains around 20.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 44/39/86 shooting. (The backcourt will be tough to crack in the Eastern Conference, but with all these variants and variables, who knows?)
Heading into Thursday night, Lowry is behind Butler and tied with Tucker for second in team VORP (0.7), second in Win Shares at 2.6, first in Defensive Win Shares at 1.2 and is just sixth in usage rating at 19.9%.&nbsp;
But forget that. Just watch, and you&rsquo;ll know. This isn&rsquo;t to say Lowry&rsquo;s an All-Star, that he&rsquo;s "Chris Paul whatever.0," or that he&rsquo;s Steve Nash reincarnated or Rod Strickland's illegitimate son.
Just watch the games. He&rsquo;s been an impactful floor general so far, and he hasn&rsquo;t even hit that many of his shots yet. They&rsquo;re starting to fall now, and presumably, it'll get easier when reinforcements arrive.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t1Mq-1gN4dY" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Bryan Fonseca writes on how Kyle Lowry has been the Heat's floor general since major injuries hit the team.

Kyle Lowry's overlooked, old-school ways leading undermanned Heat

I can't help but love a good rebuilding basketball team.
Maybe it's the romantic MyLeague player in me, who spent hours trading 2026 draft picks and using Untapped Potential camps (if you know, you know) to turn a roster of under-25 players into a dynasty. But watching a young core struggle, learn and adjust to the NBA game never gets old. When those glimpses of the future sneak out, they make every loss seem worthwhile.
That's where I'm at with the Orlando Magic, who have become one of the most fun bottom-feeders in the NBA. The Magic, at 2-8, aren't exactly lighting up the league. But three prospects in particular have stood out in surprising fashion, giving fans even more optimism that this core can contend down the road.
Second-year guard Cole Anthony is the first and most obvious young talent on breakout watch. Anthony has been a simply phenomenal shot-maker &mdash; even beyond what I realized.
According to NBA Stats, the 2020 No. 15 pick is shooting 48.4% on pull-up threes &mdash; tops in the entire league among players with at least 20 attempts. Among 119 players with at least 20 pull-up attempts from anywhere on the court, Anthony's Effective Field Goal percentage is tied for fourth-best with Darius Garland (59.8%).
Overall, Anthony's perimeter game has taken a dramatic leap. He's shooting 7.7 threes per game compared to just 3.7 as a rookie, and his three-point attempt rate (the percentage of his shot attempts that are threes) has skyrocketed from 31.2% to 50.7%. Anthony has whittled down his rookie mid-range game and traded it in for a three-point fireball.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Anthony has jumped from the 19th percentile among guards in points per shot attempt as a rookie to the 66th percentile this season. That's massive. And even though Anthony himself is not massive (6-foot-2), his 7.5 rebounds per game rank fourth-most among all guards, behind only Russell Westbrook, Luka Doncic and Dejounte Murray. Altogether, it's been an extremely fun start for Anthony, and he's still very much a work in progress.
Anthony shares the starting backcourt with No. 5 overall rookie Jalen Suggs, who is enduring his fair share of bumps as he adapts to the NBA. But Orlando's other rookie lottery pick has come out firing.
Franz Wagner has already made 20 total catch-and-shoot threes per NBA Stats, which is tied for the 10th-most in the entire league. He's done so at a very respectable 40.8% clip, and is shooting 39.6% from three overall. Wagner is also finishing an impressive 71.4% of his attempts at the rim, and to the delight of analytics folks, has not attemped a single long two-pointer all season.
He's not Mikal Bridges, but Wagner can very clearly fill a Bridges-like offensive role as a sharpshooter who can effectively attack the basket off-ball. Orlando is 17.1 points per 100 possessions better when the eighth overall pick is on the court. Sects of Draft Twitter were extremely high on Wagner throughout the summer. I concede I was not, and am happily wrong so far.
Speaking of efficiency... Mo Bamba, everybody.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
NBA players finishing at over 70% in the restricted area and 40% on threes (min. 20 attempts of each): - Mikal Bridges (87.5%/44.0%) - Nikola Jokic (78.0%/40.6%) - RJ Barrett (77.8%/42.9%) - Mo Bamba (77.8%/40.6%) Some elite efficiency 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/iv1d9rS8eX">pic.twitter.com/iv1d9rS8eX</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1455909816380051466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Bamba has made 40% of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers. And while he's technically dipped under the original stat, the 23-year-old is still canning 39% of his career-high 4.1 three-point attempts per game. The former fifth overall pick also continues to be a forceful rim-protector; his 3.4% block rate is in the 86th percentile at his position, per Cleaning the Glass.
There's a level of surprise to all three of these breakouts. The public had come pretty close to slapping the "bust" label on Bamba after three seasons glued to the bench behind Nikola Vucevic. Anthony appeared to be much more of a long-term project after last season, and Wagner was frequently overshadowed by his pre-draft counterpart in Suggs.
But all three are delivering, particularly as scorers. It's an exciting development for an Orlando franchise that has lacked shooting depth for the better part of a decade. In fact, Orlando hasn't yielded an above-average offensive rating (by Cleaning the Glass standards) or a top-10 team-wide eFG% since 2011-12.
Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz are still working to get back into the fold. Chuma Okeke and Wendell Carter Jr. are finally stringing some healthy contests together. The Magic have turned me from "intrigued" to "Christmas morning excitement" with this season's early developments, and the best should be yet to come.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I find in the void):
<ul>
<li>One more thing on the Magic: Orlando led the league in three-point rate for five straight seasons from 2007-2012 &mdash; when Dwight Howard was on the team! Props to Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu, JJ Redick, Mickael Pietrus, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis.</li>
<li>Malcolm Brogdon continues to fly under the radar. The talented Pacer point guard drives 23.2 times per game and dishes out 3.5 assists per game on drives &mdash; both tops in the NBA. He's even leading the league in passes made per game (68.8)m and is fourth in potential assists per game (16.3).</li>
<li>Stealing this one from our own Jackson Frank: 96% (49 out of 51) of Julius Randle's assists this season have been on at-rim makes or threes. That's a testament to many things: Randle's improved facilitating, the Knicks' improved perimeter presence and perhaps an overall stronger offensive focus. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bizarro-world-new-york-knicks-reside-in-the-big-apple-these-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go read his story for more</a> on this because it's phenomenal.</li>
<li>Congrats to Owen Phillips (@<a href="https://twitter.com/owenlhjphillips" target="_blank" rel="noopener">owenlhjphillips</a>) on getting a job with the Knicks' coaching analytics department! He's been my gold standard of stats gurus; I highly recommend you check out his Twitter and Substack. Phillips creates relevant, unique, understandable data visualizations, which is all you could ask for.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Ethan Fuller takes a look at exciting young Orlando players and Malcolm Brogdon in his latest Stats Notebook.