Fighting Saints

In a heartfelt ceremony at Barclays Center on January 25, 2025, the Brooklyn Nets honored Vince Carter by retiring his iconic No. 15 jersey. This tribute, held during halftime of the Nets' game against the Miami Heat, marks the seventh jersey retirement in the franchise's history.&nbsp;
Carter, visibly moved during the ceremony, reflected on his tenure with the Nets from 2004 to 2009. During this period, he earned three All-Star selections and became the third-leading scorer in the franchise's NBA history. He expressed deep gratitude, stating, "This is truly something my family and I will cherish forever."&nbsp;
The event was graced by Carter's family, former teammates, ex-coach Lawrence Frank, team president Rod Thorn, and fellow Nets legends Julius Erving, Bill Melchionni, and Buck Williams. A poignant video tribute narrated by Erving, along with messages from Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, added to the evening's significance.&nbsp;
Carter's No. 15 now joins the esteemed ranks of Nets' retired numbers, including Dražen Petrović (#3), Jason Kidd (#5), John Williamson (#23), Bill Melchionni (#25), Julius Erving (#32), and Buck Williams (#52).
This honor underscores Carter's lasting impact on the Nets and the broader basketball community, celebrating a career that inspired many and left an indelible mark on the sport.&nbsp;

On January 25 2025 at the Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets honored Vince Carter by retiring his iconic No. 15 jersey.

Brooklyn Nets retire Vince Carter’s no.15 jersey

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have become synonymous with the sport of basketball, serving as the gold standard for this generation of players and drawing in fans from all over the world.
Aside from 2021 and 2023, every NBA Finals series since 2011 has featured one of James, Curry or Durant. The trio have a combined 44 All-Star appearances, and at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, we got to watch them play together on the same team for the first time ever.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all on the same team for the first time ever tonight 🔥✊ <a href="https://t.co/uUaAKwxaVr">pic.twitter.com/uUaAKwxaVr</a>
&mdash; Guru (@DrGuru_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1759349903652995079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Seeing the faces of the NBA share the court as teammates was a lot of fun and left fans wanting for more.
Enter Team USA.
The world might witness these three legends team up once again in the coming months &mdash; this time while donning the red, white and blue. in hopes of leading Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
While we got a taste of the trio during NBA All-Star Weekend, fans would love to see them in a competitive environment. Curry&rsquo;s otherworldly shooting, James' IQ and playmaking, plus Durant&rsquo;s deadly three-level scoring with extremely high stakes? That would be something to behold.
James, Curry and Durant are all highly intelligent basketball players who complement each other really well, so it would likely be a seamless transition on Team USA.
All three have expressed their interest in playing for the national team and were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-player-pool-for-team-usas-2024-mens-national-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently included in the player pool that Team USA announced</a>.
Although the NBA season is still ongoing and a lot can still happen between now and July, but barring injuries or any unforeseen circumstances, the three global basketball icons will likely lead Team USA&rsquo;s pursuit for the gold medal in this year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. This hunt for the gold will coincide with the 50th anniversary of USA Basketball, making their run even more special.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beautiful, isn't it? Breaking down our 50th Anniversary logo 👇<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAB50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAB50</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/O4F7odCkWY">pic.twitter.com/O4F7odCkWY</a>
&mdash; USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1749606150721388855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The American trio will aim to replicate the success of their predecessors from the original &ldquo;Dream Team&rdquo; in 1992 when NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird won the gold medal in Barcelona.
James, 39, has won three Olympic medals for Team USA (one bronze and two golds) with the last one coming 12 years ago when he won gold in London. The NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA once again, and he has been in contact with several other NBA stars to join him including Curry and Durant. James&rsquo; impressive track record for his national team speaks for itself. After serving Team USA for eight years from 2004 to 2012, he is second all-time in games played (24) for Team USA.&nbsp;
The 35-year-old Curry has yet to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Curry already has two FIBA World Championships in his trophy case, which also includes four NBA championships and two NBA MVPs, but winning an Olympic gold medal might be the cherry on top of what has been an illustrious career. Curry has notably shown interest in playing for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he is very likely to do so this year. With Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also calling the shots for Team USA, it makes a lot of sense for Curry to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
Finally, Durant is arguably the most accomplished Team USA player of all-time. Winning three Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016 and 2020-21) and a FIBA World Championship (2010), Team USA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Captain America&rdquo; is gunning for his record-setting fourth Olympic Gold medal. (He's currently tied with fellow USA great Carmelo Anthony, who also has three gold medals). Durant winning another gold medal would likely solidify him as the greatest Team USA player of all-time (if he isn't already). A two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, Durant is one of the most lethal scorers the game has ever seen.
Aside from James, Curry and Durant &ndash; the NBA&rsquo;s most recognizable faces &ndash; who else will don the red, white and blue? The other finalists for the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s national team are Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
With James, Curry and Durant leading the way, Team USA will the favorite in Paris. However, they'll face stiff competition from the rest of the world, particularly world-champion Germany and star-studded squads like Australia and Team Canada. Generational international talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama will look to dethrone Team USA.
This iteration of the Olympics is shaping up to be the hardest challenge the Americans will ever face, and hopefully James, Curry and Durant will be at the forefront of it all. In likely their last dance in international competition, James, Curry and Durant will surely want to ride off into the sunset wearing gold medals around their necks.

The next time LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are playing together, it will be with Team USA during the Paris Olympics.

LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant set to team up again — this time for USA

Today, the NBA and FIBA announced 80 of the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa who will participate in the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will be held July 28-31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa.
BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 80 boys and girls from more than 25 African countries &ndash; including 19 NBA Academy Africa and NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022 prospects &ndash; to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.&nbsp;
The campers will be coached by two-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; U.S.; ties to Nigeria), 2022 NBA All-Star Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic; U.S.).
Five current and former NBA head coaches will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches: Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff; two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Nigeria Men&rsquo;s National Team head coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown; 2018 NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey (most recently with the Detroit Pistons); Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; and veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers).
Several former NBA and WNBA players will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches, including 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), 2011 NBA champion Ian Mahinmi (France; ties Benin), former NBA player and Basketball Africa League Head of League Operations Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon), former NBA player Tacko Fall (Senegal), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana.&nbsp;
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor Masai Ujiri; New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin; and Portland Trail Blazers Assistant General Manager Mike Schmitz will serve as camp directors, while David Crewe and Frank Adams (Phoenix Suns) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainers.
The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the B.J. Johnson Most Improved Player Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
As part of the camp, NBA players and coaches will also participate in several community outreach initiatives around Johannesburg, including a hospital visit and a Her Time to Play seminar for the female campers on July 28, and a court unveiling in the Alexandra Township on Saturday, July 29.&nbsp; In addition, BWB Africa 2023 coaches will lead a development clinic for local coaches at AISJ on July 30.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also on July 29, select&nbsp;NBA players&nbsp;will visit the NBA Store at Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg and engage with fans.
BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
BWB has reached more than 4,100 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 112 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.&nbsp; The NBA and FIBA have staged 70 BWB camps in 47 cities across 32 countries on six continents.
The following is a complete list of players participating in the 19th&nbsp;BWB Africa camp (rosters subject to change):
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 447px;" width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 403px;" colspan="2">
GIRLS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ines Bellahmer
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Algeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Filomena Luis
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Guigma Sadia
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Burkina Faso
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Gisele Kipo*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Hannah Dibadjou
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Salma Khedr*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Leila El Sanadily
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aisha Hassan
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Lucie Mounganga
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Gabon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Sylla
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Guinea
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Roseline Ooko
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Harena Randriamasimanana
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fitahiana Ratsimason
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joanie Rakotonanahary
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Samake*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Oumou Soumare
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aya El Kallali*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Albertina Matsinhe*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Bata Lurdes*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Shanaya Matusse*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joy Biribebe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Benitha Ngarambe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Jane Dusabe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatou Sima
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Marie Diouf
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ndickou Matar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Tacko Sy
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Sheriffa Rahman
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Sierra Leone
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Onnetse Molokwame
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Luhle Ndaba
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Reneilwe Motebele
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Susan Peter
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Asunta Ring
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Nawasa Lazaro
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tanzania
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ibouanga Moussounda
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Togo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Arwa Ghorbel*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Eya Nasri
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Afef Bengoula
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Christine Namyalo
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Immaculate Adongpiny
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Participated in NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022
&nbsp;
<table width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 418.75px;" colspan="2" width="447">
BOYS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Aginaldo Neto*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Manuel Camboma*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Inacio Anatoli Da Silva
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Claudino Capangaa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sansao Wika
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Philippe Ntungicimpaye
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Burundi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Arnold Eyadi Kenfack
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hermann Bel Gassina
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chris Naguidebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Central African Republic
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tahir Doungous*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Chad
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Zie Cheikh Conde
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tarek Khairy
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ahmed Nedale
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Karim El Gizawi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Courage Agbekpornu
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Ghana
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Kiggundu Austin Omondi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chouhaybou Keita
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mahamadou Konate
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hamza Bechchar
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bolaji Oderinlo
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sultan Baruwa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ibrahim Dan-Mutum
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jonah Precious
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ezekiel Obe*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Andre Bonazebi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jude Fred Nkouka Silaho
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khadim Mboup*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Assane Mandian*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Yakhya Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mouhamed Camara
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Siyanda Radebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Gilchrist Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khaman Maluach*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Moses Marial Mandiria
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bol Wieu Mou Thet
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Lual Deng Lual Aguek
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Rayen Rouissi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amen Hammi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Liberty Fusire*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Zimbabwe
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*NBA Academy Africa prospect

Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs will coach 80 top high-school-age prospects from across Africa.

Adebayo, Garland, Kuminga, Suggs to coach prospects at BWB Africa 2023

Here's the list of NCAA players who have as of April 6 filed for consideration as a candidate for the 2023 WNBA Draft

2023 WNBA Draft: Full list of prospects who have entered

If there is any singular number that has defined basketball in 2023, it might be 9.9 million &mdash; the viewership of Sunday's NCAA Tournament championship game between LSU and Iowa.
The figure isn't just the largest ever for a women's college game; it also flew past other audiences for some of American sports' marquee events.
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The NCAA Women's National Championship's 9.9 million viewers are more than: ▪️ Any Women's CBB game ever ▪️ Any MLS game ever ▪️ Any Stanley Cup game since 1973 ▪️ The 2023 Orange Bowl ▪️ The 2023 Sugar Bowl ▪️ 2023 Thursday Night Football ▪️ The 2021 NBA Finals ▪️ The 2020&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/X6MGXYkflQ">pic.twitter.com/X6MGXYkflQ</a>
&mdash; Front Office Sports (@FOS) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1643051889846525953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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To say the game has "arrived" is disrespectful to the illustrious history of women in basketball. But Sunday was a stage unlike any other, and those who watched on TV or <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/lsu/womens_basketball/ticket-prices-for-lsu-iowa-national-championship-jump/article_8f541656-d0d6-11ed-83a2-7fb0a63f33b8.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paid hundreds to attend</a> were awestruck by the outpouring of deserved fan support.
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I&rsquo;m completely blown away. The direction our game is going and the excitement surrounding it- I personally have never been more proud to be a part of it. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/WjNZii3Vg1">pic.twitter.com/WjNZii3Vg1</a>
&mdash; Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) <a href="https://twitter.com/RachGall/status/1642976923193331713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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A poorly-officiated contest (Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic had <a href="https://theathletic.com/4377949/2023/04/03/womens-basketball-officials-clark-reese/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some important thoughts on this</a>) and the trash-talking discourse that followed are problematic, but they won't taper our excitement for the trajectory of women's basketball. An influx of new, casual, uninformed fans are swarming into the sport, and we're ready for them because we've learned two important lessons in the last week.
One: This generation's stars are glimmering in the spotlight.
Two: The sport's core of diligent media members and passionate fans won't take any B.S.
Angel Reese surpassed a million Instagram followers after winning the national title, a result of her superstar season and her "Bayou Barbie" persona. But her name also dominated headlines because of her John Cena and ring-me gestures towards Caitlin Clark in the closing minutes of LSU's win, earning critical labels like "classless" and others that hinted at more serious racist undertones.
Reese didn't hold back in her initial response.
"I don&rsquo;t fit in the box that y&rsquo;all want me to be in. I'm too hood, I'm too ghetto, y'all told me that all year. When other people do it, y'all don't say nothing. This was for the people that look like me," Reese <a href="https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1642671282767507456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
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This is different from Reese "not caring" about the critics. She does care and is aware of her own aura, which she says has been criticized since high school. Reese cares that her image as a powerful, talented, confident Black woman resonates with younger girls who can relate to her, and that for so long, that combination of traits has been met with hate.
That Reese continues to quote tweet and subtweet, and take additional interviews on ESPN days after the game, shows she's not backing down from who she wants to be.
Clark is similarly aware of her standing as a figurehead for the sport. On Tuesday, she went on ESPN's Outside the Lines and basically ended the trash-talking discussion.&nbsp;
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all," Clark <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1643311621861949441" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I'm always one that competes, and she competed. I think everyone knew there was gonna be a little trash talk the entire tournament; it's not just me and Angel."
Just as important was her full response on the importance of showing passion as an athlete:
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"Men have always had trash talk. ... You should be able to play with that emotion. ... That's how every girl should continue to play." Caitlin Clark discussed if women are held to a different standard than men on <a href="https://twitter.com/OTLonESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTLonESPN</a>. <a href="https://t.co/JY7MWlOuVq">pic.twitter.com/JY7MWlOuVq</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1643309736572616704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Clark is arguably the biggest trending name in basketball right now and a truly generational talent who helped drive this year's record-shattering ratings. For her to jump on ESPN two days after a heartbreaking loss and be explicit with her opinions shows that she recognizes the gravity of her voice.
The Iowa sharpshooter rightfully captured the country's attention for her NCAA Tournament heroics. According to one Google search analysis from World Sports Network, Clark's name saw a 476% search increase in the last week of March Madness.
New fans were quick to label her a "best-ever" of some sort. The social media response: Familiarize yourselves with the college careers of Cheryl Miller, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore, Kelsey Plum or Sabrina Ionescu.&nbsp;
And when some <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/1642649593140637706" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretty loud voices</a>&nbsp;took aim at Reese on Sunday, the community quickly let them know it was unacceptable.
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As women's basketball has continued to rise, deserved passionate media coverage has reached the foreground.&nbsp;The Next Hoops, Winsidr,&nbsp;and Just Women's Sports&nbsp;are three of my personal go-to's, but these smaller (yet growing) independent outlets have helped legitimize and drive quality coverage. ESPN's television coverage is spectacular and&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;is another outlet with high-level storytelling. Arielle Chambers delivers phenomenal energy for HighlightHER, Mark Schindler does an amazing job at WNBA.com, and while I'm biased, our own Nekias Duncan's WNBA coverage is top-tier (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/south-carolina-dared-caitlin-clark-to-beat-them-and-she-did-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as was his Clark film dive!</a>).
We collectively know more about media and narrative than ever in our history. It allows these writers to make sure the sport is covered fairly and accurately at the college and pro levels, holding new, influential fans accountable.&nbsp;
The players and coaches have stories to share, personalities to gravitate towards and electric talent to entertain with. The WNBA still has so much growth potential; it logged a 20% increase in regular-season viewership on ESPN last year, and this spring's March Madness momentum can be a springboard for another leap. And with NIL-driven branding soaring at the college level, more players and teams can place themselves in front of new audiences.
Sunday felt like the quantitative peak for women's basketball in the national conversation &mdash; what's exciting is that there's so much mountain still left to climb.

Nearly 10 million people watched the national championship game, signaling that women's basketball is ready for a popularity explosion.

Women's basketball is well-equipped to shape its own narrative

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kim Mulkey is back in another national championship game, this time taking the flagship university from her home state there for the first time.
It took LSU only two seasons to get there with the feisty and flamboyantly dressed coach, and a big comeback in the national semifinal game that was quite an undercard Friday night.
Alexis Morris scored 27 points&nbsp;and had two of her misses in the fourth quarter turned into putback baskets by Angel Reese in a big run as LSU rallied to beat top-seeded Virginia Tech 79-72 in the first semifinal game.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m never satisfied. I&rsquo;m super-excited that we won, but I&rsquo;m hungry,&rdquo; said Morris, who jumped on a courtside table and fired up LSU fans after the game. &ldquo;Like, I&rsquo;m greedy. I want to win it all so I can complete the story.&rdquo;
Reese finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for LSU (33-2), which will play in the national title game Sunday against the winner of the highly anticipated matchup between Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina or Iowa in the other semifinal.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a dream. It still hasn&rsquo;t hit me that I&rsquo;m at the Final Four,&rdquo; said Reese, the transfer from Maryland who carries the nickname 'Bayou Barbie.' &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just not even believing this right now. It&rsquo;s crazy how much my life has changed in one year.&rdquo;
Mulkey &mdash; in a carnation pink top this time &mdash; won three national titles in four Final Four appearances over her 21 seasons at Baylor. She is only the second coach to take two different teams to the national championship game. The other is C. Vivian Stringer, who did it with Cheyney in the inaugural 1982 women&rsquo;s tournament and Rutgers in 2007.
&ldquo;I came home for lots of reasons,&rdquo; Mulkey said. &ldquo;One, to some day hang a championship banner in the PMAC (Pete Maravich Assembly Center). Never, ever do you think you&rsquo;re going to do something like this in two years.&rdquo;
LSU made five national semifinal games in a row from 2004-08 &mdash; the only times the Tigers had made it this far. They lost each of those years.
The Tigers had to dig deep for this one, with neither team backing down.
Trailing 59-50 after three quarters, LSU went ahead with a 15-0 run over a five-minute span. The Tigers led for the first time since late in the first half when&nbsp;Falu&rsquo;jae Johnson had a steal and drove for a layup to make it 64-62.
Reese had six points in that game-turning spurt, including a basket after Morris&rsquo; attempted 3-pointer clanked off the front rim. Reese had a second-effort follow of her own miss after rebounding another shot by Morris.
Elizabeth Kitley, the 6-foot-6 senior, had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Virginia Tech (31-5), the Atlantic Coast Conference champion that was in the Final Four for the first time. Georgia Amoore and Kayana Traylor each had 17 points, while Cayla King had 14.
Amoore set a record for the most 3-pointers in a single NCAA Tournament&nbsp;with 24, though she had a tough night shooting &mdash; 4 of 17 overall, including 4 of 15 from beyond the arc. She passed Kia Nurse&rsquo;s record 22 set in the 2017 tourney for UConn, which lost in the national semifinals on the same court. Arizona&rsquo;s Aari McDonald had 22 in six NCAA tourney games two years ago.
The big run for LSU came right after Amoore made her last 3-pointer with 7:52 left for a 62-57 lead. The Hokies didn&rsquo;t make another basket until King&rsquo;s 3 with 1:19 left.
&ldquo;I think we had a few crucial turnovers as well as missed box-outs where they scored on second-chance opportunities,&rdquo; Traylor said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s just what it came down to really.&rdquo;
Morris had opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer for LSU, then had a driving layup before Reese had a layup after a steal by Johnson. That quick 7-0 run prompted a timeout by Hokies coach Kenny Brooks.
&ldquo;They hit a couple of shots, gave them a little bit of momentum. They hit a 3 right off the bat &hellip; kind of changed the momentum,&rdquo; Brooks said. &ldquo;They were aggressive in the passing lanes. But they also were a little bit more aggressive down low.&rdquo;
Virginia Tech had ended the first half with its own 11-0 run to lead for the first time, at 34-32 on Traylor&rsquo;s driving layup with 53 seconds left.
But it was the Tigers who led for 17:55 of the first half with the Hokies getting off to a slow start shooting &mdash; they missed eight of their first nine shots &mdash; that an&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1641942728568369153?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LSU cheerleader had an assist even before they officially had a shot</a>.
King was charged with a turnover on a ball that hit the rim and bounced over the top of the backboard and got stuck there. With encouragement from officials and others at that end, a male cheerleader lifted up a female cheerleader, who knocked the ball down.

Kim Mulkey is back in another national championship game, taking the flagship university from her home state there for the first time.

Mulkey, LSU women rally in Final Four, reach first title game

Few people probably expected the NBA at large to be focused on a Reddit conspiracy theory for most of Saturday, but here we are.
Reddit user u/AdMassive6666 posted <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/10nbau4/memphis_grizzlies_scorekeeper_posting_fraudulent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an elaborate investigation</a>&nbsp;into the validity of Jaren Jackson Jr.'s block totals at home so far this season. The SparkNotes: This poster essentially accused the Memphis Grizzlies' scorekeeper of artificially inflating Jackson's block counts at home, leading to a massive chasm between his home and away stats. They cited examples they believed backed up the claim and then tossed out accusations of personal bias or financial motive.
The conspiracy spread like wildfire Saturday morning and the post had over 44,000 upvotes by the afternoon. Meanwhile, NBA media members across Twitter were fact-checking the claim, which looks more and more like a&nbsp;theory&nbsp;than an actual conspiracy under further scrutiny.
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I watched every block by Jaren Jackson Jr. in slow motion from alternate angles to investigate the NBA Reddit thread claiming the Grizzlies scorekeeper is "posting fraudulent numbers." But only 3 of his 66 home blocks are incorrectly labeled, a completely insignificant amount. <a href="https://t.co/84ZiE1rPVD">pic.twitter.com/84ZiE1rPVD</a>
&mdash; Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1619400282953359360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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There are already a&nbsp;lot&nbsp;of videos and threads like Kevin O'Connor's breakdown, including this one from <a href="&lt;blockquote%20class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot;%20data-theme=&quot;dark&quot;&gt;&lt;p%20lang=&quot;en&quot;%20dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;THEY%20ARE%20LYING%20ABOUT%20JAREN%20JACKSON%20JR.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The%20Hoop%20ReView%20presents%20a%20full%20stat%20audit%20on%20Jaren%20Jackson%20Jr&amp;#39;s%20home%20block%20numbers&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;spoiler%20alert:%20HIS%20BLOCKS%20ARE%20VERY%20REAL&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I%20went%20through%20every%20block,%20at%20most%20there%20were%204%20questionable%20or%20lacking%20video%20evidence.&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://t.co/w12jBHI8w6&quot;&gt;https://t.co/w12jBHI8w6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash;%20A:A%20(@Swarlayzers)%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://twitter.com/Swarlayzers/status/1619379441364533250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;January%2028,%202023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;%20&lt;script%20async%20src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot;%20charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@swarlayzers</a>, this one from <a href="&lt;blockquote%20class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot;%20data-theme=&quot;dark&quot;&gt;&lt;p%20lang=&quot;en&quot;%20dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Did%20some%20&amp;#39;investigative%20journalism&amp;#39;%20this%20morning%20into%20the%20Jaren%20Jackson%20Jr.%20scorekeeper%20saga%20(from%20this%20Reddit%20thread%20alleging%20his%20stats%20are%20padded%20at%20home:%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://t.co/XH6X5muYkP&quot;&gt;https://t.co/XH6X5muYkP&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Here%20are%20some%20of%20the%20more%20questionable%20blocks/%20steals%20JJJ%20is%20credited%20for%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://t.co/oeVKSJoImt&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/oeVKSJoImt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash;%20The%20Box%20and%20One%20(@TheBoxAndOne_)%20&lt;a%20href=&quot;https://twitter.com/TheBoxAndOne_/status/1619351079371829249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;January%2028,%202023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;%20&lt;script%20async%20src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot;%20charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Spinella</a>, this response from former stat-checker&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/findingneema23/status/1619365149902798848?s=20&amp;t=dHOSgXZXmSBeIIoZGaqgqw">Neema Djavadzadeh</a>.&nbsp;Most of the follow-ups reach the same conclusion: The initial poster either cherry-picked some narrative-suiting examples or was just plain wrong about their claims.&nbsp;
Furthermore, the post painted a picture that some corrupt mastermind is at the center of Jackson's absurd defensive season when that simply is not how NBA statskeeping works.
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This post is making its way around the league now, not just the internet. For what it's worth, I checked in, and the Grizzlies use the same official scorer this season as they used last season. <a href="https://t.co/DViGP4JMxO">https://t.co/DViGP4JMxO</a>
&mdash; Fred Katz (@FredKatz) <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1619369038202953729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Fred Katz of&nbsp;The Athletic&nbsp;gets the ball rolling with this thread, explaining that recording stats is not a one-person job anymore. In 2018, <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/04/how-nba-scorekeepers-track-player-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spencer Lund of </a><a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/04/how-nba-scorekeepers-track-player-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complex</a>&nbsp;took a peek at the life of an NBA statistician and the evolution of the process. This segment offers a brief explanation of gameday protocols:
"The four-man statistics crews is divided into primary and secondary inputters and callers. The primary caller does just that: calls out each play using numbers instead of names. The primary inputter marks 'a touch screen of a basketball court,' the Brooklyn statistician says. That screen is connected to the screen of the secondary inputter, who edits mistakes and double checks iffy plays. The secondary caller works the DVR, and they&rsquo;re connected to NBA headquarters in Secaucus, NJ. That connection to Secaucus during the game is new this year, as is the mandate that every arena have four statisticians for a game.
Despite that connection, it&rsquo;s still up to the discretion of the statisticians to decide an assist. The primary inputter makes the first read, but if the stat is unclear 'it&rsquo;s kind of a consensus, majority rule,' the Nets&rsquo; statistician explains. The NBA says that they audit every stat, and they&rsquo;ve always done it that way since they went digital in the late ​&rsquo;80s; this season they&rsquo;re just connected during the game."
The NBA backed this up in its own counter to the Reddit post:
&ldquo;In order to ensure the integrity of our game statistics, auditors, independent of the statisticians on-site, review all plays and stats decisions in real-time during NBA games,&rdquo; <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2023/01/28/nba-refutes-viral-reddit-post-claiming-conspiracy-to-pad-jaren-jackson-jr-s-stats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">league spokesman Tim Frank told NBC Sports.</a> &ldquo;If changes are necessary, they are made at that time or following a postgame review. All of the plays questioned in the post on Memphis games were scored consistently within the rules set forth by the NBA statisticians manual.&rdquo;
Today's technology also puts the NBA light-years ahead of the human error from a single set of eyeballs. "Using cameras installed in the catwalks of every NBA arena, Second Spectrum software tracks the movements of every player on the court and the basketball 25 times per second," <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/help/faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the league's statistics database says on its tracking data.</a>&nbsp;
Still, some categories will involve judgement calls by nature. Even if some of Jackson's blocks are debatable, this isn't the first time the NBA fandom has questioned the integrity of the numbers. Matthew van Bommel and Luke Bornn <a href="http://www.lukebornn.com/papers/vanbommel_dmkd_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conducted a massive study about scorekeeper bias in 2016</a>.&nbsp;The Athletic's&nbsp;Seth Partnow has pointed out repeatedly how the frequency of shot attempts at the rim are unusually low at Golden Warriors home games, while the volume just outside the restricted area is much higher, for both teams competing. It's not a result of some ulterior motive; there just appears a tendency by the Warriors' record-keepers to judge shot locations differently.
Assists are notoriously subjective. Folks often wonder if John Stockton really&nbsp;racked up his all-time record of 15,806 assists, and <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2019/05/17/its-an-nba-urban-legend/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andy Larsen looked into the total</a> for the Salt Lake Tribune in 2019.&nbsp;Larsen's work supports Stockton, but at the same time, he noted that the very definition of an assist leaves gray areas. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/1/21/21074724/nba-home-court-assist-advantage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zach Kram wrote for The Ringer&nbsp;in 2020</a> about how even generous assist-crediting has changed in recent years.
So why is this suddenly captivating the league again? Three words: legalized sports betting.
Most basic NBA counting stats are now linked to video via the league's official database, with help from Second Spectrum. That opens up record-keeping to public eyes, including Redditors and people with money on the line.
Professional sports leagues, in marrying themselves to sports gambling, will face barrages of criticism about judgement calls because the stakes are higher than ever for viewers. The accuracy of block counts shouldn't be that big of a deal, nor should it factor so heavily into awards consideration as it is implied with Jackson. But it does now because millions of dollars can swing sides.
Maybe technological innovation renders human statskeeping obselete one day, and computers can track literal touches of a basketball with perfect precision. We're not there yet, though (and doesn't that get kind of creepy at a certain point?).
Defining assists and steals more clearly is one obvious pathway for improved transparency. For example, I firmly believe basketball should credit assists almost like hockey. Remove any subjective time measure or scoring difficulty component and automatically give an assist to the last passer of the score, provided the pass landed in the frontcourt. That's straightforward, and "good" assists are already up for debate anyway, so what would really change?
In general, today should really challenge the NBA fan base and betting base to understand the rulebook. At most, the major league analysts settled on 3-5 Jackson home blocks that were categorized questionably. The league itself backed up every swat. Amplifying a conspiracy theory like this one not only wastes a ton of time, but it means more ears will ignore future complaints, even if they do end up having merit.
It's great to hold pro sports leagues accountable, but you better be right when you do.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>For the record, <a href="https://twitter.com/SethPartnow/status/1619447671407738882?s=20&amp;t=V5yQjofyh8QAY1bsYGNRTQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaren Jackson Jr. is as good a defender as any and all numbers say.</a></li>
<li>Another data point for this season's ridiculous NBA scoring:</li>
</ul>
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The number of players with a 30-point game in each NBA season. <a href="https://t.co/ur04gbctPu">pic.twitter.com/ur04gbctPu</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1617260889497047040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Caitlin Clark is one of the most mind-boggling scorers in the world:</li>
</ul>
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The longest range shooters in women's college hoops: <a href="https://t.co/b5x7zc4FVV">pic.twitter.com/b5x7zc4FVV</a>
&mdash; Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1617691933945782278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>This is just over a week old now, but a really interesting graphic from SIS Hoops. Lauri Markkanen stands out to me:</li>
</ul>
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A player's shot diet can shift meaningfully from year to year. Here's a look at the players who have experienced the largest changes in median shot distance this year compared to last: <a href="https://t.co/OK8BLRqwt0">pic.twitter.com/OK8BLRqwt0</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1616461874622513153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a>
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</blockquote>

Ethan Fuller breaks down the realities of the Jaren Jackson Jr. stats conspiracy theory and its implications.

NBA Stats Notebook: What happens if you don't believe the stats?

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2023, including several high-profile, first-time nominees including Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade and the 1976 U.S. Olympic Women&rsquo;s Basketball Team. &nbsp; A first look at the list of eligible nominees was provided by &ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; on ESPN; the complete list of eligible candidates can be found below. &nbsp; Finalists from the North American and Women&rsquo;s committee for the Class of 2023 will be announced on February 17, at 5:30 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City, Utah, during NBA All-Star Weekend. &nbsp; The entire Class of 2023, including those selected by the direct-elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Houston, Texas, on April 1, in a nationally televised broadcast at 11 a.m. EST.
NORTH AMERICAN NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ken Anderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Beilein (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Bess (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Chauncey Billups (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Chambers (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Clougherty (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Cooper (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joey Crawford (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Curran (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Eaton (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cliff Ellis (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Finley (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pau Gasol (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leonard Hamilton (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lou Henson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed Hightower (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; David Hixon (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Jackson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marques Johnson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Keady (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Larranaga (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Maurice Lucas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shawn Marion (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rollie Massimino (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Motta (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dirk Nowitzki (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jake O&rsquo;Donnell (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tony Parker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Phelan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gregg Popovich (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bo Ryan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stan Spirou (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Reggie Theus (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dwyane Wade (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Buck Williams (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Williamson (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Westhead (COA)
WOMEN&rsquo;S NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leta Andrews (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jennifer Azzi (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gary Blair (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Bruno (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Hammon (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Martin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Debbie Miller-Palmore (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kim Mulkey (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Still (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marian Washington (COA) &nbsp; INTERNATIONAL DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jackie Chazalon &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mirza Delibasic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dusan Ivkovic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Semen Khalipski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vladimir Kondrashin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Eduardo Lamas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marcos Leite &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shimon Mirrahi &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Amaury Pasos &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Manuel Sainz &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Togo Soares &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ranko Zeravica &nbsp; WOMEN&rsquo;S VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1976 US Olympic Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1982 Cheyney University NCAA Final Four Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Alline Banks Sprouse (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Edmonton Commercial Grads (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Head (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Yolanda Laney (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nashville Business College (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lometa Odom (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Harley Redin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hazel Walker (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Walker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dean Weese (COA)*
CONTRIBUTOR DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pete Babcock &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Baumgartner &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Henry Bibby &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marty Blake &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vic Bubas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Collins &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wayne Duke &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Foster &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Gibbons &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Simon Gourdine &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tim Grgurich &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Junius Kellogg &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Johnny &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Kerr &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Konchalski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bobby Lewis &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred McCall &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McCloskey &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jon McGlocklin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Speedy Morris &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dennis Murphy &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Curly Neal &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Powers &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Will Robinson &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Shue &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Valvano &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donnie Walsh &nbsp; VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1936 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1972 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Barnett (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Blackburn (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sid Borgia (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Freddie Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Coleman (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Eckman (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leroy Edwards (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leo Ferris (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hy Gotkin (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Travis Grant (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Hartman (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cam Henderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Robert Hopkins (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Keinath (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Greg Kelser (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kentucky Wesleyan 1966, 1968, 1969 (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Love (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Loyola of Chicago (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Billy Markward (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed McCluskey (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McKinney (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Melchionni (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Francis Meehan (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lucias Mitchell (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donald &ldquo;Dudey&rdquo; Moore (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joe Mullaney (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Willie Naulls (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; North Catholic High School Junior Varsity (Philadelphia, PA) (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Don Otten (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Philadelphia SPHAS (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kevin Porter (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Glenn Roberts (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lennie Rosenbluth (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kenny Sailors (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred Schaus (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sam Schulman (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Silas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lambert Will (CONT)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Max Zaslofsky (PLA)

Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich and Dwyane Wade are among the candidates for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Basketball Hall of Fame announces candidates for Class of 2023

NBA G League referees&nbsp;Cheryl Flores, Robert Hussey, Matt Kallio and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to full-time NBA staff officials for the 2022-23 season, it was announced today by&nbsp;Monty McCutchen, NBA&nbsp;Senior&nbsp;Vice President, Head of Referee Development and Training.
&ldquo;Cheryl, Robert, Matt and Dannica have demonstrated the ability and professionalism required to be a fulltime NBA officiating staff member,&rdquo; said McCutchen. &ldquo;We are excited for them to have reached this milestone in their careers.&rdquo;
Flores and Mosher join Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Simone Jelks, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Natalie Sago, Jenna Schroeder and Danielle Scott to bring the total of female full-time officials to eight for the 2022-23 season.
The 2022-23 NBA regular season will tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 18 with a doubleheader on TNT as the Philadelphia 76ers visit the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).
New Full-Time NBA Staff Officials
Cheryl Flores&nbsp;has officiated nine seasons in the NBA G League and 10 seasons in the WNBA. She worked the G League and WNBA Finals in 2022. Flores refereed 12 regular-season NBA games as a non-staff official during the 2021-22 season. She has 13 years of collegiate officiating experience, including the Women&rsquo;s Final Four in 2019 and the Women&rsquo;s National Championship Game in 2021.
Robert Hussey&nbsp;has officiated five seasons in the NBA G League and two campaigns in the WNBA. He worked the G League Finals and WNBA Playoffs last season. During the 2021-22 NBA season, he refereed 10 regular-season NBA games as a non-staff official.&nbsp;Hussey officiated for five seasons at both the collegiate and high school levels.&nbsp;
Matt Kallio&nbsp;is the first international official to join the fulltime NBA officiating staff. The Edmonton, Alberta native&nbsp;has seven seasons of NBA G League and four seasons of WNBA officiating experience. He worked 10 NBA regular-season games as a non-staff official during the 2021-22 season. Kallio has been a FIBA official since 2012 and was assigned to officiate at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.&nbsp;
Dannica Mosher&nbsp;has four seasons of NBA G League officiating experience and five seasons in the WNBA. She worked the G League Finals and the WNBA Finals last season. She also officiated 12 NBA regular-season games as a non-staff official during the 2021-22 season. Her officiating career includes eight years at the collegiate level and five years at the high school level.

G League referees Cheryl Flores, Robert Hussey, Matt Kallio and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to full-time NBA staff officials.

NBA promotes four G League referees to 2022-23 officiating staff

The WNBA playoffs just started, and we've already had our fair share of unforgettable moments.
The New York Liberty boast a pair, with guard Marine Johannes' ridiculous Game 1 pass and her star teammate Sabrina Ionescu's five-point burst in five seconds. I'm still not over the overwhelming defensive possessions from the Chicago Sky to close out Game 3 against the Liberty. Chelsea Gray and the Aces set a three-point record in Game 2 of their series against (what's left of) the Phoenix Mercury; the tactical warfare of the Seattle Storm-Washington Mystics matchup was too good for a first round series.&nbsp;
As if there isn't enough to talk about, regular season awards are beginning to drop. On Monday, Chicago Sky head coach and general manager James Wade was named Executive of the Year for his offseason work. We'll be getting word on the rookies &mdash; Rookie of the Year and the All-Rookie team &mdash; on Thursday. You can see the rest of the schedule for announcements <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-announces-new-process-for-selecting-all-wnba-teams-and-unveils-end-of-season-awards-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Before the official awards are announced, here's who I would've chosen on my fictitious ballot. Part I will be focused on first batch of awards: Rookie of the Year, the All-Rookie team, Coach of the Year, and Most Improved Player.
(If someone from The W's league office is reading this: Hi, hello, I'd love to vote next season if you'll have me!)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (AUGUST 25)
Honorable Mention (HM): Rebekah Gardner &mdash; Chicago Sky
Gardner's averages (8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists) don't scream off the page, but she's one of the league's best role-players. She's a spirited driver with a blend of physicality and graceful footwork that allows her to bully weaker defenders. Her nose for the ball is uncanny for a guard; she's good for at least one "Where did she come from?" rebound in a crucial point of a game.
And then there's the defense.
She led all rookies in steals per game (1.4), but that honestly doesn't do her justice. Gardner is a&nbsp;nasty&nbsp;screen navigator, and she pairs that with an unrelenting motor. Turn on a Sky game and you'll see her hounding the opposing team's best perimeter player to the point of needing screens in the backcourt. Here's&nbsp;some&nbsp;of the work she did in the Liberty series &mdash; and note that the last clip is a&nbsp;bad&nbsp;foul call.
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Her quickness, aggression, and ability to anticipate help make her one of The W's best defenders. Spoiler alert: She got an All-Defensive First Team nod from me because of her work.&nbsp;
3. NaLyssa Smith &mdash; Indiana Fever
I don't begrudge folks for looking at the Indiana Fever's record (5-31) or their score differential (minus-11.1) and deciding to pass on watching 20-plus games of theirs. This was an incredibly young team that also went through an early season coaching change. They ended the season on an 18-game losing streak; trust me, I get it.
But man, there was some fun in there if you gave them a chance. The play of NaLyssa Smith was certainly one of the bright spots.
Though listed at 6-foot-4, Smith doesn't operate much like a true big. There's a fluidity and shiftiness present that makes her a matchup nightmare. Players her size shouldn't be able to use their handle to get to spots at a whim&nbsp;and&nbsp;shoot from distance if given the space.&nbsp;
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Smith led all rookies in rebounds (7.9) and ranked second in scoring (13.5) behind Atlanta Dream wing Rhyne Howard (16.2). Smith racked up eight double-doubles on the season; the rest of the rookie class combined for nine.
2. Shakira Austin &mdash; Washington Mystics
Rookie bigs aren't supposed to be as good as Austin is defensively. To be a key cog as a rookie is wildly impressive; to be a key cog on the best defense in basketball &mdash; the Mystics had a sterling 96 defensive rating &mdash; is absurd, frankly.&nbsp;
Austin was tasked with banging with post brutes like Sylvia Fowles while also being asked to play multiple coverages against ball screens. Her activity and footwork pops in space. She was a shortlist All-Defensive team candidate for me (ultimately didn't make it) this season, and it shouldn't surprise anyone if she becomes a mainstay moving forward. She's that&nbsp;good already.
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The offensive flashes are intriguing. The same footwork she displays defensively allows her to be a productive roll threat offensively. She's already flashed the ability to make short roll reads, and she's comfortable putting the floor on the deck for a dribble or two. I'm not sure if the finishing or the jumper expands first, but growth in either area would take her to another level offensively. The fact that there's a pathway to&nbsp;both&nbsp;happening ... the Mystics have a good one on their hands.
1. Rhyne Howard &mdash; Atlanta Dream
Though I wouldn't be opposed to Austin winning the award, I think the answer is Howard.&nbsp;
Leading all rookies in scoring is an easy thing to point to. The efficiency numbers &mdash; 37.9% from two-point range, 34.3% from three, 48.9% True Shooting &mdash; are an easy counter for people who think Austin should win it. I think either argument is missing the forest for the threes.
In year one, Howard was good enough to be the number one option on a just-missed-the-playoffs team. She got the opposing team's best defender from day one while playing in an offense lacking multiple dribble-drive threats for most of the season.&nbsp;
The context wasn't easy, and Howard found a way to score at a high clip, display in-season growth as a creator,&nbsp;and&nbsp;be a plus-wing defender at the same time.&nbsp;
Howard is a pull-up artist, a moving target off the ball, a willing passer against aggressive ball screen coverages, and someone who closed the year getting to the rim at a high clip. Over her last seven games, she averaged 8.6 three-point attempts (35% efficiency) and 7.7 free throw attempts. That is incredibly&nbsp;difficult for someone in her position to do.&nbsp;
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I can't wait to see her with more offensive talent around her. The foundation for Howard is already strong.
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM (AUGUST 25)
Rhyne Howard, Shakira Austin, NaLyssa Smith, Rebekah Gardner, Queen Egbo (Indiana Fever)
Egbo (and her frontcourt teammate Emily Engstler) got less attention than Smith, but it's hard not to be excited about the defensive prowess. Egbo has pretty wild timing as a shot-blocker. She generally leaves the floor after her opponent goes up, giving her a cleaner window to swat shots.
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I'm a fan of her mobility, and I think there's real potential for her to be a scheme-diverse weapon once she cleans up some of her technique. Foul trouble was a bit of an issue, and a large part of that was because she coudn't contain herself when asked to play more aggressively in PnR. She'd often run into the ball-handler when hedging out, or swipe down at the ball and get caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
A year of seasoning will do her some good, as would gaining some upper body strength to help with her finishing and post defense.
COACH OF THE YEAR (AUGUST 26)
3. James Wade &mdash; Chicago Sky
You have to give Wade, The W's Elevator Emperor, his coaching chops, too.
The Sky led The W in assist rate (70.7% of field goals assisted) by a healthy margin and posted a top-three offensive rating (105.8). Their high-octane defensive system led to an elite mark once again (99.7 defensive rating). The only player on the roster to appear in all 36 games was new addition Emma Meesseman, and Wade made sure her versatility was highlighted in his inverted offensive attack.
2. Becky Hammon &mdash; Las Vegas Aces
Hammon will likely win the award, and it'll be well&nbsp;deserved if/when she does. Though there was plenty of talent on the Aces roster when she took over, it is&nbsp;not&nbsp;easy to implement drastic scheme changes on both ends of the floor. It takes a high-level of trust and buy-in to make that happen; for Hammon to garner that much respect in her rookie* season as head coach is outstanding.
The Aces went from a team that infuriatingly ignored the three-point line (ranked last in three-point rate in each of the past four seasons) to one that bombed away (4th this season). A'ja Wilson was&nbsp;finally&nbsp;empowered (I'm not mad, I promise) to fire from deep, and she answered the bell with a 37.3% clip on moderate volume. The freedom given to Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray was on full display all season long. Jackie Young was trusted with more responsibility.
Quietly, the defense arguably looked more different than the offense did. Gone were the consistent deep drops against ball screens as a way to encourage pull-ups and wall off the paint. The Aces ramped up the pressure this year.
To begin the year, their bigs were tasked with playing at the level of the screen. That shifted to more drop coverage towards the middle of the season, but the drop was maybe a step below the screen -- still much higher than last season.
We saw more switching, and scram-switching to get smaller guards out of mismatches. The result wasn't always clean, but we saw a level of versatility from this group that was nearly unheard of under the previous (and to be fair, pretty successful) regime.
1. Tanisha Wright &mdash; Atlanta Dream
It's hard to overstate just how much of a mess the Dream were last season. On the court, they were rough; they finished with the second-worst record in the league (8-24) while finishing ninth in offense (97.5 ORTG) and defense (104 DRTG). Off the court, it was even worse.
They cycled through multiple head coaches last season and faced front office turnover. There was a Chennedy Carter...suspension? Erasure? Placement in purgatory? We're still not 100% sure what happened. There was video of a fight posted that featured several members of the Dream roster. Last season was an absolute mess.
For Wright to come in and help establish structure and culture &mdash; on and off the floor &mdash; impressed the heck out of me. She was tasked with building an offense around a rookie (Howard), and managed to do so while also empowering Cheyenne Parker as a post hub. It's hard to stress how few rim threats Wright and the Dream had to work with; Aari McDonald, 11 games of Tiffany Hayes (who then left during the playoff push) and 15 games of AD Durr was the best she had.
I think there would be more of a groundswell of support for Wright's case if the Dream made the playoffs. Missing out by a game isn't enough to deter me, though.&nbsp;
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (AUGUST 29)
HM: Sophie Cunningham (PHX), Aari McDonald (ATL)
<ul>
<li class="p1">Speaking of McDonald, she deserves flowers for her work as a driver, improved shooting, and fiesty point-of-attack defense. It's pretty hard to lose her because of her speed and ability to navigate screens. She's also (annoyingly) good at drawing fouls/selling contact. I'm excited for Year 3 Aari.</li>
<li class="p1">Cunningham saw her role change midway through the season. Suddenly slotted <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sophie-cunningham-giving-phoenix-a-lift-at-the-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as a small-ball 4</a>, Cunningham thrived as a spacer, embraced on and off-ball screening, and punched above her weight defensively.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
3. Sabrina Ionescu &mdash; New York Liberty
I went back and forth with Cunningham and Ionescu for the third spot. Do you reward Ionescu's bump in production with a healthier campaign, or do you reward Cunningham's bump in production due to the heightened role?&nbsp;
I landed on Ionescu, who saw increases in virtually everything; no, seriously, the only box score stat that didn't improve (or decrease, when it comes to turnovers) from last year was her foul rate (1.8 to 2.1 this season).&nbsp;
She was a first-time All-Star with averages of 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Spoiler: she was the only player in The W to average at least 17-7-6 this season, and only the second player in W history (Candace Parker, 2015) to accomplish the feat.&nbsp;
Ionescu is one of the most dynamic ball screen operators in the sport. She's a daring passer, aggressive driver, and fearless pull-up shooter. When the latter is going, there isn't much you can do with her.&nbsp;
2. Ezi Magbegor &mdash; Seattle Storm
Don't let the Seattle Storm's midseason addition of Tina Charles &mdash; and her insertion into the starting lineup eight games after her debut &mdash; throw you off the scent. Ezi Magbegor balled out this year.&nbsp;
Magbegor was a Day 1 starter for the first time in her career and flourished with more playing time. Her defensive prowess <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ezi-magbegor-cares-not-for-your-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was evident early on</a>, making life incredibly difficult for her foes. Because of her length and timing, teams didn't have much luck challenging her at the rim. And because of her mobility, attacking her in space &mdash; either with ball screens or in isolation &mdash; wasn't a fruitful endeavor, either. She was building out a legitimate DPOY case through the first month of the season.
That dwindled as the year went along. While she was and is more disciplined than she was last season, Magbegor still dealt with bouts of foul trouble. Bulkier centers can still move her on the block when given those matchups. Overall, Magbegor remains a high-level defedner that should be in DPOY or All-Defensive team talks for years to come.
What's gone under the radar is her growth offensively. She became a more willing jump-shooter, though the volume isn't at the point where teams have to worry altering her gameplan against her yet. I found myself floored by some of her self-created shots this season.&nbsp;
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Color me intrigued moving forward.
1. Jackie Young &mdash; Las Vegas Aces
Young's case is pretty straightforward -- her numbers <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/y/youngja01w.html#per_game0">jumped across the board</a>, she defended at an All-Defense level for a large chunk of the season, and she's turned herself into a reliable shooter. The latter point, her shooting growth, has spearheaded a lot of what she's now able to accomplish offensively. Aside from Sixth Player of the Year, this may be the slam dunk-iest award selection of the season.
For a deeper dive into her on and off-court growth, I'd highly <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/the-journey-of-jackie-young/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommend this piece</a> from my guy Mark Schindler of WNBA.com.

Nekias Duncan gives his award picks for Rookie of the Year, the All-Rookie team, Coach of the Year, and Most Improved Player.

2022 WNBA Awards: ROTY, All-Rookie Team, COTY, Most Improved

Welcome to Basketball News' 10-part mini-series, Blazing the Trail, where Mat Issa breaks down the most revolutionary players of the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout this series, we'll examine how these players changed basketball and pioneered their respective skills.
In this fourth installment, Mat goes in-depth on one of the greatest shooters of all-time: Reggie Miller. He explains what made him different from the marksmen who came before him, with insights from his former coaches in Indiana &mdash; Dan Burke and Bob Ociepka &mdash; his former teammate Rik Smits and basketball analyst Mike Prada.
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In his critically acclaimed, historical rendition of the NBA, "The Book of Basketball," The Ringer's Bill Simmons ranked NBA and Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller outside of the top 60 all-time:
&ldquo;Reggie Miller was the most overrated &lsquo;superstar&rsquo; of the past thirty years,&rdquo; Simmons opined.
To Simmons' credit, however, he later retracted this statement in the sequel podcast, "<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-of-basketball-2-0/id1483525141?i=1000462435000">The Book of Basketball 2.0.</a>" Revising his previous comments, Simmons suggested that in today's game, Miller would indeed constitute superstar status.
But what if Miller would have been a superstar in any era? What if he was an elite scorer and playmaker in ways that we couldn&rsquo;t comprehend during his time? And what if he served as an inspiration to the most prolific dynasty of the NBA's pace-and-space era?
Let's find out.
WHAT MADE MILLER SPECIAL
As a child, Miller would regularly participate in 1-on-1 matchups against his older sister, Cheryl, who turned out to be one of the greatest women's basketball players of all-time prior to untimely injuries. (She's enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.)
Because of Cheryl's superior size and strength, Reggie going inside was a moot point.
&ldquo;One of the reasons I practiced shooting from the outside was that Cheryl used to block my shots when I drove to the hoop,&rdquo; Miller recalled in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Love-Being-Enemy-Reggie-Miller/dp/0684870398" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his autobiography</a>. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a bad feeling when your sister is knocking your best stuff into the rosebushes.&rdquo;
To defeat his sibling, Miller needed to hone in on his perimeter game.&nbsp;
That's exactly what he did.
Miller endured his sister&rsquo;s challenges and triumphed to become one of the premier shooters the NBA had ever seen. According to Cerebro Sports' Three-Point Efficiency metric (a shooting metric that combines three-point volume and efficiency to show the most lethal shooters), Miller finished in the 97th percentile or higher in all but one year from 1988 to 2004.
(The 2002-03 campaign was the exception, where he finished in the 94th percentile).
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2.png" alt="" width="550" height="550" />
Visual provided by Cerebro Sports
Even more impressive is how he earned his standing in this data set. Unlike many of the great shooters of his time &mdash; who made their mark primarily off standstill catch-and-shoot opportunities &mdash; a majority of Miller&rsquo;s triples came while he was circling the half-court at top speed.
And again, much like his pickup contests growing up, this strategy was rooted in necessity.
&ldquo;The chances for spot-up [threes] weren&rsquo;t really there,&rdquo; said Dan Burke, Miller&rsquo;s former coach in Indiana and now an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers. &ldquo;You have to have a real big, key player [you&rsquo;re playing off of] to get spot-ups.&rdquo;
To back Burke's words, think of one of the other notable three-point shooters of that time: Dan Majerle. Throughout his time in Phoenix and Miami, Majerle was gifted with potent penetrators like Kevin Johnson and Tim Hardaway, who could both consistently <a href="https://streamable.com/wd17v5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">break down a defense and get two feet in the paint</a>.
Meanwhile, Miller&rsquo;s most accomplished backcourt mate, Mark Jackson, was more of a post facilitator than a downhill threat.
Instead, Miller achieved sage status in the art of movement shooting. And for those following along at home, his technique can be divided into <a href="https://youtu.be/tv3EyzBuRb4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three keys</a>.
Key 1: Set up the Defender
Miller was an avid participant in basketball grappling &mdash; the practice of using physicality to manipulate and gain separation from your defender.
&ldquo;[Miller] embraced contact and sometimes got the feel of a guy so [he] could push off him and get open,&rdquo; Burke said.
The cunning sharpshooter also deployed harsh cuts and abrupt changes in speed to further decrease the likelihood that his opponent could shadow his movements.
&ldquo;When you watch him, it wasn&rsquo;t always the same speed,&rdquo; Burke continued. &ldquo;He changed speeds. He&rsquo;d stop and go.&rdquo;
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Key 2: Read the Screen
Once he gained a step, Miller could interpret his optimal route-running path based on the direction his defender was chasing him. If his defender trailed outside the screen, Miller would juke inwards. If his defender rushed from the inside, Miller would retreat outside.
Miller's astute ability in this regard was largely based upon the continuity he achieved with his screen-setting bigs &mdash; Antonio Davis, Dale Davis and Rik Smits.
&ldquo;We would run through our sets almost every practice,&rdquo; Smits recalled to Basketball News. &ldquo;[A lot] of dummy offenses. Just run, run, run. We really concentrated on getting good screens set just to take full advantage of everything [Miller brought to the table].&rdquo;
"Reggie would talk to those bigs too," Burke added. "'Just stand there, I&rsquo;ll use you.'&rdquo;
Key 3: Footwork
Miller boasted balletic footwork, akin to that of a peak-<a href="https://youtu.be/Ye7xMqYqAbA">Torture Chamber Kevin McHale</a>, able to stop and pop effortlessly regardless of his travel velocity and angle.
&ldquo;[Typically], if you are right-handed, you want to come off [a pindown screen] going to your left so that your shoulder is closer to the rim,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t matter with Reggie. He could come with his right hand or with his left hand.&rdquo;
Miller's ambidexterity is a testament to his impeccable footwork. The direction didn't matter because his stride was sound both ways. And his ability to maintain balance during these sequences is even more impressive when you consider the defensive physicality that was accepted during his era.
&ldquo;Every time a guy like Reggie cut through the lane, the goal was to smack him. We used to say, &lsquo;Pinball him,&rsquo;" Burke recalled.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The league allows no &lsquo;impeding&rsquo; cutters now. There was much more holding then. But Reggie would stay locked and still get a rhythm jumper.&rdquo;
Here are all three of those keys in action:
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ON-COURT PRODUCTION
Miller&rsquo;s shooting served as a double-edged sword for his reputation. On one end, he was revered as one of the game&rsquo;s top snipers. On the other, he&rsquo;d been pigeonholed into a singular role on the floor.
However, Miller was more than a marksman. He was a three-level scorer who utilized the <a href="https://streamable.com/ykdkx5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">triple-threat</a> position to score from the mid-range and at the rim.
&ldquo;One thing Reggie worked on, we used to call it &lsquo;Pete Newell,&rsquo;" Burke explained. &ldquo;Pete Newell was an old coach who used to have a big-man camp. His whole thing was: Jab, catch, create space. If the guy doesn&rsquo;t honor your jab, you go by him. If he backs up, you raise up and shoot it.
&ldquo;It was a series. And [Reggie] really worked on it.&rdquo;
This combination of three-level scoring and high conversion rates from the most efficient spots on the floor made Miller arguably the best backcourt scorer of the 1990s not named Michael Jordan.
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To compare the two, from 1989 to 1999, Miller tallied nine seasons where he ranked in the 90th percentile in both scoring volume and efficiency, while Jordan only touted two such seasons.&nbsp;
Additionally, Miller&rsquo;s unpredictable tendencies coming off screens and counter-laden arsenal made him one of the few stars to rarely improve his volume and efficiency during postseason play.
For instance, in 1994-95, Miller averaged 23.9 points per 75 possessions on 62.0% True Shooting. In the playoffs, those averages ballooned to 28.0 points and 63.2% True Shooting, respectively.&nbsp;
To show how rare that is, there was an inverse trend of that with John Stockton and Mitch Richmond &mdash; two guards who were (<a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1556676428426612738?s=20&amp;t=haKXS_VAVIAeIw7hLdSqkQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrongfully?</a>) regularly awarded All-NBA selections over Miller.&nbsp;
WEAVING THE THREAD
The first guard to function as an off-ball superstar was John Havlicek. When "Hondo" wasn&rsquo;t ripping and running in transition, he was usually <a href="https://streamable.com/uzgwhw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">curling off screens</a> for leaning mid-range jumpers.
A post-three-point line precursor to Miller was Joe Dumars (who coincidentally probably also took some of his All-NBA accolades). Another one of Miller&rsquo;s coaches in Indiana, Dick Versace, spent time as an assistant on the Detroit Pistons before becoming the head coach of the Pacers in 1988.
&ldquo;Joe Dumars had that knack for getting free off screens,&rdquo; said Bob Ociepka, an assistant on Versace's staff in Indiana and a 23-year NBA coach. &ldquo;Coach Versace, coming from [Detroit], ran a lot of the things Chuck Daly did &mdash; [like Dumars] coming off those staggered screens from the baseline.&rdquo;
Miller expressed a great admiration toward Dumars, even going as far as to call him the "unsung MVP of Dream Team II" in his book.
Dale Ellis was another <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1555600444763869186?s=20&amp;t=EBeojEhLms-WUc2csgmNdA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sniper</a> from that generation who cratered defenses using floppy action &mdash; a play in which a player, positioned under the basket, can choose whether to cut off a single screen to one side or a double screen to the other, per Basketball Dictionary.
However, because of the typical constraints placed on 2-guards at the time, neither Dumars nor Ellis could fully leverage their shooting prowess to their advantage.
&ldquo;[In that era], the shooting guard was supposed to be Jordan-esque,&rdquo; said Mike Prada, editor at The Athletic and "Spaced Out" <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spaced-Out-Three-Point-Revolution-Everything/dp/1629378860/ref=asc_df_1629378860/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=564700905732&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=6603785140486578978&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9016969&amp;hvtargid=pla-1645726366795&amp;psc=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">author</a>. &ldquo;You were an all-around player, you got a lot of rebounds and assists, you went 1-on-1 a lot, you were explosive, you could dunk on people &mdash; sort of that Platonic Ideal.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Miller was different from those guards; he didn&rsquo;t possess the same ball-handling or rebounding acumen. He was an outlier who weaponized his extraordinary gift to buoy an offense almost entirely through his off-ball presence.
Notably, the Pacer legend pioneered a term deeply entrenched in today&rsquo;s basketball jargon: gravity.
Dangerous from deep, Miller made <a href="https://en.mimi.hu/basketball/double_down.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doubling down</a> on his big-men teammates in the post a conversation killer. Teams would rather face guard him at the three-point line than send reinforcements to the interior, which opened up room for his low-post executioners to make decisions.
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Smits expressed a great deal of gratitude for the space Miller provided him to operate.
&ldquo;I was glad he was on my team. I could tell you that,&rdquo; Smits laughed.&nbsp;
Miller&rsquo;s landscape-altering effect is felt when you look through the lens of historian Ben Taylor&rsquo;s passing and playmaking statistics.
For example, in 1993-94, Gary Payton finished in the 80th percentile in Taylor&rsquo;s Box Creation stat &mdash; a metric that estimates playmaking (per <a href="https://backpicks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backpicks.com</a>). Payton did this while simultaneously scoring in the 94th percentile in Passer Rating.
In the same season, despite only scoring in the 37th percentile in passing, Miller finished in the 77th percentile in playmaking.
Miller wasn&rsquo;t the on-ball initiator that Payton was, but this conveys that the former was still able to operate as a high-end creator thanks to the attention he garnered from his opponents.
&ldquo;The thing that Reggie Miller had that we didn&rsquo;t know how to identify back when he played &mdash; but now it&rsquo;s a no-brainer concept &mdash; is this idea of gravity,&rdquo; Prada said.
IMPACT ON TODAY'S GAME
In many circles, Ray Allen is often cited as the disciple who bears the most resemblance to Miller. Along with Allen, Richard Hamilton, JJ Redick and Kyle Korver have all played the part of "<a href="https://grantland.com/features/kyle-korver-nba-atlanta-hawks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offense unto themselves</a>" by utilizing their off-ball gravitational pull.
In the current NBA landscape, Miller&rsquo;s most obvious descendants share the same squad.
&ldquo;Two guys on the same team,&rdquo; Burke pointed out. "Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson."
The dynastic Golden State Warriors have become famous for pushing the boundaries of time and space by exploiting the shooting gravity their dynamic duo wields.&nbsp;
And, as fate would have it, Miller also once teamed up with a fellow gravity co-founder, Chris Mullin.&nbsp;
Mullin was arguably the closest comparison to Miller at the time, and together, the tandem caused wide-scale chaos and confusion &mdash; the likes of which the league would not see again until the Splash Brothers coalesced in the Bay Area nearly two decades later.
Tell me if these sequences look familiar:
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In both plays, the two pairs create a defensive breakdown simply by running past each other in the opposite direction.
Even more poetic, take a look at the Pacers&rsquo; opponent in the first clip. Who was a reserve on that team? None other than Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
&ldquo;All of the stuff that the Warriors did in the early days with the Steph/Klay combo &mdash; the crazy, figure-eight-type stuff &mdash; was very much ripped right from the Pacers,&rdquo; Prada explained.
Golden State expanded on Miller&rsquo;s semi-contained havoc, turning half-court offensive sets into absolute anarchy.
Miller&rsquo;s movement authored a great deal of mayhem, more than anyone of his time, but he was still forced to rein it in a bit to accommodate the structure of his offense. Nowadays, engines like Curry and Thompson have the discretion to graze the terrain as they see fit.
&ldquo;[For Miller], his was set plays, so it was easier for teams to really dial in,&rdquo; Burke explained. &ldquo;Curry is more of a constant, built into a random system.&rdquo;
But it was still the audacious Miller who paved the way. He crawled so that the Golden State empire could walk.
&ldquo;He was this type of player that, in an era that did not have a blueprint for this style of play, he provided it,&rdquo; Prada concluded.&nbsp;
He's the player responsible for the outline that triggered a dynasty.
Are we sure Reggie Miller was overrated?
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/img_5152.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="550" />
Tune in next week for Part V of Blazing the Trail, which focuses on Andrei Kirilenko &mdash; the five-tool defender.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-shane-battier-the-databall-defender-memphis-grizzlies-houston-rockets-miami-heat-daryl-morey-david-fizdale-detroit-pistons-draymond-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part III: "Shane Battier, the data-ball defender."</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-rashard-lewis-all-star-stretch-four-orlando-magic-stan-van-gundy-dwight-howard-hedo-turkoglu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part II: "Rashard Lewis, the All-Star stretch 4."</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part I: "Steve Nash, the magician who danced in the paint."</a>

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes all-time shooting great Reggie Miller and what separated him from the rest.

Blazing the Trail: Reggie Miller, the moving target

If you have a minute and change to spare &mdash; and I'd assume so since you've opened this piece &mdash; I want you to watch this video. It's an assist compilation of Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray from Tuesday night's win over the Atlanta Dream. It includes 5 of her game-high 9 assists.
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The assists, in order:
<ul>
<li>A pick-and-roll with A'ja Wilson (MVP, by the way) in which Gray freezes Cheyenne Parker (Wilson's defender) with a hesi, forces a rotation from Naz HIllmon (#00) with her drive and waits out the secondary rotation from Rhyne Howard (#10, Rookie of the Year front-runner) before firing to Jackie Young</li>
<li>A full-court lead pass to Young after a singular dribble</li>
<li>An instantaneous feed to Wilson through a pair of defenders after a loose-ball scramble</li>
<li>A 20-plus-feet behind-the-back bounce pass (?????) to a cutting Kelsey Plum</li>
<li>A no-look feed to Young after a drive in transition</li>
</ul>
Highlight films are typically dangerous for narrative-driven minds. With just a few clips, you can present a chapter as a full-blown story. But I assure you that this isn't a doctored snippet; this is who Chelsea Gray, The W's #PointGawd, really is.
The numbers don't do her justice, though it's worth noting that she's averaging a career-high in assists this season (6.2 per game). Only three players &mdash; Courtney Vandersloot, Natasha Cloud and Sue Bird &mdash; are assisting more than Gray on a <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/players/traditional/?sort=AST&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2022&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=PerPossession&amp;CF=GP*GE*15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per-possession basis</a>.
But to appreciate Gray's playmaking ability, you have to watch. Her cadence is different. The angles she spots for passes are almost unheard of for mere mortals; the angles she can create&nbsp;are more rare. There isn't a pass in the book she can't make; more importantly, there isn't a pass that she won't try.
If those descriptors sound familiar, it's because they've been used &mdash; reserved, even &mdash; for legends. Magic Johnson was and is the standard for that sort of creativity on the NBA side. Ticha Penicheiro &mdash; the league's all-time assist leader until Bird passed her in 2017 &mdash; certainly fits the bill for The W. You can see their inspiration shine through Gray's game.
"With Magic, it was everything he could do as a bigger point guard," Gray told Basketball News in a Zoom interview. "It was how he incorporated flashiness too. Being able to balance effectiveness with a little flash."
While Magic helped with broad strokes, you can thank Penicheiro's influence for Gray's affinity for no-look passes.
"With Ticha, her ability to <a href="https://youtu.be/REAzNuZM9Yw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">look at a completely different person</a> but pass it somewhere else always intrigued me," Gray said. "I used to look to the side and try to hit a pole [to practice]."
A throughline with Magic, Penicheiro and Gray is the ability to see plays develop before they happen. It's an obvious gift; it's easier to beat a defense if you're ahead of them conceptually. But there is an obvious drawback: It's a gift because only a few players can see the game that way.
What is genius if it isn't understood? It's likely a turnover in basketball.
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Like many great playmakers before her, Gray has to walk a tightrope between doing her thing and coloring inside the lines. It's also the responsibility of the coach to help find that balance. She certainly felt that during the early portion of her Los Angeles Sparks tenure.
"It's like, if [the passes] go through, they're good. If they didn't, it'd be so terrible; 'I don't know what she saw; I don't know what that was (laughs),'" Gray said. "But as my game progressed and I got a little smarter about when to make certain passes, there was more of a balance.
"There's always a balance of not taking away the player and their effectiveness, but reeling them in so they're within what you're trying to accomplish."
When watching a Gray pick-and-roll, or a no-look, or a transition touchdown, it's hard not to wonder how she makes decisions. Luckily, Gray was kind enough to not only answer that question broadly, but also talk through some of her assists from this season for further insight with Basketball News.
(This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.) 
When you're making fancier reads, are any of those predetermined? What goes into your process?
Chelsea Gray: "It's a mixture of what the defense is doing, and my head.
"Sometimes I feel like the most 'complicated' way to get it there is the easiest way for me to get it there, or the quickest or most efficient. I was just having a conversation about a simple thing like a pick-and-pop. Me doing a bounce pass behind the back is the easiest, most efficient way to get it there, so my teammate has a wide-open shot rather than spinning in a circle to throw the pass.
"Sometimes, maybe I could do that, but [the behind-the-back bounce pass] is the most efficient way for me to do that to make sure my teammate has an easier read when they catch the ball."
With great playmakers, I'm always curious about their process, and what or who they're reading on the floor. When you're running a ball-screen, what are the kind of things you're looking for?
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Gray:&nbsp;"My initial read is seeing how my defender is guarding me. If they're playing off, that changes my angle going into the pick-and-roll. From there, I'm looking at my post player or whoever's setting the screen to see how their defender is guarding them &mdash; are they (the screener's defender) going to jump out?
"Some pick-and-rolls are defended differently based on who's setting the screen. Defenses might play it one way when Kiah Stokes is involved, but a different way if it's Dearica Hamby or A'ja Wilson. My teammates also do different things. Kiah, most of the time, is going to roll while the others may mix in pick-and-pops.
"All of that is going into my head when heading into a ball-screen. Then, it's like, 'If this happens, then this&nbsp;happens.' That's the repetitive nature of running so many pick-and-rolls throughout my career. When a defender does something, they're giving up something else. From there, it's about how to make the right decision as quickly as possible."
You mentioned how defensive coverages may differ based on who's screening for you. Who's the best screener on the Aces?
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Gray:&nbsp;"That's so hard. Honestly, it does depend on the coverage they're getting. Against Dallas (on Aug. 4), Teaira McCowan was hitting A'ja and wasn't letting her screen. But because of that, I was able to hit her on the roll off the back side. Kiah tries to head-hunt&nbsp;every single time (laughs), so the angle is different.
"It's hard to say who the best pick-and-roll player is. Like, Dearica Hamby will hit and just go, super quickly. So it'll look like, 'Whoa, what a great screen,' but really, there was a lot of indecision on the defensive end. She's able to get us both open because she creates some thought in their head like, 'Oh snap, I'm hit; what are we doing on our coverage?' It really depends."
With this pick-and-roll (video below), this ends up being a pass to Iliana Rupert. It looks like you're flowing out of HORNS. When you get the first screen, are you gauging what the big (NaLyssa Smith) is doing first?
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Gray:&nbsp;"Yeah, I'm seeing what this big is doing here. I see Emily Engstler sink in for the help because Destanni Henderson is hit with the screen. I know Iliana Rupert is going to be open on the pop; it's a simple HORNS action."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_08_11_01_28_26.png" alt="" width="578" height="325" />
I have two transition clips to share now. In the first one, you find Kelsey Plum trailing the play. She makes a move and gets the bucket; you get the assist on this one. In the second one, you hit a streaking Jackie Young. When you're making these full-court hit-aheads, which defender are you reading? What determines where you go with the ball?
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Gray:&nbsp;"As we cross half court, our angles have to be clear and concise. As we're running, we know one big will run down the floor while the other will trail the play. As the trailer, Dearica Hamby will either come set a drag screen, or I'll pass to her and she'll flow to the next side."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_08_11_01_17_40.png" alt="" width="578" height="325" />
"So if you pause it when Kelsey catches the ball, I'm reading to see if A'ja's defender picked her up, and if Dearica's defender picked her up. Indiana is pretty much matched up; they did a solid job in transition defense.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_08_11_01_20_31.png" alt="" width="578" height="325" />
"Personally, I don't know if I would've counted this as an assist. I just get it there for her to be able to make a move. After the initial catch, she has to make a good and solid move to get into the paint and finish.
"This second one, on the other hand, people are just flying down the court. Kiah Stokes actually gets Jackie open by the way she runs the floor. Kayla Thornton feels like, 'Oh shoot, [Kiah's] going; Teaira McCowan, help!' Meanwhile, Jackie is streaking down the court.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_08_11_00_52_35.png" alt="" width="578" height="325" />
"I see all of that unfolding, and that's on top of them being concerned about A'ja filling in. Jackie's able to knock the shot down, right in the flow."
We have to talk about the falling pass to Kelsey Plum! You get a screen from Kiah Stokes. We have good defense from Brittney Sykes. When did you decide you're going to find the angle for the pass that way?
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Gray:&nbsp;"Really, I decided in the moment. I saw it afterwards and was like, 'I know I fell, but I had&nbsp;to fall to get it there.' I felt that it would've been a turnover or Brittney Sykes would've gotten her hand on it. The way&nbsp;I fell was a bit of a dramatic fall, but it was necessary.
"It took all of my power in order to get it there. The angle and the rate in which [Kelsey Plum] was cutting was all going into my thought process. So I was like, 'Alright, I have to fall or else it's not going to get there.' If I threw a straight bounce pass, the defender would've gotten it."
Alright, last one for the fancy passes. A&nbsp;behind-the-back pass&nbsp;on a baseline inbound?!
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Gray:&nbsp;"To me, it was simple. In the moment, I realized what I did, but I got excited because the play that we called &mdash; we hadn't scored on it yet.&nbsp;
"If you pause it here, Tiffany Mitchell is already beat:
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"But I can't make a bounce pass there with Lexie Hull right there. There's no possible way. So the only way I feel that I can get it there is by going behind the back.
"If you keep going... right there:
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"I would have to angle my body to be able to throw a chest pass. Hull might be able to get a hand on it, or Jackie [Young] won't be able to finish it. So if I look one way, it just takes half a step for Hull to come over, and I'm able to get the angle for Jackie.&nbsp;
"Honestly, a lot of times when I do the behind-the-back or a fancy pass, it's the quickest, most efficient way I feel it can get there. It's not like, 'Let me do this pass because it'll be on a highlight reel.' Sometimes I want to add a little no-look flair to it, and I probably could've gotten it there by looking at her. But the fanciness of the curve, or behind-the-back, or behind-the head &mdash; that's the quickest way for me to get it there without a turnover. Maybe that's just ridiculous (laughs)."
No, I don't think so at all! On the no-look front: When you're watching others, does it bother you when players fake it? Sometimes, it's obvious that a player will stare their teammate down before looking off and making it seem like a real no-look.
Gray: (Laughs) "Maybe that's their version of the way they want to do a no-look! I don't know, it doesn't bother me. As long as they get the assist, they should be fine with the way they're doing it."

Nekias Duncan talks to Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray to gain insight into her passing prowess.

Through Her Eyes: How Chelsea Gray sees what you can't

As we officially put the finishing touches on &ldquo;Bet Week&rdquo; here on BasketballNews.com, NBA over/under win total projections have been released for every team.
Which numbers stand out most to hammer one way or another from a betting perspective? In this piece, I unveil my over/under predictions for every team in the Western Conference. All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Phoenix Suns: Over 52.5 (-110)
Even if the Suns don&rsquo;t acquire Kevin Durant, they remain in an advantageous position to finish near the top of the Western Conference standings. Phoenix still has a stacked rotation, with the biggest difference being Dario Saric&rsquo;s return to the backup big role in place of JaVale McGee. If Devin Booker and the Suns&rsquo; formidable young core continue taking steps forward, it&rsquo;s hard to envision much of a drop-off occurring in the win-loss column.
Phoenix&rsquo;s postseason exit was one of the ugliest we&rsquo;ve seen in recent memory, but a loss like that could rattle this group enough to come back similarly to the team's Finals experience in 2021. I&rsquo;m hammering the over here, as the Suns remain one of the most dangerous squads in the Association. If Durant comes, that&rsquo;ll be the ultimate cherry on top.
Los Angeles Clippers: Over 52.5 (-110)
A fully healthy Clippers squad with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will always stay in the conversation among the league's elite tier. Last season, we were all robbed of seeing this dynamic duo in action together, but all the time off leads me to believe we should see them play more than usual. If so, the over/under of 52.5 wins is one I&rsquo;m comfortable placing the over wager upon.
Los Angeles not only has a loaded rotation similar to Phoenix, but it has a historically potent wing tandem ready to go on a revenge tour. As one of my favorite bets in the West, lock in the Clippers&rsquo; over with the utmost confidence.
Golden State Warriors: Over 51.5 (-115)
The defending champions check in third in the West, which feels like an undersell of what they just accomplished. Stephen Curry is still playing at an all-time level, and Klay Thompson began to find his footing throughout the Warriors&rsquo; run to a championship.
Feeling confident in the over also has to do with the development of the team's younger, up-and-coming players. Though dependent upon how much more Golden State will go into the luxury tax long-term, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins look to be entrenched long-term pieces. Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman are the ultimate wildcards for Golden State. Even if only one takes off from a development perspective in 2022-23, 51.5 wins is a number to hit the over on.
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Denver Nuggets: Over 49.5 (-140)
Nikola Jokic enters this season as a trendy dark-horse selection for MVP as the back-to-back award winner, which is incredible to even think about. The Nuggets have stayed competitive amidst their countless injury issues because of Jokic&rsquo;s greatness.
Now, with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. eventually expected back at 100%, Denver is a team many bettors are hammering the over on with -140 moneyline odds on 49.5 wins. Frankly, I&rsquo;m in lockstep with the sportsbooks because Denver was a team that sneakily improved on the margins this offseason. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was an underrated acquisition from the Washington Wizards, and he&rsquo;s earned a new multi-year extension upon his arrival.
If Murray and Porter&rsquo;s health cooperate alongside the all-world talent that is Jokic, 50 wins for the Nuggets just feels right to say. Even above that mark is an appropriate projection, because Jokic elevates the floor that much on his own.
Memphis Grizzlies: Under 48.5 (+105)
Ja Morant qualified as our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/best-bets-for-202223-nba-most-valuable-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">under-the-radar MVP selection</a> during &ldquo;Bet Week,&rdquo; but the loss of Jaren Jackson Jr. early on looms large for the Grizzlies. Although he flies under the radar a little bit too often, JJJ is an anchor to a defense that&rsquo;s done a complete 180 over the last year.
A lot will be on the plate of Morant, which he won&rsquo;t have a problem with, but what about the rest of the West? The Clippers and Nuggets are healthy now, plus the Suns and Warriors will remain in the title race as well. If Morant can carry the Grizzlies in similar territory without JJJ, his MVP argument could become very valid.
I&rsquo;m going to tread lightly on Memphis and select the under here with plus-money value. Morant will put up spectacular numbers once more, and Desmond Bane should continue to emerge in the backcourt. For my current projection, the Grizzlies will slot in as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
Dallas Mavericks: Under 48.5 (-105)
The argument against the Mavericks is almost identical to the one I just presented for Memphis. Luka Doncic enters as the heavy betting favorite for MVP, but will he alone be enough to lift Dallas into truly elite territory? That&rsquo;s one of my biggest questions entering 2022-23, because players like Doncic and Morant fit the billing of talents who can lift teams all on their own.
Months away from it now, it&rsquo;s still stunning to think back to the Mavs&rsquo; Game 7 shellacking of the Suns in the West semifinals. Once Doncic figured out Phoenix&rsquo;s defense, it was game over. Could Doncic do this to the rest of the league? There&rsquo;s no doubt he will put up monster numbers, but the Mavericks fit into the same tier as the Grizzlies right now around 47-48 wins.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 47.5 (-140)
I&rsquo;ll continue to bang the Minnesota drum until proven otherwise because I&rsquo;m all-in on the Timberwolves taking a huge step forward. Anthony Edwards checks every box for a young superstar, and their new addition in Rudy Gobert will augment a talented rotation. Karl-Anthony Towns being flanked by Gobert makes up one of the most unique frontcourt combinations we&rsquo;ve ever seen in the modern NBA, but this type of move is a risk an organization like Minnesota must take. Towns and Edwards are ready to win big soon, so adding an elite rim-protector like Gobert allows those gifted scorers to focus on that end.
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Bookmark this if you want, but here&rsquo;s perhaps my biggest hot take: Minnesota will win the Northwest Division and become a top-four seed. With how everything stacks together for Minnesota, this is a team well-positioned to take a leap similar to the one we&rsquo;ve seen from Phoenix and Memphis in recent years.
Los Angeles Lakers: Under 45.5 (-105)
Unless Kyrie Irving is walking through the door anytime soon, I&rsquo;m taking the money and running as quickly as possible on the Lakers' under here. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will do their usual damage, but this roster is nowhere close to being finished. Also, there&rsquo;s no way anyone can truly believe the Lakers are a Finals contender with their ongoing saga surrounding Russell Westbrook. From the very beginning, Westbrook&rsquo;s fit was super clunky alongside LeBron and AD. Now, the triple-double king continues to be the main target of trade rumors, many of which are linking him to the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs as a pure salary-dump option.
Indiana is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-would-be-foolish-not-to-accept-pacers-lifeline-to-extend-their-title-window" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offering the Lakers a lifeline to fix the Westbrook situation</a>. The Pacers are willing to take on the $47 million owed to Westbrook while also sending Los Angeles back two starters in Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. The current hold-up in trade negotiations reportedly is draft pick compensation. Los Angeles refuses to offer its 2029 first-round pick on top of the 2027 selection, which the Pacers believe is more than a fair price to pay.
In the meantime, I&rsquo;m going to take the Lakers under 45.5 wins while it remains at plus value. Until any resolution is reached on the roster, I&rsquo;m betting against L.A.
New Orleans Pelicans: Over 44.5 (-140)
Compared to almost any other team in the NBA, New Orleans projects supremely well long-term if Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health cooperates. Williamson and Brandon Ingram have each shown on separate occasions they can be the No. 1 option for New Orleans. CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas are ideal veteran pieces in the starting unit as well. Well-balanced on both ends of the court, the Pelicans have completely bought into what head coach Willie Green brought over from Monty Williams in Phoenix.
With Williamson, Ingram and McCollum, the Pelicans should be a team projected closer to 50 wins. I absolutely love the over here on 44.5 wins, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if New Orleans finishes as a playoff lock instead of a Play-In Tournament competitor.
Portland Trail Blazers: Under 40.5 (-110)
Kudos to Damian Lillard because he will not leave the Blazers hanging anytime soon. He&rsquo;s all-in on winning in Portland, which reminds me so much of Reggie Miller with the Pacers a few decades back. Portland re-signed Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons, but two notable splashes occurred this offseason. Jerami Grant is the Blazers&rsquo; first true wing threat in years, and the ultimate wildcard from the 2022 NBA Draft fell into their laps at No. 7 overall. What if Shaedon Sharpe hits his ceiling? That&rsquo;s something Portland has in their back pocket, because Sharpe&rsquo;s scoring prowess forecasts very well alongside Lillard. They'll just have to hope he can get healthy and stay healthy.
The West remains a tough customer though. So, with that being said, the Blazers fall into the category of a feisty team that&rsquo;s competitive most nights on their way to a sub-40-win campaign. It's certainly not the outcome Blazers fans hope for, but there&rsquo;s a large number of teams ahead of them at the moment.
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Sacramento Kings: Over 32.5 (-120)
The Kings actually had a good offseason. Yes, you&rsquo;re reading that right. Keegan Murray at No. 4 overall looks to be a lights-out scorer with an extremely high floor. Ideally, Murray can become the third piece to a long-term trio in Sacramento alongside De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Also, don&rsquo;t forget about the Kings adding much-needed help on the perimeter with Kevin Huerter via trade and Malik Monk via free agency.
I had to double-take upon finding this fact, but the Kings have only exceeded 33 wins once over the last 14 years (2018-19 was that season).
Luckily for Sacramento, I&rsquo;m projecting them to finish with at least 33 wins for 2022-23. If the Kings underachieve once more, I wonder what the future looks like for an organization that stays in topsy-turvy mode.
Utah Jazz: Under 31.5 (-110)
Assuming Donovan Mitchell is eventually traded, this number will crumble down into the 20s. Utah is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild attempt for the first time in over a decade, and all signs point to Mitchell&rsquo;s exit soon enough from Salt Lake City. Gobert being dealt within the division to Minnesota for a historic amount of draft capital shook up the trade market for good, as it&rsquo;s holding up potential blockbusters revolving around Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Mitchell.
Moving forward, there&rsquo;s no reason why you should feel confident about betting the Utah over unless Mitchell keeps them above water staying around until February. If not, you&rsquo;re putting an awful lot of faith into the hands of Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson to carry the roster. (If they're there.)
The smart route is to go with the under for the Jazz. Lock in with extreme confidence that Jazz executive Danny Ainge eventually tears it all down within a few months.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Under 26.5 (+100)
Until the Thunder stop their tanking ways, I can&rsquo;t willfully bet an over on them. Following their aggressive draft night &mdash; obtaining three lottery picks headlined by No. 2 overall selection Chet Holmgren, who many viewed as the best overall player &mdash; maybe that "tanking" buzzword is in their rearview mirror.
OKC&rsquo;s roster is young, but the talent screams out as a team that could propel itself forward in a huge manner. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey profile as a super fun long-term backcourt pairing. Luguentz Dort is a pitbull defender who continues to improve his outside shot, which earned him a lucrative five-year extension.
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The Thunder could easily make me look foolish selecting the under, but something along the lines of 25 or 26 wins feels spot on. Can Sam Presti resist the temptation of not tanking for Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson in 2023?
Houston Rockets: Over 23.5 (-125)
The Rockets have one of the most interesting young cores to monitor heading into next season. Jalen Green began to turn the corner over the last month of the season, averaging 22.3 points on a 59.9% True Shooting percentage. Jabari Smith Jr., Houston&rsquo;s No. 3 overall selection from the 2022 draft, projects as a score-first wing/big hybrid who should excel alongside Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Alperen Sengun, a throwback Turkish big man, is an underrated prospect with an unlimited ceiling once the small aspects of his game are figured out.
Houston is nowhere close to being competitive, but that&rsquo;s totally okay. The team controls the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; draft for the next season years, so the Rockets are set up arguably as well as anyone right now with the chaos surrounding that whole situation. If the youth jells together and the organization obtains another top pick in next year&rsquo;s draft, be on the lookout for this core to ascend.
For the over/under, 23.5 wins feels a little low, in my opinion. I&rsquo;m projecting the Rockets with 25 victories, so give me the over at -125 odds on DraftKings.
San Antonio Spurs: Under 22.5 (-110)
Once Dejounte Murray was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, it sounded the alarm that the Spurs are finally waiving the white flag on competing for wins effective immediately. San Antonio obtained three future first-round picks for Murray, a haul for a team pressing the reset button at the perfect time.
Las Vegas projects the Spurs with the worst over/under for next season, and there&rsquo;s no real reason to go against them there. Keldon Johnson will put up numbers following his long-term extension, but inexperience is the main theme for San Antonio. The Spurs should be on their way to 20 wins or less, so hammer the under.

Evan Sidery goes over win totals for the Western Conference. Who stands out?

Best Bets: NBA Western Conference over/under projections

As the NBA offseason marketplace has come to a halt due to the ongoing Kevin Durant saga (which directly ties into the Phoenix Suns), Deandre Ayton&rsquo;s status is finally beginning to clear up.
According to ESPN&rsquo;s Brian Windhorst, there is mutual interest between Ayton and the Indiana Pacers. Windhorst also relayed on Monday that Indiana has met with Ayton as talks progress towards either an outright offer sheet or a sign-and-trade scenario involving Phoenix. Regarding the sign-and-trade route, Myles Turner would presumably head back to the Suns, potentially with a draft pick attached as well.
Some may wonder why exactly the rebuilding Pacers and Ayton would seek each other out through this muddied restricted free agent process. However, the more you dive into the potential fit for both Ayton and Indiana, it feels like the perfect opportunity to strike on a rare opportunity for the organization.
The Pacers have never had a No. 1 overall pick play for them before, and Ayton would instantly become arguably their biggest offseason transaction ever. Ayton wants to be a primary option and showcase more of his skill set away from Phoenix. In Indiana, Ayton would have an amble runway to be a primary focal point while also fitting snugly into the team's long-term picture alongside Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Chris Duarte, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson and Oshae Brissett. These players all fit within the same age timeline, almost identical to what Ayton first experienced in Phoenix before Chris Paul&rsquo;s arrival.
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Also, leaving an elite point guard like Paul means trying to find a similar situation. Although he&rsquo;s still somewhat flying under the radar nationally, Haliburton is one of the best pure passers in the league with strong pick-and-roll play, and Haliburton/Ayton pick-and-roll duo in Indianapolis could make for a lot of fun on a nightly basis.
Diving deeper into this potential pairing shows that the Pacers are comfortable handing the keys over to Haliburton as the face of their offense moving forward, which could now include Ayton as the cherry on top.
2021-22 Ayton pick-and-roll stats: 29.8 pNr% (frequency), 1.25 PPP (points per possession) &mdash; 71st percentile
2021-22 Haliburton pick-and-roll stats (Pacers): 45.2 pNr% (frequency), 1.00 PPP &mdash; 83rd percentile
Giving Haliburton a proverbial cheat code in Ayton, when Indiana already ran such high amounts of pick-and-roll, would show immense belief in the third-year point guard to potentially make an All-Star jump as soon as next season. Indiana banking on an entrenched trio of Haliburton, Ayton and Mathurin to grow together could be the smart risk for an organization like Indiana to make, because these opportunities rarely ever arrive on the organization's doorstep.
Ayton has real inconsistencies that must be ironed out, such as his motor throughout an 82-game season, but it&rsquo;s hard to envision this gamble not paying off in spades with the Pacers' flexibility still wide open for years to come. If they were to eventually shed the contracts of Buddy Hield and TJ McConnell, the team would easily clear more than $30 million in cap space for next summer when Haliburton becomes extension-eligible for a rookie-scale max contract.
In the Pacers' first rebuild attempt in over 30 years, it appears as if Ayton has been a potential target for a while. It&rsquo;s been well reported that the Pacers and Suns had an open dialogue back at February&rsquo;s trade deadline centered around Ayton for Domantas Sabonis, who ironically enough was shipped off to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Haliburton.
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Indiana&rsquo;s flirtation with Ayton has now reached levels of mutual interest, and the smoke seems to be picking up enough where there's momentum for him to eventually join the Pacers. With how the roster is being constructed &mdash; more perimeter-focused around Haliburton &mdash; Ayton&rsquo;s inclusion would actually mesh well compared to the pick-and-pop elements Turner provided. Thanks to his gravity impact in rolling situations, Ayton could make life easier for shooters like Mathurin and Duarte; pick-and-rolls for the Pacers involving this quartet could grow into pick your poison possessions for opposing defenses in due time. Also, Ayton would likely be able to feast inside when surrounded by four above-average three-point shooters, and the difference this time around would be a noticeable usage bump.
Ayton receiving passes from Haliburton and being surrounded by shooters could produce top results immediately, and it wouldn&rsquo;t stun me to see the Bahamian big man develop into a consistent 20-and-10 player within this environment. In Indiana, Ayton would become a primary pillar and focal point to its system on both ends of the court.
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Who are the biggest free-agent signings or sign-and-trade acquisitions in franchise history for Indiana? The list is rather short, headlined by David West, Malcolm Brogdon and Bojan Bogdanovic. Though Indiana&rsquo;s community is built around basketball, it&rsquo;s not a destination players actively seek out. So when a former No. 1 pick is available and fits in with how the team's image is being remade, the Pacers have to pounce on said chance.
Going from a core of Sabonis, Brogdon and Turner to Haliburton, Ayton and Mathurin would simply be unbelievable work from the Pacers&rsquo; front office of Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan. What&rsquo;d be even more impressive is that they've executed this plan from only February and on. An instant roster reshaping could soon culminate with Ayton as the emphatic exclamation point.
Heading into next season, if the Pacers do indeed secure Ayton&rsquo;s services one way or another, this could be their projected rotation:
Starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield, Jalen Smith, Deandre Ayton
Second Unit = TJ McConnell, Chris Duarte, Aaron Nesmith, Oshae Brissett, Isaiah Jackson
(Obviously, if there is a sign-and-trade completed with the Suns, there will be names on this list on the outs.)
Honestly, that group of 10 could be feisty enough to take a real step forward if the Haliburton/Ayton duo could hit the ground running.
The overall value of Ayton and the center position will be debated over and over again. But, based on the on-court fit alone, it&rsquo;s hard to find a better overall fit for what the Suns&rsquo; center desires than Indiana. Not only would he land in an ideal developmental environment, but the presence of Haliburton and a fun young core around him would present a new, rebuilt Pacers roster.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has echoed all offseason long how multiple moves have been made based off Haliburton. Going all-in for Ayton to give Haliburton a pick-and-roll monster partner would further solidify the new direction for an organization truly venturing into uncharted waters.

The Indiana Pacers are reportedly preparing to go after Deandre Ayton. Evan Sidery dives into his potential fit in Indiana.

Why Deandre Ayton would be a seamless fit for the young Pacers

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s guilty plea Thursday has not lessened the support the Olympic gold medalist continues to receive from her WNBA peers.
The Phoenix Mercury All-Star pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. The chance of Griner being convicted were considered extremely high before her plea.
&ldquo;The WNBPA stands with Brittney Griner. With a 99% conviction rate, Russia&rsquo;s process is its own. You can&rsquo;t navigate it or even understand it like our own legal system,&rdquo; WNBAPA Executive Director Terri Jackson said in a statement. &ldquo;What we do know is that the U.S. State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and we&rsquo;ll leave it at that.&rdquo;
Speaking through an interpreter, Griner told the court that she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry. The trial was then adjourned until July 14.
Griner emphasized &ldquo;that she had committed this act through negligence, unintentionally,&rdquo; her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, told reporters outside the court near Moscow following the guilty plea.&nbsp;
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert issued a statement saying the league is continuing its effort to aide in Griner&rsquo;s release.
&ldquo;Brittney Griner remains wrongfully detained in Russia and nothing that happened today changes that 140 days later,&rdquo; Englebert said. &ldquo;The WNBA continues to work diligently with the U.S. State Department, the White House, and other allies in and outside government to get Brittney home safely and as soon as possible.
&ldquo;She has the wholehearted and unconditional support of the entire WNBA and NBA family, who eagerly await her safe return, and the league will recognize BG as an honorary starter at this weekend&rsquo;s WNBA All-Star Game.&rdquo;
Griner, 31, was detained at Moscow&rsquo;s Sheremetyevo Airport while returning to play basketball in Russia, and police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
The plea came a day after President Joe Biden had a phone conversation with Griner&rsquo;s wife Cherelle during which he told her that he is working to free the two-time Olympic gold medalists as soon as possible.
Griner&rsquo;s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas thanked the president in a tweet Thursday after her client entered the guilty plea.
&ldquo;Brittney Griner was a model of courage today,&rdquo; Kagawa Colas tweeted. &ldquo;She deserves our compassion, understanding, love, and support. ... We are so grateful to @POTUS and @VP for the time they spent with Cherelle confirming their commitment to bring BG and all Americans home.&rdquo;
Griner&rsquo;s plea came hours before her team played the New York Liberty on Thursday night. The Mercury have struggled on and off the court with their friend and teammate stuck in a prison halfway around the world.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re basketball players and coaches, but when your friend is in danger, when your friend is saying in a letter that they&rsquo;re scared, those things are hard to get away from,&rdquo; Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t get to walk into our jobs and leave our lives behind. We all know that. We&rsquo;re all having that experience. With this situation with BG, it is hard for everyone on the team.&rdquo;
The Mercury said little when Griner was first arrested as the request of the US government, but have become more vocal &mdash; with fellow WNBA players &mdash; as her incarceration has continued.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a real challenge. No team has ever faced this. It&rsquo;s a constant undercurrent,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;Things that might not be a big deal to other teams, we have this constant thing with a person we care about.&rdquo;
The plea also came after Griner&rsquo;s WNBA team held a public rally in support of the 6-foot-9 center with several hundred fans in attendance. The rally at the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and Suns, was part celebration of Griner&rsquo;s accomplishments on and off the court with a call to action.
&ldquo;One hundred thirty-nine days have passed since my wife has been able to speak to me, to our family and our friends,&rdquo; Cherelle Griner said during the rally, stopping to compose herself several times. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m frustrated my wife is not going to get justice. I know you all are frustrated, too. That&rsquo;s why you&rsquo;re here.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer John Marshall in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Brittney Griner’s guilty plea has not lessened the support the Olympic gold medalist continues to receive from her WNBA peers.

WNBA players union ‘stands with’ Brittney Griner after guilty plea

Restricted free agency can be a frustrating process for players, and Deandre Ayton is currently experiencing that firsthand. As Ayton continues to sit on the open market, his destination is seemingly tied to the ongoing Kevin Durant saga. Hours before the free-agency moratorium period began last week, Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, and the Phoenix Suns are reportedly atop his wish list.
Over the last 48 hours, the Suns have been the most active team in free agency, agreeing to terms with four minimum-salary players: Bismack Biyombo, Damion Lee, Jock Landale and Josh Okogie. Phoenix seems to be focusing on the bottom of its roster and preparing for substantial changes &mdash; regardless of whether the team acquires Durant.
Finding a sign-and-trade partner for Ayton sits atop the Suns' to-do list, as this could determine whether they land one of the greatest scorers in NBA history in Durant. Phoenix is currently the betting favorite to acquire Durant, but since Brooklyn reportedly has no interest in Ayton, the Suns must try to find a third team to help facilitate a deal, or flip their center for additional pieces that they can send to Brooklyn. It's worth noting that Ayton must agree to any sign-and-trade deal (giving him a lot of power in this situation).
It seems Ayton doesn't have a tangible market right now, which is truly surprising. Restricted free agency usually bogs down the bidders, but you'd think a player of Ayton&rsquo;s caliber would have multiple interested teams pursuing him. However, it's fair to wonder whether a robust market for Ayton ever existed.
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The Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs have been speculated as potential destinations, but it remains to be seen if either team has a real interest in Ayton. Both teams are entering a rebuild, and it's unclear if they're open to paying Ayton a max or near-max salary. Also, Indiana loves its young big-man duo of Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson (which is why the organization is making Myles Turner available in trade talks), while San Antonio has Jakob Poeltl manning the middle.
As the market begins to shift, let&rsquo;s look at which teams could still be an option for Ayton.&nbsp;
TORONTO RAPTORS
Toronto has been gaining steam in the betting odds for Durant over the last 48 hours, somehow jumping from +3500 to +250. It's no surprise that Masai Ujiri is trying to bring Durant to Toronto, but if he can't land KD, could Ayton be the Raptors' consolation prize? A three-team trade involving the Suns, Raptors and Nets could make an awful lot of sense for all sides.
It&rsquo;s well-known that the Raptors need a long-term answer at center. Ayton, the former No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, could be the perfect high-upside swing from Ujiri and Co. Placing Ayton alongside Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Fred VanVleet and either OG Anunoby or Gary Trent Jr. would give Toronto a very dangerous lineup in the Eastern Conference. And at this point, the Raptors could swoop in to land Ayton for way cheaper than expected if they were to help facilitate a Durant-to-the-Suns trade, which is reportedly KD's preferred outcome.
Crafting an Ayton-to-Toronto trade isn't too difficult. Trent or Anunoby would be the centerpiece with any small expiring salaries needed to make it happen. Also, the Raptors being able to snag Ayton for one player and perhaps a future pick is a home-run scenario.
Working with the Raptors&rsquo; player development program, Ayton would be in the perfect spot to reach his sky-high ceiling; that goes without mentioning that Deandre playing next to Siakam and Barnes in the frontcourt is a dream fit for all involved. You want the perfect defensive trio to stop superstars like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo? Look no further than Ayton, Siakam and Barnes.
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Ayton in Toronto can only happen if the Raptors are willing to part with Trent or Anunoby. If not, this is likely a non-starter in negotations unless they are willing to give up multiple future first-round picks and expiring salaries to help faciliate Durant to Phoenix. Maybe even young big man Precious Achiuwa could intrigue Brooklyn or Phoenix enough with the right amount of draft capital attached.
Don't rule out the Raptors being a sneaky candidate to swoop in for Ayton because their front office is known to move in silence with no leaks in advance of massive moves.
ATLANTA HAWKS 
The Hawks already pushed the chips all-in with the acquisition of Dejounte Murray, but could they be looming as a potential destination for Ayton? If you add up the pieces for the win-now Hawks, it makes a lot of sense. Adding Ayton into the Hawks&rsquo; ecosystem is a sure-fire bet to give this team legitimate NBA Finals aspirations.
A new big three in Atlanta consisting of Young, Murray and Ayton would make for nightly fireworks on the court; plus, it&rsquo;s a stable, All-Star-level foundation with youth that could grow together on the same timeline for years to come.
Atlanta also stands out as a strong Ayton suitor because of its available assets, even after coughing up draft picks to the Spurs for Murray. Clint Capela is an obvious candidate to be moved in any Ayton deal due to his salary and position. Atlanta also has other salaries that can work in multi-team frameworks such as the often-rumored John Collins as well as Bogdan Bogdanovic. And don't forget about the Hawks' underrated core of young talent: De'Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, AJ Griffin and Jalen Johnson.
It's unlikely that the Hawks would make Hunter or Okongwu available for Ayton, but what about their recent first-round pick in Griffin? That's where it gets interesting, because a piece like Griffin can help accelerate a potential three-team deal between Phoenix, Brooklyn and Atlanta where the end result ultimately lands Durant alongside Booker.
The Hawks have extinguished most of their future assets for Murray, but they still have enough wiggle room to make another big splash. Ayton could be the final missing piece for Atlanta to become a real Finals competitor as early as next season. In addition, this would help the Suns land their ultimate prize.
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UTAH JAZZ
This was a surprise team that reportedly checked in on Ayton last week, according to Arizona Sports&rsquo; John Gambadoro. Shipping out Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves brought back an enormous return of draft capital, including three future unprotected first-round picks. As the Jazz aim to retool around Donovan Mitchell, Ayton actually checks a lot of boxes for them. Not only would he cost around $20 million less than Gobert annually, especially down the line, but Ayton is also on the same timeline as Utah's superstar shooting guard.
In order to appease Mitchell and prevent a trade request down the line, would someone like Ayton be a worthy gamble on a discount? Honestly, it makes a lot of sense. Assuming the Jazz send out more veterans and prioritize a youth movement around Mitchell in the short-term, they may very well become a real contender for Ayton out of nowhere.
Diving in deeper, Utah has the perfect amount of assets to sneakily make its move for Ayton. Bojan Bogdanovic's $19 million expiring salary is already enough to almost make salaries work. Throw in Jordan Clarkson, who no longer fits Utah's timeline and would be a huge bench upgrade for Phoenix, and that's where this gets serious. The Jazz also now have extreme amounts of draft artillery thanks to the Gobert trade pulled off last week by Danny Ainge.
Going off the assumption that Ayton will no longer be receiving a max-contract offer, Utah could quickly match the Suns' win-now timeline returning Bogdanovic, Clarkson and picks in exchange for Ayton. Those picks, alongside Bogdanovic's expiring deal in turn, could be flipped to the Nets in a three-team deal that lands Durant in the Valley.
For fun, here's a possible three-team trade involving the Suns, Jazz and Nets &mdash; a template where each side can say they exited in a better spot.
Nets receive: Mikal Bridges, Bojan Bogdanovic, Torrey Craig, Cameron Payne, 2023 first-round pick (via Suns), 2023 first-rounder (via Jazz), 2025 first-rounder (via Timberwolves), 2025 first-rounder (via Suns), 2027 first-rounder (via Suns), 2029 first-rounder (via Suns), rights to swap firsts in 2024, 2026, 2028 with Suns
Jazz receive: Deandre Ayton (four-year, $110 million sign-and-trade), Jae Crowder
Suns receive: Kevin Durant, Jordan Clarkson
Again, the Nets would secure a foundational building block with immense two-way upside in Bridges. Also, the $19 million expiring contract for Bogdanovic could be a huge trade chip for the Nets with their replenished box of assets.
Utah&rsquo;s added draft compensation via the Timberwolves helps facilitate this deal for Brooklyn and Phoenix, and it makes a strong return for the Jazz in the process. Crowder would immediately takes Bogdanovic&rsquo;s role in the rotation, as would Ayton for Gobert. Losing Clarkson is a tough pill to swallow for the Jazz, but if he were to be the price to pay for a former No. 1 pick, it&rsquo;d certainly be worth it.
Phoenix and Durant get their way in the end, and Clarkson&rsquo;s addition is the perfect cherry on top of a historic trade for the organization. Right off the bat, Clarkson could become the Suns&rsquo; sixth man and solidifiy their overall depth issues if this trade were to occur.
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It's rare to see the market swing the opposite direction so quickly, but that seems to be what's happening in real time with Ayton. The longer Ayton continues to sit out on the open market, the better the Suns' chances of acquiring Durant are.
As free agency has come to a screeching halt over the last few days due to the looming situation with Durant and the Nets, everyone is waiting for the domino to finally fall. Will Durant get his way and end up alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul in Phoenix? That remains to be seen, but the exercise above really does show the Suns will have to get creative in order to get it done.
Deandre Ayton was the Suns&rsquo; first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history, and now he&rsquo;s the deciding factor to whether Kevin Durant eventually takes his spot as the final piece to their championship puzzle.

Evan Sidery explains how Deandre Ayton could assist the Suns in a Kevin Durant trade offer and outlines several destinations for Ayton.

How Deandre Ayton holds the key to the Suns acquiring Kevin Durant

Hours before the 2022-23 league year began, one of the greatest players in NBA history dropped a bombshell.
Kevin Durant officially requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, signaling that massive changes are coming for the organization. It appears that Durant is done dealing with the sinking ship in Brooklyn, spearheaded by the melodrama consistently surrounding his fellow superstar teammate Kyrie Irving. In the next chapter of his career, it feels as if Durant seeks to be part of an organization where he can settle into a situation and win, aging gracefully in the process.
Even with Durant turning 34 years old at the start of next season, and being just two years removed from a torn Achilles, teams are lining up to offer a package for this transcendent, franchise-changing player. Somehow, despite suffering what is usually a career-altering injury for most, especially high-usage superstars, Durant has looked like himself &mdash; and maybe better.
According to Yahoo Sports&rsquo; Chris Haynes, Durant&rsquo;s preferred&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1542665711172341761?s=20&amp;t=nBjRLktC_Se3VMRltaXoVQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">destination is in Arizona with the Phoenix Suns</a>. As ESPN&rsquo;s Brian Windhorst alluded to, Durant asked out hours before the start of free agency <a href="https://twitter.com/r0bato/status/1542608980123553795?s=20&amp;t=nBjRLktC_Se3VMRltaXoVQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to help the Suns</a> in potential Deandre Ayton sign-and-trade discussions. This was a calculated move on Durant's part, and he's had the Suns circled target as his top landing spot. From Durant&rsquo;s perspective, having Phoenix as his No. 1 choice makes too much sense from multiple angles.
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First, Durant views Devin Booker as one of the best young players in the NBA. For years, Durant has been impressed with Booker from afar. And as the young star continues to develop into a bona fide top-15 player in the NBA, Durant&rsquo;s praise has been heard every step of the way.
Only a few short months ago, Durant <a href="https://youtu.be/pXG-4Ne4kcs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke glowingly about Booker&rsquo;s game</a> on JJ Redick&rsquo;s podcast, "The Old Man and The Three."
&ldquo;He just has a pretty game for one, but I just think he&rsquo;s really mastering who he is right now," <a href="https://youtu.be/pXG-4Ne4kcs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Durant said of Booker</a>. "He&rsquo;s figuring it out, like how to play at an elite level but still win, because he was always scoring the ball. But he knows how to win.&rdquo;
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Kevin Durant a few months ago talking about Devin Booker on <a href="https://twitter.com/OldManAndThree?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OldManAndThree</a>: <a href="https://t.co/AtvP0QbpSw">pic.twitter.com/AtvP0QbpSw</a>
&mdash; Evan Sidery (@esidery) <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1542583804082065408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Durant and Booker have long had a mutual admiration for one another, but their bond began to blossom back in 2019 when both were in Las Vegas with Team USA.
A few years ago, a young, star-struck Booker told me that Durant was the one who approached him about wanting to develop their relationship even further.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty well, we&rsquo;re just fans of basketball,&rdquo; Booker <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2019/1/1/18162944/phoenix-suns-focus-kevin-durant-wish-list-destination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me in 2020 about his relationship with Durant</a>. &ldquo;When you love the game and watch somebody with that much skill on both ends of the floor, you just have immediate respect for him. So, at USA [camp], he came to me like, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s play one-on-one. We have always been at a distance... Keep going, you know, your game is really solid.&rsquo; And having that chance to interact with each other then, develop the relationship even more [was great]. One of my favorite players in the league to watch from a skill-set standpoint. He has it all.&rdquo;
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Only two players under age 25 have carried 48/36/90 shooting splits + 60 TS% on high usage, per <a href="https://twitter.com/bball_ref?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bball_ref</a>: &bull; Kevin Durant (2012-13) &bull; Devin Booker (2019-20) <a href="https://t.co/Bo8RFhVAfw">pic.twitter.com/Bo8RFhVAfw</a>
&mdash; Evan Sidery (@esidery) <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1269723581568573441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2020</a></blockquote>

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Booker grew up idolizing Durant. (He even had a Fathead of the future Hall-of-Famer on his wall growing up.) Fast-forward to now, and this could be a full-circle moment for the 25-year-old All-Star; one of his idols seeking him out and wanting to play alongside him. Durant and Booker could be basketball nirvana on the court, but this relationship is also already one that's featured immense mutual respect for years.
Another reason Durant prefers the Suns is head coach Monty Williams, who coached KD for a short stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a lead assistant, plus he had multiple interactions with him during Team USA activities.&nbsp;
And the cherry on top? Chris Paul's elite point guard skills in setting up the offense.
Everything Durant craves is available to him in Phoenix. He'd have the stars around him to compete and go on multiple championship runs in the immediate future, as well as pre-existing relationships within the organization. The Suns have a win-now mentality, the right mix of star power and a front office willing to pay a hefty price to compete for titles.
The price Phoenix will need to pay for Durant is going to be astronomical. (Think about the Paul George trade to the Los Angeles Clippers or the Anthony Davis blockbuster to the Los Angeles Lakers.)
With the way draft picks are being moved around at the moment, Brooklyn should rightfully receive the maximum amount of compensation possible in regards to draft capital. Ayton will likely be out the door via sign-and-trade; whether he lands in Brooklyn is the biggest question. (The Nets reportedly aren't interested in Ayton, so the Suns may need to find a third team or separate deal.) Mikal Bridges and/or Cameron Johnson would also likely have to be included in a Durant blockbuster.
Is Phoenix truly willing to gut its entire young core and future in order to chase the organization&rsquo;s first NBA championship? The easy answer on that is yes, and Suns general manager James Jones is known to be passive in valuing the draft process anyways. Phoenix is probably more than willing to include whatever amount of draft picks necessary with the goal of creating the league&rsquo;s next super-team in The Valley.
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One full year after returning from his Achilles tear, Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists on a ridiculously-efficient 63.4% True Shooting percentage. Durant is a basketball demigod &mdash; we all already know this &mdash; but within the Suns&rsquo; system, his own game would reach scary levels of effectiveness.
The ever-flowing gravity pull that Durant and Booker would have beside one another is truly unfair. Paul would be able to slide back into being the third or fourth option too, which is necessary at the twilight stages of his illustrious career. Having a foundation of Durant, Booker and Paul is already enough to be an elite team. After that, the next steps would be to retool around this trio, as the Suns&rsquo; roster will look completely different.
For the Nets, it will be very tough to find a realistic return package that can net them a &ldquo;win-now&rdquo; offer on top of recouping much-needed assets on the draft front. Sending out Ayton, Bridges and Johnson, plus whatever other picks and assets are involved, would be a monster haul for the Nets to fully reset. The Suns&rsquo; young trio paired alongside Ben Simmons would keep Brooklyn at least competitive for the postseason, which seems to be a goal for the Nets in trade negotiations.
It&rsquo;s not often you find two situations where the stars just align at the perfect time. That&rsquo;s exactly what&rsquo;s occurring between Durant and the Suns. Both sides want this to happen, and within the player-empowerment era, it seems very possible that this could come to fruition.
Durant bet on Irving and it blew up in his face. Instead, he wishes to pivot to an organization with newfound stability (thanks to Jones and Williams), a dynamic backcourt of Booker and Paul, and a sizeable championship window since the team projects to be a juggernaut in the Western Conference. Over the last two seasons, Phoenix has the most total wins in the NBA. Adding Durant to the already strong core of winning pieces in place presents the Suns with their best opportunity to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy.
Durant&rsquo;s arrival wouldn&rsquo;t be like Charles Barkley in 1992. This would be an entirely new level of relevancy coming to The Valley, as the Suns have already become title favorites in Las Vegas before a Durant deal has even occurred.
Phoenix wants to commit to an extended championship window centered around two of the greatest players in the NBA&rsquo;s modern era. Alongside them would be a young star in Booker who is showing to have real star-power pull.
Buckle up, because Durant has now singlehandedly changed the NBA landscape in one fell swoop. Now, the Suns are looking to soon pull off their biggest move in franchise history.
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Kevin Durant has requested a trade, with his preferred destination being the Suns. Durant's interest in Phoenix dates back a while.

Why Kevin Durant's attraction to the Suns should come as no surprise

It was the summer of 2001, and I had just finished my junior year of high school.
I received a phone call on my family's home phone in Milwaukee, Wisconsin &mdash; it was a representative from Adidas calling to invite me to be a participant at the famed ABCD Camp.
A prestigious camp held at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, the ABCD Camp was established in 1984 and would continue until 2006. The camp was sponsored by Adidas and run by legendary shoe company executive Sonny Vaccaro. His main claim to fame was his role in developing and executing Michael Jordan's Air Jordan brand with Nike. After leaving Nike, Sonny joined Adidas, where he was able to get the ABCD Camp rolling.
Each year, the camp was comprised of the top high school players in the country. In 2001, the NBA had not yet set the age limit restricting high school players from declaring for the NBA draft following their senior year. Because of this, not only was every prominent college coach at this event, but so were all of the NBA scouts and front-office personnel. At that point, the ABCD Camp was the mecca of high school basketball.
I was beyond excited to get invited, but I must admit, it was somewhat intimidating. Luckily I wouldn't be going alone, as several of my good friends received invitations to the camp too.
My roommate at the camp was Dan Grunfeld, who was, and still is, one of my best friends. Dan is the son of Ernie Grunfeld, who, at the time, was my dad's boss and the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. Dan became a star player at Stanford and led the (then) Pac-10 conference in scoring his junior year, and had a successful career playing in Europe. In addition, our good friend and my high school teammate, Coby Karl, was also with us. Coby is the son of George Karl, who was the head coach of the Bucks at the time. Coby played a few years in the NBA after starring at Boise State.
The three of us were teammates as a part of the AAU program, Friends of Hoop.
Also with us from Milwaukee was Steve Novak, who has been a friend of mine since we were AAU teammates on the Wisconsin All-Stars all the way back when we were in middle school. Once Steve and I got to high school, we had some great battles during our freshman and sophomore years. (I was at Shorewood High School and he was at Brown Deer High School, one of our conference rivals. Steve went on to team up with Dwyane Wade at Marquette, and had a long successful career in the NBA.)
So there's no denying that Milwaukee was represented well at the ABCD Camp that year.
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For whatever reason, I didn't fly with my friends from Milwaukee. Instead, I flew by myself to La Guardia Airport in New York. When I landed, an Adidas representative was waiting and drove another player, DeAngelo Collins, and I to the hotel in New Jersey. It's probably not a name that will ring a bell for many people, but at the time, he was a well-known player. As soon as I saw him, I knew who he was &mdash; although we had never met before. DeAngelo was one of the top-ranked players in the country, became a McDonald's All-American and entered his name in the NBA Draft after his senior year of high school. (Unfortunately, he went undrafted and only had a short professional career overseas).
Anyway, as I was sitting next to DeAngelo in a van heading to the camp hotel, my nerves kicked up another notch. I knew that, at the end of that ride, the rest of the top high school players in the country awaited.
When I arrived at the hotel, my friends from Milwaukee were there. We had to sign in, collect a bag full of Adidas gear and take some photos. When Dan and I finally got to our room, we had a moment where we talked about how excited we were to be there. The whole experience was exciting and fun, but intense at the same time. Whether it was the top-ranked player in the country or the last guy invited, we all wanted the same thing &mdash; to improve our stock. The ABCD Camp was the biggest stage any of us had played on at that point in our careers. It was an opportunity to move up in the player rankings, which would subsequently lead to more scholarship offers or even interest from NBA teams, for some.
Coby, Dan and I had somewhat similar backgrounds, as we all grew up around the game, as our dads and families all had careers working in the NBA. As I was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-buck-from-ray-allen-to-giannis-antetokounmpo-dave-babcock-remains-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">growing up</a>, my dad would often suggest that I "get some shots up" or do my "Pistol Pete" ball-handling routine instead of playing video games, but generally, my family never put a lot of pressure on me to be a great player. I never got the impression that Coby or Dan felt much direct pressure from their families either. However, I think I can speak for the three of us in saying that we all put a significant amount of pressure on ourselves due to our backgrounds. And at the ABCD Camp, I certainly felt the pressure. But I was motivated and determined to move the needle!
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The first night, all of the players went to the gym for Sonny's welcome speech. He spoke to our group to set expectations for the camp, and gave some general advice. We then split up to join our assigned teams and had a light practice. That allowed us to meet our teammates for the camp and our teams' coaches. The coaches tried to implement some basic offensive and defensive principles during that practice. However, the reality was the camp was "pick-up ball" with some freelance referees.
My team's head coach was Chris Grant, who worked for my uncle, Pete Babcock, the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks at the time. (I don't think that was a coincidence). Chris started his career as an intern for my uncle after playing in college at the University of San Diego. Years later, he worked his way up and became the Cleveland Cavaliers' general manager. The top player on our team was Josh Smith from Atlanta, Georgia. He was a year younger than me, but he was a high-profile prospect. A couple of years later, Josh was selected in the first round by the Hawks directly out of high school. He had a successful NBA career, and was one of the top players for the Hawks for years.
Following practice, we returned to our rooms for the night. Dan and I talked about our teams. He told me he had a player on his team that was good. I had never heard of him before &mdash; his name was Carmelo Anthony.
We had a few things to do the following day before live games began. First, there was a guest speaker, but not just any guest speaker; it was Kobe Bryant. He talked to us about some of his personal experiences going through a lot of the same things we were all going through as high school players. It was incredible to listen to a player who had been living the life that every one of us dreamed about for ourselves. To say Kobe's talk was inspiring would be an extreme understatement. Although just a young guy at the time, Kobe had such distinct confidence and determination. It was a privilege to meet Kobe and listen to him speak.
Following the session with Kobe, the players had to take prep ACT and SAT classes. We were seated at tables with about a handful of players per table. I remember sitting with Travis Outlaw, who was a hilarious, nice guy. Travis declared for the 2002 NBA Draft after high school, and was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. He went on to play in the NBA and had a good career.
At the table directly next to me was a younger player that I did not know. Like most of us, he didn't seem interested in that class. Halfway through picking out his braids and leaving half of his hair in an afro, he decided he would lay his head down and take a nap. The teacher wasn't happy about that and kept lecturing him, saying things like, "This is important, your future depends on this" &mdash; something along those lines. Finally, the player sat up and said, "I'm going pro!" and put his head back down.
Soon after, I found out the player's name was LeBron James.
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Finally, when classes finished up, the real reason we came to town was about to begin. It was time to hoop.
The games started, and they were great! There was so much talent in each game. I had the opportunity to share the court with future NBA All-Stars like Carmelo, LeBron, Chris Bosh, Deron Williams and many other soon-to-be standout pros. The gym was buzzing, and it was quite the scene. "Oohs and ahhs" could be heard left and right. The stands were filled with famous coaches, including Coach K, Lute Olson and Rick Pitino. NBA scouts and media members were busy taking notes and trying to find the next NBA star.
The actual gameplay was pretty sloppy, as expected. In most showcase types of events, players will play "to get their's." Also, there is not much of a game plan without much practice time, which usually results in poor ball movement and limited opportunities for lower-ranked players (like myself) to have the ball in their hands.
Despite the challenges, I played pretty well. I shot a high percentage, and even had one game where I scored 15 points and hit a handful of three-pointers. Because I had limited opportunities to have the ball in my hands, I made an extra effort to be as effective as possible without the ball. I noticed that the referees were quick to call offensive fouls during this camp, so I decided to get in the lane when players would drive to the hoop to draw charges. My strategy worked well, and I drew several charges.
However, I tried this tactic in one particular game and my plan backfired, as the player on the other end was LeBron. He laid one of his now-signature tomahawk dunks right on me. I flew back probably 10 feet, and the gym went crazy. That was my formal introduction to "King James."
It's been said that the 2001 ABCD Camp is when LeBron broke onto the scene and the whole media frenzy began for him. His legendary battle with the No. 1 player in my class, Lenny Cooke, happened at this camp. Dan and I were sitting together in the bleachers watching that game. I am happy to say that I was a "witness" to the making of one of the greatest stars our game has ever seen.
All in all, I did well at the camp, and I was able to generate more interest from schools, which was my goal. However, more than 20 years have passed since that ABCD camp, and the most valuable experience turned out to be the memories that I will cherish forever.
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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
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Matt Babcock relives his experience at the 2001 ABCD Camp, where a number of high schoolers stood out before becoming NBA stars.

ABCD Camp: The mecca of high school basketball circa 2001

We&rsquo;re officially two months away from 2022 NBA Free Agency officially kicking off. Although the class is rather shallow &mdash; especially on superstar movement &mdash; the headliners provide some intrigue and there are endless possibilities in terms of the potential domino effects.
Will Zach LaVine and Deandre Ayton be viewed as max-level talents by their respective organizations? What will happen with James Harden and Kyrie Irving? Will Bradley Beal once again commit long-term to the Washington Wizards?
Let&rsquo;s dive into my predictions on what the top-five projected free agents will likely do this offseason, and how those moves could alter the calculus of the entire NBA.
James Harden
Player Option ($44.7 million)
Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey accomplished his long-awaited dream when he helped James Harden and Joel Embiid join forces in Philadelphia earlier this season. When Harden wanted to get out of Brooklyn (an era we'll look back on as a huge "what if" in NBA history), the Sixers pushed their chips all-in on the dominant inside-out duo&rsquo;s potential.
However, having sent out Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and future draft capital to the Nets, it hasn&rsquo;t gone as smoothly as many expected for Harden. After a fast start with his new team, Harden's production has tailed off. Now, with Embiid's postseason status in jeopardy due to an orbital fracture, can Harden recapture his form before another important career decision?
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 regular-season games with the Sixers, and through six playoff games, has produced to the tune of 19.0 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
Since these numbers aren't anywhere close to vintage-Harden levels of offensive production, does Morey feel comfortable shelling out a gigantic long-term extension to the 32-year-old, high-usage guard? It feels like we&rsquo;re entering into the next phase of Harden&rsquo;s career, and if that&rsquo;s the case, he&rsquo;s probably not a $40-plus-million player.
It seems like Philadelphia is backed into a corner in this situation though. After shipping off Simmons and future assets to Brooklyn, the Sixers have committed to Embiid and Harden hopefully delivering a championship within their short-term window.
Prediction: Harden opts out and re-signs on three-year max contract
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Kyrie Irving
Player Option ($36.5 million)
Who knows what the future holds as it relates to Kyrie Irving? Unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Irving cost the Nets a realistic chance at competing for an NBA championship this season; this should've never been an issue, but he had to try to catch up and learn on the fly with his teammates.
Brooklyn still holds those championship expectations moving forward, especially with Kevin Durant and Simmons alongside Irving.
Irving is the true wildcard to watch this summer. If he decides to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-nets-should-part-ways-with-kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move on from the Nets</a>, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise at all. Honestly, even retirement wouldn&rsquo;t be a complete surprise with Irving. In the end, though, the Nets are also married to this idea of competing for rings over the extended window with Durant.
The reason why Durant joined the Nets was to play with his best friend in Irving. It&rsquo;s hard to envision Irving leaving Brooklyn, and he echoed similar sentiments after the Nets&rsquo; disappointing first-round exit against the Boston Celtics.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way I&rsquo;m leaving my man 7 anywhere,&rdquo; Irving said after the series.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"I don't really plan on going anywhere.... when I say I'm here with Kev [Durant] I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe [Tsai] and Sean [Marks]... we're cornerstones here but we have Ben, we have a few other guys..." -Kyrie Irving on FA <a href="https://t.co/ulk86MzHTK">pic.twitter.com/ulk86MzHTK</a>
&mdash; DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidEarly/status/1518782963579867138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

The Nets should definitely reconsider their stance on handing out a potential five-year max extension to Irving though. Understanding his unpredictability, who knows what could happen in the future with him? With Durant still dominating, Irving will likely align his next contract on a similar path.
Prediction: Irving opts out and re-signs on four-year max contract
Bradley Beal
Player Option ($36.4 million)
Will Bradley Beal really decide to stick around in D.C. for the long-term? I have serious doubts on that idea, and Beal should as well for his legacy. Even in a down year for the Washington Wizards &mdash; one in which he was shut down due to a torn ligament in his left wrist on Feb. 8 &mdash; he&rsquo;s still a star-level player in the NBA. Capable of dropping 30-plus points with ease at anytime, Beal has consistently shown the team around him has been the main issue. Carrying subpar teams on his back since John Wall left, Beal needs to consider doing the greater good for his own individual outlook.
From Beal&rsquo;s perspective, looking around at other options to win right now would be the best-case scenario. While he's been very loyal to the Wizards since being drafted by the organization, this could become very awkward rather quickly once the offseason window opens.
Washington has done a fantastic job retooling its team on the fly since trading away Russell Westbrook. Rolling the dice on Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline is a massive risk, but he&rsquo;s the closest thing to a star-level player who would be willing to stay long-term. With Porzingis and a plethora of young talent led by Kyle Kuzma, will Beal lock himself into this situation for another four or five years?
The trade market will be the most realistic route to see star movement in the summer. Beal is one of those names to watch via sign-and-trade. If Beal opts out, don&rsquo;t be surprised to see him sign elsewhere while not leaving the Wizards high and dry with nothing back in return. Beal seems destined to spread his wings elsewhere and serve as the cherry on top of a true title contender's roster.
Prediction: Beal opts out and the Wizards pull off sign-and-trade to recoup some assets
Zach LaVine
Unrestricted Free Agent
Zach LaVine is one of the more underrated players in the league. He&rsquo;s a highlight reel on the offensive end, but his defense leaves so much to be desired. We&rsquo;ve seen incremental improvements with LaVine on that end with better talent around him, but will the Bulls view him as a max-level player? Committing that type of money to LaVine could be risky &mdash; especially with an upcoming offseason knee surgery &mdash; but it&rsquo;s the Bulls&rsquo; best bet to keeping their core together long-term.
If the Bulls balk at paying LaVine, many teams with cap space will come knocking on his door. San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray has already started <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1519870631180791808?s=20&amp;t=vGdMwWWoEEc20-pQbx0udg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recruiting LaVine on social media</a> with photoshops of him in their jersey, for example.
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LaVine and DeMar DeRozan showed throughout this season that they are a lethal scoring combination that is very difficult to contain. Before injuries ravaged Chicago&rsquo;s roster, they were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Maybe the Bulls try to move Nikola Vucevic, who has a $22 million expiring contract; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert could be a name to watch</a> if the Bulls try to take their team to another level.
But LaVine is a different story.
A core in Chicago of LaVine, DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso is a fun one. Chicago runs it back and doesn&rsquo;t hesitate coughing up huge money to its star shooting guard.
Prediction: LaVine signs a five-year max extension with Bulls
Deandre Ayton
Restricted Free Agent
This is one of the more interesting situations to follow heading into the offseason. After the Phoenix Suns shockingly decided not to pay 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton before the season began, questions are still bubbling under the surface on his long-term future with the organization. Ayton hasn&rsquo;t let this impact his on-court performance though, as he's continued to be a two-way anchor to the Suns&rsquo; immense success. The Bahamian big man keeps proving his game is tailor-made for the postseason as well.
Will the Suns actually allow Ayton and his representation to test the open market as one of the top free agents available? It would be stunning, but it feels like we could be heading in that direction.
ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has mentioned that, in negotiations, the Suns didn&rsquo;t view Ayton as a max-level player at the time, which stunned many executives around the NBA. Has Phoenix&rsquo;s stance changed after Ayton&rsquo;s consistent performances throughout this season and the playoffs?
Here&rsquo;s a little nugget: According to a league source, Phoenix is more than comfortable paying up and going deep into the luxury tax as long as its roster is competing for championships. Ayton is part of that puzzle, and 2019 lottery pick Cameron Johnson is eligible for an extension this offseason. Do with that information what you will, but it would truly be stunning to see Ayton playing elsewhere in 2022-23.
Prediction: Ayton tests the market and signs four-year max offer sheet elsewhere, which includes a player option; Phoenix eventually matches the offer sheet and keeps him long-term 
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What will happen with the best projected 2022 free agents this offseason? Evan Sidery shares his predictions for the top five.

2022 NBA Free Agency: Predicting where 5 stars will land this summer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied yet again to eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who withstood another quiet night by star Ja Morant and another double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies advanced in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, this time to meet Golden State. They&rsquo;ll host Game 1 in Memphis.
Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 24 points off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Morant went 4 for 14 from the field and had 17 points and 11 assists.
With the Grizzlies already the first team in NBA history to win multiple games in the same playoff series by erasing a double-digit-point fourth-quarter deficit, the here-we-go-again feeling was palpable in the building as an 84-74 lead for the Wolves at the third-quarter break quickly vanished.
Bane and Brooks each hit tying 3-pointers midway through the fourth, and Brooks fouled out just 26 seconds after his evened the score at 97.
Bane then swished another one from deep at 3:03 for a 101-99 lead, the first for the Grizzlies since they were up 39-38.
The kill shot came soon after for a Wolves team that, like so many others against the Grizzlies this season, was consistently a step and a jump behind on the glass.
Tyus Jones missed a pair of 3-pointers from the wing on the same possession, but the Grizzlies rebounded both &mdash; and Morant used the second one for a layup and a four-point lead.
After McDaniels, who had the game of his two-year career, hit a 3 with 1:34 left to bring the Wolves back within one, Jones &mdash; the former Timberwolves player and native of Minnesota &mdash; answered with a 3-pointer to bump the lead back to two possessions with 1:09 left.
ANT GOES MARCHING
The Grizzlies have had only one lead after the first quarter in this series, 33-32 in Game 2, and Edwards ensured they didn&rsquo;t get another one. The first overall pick in the 2020 draft with the bravado and the flair for the big moments had nine of his team&rsquo;s first 11 points. He hit a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the period, then blocked Morant's layup with a few seconds left.
The crowd roared when the game operations crew flashed a graphic in the second quarter with a side-by-side comparison of scoring totals of Edwards and Morant, which was 16-0 at the time.
BEVERLEY THRILLS
One of the most vital players for Minnesota in this series &mdash; all season, really &mdash; has been Patrick Beverley with his energy, experience and tenacity. One of the NBA's most notorious pests, who was on the Grizzlies roster last summer for a few days in a stopover between trades that routed him from the Clippers to the Wolves, Beverley has contributed his share of big shots, too.
He knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Wolves a 69-56 lead with Morant guarding him, grinning at the NBA's Most Improved Player, who flashed back a smile &mdash; and promptly produced with a three-point play on the other end by flipping in a layup and drawing a foul. That sparked a 12-0 spurt by the Grizzlies, which Beverley ended with another 3-pointer.
MUST-WINS IN MINNESOTA
This was the first Game 6 the Timberwolves hosted in their modest postseason history, though they had Game 7 at Target Center in 2004 when they beat Sacramento to close that second round series.
In the Western Conference finals that year, the Wolves also beat the Lakers here in Game 5 before losing in Los Angeles in Game 6. Those are the only two elimination games they&rsquo;ve ever won at home, having lost in those situations in the first round in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Despite the devastation of the two squandered leads in defeat earlier in the series and the untrustworthy history of a franchise in a market that has not enjoyed a major professional league championship in a men&rsquo;s sport since 1991, the fans turned out once again and gave the Wolves a clear advantage.
Former Timberwolves star Latrell Sprewell sat courtside, a few seats down from Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, a Minnesota native. Local head coaches P.J. Fleck (Gophers football), Ben Johnson (Gophers basketball) and Cheryl Reeve (Lynx) were in the house, too, as fans clutched neon-blue glow sticks for the duration of the night in the packed downtown arena.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane has 27 made 3-pointers in the series. That's already the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1520222830645989377">most in team history</a> for a single postseason. O.J. Mayo made 20 shots from behind the arc in 13 playoff games in 2011. ... Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was held out.
Timberwolves: Naz Reid was not with the team for personal reasons, so recent acquisition Greg Monroe got the backup center minutes, his first action of the series.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Grizzlies eliminated the Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6.