Buckeyes

Since Matt Barnes retired from the NBA following the 2017 NBA Finals, he's engulfed himself in a very impressive media career. He's spent time as a panelist on ESPN's "The Jump," but more notably hosts his own podcast "All The Smoke" alongside former NBA player Stephen Jackson.&nbsp;
Barnes joined our own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-podcast-matt-barnes-broadcasting-all-the-smoke-podcast-social-justice-rematch-etan-thomas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Rematch" with Etan Thomas</a> to talk about his life after basketball. The pair discussed a number of topics, including his off-court endeavors, his involvement on social-justice issues and, of course, what his life is like now that he's part of the media.&nbsp;
After being in the NBA for 14 seasons, it's been a nice second career for Barnes.
&ldquo;As athletes, we always thought there was some sort of motive. There was a handful of people that you kind of trusted, but for the most part, you had to watch yourself with the media,&rdquo; Barnes said. "That&rsquo;s something Jack and I are trying to change, obviously. We&rsquo;ve experienced pretty much everything that our guests have experienced and that gives us an easier intro and a different approach [to interviews], which allows most of our guests to really let their wall down and feel comfortable speaking to us.&rdquo;
Of course, just like when he was on the court, Barnes is going to have people who aren't fans of the work that he's doing. When asked how he responds to the hate, he shrugged it off.
&ldquo;I just smile, you know what I mean? Because the hatred was similar to what I got when I played, and you know that you&rsquo;re never going to be able to make everyone happy,&rdquo; Barnes told Thomas. &ldquo;But my whole goal with &lsquo;All The Smoke&rsquo; was to humanize our guest. Rest in peace Kobe, but you know Kobe&rsquo;s greatness; you know [the greatness of] KG, Steph, KD. You know what all these guys are great for, but I wanted to be able to strip that down and show how that process came about -- what turns they made or what obstacles they overcame to become as great as they are at their craft. I think because of myself and Jack&rsquo;s track record -- obviously a spotted track record, to say the least -- but [we've] always been real. We&rsquo;ve got into some trouble, we&rsquo;ve owned up to it, and if we needed to apologize, we apologized. But we just always handled ourselves in the realest type way.
"So, I think when we get our guests, they understand that we&rsquo;re not here for clickbait, we&rsquo;re not here to start trouble. We really just want to be able to have an in-depth conversation. And it was never a situation where I just wanted to put a mic in someone&rsquo;s face; I don&rsquo;t want that type of interview. I want it to be a kickback atmosphere like we&rsquo;re at the house medicating or having a drink and just having a good conversation and I think that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ve been able to do because of the realness that Jack and I always approached life with and the game with. People respect that and they feel like they can be comfortable with us.
"I forgot the guy&rsquo;s name, Phil something from the New York Post that just <a class="c-link" href="https://nypost.com/2020/04/18/another-shameless-network-is-exploiting-the-nbas-worst/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://nypost.com/2020/04/18/another-shameless-network-is-exploiting-the-nbas-worst/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">wrote a horrible article</a>&nbsp;about me and Jack. Like,&nbsp;horrible. I&rsquo;m just like, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re mad because you&rsquo;ve been in this space for 30-plus years and, at the time, we hadn&rsquo;t even done 'All The Smoke' for a year but our resume already far exceeded anything he's ever done.&rsquo; To me, how I used that [criticism] for fuel as a player, I use that for fuel as media now. It&rsquo;s crazy that we call ourselves media now. Because I never thought [I'd be doing this]. 'Me, media?!' You know what I mean? But I like seeing people like me, you, the Knuckleheads and all of these other former players that are in this space. We&rsquo;ve always allowed other people to tell our stories. We&rsquo;ve always just been the talent. [It&rsquo;s always been], &lsquo;You go score touchdowns or dunk or shoot threes or hit home runs or run [for] world records in track and let these white people tell our stories.&rsquo;
"But we&rsquo;re intelligent enough and can hold a conversation long enough and paint a picture well enough now to tell our own story. And again, that&rsquo;s a little bit of that power slippage that they&rsquo;re starting to see from mainstream media where they&rsquo;re like, &lsquo;What are these athletes doing, coming in here and doing our job? And in some cases, doing our job better.&rsquo;&rdquo;
You can watch the full episode of "The Rematch" below.
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This article was initially published on Basketball News on Feb. 11, 2021.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Jahvon Quinerly scored 24 points, Brandon Miller made the clinching free throws with six seconds left and No. 2 Alabama rallied from a 17-point deficit before beating archrival Auburn 90-85 in overtime Wednesday night.
The Crimson Tide (26-4, 16-1 Southeastern Conference) clinched outright their second regular-season SEC title in three years but continued to live on the edge over a troubling eight days that included courtroom revelations in a capital murder trial.
Miller rebounded teammate Jaden Bradley&rsquo;s missed dunk and drew a foul, making both free throws. Noah Clowney had blocked K.D. Johnson&rsquo;s layup attempt on the other end.
The Tigers (19-11, 9-8), who had three key players foul out, couldn&rsquo;t close it out after leading almost the entire way in regulation. They were up 17 with under 11 minutes left.
Alabama won its fourth straight but the past three have gone down to the wire since courtroom revelations tied freshmen Miller and Bradley to the scene of a murder. Neither has been charged or accused of a crime, but then-teammate Darius Miles and another man are facing capital murder charges.
Police said Miles texted Miller asking him to bring the gun.
NO. 22 TCU 75, NO. 9 TEXAS 73
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Damion Baugh scored a career-high 24 points, Emanuel Miller had 20 and TCU denied Texas a chance to play for a share of the Big 12 title in its upcoming regular-season finale.
Baugh scored on a breakaway layup off the opening tip and the Horned Frogs (20-10, 9-8 Big 12) never trailed. It was the second loss in a row and third in five games for the Longhorns (22-8, 11-6), who haven&rsquo;t won a regular-season conference crown since 2008.
Texas hosts third-ranked Kansas (25-5, 13-4) on Saturday. The Jayhawks had already clinched at least a piece of the Big 12 title Tuesday night, and now know they won&rsquo;t have to share it.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 16 points for the Longhorns, and Tyrese Hunter had 15.
NO. 10 GONZAGA 104, CHICAGO STATE 65
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 17 points in what&rsquo;s expected to be his final home game at Gonzaga, and the Bulldogs trounced Chicago State in a postseason tune-up.
Timme made his 99th start at Gonzaga. The senior forward ranks second on the school&rsquo;s career scoring list, 21 points behind Frank Burgess (1958-61).
The 6-foot-10 Timme has played four seasons at Gonzaga but could return for a fifth because of extra eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has not announced any definitive plans.
Fellow senior Rasir Bolton added 15 points for the Zags (26-5), who won their seventh straight game. Malachi Smith scored 14.
Jahsean Corbett led Chicago State (11-19) with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Gonzaga added the game to avoid going more than a week without playing before the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
NO. 11 KANSAS STATE 85, OKLAHOMA 69
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Desi Sills flirted with a triple-double in his Bramlage Coliseum farewell and Kansas State held on to beat Oklahoma.
Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell also had big senior send-offs for the Wildcats. Sills finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Johnson had 16 points and Nowell added 11 points and 10 assists to help Kansas State (23-7, 11-6 Big 12) snap a three-game skid against the Sooners.
Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin scored 19 points for Kansas State, which led by 20 early in the second half before the Sooners (14-16, 4-13) made a late run. Milos Uzan had 20 points to lead Oklahoma.
NO. 14 UCONN 88, DEPAUL 59
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Adama Sanogo scored 26 points to lead five UConn players in double figures and the Huskies closed out their home schedule in emphatic style with an easy win over skidding DePaul.
Andre Jackson filled up the stat sheet for Connecticut (23-7, 12-7 Big East) with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Tristen Newton added 12 points for the Huskies, who have won four straight and seven of eight.
Nick Ongenda tied a career high with 17 points for DePaul (9-21, 3-16), which has lost 11 in a row.
UConn put the game away early, opening on a 29-2 run.
NO. 19 XAVIER 94, NO. 20 PROVIDENCE 89
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Souley Boum scored a season-high 33 points and Colby Jones added a career-best 29 to help Xavier beat Providence and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament.
Ed Croswell had 17 points with 13 rebounds, and Bryce Hopkins also scored 17 for Providence, which cut a 22-point first-half deficit to two in the second half.
It was the Friars&rsquo; first loss at home in 16 games this season.
With one game remaining, Xavier (22-8, 14-5 Big East) has a one-game lead over Providence (21-9, 13-6) and controls the tiebreaker, having swept their two regular-season matchups.
OHIO STATE 73, NO. 21 MARYLAND 62
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Felix Okpara had 12 points and 12 rebounds to help Ohio State finish its home schedule with a win over Maryland.
Justice Sueing had 16 points to lead six Buckeyes in double figures. Ohio State (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) jumped ahead early with a 12-0 run and didn&rsquo;t give up the lead the rest of the way.
Julian Reese had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Terrapins (20-10, 11-8).
VANDERBILT 68, NO. 23 KENTUCKY 66
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Wright hit a go-ahead fall-away jumper in the lane with 2.6 seconds remaining to finish with 23 points, and Vanderbilt topped Kentucky for its first win at Rupp Arena since January 2007.
The surging Commodores (17-13, 10-7 Southeastern Conference) earned their seventh win in eight games and are 7-3 since losing to Kentucky 69-53 last month in Nashville.
Wright&rsquo;s drive tied the game with 42 seconds left, and Tyrin Lawrence grabbed Antonio Reeves&rsquo; missed jumper with 20 seconds to go.
Reeves&rsquo; 3-point attempt missed the rim altogether as time expired. Kentucky had won its previous four and re-entered the rankings on Monday for the first time in seven weeks.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 21 points and 20 rebounds for the Wildcats (20-10, 11-6).
NOTRE DAME 88, NO. 25 PITTSBURGH 81
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Marcus Hammond and Cormac Ryan each scored 20 points as Notre Dame beat Pittsburgh to win longtime coach Mike Brey&rsquo;s final home game.
Nate Laszewski and Trey Wertz each added 14 points for the Fighting Irish (11-19, 3-16 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Brey, stepping down at season&rsquo;s end, received warm ovations from the crowd before and after the game. He improved to 315-76 at Purcell Pavilion over 23 years as Notre Dame coach.
Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings and Nike Sibande all scored 19 points for Pittsburgh. Blake Hinson added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Panthers (21-9, 14-5), who lost for only the second time in 10 games. They were playing their first game since moving into the AP Top 25 for the first time in seven years.

A recap of Wednesday's top-25 action in men's college hoops includes the Crimson Tide winning the regular-season SEC title.

No. 2 Alabama rallies from 17 down to top rival Auburn in OT

Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s first press conference after returning from his suspension was met by a barrage of reporters seemingly throwing a series of questions at him that could have potentially resulted in him being suspended again.
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The media smh <a href="https://t.co/6ZsGU5llll">pic.twitter.com/6ZsGU5llll</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1594830463675375620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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One interpretation is that the reporters were just doing their job in asking Kyrie the questions that inquiring minds would like answered. However, another interpretation is that Kyrie asked (very politely) if the reporters could simply stick to questions about the actual game, and they seemingly ignored his request and continued to ask questions that could potentially get him in hot water once again &mdash; an intentional attempt to set him up.
I wanted to delve deeper into this topic, so I reached out to journalist Chuck Modiano, who is a senior writer for Deadspin and has also written for the New York Daily News.
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Etan Thomas: Does it seem like the media is now picking on Kyrie?
Chuck Modiano: Let me first say that you have been doing a great job on social media covering this.
Thomas: Oh, I appreciate that.
Modiano: No problem. Well, there are definitely a couple of members who keep harping on it, but the problem is, they don&rsquo;t do that to other athletes. I don&rsquo;t think Jerry Jones is going to be peppered the same way. I know initially they asked him, but I doubt the questions will continue. I could be wrong, but we&rsquo;ll see. But the double standard always exists with Black athletes and it always has, and part of that double standard is the makeup of the press &mdash; and what the press finds noteworthy and not noteworthy to pursue. So yeah, it&rsquo;s definitely there and will continue to be there and we have to keep calling it out.
Thomas: I agree, but I don&rsquo;t see enough people calling it out and that&rsquo;s the part that frustrates me. It seems like it&rsquo;s just accepted. And let&rsquo;s take the actual content of everything that happened with Kyrie out of the discussion for a moment, and just compare this to how, say, Brett Farve was dealt with in the media. I mean, he didn&rsquo;t have to do anything &mdash; he didn&rsquo;t have to apologize or nothing?
Modiano: I think Brett Favre is a great recurring example. With Kyrie, it goes so far beyond the initial discussion of anti-semitism. It goes to something greater in media. The Black athlete is profitable and the Black athlete&rsquo;s perceived misbehavior is profitable. And we know this when a discussion should shift and it does not. So I&rsquo;ll give you an example. So there was a period of time where the discussion moved from Kyrie Irving to Jeff Bezos &mdash; let&rsquo;s hold Amazon accountable. He&rsquo;s making all this money off "Hebrews To Negroes." And let&rsquo;s form a petition, etc. And there were some famous actors joining in the charge. Rolling Stone actually had pictures of those actors, but most publications, even if the article was focused on Jeff Bezos and Amazon, still had the cover picture of Kyrie. So I said, "Well, that&rsquo;s not about perceived anti-semitism, that&rsquo;s about anti-Blackness." Because, again, the whole article was about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, so why is Kyrie on the cover picture? That was an editorial choice and that&rsquo;s when you have to examine the fact that anti-Blackness will get you more clicks and there is more profit in anti-Blackness.
Thomas: That&rsquo;s interesting. Now that you say that, I definitely noticed that as well. And to your point, there are a lot of Black media that participate in that as well. Right now, there are a lot of people trying to give Jerry Jones a pass. I just saw Stephen A. Smith and Jason Whitlock both defending him today. I actually tweeted about it.
Modiano: It&rsquo;s completely ridiculous. And listen, I am someone who has marched with former Nazis who are now against Nazis and are now on the anti-racism side and it&rsquo;s their life mission to flip other Nazis. So I am someone who believes to the greatest extent that reform is possible. But let&rsquo;s take Jerry Jones here, and put aside the fact that probably 95% of white people in Arkansas in 1957 more than likely shared a certain belief about Black people, I think we can safely say that. But not everyone joined a mob to terrorize Black students, so there is a difference between racist thoughts and racist actions. And it&rsquo;s important to remember that in 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education was put into law, and the one of the ways white people would fight against that law was through mob action, and Jerry Jones was a part of that. So if you&rsquo;re going to tell me he&rsquo;s changed, I need to see it. I see his comments about [Colin] Kaepernick. I see the fact that he has never had a Black head coach. I see him donating half a million to Governor [Greg] Abbott&rsquo;s campaign. This doesn&rsquo;t sound like he has changed too much since 1957.
Thomas: And the same with Brett Favre. I haven&rsquo;t seen anything where he's tried to make amends after this $77 million Mississippi state-welfare-fund scandal or any evidence that he has changed. They say it&rsquo;s always something with Kyrie; well, it&rsquo;s always something with Brett Favre, right?
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JerryJones?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JerryJones</a> <a href="https://t.co/kpy9G3XaFU">pic.twitter.com/kpy9G3XaFU</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1596296501747228674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<div>Modiano: Oh, don&rsquo;t get me started on Brett. He has a long, ugly history and I&rsquo;m not just talking about outwardly supporting Donald Trump at the height of his racism and Charlottesville and Jan. 6th, or the inappropriate messages and nude pictures he sent to New York Jets game day host Ms. Sterger, but yes there is definitely enough history for there to be much more upheaval of outrage from the media. So we have to ask, why is the Brett Favre scandal not given the same attention and scrutiny as Kyrie? The answer could be simply that Brett Favre is not going to produce the amount of clicks that Kyrie will. But then you have to ask: why is Kyrie going to produce more clicks? Because Brett is retired and Kyrie is an active player? I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s it. I think it&rsquo;s because of anti-Blackness. We have a white customer service base that likes to see Black athletes being denigrated and will use Black media talking heads, like the ones you named before, to do the actual denigrating. That&rsquo;s the bottom line. So some will say, "No, it&rsquo;s the anti-semitism that is a much bigger issue." Well, if that were the case, all forms of perceived anti-semitism would garner the same reaction that Kyrie did, and it doesn&rsquo;t.</div>
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<div>Thomas: And to your point, let me read this <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1596184440513777665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweet from Shaun King</a> that read: &ldquo;So we now know that Donald Trump just had dinner with one of the most explicit bigots and Holocaust-deniers in the world right now, Nick Fuentes. I need to see if Trump and the people who support him get the Kyrie Irving treatment now. I seriously doubt it." Now they can&rsquo;t say that Kyrie has more power and influence than Trump, so will there be a big outrage about Trump?&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Modiano: We already know the answer to that. Of course there won&rsquo;t and Nick Fuentes is a proud white supremacist and racist. He is an actual Holocaust denier and has spewed actual anti-semetic rhetoric out of his mouth. And Trump has himself said a lot of perceived, I&rsquo;ll say, antisemitic statements. So in comparing the reaction of that to Kyrie, you&rsquo;re right; it&rsquo;s not the same outrage.&nbsp;A few years ago, I wrote an article with the New York Daily News asking, "Why are we not critiquing white athletes?" Whether it&rsquo;s Tom Brady with the Trump hat in his locker or Brett Favre posing in a picture with him on the golf course, where were those same reporters who pressed Kyrie then? Where were the pointed questions that we are seeing repeatedly with Kyrie? So if we are going to have a media that is critiquing athletes the way they are with Kyrie, ok that&rsquo;s fine, but let&rsquo;s do it with the white athletes too.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Thomas: So, how can Kyrie navigate through this? Because it seems like the media is going to continue to press him on topics where they&rsquo;re almost trying to play GOTCHA with him. He has to meet with the media, or he&rsquo;ll get fined. So should he just keep repeating the phrase, "Can you please only ask me basketball questions?" Or do the Marshawn Lynch ("I&rsquo;m just here so I won&rsquo;t get fined")?</div>
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<div>Modiano: I&rsquo;ll tell you what, I thought he turned the Thanksgiving question on its head pretty nicely. I thought it was brilliant how he navigated that. He ended positively, he wished everyone a happy holiday, and he did it with a smile, but he also made the point clear: I&rsquo;m not personally celebrating Thanksgiving. And I think that&rsquo;s great because it now brings the much larger discussion that is not going on about the actual history of Thanksgiving and the treatment of indigenous people of this country, so I thought he navigated that question brilliantly.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Thomas: But do you think the media was again trying to pick at him? I tweeted about this and it got a very strong response. Anyone who has been even remotely following the NBA knows about Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s connection to his Native American heritage. When I saw that, I was like, "Are they just trolling Kyrie now?" They could&rsquo;ve asked any other player on the team that, but they ask him in particular? I just don&rsquo;t think they would&rsquo;ve asked Deni Avdija (the Washington Wizards forward who is Jewish) if he would like to wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas; I just personally don&rsquo;t think they would.&nbsp;</div>
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They know Kyrie Irving doesn&rsquo;t celebrate Thanksgiving and they know exactly why because he has explained his connection to his Native American heritage and the celebrated slaughter of his people. The media is being very intentional right now with Kyrie <a href="https://t.co/RCKWhaJn0I">https://t.co/RCKWhaJn0I</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1595784312359624707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div>Modiano: So, I&rsquo;m leaning toward what you&rsquo;re saying. I don&rsquo;t know who the particular reporter was, I don&rsquo;t know the history, and we have to look at media collectively, not just this one person.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Thomas: Oh yeah, it wasn&rsquo;t particular to Meghan Triplett, the Nets new sideline reporter; I wasn&rsquo;t saying that. I was just using this one instance as yet another example, not her in particular. &nbsp;</div>
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<div>Modiano: Right, but I think collectively, it&rsquo;s no question the media has a double standard with Kyrie. It&rsquo;s abundantly clear. So I&rsquo;ll say it like this: I can&rsquo;t say definitively that it&rsquo;s a racial double standard, but I will say that it&rsquo;s worthy of an investigation of a possibly racial double standard. And it&rsquo;s not just Kyrie, there has been a racial double standard historically with Black athletes for decades.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Thomas: So let me ask you this: People like Shaq and Charles Barkley were very direct with their critique of Kyrie. I actually tweeted about this as well.&nbsp;</div>
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Immediately they got <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CharlesBarkley?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CharlesBarkley</a> to go live and condemn <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KyrieIrving?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KyrieIrving</a> and I know he hadn&rsquo;t actually watched <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HebrewsToNegroes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HebrewsToNegroes</a> to even know what he was talking about. But Barkley is one of the go to Black Media used to condemn Black People and it&rsquo;s sad<a href="https://t.co/58aGoedJo8">https://t.co/58aGoedJo8</a> <a href="https://t.co/XC1kdKqKXi">pic.twitter.com/XC1kdKqKXi</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1595022874901090311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div>Modiano: I&rsquo;m telling you, you&rsquo;ve been on it on social media. And your interviews have been great too. Different perspectives. You even got a Rabbi! I haven&rsquo;t seen anyone go to the length to actually sit down with a Rabbi and discuss this.</div>
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<div>Thomas: (Laughing) Well, there&rsquo;s been a lot to cover, but it seems like people like Charles Barkley and those of his ilk are just not willing to move past it. He brought it up again last night, saying he was disappointed that more NBA players didn&rsquo;t come out and speak against him. I&rsquo;m just like... he has apologized, served his suspension, went through the entire ridiculous six-step criteria they laid out for him, met with Adam Silver, met with Joe Tsai, and they all gave him the stamp of approval that he is not anti-semitic (although he never said anything out of his mouth that was anti-semitic). He went through all of those steps, so how long will it be before the media as a collective whole stops trolling him?&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Modiano: My response to the many problematic things that come out of Charles Barkley&rsquo;s mouth is: Why is he being uplifted as this voice of Black America or something? I remember a few years ago, CNN did this series called Race In America, led by Charles Barkley. What qualified him to lead that series?&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Thomas: They could&rsquo;ve gotten Craig Hodges, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Colin Kaepernick, John Carlos, Tommie Smith or if they wanted contemporary athletes, they could&rsquo;ve gotten LeBron James, Eric Reid, Jaylen Brown, the Olympian Gwen Berry, Swin Cash... There are so many combinations of athlete activists they could&rsquo;ve gotten. And I interviewed most of them in my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Matter-Athletes-Activism-Sports/dp/1617755915/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=66c9a448-2d15-42b5-ad8b-555bf1229604" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"We Matter: Athletes And Activism.&rdquo;&nbsp;</a></div>
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<div>Modiano: Right, but they didn&rsquo;t want any of them, they wanted Charles Barkley. Why? The same reason he was on CNN being the spokesperson of Black America, which I believe you tweeted about too.</div>
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<div>Thomas: Yes, <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1594710024969912322?s=46&amp;t=DudNOqBBO4hPI-A58FFLUg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I did actually.</a>&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Modiano: I told you, you&rsquo;ve been on it! (laughing) But why Charles Barkley? Because they know what his position will be on the topic, so it doesn&rsquo;t matter that he doesn&rsquo;t have a rich history of social justice like all the athletes you mentioned before and interviewed in your book. They like the positions he takes so that will trump his actual qualifications. Same with Herschel Walker. But just think about it, they don&rsquo;t do that with white athletes; they don&rsquo;t turn them into the spokespersons for white America on race relations. Anybody know where Larry Bird stands on anything? Kevin McHale? Dirk? Jerry West? Chris Mullin? We have to question these networks who continue to put the mic in Charles Barkley&rsquo;s face but at the same time, we know the answer. It&rsquo;s because he is saying what they want to hear a Black person say. Anti-Black is anti Black whether it&rsquo;s on Fox News, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Jason Whitlock or Charles Barkley.</div>
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<div>Thomas: So basically, a lot of people in the media are pawns like Kyrie said&hellip; You don&rsquo;t have to answer that. Like you said, we already know the answer.</div>
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<div>Check out these related episodes of "The Rematch."</div>
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<div>Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf:</div>
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<div>Rabbi Harry Rozenberg:</div>
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<div>Dave Zirin:</div>
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Has the media treated Kyrie Irving fairly? Etan Thomas sits down with journalist Chuck Modiano to discuss the coverage of Irving.

How long will the media continue to troll Kyrie Irving?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Zed Key had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double, Brice Sensabaugh scored 14 points and Ohio State beat Charleston Southern 82-56 on Thursday night.
Key secured a double-double in the first half with 13 points and 10 rebounds to help Ohio State build a 46-22 lead. Charleston Southern was just 9-of-31 shooting in the opening half, including 1 of 11 from 3-point range.
Ohio State had a stretch in the second half of 17 straight points scored by freshmen to make it 74-47.
Sean McNeil added 13 points and Justice Sueing had 11 points for Ohio State (2-0). The Buckeyes controlled the glass 47-28 and shot 51.7%.
Sueing, who played just two games last season because of an abdominal injury, Key and Eugene Brown III are three of the four returning Buckeyes that went 20-12 (12-8 Big Ten) last season before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by second-seeded Villanova.
Tahlik Chavez scored 13 points, Claudell Harris Jr. added 12 points, Taje&rsquo; Kelly had 11 for Charleston Southern (1-1).
Ohio State plays Eastern Illinois on Wednesday, followed by games against No. 19 San Diego State and No. 7 Duke.

Zed Key had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double, and Brice Sensabaugh scored 14 points.

Key’s double-double powers Ohio St. past Charleston Southern

Portland didn't call time. Josh Hart called game.
Hart&rsquo;s 3-pointer as time expired off a pass from Damian Lillard gave the Trail Blazers a 110-107 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night, capping a perfect offensive finish from Portland.
The Blazers trailed for most of the final three quarters, then went 8 for 8 from the floor in the game's last 6:07.
&ldquo;It's good to have games like this, especially early in the season, that are close games that come down to the wire and force you to execute," Hart said.
Execution was no issue for the Blazers. They shot 13 for 17 in the fourth quarter, the second-best final 12 minutes by any NBA team so far this season. Only New Orleans &mdash; 14 for 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 30 &mdash; had a better fourth quarter.
Anfernee Simons scored 25 for Portland, Jerami Grant added 23 and Lillard finished with 19 points in his first game back after a four-game absence with a right calf strain. Hart and Justice Winslow each scored 12.
Hart's buzzer-beater capped a wild final few moments. Max Strus made a 3-pointer for Miami with 6.2 seconds remaining to tie the game. The Trail Blazers opted not to call timeout and Lillard dribbled most of the way downcourt before finding Hart in the left corner near the Heat bench.
Hart hit the shot, and the Blazers ran off their bench to chase him in celebration.
&ldquo;I saw Josh waving his hands," said Lillard, who was thinking he'd take the shot before seeing Hart. &ldquo;Easy play."
At 7-3, Portland is off to its best start since 2018-19.
&ldquo;Dame made a great pass and Josh made a great shot,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said.
Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Strus all had 16 for Miami. The Heat (4-7) got 15 from Lowry and Gabe Vincent, and 10 apiece from Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon.
Simons was called for fouling Adebayo with 10.2 seconds left, but the Blazers argued that the Heat center actually was guilty of using his arm to hook Simons on the play. After review, the referees agreed and gave Portland the ball.
Simons made two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to push the lead to three before Strus tied it. And then Hart ended it.
&ldquo;Lillard and Simons were terrific in creating those triggers," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They made a ton of timely plays in that fourth quarter. It felt like we could not get a stop."
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Portland snapped a four-game losing streak to Miami and hasn&rsquo;t lost consecutive games yet this season. ... The Blazers lost the lead with 10:39 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Duncan Robinson, and trailed for the next 32:17 until Lillard tied the game with 2:20 left.
Heat: It was the 2,999th game in Heat history, including playoffs. ... Tyler Herro (sprained left ankle) and Udonis Haslem (personal reasons) were out, joining the still-sidelined Victor Oladipo (left knee) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle). ... It was the start of a four-game homestand for Miami. The Heat won&rsquo;t have another one of those until late December.
SHOOT IT
Robinson&rsquo;s first 3-pointer on Monday was the 400th of his career, including playoffs, at FTX Arena. Mario Chalmers has the arena record with 418. Robinson now has 402.
SCHEDULE QUIRK
The Heat and Blazers played four times in 2022; last season&rsquo;s two meetings were in January. The only other time Miami and Portland had four games in the same calendar year was 1989.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Visit Charlotte on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Charlotte on Thursday.

The Blazers trailed for most of the final three quarters, then went 8 for 8 from the floor in the game's last 6:07.

Hart hits three at buzzer to give Blazers 110-107 win over Heat

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:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_08_11_01_36_44.png" alt="" width="578" height="325" />
"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:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_08_11_01_39_40.png" alt="" width="578" height="325" />
"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

International players have been dominating the NBA in recent years.
An American-born player hasn&rsquo;t won the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award since the 2017-18 season (thanks to Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo). This streak will likely continue this year, as the MVP frontrunners are Joel Embiid (-120), Jokić (+260) and Antetokounmpo (+600).
Every Defensive Player of the Year award since 2016-17 has gone to an international player too (with Rudy Gobert winning three and Antetokoumpo winning once). This year, oddsmakers once again see this as a two-man race between Gobert (-145) and Antetokounmpo (+440).
A record six international players were named to an All-NBA Team last year: Antetokounmpo (All-NBA First Team), Jokić (All-NBA First Team), Luka Dončić (All-NBA First Team), Embiid (All-NBA Second Team), Gobert (All-NBA Third Team) and Kyrie Irving (All-NBA Third Team).
This year&rsquo;s All-Star Game featured six international players (including a record-tying four starters): Antetokounmpo, Jokić, Embiid, Dončić, Gobert and Andrew Wiggins. Overall, All-Star Weekend included 15 international players from 12 different countries.
Opening-night rosters around the NBA featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries &mdash; the eighth-consecutive season with at least 100 international players across NBA rosters.
BasketballNews.com caught up with NBA Vice President and Head of International Basketball Development Troy Justice to discuss the growing impact that international players are having on the NBA, how much easier it is for foreign players to get discovered today, how today&rsquo;s international stars have helped the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts and more.
Many of today's international players say that they fell in love with basketball after watching past international stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash among others. How excited are you to see what kind of impact Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić and so on will have on the next generation over the next 10-20 years?
Troy Justice: &ldquo;Great question. And I'll tip this off by just going back through the history of international players in the NBA. Thirty years ago, when we really started digging in and investing in the international landscape from the NBA side, there were only 23 international players. Now, we have 121. [That&rsquo;s] incredible growth over that period of time. And to be real honest, I think we're only scratching the surface in terms of not only talent identification but just the development of the game globally. So, it's amazing.
&ldquo;What I would say is that it goes back to our mission statement for the NBA. I don't know if you've heard our new mission statement, but it's, &lsquo;To inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.&rsquo; That's exactly what's happening. The next generation watched the previous generation and because of that, they said, &lsquo;I can do it!&rsquo; Like, &lsquo;Somebody else has done it, and look where they came from, look at their path, and nothing can hold me back. If I put my mind to it and work hard, I can do it too.&rsquo; And so that inspiration is what I think has created this legacy and also this new amazing level of stars that we're experiencing. We're really at an all-time high from an international perspective.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve talked to some executives about how difficult it used to be to scout international talent, and how some foreign players were even drafted sight unseen. How much easier is it for international players to be discovered now compared to 20-30 years ago?
Justice: &ldquo;Well, that landscape has completely changed. First of all, it's the 20-year anniversary of the Basketball Without Borders program that we, as the NBA, run all around the world for the top talented players. All of the NBA scouts attend our four summer camps and our Basketball Without Borders global camp during All-Star. They're all in attendance and scouting because they know that we have the best of the best and five different opportunities for data points for them. And we bring them all to one place, so they don't have to travel all over the world. So, it's more convenient for them. We do that work for them in a lot of ways in creating these platforms and programs. And then, of course, with the launch of our NBA Academy program, we're bringing players like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels to our NBA Academy games or the G League Showcase or other events where the pro scouts can also see them here on U.S. turf, domestically, so they're not traveling all over the world. Those types of things are just making it more convenient.&rdquo;
When you&rsquo;re seeing NBA Academy alumni like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels thriving and participating in All-Star Weekend, that has to be the best feeling.
Justice: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing journey that they&rsquo;re on. For us, it's rewarding because we see their dreams come true, and that's what we're all about. Our job is to create pathways and develop programs and provide everything that they need to succeed, and they just have to work hard and grab hold of it and take the teaching. And it's paying off, We're seeing that now. And there's a whole bunch coming behind them. I think with Basketball Without Borders, we have over 94 former campers who have been drafted or [signed as] free agents. Honestly, it either gives me chills or I tear up, if you really want to know the truth.
&ldquo;But because we're investing in them early, they come more prepared than ever. I think that's why we're seeing Josh Giddey doing what he's doing as a rookie. People were very surprised when he went No. 6 in the draft, so great job by OKC on the scouting and on the pick. But I think you can see the proof point now that when you're in the NBA system and in the NBA family early, you're way more prepared than you would be otherwise. And so it's just a testament to the great work by all the people who have been a part of their journey.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gidde_lg.jpg" alt="" width="717" height="377" />
With many international players dominating, I&rsquo;ve heard fans wonder: Is there something that international players are doing that American-born prospects aren&rsquo;t? How does an international prospect&rsquo;s path and development differ from an American player&rsquo;s path? &nbsp; &nbsp;
Justice: &ldquo;One thing I'll mention and this is an international concept: For example, in Africa, there&rsquo;s a saying, &lsquo;In the jungle, it's the hungry lion that hunts best.&rsquo; And I really think it's the concept of really having to come in and prove yourself. There's humility, No. 1. There is a desire and hunger. So the work ethic is very strong &mdash; and I'm not saying the domestic players [don&rsquo;t work hard], I'm not speaking negatively about them, but I'm just speaking directly to the characteristics I see in international players. You know, the work ethic, the desire. And I would say they are incredible learners, very humble in the way they approach it. So they're great listeners, they take coaching very well in the sense that it immediately translates into change and improvement in their game &mdash; from IQ to skillset.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And then finally, you typically see that they're really great team players. They're team-first players, with very little ego usually and they&rsquo;re very professional in their approach. Also, I would say that they're family oriented and community oriented. A lot of them come from places where this core value that sits within them allows them to not be self-focused or self-centered, but to be other-focused. And I think that allows them to be great teammates.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve heard international players talk about how they grew up playing other sports (like soccer), whereas American players often hone in on one sport because they want to get a scholarship or go pro. Do you think the fact that international players have played multiple sports helps them in terms of their development and skillset?
Justice: &ldquo;Yes, 100%. That's one of the things that we recommend globally as part of our Jr. NBA global curriculum that we use around the world. When we developed that, we put together documentation on this with the experts in the field and multi-sport at a younger age, without sports specialization, allows an athlete to excel further in the future &mdash; no matter which sport they choose. So this is not just an idea, this is stuff that experts study; it's stuff that's real. And so there's no doubt about it.&rdquo;
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One of my favorite things about international players thriving is that the misconceptions and stereotypes about these players have been disproven and they&rsquo;ve largely disappeared. They were always really unfair, but how nice is it to see those ridiculous stereotypes &mdash; like &ldquo;they&rsquo;re soft&rdquo; or &ldquo;they don&rsquo;t really love basketball&rdquo; &mdash; go away?
Justice: &ldquo;You are right on there. When you have Giannis and Jokić and Joel, I mean&hellip; come on! That just erases all of that. Because when your top players are your hardest workers&hellip; I mean, look at Giannis and how hard he plays night in and night out. And to do that, you know he had to work hard. He had to work hard to become a Most Improved Player and to get to that level. When the fans and sportswriters see that, it's real. That's reality TV, and they're seeing his growth right in front of them! And that's definitely a pattern we're seeing. So I'm so glad that the stereotypes have changed.
&nbsp;&ldquo;And these are young stars! What's amazing is these MVPs are not veteran players. These are young, talented players. When you are looking at the 121 international players, I mean, a large majority of them are young, hungry, growing players who are learning and reaching new heights. And so you're gonna see [a lot more from] guys like Giddey. I mean, he's got three triple-doubles, and he&rsquo;s the youngest player to have those three triple-doubles; he's gonna have a lot more in his career. That&rsquo;s for sure.&rdquo;
You mentioned that we&rsquo;re just scratching the service in terms of international players dominating the NBA. What are some of your goals going forward?
Justice: &ldquo;I would start by saying that we're currently working in 145 countries as of this last year with all of our programs. And these programs are grassroots through Elite. So we're working with young players and we're working with coaches around the world &mdash; we're training coaches and we're training and developing players at the age of 10-and-up through our Jr. NBA program and then our NBA Basketball School program and our Basketball Without Borders program and our academies. So we've created a global basketball ecosystem in partnership with FIBA and federations around the world to say, &lsquo;Let's all work together for the greater good of the growth of the game, and all boats will rise together.&rsquo; And that's really what's been taking place. And then in the future, we're going to expand all these programs. We're looking to go to 160 countries this year, with a goal to go up to 170 countries. And so we're just going to keep growing and expanding, and doing what we do even better and doing more of it.&rdquo;
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In Australia, Patty Mills had the top-selling NBA jersey and Josh Giddey was No. 4 (trailing only Mills, Stephen Curry and LeBron James). When so many international players are thriving, how does that help the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts and worldwide popularity?
Justice: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible because you see these fans coming [to games] with their flags flying. Even here at All-Star, I think Luka's going to be very popular because I know that there's a large community here from Slovenia. Wherever these stars go, not only do they attract global fans, but in particular, fans from their home country. And many of these players, if not all of them, are going back to their home countries in the offseason to give back &mdash; whether it's running their camps or refurbishing courts or providing training or giving shoes. Whatever it is, they're doing a lot to put back into the game because they realize what others have done to help them, so they're looking to help others on that journey. That's just kind of part of the culture and the ecosystem and that give-back stuff is like compounding interest that we're experiencing together.
&ldquo;We are so proud of these international players and how they are representing themselves and their countries and their teams and their league. These are really incredible people who are making a real difference. And not only are they having these tremendous careers, they&rsquo;re doing a lot of great things off the court to grow the game globally and give back. We often talk about their stats and awards, but they are also tremendous global citizens who are using this platform for a lot of the right reasons, and we&rsquo;re very excited about them and for what the future holds.&rdquo;
You and your team have also helped develop many young women through Basketball Without Borders and the NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Program. Can you share some details about those efforts?
Justice: &ldquo;This is a huge focus area for us, a real area of passion, and something that we really work hard at. I just met with our women&rsquo;s Elite team this morning and they briefed me that we now have over 60 athletes from around the world that we have placed in U.S. prep schools and U.S. colleges, including some at the highest levels like at South Carolina and Connecticut. We have women in our program internationally that are at the highest levels competing. And then Han Xu from China was our first women&rsquo;s Academy player to be drafted into the WNBA, so there&rsquo;s a lot of work we&rsquo;re doing on that side too.&rdquo;
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Troy Justice, the NBA's Head of International Basketball Development, discusses the NBA's recent international takeover.

An inside look at how international players are taking over the NBA

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-sixers-and-nuggets-on-come-up-nets-sliding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics (thanks to their dominant defense) are three of the big climbers this week, while the Nets continue to head in the wrong direction.
1. Phoenix Suns (44-10) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
Despite posting the NBA's best record, the Suns are reportedly looking to upgrade their roster. <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-james-harden-ben-simmons-caris-levert-collin-sexton-malik-beasley-thaddeus-young/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype</a>, Phoenix is one of two teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves being the other) that have expressed interest in trading for San Antonio Spurs veteran Thaddeus Young.
2. Golden State Warriors (41-13) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
It appears Klay Thompson is finding his groove, which is bad news for the rest of the NBA. Klay has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games and is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.6 made treys (while shooting 42.9% from downtown) over his last five contests. &nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (38-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
The Grizz just keep on winning. They've won 6 of their last 7 games and 19 of their previous 23. Memphis has not lost consecutive contests since before Christmas. Over their last 20 games, Ja Morant is averaging 29.9 points (while shooting over 51% from the floor), 6.7 dimes, 6.3 assists, 1.6 made triples and 1.1 steals. Those are jaw-dropping numbers for any player, let alone a 22-year-old kid in just his third pro season.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
Interesting statistical factoid from the Bucks 137-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. In that game, Milwaukee became the first team in NBA history to have each member of its starting lineup score at least 15 points, grab at least 5 rebounds and knock down at least 2 three-pointers.
5. Miami Heat (35-20) &harr;️ Last Week: 5
When the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, Miami clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through the end of last week, which means Erik Spoelstra and his staff will head to Cleveland later this month to coach Team Durant in the All-Star Game.
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6. Chicago Bulls (33-21) &harr;️ Last Week: 6
The Bulls, playing without two of their best perimeter defenders in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, have lost 3 of their last 4. However, after playing Wednesday in Charlotte, Chicago begins a six-game homestand that wraps around All-Star weekend. Following the matchup with the Hornets, the Bulls don't play on the road again until Feb. 28.&nbsp;
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The Cavs acquired Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for injured point guard Ricky Rubio and three draft picks over the weekend. "Very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience," Cleveland president Koby Altman told reporters. "LeVert fits uniquely into our culture, and his Ohio roots bring an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster." It's an excellent addition for the Cavs to supply them with the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reaction-caris-levert-fills-blended-need-for-cavs-as-pacers-reset" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scoring wing they were looking for</a>, making Cleveland that much scarier come playoff time. LeVert is expected to be active for Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
8. Philadelphia 76ers (32-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 4
The Sixers are 10 games over .500 and Joel Embiid is doing much of the heavy lifting. Over his last 10 games, the big man is averaging 36.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In the process, he may have established himself as the odds-on favorite to take home the MVP award entering the All-Star break. &nbsp;
9. Dallas Mavericks (32-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Reggie Bullock tallied 22 points (on 8 of 14 shooting with 6 made three-pointers), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. He's been a big part of the Mavs success of late. Over Dallas' past seven games, Bullock is averaging 17.9 points (while shooting 50.0% from the floor), 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 treys, 1.3 steals and just 0.6 turnovers.
10. Utah Jazz (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Donovan Mitchell sealed the win for the <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahjazz</a> with 3 fourth-quarter steals, after GOING OFF for 21 points in the first half! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeNote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TakeNote</a> 🕷 <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a>: 32 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL <a href="https://t.co/IiPsFfYDIu">pic.twitter.com/IiPsFfYDIu</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490927965319970816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Donovan Mitchell racked up 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in Utah's victory over the Knicks on Monday night. Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) did not play in the win, but the Jazz are hoping he is cleared to return to the action later this week. They also just acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a three-team deal</a> to add some youth (and depth) to their backcourt.
11. Denver Nuggets (30-24) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
Nikola Jokic was at it again Sunday, registering another triple-double in Denver's 124-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Joker finished with 27 points (on 12 of 15 shooting), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and just 2 turnovers in only 30 minutes. This one (his NBA-leading 14th triple-double) was notable because it was the second time in Jokic's career he's recorded a 25-point triple-double while also shooting above 80% from the floor. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history with more than one such game.
12. Toronto Raptors (29-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
The Raptors, who are currently riding a six-game winning streak, have discussed a trade that would send Goran Dragic (and his $18 million expiring contract) to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>.
13. Boston Celtics (31-25)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Celtics have posted a 13-4 record dating back to New Year's Eve, and it's their defense that has turned Boston's season around. Over this 17-game stretch, the C's are allowing just 101.5 points per 100 possessions. To put that number in context: No team in the NBA other than Boston is allowing fewer than 106.5 points per 100 possessions over the past six weeks. Boston ranks first in Net Rating in 2022 as well. As usual, Marcus Smart has led the charge (pun intended) on the defensive front. He leads his team in pass deflections (64 more than any other Celtic) and charges drawn.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-25) ⬆️ Last Week: 17
In the 18 games this season in which Minnesota has been able to roll out its preferred starting five of D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley, the Wolves are 13-5.
15. Brooklyn Nets (29-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Nets have lost nine straight games. They are 12 games under .500 dating back to late December. Kevin Durant is still weeks away from returning to action after spraining the medial collateral in his left knee last month. James Harden looks puffy and is nursing a hamstring injury. Joe Harris suffered a setback in his recovery from left ankle surgery in late January and reportedly could need a second surgery. Of the 27 games remaining on the Nets schedule, 14 of them are on the road. However, four of those contests are against either the New York Knicks or Raptors, which means Irving will only be able to suit up for (at most) 10 games. But, yeah, other than that, everything is all good in Brooklyn.&nbsp;
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16. Charlotte Hornets (28-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> this week that the Hornets are one of several teams that have expressed interest in Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl. The Bulls and Raps have also been rumored to be interested in Poeltl.
17. Atlanta Hawks (26-28) ⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Hawks were just 1-3 in their previous four games prior to Tuesday (although that one win was impressive &mdash; a victory at home over the Suns last Thursday, which snapped their 11-game winning streak). Atlanta took advantage of a reeling Indiana Pacers squad Tuesday night, beating them 133-112.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (26-29) &harr;️ Last Week: 18
Over the Lakers' last four games, Russell Westbrook is shooting a putrid 27.5% from the floor, 15.4% from downtown and 55.0% from the charity stripe. Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over the Knicks, when Westbrook was alone with the ball in the corner, the home crowd shouted at him not to shoot. When New York forced overtime, head coach Frank Vogel benched Russ for Talen Horton-Tucker. Westbrook was also benched for the final 14 minutes in Tuesday&rsquo;s loss to the Bucks. Will the Lakers admit they made a mistake before the deadline and reroute Russ out of Los Angeles?
19. New Orleans Pelicans (22-32) ⬆️ Last Week: 23
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🔥 Brandon Ingram WENT OFF for 17 points in the 3rd quarter on his way to 33 points and the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> win! <a href="https://twitter.com/B_Ingram13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@B_Ingram13</a>: 33 PTS, 12 AST, 3 STL <a href="https://t.co/3uT1ocPpgg">pic.twitter.com/3uT1ocPpgg</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490683017949552641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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New Orleans, who won just one of their first 13 games this season, is now riding a four-game winning streak and has jumped up into 10th place in the Western Conference. And on Tuesday, the team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-pelicans-pushing-chips-in-on-cj-mccollum-was-a-wise-investment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added a stud scorer to its roster</a>. The Pels acquired CJ McCollum along with Larry Nance and Tony Snell from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jason Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada and draft compensation. I love this deal for New Orleans.&nbsp;
20. Los Angeles Clippers (27-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 19
Last week, the Clippers made a shrewd trade, sending Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a second-round pick to the Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. It will help not only help them make a playoff push this year, but will also <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-why-the-blazersclippers-deal-works-for-both-sides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">round out their roster next season</a> when they can count on both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George returning to full strength. Powell looked great in his Clippers' debut on Sunday, tallying 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting in just 24 minutes. He followed that up with a 16-point night in a lopsided loss to the Grizz.
21. Washington Wizards (24-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
After the 2021-22 season started with plenty of promise, the Wiz have lost 8 of 9 heading into Thursday's matchup with the Nets. They will likely look to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-spencer-dinwiddie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade the struggling Spencer Dinwiddie</a> before the deadline arrives.&nbsp;
22. New York Knicks (24-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 21
New York has lost 10 of its last 12 games, but Mitchell Robinson had been playing some of the best basketball of his career before sitting out Tuesday's loss due to a back injury. Over the last month, Mitch Rob is averaging 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. During this stretch, the only other players in the NBA also averaging double-digit points and rebounds to go along with at least 1.4 blocks are Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
23. San Antonio Spurs (20-34) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
Spurs fans learned Monday that Dejounte Murray will make his NBA All-Star Game debut after being named an injury replacement by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Murray is averaging 19.6 points, 9.2 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals this season, and has a chance to become just the third player ever to average at least 8 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals per game over an entire season.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (20-36) ⬆️ Last Week: 26
The Kings shook up the league Tuesday afternoon, trading Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick. It is stunning that Sacaremto would part ways with Haliburton. The 21-year-old has exceeded all expectations since being drafted in 2020. He is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 5 assists and 2 made three-pointers per game while shooting over 40% from downtown in each of his first two pro seasons. (The only player to have accomplished this feat is Stephen Curry.)
25. Portland Trail Blazers (21-34) ⬇️ Last Week: 22
The Blazers made waves on Tuesday, trading away former franchise cornerstone CJ McCollum. It continued on Wednesday afternoon, as Portland rerouted Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Utah for Joe Ingles' expiring $14 million deal in a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-team trade</a>. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that "Portland plans to fully reshape the roster around Damian Lillard now... the plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat." The team's also created a ton of cap space in the process and has a $21 million trade exception at its disposal.
26. Indiana Pacers (19-37) ⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Pacers, who are just 5-18 since Christmas, began breaking down their roster by trading Caris LeVert to the Cavs on Sunday, and then <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-exit-blockbuster-trade-with-kings-as-huge-winners-thanks-to-tyrese-haliburton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shipped off Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento</a>, as noted above. As our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-interested-in-trading-for-myles-turner-pacers-may-keep-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy reported</a>, Myles Turner is "a big fan of Tyrese Haliburton's game and is excited about the possibility of playing with the young guard." It appears Turner may stay in Indiana.
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27. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-36) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
The Thunder lost to the Warriors on Monday night, but Luguentz Dort had another strong outing, tallying 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. In the three games OKC has played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort is averaging 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 three-balls.
28. Houston Rockets (15-39) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Rockets would love to join this week's wheeling and dealing by exchanging veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon for draft capital. We'll see if they find a willing trade partner.&nbsp;
29. Orlando Magic (13-43) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
We know the Magic hope to flip Terrence Ross and Gary Harris in exchange for draft picks before Thursday's deadline. The question is whether they will also look to deal big man Mo Bamba. After struggling over his first three years in the NBA, Bamba is posting career-highs across the board this season. However, Orlando inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension back in October. The Magic are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Bamba, who has a $10.1 million qualifying offer for 2022-23 and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
30. Detroit Pistons (12-42) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
Killian Hayes has played a bit better of late, but he has failed to live up to expectations since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, Hayes is one of only two players in the NBA logging more than 20 minutes per game yet shooting below 38% from the floor and averaging fewer than 10 points per contest. For his career, he is just 50-of-179 from downtown (27.9%)... The Pistons have lost 9 of their last 10 contests.
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Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Bucks back into top tier, Mavs vault into top-10

In 2021, &ldquo;NBA&rdquo; was the No. 1 trending Google search in the United States, beating out &ldquo;Squid Game,&rdquo; &ldquo;Mega Millions&rdquo; and &ldquo;stimulus check&rdquo; among other top searches. &ldquo;NBA&rdquo; also fared well globally, ranking as Google&rsquo;s No. 4 trending search worldwide.
Kevin Esteves, the NBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of digital strategy and analytics, did a double take when Google released this <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/yis/2021/US/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> a few weeks ago.
&ldquo;I read it a few times just to make sure I understood what they were capturing and measuring,&rdquo; Esteves told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an incredible stat. In a year like 2021 &mdash; with all of the news and trending searches that would&rsquo;ve been in contention for the No. 1 spot &mdash; for the NBA to occupy that top spot, I think it&rsquo;s just a testament to the health of the brand and how exciting the league has been over the last few years. It&rsquo;s an incredible brand-health metric for us, but I think it also speaks to how the NBA is more than just a basketball league; it kind of infiltrates the conversation across culture, music, fashion and social justice.&rdquo;
The NBA has always had an excellent online presence, but 2021 was perhaps the league&rsquo;s most impressive year to date.
Last year, the NBA was the most-viewed and most-engaged pro-sports-league account on social media, driving 24 billion views and 2.3 billion engagements across all platforms. Also, the NBA added 18 million followers across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook combined last year &mdash; the most of any U.S. pro sports league.
&ldquo;What&rsquo;s really been our guiding philosophy throughout is we&rsquo;ve tried to be a first-mover on all of these platforms, and in many cases, we were the first sports-league account on the platform,&rdquo; Esteves explained. &ldquo;Then, it&rsquo;s about optimizing content for the platform that we&rsquo;re on &mdash; not just spraying the same piece of content across all of our platforms, but really optimizing for each platform, nurturing that fan base and giving them exactly what they want. That&rsquo;s sort of been key in our recipe for success.&rdquo;
In addition to growing its following on the larger platforms like Instagram and Twitter, the NBA also had a number of successful live activations on Twitch and TikTok among others. Even the way the league embraced Clubhouse during the height of its popularity &mdash; with regularly scheduled Watch Parties &mdash; is indicative of this philosophy.
&ldquo;I think a lot of brands can be hesitant around new platforms as they&rsquo;re emerging because they aren&rsquo;t sure if the ROI is there, or they&rsquo;re not sure exactly how it ladders up to their overall company objective,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;When you think about social media when it first started, a lot of brands were in the business of driving people back to their website or other offerings, whereas I think we&rsquo;ve always had the directive from our executives to optimize for the platform we&rsquo;re on and nurture engagement there.
&ldquo;At first, it was a very big marketing platform for us, but now, social drives just about every business objective that we have. But I don&rsquo;t think we could have achieved that if we were thinking that our first post on each platform had to drive 10 of our business objectives. We had to nurture engagement on those platforms to then be able to capitalize in the long-term. I think we benefited from that approach. Globally, I think you&rsquo;re starting to see more and more sports leagues embrace a similar approach, being on multiple platforms and [creating specific] content that they make available on those platforms to engage fans and ultimately increase the reach of the sport.&rdquo;
The NBA currently has the most followers of any pro-sports-league account on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nba/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> (63.1 million), <a href="https://twitter.com/nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;(35.9 million), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a> (17.7 million) and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nba?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> (14.2 million). In comparison, the NFL has just 22.7 million Instagram followers, 28.3 million Twitter followers, 8.7 million YouTube subscribers and 7.4 million TikTok followers.
A big part of Esteves&rsquo; job is trying to turn those followers into regular viewers. He describes this as &ldquo;a pivotal challenge and opportunity.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We believe that social [media] is a driver of awareness and reach, and that it can complement and increase linear viewership,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;We know that there are such avid communities, whether it&rsquo;s the #NBATwitter community or the communities that we have on YouTube, Reddit, you name it. They are among the most vibrant social communities on each platform, and we believe that it&rsquo;s a complementary offering. It&rsquo;s long been our strategy to drive awareness through social.
"For a game like Klay Thompson&rsquo;s return, we had a live social producer on hand to capture Klay&rsquo;s arrival, his warm-up routine, him coming out of the locker room and just all of that context. For all of our biggest nationally televised games, we&rsquo;re making it appointment-style viewing. We know that fans on social are inundated with content. You see the trends on a platform like TikTok, where seemingly anyone can go viral now with content that they just captured on their phone.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much content saturation out there right now, so you really have to break through the noise, and we&rsquo;ve found that the best way to do that is to be authentic and provide access that nobody else can. Before tip-off of Klay&rsquo;s return, we had a video of Klay running right up to the stanchion and he jumps into the camera. There&rsquo;s no way you can get closer than that! And we&rsquo;ve always felt that is important.
"Something that [Commissioner] Adam Silver always says is, &lsquo;Ninety-nine percent of our fans never get to attend a game live.&rsquo; So how do we use social to bring the game courtside and make them feel like they&rsquo;re actually there? We feel like that&rsquo;s a critical bridge between social and TV tune-in, creating those authentic relationships and providing the context for why this is such a big game or matchup. We use social to do that storytelling.&rdquo;
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Having a live social producer on hand for Thompson&rsquo;s return paid off, as the NBA&rsquo;s Instagram generated 103 million views &mdash; &nbsp;the most-viewed regular-season day in the account&rsquo;s history. Klay-specific content generated more than 110 million views across the NBA&rsquo;s socials, making Thompson&rsquo;s return the most-viewed regular-season moment ever. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CYiCTLxLOFE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Video of Thompson&rsquo;s pregame introduction</a> received 22.3 million views, which is the NBA&rsquo;s second-most-viewed Instagram video of all-time.
It translated to linear viewership too. On NBA TV, the game averaged 844,000 viewers, making it the league's most-viewed regular-season game since 2016. Locally, NBC Sports Bay Area had a 12.7 household rating, the network's highest-rated regular-season game since 2016.
The NBA is terrific at creating these moments that get everyone talking. During the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, the league&rsquo;s Instagram account generated more than 139 million views &mdash; the most of any account on the platform that day. The NBA&rsquo;s IG also racked up the most views of any account when Stephen Curry broke the NBA&rsquo;s all-time three-point record, generating 63 million views in 24 hours.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
And thanks to the super active and passionate community on #NBATwitter, it&rsquo;s not uncommon to see multiple players and teams trending on Twitter whenever something notable happens in the NBA. Several years ago, I asked Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey about the rise of #NBATwitter and how it became one of the most-engaged communities on the platform.
&ldquo;I think the first reason it&rsquo;s become so strong is the league&rsquo;s acceptance of it. And not just acceptance, but usage of it,&rdquo; Dorsey <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/08/26/cofounder-ceo-tweet-twitter-edit-nba-warriors-jack-dorsey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a>. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a very open mindset to technologies like Twitter and that&rsquo;s helped immensely. I also think the pace of Twitter matches the pace of the NBA and basketball in general. We [focused on] very brief moments and it&rsquo;s fast-paced and there&rsquo;s a lot going on, and you find a lot of the same dynamics within basketball and an appreciation for those things within the fan base.
"We were fortunate to get a lot of the players on the service [early] and also the commentators &mdash; a lot of the smart commentators... We have some of the most amazing fans on #NBATwitter too... I think it&rsquo;s a good companion to the event and to what you&rsquo;re watching. It also has that feeling of making the world smaller. We&rsquo;re all watching this game at once; we all saw the same thing and here&rsquo;s how we all feel about it &mdash; whether we&rsquo;re outraged or we&rsquo;re excited, we&rsquo;re [part] of the crowd.&rdquo;
Esteves agrees with Dorsey.
&ldquo;When it comes to #NBATwitter, we&rsquo;ve leaned in, of course. Our game is high-paced, volatile, real-time and has all of those &lsquo;did-you-just-see-that&rsquo; moments that are kind of perfect fodder for a platform like Twitter. I think we&rsquo;ve benefited from the product on the court. The NBA is an extremely exciting product on the court with many rising talents," Dorsey said.
"The other day, Ja Morant had his freakish block in transition, and that&rsquo;s just fuel for Twitter and the conversation that&rsquo;s occurring there. In many ways, it&rsquo;s also a credit to the media, who are such a valuable part of that ecosystem and conversation, and to our players, who not only produce on the court but have been very invested. Shaq was among the first people with a Twitter account, period. Having our players invested in the platform helped. We&rsquo;ve benefited from that marriage, that partnership over the years, and our game has grown as a result."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JA MORANT WILD BLOCK 😳 <a href="https://t.co/ZxQqdCWFsk">pic.twitter.com/ZxQqdCWFsk</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1480371894893248512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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If you&rsquo;re a basketball fan, it&rsquo;s almost impossible to avoid #NBATwitter these days. Even if you aren&rsquo;t on the platform, you&rsquo;re bound to hear about various tweets and the drama that unfolds there. When DeAndre Jordan flip-flopped on his free-agency decision to join the Dallas Mavericks and re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, that saga played out on #NBATwitter. Bryan Colangelo lost his job as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers because some #NBATwitter sleuths discovered his burner account. Nearly every free-agency signing, trade and draft pick is reported first on #NBATwitter. It has become an integral part of the NBA landscape. It&rsquo;s also wildly entertaining.
&ldquo;My favorite account &mdash; and one that I think makes #NBATwitter so special &mdash; is Draymond Green&rsquo;s mother, <a href="https://twitter.com/babersgreen">@BabersGreen</a>," Dorsey <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/08/26/cofounder-ceo-tweet-twitter-edit-nba-warriors-jack-dorsey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> several years ago. &ldquo;She has found all the other NBA moms on Twitter and she trash-talks them during games! She also trash-talks her own son during games! Watching a game with her tweeting about what&rsquo;s going on with Draymond or with other moms is just entertaining. The basketball game is amazing in itself, but to see her comment on it just makes it funny.&rdquo;
The NBA&rsquo;s YouTube channel is also a huge point of pride. The channel generated 1.94 billion views in 2021, which was the most-viewed year in the channel&rsquo;s 16-year history.
&ldquo;These staggering numbers on YouTube are among the [metrics] we&rsquo;re most proud of because, as I like to say from the data side, this single-year record viewership has been years in the making,&rdquo; Esteves explained. &ldquo;The NBA has been on YouTube since 2005, and the optimizations that are required to kind of perfect your algorithmic traffic are so nuanced; it comes down to thumbnails and headlines and captions and the length of the video and the pace of the video. We&rsquo;re constantly tweaking and optimizing those things, and one thing that we&rsquo;ve seen is that as you further optimize, you get this domino effect where one successful video fuels the performance of the next video and the next video and so on. So, seeing these numbers peak in 2021 is a testament to a lot of the optimizations that we&rsquo;ve made over the course of several years.&rdquo;
This was something that Esteves pointed out several times: the NBA&rsquo;s success in 2021 was the culmination of several years of hard work.
&ldquo;I sit on our Digital Content Strategy and Analytics team and we sit hand in hand with the content-publishing team, and we created that feedback and optimization loop over several years and now we&rsquo;re seeing the dividends of all that work,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;Also, we&rsquo;re trying to increase data fluency throughout the entire company. We don&rsquo;t want all of the answers to sit in one group that sends out an email or report saying &lsquo;X, Y and Z.&rsquo; We want more people throughout the organization to understand the data and be able to analyze it themselves; I think that has also been part of our success.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/beal2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="698" height="389" />
Esteves joined the NBA in 2012, so not only has he witnessed the league&rsquo;s tremendous growth across various platforms, he&rsquo;s also seen how the digital landscape has changed over the last decade.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an incredible transformation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I started at the NBA out of school as a project employee on our Social Content team. When I first started, on a lot of these platforms, it was rather intuitive what content you published on each because they were all so different. Twitter was kind of the lifeblood of everything going on with news and commentary, and it was very tech specific. YouTube was where all videos existed and it was kind of the searchable domain of all video. Facebook was more for friends and family and conversations. Instagram started as a photo-only platform.
"From a content-strategy perspective, it was rather intuitive, understanding what content we put on each platform. But now, all of the platforms have evolved so much, and they have replicated a lot of the same features &mdash; from stories to videos to live-streams to audio-only formats. Now, it&rsquo;s a lot more nuanced in terms of trying to understand where the content is going to work best, and that&rsquo;s where the data becomes so important. We&rsquo;re pulling in data from each of these platforms and really getting granular about trying to understand what performs best on each platform.
&ldquo;I think part of what has made us so successful is being open to the data and leaning in to the data, and understanding what&rsquo;s performing well versus what&rsquo;s not performing well. Sometimes, it&rsquo;s hard to admit the things that aren&rsquo;t working, but we&rsquo;ve been very transparent and honest with ourselves, and we hold ourselves accountable to make sure we&rsquo;re optimizing on each of these platforms. Having that approach is another ingredient to our success and how we&rsquo;ve been able to continue growing.&rdquo;
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This data includes interesting details about the NBA&rsquo;s demographics. For example, the NBA&rsquo;s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts have more than 24 million combined followers from the Philippines &mdash; the most of any country outside of the United States.
&ldquo;One of the things that makes the NBA so unique is its global reach, and we see that show up time and time again in the demographics,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;The fan support we have in the Philippines, I think, is among the most amazing things I&rsquo;ve witnessed from the data side for the demographics of the NBA. For that country to represent such a significant portion of the consumption we have on a person-to-person basis, they just love the NBA; they love the stories and the players. Our content performs exceptionally well there.
"We see support from countries all over the world &mdash; in Europe, Australia, Africa and so on &mdash; but the Philippines is an example of something that really stood out to me. I think that ties back to a lot of the globalization that the NBA has done, with some of its global games being held in Manila and other locations outside of the U.S. That&rsquo;s been critical and we&rsquo;ve seen that show up in the numbers."
Utilizing these platforms, the NBA has gone from connecting to its biggest local supporters to reaching an audience that spans the entire world.
"Being based in New York, sometimes you have that U.S.-centric bias when you&rsquo;re looking at stuff, but once you see the data, it opens up your mind like, &lsquo;Wow, this content is being consumed in real time across so many different territories and countries across the globe.&rsquo;&rdquo;

In 2021, the NBA was the most-viewed, most-engaged and most-followed pro-sports-league account on social media.

An inside look at how the NBA became a social-media juggernaut

Nekias Duncan previews the Pacific Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Pacific Divison

David Aldridge joins Etan Thomas and David Zirin on The Collision to discuss how Malice at the Palace was mishandled by the media.

David Aldridge: The media failed to tell full Malice at The Palace story

Hi, hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
BETNIJAH LANEY IS HERE
Can you win Most Improved Player two years in a row? We may need to start asking that question about Betnijah Laney.
While guard Sabrina Ionescu, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roaming-the-baseline-sabrina-ionescu-jayson-tatum-teaira-mccowan-nba-wnba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently mentioned in this space</a>, has gotten well deserved flowers for her blend of scoring and playmaking, Laney's offensive prowess can't go overlooked.
We're a year removed from her breakout campaign with the Atlanta Dream, a season in which she averaged a career-high in points (17.2), rebounds (4.9), assists (4.0), and steals (1.6). She's made yet another leap as a scorer this season, torching the nets to the tune of 22.7 points.&nbsp;
The most impressive part is the efficiency. She's one of two players (Jonquel Jones is the other) in the W averaging north of 20 points with a True Shooting percentage above 60.
Laney's a smooth operator, able to flow into jumpers almost at will. Ducking under a screen is an invitation to be lit up. To be caught on a screen is to concede a pull-up.
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Laney's release is quick, giving very little time for defenders to react to her stop-and-pops. Even if they're able to stay attached, she has comfort putting a defender on her hip and flowing into un-blockable fadeaways.
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The threat of her jumper, as well as the general amount of spacing the Liberty deploy at any given moment, allows her to generate paint touches.
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The self-creation from Laney is obviously important. I'm also impressed with her off-ball usage. She isn't just a great shooter, though a 52.2% clip from deep is nothing to sneeze at. She's a smart mover, able to find cracks in the defense to stress weakside defenders.
There's also sneaky value being added as a screener in some of the Liberty's more intricate sets. Ionescu doesn't have an <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1393578582467809281?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening night game winner</a> without <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1393381638025908225" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help from Laney</a>.
WELCOME TO LUKA'S TORTURE CHAMBER
As my colleague Spencer Davies <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-spectacle-of-luka-doncic-in-nba-playoffs-is-unfolding-dallas-mavericks-los-angeles-clippers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently wrote</a>, the Clippers haven't been able to slow down Luka Doncic.
Like, at all.
He's averaging a smooth 35-9-9 through two games, and even that doesn't do it justice. There's an inevitability about the way Luka is playing right now. He's dictating terms against the Clippers' switching; he's carving them up with passes whenever they trap.&nbsp;
Poor Ivica Zubac is probably seeing Luka step-backs in his nightmares at this point. The shotmaking from the perimeter has truly been amazing to watch.
This might be my favorite part of the Luka explosion, though.
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The first clip was the fun one. Luka just tosses Patrick Beverley into the hamper. His exclamation -- "TOO F****** SMALL" -- isn't a taunt. It's a warning shot.
Mr. Lue, you're not going to be able to put small humans on me.
The second shot is the scary one. It's a clear side against Kawhi Leonard, one of the greatest perimeter defenders the NBA has ever seen. Luka puts him on his hip, takes a couple of strength-testing dribbles, then sprinkles in a moonshot.
The man doesn't get sped up at all.
Luka has generated nearly 1.3 points per possession on post-ups (passes included) through the first two games of the series, per Synergy. We know that Luka has the stepback whenever he wants to go to it. We also know that he can cause chaos on drives, as a passer or scorer. Having this kind of intermediate prowess makes him virtually unsolvable in the half-court.
Best of luck to the Clippers.
JONQUEL JONES &amp; THE ART OF INVERSION
I can't get this play from the opening weekend out of my head.
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That is 6-foot-6 Jonquel Jones grabbing a defensive board, going coast-to-coast, then finishing with a Eurostep-adjacent move while drawing the foul. That's not normal.
Jones is back after opting out of last season due to COVID-19 concerns. She was one of the most high-profile players to make that decision, an MVP-caliber talent whose absence played a large part in the Sun's 10-12 record last season.
She's back now, filling up the stat sheet like she never left. It's easy to get lost in her work inside the arc. She's a natural menace on the offensive glass, ranking just outside of the top-10 (2.3). Her post game can be brutish when necessary, though her level of touch allows her to sprinkle in fadeaways without much resistance.
The shot versatility for someone her size is honestly absurd. How many bigs are getting these kind of actions ran for them?
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Even that undersells her. The drives to either side of the floor, hooks, up-and-unders, and even step-back jumpers are part of Jones' arsenal. There just isn't much you can do with her right now.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>Jackie Young may be figuring things out for the Aces. She finished the second half of last season on a high note. Outside of a 2-for-9 dud against the Sun earlier this week, Young has continued to make an impact as a driver.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I highlighted Dorian Finney-Smith as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pressure-points-the-battles-that-will-decide-the-first-round-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an X-Factor in the LAC-DAL series</a> because of how he'd be defended. He's one of six (!!!) Mavericks shooting north of 40% from three through two games.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on Lynx big Damiris Dantas, one of the underrated stretch options in the W. After two-straight seasons of shooting north of 39% from three, she's gotten off to a slow start (21.4% on 4.7 attempts).</li>
<li>It's two games of course, but I didn't expect Derrick Rose to hold up with this sort of minute load (38.2). He's given the Knicks an important blend of scoring and playmaking.</li>
<li>It's less of a "hmmmm" and more of a sigh. Kemba Walker (16.0 points, 37/30/90 shooting split) has made me sad. He just hasn't been able to get busy against Brooklyn. Not that it would really matter with this kind of talent gap between the two squads.</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
Hawks Go To Spain
Be still, my beating heart.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Atlanta Hawks Spain Pick-and-roll -- 3 straight possessions in clutch offense, 3 straight buckets, all assisted by Trae Young - Trae lob to Capela - Trae skip to Bogdanović open corner 3 - Trae behind the back to open De'Andre Hunter pop 3 <a href="https://t.co/8zwghvzsUL">pic.twitter.com/8zwghvzsUL</a>
&mdash; Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) <a href="https://twitter.com/bgeis_bird/status/1396654409355075584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
There's nothing like a well-executed Spain pick-and-roll. I'm sorry.
HORNS on Main
Turn this all the way up.
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The Nuggets look like they're setting up some Elbow action out of HORNS, only for it to turn into a double-screen set-up for Michael Porter Jr.&nbsp;
The Blazers switch the initial screen from Aaron Gordon, and that's all it took for this possession to go downhill. Gordon immediately dives to the basket with Norman Powell on his backside. The ball finds Nikola Jokic, who then pings it inside to Gordon for the easy bucket.
On a Loop
Just watch Kahleah Copper, man.
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Sets a hard screen to force the switch, then curls tightly around the screen to keep the Dream (and especially Chennedy Carter) off balance. While that's happening, Courtney Vandersloot and Astou Ndour-Fall flow into a quick-hitting pick-and-roll.
The Dream put two to the ball to force Vandersloot to pick up her dribble; that also leaves Carter splitting two defenders. Copper capitalizes, lifting back up to the wing for an open triple.
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or... well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTjarks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Tjarks</a> wrote, well, <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTjarks/status/1395375202176053251?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just read it</a>. And also keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We're all rooting for you.
<a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seerat Sohi</a> with a <a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi/status/1396846950461280257?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tremendous debut feature</a> on The Block Heard 'Round The Bubble.
<a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Ellentuck</a> dug deep on the <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1397219127505326087?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liberty's hot start</a>, then <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1397938916653776901?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bounced around the W</a> with general observations.
<a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caitlin Cooper</a> took a break from the Pacers beat to give us the <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1397578630277079042?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">goods on Jonas Valanciunas</a>.

In Nekias Duncan's weekly notebook, he shares things that have caught his eye. He breaks down players, teams, plays and stats.

Roaming the Baseline: Luka Doncic, Betnijah Laney, Jonquel Jones

Spencer Davies chats with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams about the details of Overtime Elite, a new league that's changing the game.

Former NBA execs, Overtime Elite seek to revolutionize amateur-to-pro preparation

Russell Westbrook has been a busy man.
He is currently averaging a triple-double <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-russell-westbrook-records-nba-leading-30th-triple-double-washington-wizards-wilt-chamberlain-oscar-robertson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since the NBA All-Star break</a>, producing 23.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 12.2 assists while shooting a solid 44.4% from the field in that span. He&rsquo;s transformed into the old Russell that everyone remembers from his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he terrorized opponents with his lightning quick speed, unbelievable intensity, explosiveness and high-octane style of play.&nbsp;
The Washington Wizards have gone 10-2 in the last 12 games, climbing to 10th place in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs started today, that would put them in the play-in tournament with a good chance to play themselves into a postseason berth.&nbsp;
Coming to Westbrook's defense, Bradley Beal squashed all of the negative rumors about his teammate in a virtual My Brother's Keeper Alliance speaker series, <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/bradley-beal-opens-up-about-the-wizards-russell-westbrook-and-social-justice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">via ESPN's The Undefeated</a>.
"He's been great. It's been so ironic, because from the beginning of the year before the trade [for Westbrook], there's always the misconception of Russ. [People say], 'He doesn't get along with coaches or his team. It's just all about 'Me, me, me, me.' It's the complete opposite," <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/bradley-beal-opens-up-about-the-wizards-russell-westbrook-and-social-justice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said</a>. "And, like, I love everything about him. He's a great character guy. And his approach to the basketball game is what helped me have the year I'm having. And it helped us turn the year around. His level of accountability, you want that. He pushes himself to levels that you don't even think exist. And to be on the other side of that, playing against him for years and seeing, 'Oh, how's he getting triple-doubles every game? There's no way he's getting it.' To actually see that night in and night out, he has a different mode. And it's all [mental]. And you can't teach that. It's either you have it or you don't.
"But what I love about him is that he tries to bring it out of everybody. He tries to bring it out of the 15th guy -- a guy who probably won't play that much. But when he gets that opportunity, he wants you to play exceptionally well. That's what I love about him. He just wants to win. He wants to be the best player he can be. He wants to uplift all his teammates. And that's one thing I stole from him is his mental approach to the game. I have a voice in my head and it's Russ saying, 'Keep going, B.' He's been terrific. I definitely tip my hat off to him because I can definitely see why he was MVP of the league."
It&rsquo;s nice to see Russell get some praise after seeing the nonstop hate he typically receives. A recent example of that came from Stephen A. Smith, who took the opportunity to <a href="https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/31167367" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disparage him for not winning an NBA championship </a>on the night Westbrook recorded the first 35-point, 20-assist triple-double in NBA history. Westbrook and his wife, Nina, had a beautiful response.
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Russell Westbrook on Stephen A. Smith "One thing I won't allow to happen anymore is let people create narratives &amp; constantly just talking shit for no reason about me because I lay it on the line every night and I use my platform to be able to help people all across the world." <a href="https://t.co/8oJi0E4dwT">pic.twitter.com/8oJi0E4dwT</a>
&mdash; Hoop District (@Hoop_District) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hoop_District/status/1377092719563137027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2021</a></blockquote>

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I love everything about the Westbrooks <a href="https://t.co/fRlOKc6RVq">pic.twitter.com/fRlOKc6RVq</a>
&mdash; Master (@MasterTes) <a href="https://twitter.com/MasterTes/status/1377088252541292548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2021</a></blockquote>

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But this week, Westbrook added the title of "producer" to his repertoire, as he released the trailer for a new two-hour documentary he produced on the Tulsa Massacre. It will debut on the History Channel on May 30 at 8 p.m. ET.&nbsp;
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Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre 5/30 at 8pm on <a href="https://twitter.com/HISTORY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HISTORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/firelightmedia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@firelightmedia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RememberTulsa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RememberTulsa</a> <a href="https://t.co/uxG2pzQbEm">pic.twitter.com/uxG2pzQbEm</a>
&mdash; Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) <a href="https://twitter.com/russwest44/status/1387112086011002881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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For me, personally, having grown up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I applaud Westbrook for doing this. My middle school, Carver Middle School, was literally seven minutes away from where Black Wall Street was. I grew up learning about this, but was surprised to hear that so many people outside of Oklahoma were unaware of what happened. I remember having discussions in classes at Syracuse University, and hardly anyone was aware of the Tulsa Race Massacre. It just wasn&rsquo;t being taught all around the country. People only recently became aware of it because of its depiction in HBO shows &ldquo;Watchmen&rdquo; and &ldquo;Lovecraft County.&rdquo;&nbsp;
In an interview with The Associated Press in March, Westbrook <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-basketball-russell-westbrook-media-social-media-169d49c0e8b2483ff15c4ae9cdd175f5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained why he wanted to do the documentary about what happened it Tulsa in 1921</a>.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was in Oklahoma for 11 years and kind of grew up in Oklahoma City,&rdquo; Westbrook <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-basketball-russell-westbrook-media-social-media-169d49c0e8b2483ff15c4ae9cdd175f5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in the interview</a>. &ldquo;I wanted to understand more about the origins of Oklahoma and Tulsa. I had been going to Tulsa almost every season, and I had a camp in Tulsa. I heard about Black Wall Street, but never really dived into it or understood the impact of the people and community.
&ldquo;Once I was able to learn the history and dive more deep into it, I was in shock. It&rsquo;s truly sad what happened to all the business and African Americans and people of color that had their businesses wiped away. Now, more than ever, I want to be able to show how history can affect our future. To make sure we understand our history and know that there were people that paved the way and had to struggle and things were taken away from them. I want to be able to share that with the world and the significance of Black Wall Street.&rdquo;
The Tulsa Race Massacre took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when vicious mobs of white residents -- many of them deputized and given guns and ammo by actual city officials -- attacked Black residents and businesses in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has been called &ldquo;the single worst incident of racial violence in American history," as more than 35 square blocks of the district, at the time the wealthiest Black community in the country known as Black Walk Street, was destroyed.
Much respect to Russell Westbrook for bringing this story to the world.&nbsp;

Etan Thomas applauds Russell Westbrook for bringing the story of Black Wall Street to the world.

Much respect to Russell Westbrook for shedding light on Tulsa Race Massacre in new doc

Paul Pierce, Jalen Rose, Jay Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski and Maria Taylor gave Alex Kennedy an inside look at ESPN's "NBA Countdown."

Behind the scenes of NBA Countdown: Woj's role, preparation, COVID's impact

The NBA trade deadline is now nine days away, and while we can safely assume that all 30 teams want to get better, we must proceed expecting two teams --the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks -- to play big roles in dictating what the market will look like.
There are lots of big men available, and anybody who tells you that Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside or JaVale McGee would not make a difference in an Eastern Conference playoff series has not been paying attention. Or as Gregg Popovich would say: &ldquo;Living in a phone booth.&rdquo;
Also, those who assume the Knicks (with $15.7 million in cap space) are not in win-now mode do not understand Tom Thibodeau. The guy is married to a basketball, and he is anxious to do in New York what he was unable to do in Minnesota and, to a lesser degree, in Chicago.
And then we have the Celtics, who are sitting on the largest trade exception ($28.5 million) in NBA history and are worse off that they were a year ago when they made the Eastern Conference Finals. Danny Ainge cannot stand pat and expect to get past the Nets, Sixers, Bucks or Heat.
The rumor mill will be churning between now and March 25, and every contending team in the East will be scheming to make an addition that attacks the weaknesses of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, while every Western team will try to find a way to compete with the three-point shooting of the Utah Jazz and the depth and experience of the Los Angeles Lakers.
So let&rsquo;s go through the league alphabetically and assess each team&rsquo;s needs, expectations and expendables.
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ATLANTA HAWKS: Nate McMillan is 5-0 as head coach, and the most active team in the weeks leading up to training camp remains built (if fully healthy) to advance if all of the pieces can fit together with almost zero practice time. John Collins is entering restricted free agency and is not as productive as he was a year ago, but he makes just $4.1 million. Put him in a deal with Tony Snell, though, and those combined salaries equal $16.3 million, which can get you a nice player.
BOSTON CELTICS: What made them special a year ago was the ability to get offensive production from three All-Star caliber starters: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. But Hayward is gone, Enes Kanter is doing big things in Portland (remember how he was a game-changer for Boston in the postseason a year ago?) and Kemba Walker is shooting 38% in his 10th season. Standing pat is not an option.
BROOKLYN NETS: At some point they will need a third center to join DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton, but the buyout market or the China market (the CBA season ends before the NBA playoffs) may be the easiest way for Sean Marks to add an extra big body if they cannot get a big man whose contract fits into their $5.7 million disabled player exception. Spencer Dinwiddie is the only superfluous player on the roster, but he is out for the remainder of the season, and the Nets have no future draft picks to throw into a deal. They used them all in the Harden trade.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Michael Jordan&rsquo;s team is 100-1 to win the East despite having the lock for Rookie of the Year, a four-game winning streak and a roster chock full of young and hungry players who, for the most part, lack postseason experience. At a certain point, they have to realize they could have done better than Cody Zeller ($15.4 million) with the fourth pick of the 2013 draft. It might be time to sacrifice a future first-round pick or two to upgrade at center. Malik Monk has been playing well lately, otherwise, we would predict his imminent departure. The Hornets have an open roster spot and $4 million in cap room.
CHICAGO BULLS: It would be delusional of them to think they can advance beyond the first-round of the playoffs, which is why they have to consider getting a good young player from a contender in exchange for Thaddeus Young ($13.5 million), who is the leading candidate to finish a distant second to Jordan Clarkson in Sixth Man of the Year voting. &nbsp;Tomas Satoransky ($10 million this year and next year) is 29 years old and could be combined with Young to bring in a good young player. Here is an idea:
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Who says no? <a href="https://t.co/Pc61DX8jQV">pic.twitter.com/Pc61DX8jQV</a>
&mdash; Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/sheridanhoops/status/1371826941804883973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Aside from the inevitable Drummond and McGee moves (best offers arrive at 2:59 p.m. on deadline day), Koby Altman will probably keep quiet after acquiring Jarrett Allen from the Nets and sending Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rockets. Kevin Love is going to be dead money for two more seasons and Cedi Osman is looking like he will be in the same category, though not quite as expensive. It&rsquo;ll be a long road back.
DALLAS MAVERICKS: They should be better than their record (20-18), but the West is tough. Dwight Powell ($11 million this season and the next two) is not worth what he is being paid and could be packaged with more future No. 1 picks (the Mavs can&rsquo;t trade their own first-round draft pick until 2025 because they owe the Knicks their 2021 and 2023 picks), if mortgaging the future is something Mark Cuban is cool with. Powell and James Johnson for Drummond works cap-wise.
DENVER NUGGETS: A rumor is out there that the Nuggets have spoken to the Magic about acquiring Aaron Gordon, and the price would include Bol Bol. They currently do not look like they have enough to come out of the West, and JaMychal Green has not been an adequate replacement for Jerami Grant. To a lesser degree than Boston, standing pat does not seem like the most prudent option. They have a $9.6 million trade exception, so expect them to make some sort of acquisition that improves the roster. They are one player away from being one player away.
DETROIT PISTONS: Troy Weaver might have already made his &ldquo;deadline deal&rdquo; in getting Hamidou Diallo from the Thunder. Wayne Ellington is superfluous, and one would think teams might like a 14-year veteran who shot 42% from three-point range with a manageable $1.6 million salary&hellip; But the Knicks couldn&rsquo;t find a taker for him a year ago.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Limbo sucks, but Klay Thompson will be back next season. In the meantime, the best they can do is hope that the Wolves&rsquo; pick is not top three and they can get another high lottery pick to put next to James Wiseman for the years ahead. Kelly Oubre Jr., Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker and Marquese Chriss are all on expiring contracts. Their combined salaries total $20.6 million. The Warriors can acquire a player into Thompson&rsquo;s $9.25 million disabled player exception.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: We are seeing a flurry of Victor Oladipo trade rumors, which is strange because he was the biggest piece they got in the Harden trade. If they are disappointed in him (and his expiring $21 million contract) they must not have been watching Pacers playoffs games the past few seasons. Kevin Porter Jr. was a nice pickup, and Rafael Stone is probably on the hunt for another player who has worn out his welcome for non-basketball reasons. P.J. Tucker is headed somewhere. Dante Exum (expiring $9.6 million contract) didn&rsquo;t quite work out for a fifth overall pick, eh?
INDIANA PACERS: Acquiring Caris LaVert for Oladipo as part of the Harden trade will go in Kevin Pritchard&rsquo;s trophy case, so the question now becomes &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; aside from waiting for T.J. Warren&rsquo;s broken foot to heal. They are in 10th place, which wasn&rsquo;t exactly what they had in mind for this season. Still, Indiana has a nice mix of players in their mid-to-late 20s. Doug McDermott (expiring $7.3 million) and T.J. McConnell (expiring $3.5 million) could be a useful shooter and pest duo for a playoff team willing to give up a draft pick and a matching expiring salary. Indiana is probably better off keeping both and rolling the dice in the play-in postseason.
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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: They have everything they need except the Lou Williams they had gotten used to over the past three seasons. His scoring average is down almost six points. Serge Ibaka (scoring average down 4.5 points) is showing his age at 31 and has a 15% trade kicker. Both still have plenty of playoff experience, but Jerry West likes to make trades when he can find the right ones. The Clippers are an interesting team to watch at the deadline because they have an open roster spot, but they are also within a $500,000 of the hard cap, which limits their options.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: They need nothing except for Anthony Davis to be healthy, so the Lakers are the winner of the &ldquo;Most Unlikely To Make A Trade&rdquo; award. They are option No. 1 for pretty much everybody getting a buyout after the deadline.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: More than a year later, we are still trying to figure out the Justise Winslow acquisition. Taylor Jenkins&rsquo; rotation goes 10 deep, not including the team&rsquo;s highest-paid player in Gorgui Dieng -- $17.2 million. They are young and they are not a good team, yet they are still in contention for a play-in spot, so that incentivizes them to get creative.
MIAMI HEAT: The rule of thumb used to be &ldquo;Pat Riley hates making midseason trades,&rdquo; but he went out and got Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder last season and built an NBA Finals team. So you would think they would be predisposed to tinker despite their recent run of 11 victories in 12 games. Kelly Olynyk ($12.6 million) and Moe Harkless ($3.6 million) are on expiring deals, and Avery Bradley is gathering dust. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is worthy of it, but that would likely involve trading a starter (Olynyk). They also have a $7.5 million trade exception but owe Oklahoma City two first-round picks.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Veteran Bucks writer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-sheridan-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-16-gery-woelfel-on-milwaukee-bucks-chances,-possible-trade,-other-east-contender">Gery Woelful said on my most recent podcast</a> that he fully expects the Bucks to try to find an upgrade from Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard. The salaries of DiVincenzo and D.J. Wilson add up to $7.5 million, and it is hard to see Jon Horst moving anyone else on this roster. They are not last year&rsquo;s Bucks, but they theoretically have enough to get to the NBA Finals. They are very close to the hard cap and cannot trade any more picks after using so many in the Jrue Holiday acquisition.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The team is for sale, so do not expect Gersson Rosas to take on any long-term money. They have already changed coaches, and they have nothing anybody would want except for Karl Anthony-Towns, who isn&rsquo;t going anywhere. Okay, they have Ed Davis, who may be somebody&rsquo;s consolation prize as contending teams search for bigs. Nominations for the Dumpster Fire Award are now closed.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are not available. You can safely assume that everyone else is, and David Griffin does not need to hold anybody else up because he already did that to Horst. This was not supposed to be a throwaway season, but it is. The Pelicans would like to get J.J. Redick closer to his family, who live in Brooklyn. Exactly how close? Well, when Redick played for the Sixers, he commuted to Philadelphia. So &ldquo;close&rdquo; is a relative term. Boston is drivable from Brooklyn.
NEW YORK KNICKS: As mentioned above, they are the team to watch most closely. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is someone who can tolerate Thibodeau&rsquo;s coaching style, and they would bring in a player on an expiring contract if they believed that player&rsquo;s Bird rights would be of value over the summer. Leon Rose is one year away from having a top-three team in the East if he plays his cards right a week from Thursday.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: Sam Presti likely has George Hill, Trevor Ariza and Mike Muscala available to the highest bidders. Hill was an important piece of the Bucks last season and could help a playoff team needing a bench shooter and veteran voice in the locker room. At a certain point, Presti is going to have to package together some of the 20 extra first and second-round picks he has accumulated through trades, but that point is probably a couple of years away as the rebuild runs its course. Important: If Houston&rsquo;s pick is in the top four, the Thunder get it. Also, Presti has three trade exceptions; the largest is $27.6 million.
ORLANDO MAGIC:&nbsp; Aaron Gordon trade rumors are everywhere, which makes sense because the time to cash in on their seven-year investment is now. They need to get younger and acquire assets to build around Markelle Fultz, Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac. Their ceiling should not be the kind of first-round exits they have been producing the past two seasons, and they have not won a single playoff series since 2009-10. So, it would be shocking to see them keep Gordon, who is only 25 years old and can bring a lot in return. Gordon is a good guy who needs a change of scenery and deserves one. Same goes for Evan Fournier.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: They wanted James Harden and did not get him, and Doc Rivers still somehow kept Ben Simmons committed to the team. That is pretty huge, because players who know they have been shopped usually resent it. They are in first place in the East and have a roster with the proper pieces to match up with Brooklyn. Mike Scott&rsquo;s expiring $5 million deal and the Knicks&rsquo; 2021 second-round pick are Elton Brand&rsquo;s most movable trade assets, but Scott has been playing well lately. Terrence Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and Tony Bradley are on expiring contracts but would bring little in return.
PHOENIX SUNS: Acquiring Chris Paul checked the &ldquo;monster trade&rdquo; box, and the NBA&rsquo;s most overachieving team will likely abide by the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke, Don&rsquo;t Fix It&rdquo; rule. That being said, if an on-the-ball defender capable of defending LeBron James is out there somewhere, you kick the tires on just about anything that does not include Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul. Ariza would seem to be a fit.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: Like Dallas, they should be better than their record&hellip; and would be if C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic had not gotten injured. At full strength, they are going to be a tough out in the postseason. Gary Trent Jr. is on an expiring contract and they may fear losing him, so keep that in mind with these guys. They are sleepers.
SACRAMENTO KINGS: What they can get for Whiteside will be interesting to see, because he was killing it for the Blazers last season. Then, Nurkic returned in the bubble. Whiteside does not exactly have the best reputation around the league, which is why he played in Lebanon and China before resurrecting his career. There are also a lot of Harrison Barnes rumors out there, and like the Magic and Gordon, it may be time for the Kings to cash in on the three-year investment they made in Barnes after acquiring him from Dallas. He makes $22.2 million. Does Nemanja Bjelica have any value? Same question has to be asked of Jabari Parker.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The LaMarcus Aldridge era is in its final days, and you have to wonder if the Patty Mills era is, too. Derrick White is signed long-term and Dejounte Murray is damn good. The expiring contracts of Aldridge and Mills add up to $37.2 million, and if you include Rudy Gay&rsquo;s expiring deal that number becomes $51.2 million. They are 20-16, yet, as currently constituted, not good enough to do much in the postseason. R.C. Buford wins the award for the league executive most overdue to make a trade.
TORONTO RAPTORS: The name that is out there now is Kyle Lowry, who has spent nine seasons of his 16-year career playing for the team that now calls Tampa its home. Having lost five in a row and sitting in 11th place in the Leastern Conference, Masai Ujiri must determine whether it is time to turn Lowry&rsquo;s expiring $30.5 million contract into something of value. At 35 years old, Lowry can still play and, percentage wise, is hitting threes, twos and free throws better than he has over the past four seasons. But this would not be a giveaway, and a sign-and-trade in the offseason is still possible.
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UTAH JAZZ: Like Phoenix, the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke , Don&rsquo;t Dix It&rdquo; rule applies. They are in first place in the West, are making threes better than anybody and have Rudy Gobert finding new and incredible ways to never, ever be mentioned in the MVP debate. None of their nine rotation players is going anywhere, and no one else on the roster has either a big contract or much trade value. Still, someone on the team could be a giveaway because the Jazz are $1.9 million over the luxury tax line. They have already traded five of their next seven second-round picks (they don&rsquo;t have one until 2025).
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: You&rsquo;ve got to feel bad for Tommy Sheppard, one of the best guys and better GMs in the league -- he was able to turn John Wall into Russell Westbrook but then lost Thomas Bryant and had his team put on ice because of COVID issues. They are now playing the busiest second-half schedule of any Eastern Conference team, and they theoretically have a puncher&rsquo;s chance against practically anyone in the conference if Westbrook keeps triple-doubling (he leads the league with 11). But they have lost four in a row and rank 12th. Robin Lopez and his expiring $7.3 million contract is their best trade asset. If they combined Lopez with Ish Smith&rsquo;s expiring contract, that totals $13.3 million.

With one week before the NBA's trade deadline, Chris Sheridan previews what could be in store for all 30 of the league's teams.

What to expect from all 30 NBA teams ahead of the Trade Deadline

In an exclusive interview with BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Rematch,&rdquo; former NBA player and current co-host of &ldquo;All The Smoke&rdquo; Stephen Jackson opened up about his relationship with George Floyd and how his murder set him on a path of activism, prompting him to use his voice and platform like never before.
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Jackson spoke candidly about the pain he felt when he learned that his friend had been murdered. This wasn&rsquo;t simply another tragic murder at the hands of the police or another hashtag; this was his friend. This was very personal for him.
He reminisced about his first encounter with Floyd; they looked so similar that they started calling each other &ldquo;Twin.&rdquo; He discussed their friendship as well as the growth he saw in Floyd, who admittingly made his share of mistakes over the years in his quest to provide for his family while living in an impoverished situation with limited opportunities. But, according to Jackson, he had found a new path and was making the necessary changes to improve his life and surroundings. Jackson discussed Floyd&rsquo;s love for his daughter, Gianna, and his commitment to helping others (such as the work he was doing in his church). Jackson painted a much different picture of Floyd than the media initially did after his murder.&nbsp;
He humanized George Floyd.
Just as his friend was turning over a new leaf, his life was snatched away from him by Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, MN. Jackson went into great detail about the tears he shed, the anger he felt and the heartache he shared with the Floyd family. He vowed to be there for Gianna, who recently celebrated her first birthday without her father.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s a transcript of my conversation with Jackson, who detailed the entire process starting from the moment he learned the news that Floyd had passed:&nbsp;
Etan Thomas: &ldquo;Talk to me about what happened when you got the call and found out about George&rsquo;s death. Where were you? Who broke it to you? What was your immediate reaction?&rdquo;
Stephen Jackson: &ldquo;I was right here on the same couch I'm sitting on. It was probably 10:30 in the morning. I'm on the couch, sleeping with my daughter. My daughter's room is upstairs, but she doesn't like to sleep in her room because my room is downstairs. So she sleeps on the couch and watches TV, so she can be close to me. And something made me get up and come get on the couch with her. So I was laying on the couch with her that morning. And me and my girlfriend's mom talk about police brutality and all the nonsense that&rsquo;s done to Black people all the time, and she sends me videos all the time.
&ldquo;So my phone is ringing, vibrating. I look at it and I see the video from her, but I don't even correlate that this is my brother. So I'm not even thinking about George when she sent me the video. I look at it, not even putting two and two together. I'm just like, &lsquo;Oh man, they done killed another brother.&rsquo; As I put the phone down, my phone vibrates again. And I pick up the phone and I look at it and it&rsquo;s a message from my friend, Mike Dean, and it says, &lsquo;You see what they did to your twin in Minnesota?&rsquo;&nbsp;
"I went back to the video from my girlfriend's mother. And I see the video and I look in closely and see that's him on the ground and I lose it, E. I get to throwing stuff. I jumped up and scared my daughter. I'm screaming. I was hurt, bro. I was actually hurt because I saw myself in him and this is somebody who I consider my twin getting murdered by the police for the world to see. I never thought that I would see that with my own eyes -- somebody that I loved, that I consider me. I've never dealt with nothing like that, E. And so to see that, it knocked the wind out of me, honestly. It knocked the wind out of me and I just cried. I couldn&rsquo;t even get myself together for a while.&rdquo;
Thomas: &ldquo;Everybody saw the video and when I watched, I was looking at the evil in him -- in the officer, Derek Chauvin -- as he was kneeling on his neck and putting his hand in his pocket (and they say this was so he could apply even more pressure to his neck). The facial expression that he had, it was just nothing. I looked at it with my kids and I'm breaking down too. We talk about Black Lives Matter and that showed us that, to that officer and all those officers around him, our lives didn't matter at all. You don't even treat an animal like that. I mean, if everybody saw a dog being murdered like that&hellip;&rdquo;
Jackson: &ldquo;They would go crazy.&rdquo;
Thomas: &ldquo;They would go absolutely crazy. And that's the part that was so tough to me. You think that we&rsquo;ve made some kind of progress and then you see something like that, and it just knocks us all the way back. I'm feeling like, &lsquo;Wow, so what do we do now?&rsquo; And you went into work mode after that. That happened, you had your moment of grieving and feeling upset, and then you went into work mode right after that. Talk about that switch; what went into that?&rdquo;
Jackson: &ldquo;You never know what God has for you in your life. I was really upset. In the past, I had been upset that I didn&rsquo;t make All-Star games in my career. [I had been upset] for being judged for the (Malice at the Palace) brawl for having my teammates&rsquo; back and it messed up my career and all of the accolades I should&rsquo;ve gotten. I know I should have been an All-Star at least two or three times. But God works in mysterious ways. What I'm doing now, I want to be known for that. I don't even want to be known for basketball at all. I want to be known for what I'm doing now. Like I said, you never know what God has for you. Me going to Minnesota... I wanted to go down there so they wouldn't demean my brother's name. Like you&rsquo;ve said: the first thing they do when they murder one of us and try to make it look valid, they demean our character.&rdquo;
Thomas: &ldquo;Yeah, that&rsquo;s what they always do. With Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Terence Crutcher, Alton Sterling, Ahmaud Arbery and so on. They literally do it every time.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Jackson: &ldquo;Yup, and I wanted to go down there to let the world know who he really was. And nine times out of 10, when this happens, none of these people that get killed by the police have a celebrity to speak up for them. That's one thing that messed up Minnesota and the world: nobody expected Stephen Jackson to be considered George Floyd&rsquo;s twin. And nobody expected Stephen Jackson to put everything he had on the line for him, and fight for justice for him. While I was in Minnesota, not only did they know he had a celebrity speaking up for him, but at the time I spoke up for him, my podcast was one of the bigger podcasts in the world. I was all over ESPN and doing all of these shows. Nobody expected him to have somebody [with that kind of platform] to speak up for him.
&ldquo;When I went down there, seeing how the city of Minnesota got behind me and supported me, [that] let me know that this has been going on for a long time. I walked to the corner [and saw a woman holding a sign that said], &lsquo;His name was Hardel Sherrelle.&rsquo; His mom was standing on the corner, crying and holding signs, trying to get justice for her son just by herself. She didn&rsquo;t have no Stephen Jackson to speak up for her. So we stopped. I had all kinds of cameras following me at the time. I stopped, I put the cameras and the mics in front of her, and she tells her whole story. I ended up being the voice for her [too]. So I inherited being the voice for so many people who have been brutalized by police or by racism and never got justice. And the fact that it was a celebrity basketball player that everybody knew, that a lot of people respected and loved, all 18 countries and 50 states got behind me. And it became one of the biggest protests all at one time ever in the history of protests.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So the fact that that happened, I just dropped on my knees because I never knew God would make my life that important. It's way more important than basketball because I'm changing lives. And it sparked me to want to go to all 50 states and to let people know -- in the areas we come from -- that we care about them, that we hear them, that we have money to give and resources to help you out to try to get to a better life. And it's just God. Like I said, you never know what God has for you. It was meant for me to be in this position. It was meant for me to have a domino effect of helping people after going out there and standing up for my brother and to fight for change, and I would rather be known for what I'm doing now than anything else.&rdquo;
Later in the interview, Jackson lashed out at the media for the way they negatively portrayed his friend. He criticized attorneys like Benjamin Crump, whom he called out by name, because he feels they should fight harder for justice and less for settlements. (Although he did add that he still has respect for Crump and prays for him and hopes that the fight for justice is successful.) He also expressed his frustration with a justice system that doesn&rsquo;t hold police officers accountable for murdering innocent civilians.&nbsp;
Also, Jackson thanked celebrities such as Kyrie Irving (who purchased a house for the Floyd family), Lil Baby (who paid for Gianna's recent birthday party), Barbra Streisand (who bought Disney stocks for the Floyd family) and activist Tamika Mallory (who showed a lot of support).&nbsp;
Jackson praised the people of Minnesota for the tremendous support he received when he went there to protest for his friend. He really felt like the city embraced him and his cause, which he didn&rsquo;t anticipate. He also thanked all of the white allies, in particular, across the country who have aided him and supported him on his quest for justice.&nbsp;
Jackson is a new man. A man who has found his voice after much of the world joined him to protest the murder of George Floyd. In fact, many people were getting involved and protesting police brutality and racism for the first time (including many white people), which was likely due to Jackson&rsquo;s efforts. 
As the country awaits to hear the verdict for Derek Chauvin and the other officers involved, we can only hope and pray that justice will prevail.

Stephen Jackson opens up about his relationship with George Floyd and how his murder prompted him to speak out like never before.

Stephen Jackson on fight for George Floyd: 'It's way more important than basketball'

Kyrie Irving is missing, for lack of a better word. Players keep disappearing at random times because of COVID-19 -- the latest being Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas, who had to leave the team&rsquo;s game vs. the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter due to the league&rsquo;s protocols.
The Philadelphia 76ers will only have eight guys available this afternoon vs. the Denver Nuggets, and other teams such as the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics are missing multiple players for COVID-related reasons as well.
There are 16 teams who are at (or within one game of) .500. The Los Angeles Lakers are clearly the best team out there, but what on Earth has happened to last season&rsquo;s top teams (like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks)?
This is a strange NBA season. It&rsquo;s been more than a month since training camps opened, and each day there&rsquo;s a new head-scratching story.
Irving&rsquo;s whereabouts and motives remain unclear two days after he no-showed for Brooklyn&rsquo;s game against Philadelphia. The Nets are not saying much, and Irving&rsquo;s publicist, Ashley Blackwood, is not returning phone calls. After looking like world-beaters to open the season, the Nets now sit at .500 following last night&rsquo;s loss in Memphis.
Normally, beat writers would meet with players and coaches after the game to get an explanation. Then, the next day, they&rsquo;d show up at practice and get even more information. Not this season. COVID-19 protocols are keeping everyone away from one another and leading to more questions than answers. Almost every arena is empty, every journalist is communicating with players and coaches via Zoom, and basketball fans are squirreled away in their homes hoping that some sense of normalcy returns soon.
The Sixers looked excellent until they ran into the Irving-and-Durant-less Nets at Barclays Center on Thursday and laid an egg, causing Charles Barkley to ridicule them for their lack of defense. The Clippers have looked with notable exceptions: Last night vs. the Golden State Warriors and their Dec. 27 game against the Mavericks when they trailed by 50 points at halftime (setting a new NBA record).
The Lakers have been the Lakers: a 117-115 victory over the Chicago Bulls last night put them atop the Western Conference at 7-3, and if there is a legitimate threat in the West to keep them out of the NBA Finals, that team has yet to emerge. This despite Anthony Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being injured.
The guy running away with the scoring title, Bradley Beal (35.0 PPG), plays for a 2-7 team that is tied with the Detroit Pistons for the worst record in the East. This isn&rsquo;t how the Wizards envisioned their season going when they added Russell Westbrook, but the team is incredibly inconsistent and it&rsquo;s a mystery what you&rsquo;re going to get from them on any given night.
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James Harden remains in Houston, where he is tied for the league lead in assists with 11.3 per game (taking the spot from Nikola Jokic). In the assists race, Harden is tied with Westbrook, whose assist-to-turnover ratio was 8-to-7 last night against the Celtics.
Stephen Curry is making 4.6 three-pointers per night, but C.J. McCollum is outdoing him with 4.8 per night for a Portland Trail Blazers team that is third-worst in the West defensively, allowing 118 points per night. They should be better than 4-4, but Jusuf Nurkic has been ordinary after his All-Bubble performance last summer.
Jokic&rsquo;s Nuggets are 3-5, trolling the depths of the West along with the Memphis Grizzlies (who had the misfortune of losing Ja Morant) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (who are without Karl-Anthony Towns).
The Bucks are 5-4, which makes them every bit as good as the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The defending champions in the East, the Miami Heat, are 3-4, but at least that puts them light years ahead of the Toronto (Tampa) Raptors, who are 2-6 after dropping 144 points on the Sacramento Kings last night despite being without Kyle Lowry (personal reasons, which is the euphemism of the year).
The longest winning streak in the league belongs to the Boston Celtics, who have won four in a row and will try to make it five tonight against Miami, which will be on the second night-of a back-to-back in D.C. in which they may or may not have to face Westbrook (who has sat out back-to-backs). Westbrook has played in seven of nine games for the Wizards, who are dead last in the NBA in defense (allowing 122.9 points per game). &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t guard a parked car," Beal said, summing up Washington's rough start.
The flavor of the week from a week ago, the Atlanta Hawks, are enduring <a href="https://theathletic.com/2307304/2021/01/08/atlanta-hawks-john-collins-trae-young/">a feud</a> between Trae Young and John Collins that contributed to three-straight losses after a 4-1 start. They are a mess, as are the Clippers, who blew a 22-point second half lead last night to remind us all of what happened in last year&rsquo;s playoffs. Golden State scored 52 of the game&rsquo;s final 70 points, and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for just four fourth-quarter points. Yes, you read that previous sentence correctly.
At least we have the Indiana Pacers as a feel-good story, with Myles Turner blocking shots at a crazy pace, Malcolm Brogdon emerging as the most astute social-justice voice (and playing the best basketball of his career) and Domantas Sabonis dropping a double-double every single night. Remember this name: Nate Bjorkgren. If he keeps this up, he could emerge as the favorite for the Coach of the Year award.
The season is 10 games old in many cases, so we are just getting started. Remember: The new normal is not normal. It is abnormal.
And what we are seeing in the NBA thus far this season is a reflection of that fact.

If the first 10 games are any indication, this is going to be a strange NBA season. Chris Sheridan recaps the first few weeks of action.