Nittany Lions

Anthony Edwards had a front-row seat to greatness during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Being part of Team USA allowed him to spend extended time around legends LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, not just during games but in practices, shootarounds, and daily preparation. What he noticed most was not the highlights or the talent, but the discipline behind it.
They have been doing the same thing every single day, and according to Edwards, that is exactly why they have accomplished so much in their careers.
Spending that much time with them gave him perspective. Watching how they prepare, how they warm up, how they recover, and how they approach each day showed him that greatness is built on routine. It is not about constantly searching for something new. It is about mastering the same process repeatedly.
&ldquo;Playing with them on the USA team, it taught me about having a routine, especially when it comes to being on the court,&rdquo; Edwards said postgame at the 2026 All-Star Game in LA. &ldquo;Watching Steph, KD, and Bron every day do the same routine, it&rsquo;s like it&rsquo;s normal for a person to get bored with the same thing, waking up, doing this every single day. But I feel like that&rsquo;s what made them great and that&rsquo;s what they taught me for sure.&rdquo;
That level of consistency is what separates sustained greatness from short-term success. For most players, repetition can feel monotonous. For players like Curry, LeBron, and Durant, repetition creates comfort and confidence. Their routines have allowed them to remain elite deep into their careers, adjusting their games as needed but never abandoning the foundation that built them.
Edwards clearly understands that now, and he is beginning to apply those lessons to his own journey.
<h3>Letting the work speak for itself</h3>
At 24 years old, Edwards is already moving in the right direction. Being named All-Star Game MVP is another step forward in his growth as one of the faces of the league. However, for him, the recognition is not the final goal. It is simply progress.
Edwards has made it clear that he does not want to be just one of the best players in the league, but instead he wants to be THe best. That mindset aligns directly with the habits he observed during the Olympics.
When asked what the All-Star MVP win meant to him, he kept it simple.
&ldquo;It is a step in the right direction for sure. We chose to compete today, and we came out on top.&rdquo;
That statement carried weight because of the context surrounding the All-Star Game in recent years. The event has been criticized for lacking competitiveness and intensity, with many fans feeling that players were not taking it seriously. Edwards embraced the opportunity to compete and help change that narrative. He understood that effort matters, even in exhibition and pickup basketball settings, because habits carry over into bigger moments.
The performance was not just about scoring or highlights. Instead, it was about showing that the next generation values competition and takes pride in it. Victor Wembanyama, a fellow young superstar like Edwards, played hard from the get go and Edwards admitted it was him who got him going.
Confidence plays a major role in that. Edwards has never lacked self-belief, but when asked where that confidence comes from, he pointed directly back to the work.
When asked about where he thinks that confidence comes from, Edwards offered a simple yet strong statement.
&ldquo;I feel like it comes from the work, all the hours I put in the gym. I am always in the gym, so being in the gym and shooting all those shots all the time you build confidence within that.&rdquo;
That answer ties everything together. The same routine that he saw from Curry, LeBron, and Durant is the same routine he is building for himself. His confidence is not random. But rather it is developed through repetition, preparation, and countless unseen hours in the gym.
Edwards is still early in his career, and he has not yet accomplished what those three legends have achieved. However, the foundation is being built the right way. He recognizes that greatness is not accidental and that talent alone is not enough to sustain dominance over time.
If he continues to apply those lessons and maintain that daily discipline, his ceiling becomes even higher. He already has the athleticism, scoring ability, and charisma to lead the next era of stars. Pairing that with routine and relentless work gives him a real chance to reach the level he aspires to.

Anthony Edwards shares what he learned from the legends of the NBA from his Olympics stint, and how it has transformed his season.

Anthony Edwards praises LeBron, Steph, and KD’s work ethic: “That’s what made them great”

The Golden State Warriors dynasty appears to be entering its final stretch, with time, injuries, and uncertainty all converging at once.
Stephen Curry is now 37, approaching 38, and while his game has aged gracefully, the margin for error around him has grown razor-thin. Over the past several seasons, Golden State&rsquo;s championship hopes have repeatedly been derailed by injuries &ndash; many of them coming at the worst possible moments.
It began in 2019, when the Warriors were chasing a historic three-peat. Kevin Durant tore his Achilles during the NBA Finals against Toronto, followed shortly by Klay Thompson&rsquo;s ACL injury. What followed was a lost 2020 season, then another setback when Curry broke his hand just a few games into the year. As Thompson worked his way back, misfortune struck again &ndash; this time an Achilles tear that delayed his return even further.
The injury cycle never truly stopped. Last season, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton had been playing well alongside Curry in the backcourt before suffering a torn ACL, and from there, things unraveled quickly. In the playoffs, after Golden State rode the momentum of yet another series win over Houston, Curry suffered a hamstring strain that sidelined him against the Timberwolves. Without him, the Warriors were eliminated.
Most recently, another devastating blow landed. Jimmy Butler tore his ACL, costing Golden State its second star next to Curry and dealing a major hit to whatever remained of its title aspirations.
All of it underscores a harsh reality: time is running out. There are no guarantees in today&rsquo;s NBA, and opportunities to win championships are fleeting &ndash; especially for an aging superstar, no matter how great.
Curry continues to do his part. He just dropped 38 points and drilled eight three-pointers against Dallas, another reminder that he can still take over games and perform at a championship level. But nights like that have increasingly felt isolated, surrounded by questions about whether the supporting cast is good enough to contend.
The uncertainty extends beyond the roster. Klay Thompson is no longer there. Butler is sidelined. Steve Kerr has just one year left on his contract. Draymond Green is getting older and showing signs of decline. Meanwhile, the front office remains caught between timelines, holding onto young pieces rather than fully committing to moves that could immediately maximize Curry&rsquo;s remaining prime.
That&rsquo;s what makes this moment feel different. Curry is still capable of being the best player on a title team. He&rsquo;s shown it time and time again, but without sufficient help and without a clear organizational direction, the window that defined one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history appears to be closing.
And for a player who has given everything to the franchise, that reality is as difficult as it is unavoidable.

As Steph Curry continues to perform at an elite level, injuries, aging stars, and uncertainty signal that the Warriors’ dynasty is ending.

Stephen Curry, Warriors dynasty nearing its end

In a landmark moment for his Hall of Fame resume, James Harden climbed past Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal on the NBA&rsquo;s all-time scoring list, earning ninth place in league history with a vintage offensive performance for the Los Angeles Clippers.&nbsp;
The milestone came in Monday night&rsquo;s 117-109 win over the Charlotte Hornets, where Harden poured in 32 points and dished out 10 assists.&nbsp;
Harden&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the third quarter marked the official point that pushed his career total beyond Shaq&rsquo;s mark of 28,596 points &ndash; with Harden now sitting at 28,614 points and counting through 1,187 regular-season games.
The achievement is another major milestone in a career defined by elite scoring and longevity. Harden first cracked the NBA&rsquo;s top 10 all-time scoring list last season, and now ranks ahead of one of the most dominant centers in league history. Still ahead of him on the all-time list are legends such as Wilt Chamberlain (8th), Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and the all-time leader LeBron James. Kevin Durant is currently at 7th.
Harden reflected on the moment postgame, calling it a &ldquo;true honor&rdquo; to eclipse the Hall of Famer he grew up watching, underscoring the weight of joining the sport&rsquo;s elite scorers.

James Harden climbed past Shaquille O’Neal on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, becoming the 9th placed player.

James Harden surpasses Shaquille O’Neal to move into No. 9 on all-time scoring list

There was a time when every Nikola Jokic triple-double was a headline. Now, it&rsquo;s just another night in the NBA.
Through the first seven games of the season, Jokic has recorded a triple-double in five of them &ndash; a feat that, for almost any other player, would be hailed as an early-season masterpiece. For Jokic nowadays though, it barely makes noise &ndash; or so we thought.&nbsp;
His latest line &ndash; 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists in a win over the Miami Heat &ndash; came and went without much fanfare. No major debates, no viral clips, just another Nikola Jokic game.
It raises a sobering question: Have we started taking Nikola Jokic for granted?
When greatness becomes routine
In a league dominated by storylines, Jokic has somehow become background noise. There&rsquo;s the buzz surrounding Oklahoma City&rsquo;s rise to their dynasty aspirations, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s another MVP-level play. There&rsquo;s Victor Wembanyama&rsquo;s historic two-way surge, Luka Doncic torching defenses nightly, and Giannis Antetokounmpo reclaiming his MVP momentum as the Bucks return back into contention. Amid all this, Jokic continues to produce at a level that would define other players&rsquo; careers &ndash; and yet, it&rsquo;s treated as business as usual.
Maybe that&rsquo;s the curse of consistency. Jokic has been performing at an MVP standard for six straight years, making extraordinary basketball look almost effortless. His greatness has lost its novelty, not its effectiveness. The NBA world seems to have reached the point where a 25-12-12 stat line is expected out of him night in and night out, and anything less is considered an off night.
That kind of expectation can only mean one thing: we might have grown numb to the brilliance of the Joker.
Jokic&rsquo;s game defies conventional flash. He doesn&rsquo;t soar above defenders, doesn&rsquo;t scream after dunks, and rarely demands attention. Instead, he dissects opponents with surgical precision &ndash; manipulating angles, finding shooters, and bending defenses until they break.&nbsp;
He makes the hardest parts of basketball look like second nature. And perhaps because of that, his dominance no longer shocks us.
Watch him closely, though, and it&rsquo;s clear this is not normal. No one in NBA history has combined this kind of scoring efficiency, playmaking creativity, and rebounding control in one body. Jokic&rsquo;s blend of power and patience, vision and touch, feels like something out of a different era &ndash; or maybe a different dimension.
Yet, somehow, it doesn&rsquo;t dominate the discourse anymore the way it once did.
The cost of familiarity
It&rsquo;s possible that &lsquo;voter fatigue&rsquo; has caught up with Jokic &ndash; not just in award voting, but in the public consciousness. When a player sustains greatness for this long, the conversation naturally shifts elsewhere. The media and fans often chase new narratives, new stars, new sensations. Jokic, who&rsquo;s been doing this for years, no longer fits the mold of &ldquo;breaking news.&rdquo;
But it&rsquo;s worth remembering: he&rsquo;s still the best player in basketball.
Since 2019, Jokic has averaged roughly 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists per game while leading the Denver Nuggets to sustained success, including the 2023 NBA Championship &ndash; a run that stamped his legacy as one of the all-time greats. And yet, even as he keeps doing it, his name often fades into the background of louder storylines.
The truth is, we&rsquo;ve normalized his greatness to the point where we no longer fully appreciate it. It&rsquo;s not that Jokic has gotten worse &ndash; it&rsquo;s that everyone else has gotten louder.
Led by Jokic, Nuggets quietly creep up atop the West
Part of the reason Jokic&rsquo;s brilliance flies under the radar is the Nuggets&rsquo; quiet offseason. While other teams made splashy moves &ndash; like Kevin Durant&rsquo;s shocking arrival in Houston &ndash; Denver operated with surgical precision rather than spectacle.
They brought back a familiar face in Bruce Brown, a key piece of their 2023 title run. Brown&rsquo;s return instantly reestablishes the defensive edge and chemistry that made Denver so complete during their championship push. His connection with Jokic is instinctive; he knows exactly when and where to cut, and Jokic always finds him.
The Nuggets also made a subtle but meaningful trade &ndash; flipping Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson. At first glance, it might seem like a downgrade in talent, but in practice, it could be an upgrade in fit. Johnson&rsquo;s spacing, unselfishness, and commitment to role-playing perfectly complement Jokic&rsquo;s system. He won&rsquo;t hijack possessions or hunt shots; he&rsquo;ll move, shoot, and defend &ndash; the exact formula that maximizes Jokic&rsquo;s playmaking brilliance.
Denver also finally addressed one of their lingering issues: the lack of a dependable backup center. The addition of Jonas Valanciunas gives them that stability. A bruising interior presence and elite screener, Valanciunas allows Denver to stay afloat when Jokic sits &ndash; a problem that&rsquo;s haunted them for years. He&rsquo;s also a sneaky-good passer, keeping Denver&rsquo;s dribble-handoff flow alive in bench units.
And perhaps the most underrated move of all is not a move at all: the return of a healthy Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Both have battled injuries during previous playoff runs, but when on the floor, they complete Denver&rsquo;s identity. Murray&rsquo;s two-man game with Jokic remains one of the most unstoppable actions in basketball, while Gordon&rsquo;s cutting, defense, and athleticism balance the Nuggets on both ends.
Another quiet storyline is their head coach David Adelman. After taking over midseason last year, Adelman has done an exceptional job keeping the Nuggets grounded and disciplined. His defensive tweaks and trust in player development have kept Denver sharp despite roster transitions. He doesn&rsquo;t seek the spotlight &ndash; much like Jokic &ndash; but his influence is felt in the team&rsquo;s structure, chemistry, and accountability.
Adelman has embraced what makes Jokic special: freedom within a framework. Denver plays through Jokic at all times, but it never feels forced. The rhythm of the offense &ndash; cuts, screens, spacing &ndash; is organic, built on years of familiarity and trust.
While the Thunder, Lakers, Spurs, and Rockets dominate headlines, the Nuggets are quietly creeping back into the Western Conference&rsquo;s top tier. It&rsquo;s easy to forget that Denver was one win away from eliminating the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder last postseason.
Now, with a more balanced roster, better depth, and a refreshed core, they&rsquo;re poised to make another deep run. And at the center of it all &ndash; both literally and figuratively &ndash; is Nikola Jokic, still orchestrating everything with unmatched control.
He&rsquo;s still the engine, still the mind, still the heartbeat of Denver basketball. And yet, somehow, we&rsquo;ve stopped talking about him.
The normalization of the extraordinary
Maybe that&rsquo;s the price of sustained brilliance &ndash; to be so consistently excellent that the world stops noticing.&nbsp;
But history will remember what the present often overlooks. Jokic isn&rsquo;t just putting up big numbers; he&rsquo;s reshaping what we thought possible for a big man.
One day, when we look back, we&rsquo;ll realize these seasons weren&rsquo;t normal. They were masterpieces hiding in plain sight.
Nikola Jokic hasn&rsquo;t fallen off &ndash; if anything, he&rsquo;s still climbing. It&rsquo;s the rest of us who&rsquo;ve forgotten to look up.

Nikola Jokic’s brilliance has become so routine that fans may be taking it for granted. Read why, here:

Has Nikola Jokic become underrated?

It&rsquo;s been a long time since Chicago basketball felt this good.
The United Center hasn&rsquo;t buzzed like this in years, and it&rsquo;s not because of a flashy superstar, a high-profile signing, or a sudden scoring explosion. It&rsquo;s because the Bulls &ndash; yes, these Bulls &ndash; are finally playing like a team again.
Through the first seven games of the 2025-26 NBA season, the severely underrated Chicago Bulls have stormed out to a 6&ndash;1 record, sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. For a franchise that has spent much of the past decade searching for identity and direction, this early surge represents something far more meaningful than wins and losses.
It&rsquo;s about rediscovering what Chicago basketball used to stand for: toughness, selflessness, and unity.
A new identity, finally defined
For years, the Bulls&rsquo; offense revolved around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan &ndash; two elite scorers whose individual brilliance often overshadowed the collective. They were both incredible in isolation, capable of creating something out of nothing, but their styles never fully meshed with what head coach Billy Donovan envisioned.
This season, the picture looks entirely different. Without LaVine and DeRozan, Donovan has reshaped the Bulls into a system-driven, motion-heavy team that thrives on movement, cutting, and passing. There&rsquo;s no ball-dominant alpha demanding touches. Instead, every possession feels deliberate, purposeful &ndash; a shared effort rather than a solo performance.
The Bulls are just playing basketball the right way, they are screening, cutting, and trusting each other. Everyone touches the ball, and everyone matters.
The Bulls may not have a top-tier offensive engine or a dominant space creator, but they&rsquo;ve replaced that with balance, energy, and discipline. The result is a brand of basketball that is winning, and one that is repeatable, although it remains to be seen if it is sustainable to get them to the playoffs.
The key players behind the surge: Nikola Vucevic and Josh Giddey
At the heart of it all is Nikola Vucevic, the steadying veteran whose game has aged like fine wine.
At 35, Vucevic isn&rsquo;t just surviving in today&rsquo;s pace-and-space NBA, he&rsquo;s thriving. He&rsquo;s averaging near a double-double once again, but it&rsquo;s his leadership that&rsquo;s had the bigger impact. He anchors Chicago&rsquo;s offense with smart positioning and inside-out passing as well as his elite floor spacing, while providing an example for the team&rsquo;s younger players about consistency and professionalism.
If Vucevic is the team&rsquo;s heart, Josh Giddey has become its brain.
After a tense summer restricted free agency saga, Giddey returned to Chicago with something to prove &ndash; and it shows. Fresh off signing a long-term deal, he&rsquo;s playing with an assertiveness and confidence that eluded him in previous seasons. Giddey has found his groove and his playmaking has been elite, threading passes and elevating the play of everyone around him.
More importantly, Giddey has found the balance between facilitating and attacking. His improved scoring aggression has kept defenses honest, opening up cutting lanes and rhythm shots for teammates. Early on, he&rsquo;s looking every bit like an All-Star &ndash; and the Bulls are reaping the benefits.
The potential of Matas Buzelis and the rise of Ayo Dosunmu
While Vucevic and Giddey set the tone, the Bulls&rsquo; most exciting storyline might be the emergence of Matas Buzelis.
The hometown kid &ndash; born in Chicago and drafted by his city &ndash; is coming into his own. Buzelis has been given the green light to learn, make mistakes, and grow, a luxury few rookies receive in a major market. His length, shooting touch, and versatility have made him a seamless fit in Donovan&rsquo;s system, and his elite athleticism and rim pressure allows him to have a consistent scoring bag.
For a franchise that&rsquo;s long searched for its next cornerstone, Buzelis represents hope &ndash; the possibility of a homegrown star who could one day carry the torch for the next great Bulls era.
Speaking of hometown pride, Ayo Dosunmu continues to be one of Chicago&rsquo;s unsung heroes.
Dosunmu, another Illinois native, has blossomed into one of the league&rsquo;s best 3-and-D guards. But this season, Donovan has asked for more &ndash; and Dosunmu has delivered. He&rsquo;s taking on bigger offensive responsibilities while still anchoring the perimeter defense. His energy, versatility, and unselfishness epitomize the Bulls&rsquo; identity: no ego, just effort.
Depth, Balance, and Belief
Even with Coby White sidelined, the Bulls&rsquo; depth has been a revelation. Role players like Isaac Okoro, Tre Jones, Patrick Williams, Kevin Huerter, and Jalen Smith have each embraced their roles with clarity and confidence.
Okoro brings defensive tenacity. Jones provides steadiness at the point. Williams has settled into a reliable two-way rhythm. Huerter adds spacing and shooting, while Smith has given valuable minutes as a stretch big. None of them are stars &ndash; but together, they&rsquo;ve formed a cohesive, balanced rotation that works alongside their core.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
The city of Chicago has been waiting for a team to believe in again. Since the days of Derrick Rose&rsquo;s MVP run and Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s hope, the Bulls have cycled through rebuilds, retools, and false starts &ndash; flashes of potential that never quite materialized.
But this group is a fresh start. This team, defined by their collective purpose, embodies the city&rsquo;s blue-collar spirit. They may not have a global superstar yet, but they have something that&rsquo;s been missing for far too long: chemistry, identity, and belief.
Chicago knows greatness when it sees it. After all, it&rsquo;s the home of Michael Jordan &ndash; the standard by which all Bulls teams are measured. But even if this group isn&rsquo;t chasing banners just yet, they&rsquo;re chasing something just as important: respect, relevance, and revival.
For the first time in years, Bulls basketball matters again. And it&rsquo;s not because of who&rsquo;s scoring the most points &ndash; it&rsquo;s because they&rsquo;re doing it together.

The Chicago Bulls are off to their best start in years — not because of star power, but because of teamwork. Read more how, here:

Together again: How the Bulls’ collective identity sparked their strong start

On opening night, the Oklahoma City Thunder marked their rise from one of the league&rsquo;s youngest teams to its newest champions, receiving their championship rings under the glitter of their first title banner ceremony in franchise history.&nbsp;
But in the game that followed, the defending NBA champions took the floor not as the hunters &ndash; but as the hunted.
In a game that tested every ounce of their championship resolve, they delivered once again. Oklahoma City survived a furious Houston Rockets team to pull off a thrilling double-overtime victory, a statement win that perfectly captured what this new era of Thunder basketball is all about &ndash; heart, depth, and unshakable belief.
A new chapter in the making this season
Ring nights are often a celebration of the past, a moment to bask in the glow of achievement of winning the title in June. But for the Thunder, it also symbolized something greater: the beginning of what could be a new dynasty.
Oklahoma City&rsquo;s championship run last season was not the culmination of a long veteran journey &ndash; it was a young team arriving ahead of schedule. With their core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren all under 27, the Thunder&rsquo;s window is wide open for more titles to come. Their championship wasn&rsquo;t a fluke: it was a foundation for the future.
Against the Rockets, a team rejuvenated by the arrival of Kevin Durant and full of ambition, the Thunder faced immediate adversity. Yet, even after trailing from behind and being pushed into two extra periods, their composure never wavered. Gilgeous-Alexander poured in clutch buckets, Holmgren made pivotal stops, and the role players stepped up at various points in the game.
Their 2OT win wasn&rsquo;t just another number in the standings. It was a tone-setter &ndash; a declaration that Oklahoma City isn&rsquo;t satisfied with one banner.
Continuity breeds confidence
In a league defined by offseason turnover, the Thunder&rsquo;s greatest strength this year might be their continuity. No major piece of last year&rsquo;s rotation is gone. Shai remains the calm heartbeat, Jalen Williams continues his evolution into a star, and Chet Holmgren &ndash; fresh off an impressive Finals showing &ndash; anchors their defense. But beyond their roster, there&rsquo;s a shared trust that&rsquo;s been built through battles.
Head coach Mark Daigneault&rsquo;s system thrives on chemistry, quick decision-making, and unselfishness. Every player knows their role, and that collective understanding is what separates a good team from a great one. When the Rockets threatened to spoil ring night, OKC&rsquo;s bench and starters moved as one &ndash; communicating, rotating, and feeding off the roaring crowd inside Paycom Center.
That synergy isn&rsquo;t something that can be taught in a single training camp. It&rsquo;s forged through the grind of deep playoff runs, through moments when the stakes feel unbearable. And on opening night, it was evident that the Thunder had learned how to win not just with talent &ndash; but with poise.
Echoes of the young Golden State Warriors
It&rsquo;s easy to draw parallels between these Thunder and the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors. Both teams were led by a homegrown core that grew together under a progressive coach. Both had young stars who could score in bunches, defend multiple positions, and play with pace.
For Oklahoma City, this comparison isn&rsquo;t far-fetched. They have the reigning Finals MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to ascend as one of the league&rsquo;s most methodical scorers. They have Jalen Williams, a Swiss Army knife who defends wings, handles the ball, and spaces the floor. Holmgren, meanwhile, is redefining what it means to be a modern center &ndash; stretching the floor on one end, blocking shots on the other.
But what sets OKC apart is their humility. Even after winning it all, there&rsquo;s no sense of complacency. Every player speaks about growth. Every practice feels purposeful. That attitude might be what carries them from one championship to several.
As fans cheered during the ring ceremony, one could feel the emotional weight in the building. It was a celebration for everyone who had witnessed the team&rsquo;s rebuild &ndash; the nights of struggle, the patient draft picks, the questions about whether this young core could coexist.
Now, the Thunder are proof that patience pays off.
Their victory against Houston didn&rsquo;t just showcase their championship pedigree &ndash; it reminded everyone why they earned those rings in the first place. When the game demanded resilience, they met the moment. When it called for discipline, they stayed poised. And when it needed stars, Shai the MVP delivered.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
One game doesn&rsquo;t define a season, but for the defending champions, it reinforced a familiar truth: Oklahoma City&rsquo;s best basketball might still be ahead.
The Thunder know the league will come after them harder this year. Every team will measure itself against the champs. But as they showed on ring night, Oklahoma City is more than ready to embrace that challenge.
Their youth is their advantage, their chemistry their backbone, and their collective belief their edge. Whether this becomes the start of a dynasty remains to be seen &ndash; but if their double-overtime opener was any indication, the Thunder aren&rsquo;t done making history.

Defending NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder opened their title defense with a thrilling 2OT win over the Houston Rockets.

The reign begins: Thunder begin title defense with ring night win over Rockets

Kevin Durant is officially staying in Houston for the long run, as the Rockets and the 15-time all-star have reached agreement on a two-year, $90 million contract extension, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania.
The deal comes with a player option for the 2027-28 season. Durant&rsquo;s new deal begins after the 2025-26 season in which he will earn $54.7 million under his existing contract. Combined, the three years will total roughly $144.7 million.
The extension is well below the two-year, $118 + million max extension he was eligible for, giving the Rockets needed cap flexibility. At age 37, with one more full season before the extension kicks in, the short-term structure lets both Durant and Houston assess the fit without locking up a long-term mega deal. By signing now, Houston secures Durant during his expected remaining peak years, helping solidify their championship window while also managing future payroll.
ANALYSIS: What this means for Durant is, the extension signals his intention to help build something meaningful in Houston rather than chase a max elsewhere. Sources say the deal aligns with his goal of finishing his career with the Rockets, with the goal of contending for a championship every single year Durant is with the franchise.
For the Rockets, adding Durant alongside rising stars like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson for the long haul elevates the franchise into serious contender status in the Western Conference. The cap savings from not doing the max allow for potential supporting-piece moves.
Durant has shown his commitment and that he&rsquo;s bought into Houston&rsquo;s vision and the deal preserves a clear championship window for the next 2-3 seasons.&nbsp;
Rockets retain financial flexibility and avoid long-term risk often associated with aging superstars, and this deal might mark as the final major contract of Durant&rsquo;s career, potentially anchoring his legacy in Houston rather than elsewhere.

Kevin Durant is officially staying in Houston, after agreeing on a two-year, $90 million contract extension.

Kevin Durant signs extension with Rockets, commits to Houston chapter

MACAU, CHINA &ndash; Devin Booker has seen every version of the Phoenix Suns since he was drafted in 2015. He&rsquo;s lived through the lottery years, guided the franchise back to playoff relevance, reached the NBA Finals, and helped redefine the Suns&rsquo; identity as an enticing star player destination. Now, entering the 2025-26 NBA season, Booker stands at the center of yet another chapter &ndash; but one that&rsquo;s less about contention and more about construction.
&ldquo;I always say we&rsquo;re all blessed to be in a position that we are &mdash; to play the sport that we love,&rdquo; Booker told BasketballNews.com in a postgame interview after their game vs the Brooklyn Nets during the 2025 NBA China Games in Macau. &ldquo;I just take it day by day, try to improve, try to learn, and give advice and lead at the same time. So, whatever situation that has been thrown at me, I just take it for what it is. I love the situation that we&rsquo;re in now, and we&rsquo;re building. We&rsquo;re building for the start of the season, and today was a good step forward.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s a fitting perspective for a player who&rsquo;s evolved as much as the franchise itself. Booker entered the league as a 18-year-old microwave scorer and has since become the longest-tenured Sun, the team&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer, and its emotional anchor. His growth mirrors the Suns&rsquo; decade-long climb &ndash; from rebuilding project to Finals contender to, once again, a team recalibrating its future.
From contender to transition
The Suns&rsquo; transformation over the past few months has been striking. After some seasons built around a star-heavy core of Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, Phoenix decided to reset. Durant was traded in a major offseason move, while Beal&rsquo;s contract was bought out. The organization also brought in new leadership, hiring Brian Gregory as general manager and Jordan Ott as head coach.
Phoenix retooled its roster with an eye toward the future &ndash; adding dynamic young talents like Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, while drafting rookie center Khaman Maluach. The changes signal a somewhat long-term vision rather than an all-in championship chase, but one thing remains constant: this is still Booker&rsquo;s team.
This summer, that commitment became official. The Suns signed Booker to a two-year, $145 million extension, keeping him in Phoenix through 2030 &ndash; a statement of belief in his leadership and loyalty.
Embracing the responsibility
Booker&rsquo;s tone in Macau wasn&rsquo;t that of a superstar frustrated by change, but of someone embracing it. His focus, he said, is on growth &ndash; both his own and that of the group around him.
That attitude could define the Suns&rsquo; season. With a new system under Ott and a younger supporting cast, Phoenix will rely heavily on Booker&rsquo;s leadership, consistency, and voice. He&rsquo;s been through the highs and lows, from the grind of early rebuilds to the heartbreak of losing on the game&rsquo;s biggest stage.
Now, his mission shifts: guiding the next wave of Suns through their own learning curve.
&ldquo;I just take it day by day,&rdquo; he repeated. &ldquo;Try to improve, try to learn, and lead at the same time.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Latest words for <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a>: Devin Booker has seen it all in Phoenix -- from rebuilding to Finals runs and now a new era. In Macau for the NBA China Games, he shares how he&rsquo;s embracing leadership and the challenges ahead. Read more here:<a href="https://t.co/py55gbaa5o">https://t.co/py55gbaa5o</a> <a href="https://t.co/RyRqsO37QJ">https://t.co/RyRqsO37QJ</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1976894437914820907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2025</a></blockquote>

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&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
The 2025 NBA China Games &ndash; the league&rsquo;s first trip back to China in six years &ndash; provided the perfect stage for this new-look Suns team to show early signs of progress. Against the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix displayed flashes of renewed energy and cohesion, with Booker setting the tone both on and off the floor.
For a franchise seeking to rebuild its foundation, the preseason trip offered something: a reminder that new beginnings often come with opportunity.
The regular season begins later this month, and expectations around the Suns are tempered. But for Booker, the focus isn&rsquo;t on predicting where Phoenix will finish &ndash; it&rsquo;s on building the right habits, fostering growth, and setting a standard for what&rsquo;s next.
Through all the changes from front offices, teammates, and coaching staffs, Devin Booker has remained the constant. He&rsquo;s carried the Suns from obscurity to contention, and now he&rsquo;s steering them into a new era with patience and purpose.
If the Suns&rsquo; future depends on leadership and belief, they have both in their cornerstone. &ldquo;Whatever situation that&rsquo;s been thrown at me, I just take it for what it is,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;I love the situation that we&rsquo;re in now, and we&rsquo;re building.&rdquo;
In a time of transition, that&rsquo;s exactly the kind of message Phoenix needs from their bonafide franchise star.

Devin Booker reflects on his Suns journey, and embraces the challenge of leading Phoenix through a transition season.

Devin Booker embraces leadership role as Suns transition to new era

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season. She has spent the majority of the season injured and going through a tumultuous rehab process coupled with failed attempts to return. She hasn't played since July 15 .&nbsp;
Clark, the 2024 No. 1 pick, had been limited to 13 games this season when she suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun.
Caitlin Clark announced on social media&nbsp;Thursday night&hellip;
"I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season," Clark posted. "I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn't a big enough word to describe how I am feeling."
&ldquo;This has been incredibly frustrating, but even in the bad, there is good. The way the fans continued to show up for me, and for the Fever, brought me so much joy and important perspective. I am so proud of how this team has only gotten stronger through adversity this year. Now it&rsquo;s time to close out the season and claim our spot in the playoffs.&rdquo;
This brought a swift reaction from many of the Caitlin Clark mob.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/5-etan-thomas-2_690w.jpg" alt="" />
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Here are the facts that not surprisingly, only actual WNBA fans will acknowledge, it would&rsquo;ve been very foolish for Caitlin Clark to risk further injury. In fact, if the Indiana Fever elected to treat Caitlin Clark with the same level of medical malpractice that the Indiana Pacers did with Tyrese Haliburton, and she came back and played and injured herself worst like Tyrese Haliburton did, and would have to miss the entire season next year like Tyrese Haliburton will, that would&rsquo;ve been even more of a catastrophe&hellip;&hellip;as it is for Tyrese Haliburton.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/5-etan-thomas-8_690w.jpeg" alt="" />
Of course CC wants to play, just as Tyrese Haliburton wanted to play in the NBA finals but it&rsquo;s not up to them. Any player is going to want to play that&rsquo;s the way Athletes are wired no matter what age or level. If you ask a middle school basketball player if they wanted to try a play in a big game even though they&rsquo;re injured nine times out of 10 they&rsquo;re going to say yes. It&rsquo;s ingrained in athletes to throw caution to the side, and sacrifice your body and health for the good of the team.&nbsp;
On the walls of many high school weight rooms, coaches love to put quotes like,
&nbsp;&ldquo;Pain Is Weakness Leaving Your Body&rdquo;&nbsp;
Or&nbsp;
The Pain You Feel Today Will Be The Strength You Feel Tomorrow&rdquo;&nbsp;
Or&nbsp;
&ldquo;You Either Quit Or You Keep Going. They Both Hurt&rdquo;&nbsp;
Or&nbsp;
&ldquo;That which does not kill us will only make us stronger&rdquo;
(Attributed to 2Pac or Nietzche whichever will drive home the gladiator, ignore your body and sacrifice for the team message)&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s such a ridiculous argument that people make when they say Tyrese Haliburton said he wanted to play or RG III said he wanted to play or Jayson Tatum or Kevin Durant said he wanted to play. Of course they are going to want to play. That&rsquo;s what athletes have been programmed to do.&nbsp;
But in every case, the medical team should have never cleared any of them to play. They are the doctors, the trainers, the medical professionals and they didn&rsquo;t do their job and they should all be held accountable just as when any profession doesn&rsquo;t do their job and catastrophe happens because of their negligence.
If someone goes to a doctor, and tells the doctor that they don&rsquo;t like taking medicine, and the doctor signs off on them not taking the medicine, and the person dies as a result of it, would it be ok because the patient said they didn&rsquo;t like taking medicine ? No. It&rsquo;s the doctor&rsquo;s job to give their medical, professional, diagnosis and recommendation, what they went to years of medical school and are being paid to do. Only in sports do people say, &ldquo;The athlete wanted to play&rdquo; &nbsp;It&rsquo;s your job to say, &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter what you want, you are not cleared to play&rdquo;&nbsp;
When Caitlin Clark came back in July and played in that game against the Connitcuit Sun, and re injured herself, it appeared as though they were trying to get her back for the big game against the NY Liberty, and you had all star wknd coming up, and they had the TV ratings to be concerned about. But she didn&rsquo;t look right even before she re injured herself.&nbsp;
But real Caitlin Clark fans should be relieved that the Fever &nbsp;aren&rsquo;t risking her long term health for a short sighted goal of the current playoff position. Especially when even if they did somehow squeak into the playoffs would be facing one of the best if not the best teams in the WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx and, let&rsquo;s be honest&hellip;&hellip;their chances of making it past them are slim to none. Maybe even less than that&nbsp;
Caitlin Clark fans should breathe a sigh of relief that the Indiana Fever aren&rsquo;t electing to treat their franchise player as dispensable. We have seen that script before with RG3 and it ruined his entire career.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/5-etan-thomas-9_690w.jpeg" alt="" />
However, the Caitlin Clark mob doesn&rsquo;t care about her actual health or about her as a person. If they did they would&rsquo;ve listened to her multiple pleas with them to not use her to promote racism, hate, or bigotry. But just like her health, her opinion doesn&rsquo;t matter to them. Their only concern and desire is to be able to weaponize her as the symbol of white grievance, white supremacy, the great white hope, as the white damsel in distress who needs protection from all of the Black WNBA players who want to harm her because they hate her so much and are jealous of her. Now, they can&rsquo;t run with any of those narratives anymore. At least not until next season.&nbsp;
<div>And for media people like Dick Vitale, Christine Brennan, Frank Isola, and Jason Whitlock, there&nbsp;will be no fouls to inflate into morality plays or on-court moments to twist into evidence of persecution, so they will have to find new narratives to promote&hellip;..</div>
<div>Or they will completely ignore a sure to be exciting WNBA playoffs with multitudes of ultra talented players altogether. Pay close attention to which one they choose.</div>

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season.

The Caitlin Clark mob is upset they can no longer weaponize her this season

The NBA has unveiled the complete 2025-26 regular-season schedule for all 30 teams.
This schedule marks a full 82-game slate &ndash; though two games per team will remain TBD and depend on the outcomes of the upcoming NBA Cup.
A landmark 11-year media rights overhaul introduces NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video into the mix alongside ESPN/ABC, replacing Turner Sports' TNT coverage. This reshuffles the national broadcast schedule:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">ABC: Saturdays and Sunday afternoons</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">ESPN: Wednesdays and Fridays</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">NBC &amp; Peacock: Sundays and Tuesdays (NBC returns to NBA for first time in 24 years)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Prime Video: Multiple slots, including Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays</li>
</ul>
Highlight Matchups &amp; Calendar Showcase
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Opening Night (Oct 21): Thunder vs. Rockets (Durant returns home) and Lakers vs. Warriors (LeBron vs. Curry trailer), both airing on NBC.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Thanksgiving Week: Kevin Durant debuts in Phoenix (Nov 24); Anthony Davis faces the Lakers (Nov 28).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Key Rivalries:</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Celtics vs. Trail Blazers (Jrue Holiday's return and Lillard&rsquo;s homecoming) on Jan 26</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Lakers in Cleveland on Jan 28&mdash;likely LeBron&rsquo;s final Hometown game.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Christmas Day: A five-game slate with eight Western Conference teams among the ten participants.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Rivalry &amp; Rookie Spotlights: Flagg&rsquo;s debut vs. Wembanyama in opening week; You&rsquo;ll also see showdowns like Ja Morant vs. Zion Williamson and a potential MLK Day Finals preview of Thunder vs. Cavaliers.</li>
</ul>
This scheduling is showing that the NBA is subtly balancing star-driven programming with strategic spacing &ndash; eight out of ten Christmas Day teams come from the West due to key Eastern injuries and reduced star movement.&nbsp;
The teams are assigned 80 initial games, with the final two per team hinge on NBA Cup performance, weaving the in-season tournament into the broader schedule narrative.
This schedule launch marks a seismic shift in the NBA's presentation, distribution, and storytelling. With a newly-balanced media ecosystem, major returns (e.g., NBC), and a league structure built to showcase stars and rivalries, the 2025-26 season is set to redefine how basketball is broadcast &ndash; and how fans experience the game.
&nbsp;

The NBA has unveiled the complete 2025-26 regular-season schedule for all 30 teams.

NBA releases full schedule for 2025-2026 season

The Houston Rockets have formally extended head coach Ime Udoka to a multi-year deal, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania.
Initially set under contract through 2026&ndash;27, the new extension reflects owner Tilman Fertitta and GM Rafael Stone&rsquo;s commitment to Udoka&rsquo;s leadership following consecutive seasons of marked progress.&nbsp;
Udoka, the former Celtics coach turned Spurs assistant, guided Houston to a franchise-best 52‑30 record this past season, earning them the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a first‑round playoff appearance &ndash; their best performance since 2018&ndash;19.&nbsp;
Alongside his impressive turnaround, Houston ranked fifth in defensive efficiency, with rookie Amen Thompson making All‑Defense and All-Star center Alperen Sengun blossoming under his system. According to Charania, the deal places Udoka among the NBA's top‑paid coaches, with "an eight‑figure annual" salary making him one of the league's richest at his position.
The extension arrives as Houston fends off interest from other teams, including the New York Knicks, who were denied permission to interview Udoka following their coaching vacancy. The Rockets have prioritized staff continuity, recently securing veteran center Steven Adams on a three‑year extension and weighing future options for Fred VanVleet amid potential Kevin Durant trade chatter.
Over two seasons, Udoka has led Houston to a combined 93‑71 record &ndash; an impressive leap from the 59 wins posted in the three years prior to his hire. His defensive mindset and emphasis on discipline transformed the young core into a playoff contender and earned him finalist consideration for the NBA Coach of the Year Award.
ANALYSIS: Ime Udoka&rsquo;s extension underscores Houston&rsquo;s belief in his vision to transform the Rockets into a modern contender. As the franchise eyes further growth, his leadership remains central to their blueprint for success.
The extension is Houston&rsquo;s second major offseason move, following the re-signing of Steven Adams and preceding key decisions on cap space and possible trades targeting major stars.

The Houston Rockets have formally extended head coach Ime Udoka to a multi-year deal, making him one of the highest-paid coaches.

Ime Udoka Nets Multi-Year Extension as Rockets’ Architect of Success

Anthony Edwards' meteoric rise in the NBA continues relentlessly. The 23-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves superstar has added another chapter to his burgeoning playoff legacy, leading his team to a 4-1 series victory over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. This triumph not only propels the Timberwolves to their second consecutive Western Conference Finals but also reinforces Edwards' growing reputation as the league's premier "legend killer."
The term "legend killer" may have been used in jest by fans and analysts, but it's becoming more apt with each passing series. Edwards is carving out one of the most impressive early playoff resumes in recent memory, routinely stepping up against the game's brightest stars and emerging victorious.
Slaying giants and legends is becoming a playoff tradition for Edwards
Edwards' postseason journey reads like a who's who of NBA royalty. Last year, he spearheaded the Timberwolves' stunning run through the Western Conference, eliminating a Phoenix Suns team led by future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. In the following round, they went toe-to-toe with reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Denver Nuggets &ndash; and prevailed.
This season has followed a similar narrative. In the first round, Edwards and the Wolves dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Edwards outdueled both LeBron James and Luka Doncic on both ends of the floor and delivering clutch baskets in high-pressure moments.
Now, in the semifinals, he's taken down a Warriors team that boasted championship pedigree and playoff-tested veterans in Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green &ndash; and would have had Stephen Curry, were it not for injury.
It's no wonder the nickname "legend killer" has started to stick. Edwards is not just winning playoff series; he's ending runs and ushering in a new era of stardom. Few players his age have compiled such an impressive list of postseason victims &ndash; and he's doing it as the unquestioned leader of a franchise that hadn&rsquo;t been to the Conference Finals in 20 years before his arrival.
Golden State&rsquo;s fortunes took a major hit just minutes into Game 1 when Stephen Curry pulled up lame, clutching his left hamstring. The team initially called it &ldquo;tightness,&rdquo; but subsequent scans revealed a strain that would sideline the two-time MVP for the remainder of the series.
Curry&rsquo;s absence was devastating. In Game 1, the Warriors managed to win despite him being out for the majority of the game, and Golden State was within striking distance. But without him, the Warriors lacked spacing, cohesion, and a consistent scoring threat. Butler, whom the Warriors acquired midseason for a late title push, averaged a decent amount of points in the series but struggled to find rhythm without Curry drawing double teams. Draymond Green&rsquo;s defensive prowess and playmaking were neutralized by Minnesota&rsquo;s size and physicality.
Minnesota, meanwhile, smothered Golden State with a vaunted defense led by Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and Edwards. The Wolves&rsquo; game plan was simple yet effective: deny Butler clean looks, collapse on drives, and force role players to beat them. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield were rather inconsistent, while Jonathan Kuminga, though promising, lacked the polish to carry the scoring load for the entire series. The Warriors ultimately lost four straight games after taking the opener.
Timberwolves' strategic mastery&nbsp;
Minnesota&rsquo;s resurgence is as much about front-office vision as it is about Edwards&rsquo; emergence. The franchise made a controversial decision last summer, trading long-time star Karl-Anthony Towns &ndash; the face of the franchise for nearly a decade &ndash; to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Initially panned as an overreaction to last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals loss, the move has aged like fine wine. Randle brought a rugged interior presence and a scorer's mindset that perfectly complements Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s defense-first approach. In these playoffs, Randle has arguably been playing the best basketball of his life, often bullying smaller defenders in the post while spacing the floor just enough to allow Edwards room to operate.
DiVincenzo, a tenacious defender and underrated shooter, has been an x-factor despite struggling a bit in the playoffs. He has consistently hit timely threes while guarding opposing guards with a relentless motor. His chemistry with Edwards has flourished, allowing the Wolves to maintain intensity on both ends without sacrificing floor spacing.
Add in the steady leadership of Mike Conley and the rim protection of Gobert and Naz Reid off the bench and the perimeter defense by McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and you&rsquo;ve got one of the most well-balanced teams left in the playoffs.
With this series win, the Timberwolves have secured their second straight appearance in the Western Conference Finals &ndash; a feat that once seemed unimaginable for a franchise long plagued by mediocrity. They fell to Dallas in last year&rsquo;s WCF, but the lessons from that loss are clearly paying off.
This version of the Wolves is deeper, more experienced, and far more adaptable. They&rsquo;ve shown they can win gritty, defensive battles or shoot it out when the game opens up. Coach Chris Finch has masterfully balanced rotations and drawn up sets that accentuate Edwards&rsquo; strengths while keeping Randle, Gobert, and DiVincenzo involved.
The next step now is breaking through to the NBA Finals &ndash; something no Timberwolves team has ever accomplished.
Being the &lsquo;face of the league&rsquo;
As the NBA&rsquo;s long-standing icons gradually wind down their careers, the league is searching for its next torchbearer. While players like Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all in the mix, few have made as loud a postseason statement as Anthony Edwards.
His playoff numbers &mdash; 27.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists per game &mdash; don&rsquo;t just tell the story of a rising superstar, they scream franchise cornerstone and future MVP. More importantly, Edwards has embraced the spotlight, asking for it and owning the pressure of delivering wins against the best in the world.
He&rsquo;s charismatic, fiercely competitive, and fearless. His ability to elevate his game in the postseason, rise above elite opponents, and close out games has drawn comparisons to legends of the past. And with every &ldquo;legend&rdquo; he defeats, Edwards inches closer to becoming one himself.
Anthony Edwards isn&rsquo;t just adding to his playoff resume &mdash; he&rsquo;s building a legacy. One legendary opponent at a time.
And if the &ldquo;legend killer&rdquo; keeps this up, the next generation of NBA stars might be defined by who manages to take him down.

Anthony Edwards continues his rise as the NBA’s “Legend Killer,” leading the Timberwolves past the Warriors to reach the WCF again.

Anthony Edwards adds to ‘legend killer’ legacy as Wolves eliminate Warriors in 5

Team USA players came inside the Kerry Sports basketball facility one by one, each sporting their preferred and comfortable gear from the blazing heat of the Philippine weather they were not so accustomed to. They were about to hold their first practices in Manila for the FIBA World Cup 2023, the sport&rsquo;s world championship meet.
Anthony Edwards was one of the last ones to enter the gym along with fellow NBA no.1 overall pick Paolo Banchero. He had his Adidas Adilette comfort slides put on with black Team USA jogger pants and an Adidas triple-colored hoodie. Edwards was fixated on his phone, walking past whispering reporters onto the team&rsquo;s huddle at center court, clearly being the center of attraction for the young Team USA squad.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s who they call the Ant-Man.&rdquo;
Once upon a time, Edwards&rsquo; name was held in a much lower regard. The 22-year-old is considered to be one of the best and brightest young players in the league but has yet to establish himself as one of the staples and premier superstars with an iconic and deep playoff performance that cements him in that tier.
Until these playoffs.
Edwards has separated himself from the pack of young superstars leading their teams and entered the upper echelon of basketball royalty in the NBA. With the league anticipating the &lsquo;changing of the guard&rsquo; as current faces LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant eventually diminish their shining glories as the league&rsquo;s best of the best, Edwards comes in as one of the hopefuls to take the mantle when that inevitable day comes.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been saying that he (Edwards) is the face of the league but he hates it when I say it &ndash; but it&rsquo;s true. The future&rsquo;s so bright you gotta put the sunglasses on when you&rsquo;re walking around him,&rdquo; Karl-Anthony Towns said, in their post-game interview after their first-round series with the&nbsp;Phoenix Suns.
Edwards glanced briefly at Towns, who was beside him at the podium. He had that little smile on his face while bowing down his head as his teammate praised him in front of the listening reporters. He looked at Towns again, this time shaking his head in disbelief, but it had the element of confidence. There was obviously a focus on what Towns was talking about but with Edwards&rsquo; elite level-headedness through it all.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re a young superstar in the league and you have to face it,&rdquo; the statement emphasized on Edwards as he&rsquo;s trying to soak it all in.
Ever since Edwards has been adamant about not calling himself anything until he wins in the playoffs. Now that his Wolves beat the Suns to win the franchise&rsquo;s first playoff series since 2004, Edwards certainly has all the right in the world to give himself even the tiniest bit of praise.
He thought for a good three seconds, glancing at the reporter and the horizon for a moment. He was just asked if he was now able to give himself some grace in that regard when people call him that &lsquo;young superstar&rsquo; label. A small grin emerged onto his face, clearly oozing with confidence albeit a controlled one. He looked back with that smile on his face while nodding, he said:
&ldquo;Nah, not yet a man. Not yet.&rdquo;
Behind this usual brash, confident, and charismatic Edwards is a hungry side that never gets contented and satisfied until he achieves his ultimate goal: winning a championship. Maybe he&rsquo;ll have the guts to call himself one when they reach the Finals and end up going all the way. But that remains to be seen.
He&rsquo;s got the swagger, the personality, and the charisma to be marketable by the league. Edwards mentioned wanting to go kill everybody that&rsquo;s in front of him, and boy, he did.&nbsp;
Edwards swept the Suns featuring his childhood idol and favorite player of all time Kevin Durant, who he has been jawing back and forth at several times in the series. This was him going at his childhood hero, taking on the challenge and never backing down. However, the play of the series happened in Game 4 when Minnesota was trying to put the nail in the coffin for Phoenix.&nbsp;
With 2:18 left on the clock in the 4th quarter, Edwards blew by Beal and rose through the air as high as he could. Durant made the right business decision by not going up together with a rampaging bull as he should For a brief moment, he looked like the second coming of a certain Michael Jordan &ndash; yet again &ndash; after he&rsquo;s been labeled as such throughout the course of the season after each jaw-dropping spectacular play. Edwards threw down a ferocious poster slam dunk that might have literally blown the roof over the Footprint Center as the play signaled the beginning of the end for the Suns.
Durant and Edwards will play together in Team USA in August for the Paris Olympics, and these two for sure would go head to head making their practice sessions much more interesting. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely a good feeling because he&rsquo;s my favorite player of all time, and I can tell him that I was the one who sent him home. It&rsquo;s gonna be a fun summer for sure,&rdquo; Edwards said.
First game of the Western Conference Finals and up against the Nuggets, Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points. He dissected their entire defense, scoring in all types of ways imaginable for a superstar. Edwards hit threes, blown by some of the toughest defenders in the NBA Aaron Gordon, and hit fadeaway mid-range jumpers reminiscent of Jordan. More importantly, Edwards displayed the level of maturity a superstar has to make in the playoffs &ndash; playing off of your teammates and playmaking for the entire team. He has done it so far with relative ease and that&rsquo;s why the Timberwolves have found their early success in this postseason.
He&rsquo;s doing it against supposedly their biggest challenge &ndash; the defending champions &ndash; who sent them home a year ago. &ldquo;Last year we didn&rsquo;t have Jaden (McDaniels) and Naz (Reid) against them so it was quite frustrating. Now that we have both I think we can definitely do better,&rdquo; Edwards said about their biggest thing in this rematch series vs Denver is being healthy.
Before the season started, Edwards was this up-and-coming 22-year-old star leading his nation at the World Championships for a chance at glory. Although the Americans ended up not medalling after losing to eventual world champions Germany in the semifinals and to neighboring Canada in the third-place game, Edwards was clearly the best player on the team filled with young American talent. He led Team USA in scoring, and at 22 years old, this was only the start of a big year ahead.
Edwards then was the clear-cut best player for the third-best team in the West, with Minnesota having a 56-26 record. Those 56 wins were the most since 2004 when they had 58 and went to the Western Conference Finals. They were led back then by legend Kevin Garnett but that was also their last time seeing the playoffs.&nbsp;
20 years later, Edwards is now shouldering all the burden by taking this Wolves team back to relevance, basking in all the glory he&rsquo;s worked so hard to attain. He&rsquo;s one of the bonafide young rising superstars in the league, and he intends to take them all the way.
Edwards&rsquo; huge season and ascension to superstardom could be attributed back to something you see coming even from a mile away. And it all started in that summer lengthy yet productive summer in 2023.
While most players use their summers to recuperate, have a vacation somewhere, and spend time with families and loved ones, Edwards took a privileged yet opportunistic route: play with the National Team at the FIBA World Cup. Usually, NBA superstars all express their willingness to play with the National Team at the Olympics. For no definite reason, somehow the FIBA World Cup does not seem appealing to play for the older/senior superstar guys, so it&rsquo;s usually the juniors/young guys who represent Team USA. Anthony Edwards took up that challenge and became the best player for the team and in turn, he&rsquo;s reaping the benefits of it in the playoffs.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve put in work this summer. Big shoutout to the USA team, man. They got me ready for the season.&rdquo;
That killer mentality that Edwards has is something that&rsquo;s never seen often and has been with only a select few in the history of the game, particularly Jordan and Lakers great Kobe Bryant. Behind all that bold and tough personality, however, is a side of himself that genuinely enjoys playing with his teammates.
When asked about the prospect of having his Wolves&rsquo; teammates, the first thing out of his mouth was how he was excited to meet them while playing for their respective countries (Rudy Gobert for France, Karl-Anthony Towns for Dominican Republic, Kyle Anderson for China, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker for Canada). He looked forward to playing against them, citing how much fun he would have once it happened.
Despite his clear burgeoning superstardom, however,&nbsp; Edwards still deflected every credit thrown towards him. When asked what he feels as one of the guys being billed as one of the next faces of the league, Edwards dismissed the idea faster than a Math teacher dispersing students after giving out a tough assignment due &ndash;&nbsp; immediately answering without hesitation that he does not make anything of it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just gonna keep working, man. I make nothing of it, yeah. I just hope that I keep getting better.&rdquo;
It was clear all along among all the people in the gym that fateful day: Edwards had the most aura out of them all. It was just oozing, something you can feel when you&rsquo;re around certain people. It&rsquo;s kind of intimidating, but only to a certain extent. You can just feel the energy brewing and that certain look when you come across one of the ones. The underlying factor before the season was Minnesota only having five national TV games all season long. With most of their games out of the eyes of the majority, Edwards assured one thing going into the season sternly and convincingly.
&ldquo;We just gonna try to keep playing, man. We&rsquo;re not really worried about the national TV games. As long as we win, we&rsquo;ll be on TV when we make it into the playoffs. The world will know about us.&rdquo;
As their playoff mantra suggests, the Timberwolves have been waiting for this moment since 2004. From the annals of the great Kevin Garnett&rsquo;s era to ushering this new one paved by superstar-in-the-making, young Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves have arrived.

The underlying factor before the season was Minnesota only having five national TV games all season despite having Anthony Edwards.

‘WOLVES BACK’: Anthony Edwards introduces the Timberwolves back to the world

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team managing director&nbsp;Grant Hill&nbsp;and is subject to change. The 12-member 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
Featuring 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals, the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team finalists are&nbsp;Bam Adebayo,&nbsp;Jarrett Allen,&nbsp;Paolo Banchero,&nbsp;Desmond Bane,&nbsp;Scottie Barnes,&nbsp;Devin Booker,&nbsp;Mikal Bridges,&nbsp;Jaylen Brown,&nbsp;Jalen Brunson,&nbsp;Jimmy Butler,&nbsp;Alex Caruso,&nbsp;Stephen Curry,&nbsp;Anthony Davis,&nbsp;Kevin Durant,&nbsp;Anthony Edwards,&nbsp;Joel Embiid,&nbsp;De&rsquo;Aaron Fox,&nbsp;Paul George,&nbsp;Aaron Gordon,&nbsp;Tyrese Haliburton,&nbsp;James Harden,&nbsp;Josh Hart,&nbsp;Tyler Herro,&nbsp;Jrue Holiday,&nbsp;Chet Holmgren,&nbsp;Brandon Ingram,&nbsp;Kyrie Irving,&nbsp;Jaren Jackson Jr.,&nbsp;LeBron James,&nbsp;Cam Johnson,&nbsp;Walker Kessler,&nbsp;Kawhi Leonard,&nbsp;Damian Lillard,&nbsp;Donovan Mitchell,&nbsp;Chris Paul,&nbsp;Bobby Portis,&nbsp;Austin Reaves,&nbsp;Duncan Robinson,&nbsp;Jayson Tatum,&nbsp;Derrick White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Trae Young.
&ldquo;The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game&rsquo;s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity."&nbsp;
The 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will be led by head coach&nbsp;Steve Kerr&nbsp;(Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by&nbsp;Mark Few&nbsp;(Gonzaga University),&nbsp;Tyronn Lue&nbsp;(L.A. Clippers) and&nbsp;Erik Spoelstra&nbsp;(Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to&nbsp;Gregg Popovich&nbsp;in Tokyo.
In related news, USA Basketball also announced that the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will host Canada at Las Vegas&rsquo; T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. The exhibition contest is set for July 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.
The USA Basketball Showcase features a series of games that help the USA Basketball National Teams prepare for major competitions, including the Olympic Summer Games and FIBA World Cup.
Following Las Vegas, the Americans will embark on an international training window that features exhibition games against the national teams of South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at the O2 Arena in London.
Tickets for all three contests are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usab.com/tickets">www.usab.com/tickets</a>.
"USA Basketball is excited to return to Las Vegas as our men's national team program looks forward to tipping off the journey to the 2024 Olympic Games there in July," said&nbsp;Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. "The game at T-Mobile Arena against Canada is an important opportunity in our preparations and a great opportunity for our fans to support the U.S. national team before heading overseas."&nbsp;
Prior to the Canada game, the USA will hold training camp in Las Vegas, its longtime training hub. Additional information will be announced at a later date.
The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight &ndash; and 17th&nbsp;overall &ndash; Olympic gold medal.
In total, USA Basketball will be represented by four teams at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, including 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 men and women. The USA are reigning Olympic champions in 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 women, with 3x3 men set to make their Olympic debut next summer. &nbsp;More information about all four USA Basketball teams will be announced at a later date.

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

USA Basketball announces player pool for 2024 Men’s National Team

For a team that has endured losing for almost a decade, the Minnesota Timberwolves sure are savoring the early-season success they&rsquo;re experiencing right now.
After a series of underlying factors such as bad management, poor roster construction and player fallouts, the Wolves' success has been unprecedented (and sweeter than ever).
They are currently 30-12 at the halfway point of the season, which is the best mark in the West. They are the first team in the Western Conference to reach 30 wins, trailing only the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA.&nbsp;
Minnesota is on a 60-win pace, and they have the easiest schedule remaining in the entire league.
They are also on pace to surpass the franchise record of 58 wins in a season, which occurred in 2004 when they were led by Kevin Garnett (the best player in franchise history), Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.
The next goal for this Wolves team? Win their first playoff series since that 2004 season.
After two decades of struggles, what changed for the Wolves? Let's break down their turnaround.
DEFENSE
The Wolves currently have the best defense in the league by a wide margin, allowing 105.8 points per 100 possessions (the runner-up is allowing 108.3 points per 100 possessions). 
They guard opponents unlike any other team in the NBA led by three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert at the rim. Surrounding Gobert are potential All-NBA-caliber defenders at the wings in Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Although their offense is still suspect and a work in progress, the team knows how to lock down the opposition.
ALL-STAR-CALIBER TRIO PLAYING WELL
The Wolves' trio of Gobert, Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have been terrific.
The team is led by Edwards, a charismatic and burgeoning young superstar who has drawn comparisons to all-time great shooting guards Dwyane Wade (due to their similar build and playing style) and Michael Jordan (due to some eerie resemblances in their aerial capabilities, footwork and bank shots).
Edwards constantly wows the crowd with highlight-reel plays, and he gives the Wolves a true alpha, leader and closer. He's someone they can count on in the clutch, delivering when it matters the most.&nbsp;
Bruce Brown, an adversary of the Wolves during their last playoff run when he was on the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, said that Edwards was the toughest guy he had to guard all postseason. He also added that Minnesota was the toughest team that Denver faced on their way to their championship.
The Wolves followed up this praise by beating the Nuggets in November and climbing to the No. 1 seed in the West.
The 22-year-old credited his stint with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup for being able to play in a system rather than just relying on isos all the time. Edwards was the leading scorer of the USA squad that finished just fourth, but the experience was invaluable for Edwards and prepared him for the season.
Gobert is thriving once again after a down season a year ago. The 31-year-old is turning heads and serving as the anchor of the best defense in the league. He is one of the front runners for the Defensive Player of the Year award, which would be his fourth (and tie him with Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for most all-time).
It wasn't long ago that fans were dubbing Minnesota's deal for Gobert as one of the worst trades in NBA history, but Gobert has bounced back beautifully as the front office&rsquo;s vision of playing him with Towns came to fruition.&nbsp;
Like Edwards, Towns is building off a strong stint in the World Cup and has been rock solid for the Wolves. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is taking a backseat to Edwards for the good of the team.&nbsp; After plenty of losing seasons, Towns will do whatever is takes to win. He set his ego aside and committed to being the best second option in the league, which has had a huge impact on the Wolves.
There have been times when Towns is asked to shoulder more of the offensive load (such as when Edwards was struggling or absent) and he's stepped up in those moments. He has also been incredibly efficient, averaging 21.6 points while shooting 51.1% from the field and 43% from three-point range.
HIGH-LEVEL ROLE PLAYERS
The Wolves' trio is surrounded by quality role players, including starters McDaniels and Mike Conley. Both are nice supplementary pieces, with Conley providing stability as a floor general and shooting to space the floor and McDaniels giving them elite perimeter defense as well as spot-up shooting and occasional shot-making.
Minnesota arguably has the best eight-man rotation in the league, likely rivaled by just Boston and Denver.
In the playoffs, where rotations shrink and coaches tend to play their most trusted players, that's usually seven or eight players.
Off the bench, the Wolves have big man Naz Reid, a 6-foot-9 super scorer who&rsquo;s become a Sixth Man of the Year candidate by providing instant offense. There&rsquo;s also Anderson, a reliable Swiss army knife and point forward who is a playmaker on offense. Alexander-Walker does a little bit of everything, serving as a back-up ballhandler to Conley, lockdown wing defender and three-point shooter.
COMPETENT ORGANIZATION
A huge credit for the Wolves' success this season goes to president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who is the engineer of this roster. His vision and willingness to swing for the fences have paid off in a major way.
Chris Finch, who was hired as the team's head coach in 2021, has done a terrific job and is currently garnering some Coach of the Year buzz for his efforts.
The same goes for new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, who went all in and weren&rsquo;t afraid to spend for a win-now team that wants to win.&nbsp;
After years of mediocrity, the Timberwolves are finally heading in the right direction. A small-market team that has exceeded all expectations, Minnesota has been one of the feel-good stories of the season &ndash; and they are just getting started.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the best record in the West. What has changed for the Wolves and led to this turnaround?

The Wolves are reaching new heights, and they're just getting started

After trading OG Anunoby and acquiring youngsters RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, the Toronto Raptors seem poised for a rebuild.
This recent trade with the New York Knicks begs the question: Is All-Star Pascal Siakam the league&rsquo;s most desired player as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches?
With Toronto likely looking to jumpstart their rebuild, the 29-year-old does not fit the timeline of their other high-value players, including Scottie Barnes (22 years old) and Barrett (23 years old). Barnes is averaging career-highs in nearly every major statistic, and he's the Raptors' second-leading scorer behind Siakam. Barrett has not lived up to expectations as a former No. 3 overall pick, but he has proven himself as a solid scorer, averaging 18.2 points on 42.3% shooting. The Raptors are entering 2024 with a lineup that's built to compete in the coming years rather than this season.
Many organizations believe they have a cast strong enough to compete for a championship or, at the very least, a playoff berth. There are very few sellers this season, and the lack of teams interested in parting ways with their key contributors further enhances Siakam&rsquo;s value. With so few impact players on the market, many front offices around the NBA could view Siakam as their missing piece.
There is an argument for stars such as Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen or Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro being the most sought-after player, but neither has the newfound availability of Siakam. Also, it seems unlikely that either of those players will be traded, whereas a Siakam deals seems more likely, especially since he'll be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39209777/knicks-acquiring-raptors-og-anunoby-trade-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski</a> reports that "Toronto is expected to continue to explore trades involving forward Pascal Siakam." While he points out that "there are no deals with traction now," that's likely to change as the trade deadline gets closer.
Siakam is a two-time All-NBA forward who's averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 51.2% shooting. Teams seeking a player to stretch the floor should consider looking elsewhere, as Siakam is shooting 26.1% from three-point range through 32 games. He's an offensive engine who has the ability to create his own shot, with just 58.1% of his points being assisted. For comparison, reigning MVP Joel Embiid is assisted on 56.8% of his makes.
Two of the strongest contenders for Siakam are the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings.
Philadelphia could benefit from a third scoring option alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers' tandem is averaging a combined 61.3 points. The 76ers sit as the No. 3 seed in the East, trailing the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
Forward Tobias Harris provides solid contributions, but lacks the offensive skill-set of Siakam. Harris would likely act as the center of Philadelphia&rsquo;s offer. The 31-year-old is averaging 17.3 points and 6.1 rebounds on 51.3% shooting. It's no secret that Daryl Morey has been pursuing a third star ever since trading James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Meanwhile, the Kings currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. If they add a third star to the exhilarating duo of De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento could elevate further up the standings. The organization has a multitude of valuable assets, including Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk. 
However, it remains to be seen whether Sacramento is willing to part with these pieces and push their chips to the middle of the table. Murray is averaging 15.5 points per game in his sophomore season, while Monk and Huerter provide solid scoring and shooting from beyond the arc.
While the 76ers and Kings make sense as landing spots for Siakam, plenty of teams will likely call about the forward in the coming weeks. Don't be surprised if there's a bidding war for Siakam's services.

After trading OG Anunoby, the Raptors could look to move All-Star Pascal Siakam, who will be highly coveted in the coming weeks.

Is Pascal Siakam the NBA's most sought-after player?

Joel Embiid is the latest superstar to commit to Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In recent weeks, Team USA managing director Grant Hill had been recruiting Embiid, who was born in Cameroon and also has French citizenship. Ultimately, Embiid decided to represent the United States.
"After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA," Embiid <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelEmbiid/status/1710067831339884793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. "I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they&rsquo;ve been incredible since the day I came here. But most of all, I want to honor my son, who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him.
"I&rsquo;m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France and the USA home."
Embiid will join a star-studded squad that could also include Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell and Jimmy Butler &ndash; all of whom have said that they will play for Team USA if selected.
"It's exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to represent the United States," Hill <a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/38574625/joel-embiid-commits-team-usa-2024-olympics-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. "Joel and I have had several conversations about his goals and I'm looking forward to continuing that dialogue knowing that one of those goals is to represent USA Basketball next summer in Paris. As I've said before, I'm looking forward to the process of building the 2024 USA Basketball Men's national team roster over the next several months."
Team USA failed to medal at this summer's FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, and a major reason was their lack of size of rebounding. The only big men on the World Cup roster were Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler (who barely played), with Paolo Banchero and Josh Hart serving as small-ball 5s.
By the end of the World Cup, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr found himself turning to five-guard lineups that featured Hart at center. Hart led Team USA in rebounding with 5.1 boards per game, followed by Anthony Edwards' 4.6 rebounds per game.&nbsp;
Now, Team USA will be able to turn their biggest weakness into a legitimate strength after adding Embiid, who averaged an absurd 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three per game last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It's worth noting that this is a huge blow to France, the reigning Olympic silver medalist. The French national team would have been much scarier if they entered the Paris Olympics with Embiid, Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Bilal Coulibaly and Evan Fournier among others.
To recap, Embiid's commitment means that Team USA added the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player, filled their biggest need and kept him from joining arguably their biggest competitor in the 2024 Olympics.
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Joel Embiid is the latest superstar to commit to Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Joel Embiid is latest superstar to commit to Team USA for Olympics

When San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich chose to rest four starters during a nationally televised game back in 2012, he likely didn't think much of it.
Little did he know, this decision to sit Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green would go on to create a massive ripple effect, with the NBA creating rules about resting players and terms like "load management" entering the lexicon.
At the time, NBA commissioner David Stern fined Popovich and the Spurs $250,000 and said this decision was "a disservice to the league and our fans."
Nearly 12 years later, the NBA is still trying to combat this issue, implementing a new Player Participation Policy in order to prevent teams from resting their best players.
This new policy could conceivably be named the Coach Popovich Rule, but it&rsquo;s not. The NBA&rsquo;s Player Participation Policy specifically governs how teams are allowed to rest their stars. Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver put a very fan-friendly spin on the new rule.
&ldquo;This is ultimately about the fans,&rdquo; Silver recently told reporters following two days of Board of Governors meetings in New York. &ldquo;And that we&rsquo;ve taken this [load management] too far. This is an acknowledgement that it has gotten away from us a bit.&rdquo;
The league&rsquo;s perceived intention seems fair: reverse the load-management trend, which has seen a rise in star players voluntarily missing games &ndash; an admittedly bigger problem now than in the recent past. During the 2022-23 season, the average games played by the league's top-10 scorers was 65 games per player. Comparatively, the average games played by the top-10 scorers in 2012-13 was 75 games!
Ultimately, this move will benefit the fans, but was this really done with the fans&rsquo; interests in mind? By limiting how often stars rest, the NBA&rsquo;s on-court product will inevitably be more compelling. While that's good for fans, it's also good for the NBA itself (but more on that in a moment). Stars sitting out nationally televised games was never a good look, so putting an end to that trend is important.
But digging a bit deeper, I believe it becomes clear that this move is more about business than fan satisfaction. Let's consider, for a moment, that the league&rsquo;s current broadcast rights deal expires following the 2024-25 season. The current TV deal is worth a total of $24 billion over 10 years. The NBA hopes to double &ndash; or even triple &ndash; that number in its next deal, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/22/nba-is-next-up-for-a-big-rights-increase-and-75-billion-is-the-price.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Young of CNBC</a>. It is entirely possible that the league is looking to demonstrate increased value for its bidders, which will likely include the usual suspects like Turner Sports and ESPN as well as streamers like Amazon and Apple.
For what it&rsquo;s worth, Apple recently inked a deal with Major League Baseball, paying $85 million annually to air Friday Night Baseball games over the next seven years. Meanwhile, Amazon reached an agreement with the NFL to pay $1 billion annually for 10 years for exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football games. The NBA is trying to entice these same companies to bid for their broadcast rights.
It's important to note that the Player Participation Policy isn't the league&rsquo;s first attempt to improve its televised product. The NBA also recently announced its <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-announces-details-for-inaugural-inseason-tournament-&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1695515248097037&amp;usg=AOvVaw0mEzpohBfg-49Qyl7iKxR6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inaugural in-season tournament</a>, conveniently beginning this season, which is likely to be marketed differently and, therefore, viewed more regularly. Furthermore, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was ratified in April 2023, dictates that players must participate in at least 65 games to qualify for in-season awards. In total, these are major changes in order to ensure that the NBA's best players are suiting up more often than not.
This could ultimately be a win-win for the league and its fans. Players will probably need more convincing. But if the league plans to continue with an 82-game season &ndash; which it should &ndash; star players must lead the way, meaning they need to be front and center as often as possible. Rest is, of course, an important part of the process, which is likely to be an area of frustration for star players. But the medical advancements, health-oriented amenities and teams of on-staff trainers should ultimately translate to more games played for modern players &ndash; not fewer.
And considering how aggressively maximum salaries have increased, stars will understand. In 2012-13, the highest salary in the NBA was $30.5 million (Kobe Bryant). In 2022-23, it was up more than 50% to $48 million (Stephen Curry). By 2026-27, the highest salary will be at least $63 million (Damian Lillard). Of course, a big reason for these monster salaries is the NBA's TV money. This was never more apparent than during the summer of 2016, when the NBA's new broadcasting deal caused the salary cap to spike and teams went on a spending spree (handing out massive contracts that some would quickly regret).
But for the league&rsquo;s TV partners to also benefit monetarily, star players must be available as often as possible as a means of driving interest &ndash; especially since more and more fans are pledging their allegiance to stars rather than teams. The league clearly understands this fact. Just look at how the NBA structures its Christmas Day games, which are normally among the most-viewed games of the season. Last year, we saw LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker and Ja Morant, who represent seven of the top-10 players in jersey sales.&nbsp;We also saw Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the two finalists for 2022-23 NBA MVP award.
Like most major changes, the new Player Participation Policy will inevitably ruffle feathers, especially among some players. But it should also improve the NBA&rsquo;s viewership numbers and result in more competitive games. There will probably be some bumps along the way, but fans will benefit as much as anyone. I only wish the league would have referenced the TV deal in announcing the rule as a means of transparency. But regardless of whether the league, owners and players get richer, it&rsquo;ll be refreshing to see stars more frequently &ndash; and that&rsquo;s probably the point.

The NBA introduced rules to combat load management just as their TV deal is set to expire. That's no coincidence, writes Drew Maresca.

NBA’s new Player Participation Policy may lead to even larger TV deal

When the new league year began on July 1, NBA teams were quick to sign free agents and start negotiating extensions with some of their younger players.&nbsp;
Players who were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are signed to rookie-scale contracts, which are eligible to be extended on the first day (July 1) of the fourth and final year of their deal. This past offseason, the vast majority of players eligible for rookie-scale extensions were picked in the first round in 2020. Teams have until the day before the start of the 2023-24 regular season (which begins on October 24) to agree to an extension, or else those players will hit restricted free agency next summer.&nbsp;
Out of the 30 first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, 27 were eligible for rookie-scale extensions. In addition, the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s Chuma Okeke also became eligible for a rookie-scale extension because he signed his rookie deal in 2020, a year after he was drafted due to injury. So far this offseason, five players have signed extensions, with four of them receiving maximum contracts.&nbsp;
Those who received the max signed what&rsquo;s called a Designated Rookie Extension, which has a starting salary at 25% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $37,405,750) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $216,953,350). However, via the &ldquo;Derrick Rose rule,&rdquo; if any of the players who signed one of these extensions is a member of any of the 2023-24 All-NBA teams, their starting salary will be set at 30% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $44,886,900) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $260,344,020). These players include Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards, Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane. However, Bane&rsquo;s extension doesn&rsquo;t contain the &ldquo;Rose Rule&rdquo; language, so he can&rsquo;t receive a starting salary raise even if he earns an All-NBA nod.
There is also a new wrinkle in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that changed the rules in regards to rookie-scale extensions, allowing teams to offer all players an extension up to five years. Previously, only players who were offered maximum contracts could agree to an extension up to five years. So far, no team has given out a five-year non-max extension.
The only player who has signed a non-max rookie extension this offseason is Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart. Stewart, the No. 16 pick in 2020, has been a starter for the rebuilding Pistons over the past few years. The tough, defensive big man agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with $60 million guaranteed, $4 million in potential performance bonuses and a team option in the final season. Stewart&rsquo;s extension could serve as a potential benchmark for other big man extension candidates like Toronto&rsquo;s Precious Achiuwa and Atlanta&rsquo;s Onyeka Okongwu.
With 21 first-round picks (and Okeke) still awaiting a potential extension, let&rsquo;s take a look at who is most likely to receive an extension and what their deals might look like.
LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED
Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls): Williams has been a steady force for the Bulls amid the team&rsquo;s struggles to consistently play winning basketball. The former Florida State forward has improved his shooting each year of his career but has yet to really break out as a primary scoring option for Chicago. Williams is just 22 years old and still has a lot of potential, so he should command an extension similar to what Atlanta&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Andre Hunter received last summer.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $90,000,000, no options
Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks): Okongwu has been slotted as the Hawks&rsquo; center of the future for a few years now and has mostly looked the part backing up Clint Capela. Atlanta has a very crowded cap sheet, especially after extending Dejounte Murray. It is possible they could look to move Capela soon in order to free up cap space and give the starting center job to Okongwu. As mentioned above, look for Okongwu to ask for slightly above what Detroit gave Isaiah Stewart.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $72,000,000, could earn up to $80,000,000 with incentives, no options
Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs): The Spurs should try to lock up some of their reliable young pieces as they begin the Victor Wembanyama era. Similar to what San Antonio did with Keldon Johnson, they&rsquo;ll likely look to give Vassell a long-term value deal. They also could take advantage of the new CBA rules, keeping the former No. 11 pick under contract through 2029.
Extension Prediction: Five years, $110,000,000, no options
Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks): Green has quietly been developing very nicely with the Mavericks and could fight for a spot in the starting lineup this fall. The Australian native has shown real potential as a 3-and-D wing and could command the full mid-level exception if he reaches the open market next summer. Dallas shouldn&rsquo;t (and most likely won&rsquo;t) let that happen.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $65,000,000, no options
Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks): Quickley is coming off his best season as a pro that saw him finish as runner-up for the NBA&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year award. A scoring machine, the former Kentucky guard would likely start for a good chunk of NBA teams, but will likely have to be the backup as long as Jalen Brunson is in New York. The Knicks would certainly love to keep Quickley, but look for them to wait all the way up to the October 23 deadline to pay him in order to maintain trade flexibility.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $88,000,000, could earn up to $92,000,000 with incentives, no options
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves): McDaniels is certainly viewed as a core piece by the Timberwolves&rsquo; brass as they fought hard to keep him out of the Rudy Gobert trade, sacrificing more draft capital instead. The Washington product has been a versatile, two-way player since arriving in Minnesota and is an ideal wing next to Anthony Edwards. He should be paid accordingly.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $100,000,000, no options, declining annual salary
LIKELY TO REACH RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY
James Wiseman (Detroit Pistons): Wiseman has been better on both sides of the ball since being traded to Detroit last February, but his game still needs to be developed further if the Pistons are to seriously invest in him.
Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers): Cleveland has been looking for a permanent solution at their starting small-forward position for some time now, resulting in them paying Caris LeVert and signing Max Strus. Okoro hasn&rsquo;t shown he can be the Cavs&rsquo; long-term solution.
Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers): If Toppin had stayed in New York, there&rsquo;s no way he would have been extended. Now in Indiana, the former Naismith National Player of the Year should get a chance to start and improve his stock going into next summer.
Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards): Avdija is a pretty good young player outside of his shooting struggles. With a new regime in Washington, Avdija may be a trade candidate if new president Michael Winger doesn&rsquo;t see him as a part of the team&rsquo;s long-term plan.
Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers): A starter for the Pacers last year, Nesmith may be buried on the depth chart with the additions of Toppin and rookie Jarace Walker. He hasn&rsquo;t made enough of an impact to warrant an extension.
Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic): Anthony has been a solid bench contributor for Orlando since being drafted out of North Carolina. However, the Magic backcourt is extremely crowded with the addition of rookie Anthony Black, making them unlikely to prioritize securing a deal with Anthony.
Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder): Poku is coming off a fractured leg that kept him out for the back half of last season. He needs to show that he can be a long-term piece if he wishes to stay with the Thunder.
Saddiq Bey (Atlanta Hawks): Bey is certainly talented enough to warrant an extension, fitting into the starting five seamlessly after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. However, the team may have to choose between extending Bey or Okongwu in order to manage their already-very-full salary cap sheet.&nbsp;
Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors): The Raptors have already committed to a center in Jakob Poeltl this offseason. Achiuwa hasn&rsquo;t shown enough to break through outside of his bench role to warrant an extension.
Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets): Despite not being a regular member of the rotation, Nnaji has shown he is a capable backup option to Nikola Jokic when he&rsquo;s on the floor. While an extension isn&rsquo;t in the cards, the Nuggets should look to retain him.
Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics): Boston would probably love to keep Pritchard on a team-friendly deal, as he has been a reliable insurance option for them since coming into the league. The former Oregon guard will more than likely want to test the free-agency market to see if he can possibly find a path to more playing time elsewhere.
LIKELY TO NOT RECEIVE A QUALIFYING OFFER, BECOME AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT NEXT SUMMER
Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons): Hayes has not lived up to his top-10 pick billing and has fallen out of Pistons general manager Troy Weaver&rsquo;s long-term outlook. Detroit could extend him a qualifying offer next summer, but he likely won&rsquo;t receive much interest on the open market.
Kira Lewis Jr. (New Orleans Pelicans): Lewis has been relegated to a reserve while suffering through multiple injuries through his first three years in the NBA. The Pelicans have made it known league-wide that he is available for trade.
Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic): Okeke has struggled with his all-around game for the better part of the last two years and is unlikely to be retained by Orlando going forward.
Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors): Flynn hasn&rsquo;t taken advantage of the many opportunities he&rsquo;s had to be a part of the Raptors&rsquo; rotation as the backup point guard. He may see some run this year, but the Raptors may have seen enough to move on this summer.
THE TYRESE MAXEY WILD CARD
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers): Maxey is the wild card of the rookie-extension candidates, as Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has said that the team will hold off on extending the 22-year-old shooting guard in order to maintain trade and cap flexibility going into next summer. Maxey has blossomed into a core member of the 76ers going forward and would likely receive close to, if not the full, max rookie extension. With no end in sight to the James Harden debacle, the Sixers may want to secure their young prize before their situation could turn worse.

Blake Stern takes a look at which players are most likely to receive a rookie-scale extension prior to the October 23 deadline.

Checking in on the NBA's rookie-scale extension candidates

One of the most underrated honors in all of basketball is the NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player award. 
The league is full of young, developing talents, so being selected as the player who made the biggest strides is an incredible accomplishment. This award can also be a testament to getting your career back on the right track, as was the case with last year's recipient Lauri Markkanen. Many people were ready to give up on Markkanen becoming a star-caliber player, but a change of scenery allowed him to emerge as an All-Star and post career-highs across the board with the Utah Jazz. 
The race for this year's Most Improved Player award will be very interesting, as the last few drafts featured a plethora of talent. Here are my top-five candidates for the Most Improved Player award entering the 2023-24 NBA season:
1. Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets
Mikal Bridges' play became one of the most fascinating storylines during the second half of last season. Bridges was known as an elite second or third option, but he stepped up as the Brooklyn Nets' No. 1 scorer after they acquired him from the Phoenix Suns as part of the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade. Whenever a team is trading one of the best players of all-time, it's difficult to get equal value in return. However, this deal ended up being a win-win. As soon as Bridges was traded to Brooklyn, he made an immediate impact on both ends. The Nets were projected to fall in the standings and miss the playoffs. However, Bridges had something to say about that. 
In 27 games with Brooklyn, Bridges averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.5 threes and a steal, while shooting 47.5% from the field, 37.6% from three and 89.4% from the free-throw line. These are elite numbers. On the season, Bridges played 83 games and averaged 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists. These are still great numbers, but it's clear that he took his game another level during the small sample size we saw of him in Brooklyn. If he can produce at that level over a full season and continue to thrive as the Nets' first option, he will, without a doubt, win the Most Improved Player award. <a href="https://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/most-improved/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars and BetMGM</a> currently have Bridges as the favorite to win the award.
2. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
One of the most underrated candidates for this award is the young Turkish star Alperen Sengun. In just two seasons, Sengun has become one of the better offensive centers in the league. The Houston Rockets big man was very productive in 28.9 minutes per game, and he could take a massive leap this season. He finished last year averaging 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists, which is already very solid for a young center. However, his per-36 averages were 18.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals &ndash; fantastic numbers for a second-year player. 
With his minutes likely increasing and Sengun continuing to develop, he could be in for a huge season. The Rockets are looking to climb up the Western Conference standings after adding Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks this summer, and Sengun could play a major role in their turnaround. Sengun has the fourth-best odds in the Most Improved Player race <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=player-awards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on FanDuel</a>.
3. Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
Despite entering last season as a role player for the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Reaves has become a household name among NBA fans. Prior to his game being on display with Team USA as they compete for the World Cup, Reaves put on a show in the postseason for the Lakers. During the regular season, Reaves averaged 13.0 points, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 threes on 52.9/39.8/86.4 shooting splits. 
Then, in the playoffs, Reaves made a huge leap and averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 threes on 46.4/44.3/89.5 shooting splits. He displayed abilities that were far beyond those of a role player, and he will prove to be a very important piece for this Lakers team next season. Reaves&rsquo; success didn&rsquo;t go unnoticed, as the Lakers signed him to a four-year, $53 million contract this offseason. Reaves has the fourth-best Most Improved Player odds <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/42648?category=awards&amp;subcategory=most-improved-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on DraftKings</a>.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/arr.png" alt="" width="731" height="442" />
4. Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers
It&rsquo;s pretty rare to see a player win the Most Improved Player award in their second season. In fact, it has only happened seven times in NBA history, and the last sophomore to win the award was Monta Ellis back in 2007. That said, if any of this year's sophomores can do it, it&rsquo;s Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe. With all of the drama surrounding Damian Lillard's trade request this summer, the Blazers aren&rsquo;t exactly in the best position heading into next season. But Sharpe might be able to thrive in this environment, especially if the Blazers' impending rebuild leads to significantly more playing time. 
Sharpe played just 22 minutes per game last season, and his per-36 numbers were impressive for a rookie: 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 threes and 1.9 assists. Sharpe should absolutely play 30 minutes per game next season, and he will have an opportunity to join the 20 points-per-game club. He could make a leap similar to what we saw from Tyrese Maxey in his second season. Sophomores have a tough time winning this award, especially if they were drafted very high, since drastic improvements are expected in their second season. Sharpe was the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft, so he'll need to really turn heads in order to win this award.
5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
While Cade Cunningham has the second-best odds to win the Most Improved Player award <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=player-awards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on FanDuel</a>, he is a very hard player to evaluate in this context. Cunningham has already played elite basketball in his young NBA career, but he appeared in just 12 games last season, leaving us with a very small sample size to analyze. The Detroit Pistons have certainly made improvements to their roster, but it remains to be seen whether they'll help Cunningham's stats (since he'll be surrounded by more weapons to distribute to) or hurt them (since they'll take away some of his touches). 
That said, he will likely be an elite scorer regardless of his supporting cast. Having him listed this low isn&rsquo;t a slight; he'll very likely emerge as a star next season. It&rsquo;s just hard to imagine him showing more improvement than other players on this list, partially because he's already looked so good at times. It's also worth noting that just one No. 1 overall pick has won the Most Improved Player award in NBA history: Pervis Ellison in 1992. Cunningham&rsquo;s biggest concern in terms of improvement this season should be games played. 
Honorable Mention: Josh Giddey, Scottie Barnes, Paolo Banchero, Tyrese Maxey, Jordan Poole

Hunter Simpson shares his top-five candidates for the Most Improved Player award entering the 2023-24 NBA season.