Golden Eagles

Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry has long established himself as the greatest shooter in the history of the game. With his numerous three-point shooting records along with his three-point makes that still stretch to date, Curry is the undisputed GOAT shooter. 
However, Curry is more than just a shooter, as evidenced with the several accolades he has amassed over his colorful career. Curry has 4 NBA titles, 1 Finals MVP, 2 season MVPs, and countless all-NBA and all-star teams. This summer, Curry completed perhaps the last award he has yet to get in his illustrious career &ndash; an Olympic Gold Medal. Steph and Team USA made history when they went to Paris and captured the nation&rsquo;s 5th straight gold.
It did not come easy, though. Despite being favored in their games, the Americans were tested multiple times throughout the tournament. The toughest one came in the medal rounds when Team USA faced Serbia in the semifinals and hosted France in the gold medal game. For both of those games, it was Curry who came through the most, carrying the Americans behind his back. Against Serbia, Steph scored 36 points, making 9 threes in the game as Team USA eked out a tough 95-91 comeback win. In the gold medal game, Curry cemented his legacy and created a memorable moment that would be remembered for generations to come.
Steph hit 4 three-pointers to end the game in front of a stunned French crowd at the Bercy Arena in Paris, then proceeded to hit his signature &lsquo;night night&rsquo; celebration after hitting the last of the 4 threes over the outstretched arms of Nico Batum and Evan Fournier. This left the world in awe of Curry&rsquo;s brilliance and ability to come up big in clutch situations.&nbsp;
One of those people who marveled at Steph&rsquo;s greatness is former NBA player CJ Miles. In an interview with <a href="https://rg.org/news/basketball/nba-veteran-cj-miles-reacts-to-team-usa-olympics-gold">RG.org&rsquo;s Alex Kennedy</a>, Miles mentioned Curry&rsquo;s performance as wild and Stephortless. Miles even went further as to say Curry&rsquo;s place being one of the all-time greats and one of the greatest of all-time and not just being the greatest shooter of all time.
&ldquo;Steph just continues to solidify who is the greatest shooter of all time [and] what&rsquo;s crazy is as he continues to make that gap even bigger, he places himself in the realm of best players ever,&rdquo; Miles said. &ldquo;I think players see him that way, but the narrative is never that when we talk about him.&rdquo;
Miles also praised the longevity of LeBron James in his exclusive interview with Kennedy. He says James&rsquo; ability to stay in shape speaks to the power of his mind. James, who is approaching 40 years old this year later in December and going onto his 22nd season in the NBA, was named the FIBA Olympic MVP after providing the all-around brilliance game by game for Team USA. &ldquo;As far as LeBron goes, [his longevity] is incredible. I think it just really speaks to the power of his mind,&rdquo; Miles said. &ldquo;We as people have a fascination with youth and we get bored with greatness because there is nothing left to figure out. I know I am getting 25, 8, and 8 from him [every game], and that&rsquo;s not exciting from a fan standpoint; they want entertainment, which is full of unpredictability.&rdquo;
Finally, Miles shared his thoughts on Team USA&rsquo;s LA2028 Olympic team, which could be without the three greatest players of this generation &ndash; Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.
&ldquo;As far as the future, Team USA is in great hands. Ant [Edwards], [Tyrese] Haliburton, [Jayson] Tatum. And the guys on this team playing small roles like [Devin] Booker and Bam [Adebayo] are capable of doing incredible things also,&rdquo; Miles explained.
&ldquo;And there are guys who will rise up in the next couple of years who are more than capable of being handed the keys.&rdquo;

Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has long established himself as the game's GOAT shooter. However, he is more than that.

Steph not just the GOAT shooter but one of the greatest players ever, says CJ Miles

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

Over the years, there are more and more American basketball players looking for opportunities overseas. There are only about 450 guaranteed spots in the NBA, plus a few two-way spots per team. If one can&rsquo;t crack an NBA roster, players often turn to playing abroad or in the NBA G-League.
For many players, going overseas is a sensible choice. There are many leagues to choose from, including the EuroLeague in Europe, NBL in Australia and Chinese Basketball Association in China.&nbsp;
Some Americans have found solace in the East Asia Super League &ndash; a rapidly growing tournament that is considered to be the "champions league" of East Asian basketball.&nbsp;
Jameel Warney, who plays for the Seoul SK Knights, has found success in Korea. After playing four years at Stony Brook and going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, Warney established himself as one of the best American imports of all-time in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Ever since arriving in Korea in 2019, the 6-foot-8 forward/center has amassed three MVP awards, three All-KBL teams and a KBL title.
Although Warney was not able to find NBA success, he has been thriving in Korea. Warney recently opened up about some of the differences between playing overseas and back home in the USA.
&ldquo;Well, it&rsquo;s a lot different,&rdquo; Warney said to BasketballNews. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of spacing in American play, but even here [Korea] and in Europe, it's kind of team-based [basketball]. You can clog the paint up in this side of the world and there&rsquo;s a lot of great shooting here, especially their big men&hellip; It&rsquo;s a lot of different stuff between these two things [like America and Korea], but I mean I enjoy both of them a lot and I love being here for the last five years."
Jamil Wilson, who played for Oregon and Marquette from 2009 to 2014 but went undrafted in the NBA, echoed Warney&rsquo;s statements.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just completely two different styles of basketball,&rdquo; Wilson said. "You get that everywhere you go. When I played here [in the Philippines], there was a different style of basketball played in Korea, where I am now. When I played in Europe, whether be it in Italy, Israel, Russia or anywhere like that in the past, it&rsquo;s just a different experience depending on where you are and how they play. Some countries like to play up-tempo, and some like to be really tactical with sets and things. So it just kinda depends on where you are and with the organization and the coaching staff as well.&rdquo;
Wilson has had stints in a lot of leagues in Europe before landing with the Korean side Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters this year. Wilson says he has enjoyed the journey of playing overseas thus far.
&ldquo;I enjoy everything. Everywhere you go, it&rsquo;s a unique experience &ndash; culture and basketball itself &ndash; so I&rsquo;ve been enjoying my journey abroad and Korea&rsquo;s no different,&rdquo; Wilson said.
In choosing the place where they want to go and play next, however, Wilson shared a rather unique yet wholesome moment that he considers for himself and his career.
&ldquo;All of my decisions revolve around my son and spending time with him," Wilson said. "So whatever is time-flexible and allows me to spend the most time with him, that&rsquo;s probably what I&rsquo;ll do or where I go.&rdquo;
For Warney, it&rsquo;s all about the fans and the people in the organization. He mentioned the relationships he's built over the past few years he has been with the team.
&ldquo;The people, obviously,&rdquo; Warney said to BasketballNews when asked about considering where to play. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been with the same people for like the last five years. My head coach, he was the assistant for my first two years, but now he&rsquo;s the head coach and we have a great relationship. I&rsquo;ve been with (teammate) Yang Ming for five years and my translator also. So a lot of guys I&rsquo;m familiar with over the past couple of years.&rdquo;
Warney adds that he considers his long-time teammates and coaches as family: &ldquo;I think other people like being with different teams, it&rsquo;s like a one-year pitstop or maybe two then they go to a different team. [But] it&rsquo;s not like a business to me, I guess it&rsquo;s more of like a family/personal basis for me.&rdquo;
For DJ Stephens, he's drawn to certain leagues and teams with a solid fanbase. After a lengthy career in Europe, Stephens is now with the Chiba Jets in Japan and he appreciates the love that the Japanese fans show each and every game.
&ldquo;Some of the best fans I&rsquo;ve ever played for,&rdquo; Stephens told BasketballNews. &ldquo;They are real supportive in every game that we have and the arenas are sold out. Our fans buy merchandise with our names on it. You see towels being waved with players&rsquo; names on it. The fans are really loyal and supportive, so that&rsquo;s a big thing for a basketball player, to have a lot of support.&rdquo;
Some players spend several years in the NBA and experience some success, but then transition to overseas basketball (like the EASL) as they get older. Austin Daye, who won an NBA championship in 2014, can attest to this His main reason for coming to Asia to play basketball is to enjoy the game before he hangs it up and create memories with his teammates.
&ldquo;The decision to come here was pretty simple &ndash; I played with the same team last year. The drive of the coaching staff and the players, I know that they&rsquo;re looking to get to a championship. And as you get older, it&rsquo;s not so much about numbers and things like that. It&rsquo;s more about just having fun and trying to enjoy time as your career winds down &ndash; which mine is,&rdquo; Daye said.&nbsp;
Daye values winning more than anything, and he&rsquo;d be fine putting up lesser stats if he has an opportunity to win at this stage of his career.
&ldquo;Winding down and winning is something I would rather do than wind down just getting numbers and losing. So I chose to come here for this year because I want to try and win a championship," Daye said. "And next year, who knows? The same factors apply to me &ndash; just try to win, have a great time with teammates, and try to enjoy the experiences overseas.&rdquo;

A number of American players are competing in the EASL, which is considered the "champions league" of East Asian basketball.

Get to know the Americans playing in the East Asia Super League (EASL)

The NBA today announced Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for the month of December.&nbsp;
Antetokounmpo is being recognized for his efforts throughout Season of Giving &ndash; an annual five-week celebration beginning in mid-November that runs through December when NBA teams and players give back by supporting and uplifting youth, families, and organizations in their communities. Antetokounmpo will receive the David Robinson trophy and the NBA will donate $10,000 to the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation.&nbsp;
Throughout December, Antetokounmpo hosted special events to give back to Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin. On December 14, he hosted 100 youth from the Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee for a special movie night and holiday shopping experience. Antetokounmpo provided transportation, food and beverages and rented two movie theaters for a screening of the film &ldquo;Wonka." After the movie, each child received a gift card to Target to spend on gifts for themselves and family members. Antetokounmpo spent time shopping with the children and helping them pick gifts for their loved ones. He also helped to provide basic clothing, winter accessories and other household items for the youth. More than 90% of the children from the Boys &amp; Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee qualify for free or reduced lunch, furthering Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s passion to provide a special experience that many kids could not typically afford. On December 16, Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks hosted seven youth from Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, with three families coming from Greece to meet him. As part of the experience, the youth signed one-day team contracts with the team, watched practice and met Antetokounmpo prior to the game.&nbsp; He signed jerseys, shoes and basketballs for all the kids from Make-A-Wish.
Also in December, Antetokounmpo and his family hosted their third annual Christmas event, where the family hosted 300 Milwaukee foster families for a night of holiday cheer and celebrations. Children in foster care were able to enjoy an evening of balloon artists, face painting, dance parties and other games and crafts. Each child received a photo with Santa and the Milwaukee Bucks mascot, Bango.&nbsp; The foster parents were also able to visit a holiday gift shop to pick out toys and clothes for the children.&nbsp; Volunteers helped wrap presents so each family could go home with wrapped gifts to put under their Christmas tree.&nbsp;
In addition to Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s Season efforts throughout December, he tipped off Season of Giving with his family by spending Thanksgiving Day serving dinner to 86 men living in shelter at Guest House Milwaukee. The family paid for a catered meal and served dinner to the residents. Antetokounmpo also ensured each resident received new blankets and socks, which are critical necessities for individuals in shelter as they face winter in Wisconsin. In October, Antetokounmpo hosted The Big Give Back, a diaper and fundraising drive for the Milwaukee Diaper Mission. The Big Give Back raised over $180,000 and provided more than 10,000 diaper donations.
&ldquo;I am fortunate to be in a position where I can give back to the communities that have raised me,&rdquo; said Antetokounmpo. &ldquo;Building my legacy on the court has been fun these past 10 years, but being able to take the next step in my career and build a legacy of giving back with my family is what has been truly rewarding.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo will be recognized in-arena as the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner during pre-game of the Jan. 27 Pelicans-Bucks game. Bucks General Manager Jon Horst and Bucks and Fiserv Forum President Peter Feigin will present him with the David Robinson trophy.
The NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award honors Bob Lanier, an NBA League Office executive and NBA Cares Ambassador for more than 30 years. He had an enormous influence on the NBA family and young people globally, traveling the world to teach the values of the game and making a positive impact through his kindness and generosity.&nbsp;
Each monthly winner receives the David Robinson trophy and the NBA makes a donation to the charity or foundation of the player&rsquo;s choice.&nbsp;

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for the month of December.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wins Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for December

The NBA announced that the Dallas Mavericks will play a preseason game against reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid at the WiZink Center in Madrid on Oct. 10, 2023, at 8:45 p.m. CET.
This will be the NBA&rsquo;s eighth game in the Spanish capital and 20th game in Spain overall, and it will mark 35 years since the NBA's first game in Spain in 1988.
The Mavericks currently feature four-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team member Luka Dončić, who joined Real Madrid at the age of 13 and became the youngest-ever EuroLeague MVP and EuroLeague Final Four MVP when he led Real Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title at age 19. The Mavericks also feature 2016 NBA champion and eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving.
Real Madrid features Spanish legend and former NBA draftee Sergio Llull as well as several former NBA players, including Rudy Fern&aacute;ndez, Mario Hezonja, Džanan Musa and Sergio Rodr&iacute;guez. Real Madrid has won a record 36 La Liga ACB championships and is the winningest team in EuroLeague history with 11 titles.
The matchup marks the first preseason NBA game in Madrid since 2016, when Dončić and Real Madrid hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 1988, the Boston Celtics played two games in Madrid against the then Yugoslavian Men&rsquo;s National Team and Real Madrid.
Prior to the game in Madrid, the Mavericks will play two preseason games against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 5 and 7 as part of The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023.
&ldquo;Bringing the live NBA experience directly to our passionate international fans is an important part of our year-round efforts to grow basketball and the NBA around the world,&rdquo; said NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited for the Mavericks to play Real Madrid and look forward to engaging with fans from Spain and across Europe around this historic matchup.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Following our preseason games in Abu Dhabi, we are thrilled to play the game we love for the MFFLs in Madrid,&rdquo; said Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall. &ldquo;Our team is lucky to have one of the greatest international NBA ambassadors in Luka, and we look forward to connecting with Real Madrid and their fans.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Facing an NBA team is always special, but on this occasion even more so, as it will give us the opportunity to once again enjoy a Real Madrid legend and NBA star like Luka Dončić, who proudly carries the name of our club and presumes of being a Madridista wherever he goes,&rdquo; said Real Madrid ambassador Felipe Reyes. &ldquo;It will be a great spectacle and a very exciting moment for all madridistas and basketball lovers.&rdquo;
Tickets for the game will go on general sale Aug. 31.&nbsp; Fans can check Real Madrid&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.realmadrid.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.realmadrid.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693516418041000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1N6d_mVGbXuv9mwGvRYEfp">website</a> for more information. The game will air live in the U.S. on NBA TV and Bally Sports Southwest. Additional broadcast distribution details will be available at a later date.
There have been 16 NBA players from Spain, including 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Pau Gasol. NBA games have aired in Spain since the 1987-88 season, and the league opened its office in Madrid in 2007.&nbsp;
NBA games are currently available in Spain on NBA League Pass via the NBA App, including 39 weekend games during the 2023-24 season that will air in primetime in Europe as part of the league&rsquo;s &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays&rdquo; initiative.

The Dallas Mavericks will play a preseason game against reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid at the WiZink Center in Madrid.

Dallas Mavericks, Real Madrid to play preseason game in Madrid

Throughout NBA history, there have been plenty of supremely talented teams. However, only a select few managed to string together multiple championships, revolutionize how the game is played and dominate to the point that they defined their era.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s extremely difficult to create a dynasty, but these six teams earned that distinction.
Boston Celtics (1957-1969)
While it&rsquo;s difficult for today&rsquo;s NBA fans to fathom, the Boston Celtics managed to win 11 championships in just 13 seasons. Celtics head coach and general manager Red Auerbach pulled off a draft-day trade in 1956 that changed the franchise forever, with Boston acquiring No. 2 overall pick Bill Russell in exchange for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. Russell would become one of the most dominant defenders and rebounders of all-time, and when paired with Bob Cousy, John Havlicek and Sam Jones among others, the Celtics became an unstoppable force.&nbsp;
Today, winning three-straight championships is considered an astonishing feat, yet these Celtics managed to win eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966 &ndash; a record that is virtually impossible to break. While it was certainly a very different era of basketball, Boston deserves a ton of credit for revolutionizing the game and sustaining that level of dominance for more than a decade.
Los Angeles Lakers (1980s)
The 1980s belonged to the "Showtime" Lakers, a dynamic and star-studded team led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Under head coach Pat Riley's leadership, the Lakers thrilled fans with their fast-paced style of play. From 1980 through 1991, the Lakers won five championships and made nine NBA Finals appearances.
Magic&rsquo;s unparalleled playmaking abilities and Kareem&rsquo;s automatic skyhook made these Lakers nearly unstoppable on the court. The Lakers&rsquo; rivalry with the Celtics (and Magic Johnson&rsquo;s personal rivalry with Larry Bird) added another layer of excitement to the NBA, culminating in memorable NBA Finals matchups and moving NBA playoff games to live broadcasts rather than being on tape delay.&nbsp;HBO&rsquo;s show &ldquo;Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty&rdquo; has introduced the Showtime era to a new generation of fans.&nbsp;
Chicago Bulls (1991-1998)
On June 19, 1984, the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. It didn&rsquo;t take long for Jordan to make his mark on the league, as he won Rookie of the Year and became a household name. Jordan was the lynchpin of the Bulls&rsquo; dynasty and became the biggest sports star that the world had ever seen. Coached by Phil Jackson, MJ and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to six championships in eight years, thanks to two different three-peats. In the 1995-1996 season, the Bulls amassed a record-setting 72 wins, solidifying their status as one of the greatest teams in NBA history (although the record would later be broken by another team featured on this list).&nbsp;
These Bulls teams captured the imagination of fans worldwide. The Bulls&rsquo; dynasty and Team USA's "Dream Team" (which featured Jordan and Pippen alongside other NBA superstars like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley) deserve a lot of credit for making basketball popular across the globe. Just as &ldquo;Winning Time&rdquo; is bringing the Showtime Lakers back into the spotlight, ESPN&rsquo;s docuseries &ldquo;The Last Dance&rdquo; became a huge hit and showcased Jordan&rsquo;s dominance and popularity to younger fans who never got a chance to watch him play live.
San Antonio Spurs (1999-2014)
The San Antonio Spurs, guided by the steady hand of coach Gregg Popovich, enjoyed an extended period of excellence. By now, you&rsquo;re probably realizing that dynasties tend to start when a team drafts a special player. For the Spurs, that player was Tim Duncan, who is often regarded as the greatest power forward in NBA history. While Duncan wasn&rsquo;t a flashy player, he was incredibly consistent and capable of taking over games offensively and defensively.&nbsp;
Duncan and Popovich captured five NBA championships between 1999 and 2014. They managed to win across different eras, first with David Robinson, Avery Johnson and Sean Elliot, then with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen, and later with Kawhi Leonard, Parker and Ginobili among others. The Spurs' success was built on fundamentals, exceptional team chemistry and a selfless approach to the game. Their sustained success over more than a decade solidified them as a modern NBA dynasty.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/200413-shaquille-oneal-kobe-bryant-cs-1211p.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="458" />
Los Angeles Lakers (2000-2002)
The Lakers of the early 2000s were an unstoppable force, combining the dominant inside presence of Shaquille O'Neal and the scoring prowess of Kobe Bryant. Coached by the legendary Phil Jackson, this superstar tandem led Los Angeles to three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Teams had to pick their poison against these Lakers, as Shaq and Kobe were nearly impossible to defend one-on-one. Shaq dominated with his imposing size and physicality in the paint, while Kobe made teams pay with his unmatched scoring ability and constantly evolving skill-set. Together, they formed one of the most formidable duos in NBA history, complementing each other's strengths on the court (while often butting heads off the court). Who knows how many more championships the Lakers would have won if Shaq and Kobe managed to get along and make things work in L.A.&nbsp;
Golden State Warriors (2014-2022)
The Golden State Warriors' dynasty has been a breathtaking display of offensive brilliance and finesse. Led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors revolutionized the game with their three-point shooting, fast-paced style of play and small-ball lineups. Head coach Steve Kerr, who won five championships as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs dynasties, helped the Warriors capture four NBA championships in eight years (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022).&nbsp;
The Warriors won 73 games in 2016, breaking the previous record set by the Bulls. And as if this team wasn&rsquo;t already scary enough, Golden State signed Kevin Durant and became even more unstoppable. Even after Durant left in 2019, the Warriors managed to win another championship, beating the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals last year. The Warriors revolutionized the modern NBA, and their dynastic run may not even be over. After all, Curry, Thompson, Green and Kerr are still around and the team recently added veterans Chris Paul, Cory Joseph and Dario Saric in hopes of chasing a fifth ring.

Alex Kennedy looks back on six of the most unstoppable dynasties throughout NBA history.

Exploring the most dominant dynasties throughout NBA history

San Antonio Spurs No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama is arguably the most hyped-up draft prospects in NBA history, and all eyes will be on him throughout his rookie season.
Being the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft isn't easy; it comes with a ton of pressure and attention. Some players are able to overcome this and become superstars, while others aren't able to live up to the extreme expectations.
Today, let's take a look back at the best No. 1 overall picks in NBA history.
1. LeBron James, 2003 NBA Draft, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James entered the league with unparalleled hype and somehow lived up to the immense expectations. James possesses a unique combination of size, athleticism and basketball IQ. With four NBA championships, four MVP awards and numerous All-NBA selections, James has solidified his place as arguably the greatest player to ever pick up a basketball, and certainly the best No. 1 overall pick of all-time. LeBron is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season.&nbsp;
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969 NBA Draft, Milwaukee Bucks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, formerly known as Lew Alcindor, was the first overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Standing at an impressive 7-foot-2, Abdul-Jabbar possessed exceptional skills and athleticism. Throughout his illustrious career, he amassed six NBA championships and six MVP awards. His iconic skyhook shot and dominant presence in the paint revolutionized the game and cemented his status as one of the greatest players ever.
3. Magic Johnson, 1979 NBA Draft, Los Angeles Lakers
Magic Johnson, selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1979 NBA Draft, brought a new style of play to the league and helped usher in the Showtime era of Lakers basketball. At 6-foot-9, Johnson possessed exceptional court vision and ball-handling skills as well as terrific leadership abilities. He led the Lakers to five championships and was a three-time MVP. His rivalry with Larry Bird captivated fans and elevated the popularity of the NBA, making him one of the most influential players in basketball history.
4. Tim Duncan, 1997 NBA Draft, San Antonio Spurs
Tim Duncan, selected as the first overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in 1997, exemplified consistency and excellence throughout his career. Known for his fundamental skills, basketball IQ and unassuming demeanor, Duncan led the Spurs to five NBA championships and earned two MVP awards. His dominance in the paint, defensive prowess and exceptional leadership made him the cornerstone of the Spurs' dynasty for nearly two decades.&nbsp;
5. Shaquille O'Neal, 1992 NBA Draft, Orlando Magic
Drafted as the top pick by the Orlando Magic in 1992, Shaq's combination of size, strength and agility was unprecedented. Standing at 7-foot-1 and weighing over 300 pounds, he dominated the paint with his powerful dunks and sheer force. O'Neal's impact was undeniable, leading the Magic to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance in 1995. Throughout his career, he won four NBA championships and was a three-time Finals MVP. Shaq's larger-than-life personality and dominant style of play made him a fan favorite and an iconic figure in the sport. He's widely regarded as one of the most dominant players in NBA history.
Will Wemby be able to crack this list someday? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Let us know what you think by tweeting at us</a>!

Basketball News takes a look back at the best No. 1 overall picks in NBA history.

Ranking the best No. 1 overall draft picks in NBA history

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

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

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

Rick Adelman, a Hall-of-Fame coach and one of only 10 coaches in NBA history to have won more than 1,000 games, is the recipient of the 2023 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
&ldquo;Rick Adelman&rsquo;s NBA coaching career has been highlighted by innovation, integrity, and excellence,&rdquo; said Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who is also the NBCA president. &ldquo;His teams always played to their strengths, and Rick always found subtle ways to reinvent NBA basketball to help his players thrive. His quiet, unassuming nature belies his impact as one of the great NBA coaches of all time.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I am honored to receive the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award,&rdquo; Adelman said. &ldquo;To be included with the past winners is special. Chuck was a great coach and respected by all those who coached against his teams. To receive an award like this I have to thank all those who helped me along the way, in particular my assistant coaches and front offices. I would also like to thank the players I had through the years. Their effort and cooperation made everything I did possible. Good players make coaching much easier.
&ldquo;This event makes me think of Michael Goldberg, who was a big help to all coaches and especially to me. He was a good friend who I miss. Thanks to the National Basketball Coaches Association, Coach Rick Carlisle and David Fogel. I also want to thank the Selection Committee for presenting me with this honor. I am grateful to all of those who made this possible, especially my wife Mary Kay and my family. Thank you.&rdquo;
Adelman coached in the NBA for 29 years, including 23 as a head coach for five different teams (the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves), amassing a 1,042-749 (.582) career record. He led his teams &ndash; known for their free-flowing, read-and-react motion offenses &ndash; to the playoffs 16 times, to the Conference Finals four times and to the NBA Finals twice.
He played collegiately at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and, as a senior in 1967-68, was voted West Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1968, Adelman played seven seasons in the NBA.
Adelman began his coaching career at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon, in 1977 where he led his teams to a 141-39 record and three conference championships in six years. It was while at Chemeketa in 1983 that he was hired by the legendary coach Jack Ramsay as an assistant coach for the Blazers, a position he held until he was named head coach midway through the 1988-89 season.
In his first full season as an NBA head coach in 1989-90, Adelman led the Blazers to a 59-23 record, the Western Conference championship and a trip to the NBA Finals. Two years later, the Blazers were once again Western Conference champions and back in the NBA Finals. Under Adelman, Portland had four straight seasons of 50-plus wins, a record of 291-154 (.684) and were in the playoffs all six seasons.&nbsp;
Adelman coached the Warriors for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons before assuming the reins in Sacramento in 1998. In eight seasons as head coach of the Kings, Adelman had a 395-229 (.683) record, winning 50 games or more in five consecutive seasons and taking the team to the playoffs each year.
In 2007, Adelman was named the Rockets' head coach, leading Houston to back-to-back 50-plus win seasons in his first two years and a winning record in all four seasons. Adelman closed out his coaching career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where his teams improved from 17 to 26 to 31 to 40 wins in his three seasons at the helm.
In 2014, upon his retirement, Adelman ranked ninth all-time in both games coached (1,791) and games won (1,042). Today, he ranks 10th in games won and 13th on the all-time playoff wins list with 79. His teams had a total of 11 50-win seasons and two 60-plus win seasons. Adelman finished runner-up in Coach of the Year voting four times with three different teams (1990-91 with Portland, 2000-01 and 2001-02 with Sacramento and 2008-09 with Houston) and was a three-time All-Star Game coach.
Adelman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2021. He was inducted into the Loyola Marymount Hall of Fame in 1986 and was named Oregon Sports Person of the Year in both 1990 and 1992. In 2015, the West Coast Conference (formerly the WCAC) inducted him into its Hall of Honor.
&ldquo;Rick Adelman is widely respected for his teaching, his tough-to-defend motion offenses, and his ability to get players to buy into his philosophy,&rdquo; said David Fogel, the National Basketball Coaches Association's executive director and general counsel. &ldquo;His commitment to the game and his players is reflected in his career accomplishments and makes him a most worthy recipient of this award. Congratulations to Coach Adelman on this prestigious recognition.&rdquo;
The National Basketball Coaches Association&rsquo;s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award honors the memory of Hall-of-Fame coach Chuck Daly, who set a standard for integrity, competitive excellence and tireless promotion of NBA basketball. The award is determined annually by a Selection Committee comprised of some of the most respected coaches and basketball executives in the game, including Bernie Bickerstaff, Billy Cunningham, Joe Dumars, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, Donnie Walsh and Lenny Wilkens.
The prior recipients are Mike Fratello (2022), Larry Brown (2021), Del Harris (2020), Frank Layden (2019), Doug Moe (2018), Al Attles and Hubie Brown (2017), K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan (2016), Dick Motta (2015), Bernie Bickerstaff (2014), Bill Fitch (2013), Pat Riley (2012), Lenny Wilkens (2011), Jack Ramsay and Tex Winter (2010), and Tommy Heinsohn (2009).

Rick Adelman is the 18th recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rick Adelman named winner of Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award

Carmelo Anthony, the star forward who led Syracuse to an NCAA championship in his lone college season and went on to spend 19 years in the NBA,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/carmeloanthony/status/1660639136242343936" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;on Monday.
Anthony, who was not in the NBA this season, retires as the No. 9 scorer in league history.
Only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal scored more than Anthony &mdash; who finishes his career with 28,289 points.
&ldquo;Now the time has come for me to say good-bye ... to the game that gave me purpose and pride,&rdquo; Anthony said in a videotaped message announcing his decision &mdash; one he called &ldquo;bittersweet.&rdquo;
Anthony&rsquo;s legacy has long been secure: He ends his playing days after being selected as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, a 10-time All-Star, a past scoring champion and a six-time All-NBA selection.
And while he never got to the NBA Finals &mdash; he only played in the conference finals once, with Denver against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 &mdash; Anthony also knew what it was like to be a champion.
He was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Four when he led Syracuse to the national championship, and he helped USA Basketball win Olympic gold three times &mdash; at Beijing in 2008, at London in 2012 and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Anthony has played in 31 games in four appearances at the Olympics, the most of any U.S. men&rsquo;s player ever. Anthony&rsquo;s 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 games is a USA Basketball men&rsquo;s record at an Olympics, as are his 10 3-pointers from that game and his 13-for-13 effort from the foul line against Argentina in 2008.
&ldquo;Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA&rsquo;s all-time great players and ambassadors,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. &ldquo;We congratulate him on a remarkable 19-year career and look forward to seeing him in the Hall of Fame.&rdquo;
Anthony will remain part of international basketball for at least a few more months; Anthony is one of the ambassadors to the Basketball World Cup, FIBA&rsquo;s biggest event, which will be held this summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
&ldquo;I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,&rdquo; Anthony said. &ldquo;But basketball was my outlet. My purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way. I am forever grateful for those people and places because they made me Carmelo Anthony.&rdquo;
Anthony was drafted No. 3 overall by Denver in 2003, part of the star-studded class that included James at No. 1, Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at No. 4, and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade -- he gets officially enshrined this summer &mdash; at No. 5.
Anthony will join them at the Hall of Fame before long. He averaged 22.5 points in his 19 seasons, spending the bulk of those years with Denver and the New York Knicks. Anthony has long raved about his time with the Knicks, and what it was like playing at Madison Square Garden, especially as a kid who was born in Brooklyn.
&ldquo;The Garden,&rdquo; Anthony said in 2014. &ldquo;They call it The Mecca for a reason.&rdquo;
Anthony also played for Portland, Oklahoma City, Houston and ended his career with the Lakers last season. He went unsigned this year, and now his retirement is official.
He said in his retirement address that he&rsquo;s looking forward to watching the development of his son Kiyan, a highly rated high school shooting guard.
&ldquo;People ask what I believe my legacy is,&rdquo; Anthony said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not my feats on the court that come to mind, all the awards or praise. Because my story has always been more than basketball. My legacy, my son ... I will forever continue through you. The time has come for you to carry this torch.&rdquo;

After a 19-year NBA career, Carmelo Anthony officially announced his retirement on Monday.

Carmelo Anthony retires after 19-year NBA career, 3 Olympic gold medals

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach matched his career high with 23 points, and No. 5 seed Duke beat Oral Roberts 74-51 on Thursday night in the school&rsquo;s first NCAA Tournament game since Jon Scheyer took over as Blue Devils coach.
Dariq Whitehead added 13 points for the Blue Devils (27-8), winners of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Roach has now scored 23 points in back-to-back games after setting his career high in the ACC championship game.
Scheyer helped Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski win two of five national titles as a former Duke player and assistant. He&rsquo;s now trying to orchestrate some March Madness magic of his own.
In his first NCAA Tournament game as Krzyzewski&rsquo;s replacement, Scheyer led Duke to a 10th consecutive win and a second-round matchup in the East Region against fourth-seeded Tennessee (24-10), a 58-55 winner over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Krzyzewski lost his first NCAA Tournament game then led the Blue Devils to the Final Four 13 times.
Scheyer smiled but cut short any comparisons.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s not go down that road,&rdquo; Scheyer said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s done everything you could do. I&rsquo;m not going down that road.&rdquo;
Oral Roberts (30-5) entered the tournament on a nation-leading 17-game winning streak but was unable to replicate its success of two years ago, when the Golden Eagles upset Ohio State and Florida during a surprising run to the Sweet 16.
&ldquo;Wrong night to have a bad night. A lot of credit goes to Duke. They&rsquo;re obviously really good,&rdquo; Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said. &ldquo;Walking over here, they offered us Duke Blue Devil colored Powerade, so it&rsquo;s kind of an indication of how much it wasn&rsquo;t our night.&rdquo;
Duke scored the first 15 points of the game and Oral Roberts missed 12 straight shots &mdash; seven were 3-point attempts &mdash; during a 12-minute scoring drought to begin the game. Duke&rsquo;s advantage was never fewer than 13 the rest of the way.
Depleted by injuries for prolonged stretches of the season, Duke improved to 19-1 when Scheyer has his full roster available. While the Blue Devils have excelled defensively all year, their offense has blossomed down the stretch.
That figures to makes them a very dangerous team moving forward.
Roach made 9 of 17 shots from field and all four of his free throws. Dereck Lively II had 12 rebounds and paced Duke&rsquo;s defense with six blocked shots, a freshman record for the NCAA Tournament.
Scheyer praised Roach, who has stepped up for Duke with the season on the line.
&ldquo;Jeremy has been on a tear. For me, it&rsquo;s more just his mindset. I think the scoring, the play making comes with it. He&rsquo;s never rattled,&rdquo; Scheyer said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing both sides of the ball. He played 36 minutes, and defensively he did a great job.&rdquo;
Summit League player of the year Max Abmas was limited to 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting for Oral Roberts. The high-scoring Golden Eagles shot just 30.2% from the field, including 8 of 32 from 3-point range.
FINAL GAME?
Abmas, who averaged 22.2 points per game, is a senior. He said he hasn&rsquo;t made a decision on whether he&rsquo;ll return for a fifth year at Oral Roberts.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just in the moment right now and enjoying every part of the season we just had,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll look at the future later.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Oral Roberts: Abmas and three other starters are seniors, which means the Golden Eagles could have a new look if any of them decide to not return next season.
&ldquo;The good news for me right now is I can get them all back. They all have eligibility to return,&rdquo; Mills said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not telling you that they will, but what I am telling you is that we have a group that is very invested in getting better as players. I do feel that we&rsquo;re building something here that hopefully can get to a Final Four.&rdquo;
Duke: The Blue Devils are a year removed from their 17th Final Four appearance overall. The way they&rsquo;re playing, another deep tournament run isn&rsquo;t out of the question.

Jeremy Roach matched his career high with 23 points, and No. 5 seed Duke beat Oral Roberts 74-51 on Thursday night.

Roach leads Duke to 74-51 rout of Oral Roberts in NCAA opener

Drake&rsquo;s Tucker DeVries was an interested spectator when the father-son team of Greg McDermott and Doug McDermott helped Creighton make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2014.
DeVries&rsquo; father, Darian, was an assistant on Greg McDermott&rsquo;s Creighton staff back then as Doug McDermott led the nation in scoring and earned national player of the year honors. Now it&rsquo;s Darian DeVries who will be coaching his son on the March Madness stage.
Tucker DeVries is the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year after turning down some high-major offers to enroll at Drake. DeVries said watching the McDermotts helped give him an idea of what it might be like to play for his dad.
&ldquo;I think there was a lot to be learned from, being able to experience and see how that relationship worked,&rdquo; the sophomore guard/forward said. &ldquo;Part of what went into me wanting to come and play for my dad here is being able to have a little taste of that myself.&rdquo;
So far, it&rsquo;s been just about everything DeVries could have imagined.
DeVries averages 19 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and he has shot 38.7% (87 of 225) from 3-point range. He was named the most outstanding player in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
&ldquo;I grew up at Creighton my whole life,&rdquo; DeVries said. &ldquo;When they decided to recruit me, it was tough to turn that down &ndash; playing in the Big East where I grew up. Iowa State, 45 minutes away. Oregon. Just some of those schools are obviously schools you grow up watching on TV, dreaming about playing for. But I don&rsquo;t think any of them had what was home for me here.&rdquo;
Now he has the chance to find out what it&rsquo;s like to play for his father in the NCAA Tournament. Drake (27-7) is the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region and will face Miami (25-7) on Friday.
&ldquo;To be able to experience it with my dad as a coach is definitely pretty cool and special &ndash; to be able to experience it together,&rdquo; DeVries said.
DeVries is one of several players from one-bid conferences who bear watching this week. Here&rsquo;s a look at some others.
MAX ABMAS, ORAL ROBERTS
Abmas already has shown he can make an impact in March. Abmas averaged 26.8 points in the 2021 NCAA Tournament while leading Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16. This season, the 6-foot senior ranks seventh among all Division I players in points per game (22.2) and sixth in 3-pointers per game (3.5). The two-time Summit League player of the year has scored over 22 points per game each of the last three seasons. First-round game: Thursday vs. Duke.
JORDAN BROWN, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
Brown isn&rsquo;t the typical under-the-radar recruit who ends up at a mid-major program. The 6-foot-11 forward was a 2018 McDonald&rsquo;s All-American. He began his college career at Nevada and was a Pac-12 sixth man of the year at Arizona last season before transferring to his third school. Brown earned first-team all-Sun Belt honors while averaging 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds, including 20 points in a loss to Texas. First-round game: Thursday vs. Tennessee.
SINCERE CARRY, KENT STATE
Carry has earned first-team all-Mid American Conference honors and has made the league&rsquo;s all-defensive team each of the last two seasons. He was named MAC player of the year last season. He has averaged over 17 &frac12; points each of the last two seasons at Kent State after transferring from Duquesne. The 6-1 guard has scored at least 21 points in four of his last five games. First-round game: Friday vs. Indiana.
RAY HARRISON, GRAND CANYON
Harrison helped Grand Canyon get here by collecting 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against Southern Utah in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. The 6-4 guard has scored at least 25 points in four of his last six games. Harrison, a Presbyterian transfer, has averaged at least 17 points each of the last three seasons. He has 17.7 points, 4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season. First-round game: Friday vs. Gonzaga.
DREW PEMBER, UNC ASHEVILLE
This Tennessee transfer has emerged as a star in two seasons at UNC Asheville. This year, he became the first player to lead the Big South in scoring (20.4), rebounding (9.2) and blocks (2.3) in one season. Pember leads all Division I players in free throws made (262) and attempted (314). The 6-11 forward averaged 29.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in three Big South Tournament games. First-round game: Thursday vs. UCLA.
TUCKER RICHARDSON, COLGATE
Richardson had a triple-double in the Patriot League Tournament championship game with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as Colgate defeated Lafayette, 79-61. The 6-5 guard was named the Patriot League&rsquo;s overall player of the year and defensive player of the year. He&rsquo;s the first player in league history to combine 1,600 career points, 700 rebounds and 600 assists. Richardson had 15 points and seven rebounds last year in an NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin. First-round game: Thursday vs. Texas.

Here’s a look a seven of the best players from mid-major schools participating in the 2023 Men's NCAA Tournament.

Drake’s DeVries among 7 under-the-radar March Madness stars

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Antoine Davis outscored them all &ndash; except for &ldquo;Pistol&rdquo; Pete.
Detroit Mercy&rsquo;s star guard finished four points shy of surpassing Pete Maravich as the NCAA career scoring leader on Thursday night, scoring 22 in a gritty 71-66 loss to Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament.
Davis came in needing 26 points to break Maravich&rsquo;s hallowed mark of 3,667 points that stood for over 50 years. But after picking up his fourth foul with 3:36 left, the slender 6-foot-1 guard, who was trapped and double-teamed for much of his 38 minutes by the top-seeded Penguins, couldn&rsquo;t drive as effectively to the basket.
With Maravich&rsquo;s record still within reach, Davis missed four 3-pointers &mdash; one of them a wide-open look &mdash; in the final two minutes of an intense game.
While disappointed with the loss and falling short of Maravich, Davis felt pride afterward.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really special,&rdquo; he said, leaning against a wall outside Detroit Mercy&rsquo;s locker room. &ldquo;Maybe in 20 or 25 years somebody is going to be doing the same thing that I did, chase that record, maybe even sooner than that.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a special feeling. I don&rsquo;t take any of this for granted at all. I&rsquo;m thankful for this. Blessed. I still feel like I&rsquo;m the best scorer of my generation. Nobody can take that from me.&rdquo;
After the final buzzer, tempers briefly flared after Youngtown State&rsquo;s Dwyane Cohill, who had guarded Davis for much of the game, appeared to say something to the two-time conference player of the year.
Davis then had to be restrained as debris was thrown at him from the student section inside Beeghly Center.
Unless Detroit Mercy gets an unlikely postseason bid, Davis finishes with 3,664 points in five seasons. Maravich amassed his record in just three years while playing for his dad, Press, and he did it before there was a 3-point line or shot clock.
Davis would welcome another shot at history.
&ldquo;I would love to play in the CBI, NIT, something,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not even for the record, just to go out on a better note.&rdquo;
From the outset, it was obvious Youngstown State was determined not to let Davis break the record on its floor. The Penguins ran double teams and trapped Davis, who was held to 15 points earlier this season in a loss to YSU.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the respect I deserve,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the best scorer in the league, so I don&rsquo;t look at it as unfair or anything like that.&rdquo;
Wearing a protective mask to protect a broken nose sustained earlier this season at Cincinnati, Davis started slowly in front of a sellout crowd and missed his first four shots before dropping an off-balance jumper from the top of the key.
Davis finished 7 of 26 from the field, including 4 of 16 on 3-pointers.
Just weeks after LeBron James went past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader, Davis just missed his chance to top Maravich, the Hall of Famer his father had him study while learning to play as a kid.
Davis had already set several NCAA records, including consecutive games in double figures (143) and 3-pointers (584). He leads Division I with 159 3s this season, four from breaking Stephen Curry&rsquo;s record of 162 in a season (2007-08).
Standing next to his son, Detroit Mercy coach Mike Davis recalled the unique journey they took together.
&ldquo;He worked really hard over the years and he&rsquo;s done some things that should blow people away,&rdquo; the elder Davis said. &ldquo;People thought there was no way he could get close to Maravich and he got close.
&ldquo;He could have had it down to 17 in the last game, but he had some shots that he gave up to his teammates. I couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of the player that he is and everything he has added to the program and school. It&rsquo;s been beautiful to see.&rdquo;
Unlike Davis, who was granted a fifth year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maravich didn&rsquo;t play as a freshman &mdash; it wasn&rsquo;t allowed at the time &mdash; and there was also no 3-point line or shot clock, placing a premium on every possession.
It&rsquo;s mind-boggling to consider that Maravich, who died in 1988 at age 40 after suffering a heart attack while playing in a pickup game, averaged 44.2 points without taking or making a single 3-pointer.
But it also should be noted that Maravich attempted 3,166 shots while Davis came in with 2,961.
Davis admitted the record was impossible to ignore.
&ldquo;I knew it was within reach and it was possible to get there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The double teams kind of threw me off my rhythm. I should have been able to adjust and play my game, but I still feel like we played as hard as we could.&rdquo;

Detroit Mercy’s star guard finished 4 points shy of surpassing Maravich as the NCAA career scoring leader, scoring 22 vs. YSU.

Antoine Davis falls short in bid to break Pete Maravich’s scoring mark

USA Basketball put together different rosters for all six World Cup qualifying windows, and coach Jim Boylen noticed the same two things with each of those groups.
One, every player beamed when putting on the &ldquo;USA&rdquo; jersey for picture day. Two, by the third or fourth day of practice, the players were coaching each other.
It took 52 players and more than a year, but the job is done &mdash; USA Basketball is going to the World Cup in the Philippines this summer. The U.S. won&rsquo;t have to sweat it out this weekend when the final spots in the 32-team field get claimed, after rallying to beat Uruguay on Thursday and clinching a berth.
&ldquo;When they put on the USA jersey, the same jersey that LeBron James wore, the same jersey that Kobe Bryant wore, the same jersey of the senior men&rsquo;s national team, there&rsquo;s a joy from those guys unlike what I&rsquo;ve ever seen,&rdquo; Boylen said. &ldquo;And then it clicks: They&rsquo;ve reached a higher level of distinction and they&rsquo;ve got to come together. That&rsquo;s what happened.&rdquo;
Boylen has led the U.S. to a 9-2 record in qualifying, with one game left at Brazil on Sunday. It&rsquo;s meaningless, on paper, for the Americans, but could decide whether Brazil goes to the World Cup or not.
His efforts were lauded Friday by Steve Kerr, who will coach the roster of NBA players that the U.S. will take to the World Cup this summer.
&ldquo;Jim Boylen has done a great job with that whole group and they all go unheralded, and I just want take the time to say &lsquo;thank you&rsquo; as the coach of the team that will be playing in the World Cup this summer,&rdquo; said Kerr, the Golden State coach. &ldquo;My gratitude goes out to Jim and all the players.&rdquo;
For many of the U.S. players, Sunday could be the last time they play with &ldquo;USA&rdquo; on the front of the jersey. The World Cup roster will be filled by NBA players; the qualifying teams, with a handful of exceptions, were primarily players from the G League.
If the U.S. finishes as one of the best two teams from the Americas region in the World Cup, they&rsquo;ll also qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans are the four-time defending Olympic champions. Kerr will again coach the Americans in the Olympics if they qualify, assisted by Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra, the Los Angeles Clippers&rsquo; Tyronn Lue and Gonzaga&rsquo;s Mark Few.
&ldquo;All I want them to do is take care of business,&rdquo; said guard Langston Galloway, who played in the most qualifying games for the U.S. over the last 15 months. &ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;m part of their success to some extent. We&rsquo;ve done our job and now we hand it over to the next group and let them finish the job.&rdquo;
MELO ON BOARD
Carmelo Anthony was introduced in Manila on Friday as the newest FIBA World Cup Global Ambassador.
He said it was special to be picked for the role, especially since his close friend Kobe Bryant was an ambassador for the 2019 World Cup in China. Anthony said it was &ldquo;special to kind of follow what Kobe has created on a global scale.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure he definitely would have been here with me, watching these games, coming over, hanging in the Philippines and just enjoying himself,&rdquo; Anthony said. &ldquo;For me, I can continue part of his legacy, but also establish what I have to establish for myself.&rdquo;
Anthony, a three-time Olympic champion, joins Pau Gasol and Luis Scola as ambassadors.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad we&rsquo;re not competing no more. We&rsquo;re on the same side now,&rdquo; Anthony said.
FIELD UPDATE
Jordan made the 32-team World Cup, clinching its spot Friday when New Zealand defeated Saudi Arabia.
Jordan is the seventh team to advance through the Asian Qualifiers, joining co-hosts Philippines and Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Australia and China. There is one spot left unclaimed from Asia, with Iran and Kazakhstan still in the running.
Also clinching on Friday were South Sudan and Egypt.
The other teams that have clinched so far:
Americas Region (7 spots)
In: USA, Canada.
Still in the race: Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico. Those last five spots will be decided Sunday.
Europe Region (12 spots)
In: Finland, Latvia, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, France, Lithuania, Spain, Italy.
Still in the race: Serbia, Belgium, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Georgia, Iceland.
Africa Region (5 spots)
In: Ivory Coast, South Sudan, Egypt.
Still in the race: Angola, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia.

USA Basketball will compete in the World Cup in the Philippines this summer, and Carmelo Anthony was named an ambassador.

Team USA clinches World Cup berth; Carmelo Anthony named ambassador

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; LeBron James said the Lakers had a choice when trailing by 25 points at halftime against the Trail Blazers.
&ldquo;I guess it&rsquo;s only one or two ways, you can either go out and you can lay down and get ready for the next game or you can see what happens in the third quarter, make a game of it," James said. &ldquo;And for us as competitors, and our team and our makeup this year, we&rsquo;re not a lay-down team. That's just not the makeup of our club.&rdquo;
James finished with 37 points and 11 rebounds, and the Lakers rallied in the second half to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-112 on Sunday night.
Thomas Bryant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers in the comeback, tied for second-biggest halftime deficit that the team has erased for a win in franchise history.
Anfernee Simons had 31 points for the Blazers, who have lost three straight. Damian Lillard added 24 points and 10 assists.
The Lakers outscored Portland 40-20 to cut the margin in the third quarter. Troy Brown Jr. made a 3-pointer that got the Lakers within 97-95, before they took the lead on Bryant's 3 with 7:54 left.
James made a pair of free throws with 4:36 left that pushed the Lakers' lead to 107-103. After Lillard made free throws, Dennis Schroder's 3-pointer put Los Angeles up by five again.
Bryant's dunk gave the Lakers a 114-107 lead with 2:23 left and they held off Portland for the win.
Portland was struggling, with wins in just two of the last nine games. The Blazers were coming off a 105-95 loss to the 76ers on Thursday.
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&ldquo;Right now, we're just not getting it done,&rdquo; Lillard said when asked if the Blazers should try to deal before the trade deadline. &ldquo;I do want to win. I don't think it's a secret that I want to win. I think we've got to do whatever we need to do to be in a position to win."
The Lakers have likewise struggled this season because of injuries, notably to Anthony Davis, who is currently dealing with a foot injury that has kept him out for 19 games.
James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s NBA scoring record of 38,387 points. James is 233 points away from matching the record after Sunday's game.
Despite the rivalry, the mood was somber at times at the Moda Center following the death on Saturday of longtime broadcaster Bill Schonely who coined the expression &ldquo;Rip City!&rdquo; Schonely was 93.
Schonely called Blazers games for nearly 30 years, starting the team's first season in 1970 and including the team's championship run in 1977. Following his broadcasting career, he was an ambassador for the team until his retirement last year.
The Lakers jumped out to an 18-4 lead early, but Portland caught up, closing to 26-24 on Nassir Little's 3-pointer before the end of the first quarter.
Simons' 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 39-38 lead. Lillard hit a nearly half-court shot to push the lead to 68-46, and the Blazers led 71-46 at halftime. Portland outscored the Los Angeles 35-13 in the second quarter alone.
Beverley and James hit back-to-back layups to get the Lakers within 81-74 and cap a 16-2 Los Angeles run. A driving layup from James made it even closer at 88-82.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been through it a lot. And I just want to try to continue to keep improving, throughout late games and one-possession games, two-possession games when we&rsquo;re down late," James said. &ldquo;And tonight we did a good job of being able to execute defensively and offensively.&rdquo;
It was the third meeting between the Lakers and the Blazers this season. They split the first two.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Davis went through a full-contact scrimmage with the team's &ldquo;stay ready&rdquo; group on Saturday. Davis has missed 19 games with a right foot stress injury and is easing his way back. Coach Darvin Hamm said Davis &ldquo;looked phenomenal.&rdquo; ... James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. ... The Lakers' 13 second quarter points were a season low.
Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II, who missed the last game with a sore calf, played. ... It was the second of the six-game homestand. ... The Blazers were also mourning the death last week of cameraman John Curry, who had been with the team for 39 years.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Host the Spurs on Monday night.

LeBron James finished with 37 points and 11 boards, and the Lakers rallied in the second half to beat the Blazers 121-112 on Sunday.

LeBron James scores 37, Lakers rally past Trail Blazers 121-112

Springfield, Massachusetts has been offering glimpses into the future of basketball since James Naismith put some peach baskets on a YMCA wall in 1891. Every MLK weekend, the town gives us another in the form of the HoopHall Classic, where dozens of the best high-school players in the country descend on Blake Arena.
The HoopHall Classic is also one of three high-school showcases this season that was given the green light for NBA scouts to attend. It's a prime opportunity for the elite talents to separate themselves from the pack &mdash; or for less heralded names to put themselves on the map.
I checked into the arena at 10 a.m. and caught all eight contests. These standouts, among many others, caught my eye:
DeMatha Catholic (MD) 66, Bishop Loughlin (NY) 55
Mason So, Bishop Loughlin &mdash;&nbsp;So wasn't the leading scorer of the game or the team MVP, but he really impressed with the little things he did to help the Stags keep control. The UNC Greensboro commit finished with 14 points and operated as a secondary ball-handler and spaced the floor well.
So hit 2-of-5 three-point attempts, but his best play came when he initiated the offense, passed the ball away, snuck behind the Bishop Loughlin zone to the low block and got it back for an easy layup. The senior also hustled on the glass impressively for a 6-foot-2 guard and grabbed 7 total boards.
Mount St. Joseph's (MD) 54, North Laurel (KY) 48
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Mount St. Joseph wins by 6 over North Laurel! 😤 🏀 Mount St. Joseph - 54 North Laurel - 48 🏆 MVP - Tyonne Farrell 19 PTS - 4 REB - 5 AST - 🏟️ - Hoophall Classic 2023 cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Spalding?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Spalding</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MSJ_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSJ_Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/943lF8n6bW">pic.twitter.com/943lF8n6bW</a>
&mdash; Legit Sport Stats (@LegitSportStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegitSportStats/status/1614685273568288768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tyonne Farrell, Mt. St. Joseph's &mdash;&nbsp;Farrell logged an awesome statement game in front of the college recruiters and NBA scouts: 19 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 4 rebounds. The forward (listed at 6-foot-6, though he seems taller) was a monster protecting the rim. Both squads talked trash back-and-forth throughout and Farrell's rejections made quite the statement.
"Scrappy game; they were talking a lot of smack," Farrell told Basketball News. "It was good to block shots and talk back."
He also nearly brought the hoop down with an emphatic designed alley-oop slam. But Farrell, a junior, was more than a rim-runner and cutter. He made 1-of-2 triples and was not afraid to power-drive from the perimeter. Farrell grew up playing guard but has grown and built out his frame. He lists Paul George and Jayson Tatum among his favorite pros to watch because of the way they can handle the ball and use their strength fluidly.
Farrell and Illinois-bound senior teammate Amani Hansberry teamed up for 5 assists apiece; each took turns dissecting North Laurel's zone from the middle of the half-court. Hansberry had a strong afternoon of his own with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.&nbsp;
"Me and Amani, we go well together because we both can pass," Farrell said. "So he'll catch the ball, I'll backdoor slip and he'll find me. And then, we'll set screens for each other, [and] we both can handle the ball pretty well for bigger people. So it's lovely playing with Amani. He's a great player."
Farrell didn't dive into his college situation, but he has publicly posted an offer from Rhode Island and said he's confident in the direction of his recruitment. He didn't even know NBA personnel could attend this year's Classic &mdash; but it added another boost of confidence when he learned afterwards.
"That makes me feel great; I didn't know that," he said with a laugh. "That's amazing... gotta get my name out there."
Reed Sheppard, North Laurel &mdash;&nbsp;Sheppard, a four-star senior bound for Kentucky, simply didn't have his shot falling (5-for-21 from the field, 3-for-14 from three-point range). But he still ended up with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals by impacting the game just about everywhere else. He played at a rapid pace that really worked in transition, but even his drive-and-kick passes occurred at blazing speeds. Sheppard follows in the footsteps on his father, Kentucky legend Jeff Sheppard, but the younger ballplayer looks more than capable of carving out his own path.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti (PA) 55, Vashon (MO) 45
Robert Wright III, Neumann-Goretti &mdash;&nbsp;Alright, another smaller guard with a big day! Wright, a 6-foot junior, has already committed to Baylor and he posted 17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for Neumann-Goretti in the victory. He displayed some impressive passing reads and decision-making in the open floor. Wright didn't shoot all that well and did struggle in the half-court with some of the opposing size. But he's crafty and creative, and his 5-foot-10 teammate Khaafiq Myers helps form one of the most fun backcourts seen this weekend.
Simeon Career Academy (IL) 52, Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 39
Miles Rubin, Simeon &mdash;&nbsp;Rubin is a 6-foot-9, 3-star big man en route to Loyola Chicago. He finished with an efficient 17 points (8-for-10 from the field) plus 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, and was the beneficiary of some timely interior passing. His frontcourt partner and twin brother Wesley (7 assists) frequently caught the basketball around the elbow and threw it inside as Rubin cut to the basket.
The senior also added two blocks, one being an impressive help-defense rejection on 5-star guard Boogie Fland. Simeon tasked Rubin early with showing hard in pick-and-roll defense and it led to two fouls, so there's room to improve with his mobility on the perimeter. Still, Rubin was rock-solid inside and a safe bet as a decision-maker.
Also, I have to shout out Simeon guards Michael Ratliff and Rashard McKinnie. They took turns tracking Fland and neutralized his downhill speed and strength. Fland can get low and slide right by most defenders, but not these two.
AZ Compass Prep (AZ) 55, Oak Hill Academy (VA) 35
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Zayden High shot 100% from the field in AZ Compass&rsquo;s win over Oak Hill 55-35 🐉 <a href="https://t.co/oEPuA4L7hC">pic.twitter.com/oEPuA4L7hC</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614756786053218304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Zayden High, Compass Prep &mdash; &nbsp;Most of this high-caliber clash was pretty ugly, but High helped Compass Prep pull away late with some timely two-way moments. The 6-foot-10 power forward went a perfect 5-for-5 with 15 points, including a three, a one-dribble pull-up two and some interior scores. His one block was a monster rejection at the rim on Oak Hill big man Drayton Jones.
"I like to think of myself as a shot-blocker," High said postgame. "I'm really good at timing the ball before it goes to the rim. It's all about timing for me &mdash; timed it, blocked it, right point at the right time."
High took instruction from his coaches late in the game regarding screening angles on both sides of the ball. In his first year at AZ Compass Prep, the UNC-bound big man says he's learning a lot about the ins-and-outs of screening.
"Coming to AZ Compass, I've learned a lot about setting screens, shifting my hips and being able to re-screen," he said. "It's helped me out because I'm a pick-and-pop guy; I'm a pick-and-roll guy. So it's lethal to the defense."
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Paul VI Catholic (VA) 72, Roselle Catholic (NJ) 59
DeShawn Harris-Smith, Paul VI &mdash;&nbsp;The Maryland-bound senior absolutely rocked in a huge win for the Panthers. Harris-Smith compiled 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. He's quite strong for a wing listed at 6-foot-4 and used that strength to surge past defenders on his drives. Harris-Smith also showed some foresight as a vertical cutter and held his own defensively. He seems physically prepared and experienced enough to make the leap to college ball as a dynamic 4-star talent.
Simeon Wilcher, Roselle &mdash;&nbsp;Wilcher, with 21 points and 5 assists, was Roselle Catholic's scoring spark to keep this game competitive. The senior guard has all sorts of tricks in his bag, including one crab-dribble-type move that split two defenders and ended in a layup. Wilcher had a lot on his plate with 5-star teammate Mackenzie Mgbako struggling, so the 6 turnovers are understandable with the load he had to carry as a creator. He'll be the next top-notch guard to watch at North Carolina next season.&nbsp;
Prolific Prep (CA) 71, Westtown (PA) 33
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Top freshman Tyran Stokes and <a href="https://twitter.com/ProlificPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ProlificPrep</a> lead Westtown 29-16 at halftime of their <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> matchup ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/tyran_stokes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tyran_stokes</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wds1Plac2V">pic.twitter.com/Wds1Plac2V</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1614787207159504899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tyran Stokes, Prolific Prep &mdash;&nbsp;There was one moment late in the second half of Prolific Prep's blowout victory where Stokes caught his breath during a pause in action. A young fan exclaimed, "He's just a freshman!" from the bleachers and Stokes tossed a sly wink back.
"My game, I just come with a swag," Stokes told Basketball News. "My teammates come with it [too], so it's just a group thing."
Stokes will assuredly be among the top freshmen in the country whenever 2026 rankings drop, and he backed up his confidence with an easy 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. The 6-foot-7 wing threw down two alley-oop dunks from senior Aden Holloway and lobbed up one of his own to Zion Sensley.&nbsp;
Prolific Prep has several more experienced playmakers, so Stokes can get comfortable spacing the floor and cutting for the most part. He says his coaches and teammates have helped advance his overall processing speed as a cutter.
"[In] middle school it was a lot slower, but once I got to high school, it just became way faster. The game was faster, so I had to step my game up," he said.
Stokes already has swarms of colleges after him (just check his <a href="https://twitter.com/tyran_stokes/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>), and HoopHall was a big test for his maturity under the eyes of college and pro scouts. He says his mother, Kee, is his biggest source of support and helps relieve some of the stress of his impending rise.
"Me and my mom, we just work as a team to block all the noise out," Stokes said. "People come at me, people come at her, and we just stick together and don't let nobody get to us."
Zion Sensley, Prolific Prep &mdash;&nbsp;Beyond throwing down that alley-oop from Stokes, Sensley earned his game's Most Valuable Player robe with with 18 points, canning 7-of-10 shots. He knocked down threes from the corner, ran the floor for layups and even added in some mid-range self-creation. Sensley has more game off the dribble than he got the chance to show in a dominant win, and his offensive versatility at 6-foot-8 is intriguing. He's a 4-star junior worth keeping an eye on.
Imhotep (PA) 62, Cardinal Hayes (NY) 59
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Justin Edwards puts the first points on the board for Imhotep. <a href="https://t.co/z6dhGBzqYJ">pic.twitter.com/z6dhGBzqYJ</a>
&mdash; Bella DiAmore (@belladiamore) <a href="https://twitter.com/belladiamore/status/1614805998539100160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Justin Edwards, Imhotep &mdash; Edwards made his case for the top billing in the 2023 high-school class with a dominant effort in a thrilling Sunday nightcap. The 6-foot-7 wing amassed 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists.&nbsp;
The defense particularly impressed me. Edwards took on Ian Jackson (11 points, 4-of-10 from the field, 5 assists), one of the best juniors in the country, and stuck with him throughout the matchup. He sprawled out on the floor for one steal and used some quick-twitch hands to poach other passes and get running. Edwards includes a defensive emphasis whenever he tries to cultivate a well-rounded performance.
"When I have an all-around game, it's me locking in defensively and getting my teammates going, so that was just the main thing," he said postgame.
Of course, the scoring was pretty remarkable too &mdash; a combination of emphatic driving slams and lefty mid-range pull-ups. He even snuck in an impressive entry bounce pass that turned into a layup assist. If you want to call Edwards the best senior in the country, you'll get no complaints from me.
Steven Solano, Cardinal Hayes &mdash;&nbsp;Solano's final stat line (4 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks) might not pop off the page, but his impact far transcended the box score. The lanky 6-foot-11 center was an impactful rim protector even beyond his swats and consistently thwarted Imhotep with his length and timely rotations. He only got on the scoreboard twice, but one bucket was a nifty layup spinning out of the post, suggesting he has a bit more of a bag than we saw. Solano's a 3-star center with a host of high-major offers and he could be an underrated find wherever he ends up.

Ethan Fuller recaps his standout stars from Sunday's HoopHall Classic games in Springfield, MA.

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Sunday's action

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Anderson Varej&atilde;o has bounced back to the Cavaliers.
One of the most popular players in Cleveland's history, Varej&atilde;o has been hired as a player development consultant and global ambassador for the team that he played with for 14 NBA seasons.
Known for his hustle and frizzy hair, Varej&atilde;o, affectionately nicknamed &ldquo;Wild Thing&rdquo; for his rambunctious playing style, was with the Cavs from 2004-15. He spent two seasons with Golden State before the center returned to Cleveland after a three-year break. He retired after playing five games in the 2020 season.
Varej&atilde;o had stayed connected to the organization, making periodic appearances at practices and games.
In his new role, Varej&atilde;o will help develop players on the floor while also working with coaches and front office members during the season. The Brazilian will also travel to broaden the team's global reach, especially in Latin America.
&ldquo;Andy embodies all that the city of Cleveland stands for and beyond, and we couldn&rsquo;t be more excited to bring his experience, leadership and character back into the Cleveland Cavaliers family,&rdquo; said Koby Altman, the Cavs president of basketball operations. &ldquo;His infectious work ethic and commitment to our community have earned him his rightful place in the fabric of this organization and all of Northeast Ohio, and his impact on the game internationally will benefit our global outreach.&rdquo;
The Cavs plan to honor Varej&atilde;o with a halftime presentation at their Jan. 21 game against the Bucks.
&ldquo;I am thrilled and honored once again to be a formal part of the Cavaliers family,&rdquo; said Varej&atilde;o. &ldquo;This is a unique opportunity to start a new chapter of my life with the team I love and in the city I love."
Varej&atilde;o was a key member on two 60-win teams with Cleveland. He averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 596 games for the Cavs, who acquired him in a 2004 trade with Orlando.
He's ranked in the top 10 in several offensive categories. In 2012, Varej&atilde;o averaged a career-best 14.4 rebounds per game.

Anderson Varejão has been hired as a player development consultant and global ambassador for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anderson Varejão back with Cavs in player development role

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Orlando Magic beat the Portland Trail Blazers 109-106 on Tuesday night.
Wagner had 15 points in the fourth quarter alone.
&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s why you play basketball, those important plays, those important moments,&rdquo; Wagner said.
The Magic led 19 points in the first half, but the Blazers closed the gap in the second quarter to tie it at 50 at halftime.
After trailing 82-73 to start the final quarter, Portland pulled to 89-84 on Anfernee Simons' layup. Orlando stayed in front, going up 104-94 on Wagner's 3-pointer with 3:35 left.
Damian Lillard's layup with 1:32 left got Portland as close as 105-101. Gary Harris fouled Lillard on a 3-point attempt &mdash; and Lillard made all three free throws to pull the Blazers closer at 107-106 with 25.1 seconds to go.
Markelle Fultz made free throws for Orlando and Portland missed a flurry of 3-point attempts in the final moments.
Lillard finished with 30 points for the Blazers, who lost their fourth straight. Portland has lost nine of their last 12 games.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just in a little funk, man. I don&rsquo;t know what it is. I can&rsquo;t really pinpoint it,&rdquo; Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said.
Paulo Banchero added 19 points for the Magic. They were coming off a 115-101 loss at Sacramento the night before.
&ldquo;I felt like we did a really good job, even when it got a little chaotic, we made all their shots tough,&rdquo; Carter said.
Jerami Grant made a pair of layups to cap a 16-1 run that erased Orlando's first-half lead and got the Blazers within 40-36. Jusuf Nurkic's layup and free throw tied the game at 47 and the teams went into halftime knotted at 50.
After the Blazers scored a season-low 20 points in the opening quarter, they outscored the Magic 30-17 in the second. Nukic started despite battling a non-COVID illness and led all scorers in the first half with 18 points, along with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
The Magic opened the second half with an 15-0 run. Simons ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer 4:40 into the half. Lillard's emphatic dunk pulled Portland to 79-70 late in the third quarter.
TIP INS
Magic: Center Bol Bol was available after missing four games because of health and safety protocols but he did not play. ... The Magic were 0-7 on the second night of back-to-backs heading into the game. ... It was the third of a five-game trip for Orlando.
Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II made his season debut a week ago against Detroit, after rehabbing from an offseason core injury. He missed the next three games because of an ankle sprain but played Tuesday.
PORTER'S RETURN
Former Trail Blazers great Terry Porter, whose number hangs from the rafters at the Moda Center, has returned to the team as an alumni ambassador. He'll foster relationships with other former players as the Blazers enhance their alumni program, the team announced on Tuesday.
Porter most recently served as basketball coach at the University of Portland for five seasons until 2021. He joins fellow ambassadors Brian Grant and Bob Gross.
ISAAC'S RETURN
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, who hasn't played for two seasons, is set to play for the G-League Lakeland Magic as he continues his return from a torn ACL. He has been practicing with Orlando since December.
&ldquo;I mean, that is such great news," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;You talk about the journey he&rsquo;s been on since being hurtt. To put it in perspective, it&rsquo;s 892 days, tomorrow since he&rsquo;s played in a full game.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Portland Trail Blazers 109-106

Franz Wagner has 29 points, Magic hold off Blazers 109-106

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Texas fired basketball coach Chris Beard on Thursday while he faces a felony domestic family violence charge stemming from a Dec. 12 incident involving his fianc&eacute;e.
The Associated Press obtained the termination letter that was sent to Beard&rsquo;s attorney.
Beard had five years left on a seven-year guaranteed contract that includes a provision he could be fired for cause if he was charged with a felony. The charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation family violence carries a possible prison sentence of two to 10 years if convicted; the woman told police he strangled and bit her, but later denied Beard choked her.
Beard had been suspended without pay since he was arrested, and school officials have said there is an ongoing internal investigation.
Police responded to an emergency call at Beard&rsquo;s house after midnight on Dec. 12 and arrested him after Beard&rsquo;s fianc&eacute;e, Randi Trew, told officers he choked her from behind, bit her and hit her when the two got in an argument. Beard&rsquo;s attorney has said the coach is innocent.
The Associated Press does not typically identify alleged victims of extreme violence, but Trew issued a public statement on Dec. 23 in which she denied telling police Beard choked her. She also said she never intended for him to be arrested or prosecuted.
&ldquo;Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening,&rdquo; Trew said in her statement. &ldquo;Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that. I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way.&rdquo;
Trew&rsquo;s statement did not address why she made the emergency call or other details in the police report, such as bite marks and abrasions on her face and telling officers that she couldn&rsquo;t breathe for about five seconds.
According to the arrest affidavit, Trew initially told police that she and Beard they had been in an argument where she broke his glasses before he &ldquo;just snapped on me and became super violent.&rdquo; Police reported Trew said Beard slapped her glasses off her face and &ldquo;choked me, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around and going nuts.&rdquo;
The Travis County district attorney&rsquo;s office has not responded to previous requests for comment on Beard&rsquo;s case or whether Trew&rsquo;s Dec. 23 statement would change how prosecutors proceed with the felony charge.
A Jan. 18 court hearing is scheduled, according to online records.
Beard led Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA Tournament championship game and was hired at Texas in 2021 with the expectation that he would lift his alma mater to the same elite level. He had the Longhorns program humming this season, starting 6-0 and ranked as high as No. 2.
Associate head coach Rodney Terry took Beard&rsquo;s place during the suspension. The Longhorns (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) won their first five games under Terry before losing 116-103 to Kansas State on Tuesday.
A Texas graduate, Beard spent 10 seasons at Texas Tech as an assistant under Bob Knight from 2001-2011, then returned there as head coach in 2016.
He was 112-55 in five seasons with the Red Raiders and was named The The Associated Press coach of the year in 2019 as he guided Texas Tech to a 31-7 finish and lost in an overtime thriller to Virginia in the national championship game.
His departure for Texas &mdash; a deal reached after a meeting with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte that included a McDonald&rsquo;s breakfast an hour&rsquo;s drive north of Lubbock &mdash; left Texas Tech officials frustrated.
As soon as he landed in Austin, Beard set out to rebuild a program from the ground up as he rebuilt the Texas roster and tried to whip up new enthusiasm for the program as he engaged with students and held often comedic &ldquo;fireside chats&rdquo; on campus. In his first season, he led Texas to a first-round victory over Virginia Tech that was the Longhorns&rsquo; first NCAA Tournament win since 2014.

Beard had been suspended without pay since he was arrested, and school officials have said there is an ongoing internal investigation.