Wildcats

PUMA has announced a multiyear endorsement deal with 17 year-old, five-star prospect Mikey Williams &mdash; making him one of the youngest basketball athletes to sign with a global footwear company.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/boardroom/status/1453727543341694985?s=21">Boardroom</a>
ANALYSIS: Williams joins an exciting growing group of emerging talent at PUMA in LaMelo Ball, RJ Barrett, Michael Porter Jr., and Terry Rozier. The young guard has blazed a trail in the new era of name, image and likeness deals for high school and college athletes. Williams previously became the first high school basketball player to ever sign with a professional sports agency when he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mikey-williams-signs-with-excel-sports-to-pursue-nil-endorsement-deals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined Excel Sports this summer</a>.

PUMA has announced a multiyear endorsement deal with 17 year-old, five-star prospect Mikey Williams — making him one of the youngest basketball athletes to sign with a global footwear company.

5-star prospect Mikey Williams signs endorsement deal with PUMA

Pardon the jurisdictional bias, but the best thing to see over the first weekend of the NBA playoffs was the crowd at the raucous Madison Square Garden (the &ldquo;World&rsquo;s Most Famous Arena&rdquo;) -- even if the final result was not exactly what the New York Knicks had in mind.
Anyone who has been to New York over the past 14.5 months can understand, but for those who haven&rsquo;t, here is the deal: New York City has struggled to return to normal since shutting down in March 2020. For example, 110,000 restaurants went out of business during the pandemic. NBA teams who have come into Manhattan and Brooklyn likened it to the post-apocalyptic scenes in the Will Smith movie &ldquo;I Am Legend&rdquo; as they wondered why there were no people on the streets.
The trains that run beneath MSG are still largely empty, although the subways are much more crowded than they were just a month ago. And seeing so many Knicks fans suddenly congregating together, led by Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan, was truly a sight to behold after keeping to ourselves for more than a year.
The TNT broadcast duo of Spero Dedes and Greg Anthony could've captured this moment even better had they been in the building and felt the energy, but they were broadcasting this game remotely. Let&rsquo;s hope the networks get the broadcasters back into the arenas sooner rather than later.
The crowd of 15,047 made it the largest indoor event to be held in New York since the pandemic began.
"Having fans, I think, is great," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But we've got to play better."
Especially Julius Randle, whose regular-season success against the Atlanta Hawks was expected to continue in the postseason. But the likely Most-Improved-Player-award winner went 6-for-23 from the field, and the Hawks eked out the Game 1 win on Trae Young&rsquo;s game-winner with 0.9 seconds left after he singlehandedly broke down New York&rsquo;s defense. Young is a good villain to have around as the series waits to resume Wednesday night. If ever a guy was channeling Reggie Miller, it was Young last night. He crossed over Frank Ntilikina four times on the game-winning drive.
The most surprising result of the weekend came in the last of the eight games when the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the top-seeded Utah Jazz, 112-109, for the first win by a No. 8 seed since the Orlando Magic defeated the Milwaukee Bucks last season in Game 1 in the Bubble. That one eventually turned into a 4-1 series win for the Bucks, so we shall see where this leads the Grizzlies.
But give Taylor Jenkins&rsquo; crew their props. In the past week, they have ended the seasons of Gregg Popovich and Steph Curry and now hold a 1-0 lead over the best three-point-shooting team we have seen in quite some time. They&rsquo;ve only won one game, but every year, there is at least one series that&rsquo;s won or lost in Game 1; maybe this is that series. Donovan Mitchell was reportedly upset about being a last-minute scratch, but the Jazz already announced that he will return in Game 2.
What else was striking about the weekend&rsquo;s eight games? Let&rsquo;s go series by series:
Lakers-Suns: Sunday provided a lesson of how time can stand still when emotions and the referees get involved. Early in the fourth quarter, there was a sequence in which Chris Paul got under LeBron James on a box-out and sent him to the floor, Cam Payne and Alex Caruso got into a dustup (Payne picked up two technicals upon review and was ejected) and Kyle Kuzma&rsquo;s three-shot foul against Devin Booker was overturned upon review. In real time, it took more than 10 minutes to play just 30 seconds, and the Lakers were not able to use the extra time to their advantage. They are going to have to take another look at how they are defending the center position after Deandre Ayton outplayed Anthony Davis while Andre Drummond spent just 19 minutes on the court. James and Davis combined to miss five of 11 free throws, which is a pattern we saw to varying degrees from game to game.
Heat-Bucks: The award for the weekend&rsquo;s best finish goes to the game that was the first one played on Saturday afternoon, when Khris Middleton&rsquo;s jumper with 0.5 seconds broke a tie for the game-winner. A couple of other observations: Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s lower back is taking a beating that makes you remember Mike Tyson&rsquo;s famous line: &ldquo;Everybody has a plan until they get punched.&rdquo; With Butler shooting 4-for-22, the Heat really had no business being in the game this long but were helped by Giannis Antetokounmpo going 6-for-13 from the foul line. The winners went 5-for-31 from three-point range.
Blazers-Nuggets: The award for most deceiving crowd shot goes to this game, which had the largest attendance of the season in Denver &ndash; 7,732, almost none of whom were sitting within the frame of the broadcast shot from high above center court. Denver could be in trouble here, folks, as Jamal Murray&rsquo;s scoring is not being replaced by Michael Porter Jr. (1-for-10 from three-point range) or Aaron Gordon (16 points). I would not be surprised to see Markus Howard, last season&rsquo;s NCAA scoring leader at Marquette, get an even longer look tonight after he played 20 minutes in Game 1. It&rsquo;s no surprise that Nikola Jokic had only one assist after his teammates missed 25 of 36 three-point attempts.
Mavericks-Clippers: Los Angeles led 98-95 with just over six minutes left but then had just one bucket (and two missed free throws, both by Marcus Morris) in the next nine possessions to fall behind by seven before Paul George dunked with 1:15 left. A game-closing 16-5 run has the Mavs up 1-0 against the team that tanked its way into the non-Lakers bracket, and we shall see if the karma police continue to make them pay.
Celtics-Nets: Another thing that is lost on folks not located in the New York metropolitan region: Almost nobody is talking about the Nets. It is all Knicks, all the time. And this series appears as though it is going to be a walkover, which should keep the current dynamic in place at least through Wednesday, when Game 2 of Hawks-Knicks is played at Madison Square Garden. Despite Kevin Durant going 1-for-8 on three-pointers, the Nets outscored the Celtics by 17 in the second half in what appeared to be a return to the cruise-control mode they displayed shortly after James Harden was acquired from Houston. No free throw villain in this one just yet.
Wizards-Sixers: Russell Westbrook stepping out of bounds off two missed free throws by Ben Simmons with 38 seconds left (Simmons was 0-for-6 from the line) was a huge mistake, and another empty Sixers possession followed by a missed three by Westbrook with 17.8 seconds left ended Washington&rsquo;s final chance. Tobias Harris (37 points) showed once again that he does not get enough credit for Philadelphia&rsquo;s success. Washington had 38 points of bench scoring, something they will continue to need if they are going to be competitive in this series.

After the first weekend of playoff basketball, Chris Sheridan reacts to Game 1 of each series.

Sheridan: Reacting to the NBA playoffs' opening weekend

Transformative new sports league OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that it has selected Atlanta as its home. OTE selected the city of Atlanta after a year-long search, during which league officials visited and studied eight cities across the United States. OTE, which offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, begins playing in Atlanta this September.
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
&ldquo;If we could construct a city that would be the perfect home for Overtime Elite, it would look just like Atlanta,&rdquo; said Overtime Elite Commissioner and President Aaron Ryan. &ldquo;The city&rsquo;s storied basketball history, diverse population, vibrant business community and rich culture make Atlanta a special place. OTE is looking forward to being an active contributor to the community.&rdquo;
OTE is committed to building an inclusive, diverse and equitable workforce, with a focus on hiring among communities of color and on employing people who live within Atlanta&rsquo;s city limits. The league is actively recruiting and hiring a staff of more than 100 people in the city, including basketball staff, educators, residential staff, food service, and additional support staff. OTE has already begun building its senior leadership team in Atlanta; the league&rsquo;s Head of Basketball Operations, Brandon Williams, and its Head of Talent and Recruiting, Kali Franklin, both live in the metro area. Individuals interested in career opportunities with OTE should visit LinkedIn for additional information.
&ldquo;This exciting announcement underscores that Atlanta is still a great place to do business. Overtime Elite will bring several well-paying jobs to our city, generate millions of dollars in economic impact and expand mentorship and programming opportunities for our young people,&rdquo; said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. &ldquo;We are pleased that Overtime Elite has chosen Atlanta to be its permanent home, and we look forward to welcoming the next generation of basketball stars to our city.&rdquo;
Planning is underway on construction of a brand-new 103,000-square-foot facility in the city&rsquo;s Atlantic Station neighborhood, where OTE&rsquo;s players will train, study and compete. This project will create up to 400 construction jobs in metro Atlanta, at least 30% of which will be diverse and people of color.
To maximize efficiency and reduce waste, the structure will be built using recycled and reused components, with an energy-efficient HVAC system and green-compliant LED lighting system and outer covering. The facility will be completed in time for the league&rsquo;s September debut. Larry Serota, Clark Dean and Clark Seydel of Transwestern led market exploration, site selection, and transaction-structuring for OTE.
&ldquo;Overtime Elite is a welcome addition to Atlanta&rsquo;s rich sports tradition, elevating the city as a global center for basketball development and a cultural hub for people of all backgrounds,&rdquo; said Atlanta Hawks player and Overtime investor Trae Young.
OTE leadership has long standing personal and professional relationships within the Atlanta Hawks organization, with a deep respect for the team&rsquo;s long history in the city and the role they have played to create positive change in the community. Similarly, OTE has been inspired by the impact that the Atlanta Dream and its players have had over the past year in using their voices to increase voter participation in the 2020 election.
&ldquo;Overtime Elite is a project that will bring long-time benefits to the city of Atlanta, not only economically, but it will teach our young people about empowerment and competing from a position of strength,&rdquo; said Michael Render, aka Killer Mike, Atlanta-based rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, actor, and activist.
Overtime Elite provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers, preparing them for the next level in a way not possible in an ordinary high school environment. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.
The league directly addresses one of the biggest issues in global sports: compensation of amateur athletes. Every single OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of more than $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.
Players will participate in a robust, accredited academic program that&rsquo;s highly tailored to their individual needs, with a special emphasis on developing the life skills necessary to manage and sustain a successful pro sports career. OTE will offer a direct-instruction model led by individual instructors who teach both one-on-one and in small group sessions featuring a 4:1 student-teacher ratio. OTE will supplement a traditional course offering with a focus on skills like financial literacy, media training and social justice advocacy, all of which help athletes better prepare for the pressures that come with stardom and the opportunities that come with being a role model.
About Overtime Elite
OTE is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes. OTE provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.

OTE, which offers the world’s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, begins playing in Atlanta this September.

Michael

5-star prospect Mikey Williams signs endorsement deal with PUMA

Sheridan: Reacting to the NBA playoffs' opening weekend

Overtime Elite selects Atlanta as its home, will begin play in September