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A list of 12 of the top talents in modern NBA history to have never appeared in an All-Star Game.

The 12 best modern-history players to never make an NBA All-Star team

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado&rsquo;s drifting 3-pointer clinched a 25-20 win for Team Pau (Gasol) over Team Joakim (Noah) in the title game of the Rising Stars event Friday at All-Star weekend.
Alvarado, who was named the Most Valuable Player, had five points in the title game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A certified bucket getter. Peep Jose Alvarado's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JordanRisingStars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JordanRisingStars</a> MVP mixtape 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/6SoruJRNsP">pic.twitter.com/6SoruJRNsP</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1626800481539354630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The win capped a memorable day for Gasol, who was named a Basketball Hall of Fame finalist earlier Friday.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going out on top. It may be one and done for me,&rdquo; Gasol said of his coaching debut.
New York&rsquo;s Quentin Grimes scored 14 points in the final but was wrapped up &mdash; literally held at times &mdash; by Alvarado down the stretch.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know you could do that in the Rising Stars game. I should have alerted the refs to call a technical or something,&rdquo; Grimes said. &ldquo;It was all fun but I was going for the win tonight.&rdquo;
Said Alvarado: &ldquo;It might not have been (legal), but he was doing good.&rdquo;
The four teams, comprised of 21 first- and second-year NBA players along with seven G League players, competed in semifinals games to a target score of 40.
Alvarado&rsquo;s 13 points helped Team Pau top Team Deron (Williams) in the first game 40-27, despite an array of spectacular dunks by Trey Murphy III.
In the second semifinal, Grimes scored 13 points including the winning 3 to power Team Joakim over Team Jason (Terry), composed of the G Leaguers. Mac McClung, who is competing in Saturday&rsquo;s Dunk Contest, nearly stole the show with 10 points in the comeback bid but missed a jam on his last attempt.
CELEBRITY GAME
Team Dwyane rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Team Ryan 81-78 in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and Basketball Hall of Fame finalist Dwyane Wade served as honorary captains of the celebrity teams.
Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf paced Team Dwyane with 20 points and 10 rebounds &mdash; but he&rsquo;ll be best remembered for an array of dunks. Actor Everett Osbourne led Team Ryan with 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Metcalf was named the game&rsquo;s MVP.
Each celebrity team included a WNBA All-Star. Phoenix Mercury guard Diamond DeShields played for Team Ryan. Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale played for Team Dwyane. Other notable athletes participating included former NFL player Calvin Johnson and former MLB player Albert Pujols.
Wade added former NBA player Carlos Boozer to his team in the second half. Smith countered by adding former NBA player Richard Jefferson. Jefferson served as part of the officiating crew during the first half; he also worked as an official for one quarter of a Summer League game in Las Vegas last year.
Between the game, and a 3-point shootout between Smith and Wade, $142,000 was raised for 5 for the Fight, a charitable foundation devoted to funding cancer research.
Smith said the funds raised on Friday would benefit the Huntsman Cancer Institute on the University of Utah campus.
JABARI ON JORDAN
Houston&rsquo;s Jabari Smith Jr. was asked if Michael Jordan &mdash; who turned 60 on Friday &mdash; could compete if they were were to play 1-on-1 now.
Smith was pretty sure Jordan wouldn&rsquo;t be getting buckets.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not beating me right now. If a 60-year-old is hooping on me, I need to hang it up,&rdquo; Smith said. He then added, &ldquo;Happy Birthday, MJ!&rdquo;
SHORT STUFF
Alvarado is listed at 6 feet, which might be a tiny bit generous.
He doesn&rsquo;t mind.
When told before Friday&rsquo;s Rising Stars event that he was a hero for the undersized, Alvarado had a message for others who consider themselves vertically challenged.
&ldquo;Hey short people, I&rsquo;m just like y&rsquo;all. We got a lot of heart,&rdquo; Alvarado said. &ldquo;I see lots of other little guys tagging me on Instagram. I see your love. Keep being yourself, don&rsquo;t try to be nobody else.&rdquo;
Alvarado admitted that the highlights of him hiding behind bigger players to get steals in the backcourt is making it tougher to surprise opponents.
&ldquo;Everybody seen those clips. Now, so I just got to find another way, but I&rsquo;m crafty,&rdquo; he said.
WELCOME MOMENT
Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Jalen Williams said the season has been like a dream. He used to wear Derrick Rose&rsquo;s shoes constantly when he was younger and then found himself guarding D-Rose in Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;So wild,&rdquo; Williams said before the Rising Stars games. &ldquo;Going up against people that I watched on TV is definitely kind of surreal.&rdquo;

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado’s drifting three clinched a 25-20 win for Team Pau over Team Joakim in the Rising Stars title game.

Jose Alvarado wins Rising Stars MVP, leads Team Pau over Team Joakim

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Malika Andrews and the crew from &ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; will have a bigger profile this season.
Andrews will host the &ldquo;NBA Countdown&rdquo; studio show that airs during Wednesday games. Andrews will be joined by analysts Richard Jefferson, Chiney Ogwumike and Kendrick Perkins and senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
The coverage will mainly take place from ESPN's Los Angeles studio, which across the street from Crypto.com Arena &mdash; the home of the Lakers and Clippers.
Andrews filled in for Mike Greenberg last season at times, and said she felt nervous during the first couple. She said there might be less anxiety this time since it is a familiar cast.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of the same feel, vibe and chemistry with the same people who I get to work alongside every day. Just in a different time slot,&rdquo; Andrews said.
The move also increases Andrews' role. Besides taking over on &ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; last year and continuing her role as a sideline reporter, she hosted the network's coverage of the NBA draft and the NBA draft lottery.
Andrews rose to prominence two years ago when she reported from inside the Orlando bubble, and was the sideline reporter during the 2021 NBA Finals after Rachel Nichols was taken off coverage.
Nichols did not work the finals and a couple months later saw her time at ESPN end after reports surfaced that Nichols, who was accidentally recorded in the bubble, suggested colleague Maria Taylor&rsquo;s promotion to host the 2020 NBA Finals was related to diversity.
&ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; replaced Nichols&rsquo; &ldquo;The Jump&rdquo; last September. Ratings for this September were up 8% compared to last year, while coverage of the NBA Summer League and free agency in July was the most watched in five years in the timeslot.
&ldquo;I'm still learning to be the best host I can be. I still watch every show, taking notes and looking at how I can be better,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t manufacture chemistry in a bottle and say, &lsquo;OK, we&rsquo;re going to add one and two, and all of a sudden that spits out chemistry on the other side.&rsquo; I&rsquo;ve been colleagues with Richard, Chiney and Kendrick for years, but we didn&rsquo;t work together every day like we do now. I do think going into Year Two, that is going to help as well.&rdquo;
Dave Roberts, ESPN's head of NBA and studio production, praised Andrews for being poised and quickly adapting to being a studio host.
&ldquo;Malika is a universally respected journalist and she continues to thrive at every assignment she&rsquo;s given," he said, adding, "She can operate as an excellent point guard, if you will, to make everyone else on that set better."
Greenberg will continue to host most of ESPN and ABC&rsquo;s marquee NBA events, but Andrews will also have a key role either as a sideline reporter or contributing on features and interviews.
Andrews said he hasn't had much time to think about her rise over the past two years, but when she does, she feels grateful.
&ldquo;I never thought I would get to do this. I think it is cool when the kids are doing mock interviews because I struggled as an adolescent," she said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have this perfect plan to come together and now as everything has come together in this imperfect yet perfect way.&rdquo;

Andrews will be joined by Richard Jefferson, Chiney Ogwumike and Kendrick Perkins and senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Malika Andrews to host ESPN 'NBA Countdown' shows

Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the draft, had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an 84-81 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Holmgren shot 7 of 10 in a game that was originally expected to be a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 2 picks. But the Magic announced earlier Monday that Paolo Banchero would not play the remainder of the summer after averaging 20 points, five rebounds and six assists in his two games in Las Vegas.
Josh Giddey added 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder (1-1).
Holmgren, a 7-footer out of Gonzaga, did a little bit of everything, from bringing up the ball to anchoring the Oklahoma City defense. He threw down dunks, was 2 of 4 from 3-point range, blocked two shots and changed multiple more, but committed four turnovers.
Justin James led Orlando (2-1) with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Tommy Kuhse scored 14 points, Devin Cannady added 12 and Zavier Simpson had 11 points, seven assists and five steals. Emanuel Terry scored 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
ROCKETS 97, SPURS 84
Tari Eason had 22 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 19 points and nine rebounds as Houston rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat San Antonio.&nbsp;
Josh Christopher scored 13 of his 18 points in the final six minutes as Houston (2-1) pulled away. Daishen Nix added 18 points, six assists and two steals for the Rockets.
San Antonio led 54-36 with 2 minutes left in the first half. Houston used a 16-5 run midway through the third quarter to take a 62-61 lead after Smith hit a 3-pointer.
Malaki Branham led San Antonio (0-3) with 20 points. Blake Wesley made just 3 of 20 from the field &mdash; 0 of 7 from 3-point range &mdash; but finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Josh Primo (health and safety protocols) did not play for the Spurs.
CELTICS 111, BUCKS 109
Matt Ryan scored 23 points and hit six of Boston&rsquo;s 18 3-pointers &mdash; including a tightly contested running 3 with 0.8 seconds to play &mdash; and Boston stunned Milwaukee.
After Lindell Wigginton made two free throws to give the Bucks a one-point lead, Ryan took the inbounds pass, dribbled up the left sideline and went behind-the-back near midcourt and hit a straight-away 3 with the 6-foot-7 MarJon Beauchamp in his face. Ryan appeared to hurt his left ankle on the play and writhed in pain on the court before Wigginton missed a heave from beyond half court as time expired.
Mfiondu Kabengele had 15 points, 11 rebounds &mdash; including seven offensive &mdash; four assists and two blocks, while Brodric Thomas made 4 of 8 from 3-point range and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for Boston (1-1). Juhann Begarin scored 13 points, Sam Hauser 12 and Justin Jackson added 10.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Sandro Mamukelashvili had 28 points and nine rebounds. Wigginton added 24 points and Beauchamp scored 15.
PELICANS 101, HAWKS 73
Trey Murphy III, the No. 17 selection in the 2021 draft, had 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting and Daequan Plowden scored 16 to help New Orleans beat Atlanta.
Dyson Daniels, the Pelicans&rsquo; first-round draft pick (No. 8 overall), did not play because of an ankle injury.
Jared Harper made 9 of 12 from the free throw line and finished with 14 points and seven assists for the Pelicans (1-1). Tyrique Jones added 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
AJ Griffin, the Hawks&rsquo; No. 16 pick in the draft, did not play did not play due to discomfort in his right foot.
Chaundee Brown Jr. and Justin Tillman scored 14 points apiece for Atlanta (0-2).
The Hawks shot 31.7% (26 of 82) from the field and made 3 of 24 (12.5%) from 3-point range.
JAZZ 83, MAVERICKS 82
Tacko Fall and D.J. Funderburk each had a double-double and Johnny Juzang hit a step-back 3-pointer in the closing seconds to help cold-shooting Utah beat Dallas.
Fall scored 12 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked three shots, while Funderburk added 10 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. The Jazz (2-0) outrebounded Dallas 65-46 overall and had a 22-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Fall pulled down 12 offensive rebounds as Utah outscored the Mavericks 21-0 in second-chance points.
Juzang, Justin Robinson and Xavier Sneed scored 11 points apiece for the Jazz. Jarod Butler finished with nine points, 10 assists and three steals but made just 3 of 22 (16%) from the field and went 0 for 10 from behind the arc.
Jerrick Harding led Dallas (0-2) with 18 points and A.J. Lawson had 15 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Jaden Hardy was just 4-of-15 shooting but finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Derrick Alston Jr. scored 13 points and Moses Wright added 11.
Utah shot just 31% (26 of 84).
TRAIL BLAZERS 88, KNICKS 77
Trendon Watford scored 18 points and Jabari Walker had 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Portland overcome a slow start to beat New York.
Craig Randall II hit 4 of 8 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points, Keon Johnson scored 11 and Brandon Williams added 10 for the Trail Blazers (2-1).
Portland shot just 3 of 14 from the field in the first quarter and trailed 24-9. The Trail Blazers were 27 of 48 (56.3%) the rest of the way.
Quentin Grimes scored 24 points for the Knicks (2-1), who led 13-0 for the second straight game. Miles McBride scored 16 and Feron Hunt added 12. Jericho Sims had six points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson, who won an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, officiated the second quarter.&nbsp;

The Thunder were victorious with an 84-81 victory over the Magic on Monday night in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Holmgren, Giddey lead Thunder over Magic in NBA Summer League

Paolo Banchero showed the Orlando Magic plenty in his two Summer League contests.
And the Magic decided that was enough.
The No. 1 pick is getting the rest of summer league off, after averaging 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in his two games in Las Vegas. The Magic made the decision so they could evaluate other players who are with them this summer and see who may merit a roster spot or G League opportunity.
&ldquo;I want to give these other guys an opportunity to play, to kind of be able to show what they&rsquo;re capable of doing,&rdquo; Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the point of Summer League, you know, give them a chance ... an opportunity for these other guys to see what they&rsquo;re capable of doing. And we&rsquo;ve seen what Paolo was capable of doing.&rdquo;
The Magic are also expected to give Admiral Schofield and R.J. Hampton the remainder of summer league off, which opens up even more minutes for players to get opportunities in Las Vegas.
Mosley said Banchero got all he needed out of the summer experience.
&ldquo;His understanding of what he needs to do in certain situations, the concepts that we&rsquo;re preaching offensively and defensively, he&rsquo;s grasping on to those,&rdquo; Mosley said. &ldquo;Watching film together, he&rsquo;s observing those things. He explains to me the things that he sees on the floor. It&rsquo;s only two games, but you&rsquo;re watching those film sessions and you realize how he&rsquo;s registering all of it. So that&rsquo;s how you can make the judgment that it&rsquo;s time let these other guys get those moments.&rdquo;
RJ THE REFEREE
Richard Jefferson was called for 2,637 fouls in his playing career, along with 45 technicals. He fouled out of 14 games. He even got ejected twice.
He always suspected referees didn&rsquo;t have an easy job.
He&rsquo;s now certain they don&rsquo;t.
Jefferson, who played 17 seasons in the NBA and now works as an analyst for ESPN, was making his officiating debut at Summer League on Monday night. The NBA said he would work the second quarter of a game between New York and Portland.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to do this,&rdquo; Jefferson said. &ldquo;The NBA asked if would I be interested. I have such a tremendous amount of respect for the referees, how important they are to the game and I&rsquo;ve always treated every single one of them as such. I just respect them because I know their importance to our game and to the integrity to our game.&rdquo;
This is not some honorary assignment. The NBA put Jefferson to work to get him ready.
He&rsquo;s gone through hours of instruction for this 10-minute gig, studying video with other referees and NBA executives. He&rsquo;s been learning the terminology that referees use, along with the responsibilities that come with working each of the three positions on the officiating crew.
Jefferson said he&rsquo;s certain the experience will make him a better analyst.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been amazing because I love the game of basketball,&rdquo; Jefferson said. &ldquo;I like talking about the game of basketball so now I get an opportunity to learn a whole new piece of the game. That&rsquo;s like my dream, for a basketball junkie, to sit in there and see how the referees think, how they talk, how they act, how they work together as a team. That type of stuff to me is so beneficial.&rdquo;
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
The NBA&rsquo;s Board of Governors will meet on Tuesday, with the expectation that they will finalize a change to the way transition take fouls are officiated. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-basketball-adam-silver-37d2184d33dd03487ee33c5ff5d7f470">NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last month</a> a change to the rule was coming, and for summer league games the penalty for such a foul has been one free throw &mdash; which may be attempted by any player on the offended team who's in the game at the time &mdash; and continued possession of the ball.
Also on Tuesday&rsquo;s agenda: keeping the play-in tournament, which has generally been considered a success.
PRIMO OUT
San Antonio guard Josh Primo has entered the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols and was ruled out of the Spurs&rsquo; Monday game against Houston.
Primo will likely miss the remainder of summer league.
TIEBREAKERS
Without any playoffs in summer league, there will almost certainly be tiebreakers necessary to determine which two teams make it to Sunday's championship game in Las Vegas.
If there's a two-team tie, the tiebreaker order will be head-to-head result, followed by point differential and then a coin flip. If there's a tie involving three or more teams, the first criteria will be point differential, followed by a coin flip.
All 30 teams will have played four games by Friday, then everyone gets a fifth and final game on Saturday and Sunday. But there is no tournament, other than the championship game.

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said Paolo Banchero got all he needed out of the summer experience.

Banchero's Summer League is over; Jefferson grabs a whistle

Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder scored 31 points apiece and the Boston Celtics rode a sizzling start to a 145-117 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Enes Freedom grabbed 15 rebounds off the bench for the Celtics, who made 14 of their first 15 shots and built a 21-point, first-half lead.
Coach Ime Udoka believes Tatum&rsquo;s recent success has been the product of attacking the basket. Tatum scored 37 on Friday night against Utah as well.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s had some success driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s been encouraging him to drive more and not settle as much. With some of their guys out, we felt we could attack some mismatches and get to the basket without a ton of rim protection and he did that very well.&rdquo;
CJ McCollum scored 24 points for the Trail Blazers.
Portland chipped away behind its bench before Boston took a 64-58 lead into halftime.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen a team that needs its bench to inspire its starters,&rdquo; Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;It should be the other way around.&rdquo;
Boston took control in the second half with a good start to the third quarter. The Celtics pushed their lead to as high as 26 before Portland pulled its starters with 5:51 remaining.
The Celtics continued to pour it on. Former Oregon star Payton Prichard scored 16 points in the final six minutes, sending the Celtics bench into a frenzy. The bench was called for a taunting technical for celebrating Prichard&rsquo;s 3-pointer to put Boston up 145-114.
&ldquo;You want to see him do well,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;The crowd was very supportive of a hometown hero but it got a little out of hand with our guys getting overzealous and getting a technical. I did apologize to Chauncey at the end for that. I didn&rsquo;t mean for it to get out of hand like that. You&rsquo;re happy for him, but there&rsquo;s a line not to cross there.&rdquo;
Boston&rsquo;s 145 points were the most ever scored in regulation by a visiting team in Blazers history.
NEW START
Saturday night&rsquo;s game was Portland&rsquo;s first following the firing of President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey. With Joe Cronin assuming the role of interim general manager, Billups expressed his respect for Cronin&rsquo;s new position and excitement about working together.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to building with Joe,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;In all honesty right now, Joe is the man. I&rsquo;m not overlooking that, I don&rsquo;t think anybody should. He&rsquo;s been in the game for a long time, he&rsquo;s well thought of by many people and I think Joe is as qualified as most people. He&rsquo;s very good. It&rsquo;s easy to jump over that and look for the next move. But right now, Joe is the next move.&rdquo;
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Udoka was in his hometown for the first time as an NBA head coach, something he wasn&rsquo;t taking for granted.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a first for everything, as I mentioned. But this one obviously means more coming home,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;A ton of family and friends here and the first time in this capacity, so obviously it means a lot. For me, it&rsquo;s great to come back and see family and friends briefly, but it&rsquo;s also time to handle business.&rdquo;
Udoka visited Jefferson High School before the game.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Romeo Langford missed the game with a right ankle sprain. &hellip; Jaylen Brown remains out with hamstring tightness and Udoka said he won&rsquo;t return until he&rsquo;s &ldquo;100 percent, not 85 or 90&rdquo;&hellip; Al Horford sat out with a stiff lower back. Grant Williams started in his place.
Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons (right ankle sprain), Damian Lillard (abdomen) and Nassir Little (left ankle sprain) all missed Saturday&rsquo;s game.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Trail Blazers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.&nbsp;

Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder scored 31 points apiece and the Celtics rode a sizzling start to a 145-117 victory over the Blazers.

Celtics start fast, rout Trail Blazers 145-117

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/richard-jefferson-explains-why-its-disrespectful-to-compare-anthony-davis-to-giannis-antetokounmpo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
In a recent segment on ESPN's NBA Today, Richard Jefferson said that it is unfair to compare Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis because they are not similar at all as players.
In the recent battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, the latter came out on top, 109-102. The Greek Freak finished the game with 45 points, while Davis had a relatively modest game with only 18 points. Obviously, that sparked a debate over which of these two superstars is a more impactful player for their respective teams.
According to Jefferson, a former NBA player and current analyst, the comparisons are unfair. While AD and Giannis are somewhat similar in terms of their height and frame, their skill sets are very different, as Jefferson highlighted on NBA Today.
&ldquo;We had so much conversation about Anthony Davis being a top-five player or top-75 ever. I am going to say this: it&rsquo;s unfair to Anthony Davis to compare him to Giannis. It&rsquo;s disrespectful to Giannis to compare him to Anthony Davis," Jefferson said. "They are two different individuals with similar body styles... If anything, I would say Anthony Davis is more talented than Giannis. He can shoot free throws at an 80% clip; he can knock down three-pointers in the mid-30s. Giannis can&rsquo;t do any of those things.
&ldquo;But you know what Giannis can do? Giannis has a dog in him. He is a dog, and we haven&rsquo;t seen that from many players, so at this point in time, it&rsquo;s unfair to compare those two players.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"It is disrespectful to Giannis to compare him to Anthony Davis." 😳😶 <a href="https://twitter.com/Rjeff24?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rjeff24</a> <a href="https://t.co/I6b0xkJxvw">pic.twitter.com/I6b0xkJxvw</a>
&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1461443005328547843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Unlike Anthony Davis &mdash; who we've seen this season playing the center position when the Lakers go with small-ball &mdash; Giannis often plays with force and bullies his way into the paint. On top of that, as Jefferson mentioned, their mindset is different, and Giannis has that old-school mentality.
When you look at the actual stats, Giannis is having a better season so far individually. Still, both of their teams are underperforming, and nobody expected that the Lakers and Bucks would struggle so much early on.
Davis had an excellent opportunity to showcase that he can lead the team now with LeBron James sidelined for most of the season, but that hasn&rsquo;t quite happened. He is already taking some slack for not being the leader that the Lakers need him to be, while Giannis has showcased on multiple occasions that he is the ultimate leader for the Bucks &mdash; ready to will his team to a win at all costs.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Richard Jefferson shared his thoughts on the Anthony Davis-Giannis Antetokounmpo debate and why they shouldn't be compared.

Richard Jefferson: It's unfair to compare Anthony Davis to Giannis

There&rsquo;s no better motivation than having your heart ripped out. And that&rsquo;s why I picked the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
The job is far from over. It might take six games, it could take seven, but at least through the first five games of the series, it&rsquo;s became obvious that the Bucks had something extra, something deep down inside that was motivating them.
It&rsquo;s pain. And I can tell you that from experience.
Nothing against Phoenix, but as a whole, with the exception of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, the Suns aren&rsquo;t a team that has taken their lumps and learned the hard lessons of what it takes to overcome adversity and succeed in the playoffs.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, knows it all too well. That&rsquo;s why they just refuse to quit.
During my career, I was fortunate enough to have some great teammates, and with Jason Kidd, Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles and Richard Jefferson, I was able to help the Nets get to back-to-back Finals in 2002 and 2003.
In 2002, we were a really young team that hadn&rsquo;t been there before &mdash; none of us. The Lakers, on the other hand, won two championships in a row and were looking for their three-peat. They put foot to ass for four games straight and swept us. From that series, I learned what a complete team looks like. We had pieces, but we found out the hard way that we were missing a few things, including the experience.
When people think about Shaq and Kobe, they remember the three-peat and all that, but they don&rsquo;t remember that they had a couple early exits, too. The Lakers went 61-21 in the 1997-98 season and got swept by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals that year.
So yeah, Shaq and Kobe beat us down, but by that time, they were seasoned. But you know what? The next year, we used that as motivation.
Losing, especially when you&rsquo;re favored and definitely when you lose in the Finals, changes you as a player. You work for years to get the opportunity to win a championship, and when you fall short time after time&hellip; Man, it just hits you differently when you get right there on the doorstep. It&rsquo;s the equivalent of your bride or your groom not showing up on your wedding day.
We had that chip on our shoulder the entire next year, and when the 2003 playoffs came around, we were a different team. We were tired of hearing people question our toughness and our talent. We found a different gear.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
In the first round, we split the first four games with Milwaukee, but then we won our next 10 games in a row. We took Game 5 and Game 6 of that series, then swept the Celtics and Pistons in the next two rounds. We got back to the Finals, but this time, we had to play San Antonio.
Obviously, we couldn&rsquo;t get over the hump. We split the first two games in San Antonio, but then lost two out of the three on our home floor. We went back to San Antonio for Game 6 and Game 7 behind in the series, 3-2. And couldn&rsquo;t force a Game 7.
The next season, our head coach Byron Scott got fired and we lost to the Pistons in seven games in the second round. I really thought we were close in Jersey, but, that&rsquo;s the thing about the NBA: you never know when you might be on your last chance.
The front office there shook things up a bit and I ended up signing with Denver. I never got back to the Finals again.
That&rsquo;s the thing with Giannis and the Bucks &mdash; these guys have been through it. They&rsquo;ve been favored, had the best record, got swept, been doubted, and they just keep coming back.
When they were down 3-2 to Brooklyn in the second round, there was something about them that just wouldn&rsquo;t let them quit, and they&rsquo;ve developed amazing resolve. That can be said of the front office, too.
Some teams would&rsquo;ve considered making wholesale changes, but they stuck with the core and allowed them to develop. They exercised some patience and continued to build around Giannis and found ways to bring in guys like Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday and P.J. Tucker. Most importantly, they re-signed Khris Middleton when he was a free agent back in 2019.
They gave Giannis every opportunity to finish what he started, and it&rsquo;s fitting considering the fact that they saw something in him from the very beginning.
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In 2014, my career was winding down, and I got an opportunity to sign with Milwaukee. Although my time there was short, I was able to spend some time with Giannis. He had just one season under his belt, but the staff there was working so hard to develop him and bring his talent out. His dedicated work ethic and positive attitude were there from Day 1, but the staff was utilizing advanced stats and all kind of metrics to build him individual workout regimens, provide nutritional guidance and schedules for when he should do his work.
So yeah, man, even though I was only there for a short time, I saw when they started laying the foundation. There&rsquo;s no shortcuts to becoming a champion. Title teams are built and developed.
Along the way, you&rsquo;re gonna take some bumps and bruises, but you know what? You&rsquo;re gonna learn. And in those lessons, you&rsquo;re gonna find the extra motivation that you need to get the job done.
Giannis just hyperextended his knee not too long ago, yet somehow, he found the ability to have the biggest defensive play of the series against Deandre Ayton and be the most impactful two-way player on the floor.
So I guess what I&rsquo;m saying is that I believe in Milwaukee because I know what&rsquo;s motivating them. They paid their dues and they&rsquo;re able to use their past failures as fuel to get them through those tough times when things aren&rsquo;t in their favor.
It&rsquo;s nothing against Phoenix, as a unit, they just haven&rsquo;t been there yet. And while they obviously still got a shot to win this series, in the end, in a way, I think Milwaukee&rsquo;s past failures are what&rsquo;s gonna be able to get them through the storm and make the difference when it&rsquo;s all said and done.

They may get down, but they're never out. The resilient Milwaukee Bucks are tired of falling short, writes Kenyon Martin.

Behind Giannis, Milwaukee is proving that failure is the best teacher

During Monday's shoot-around in Milwaukee in preparation for Game 6 between the Suns-Bucks, guard Devin Booker was asked by ESPN's Richard Jefferson on how he felt about the Kobe Bryant comparisons he was receiving.
Here is Booker's full response:
&ldquo;Yeah, I haven&rsquo;t really thought about it much. I know it&rsquo;s something that everybody has going on right now. I didn&rsquo;t make that comparison myself, and I just leave it at what he&rsquo;s done for me as a mentor and the advice that he&rsquo;s left me with. So I try to take bits and pieces of his mentality and his approach, but I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant.&rdquo;
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"I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant." &mdash;Devin Booker <a href="https://t.co/hcXFSPLScm">pic.twitter.com/hcXFSPLScm</a>
&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1417219186938548231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Booker has certainly played with the 'Mamba Mentality' throughout his first postseason, averaging 27.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in over 40 minutes per game. But the Suns find themselves on the brink of elimination and face a must win situation Tuesday night in Milwaukee. And while Booker will try to elevate his game even more to force a Game 7, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to clinch their first title in 50 years on their home court tomorrow night.
Tip off is 9 PM ET on ABC.

Devin Booker says he doesn't like the Kobe Bryant comparisons, saying he 'should never be compared to Kobe Bryant'.

Devin Booker: 'I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant'

Since its inception in 1969, the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award has only been given to a player on the losing team one time in history -- when the first-ever Finals MVP Award was given to Jerry West. West got the award even though his Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
Fast forward to the 2021 NBA Finals, and Giannis Antetokounmpo may have put himself in position to win the award regardless of whether the Milwaukee Bucks win the series.
My, how things have changed.&nbsp;
Back in 2020, James Harden voiced a critique of Giannis, saying, "I wish I could be seven feet, run and just dunk. That takes no skill at all. I gotta actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill. I'll take that, any day."
It seems that many people have clung to that notion and piled on Giannis by consistently criticizing him. You heard it from sports pundits (on ESPN, FS1 and sports-talk radio) and everyday fans (in barbershops, on social media and pretty much anywhere basketball was being discussed).&nbsp;
After Game 2, ESPN's Richard Jefferson <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1413618431413391361">said</a>, "When Giannis is at his best... You don't know if everyone benefits around that."
Kendrick Perkins, <a href="https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN/status/1413542809081163784">insisted</a> that Giannis is not &ldquo;the guy&rdquo; on the team and more of a &ldquo;Robin&rdquo; to Khris Middleton's &ldquo;Batman.&rdquo;
Jalen Rose had a take, as well.
&ldquo;Giannis struggles in close games. He struggled at the three, he struggled at the free throw line and they&rsquo;re still trying to find their identity at the end of games.&rdquo;
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Now, in their defense, their criticisms weren&rsquo;t exactly unwarranted. Last year&rsquo;s bubble performance from the Milwaukee Bucks &mdash; a first-round exit despite being a No. 1 seed &mdash; is definitely worthy of criticism.&nbsp;
However, this NBA Finals, Giannis is making his case to be the Finals MVP whether the Bucks win or lose. And he definitely deserves an abundance of credit, especially after his performance in Game 4. &nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also important to note that he is doing all of this on a hyper-extended knee, an injury he sustained in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks. Immediately thereafter, he was questionable for the NBA Finals, altogether
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However, after powering his way to his second straight 40-point game after leading Milwaukee to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/game/phx-vs-mil-0042000403/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">120-100 win over Phoenix in Game 3</a>, Giannis became just the second player in NBA history to score more than 100 points and grab more than 40 rebounds over his first three career NBA Finals games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He also joined Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, becoming the second player in NBA history to light up the stat sheet with more than 40 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive NBA Finals games&nbsp;
Giannis is currently leading both the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns in points, rebounds, blocks and free throws. And for the analytics crowd, he is also leading in a stat called box plus/minus (also known as &ldquo;BPM&rdquo;). According to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/about/bpm2.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball Reference.com</a>, BPM is "a basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player&rsquo;s contribution to the team when that player is on the court.&rdquo;
Writing for Bleacher Report, Andy Baily <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2945839-a-2-time-mvp-with-no-bag-what-the-giannis-skill-police-dont-understand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted the following</a> with respect to Giannis&rsquo; BPM. &nbsp;
&ldquo;Giannis' <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=single&amp;order_by_asc=0&amp;order_by=bpm&amp;lg_id=NBA&amp;is_playoffs=Y&amp;round_id=fin&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=10&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=fga&amp;age_min=0&amp;age_max=99&amp;season_start=1&amp;season_end=-1">14.3</a> BPM would be the second-highest for a single Finals on record (the number is tracked on a game-by-game basis back to the 1984-85 season). If he finished with that number, only Michael Jordan's 16.0 in the 1991 Finals would be superior.&rdquo;
Wisely, when presented with the comparison after Game 3 by three different reporters, Giannis refused to take the bait and responded with the same phrase.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not Michael Jordan,&rdquo; he said.
I bet reporters couldn&rsquo;t wait to write that Giannis compared himself to Michael Jordan, so good for him for not giving them that storyline.&nbsp;
However, he is doing something that we have rarely seen in the NBA. A seven-footer, (I don&rsquo;t wanna hear any of this 6-foot-11 foolishness, he is all of seven feet) with the ability to bring the ball up the floor, initiate half-court sets, lead the fast break or go one-on-one from any spot on the court. He can drive-and-kick, set up his teammates for open threes, keep his crossover low enough at seven feet to avoid opposing swipes and has a spin move that is NBA 2K-level unstoppable. Somehow, he&rsquo;s still able to avoid charges&nbsp;(which is on every opposing team&rsquo;s scouting report as one of his only liabilities) with his patented long-legged, long-strided Euro step or jump stop, knock down an occasional three-pointer to keep the defense honest (which is still a work in progress) and finish everything around the rim with the ferociousness that causes countless opponents to make &ldquo;business decisions&rdquo; to not challenge.&nbsp;
Giannis also blocks shots, controls the paint and protects the rim. We obviously saw that in Game 4.
Let me repaint the scene. Milwaukee had a 101-99 lead with a minute and some change left in a crucial, must-win game. Devin Booker, who put on a show, drove right at Giannis into the lane, but instead of shooting the one-handed runner he had executed all night with both hands, he lobbed a pass to Deandre Ayton for a well-drawn play by Phoenix coach Monty Williams. Giannis left his man and rotated over to help on Booker and control the paint, but possessed the lateral movement to recover back to Ayton to block his dunk attempt, one which would have tied the game. The block electrified the crowd and the team and Milwaukee ended up protecting the lead and winning the game. That&rsquo;s MVP status&nbsp;
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The 📸 PHOTO &amp; the 🎥 PHANTOM of <a href="https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Giannis_An34</a>'s huge block, from the near baseline! <a href="https://t.co/GmULWgu84A">pic.twitter.com/GmULWgu84A</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1415528547154792454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
After the game, Kris Middleton, who led the Bucks with 40 points, had the following to say about Giannis&rsquo; defensive play. &nbsp;
"It was one of those 'Oh, s---!' moments," Middleton said. "It was like, 'Aww, man, we gave up a layup' -- next thing you know he's blocking it."
Jrue Holiday felt similarly.
"That's an elite block,&rdquo; he said.
"To be able to read that he's going to throw the lob and go up there and get it, that's elite."
Giannis didn&rsquo;t seem too impressed with himself, though, which is a part of his charm.
"I thought I was going to get dunked on, to be honest," he said
But that&rsquo;s what makes him special.
He didn&rsquo;t make a &ldquo;business decision&rdquo; and give up on the play in order to save face and point to whoever should&rsquo;ve rotated after Ayton dunked the ball. He didn&rsquo;t worry about making multiple memes and posters and jokes if he got dunked on. He took it upon himself to recover and make the game winning play.
When it counted most, Giannis was fearless and saved the day. And in the process, he is making a very strong case to be NBA Finals MVP, whether the Bucks win or lose the series.
Giannis apology forms are soon to come.&nbsp;

With the series tied 2-2, the Bucks may win the 2021 NBA Finals. But Giannis Antetokounmpo should be Finals MVP even if they don't.

Win or lose, Giannis Antetokounmpo should be NBA Finals MVP

On July 4, 2021, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/04/sports/basketball/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published a story</a> detailing the fallout of a leaked Rachel Nichols&rsquo; video, wherein the host of ESPN&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Jump&rdquo; questioned the merit of her colleague, Maria Taylor.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity &ndash; which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it &ndash; like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else,&rdquo; Nichols said while unknowingly being recorded.
Since the release of the article, ESPN has been hard at work trying to extinguish the fire sparked by Nichols&rsquo; comments.&nbsp;
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Rachel Nichols began today's episode of The Jump with this apology to Maria Taylor and others at ESPN <a href="https://t.co/9cXsDmMMhZ">https://t.co/9cXsDmMMhZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/yQj5j8akMw">pic.twitter.com/yQj5j8akMw</a>
&mdash; Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1412145201888497664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Still, flames sit at every corner of this story. They range from small to large, and they highlight the injustices at ESPN. The New York Times forced ESPN&rsquo;s hand, so now the company is trying to put out this fire as quickly as possible before it reaches the deep pit of grease at the story&rsquo;s core: ESPN&rsquo;s insidious environment of racism and sexism.&nbsp;
Some of these flames include the direct fallout from the tape &mdash; like criticism over the repercussions former ESPN video producer Kayla Johnson faced for sharing the audio with Taylor &mdash; to larger structural grievances with how the media conglomerate uses women.&nbsp; &nbsp; Despite Nichols igniting the match, many have pointed out that she&rsquo;s been burned by ESPN, too. They point to the toxic culture at ESPN, and how animosity between women is fostered at a company that so rarely makes room for more than one.&nbsp;
When women are relegated to hosting and sideline reporting, there are limited opportunities to truly flourish. And when success can no longer be had as a collective and only in spite of one another, toxicity and animosity are cultivated.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s particularly unfortunate that two women in the industry are pitted against each other,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said when asked about the situation.&nbsp;
A toxic environment is still not an excuse for the racist dismissal of Taylor, especially from someone with the history and experience of Nichols.&nbsp;
Nichols is a seasoned journalist of over 26 years, having worked for The Washington Post, CNN, Turner Sports and ESPN covering both basketball and football. Throughout her career, Nichols has stood out by carving her space in media as a much-needed female voice that challenges the misogynistic culture in sports &mdash; from <a href="https://youtu.be/RhM66jfE-WE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confronting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell</a> following the Ray Rice scandal to <a href="https://youtu.be/67HVtWgDE10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">questioning the redemption narrative surrounding Derrick Rose</a>&rsquo;s 50-point game two years after a civil trial for rape allegations. (Editor&rsquo;s Note: A federal jury ultimately <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/19/derrick-rose-rape-trial-verdict-consent-nba-jury-photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cleared Rose of all counts</a>.)
Nichols recognizes the value her identity adds to her coverage, giving her a unique perspective in a male-dominated industry. And yet, she somehow fails to recognize Taylor&rsquo;s value in a moment of national racial strife.
Many people have also been harping on Nichols' claim that it was in her contract to host NBA Countdown during the 2020 NBA Finals... But that is entirely beside the point.&nbsp;
For starters, ESPN asked Nichols if she wished to switch to sideline duties &mdash; a request she was allowed to decline. And the controversy is not about a contract dispute. It is not even about whether Nichols felt she deserved the job more than Taylor. It is about her comment at that moment. Had she only made reference to the contents of her contract, there would be no story and no backlash.
There&rsquo;s also the invasion-of-privacy issue that, rightfully, is being discussed as well. Since the recording was captured on Nichols&rsquo; laptop through software she uses to record &ldquo;The Jump,&rdquo; this is another small fire for ESPN to investigate. However, again, this is not at all what the public outcry is about.&nbsp;
While these issues may individually hold merit, they do not serve as a defense, and they have been used to detract from the core issue at hand: Rachel Nichols&rsquo; racist comment.&nbsp;
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At the core, this is a story about a powerful White woman weaponizing her Whiteness to dismiss and demean a Black colleague to another White person who&rsquo;s in a position of power.&nbsp;
The backlash and outcry are so loud because this is a story that Black people are all too familiar with. Nichols&rsquo; comment had no basis in reality, but deep roots in history. It suggests that Black people do not belong, and any advancement is the result of external assistance.&nbsp;
A handout.
Claiming that Taylor was given this opportunity instead of earning it completely dismisses her unique voice and perspective. Nichols&rsquo; compliments of Taylor&rsquo;s skill and talent evaporate the very second Nichols questions Taylor&rsquo;s merit. Her success is no longer credited to her hard work, but to the color of her skin.
The stereotype that Black people get by on handouts is a tale as old as time. This ranges from overt racist sentiments like Ronald Reagan&rsquo;s &ldquo;welfare queen&rdquo; trope to more subtle microaggressions in corporate settings.&nbsp;
Dismissing the accomplishments of Black people is a core tenant of White supremacy. Implicit bias transmitted through microaggressions is the exact strain of White supremacy that Black people fear in their workplaces. It&rsquo;s a pervasive form of racism that is felt immensely, but near impossible to call out.&nbsp;
You feel it through glances and through inner circles you can&rsquo;t penetrate, cementing the belief that you don&rsquo;t belong. You feel it when you look around and rarely see faces that look like yours. You&rsquo;re forced to exist in a space that&rsquo;s unwelcoming to you, wondering whether others question your worthiness.
It&rsquo;s a culture of exclusion, which Nichols is acutely aware of.
&ldquo;Those same people &mdash; who are, like, generally White, conservative, male Trump voters &mdash; is part of the reason I&rsquo;ve had a hard time at ESPN,&rdquo; Nichols said on the same recording.
The leaked audio of two White people dismissing a Black woman&rsquo;s credibility confirmed people&rsquo;s suspicions to be true: that these conversations do happen behind closed doors. It&rsquo;s why so many were hurt and offended.
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<section><a title="@mariataylortoks" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mariataylortoks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@mariataylortoks</a>
Hey Black Women ✊🏾🙋🏾&zwj;♀️👋🏾 <a title="blacklivesmatter" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blacklivesmatter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">##blacklivesmatter</a> <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">##FYP</a>
<a title="♬ original sound - Maria Taylor" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6863473633193380614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound - Maria Taylor</a></section>
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It&rsquo;s important to note that Nichols said this to Adam Mendelsohn, an advisor to LeBron James and NBA agent Rich Paul (who founded Klutch Sports Group and represents many stars). These are the inner circles that outsiders feel they cannot penetrate. Questioning Taylor&rsquo;s credibility leaves her on the outside with Mendelsohn and all of his notable clients.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s even more troubling is that Mendelsohn felt safe saying he was &ldquo;exhausted&rdquo; by &nbsp;#MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movement &mdash; sentiments he would likely never share with Black journalists (or his Black clients). This furthers distrust because it illustrates how issues that should be treated as universal are discussed differently by White colleagues depending on the setting. There&rsquo;s the public response and then there&rsquo;s the behind-closed-doors response.
Once we understand what the core issue is, we can examine why Nichols&rsquo; apology fell short.&nbsp;
Her apology addresses a workplace issue at a colleague-to-colleague level rather than a racial issue. Instead of a White woman apologizing to a Black woman for racially insensitive comments, Rachel deflects, explaining that she does not want to be the story.&nbsp;
She did not have to be.
Nichols could have used her learning experience to highlight the pervasiveness of implicit bias and the importance of language.&nbsp;
In quick monologues, Nichols so often educates her audience on a prominent storyline &mdash; from <a href="https://youtu.be/JinS7woEgnA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg</a> to the <a href="https://youtu.be/YEBN9Oo_b1I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protests across the United States</a> in the wake of George Floyd&rsquo;s murder.&nbsp;
She is a leader in using her show to highlight the importance of difficult conversations in sports, and why the coverage around basketball cannot solely be about the Xs and Os.
Yet, in a prime opportunity to use her show as she and ESPN often do so well, both failed.&nbsp;
Instead of apologizing for her actions and explaining that she (more than anyone) understands that utilizing diverse identities isn&rsquo;t about meeting quotas, but rather about enriching coverage, Nichols apologized for the way Taylor was made to feel.&nbsp;
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To accompany Nichols' apology, Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson, two Black men, were asked to speak &mdash; despite having nothing to do with the matter.&nbsp;
Perkins spoke to knowing Nichols&rsquo; heart and shared his wonderful experience working alongside her. Jefferson, meanwhile, spoke to his 20-year relationship with Nichols and made mention of difficult conversations being had behind the scenes &mdash; while also adding that Nichols was not excused and that he and Perkins weren&rsquo;t either.&nbsp;
Bringing in these two former NBA champions to discuss race added nothing of value to Nichols&rsquo; apology, and only exposed yet another issue of diversity at the company. Why were two privileged Black men brought in to discuss racism between an established White woman and a younger Black woman? Also, why were these two Black men put in this position and used as pawns? The fact that, after 24 hours, this was the best ESPN could do is baffling.&nbsp;
They haphazardly attempted to douse the flames once and for all, but like water on a grease fire, the blaze was not subdued. Instead, burning oil splattered far and wide, reaching <a href="https://youtu.be/9WVDnygemDg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter Spaces</a>. The next day, ESPN removed Nichols from its 2021 NBA Finals coverage, with Malika Andrews handling the sideline-reporting duties in her place. Apparently, ESPN&rsquo;s power structure only doles out punishments for racist comments once they are made public.
For now, ESPN&lsquo;s solution will be to cover the fires with a cloak &mdash; a temporary answer to a grand problem. The structural damage, however, will remain until it works to rebuild its infrastructure from the ground up. &nbsp;

Imman Adan reacts to Rachel Nichols' comments toward Maria Taylor and the manner in which ESPN fumbled the fallout.

Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN’s racism, sexism

The Tampa Bay Pro Combine has announced the professional draft prospects that will be participating in its inaugural event.

Tampa Bay Pro Combine announces roster of pre-draft prospects

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for February 2, 2021.
Another Day, Another Missed Opportunity
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Harry Potter was 6&rsquo;11 ? Bro was playing with the wrong wizards <a href="https://t.co/a5Ezzz5Bef">pic.twitter.com/a5Ezzz5Bef</a>
&mdash; Aka RJ 🛸 (@AkaRj__) <a href="https://twitter.com/AkaRj__/status/1356331493992378370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It seems like every day there is someone new who should have been in the NBA, and every day it&rsquo;s funny. Today, it&rsquo;s Harry Potter.
Full Circle
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Chris Paul said the play they ran for Devin Booker is one he said Doc Rivers used to run for J.J. Redick while they were together with Clippers. Monty Williams said Paul came up with the play to run at the end. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Suns?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Suns</a>
&mdash; Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin/status/1356462321107828737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Chris Paul is like an NBA sponge that soaks in every bit of knowledge he has ever learned, and whichever team he is on always benefits from it.
Keeping Up With The Kourtside Karens
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Courtside Karen was MAD MAD!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1356467866632085504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It&rsquo;s sad that she&rsquo;ll probably get business deals from this, but she will always and forever be known as Courtside Karen, so there&rsquo;s that.
Whose Man Is This?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
richard jefferson is doing lebron dirty by liking all of courtside karen&rsquo;s pics on instagram <a href="https://t.co/Je4Ogyo7tX">pic.twitter.com/Je4Ogyo7tX</a>
&mdash; buckets (@buckets) <a href="https://twitter.com/buckets/status/1356468312092405771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Richard Jefferson might be the biggest troll of this generation, beating out nearly every member of Gen Z with his pettiness.
F Is For Friends That Do Stuff Together
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sharing is caring 😆 <a href="https://t.co/DYylGOFYA1">https://t.co/DYylGOFYA1</a>
&mdash; Desmond Bane (@DBane0625) <a href="https://twitter.com/DBane0625/status/1356464947836964865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Grizzlies are using every lesson learned in kindergarten as part of their game strategy, and it&rsquo;s working.
It&rsquo;s A Love Story, Baby Just Say Yes
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Hey guys!!! It's time to unite and help <a href="https://twitter.com/russwest44?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@russwest44</a> to get into the NBA! Russel is a professional basketball player AND a huge Swiftie! You can reply and also tweets with hashtags <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RussellWestbrook?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RussellWestbrook</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RusselAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RusselAllStar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAllStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/PrwtWgvF3X">pic.twitter.com/PrwtWgvF3X</a>
&mdash; Taylor Swift Indonesia (@TaylorSwiftIndo) <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorSwiftIndo/status/1356426956313513984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Enlisting the help of the Swifties will ensure that Russell Westbrook gets the most votes of any NBA player in All-Star history. A bold, yet brilliant strategy.
Beat You At Your Own Game
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You could tell CP be bowling for real and Bron just showed up on some &ldquo;I&rsquo;m great at everything&rdquo; and smoked him 😂. He was tight. <a href="https://t.co/OhIplcoHC0">https://t.co/OhIplcoHC0</a>
&mdash; Don Snow (@DHPBJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHPBJ/status/1355561503945093120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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And every other game. Imagine being LeBron James? Even just for five minutes? Sigh.
See a tweet that should be featured in tomorrow's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our Kelsea O'Brien scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Feb. 2, 2021.

NBA Tweets of the Day: February 2, 2021

Ethan Fuller breaks down the biggest takeaways from the NBA preseason.

NBA Sour Rankings: Preseason Overreactions

Ethan Fuller breaks down the state of each NBA franchise and ranks the most frustrating teams ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA 'Sour' Rankings: Preseason Prelude

LeBron James appeared as a guest on the Road Trippin' podcast with Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Allie Clifton, and went on to address Irving's comments -- in which Irving praised Durant as the first teammate he could trust as much as he trusts himself to take the last shot of the game.
"I was a little like, 'Damn.' Once I got the whole transcript, I was like, 'Damn,'" James said, adding that he made sure to read Irving's full comments before reacting to them. "I wasn't like, 'Oh, you trippin'. I've hit game-winning shots my whole life.' I was not like that. I was like, 'Damn.' Because ... I played with Kyrie for three seasons [with the Cleveland Cavaliers]. The whole time when I was there, I only wanted to see him be a MVP of our league. I only cared about his success. And it just didn't align. It just didn't align. And we were able to win a championship. That's the craziest thing. We were still able to win a championship, and we could never align. But I only cared about his well-being, both on and off the floor.
"And it kind of hurt me a little bit."
Source: Road Trippin' Podcast
ANALYSIS: LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were teammates for three seasons in Cleveland and the duo led the Cavs to the finals every season, securing one championship. Irving abruptly requested a trade from the Cavaliers after the 2016-2017 season while James went on to play one more year for Cleveland. Questions regarding LeBron and Kyrie&rsquo;s relationship were raised after Kyrie&rsquo;s departure, but LeBron never shined much light to it. Now after hearing Irving&rsquo;s comments on who he trusts in late game situations, James admitted that he was hurt because he &lsquo;only&rsquo; cared about Kyrie&rsquo;s success when they were teammates.
Irving went on to say he was not taking any shots at James with his comments.

LeBron James says he was 'hurt' by Kyrie's comments on who he trusts in late game situations.