Ambassadors

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

This article was initially published by Basketball News on Nov. 4, 2020.
Every NBA team approaches their search for a head coach differently, and no two searches are the same. Here are a few things to consider or put into perspective when it comes to NBA teams&rsquo; coaching searches.
Some teams ask you to draw up plays you&rsquo;d run for their team on a chalkboard in the room before you even sit down. In some interviews, they just want to talk about your philosophies (as far as basketball and life in general). They might ask you what changes can be made to the roster. It all just depends on that team&rsquo;s way of doing things.
My interview with the Chicago Bulls was much different than my interview with the Los Angeles Clippers. They were totally different situations, and other interviews I&rsquo;ve been in were completely different than those. You&rsquo;re never sure what&rsquo;s going to happen until you walk into the interview. Sometimes, you don&rsquo;t even know who&rsquo;s going to be interviewing you.
Sometimes, it&rsquo;s just the front-office staff. Other times, the owner will be very involved. Some teams bring in their team psychologist, and they have a whole list of questions to ask you. They&rsquo;re going to want to know what kind of leader you are, and they&rsquo;re going to want examples -- not just of your successes, but of your failures as well. How did you adapt to change in these particular situations? How do you drown out the media noise? How will you work with the players and management? What is your overall level of commitment?
But it&rsquo;s not just the decision-makers that you have to sell yourself to, it&rsquo;s the players too. And you have to do that 24/7. You have to sell them on what you believe in if you want that give and take and if you want them to buy in. Also, you have to make them understand the standards that you&rsquo;ve set for the team.&nbsp;
Not every job is for every coach. Every coach has different standards, beliefs and teaching styles, and the team you&rsquo;re interviewing with might not share the same philosophy. You really have to know what you&rsquo;re getting into.&nbsp;
When you&rsquo;re interviewing for a head-coaching job, you talk about the roster and you have your own questions that you want answered too. Are they trying to build around a certain player? Are they willing to go into the luxury tax? How much will they involve their head coach in draft and free-agency decisions? For example, some teams want their coach to be very involved and present for every draft workout; others don&rsquo;t want them to focus on that at all.&nbsp;&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s way more research that goes into preparing for an interview than most people can even begin to imagine. You have to know as much as possible about the team. The more details you have, the better. Not only are you doing your homework about the roster, you&rsquo;re looking at how the team is situated going forward too. How many draft picks do they have in the years ahead? What does the team&rsquo;s cap situation look like? You have to research all pertinent information about the roster and the team&rsquo;s flexibility moving forward.
Also, it&rsquo;s important to understand the team&rsquo;s expectations (in the short-term and long-term). Continued team improvement is paramount. Does the team believe they can realistically contend for a playoff position that season? Is there a certain future championship window (depending on all of the talent assembled)?
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Once a coach does get the job, that&rsquo;s when the real work starts. It&rsquo;s very difficult to win at a high level, and it&rsquo;s extremely difficult to win at a high level consistently.&nbsp; You have to lead, and not all personalities are the same or mesh well with certain leadership styles.&nbsp;
Everyone throws around the word &lsquo;culture&rsquo; like it&rsquo;s easy to create. The teams that have been able to create a consistent culture do so from the ownership to the front office, all the way down to the end of the bench.&nbsp;
The biggest keys to success in winning are talent and consistency. When you look at all of these winning organizations, what do they all have in common? They were all consistent with their decision-making. They may have been fortunate with draft picks that turned out much better than they expected or free agents that just needed a fresh start, but that&rsquo;s only part of the equation. 
You need to have a vision for how all of these players are going to fit together. Each player is a piece to the puzzle, and you&rsquo;re trying to emphasize the player&rsquo;s strengths and work with them on their weaknesses. The staff is always working on player development and focusing on the fundamentals, while also learning each player&rsquo;s personality and skill sets to put them in the best position for success. Building relationships with players is always the goal, which allows you to improve players&rsquo; skill sets and ensure that the work they&rsquo;re putting in is not only helping the team but also their individual career.
You can&rsquo;t let rumors about your team, your job security or yourself cloud your vision. You walked into that interview room with a plan and a goal, and you can&rsquo;t let anything or anyone distract you from it. However, it&rsquo;s also vitally important to be flexible and open to making adjustments as you move forward and receive new information.
You have your standards. You have your vision. And you have to be yourself.&nbsp;
Finally, here&rsquo;s something that I&rsquo;ve learned after being around the NBA for many years (as a player, executive and head coach): The most important thing for a coach is time. The more time a coach has, the more they can learn about their team - from knowing everyone&rsquo;s strengths and weaknesses to figuring out people&rsquo;s tendencies to seeing how certain guys play well together. Over time, a coach will build strong relationships with the players as well as others throughout the organization. Trust and loyalty is earned and, if earned, must be reciprocated. And everyone has to be pulling in the same direction in order to exceed expectations and align with the standards set forth.&nbsp;
Time is a coach&rsquo;s best friend.&nbsp;

Former NBA head coach Vinny Del Negro provides a behind-the-scenes look at the interview process for NBA head-coaching jobs.

An inside look at the interview process for NBA head coaches

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

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

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

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

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

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic prisoner exchange, as the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout but failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for nearly four years.
The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden but carried a heavy price.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s safe, she&rsquo;s on a plane, she&rsquo;s on her way home,&rdquo; Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner&rsquo;s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials.
The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose monthslong imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.
Biden&rsquo;s authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed &ldquo;the Merchant of Death&rdquo; underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also confirmed the swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout has been flown home
Russian and U.S. officials had conveyed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of strained negotiations, with Biden saying in November that he was hopeful that Russia would engage in a deal now that the midterm elections were completed. A top Russian official said last week that a deal was possible before year&rsquo;s end.
Even so, the fact that the deal was a one-for-one swap was a surprise given that U.S. officials had for months expressed their their determination to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government has said are baseless.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,&rdquo; Biden said. &ldquo;We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul&rsquo;s release.&rdquo;
Whelan&rsquo;s brother David said in a statement he was &ldquo;so glad&rdquo; for Griner&rsquo;s release but also disappointed for his family. He credited the White House with giving the Whelan family advance notice and said he did not fault officials for making the deal.
&ldquo;The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn&rsquo;t going to happen,&rdquo; he said.
In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world&rsquo;s most prolific arms dealers. Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that U.S officials said were to be used against Americans.
The Biden administration was ultimately willing to exchange Bout if it meant Griner&rsquo;s freedom. The detention of one of the greatest players in WNBA history contributed to a swirl of unprecedented public attention for an individual detainee case &mdash; not to mention intense pressure on the White House.
Griner&rsquo;s arrest in February made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad. Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial, gender and social dynamics into her legal saga and made each development a matter of international importance.
Her case not only brought unprecedented publicity to the dozens of Americans wrongfully detained by foreign governments, but it also emerged as a major inflection point in U.S.-Russia diplomacy at a time of deteriorating relations prompted by Moscow&rsquo;s war against Ukraine.
The exchange was carried out despite deteriorating relations between the powers. But the imprisonment of Americans produced a rare diplomatic opening, yielding the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow &mdash; a phone call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov &mdash; in more than five months.
In an extraordinary move during otherwise secret negotiations, Blinken revealed publicly in July that the U.S. had made a &ldquo;substantial proposal&rdquo; to Russia for Griner and Whelan. Though he did not specify the terms, people familiar with it said the U.S. had offered Bout.
Such a public overture drew a chiding rebuke from the Russians, who said they preferred to resolve such cases in private, and carried the risk of weakening the U.S. government&rsquo;s negotiating hand for this and future deals by making the administration appear too desperate. But the announcement was also meant to communicate to the public that Biden was doing what he could and to ensure pressure on the Russians.
Besides the efforts of U.S. officials, the release also followed months of back channel negotiations involving Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage talks, and his top deputy, Mickey Bergman.
Griner was arrested at the Moscow&rsquo;s Sheremetyevo Airport in February when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia&rsquo;s judicial system does not automatically end a case.
She acknowledged in court that she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.
Before being sentenced on Aug. 4 and receiving a punishment her lawyers said was out of line for the offense, an emotional Griner apologized &ldquo;for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them.&rdquo; She added: &ldquo;I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.&rdquo;
Her supporters had largely stayed quiet for weeks after her arrest, but that approach changed in May once the State Department designated her as unlawfully detained. A separate trade, Marine veteran Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot convicted in the U.S. in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, spurred hope that additional such exchanges could be in the works.
Whelan has been held in Russia since December 2018. The U.S. government also classified him as wrongfully detained. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.
Whelan was not included in the Reed prisoner swap, escalating pressure on the Biden administration to ensure that any deal that brought home Griner also included him.

“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle.

WNBA star Griner freed in swap for Russian arms dealer Bout

Stephen Curry is grateful for the women in his life. He celebrates them every chance he gets.
Whether they want that treatment or not.
This is the story of Nanea McGuigan. Only the most ardent NBA fans likely know who she is, but millions saw her on their televisions three weeks ago when the Golden State Warriors handed out championship rings to players. McGuigan unexpectedly got hers, too, that night after Curry and the Warriors decided to pull off a surprise and show her &mdash; and the world &mdash; how revered she is.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about understanding the value that women bring into this male-dominated league,&rdquo; Curry said in an interview with The Associated Press. &ldquo;She was one of the first people I met when I got drafted. She made me feel right at home, my family feel right at home. She was a great ambassador for what the transition was going to be like. Now 14 years later, we felt it was right to honor her with the ring with everybody watching.&rdquo;
Curry and his wife Ayesha have three young children, two of them girls. The girls aren&rsquo;t currently interested in being like their dad. He&rsquo;s hoping they want to be like McGuigan, whose official title is Director of Basketball Administration and Player Programs. Translated, it means she runs a whole lot of stuff for the Warriors, their players and their families.
&ldquo;I know my daughters are watching and they&rsquo;re starting to get curious now: &lsquo;What&rsquo;s her role? What does she do?&rsquo;&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;Neither one of my girls wants to play basketball. But they can still have an opportunity in the business of sports. It&rsquo;s amazing that&rsquo;s being celebrated and encouraged more across the league.&rdquo;
Not all the national NBA news involving women has been positive lately.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-nba-sports-mercury-basketball-5d41fac4d946eaa106cb8bdfd567c37e">Robert Sarver</a>. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-0f04a614b82c497346a423d9da036521">Ime Udoka</a>. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-lawsuits-7c262f5511c42df0a25bb19261471eab">Joshua Primo</a> all have stories that aren&rsquo;t going anywhere anytime soon. Sarver hasn&rsquo;t sold the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury yet. Udoka&rsquo;s future &mdash; whether the Brooklyn Nets will hire him or not &mdash; will likely be decided soon. Primo&rsquo;s problems may just be starting. Those stories involving women merit attention and should remain in the news, though they have been overshadowed by the ongoing <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05">Kyrie Irving</a> saga.
But highlighting women's roles isn&rsquo;t a new or one-time stance for Curry. He&rsquo;s been an advocate for women within the game for a while, particularly this year as the 50th anniversary of Title IX was being marked.
A pair of one-of-a-kind, hand-painted shoes he wore during the NBA Finals against Boston back in June bore the words &ldquo;Retire Inequality,&rdquo; and they were designed by a team that included UConn women&rsquo;s guard Azzi Fudd &mdash; who represents Curry&rsquo;s SC30 brand through a name, image and likeness deal. The message on the shoes was in reference to, among other things, the gender pay gap.
He didn&rsquo;t only wear them for warm-ups or just long enough to get it on Instagram. He wore them to play. In the NBA Finals. With the world watching.
Fudd and UConn open their season on Thursday night. With Paige Bueckers out for the year with an ACL tear, UConn's hopes might rest on Fudd. She's a 3-point shooter. It's not a coincidence that she and Curry &mdash; the most prolific 3-point shooter of all-time &mdash; were drawn to one another.
&ldquo;I look at not just my daughters, but all the women in my life that have had such a major influence on who I am, their different personalities, the talents, value, morals and values that they instilled in me,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;We have an opportunity to leverage the game into a great opportunity for young girls and women to pursue positions where they can make a difference, like changing communities, changing industries, it all matters.
"I learned as much about how to be a human being, how to protect my own, hard work, discipline and all that from my mom and both of my grandmas.&rdquo;
His approach is also a tribute to his aunt, India Adams. She runs a Montessori school and played basketball at Belmont Abbey, a four-time all-conference player there. She knows the game. And after every Warriors game, Curry gets a text.
&ldquo;Look forward to it every game,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s as invested in what I do now as ever.&rdquo;
The Warriors aren&rsquo;t good right now. They&rsquo;re struggling, winless on the road and looking nothing like the team that won the NBA title five months ago.
There&rsquo;s time to get it right. Same goes for a lot of teams off to slow starts. It has not been a banner three weeks for many in this league, Milwaukee and Utah and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic among the few exceptions. Some teams will figure it out and turn things around.
And Curry wouldn't mind a few more Nanea McGuigan stories, too.

Stephen Curry is grateful for the women in his life. He celebrates them every chance he gets.

Warriors' Steph Curry shines spotlight on women

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2022 &mdash; The NBA today issued the following statement on behalf of Dikembe Mutombo and his family:
"NBA Global Ambassador and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment. Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes."

Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care.

Hall-of-Famer Dikembe Mutombo undergoing treatment for brain tumor

SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; An NBA preseason game may not seem like a benchmark moment, even in a basketball-hungry city like Seattle, but Jamal Crawford believes there's value even in an exhibition.
&ldquo;It reignites a whole new generation of kids who need to see this,&rdquo; said Crawford, a Seattle native who has been a basketball ambassador for the city through a 20-year NBA career and now with a pro-am that brings in NBA players every summer. &ldquo;They need to be able to dream and know that it&rsquo;s real.&rdquo;
The NBA makes its latest brief return to the Emerald City on Monday night when the Los Angeles Clippers face the Portland Trail Blazers. The matchup will be the first NBA contest here since 2018, when the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings played a preseason game that was the last sporting event inside KeyArena before it was gutted and rebuilt into the gleaming Climate Pledge Arena.
A sell-out crowd turned out for that NBA game, the first one in Seattle since the beloved SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008 after 41 years in the Pacific Northwest.
&ldquo;The Sonics haven&rsquo;t been a team since I&rsquo;ve been in the NBA. So just to go play in Seattle is cool,&rdquo; Blazers star Damian Lillard said. &ldquo;We played in Vancouver a few years back. I think like two or three years ago, we had a preseason game at the (Memorial) Coliseum. So every time we get to do something like that, I always enjoy it because I wondered what was it like when it was a real thing, when the games were played in these different arenas. So I am excited to play in Seattle.&rdquo;
Someday, possibly soon, the expectations are that Seattle will reclaim its place as an NBA town.
Speculation is nonstop about when the NBA will choose to expand. Thanks to the resolution of its arena situation, Seattle seems likely to be at the forefront of those expansion talks, with Las Vegas likely right behind it.
But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been noncommittal about a possible expansion timeline, and it seems likely those talks won&rsquo;t pick up steam until the league deals with the new collective bargaining agreement and television deals that are on the horizon.
The community's commitment has never been in question. The appetite of Seattle fans hasn't waned in the years since the Sonics left and as the region became a hotbed for NBA talent, whether it was Crawford continuing to carry the banner for the city, to Zach Lavine of Renton, Washington, to this year&rsquo;s No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, another Seattle native.
As if any reinforcement was needed, the summer provided a perfect example as fans camped overnight outside Crawford&rsquo;s summer league venue for the chance to get inside and watch LeBron James make his first basketball visit to the city in more than a decade.
"Anyone that knows Seattle knows what a great basketball city we are,&rdquo; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said this summer when the preseason game was announced.
The idea for having the Blazers and Clippers meet in Seattle was the result of a brainstorm between Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Clippers coach Ty Lue. The two close friends wanted their teams to meet in the preseason and Lue noted the owners for both teams are Seattle based: Steve Ballmer of the Clippers and Jody Allen for the Blazers.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t been back since I played there in 2008, I think it was. So just to be able to go back there and you know, Mr. Ballmer and kind of see his offices and how he lives, and (Chauncey) to get a chance to see his owner, and then to be with my best friend, I thought it would be a great common ground," Lue said.

The NBA makes its latest brief return to the Emerald City on Monday night when the Clippers face the Blazers.

NBA returning briefly to Seattle; questions of future loom

TOKYO &ndash; The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that a record 13 marketing partners will support The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten &amp; Nissan, which will feature the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards playing two preseason games on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. JST and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. JST at Saitama Super Arena, marking the league&rsquo;s 15th and 16th games in the country. &nbsp;The 13 marketing partners are the most-ever for an NBA game in Japan and include Rakuten, Nissan, 2K, American Express, Hennessy, Hokka, Instyle Group, NEC, Nike, SAP, ServiceNow, Sun Chlorella, and Tissot.
In addition to the two games, the league will also host NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten &amp; Nissan on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. JST at Saitama Super Arena. &nbsp;The event will celebrate the game of basketball and showcase the convergence of the NBA and popular culture for a unique fan experience featuring appearances by Warriors and Wizards players, NBA legends and special celebrity guests, a slam dunk contest featuring professional dunkers, a &ldquo;Shooting Stars&rdquo; challenge, a three-point contest featuring players from the Warriors and Wizards, a musical performance by Japanese rock duo Yuzu, and more.
The games and NBA Saturday Night will be available on NBA Rakuten and livestreamed for free on the NBA Rakuten YouTube channel and Rakuten TV, and will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital and social media. &nbsp;NBA merchandise is available on NBAStore.jp, the official online NBA store in Japan.
Highlights of partner activations for The NBA Japan Games 2022 and NBA Saturday Night include:
Rakuten
&bull; Building on their experience serving as Presenting Partner of the games in 2019, Rakuten will serve as Co-presenting Partner of the games and NBA Saturday Night this year. &nbsp;Rakuten will also receive in-arena and on-court branding and will host a variety of activations and fan activities during the games and NBA Saturday Night.
Nissan
&bull; As Co-presenting Partner of the games and NBA Saturday Night, Nissan will receive in-arena and on-court branding, and will leverage its innovation to host a variety of fan activities to add excitement to the week&rsquo;s events.
&bull; Nissan will also conduct a range of campaigns, including ticket giveaways and sweepstakes, giving fans the opportunity to serve as a court sweeper at the NBA Japan Games.
2K
&bull; 2K, a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) and publisher of the leading global basketball video game NBA 2K, will host a booth at Saitama Super Arena where fans can play the recently released NBA 2K23 video game on a PlayStation&reg;5 (PS5&trade;) console. &nbsp;An NBA legend will make an appearance at the booth and interact with fans at The NBA Japan Games 2022.
&bull; 2K will also host a contest on the 2K Japan Twitter account that will award six winners with a pair of tickets to attend The NBA Japan Games 2022.
American Express
&bull; As an Official Partner of The NBA Japan Games 2022 and NBA Saturday Night, American Express will offer its cardholders a 15% discount at NBA Japan Games merchandise booths at Saitama Super Arena throughout the games and NBA Saturday Night.
Hennessy
&bull; As the Official Spirit of the NBA, Hennessy, which staged iconic court activations across the Asia-Pacific region during the 2021-22 season, will offer cocktails at their booth on the concourse of Saitama Super Arena throughout the games and NBA Saturday Night.
&bull; During the NBA Japan Games 2022 Welcome Reception Presented by NEC, Hennessy will serve an assortment of NBA-themed cocktails throughout the event. &nbsp;Additionally, Hennessy will host &ldquo;The Hennessy x NBA Afterparty&rdquo; on Friday, Sept. 30, which will be an invitation only event.
NEC
&bull; As the Official Biometrics Partner of The NBA Japan Games 2022, NEC will provide a hands-free, speedy and secure payment system using its latest multimodal face and iris recognition technology at the games and NBA Saturday Night. &nbsp;Fans can register in advance through a link that will be published on the event website to experience the convenience on-site.
&bull; NEC will also serve as the Presenting Partner of The NBA Japan Games 2022 Welcome Reception, where it will present its latest technology to invited guests in attendance.
Nike
&bull; As the Official Outfitter of the NBA, Nike will offer select merchandise from the Warriors and Wizards at NBA Japan Games merchandise booths at Saitama Super Arena, Nike.com and select retail partners.
Sun Chlorella
&bull; Celebrating its 53rd anniversary this year, Sun Chlorella, a health food company dedicated to working alongside athletes to help them achieve excellence, will hold a promotion to provide its customers with the opportunity to win tickets to the NBA Japan Games 2022. &nbsp;Additional details about the promotion will be announced at a later date.
Tissot
&bull; As the Official Timekeeper of the NBA, Tissot will provide fans the opportunity to participate in a shooting contest at their booth in Saitama Super Arena for a chance to win special prizes.
&bull; On Saturday, Oct. 1, four-time NBA champion and Tissot brand ambassador Klay Thompson will participate in a fan meet-and-greet at Tissot&rsquo;s newest concept store in Ginza, Tokyo.

A record 13 marketing partners will support The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan.

Warriors, Wizards to meet on Sept. 30, Oct. 2 in NBA Japan Games 2022

PROVIDENCE, R.I.&nbsp;- Providence College President Reverend Kenneth Sicard, O.P. and Vice President/Athletics Director&nbsp;Steve Napolillo announced today that&nbsp;Ed Cooley&nbsp;has agreed to a multi-year contract extension to remain head coach of the men's basketball program. &nbsp; "Providence is my home and Providence is where I want to be," Cooley said. "Not many coaches are able to live the dream of coaching in their hometown and I feel blessed every day that I have this opportunity.&nbsp; I have had the good fortune of working for great administrators and coaching some of the best players in the country. I believe in the leadership at Providence College and with that I want to thank Fr. Sicard and&nbsp;Steve Napolillo&nbsp;for allowing me to continue my career in Friartown.&nbsp; The support that our donors and fans have shown toward our program has grown to new heights over the last 11 years.&nbsp; We had a special season in 2022, and I am excited as we look ahead to this season and the opportunity to compete for another BIG EAST title." &nbsp; Cooley, who earned Naismith Coach of the Year honors,&nbsp;guided the Friars to a 27-6 mark in 2022.&nbsp; Cooley also was named National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News and The Field of 68.&nbsp; His team, which earned the highest seed ever for the Friars (No. 4 seed), advanced to NCAA Sweet 16 where the squad was defeated by eventual national champion Kansas, 66-61, on March 25.&nbsp; It marked the sixth time overall and the first time in 25 years (1997) that the Friars reached the Sweet 16.&nbsp; The Friars' 27 victories are tied for the second highest single-season win total in the history of the program.&nbsp; The 27 wins also marked the sixth time in his 11 seasons at Providence that his team earned 20 or more victories.&nbsp; Cooley also led the Friars to a 16-1 record at home, which is the squad's best mark since 1973-74 (16-0).&nbsp; In March, Cooley was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year.&nbsp; He became the first Friar coach to earn that honor.&nbsp; In BIG EAST league play, the Friars set a team record for wins after registering a 14-3 mark and capturing the program's first BIG EAST Regular Season title.&nbsp; The Friars, who finished the regular season in first place, were picked to finish seventh in the annual BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll which was released in October.&nbsp; Providence did not have a player selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Cooley became just the seventh coach, and first since 2012, to earn BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors without having a player earn All-BIG EAST First Team accolades.&nbsp; The Friars also won a team-record eight consecutive BIG EAST games this season. &nbsp; "Ed Cooley&nbsp;is such an inspirational member of our College community," Providence College President Fr. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., said. "There is widespread agreement that he is an excellent basketball coach as underscored by his recent recognition as the Naismith Coach of the Year.&nbsp; But he is so much more than that to our Friar family. Ed is fully engaged in the depth and breadth of the Providence College mission and the daily life of the College. We are so very pleased with and grateful for his continued commitment to PC, and this contract extension is, in turn, our commitment to him that we will continue to support him and the men's basketball program to the highest degree." &nbsp; "In all great relationships there is a commitment to support each other at the highest level," Providence College Vice President/Athletics Director Napolillo&nbsp;said. &nbsp;"This contract extension is an example of the commitment to Ed, the program, and his family as we strive to reach our goal of winning BIG EAST and national championships together. Ed has shown he is the perfect fit as a coach and an ambassador for Providence College. He and his wife, Nurys, and his family are part of the Friar community.&nbsp; I look forward to working with Coach Cooley for many years to come." Cooley, who is entering his 12th season at Providence, has posted a 221-141 mark during his time with the Friars.&nbsp; He ranks second all-time in wins at Providence.&nbsp; Cooley also coached for five seasons at Fairfield (2006-2011) and registered a 92-69 mark.&nbsp; In 16 seasons as a head coach, he has posted a 313-210 record, which includes six NCAA Tournament appearances and two NIT selections at Providence.&nbsp; His 2014 Friar squad captured the BIG EAST Tournament title. Prior to becoming the head coach at Fairfield, Cooley spent nine seasons at Boston College as an assistant coach under Al Skinner.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ed Cooley agrees to a multi-year contract extension with Providence.

Providence head coach Ed Cooley agrees to multi-year extension

East Lansing, Mich. &ndash; Michigan State men's basketball head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://msuspartans.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1011" rel="smarttag" rev="1011">Tom Izzo</a>&nbsp;has agreed to terms on a new contract, MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics&nbsp;<a href="https://msuspartans.com/staff.aspx?staff=9" rel="smarttag" rev="9">Alan Haller</a>&nbsp;announced Thursday. The contract will require formal approval by the MSU Board of Trustees at their next meeting (Sept. 9, 2022). "We greatly appreciate Coach Izzo's commitment to our outstanding university and his competitive drive to keep Spartan Basketball as a national powerhouse," said MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. "He is a committed Spartan, full of pride for all that we do &ndash; for all our athletics programs and student athletes, but also for our academic programs and every single student on our campus. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are all grateful for his continued leadership at MSU." "Twelve years ago,&nbsp;<a href="https://msuspartans.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1011" rel="smarttag" rev="1011">Tom Izzo</a>&nbsp;said he would be a Spartan for Life, and today's announcement further demonstrates and renews this commitment," said Haller. "We have worked collaboratively to come up with a contract which benefits the University, Coach Izzo and his family. "Not only is&nbsp;<a href="https://msuspartans.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1011" rel="smarttag" rev="1011">Tom Izzo</a>&nbsp;a Hall of Fame basketball coach, he's a terrific ambassador for Michigan State University and Spartan Athletics. He means a great deal to our university, our department, our community and Spartans around the world. Although his legacy is cemented with a championship-filled resume, it's very clear that Coach Izzo's hungry to accomplish even more and bring great pride to Spartans everywhere. Michigan State is beyond lucky to have&nbsp;<a href="https://msuspartans.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1011" rel="smarttag" rev="1011">Tom Izzo</a>&nbsp;as our head basketball coach!" "Michigan State has been a home to me and my family for 40 years and I'm ecstatic to sign this contract," said Izzo. "It means a great deal to me that the Board of Trustees, President Stanley,&nbsp;<a href="https://msuspartans.com/staff.aspx?staff=9" rel="smarttag" rev="9">Alan Haller</a>&nbsp;and the University continue to have the confidence in our program as we strive to be not only the best men's basketball team in the country, but to play a role in helping every program in the department achieve success. "We have worked hard to maintain championship standards and I'm as energized to coach now as I was when I started as the head coach in 1995. When you look at the last 10-12 seasons in men's basketball and football, both under Coach Dantonio and Coach Tucker, you'd be hard-pressed to find a school with more success. But I know the best is yet to come &ndash; not only for our two programs, but for the entire department. This is an exciting time for Michigan State and there's no better place to be in college athletics, with the support we have from the University, our students, our community and the tremendous Spartan alumni. I love Michigan State and I am proud and excited to continue the hard work to bring another national championship to East Lansing." Izzo's five-year rollover contract includes non-performance related compensation of $5.92 million per year, including a $2.43 million base (up from an initial $430K base on his 2018 contract), $3.09 million in supplemental compensation and $400K from footwear and apparel provider Nike. Total compensation including airplane use and additional fringe benefits adds up to a yearly compensation package with a value of approximately $6.2 million per year. &nbsp; The 2022-23 season will mark Izzo's 28th year as head coach on the Spartan sideline. A 2016 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he's already established his status as one of the game's all-time greats. The new contract serves as a reminder that he's still looking to reach even greater heights.
Izzo's list of accomplishments includes the 2000 NCAA National Championship, 10 regular-season Big Ten Championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Four appearances and eight National Coach of the Year awards. He has guided Michigan State to a Big Ten-record 24 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, while also equaling the record for most NCAA Tournament appearances by a Division I men's coach. Izzo's eight Final Four appearances rank fifth in college basketball history and first among active coaches, with no other active coach totaling more than five appearances.
With a career record of 666-267, Izzo has compiled more overall wins at a Big Ten school than any coach in conference history. The 666 victories are the fifth most by a coach through his first 27 seasons in college basketball history.&nbsp;
A native of Iron Mountain, Michigan, Izzo has lived in Michigan all of his life other than a seven-week stint at the University of Tulsa in 1986. He's an active volunteer in the community and in 2019, he and wife Lupe, and children Raquel and Steven, launched the Izzo Legacy Family Fund to support local charities and other organizations.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo has agreed to new contract terms with the Spartans.

Tom Izzo agrees to five-year rollover contract with Michigan State

Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, said Tuesday he was hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in Russia&rsquo;s release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.
In cases like this, Richardson said in an interview with The Associated Press, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s proportional &mdash; two-for two.&rdquo;
Richardson, who traveled to Russia in advance of the release by Moscow of Marine veteran Trevor Reed in an April prisoner swap, declined to discuss the current status of negotiations with Russia over Griner or Whelan or to explain what role he may be playing in the talks.
But he said he felt &ldquo;relatively positive&rdquo; for several reasons. For one, the conclusion of the criminal case against Griner last week &mdash; she was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges &mdash; provides an opening for diplomatic negotiations to begin in earnest. Plus, he said, the U.S. and Russia have already shown a willingness to carry out prisoner swaps, as evidenced by the Reed exchange. And Griner&rsquo;s strategy of expressing contrition before a Russian court was important.
&ldquo;And that is why I think a two-for-two deal is hopefully a likely outcome,&rdquo; Richardson said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly last month that the U.S. in June made a &ldquo;substantial proposal&rdquo; to get Griner and Whelan home. He did not elaborate, but the AP and other news organizations have reported that the U.S. has offered to free Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the &ldquo;Merchant of Death.&rdquo;
Russia made a counteroffer that the U.S. did not regard as serious, the White House has said.
It is not clear which other Russian could be included in a two-for-two deal, assuming it happens.
Griner, the most prominent American jailed by a foreign government, has acknowledged there were vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. But she insisted that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage because she was packing hastily. Griner played for a Russian women&rsquo;s basketball team in the WNBA off-season.
Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage-related charges he and his family say are manufactured. The U.S. government regards both him and Griner as wrongful detainees.
Though Richardson said he was cautiously optimistic, and even though there is recent precedent for prisoner swaps, such deals aren&rsquo;t easy.
&ldquo;The relationship between the United States and Russia is quite toxic,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The geopolitical differences many times override the humanitarian issues that we need to deal with.&rdquo;

Bill Richardson said he felt “relatively positive” for several reasons regarding negotiations.

Veteran emissary Richardson hopeful for Griner, Whelan swap

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Han Xu understandably grew up idolizing Yao Ming, mesmerized by the giant shadow the 7-foot-6 Hall-of-Famer cast each time he stepped onto an NBA court.
Standing 6-foot-10, Han would like to emulate Yao&rsquo;s impact &mdash; including his influence on the sport in China. The New York Liberty post player wants to be a female beacon of basketball in her native land.
Han is on her way. Fans can&rsquo;t seem to get enough of the 22-year-old budding star.
&ldquo;Han and Li (Yueru) have been creating hype online and offline. Many girls have been inspired by Han and Li, and we have numbers to show that more girls have started participating in basketball on all levels,&rdquo; said China basketball analyst Michael Yuan, founder of Team Fountainhead. &ldquo;We can also clearly see more news coverage and other kinds of user-generated content on China&rsquo;s social-media platform.&rdquo;
Han&rsquo;s highlights have garnered millions of views on streaming platforms in China. Kuaishou, a global social media platform, recently hosted a livestreaming session with her that generated about 1.6 million views.
Han and the 6-foot-7 Li, who is with the Chicago Sky, are the latest of a half dozen Chinese players to have spent time in the WNBA. The first to have an impact in the league was Haixia Zheng, who averaged 8.9 points in two seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 and 1998 &mdash; starting 21 games her first year.
&ldquo;Homegrown players like Han Xu and Li Yueru succeeding at the highest level drives interest among China&rsquo;s passionate basketball fans and inspires Chinese youth to play the game,&rdquo; said Jonathan Li, senior vice president of NBA China.
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Chinese fans became aware of Han and Li Yueru during their stints with the Olympic team that finished fifth in Tokyo. But their fan base has grown since both were drafted in 2019 &mdash; Han in the second round, Li in the third.
&ldquo;I was very honored to be able to come here to make my dream come true in 2019,&rdquo; Han said through a translator. &ldquo;At that moment, I just wanted to grow up gradually, to learn from the veteran players who compete in the world's highest-level basketball league.
&ldquo;And I also hoped to be able to promote the sport in China with my influence here.&rdquo;
Like her childhood hero: the 7-foot-6 Yao.
&ldquo;He had a very successful career in NBA and he also promoted the culture of the sport in China so that now more Chinese people like to watch basketball,&rdquo; Han said. &ldquo;I hope I can also make some influence in WNBA and then transfer my influence back to my country and let more fans to see the performance from a Chinese player.&rdquo;
Neither Han nor the 6-foot-7 Li, who turned 23 in March, were born when Zheng was doing her WNBA thing in L.A. And neither have Yao&rsquo;s skills &mdash; very few players do.
The Houston Rockets made Yao the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He has become an ambassador of the game in China and is currently a Chinese basketball executive.
Though Han and Li are still honing their skills, their popularity is on the rise in China.
Han is averaging 9.2 points and shooting nearly 54% from the field while playing about 18 minutes a game with the Liberty. Li hasn&rsquo;t had as much success, averaging just 2 points a game in Chicago.
When they played in New York last month, a handful of Chinese media were on hand. Interviews with the players drew millions of views in China. They will square off again on Saturday and it will be broadcast live in China.
&ldquo;The population of Chinese basketball fans is huge,&rdquo; Li said through a translator. &ldquo;Fans in China, while they are watching me and Han Xu highlights, will get to know more WNBA players and WNBA teams. I think this is a thing that could benefit me and Han Xu but also could benefit the WNBA as well.&rdquo;
Both Han and Li have excelled in the offseason in the Chinese Basketball League that has had WNBA players such as Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles play in it.
&ldquo;When I was growing up there were a lot of WNBA players who I looked up to,&rdquo; Li said. &ldquo;There is a lot of WNBA players who I think no matter in what aspect in life or in their career, I think (in) all those aspects they are doing a great job. They are excellent.&rdquo;
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Han has shown flashes that she could be dominant force in the WNBA. She scored a career-high 24 points against Las Vegas earlier this month.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a great honor that domestic fans can watch WNBA games on TV in China,&rdquo; Han said. &ldquo;I think when fans in China watch my play in the league, they can get a better idea about the development of this sport in overseas.&rdquo;

Han Xu, the Liberty's 6-foot-10 center, grew up idolizing Yao Ming. Now, she hopes to have a similar impact — on and off the court.

The female Yao Ming? 6-foot-10 Han Xu making mark in WNBA, China

It&rsquo;s only a matter of time until the East Asia Super League is a household name globally.
The EASL launched in 2017 as an invitational tournament for the top-two teams from the best men&rsquo;s leagues in China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. The East Asia Super League marked the first time that the premier teams from China&rsquo;s CBA, Japan's B.League, South Korea's KBL and the Philippines' PBA faced off against each other. These tournaments became massively popular in Asia, most recently drawing 117 million viewers over a six-day span in 2019.
Past EASL events featured notable players such as Lance Stephenson (Liaoning Flying Leopards), Shabazz Muhammad (Shenzhen Leopards), KJ McDaniels (TNT KaTropa), Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Aviators), Jameel Warney (Seoul SK Knights) and Domantas Motiejunas (Shandong Golden Stars).
Now, for the first time, the EASL is becoming an actual league with a home-and-away season that tips off in October. Eight teams will compete over the course of six months, culminating in a Final Four tournament with a $1 million prize for the winning team. It&rsquo;s essentially the Asian-basketball version of soccer&rsquo;s UEFA Champions League.&nbsp;
With a valuation of $100 million, a 10-year exclusive deal with FIBA and high-profile investors such as Jalen Green, Baron Davis, Metta Sandiford-Artest and Shane Battier, there&rsquo;s no question that the East Asia Super League is gaining momentum.
&ldquo;I think the league is really going to be the first Asia-originated sports property that&rsquo;s going to be capturing the hearts and minds of fans globally,&rdquo; EASL Commissioner Matt Beyer told BasketballNews.com.
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In order to do that, the EASL is getting creative and taking cues from some unlikely influences. One might expect an up-and-coming basketball league to follow the same blueprint as the NBA or EuroLeague. Instead, Beyer is channeling Formula One and K-Pop as he looks to grow the East Asia Super League.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re taking a lot of lessons from the K-Pop industry and, with our content, from Formula One and what they&rsquo;ve done with their &lsquo;Drive to Survive&rsquo; reality series,&rdquo; Beyer explained. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to make the league relevant to as wide of a fan base around the world as possible.&rdquo;
After years of struggling to increase viewership and find mainstream success (particularly in the United States), Formula One racing finally took off in recent years. F1 races saw their average viewership jump from 547,722 in 2018 to 928,000 in 2021. What was the key to their success? A reality show on Netflix called &ldquo;Drive to Survive.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The show gives an inside look at the Formula One World Championship, focusing primarily on big personalities and behind-the-scenes drama. Fans became invested in these characters, which gave them a rooting interest and a reason to watch the races. It has been an absolute game-changer for Formula One, and other sports leagues have taken notice.
Soon, the EASL will launch a reality show of their own that will spotlight three-to-five players from each team, documenting their lives on and off the court.
&ldquo;We're about to announce a partnership between two really big production companies &ndash; an experienced Asian content production company and a US-basketball-storytelling production company &ndash; to do a 10-episode, 30-minutes-per-episode type reality show that we're working on distributing on one of the major global platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;For our non-core markets, we&rsquo;ve also considered distributing the reality show together with our broadcast rights. There are a lot of things that need to happen between now and when that show hits the market, but basically we want fans globally to be able to access the East Asia Super League through this type of product and use it as an inroad to hook them. Like, &lsquo;Hey, this league is pretty cool. I've never thought about Asian basketball, but these guys that are featured in the show are interesting and I want to keep following this.&rsquo;&rdquo;
As the league looks to market its players as characters and generate support from a global audience, that&rsquo;s where Beyer hopes to learn a thing or two from the K-Pop industry.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I just visited Korea right after the country opened up in April,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;As we&rsquo;re doing our media-rights deals in Korea, we&rsquo;re looking at the entertainment groups like CJ E&amp;M and YG and these groups that have manufactured the highest-grossing K-Pop bands globally. How do we take the principles of K-Pop and variety shows and put that into a sports context? The way that I look at it is we have so much to learn in terms of how to create a storyline around a player or make a fan club around a certain group of players or a certain concept. For us, it&rsquo;s really about being sponges. While our team may know a lot about basketball and making highlight reels and all of that, we need to figure out how to leverage those best practices that have been tried and true in the entertainment industry and transfer them into sports.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The reality of the situation is that Asian basketball will benefit from having this platform where the top teams get together and play on a regular basis, and that will help Asian basketball as an aggregate and help their national teams perform better in key global competitions. But at the same time, there&rsquo;s still a huge gap between the level of talent in the NBA and the level of talent in Europe or Asia, so if we want to be a globally relevant league, we&rsquo;ve gotta pick up the slack somewhere and it&rsquo;s not necessarily all on the court.&rdquo;
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Beyer, who previously worked as a player agent and a translator for NBA teams, hopes the EASL can attract all kinds of fans &ndash; whether they&rsquo;re watching because their favorite team is competing or because they really like a certain player after watching the league&rsquo;s reality show and social-media content.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We want fans to understand the personalities in the East Asia Super League,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We want people to be able to access the league and basketball however they feel comfortable. That&rsquo;s sort of our mentality: we&rsquo;re here to serve the fans and we&rsquo;re here to add value to our commercial partners. It may not be in the same way that domestic leagues in our markets operate, and it&rsquo;s certainly not the way that the NBA operates. But we want to make sure that in our ecosystem, there&rsquo;s something for every fan.&rdquo;
The pandemic forced the East Asia Super League to shift its approach. Not only did they abandon the tournament format in favor of a home-and-away season, they started prioritizing content.&nbsp;
&ldquo;For us, it was really an opportunity to change from an events company to thinking and acting more like a media company,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;From 2017 to the end of 2019, everyone was just totally focused on preparing for a big tournament, executing said tournament, wrapping up the tournament and then we&rsquo;d start preparing for the next tournament. During COVID, we started to really focus on producing short-form content and presenting Asian basketball from a lifestyle perspective and doing storytelling around the players in a way that had never been done before in Asia. I think storytelling is really important, and we want to be the best basketball storytellers out there.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Since pivoting, the response from fans has been overwhelming.
&ldquo;From when we did our first short-form video in June 2020 to now, our engagement is up over 1,200%. Our video plays are up over 2,000% and our cumulative social-media following is right now very close to a million followers,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We're growing at about 20,000 followers per week. So, the fans love it and they want more. And we're gonna have so much more to give the fans once our games start on October 12. I just feel like the top is gonna be blown off at that point.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s no question that the EASL is on the rise, and Beyer is already thinking about how the league will expand going forward.
&ldquo;We're going to offer a really awesome product for fans in this first season, and then we're going to grow and expand rapidly,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;By season three, we&rsquo;re going to expand to a 16-team format and it will be four small groups of four teams playing into a Final Four competition. The city that holds the Final Four competition will rotate on an annual basis. We&rsquo;re going to keep upping the prize in subsequent seasons too. It starts at $1 million and we're going to increase it after we operate a few seasons.&rdquo;
The EASL recently made headlines when they added Jalen Green as an investor-ambassador. Green, who is of Filipino descent, became the highest-drafted Asian-American player when the Houston Rockets selected him No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Bringing in Green, Davis, Artest and Battier is a significant step for the EASL, and the league may add more notable investors soon since they are in the middle of another fundraise.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;To be a globally relevant sports property coming out of Asia means that these alliances with NBA players and other global superstars are really important for us,&rdquo; Beyer explained. &ldquo;I've known Metta for over 10 years from his trips to China when he was still an NBA player and when he went over to play in China [in 2014]. We've always kept in touch and I've always thought Metta is a good guy. He loves Asia so much, and he's benefited so much from China in his career, so he really wanted to be a part of this. With Baron, he was the first NBA player to sign with Li-Ning, and he&rsquo;s a guy who's always tried to sort of do things his own way and be a little bit different. He&rsquo;s also someone who has a startup ecosystem that he's really fostering with his own Baron Davis Enterprises. And then with Shane Battier, he played alongside both Metta and Yao Ming for such a long part of his career and did so many tours to Asia with Peak.&nbsp;
"They had all heard about the East Asia Super League, so it was more so just trying to explain the vision. I think they all understand the potential of the markets. And they also feel that the leagues need innovation to really take it to the next level. We&rsquo;re all thinking: how can Asian basketball become as relevant in society as the NBA is in the US?&rdquo;
Beyer is setting lofty goals for the East Asia Super League, believing that it can become one of the biggest basketball leagues in the world.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We want to be the premier basketball league in Asia,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We want to be a pioneer in terms of true sports entertainment for the Asian fan. But we also want to be a top-three league in the world in terms of fan-base size and commercial revenue by 2025.&rdquo;
Part of Beyer&rsquo;s confidence is because of his belief in Asia overall.
&ldquo;I mean, the 21st century is really Asia&rsquo;s century,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The growth is all in Asia and the opportunity is really in Asia; that&rsquo;s just where the money is going to be going forward, especially if you contrast that with the direction that the European market for basketball is going at the moment. Asia is on the rise; everyone knows it for pretty much every other part of the global economy, and for the sports economy, it's coming&hellip; If you're bullish on Asian markets taking more of an emphasis on experiential economy and health and wellness and that entertainment generally is growing in the region, then you should bet on the East Asia Super League.&rdquo;
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Basketball is insanely popular in Asia, which also makes the EASL a safe bet to succeed. Beyer has been blown away by the passion and support he&rsquo;s seen throughout Asia, particularly in the Philippines.
&ldquo;Just about everyone &ndash; men and women &ndash; between 6 and 60 years old in the Philippines loves basketball,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;The population is a little over 100 million. I saw a statistic that, on average, 52 million people across the country watch a live basketball game on broadcast every single week. I mean, that's half of the country! It's impressive. If you look at most NBA teams&rsquo; Facebook, I would say they have more fans from the Philippines on there than from the US. That&rsquo;s the reality of the situation. And if you look across the region, the media-rights values for basketball are growing.&rdquo;
The NBA&rsquo;s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts have more than 24 million combined followers from the Philippines &mdash; the most of any country outside of the United States. And based on average viewership and reach, the Philippines draw the second-largest average audience for NBA games behind only the US.
&ldquo;The fan support we have in the Philippines, I think, is among the most amazing things I&rsquo;ve witnessed from the data side for the demographics of the NBA,&rdquo; said Kevin Esteves, the NBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of digital strategy and analytics. &ldquo;For that country to represent such a significant portion of the consumption we have on a person-to-person basis, they just love the NBA; they love the stories and the players. Our content performs exceptionally well there. We see support from countries all over the world &mdash; in Europe, Australia, Africa and so on &mdash; but the Philippines really stood out to me. I think that ties back to a lot of the globalization that the NBA has done, with some of its global games being held in Manila. That&rsquo;s been critical and we&rsquo;ve seen that show up in the numbers."
"The NBA is the most popular sports league in the Philippines, with 98% awareness among the general population," <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mortenjensen/2022/03/06/nba-seeing-uptick-in-international-league-pass-consumption/?sh=5fa733e51d51" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> Matt Brabants, the NBA's senior vice president and head of international content partnerships.
However, these fans also love the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), which has posted incredible ratings in recent years. The PBA Governors Cup between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco recently drew 3.6 million viewers (or 17% of the total population watching TV).
Dating back to the EASL's tournaments, there's been no shortage of viewers or interest.
&ldquo;Our first tournament had 21 million viewers, and our most recent one in September 2019 had 117 million viewers over the course of a week,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;The support is really special. I think when you have any kind of start-up business, you have to see how the market reacts to it. We did a lot of due diligence prior to starting this to understand that this would be a concept that people would like and that fans would get behind, but you never really know how everything is going to go until the rubber hits the road.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a soccer version of this with the AFC Champions League in Asia since 1996, but there&rsquo;s never been anything in basketball that brought everyone together like this. In 2016 when we started to go out and do fact-finding on this, that was [the big question]: &lsquo;Why hasn&rsquo;t this happened already?&rsquo; And then we realized that these leagues don&rsquo;t really have much interaction and there had been no dialogue. Really, just being there to facilitate the dialogue and bring people to the table in and of itself was sort of a revolutionary thing at that point.&rdquo;
After getting all of the decision-makers on the same page, Beyer spent the last five years building trust with the leagues, teams and FIBA.
&ldquo;We had to build trust, so putting together the tournaments between 2017 and 2019 was the way to do that, and it was also a marketing tool to the stakeholders that we can make this happen,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;We have revenue-sharing deals for commercial revenue with the leagues. We have appearance fees and prize money for regular-season wins. We have this big $1 million prize at the end of the season. We handle all of the travel costs for the teams. We really derisk this for every single party involved so that participating in the East Asia Super League isn&rsquo;t something where we&rsquo;re twisting anyone&rsquo;s arm. It should be something fun for the teams and it should be an honor for the teams.
"It's really about proving yourself against your regional competition. This is exciting, it&rsquo;s different. If you're always playing against the same competition in your backyard, it becomes a bit of a vacuum, an echo chamber. Being able to go out and see a diverse group of opponents is something special, and it just hasn't happened in this environment. It has never been done before."
The East Asia Super League is demanding your attention. Soon, with an assist from Formula One and K-Pop, it very well could be the next big thing in basketball.
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With a valuation of $100 million, a 10-year exclusive deal with FIBA and high-profile investors, the EASL is gaining momentum.

East Asia Super League: Inside a basketball startup with a unique vision

The following is a press release from the NBA:
CLEVELAND&nbsp;&ndash; Fifteen international players from 12 countries, including six international All-Stars and a record-tying four international All-Star Game starters, will participate in NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland from Friday, Feb. 18 &ndash; Sunday, Feb. 20.&nbsp; NBA All-Star 2022 will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in a record 60 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets.
Below are international highlights of this year&rsquo;s global celebration of basketball:
INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
<ul>
<li>The 71st NBA All-Star Game, which tips off on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, will feature six international All-Stars and a record-tying four international starters.&nbsp; Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria) and Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia) will start for Team LeBron, while Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon) and Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors; Canada) will start for Team Durant.&nbsp; They are joined by Team LeBron reserve Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia) and Team Durant reserve Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz; France).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Clorox Rising Stars, which will take place on Friday, Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT, will feature a new format of four seven-player teams competing in a three-game mini-tournament, with each game played to a Final Target Score.&nbsp; The pool of 28 players includes six international players: Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors; Nigeria), Chris Duarte (Indiana Pacers; Dominican Republic), Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder; Australia), Alperen Şeng&uuml;n (Houston Rockets; Turkey), Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic; Germany) and Dyson Daniels (NBA G League Ignite; Australia).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>With their participation in Clorox Rising Stars, Giddey and Daniels, who were teammates at NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, from 2019-2020, become the first NBA Academy alumni to participate in NBA All-Star.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Taco Bell&reg; Skills Challenge, which is part of State Farm All-Star Saturday night on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, will also feature a new format in which three teams of three players will participate in a four-round competition that tests shooting, passing and dribbling ability.&nbsp; One of the teams is composed of three Antetokounmpo brothers: Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria) and Alex Antetokounmpo (NBA G League&rsquo;s Raptors 905; Greece; ties to Nigeria).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Eight players competing at NBA All-Star 2022 are from or have ties to Africa: Achiuwa, the three Antetokounmpo brothers, Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies; ties to Nigeria), Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago Bulls; ties to Nigeria), Embiid and Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers; ties to Nigeria).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>New this year, the NBA G League&rsquo;s top young players, including G League Ignite&rsquo;s Daniels and Fanbo Zeng (China), will be on display in the inaugural NBA G League Next Gem Game, which will feature G League Ignite taking on the Cleveland Charge on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET on NBA TV, NBA TV International, and in China on Tencent and MIGU.</li>
</ul>
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
<ul>
<li>A total of 72 international broadcast partners will televise NBA All-Star 2022.&nbsp; Six international television and radio networks &ndash; from France, Greece, Latin America, Mongolia, Poland and Spain &ndash; will conduct live onsite commentary from Cleveland, and three television networks &ndash; from India, Netherlands and Norway &ndash; will broadcast NBA All-Star remotely for the first time.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fans outside North America will also be able to watch Clorox Rising Stars, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night and the NBA All-Star Game live and on-demand through NBA League Pass via <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=zoU9Gcb3YESIAP7onvjQYw&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch.NBA.com</a> and <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=BGLjtJbUSEKZ3TxszIgasA&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA App</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fans around the world will be able to vote for the MVPs of the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Clorox Rising Stars and the NBA All-Star Game via NBA.com, the NBA App and Twitter.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>On Sunday, Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. &ndash; 2 p.m. ET, fans around the world can watch a livestream of All-Star Game players and coaches conducting media availabilities at <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=3HYWzdXImUWzU3gUE-9O-g&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mediaavail.nba.com</a>.</li>
</ul>
CELEBRITIES &amp; INFLUENCERS
<ul>
<li>The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which tips off on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, will feature Puerto Rican rapper and singer Anuel AA; Indian American singer/songwriter Anjali Ranadiv&eacute;; Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh; 2020 Olympic high jump gold medalist Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy; and Cleveland Cavaliers Legend and Brazil native Anderson Varej&atilde;o.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Singh, who in September was named the NBA Brand Ambassador for India, will be one of more than two dozen influencers attending NBA All-Star 2022, where he will post behind-the-scenes social media content and have the opportunity to meet NBA players and legends.&nbsp; Singh will also become the second Bollywood star to play in the Celebrity Game.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Singh headlines a group of international influencers from Argentina, France, India, Japan, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Senegal, South Africa, Spain and the UK who will experience NBA All-Star 2022 in person, receiving exclusive access to the weekend&rsquo;s events and creating All-Star-themed content for fans in their home markets.</li>
</ul>
ALL-STAR CELEBRATIONS ABROAD
In addition to the events in Cleveland, fans around the world will be able to share in the excitement of NBA All-Star 2022 through a variety of international activations and programming:
<ul>
<li>In Canada, the &ldquo;NBA 75th Shop,&rdquo; a digital retail experience that pays tribute to the players and moments that have shaped the growth of basketball across the country, features a <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=2icFrxLx0UmWFb58V9B7Vw&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">figurine depicting eight-time All-Star and Raptors Legend Vince Carter</a> at the 2000 Slam Dunk contest and an &ldquo;<a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=Ss8TfIZrIUqK4tlSdhYWOQ&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A">ice block</a>&rdquo; commemorating the 2016 Slam Dunk contest in Toronto, the first NBA All-Star held outside the U.S.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>On Feb. 18, Mexican artist Alee Baes is launching exclusive All-Star-themed merchandise and giving away 16 special-edition Wilson basketballs in collaboration with the NBA at the league&rsquo;s official retail location in Mexico, NBA Tienda in Polanco.&nbsp; The collection will also be available at <a href="https://insights.nba.com/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=ibGQ_qNzG0KhKkx1nZQUsA&amp;ref_id=r2DLozbAkESbJ37egIWA4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nbatienda.com</a>, the league&rsquo;s official online destination in the country.&nbsp; In addition, Cavaliers Legend Anderson Varej&atilde;o is filming a number of content pieces while on site in Cleveland that will be shared on the NBA&rsquo;s social media platforms in his native Brazil.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>From Feb. 7-21, Cosmote Sport, the league&rsquo;s broadcast partner in Greece, is running a 24/7 NBA pop-up channel featuring live NBA All-Star events, original programming, classic games, highlights and more.&nbsp; Eleven Sport and beIN SPORTS, the league&rsquo;s broadcast partners in Belgium and France, respectively, are hosting competitions in which winners will attend All-Star 2022.&nbsp; In addition, the NBA Fan Clubs in Greece and Spain are organizing NBA All-Star sweepstakes and quizzes featuring merchandise giveaways and special prizes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The league&rsquo;s social media platforms in Australia, Japan and the Philippines will produce All-Star-themed programming to promote the weekend&rsquo;s events.&nbsp; The Dime, a recap show on the NBA&rsquo;s Facebook page in Australia, will feature Australian Rising Stars participants Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.&nbsp; NBA Zoom-In, a show on the NBA&rsquo;s TikTok channel in Japan hosted by Japanese influencer Rikuto, will preview and recap highlights from the weekend.&nbsp; Republika Huddle, the league&rsquo;s social media talk show in the Philippines, will revisit previous editions of NBA All-Star and provide predictions for this year&rsquo;s marquee events.</li>
</ul>

Fifteen international players, including six All-Stars and a record-tying four All-Star Game starters, will represent in Cleveland.

15 international players from 12 countries will be at All-Star Weekend

After two weeks of anticipation, ESPN&rsquo;s Baxter Holmes <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32440987/phoenix-suns-robert-sarver-allegations-racism-misogyny" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a damning story</a> that accuses Phoenix Suns majority owner Robert Sarver of racism and misogyny. Holmes spoke to more than 70 people, including current and former Suns employees. Earl Watson, the Suns&rsquo; head coach from the middle of the 2015-16 season until the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign, also spoke on-record for this investigative piece.
This story sent shockwaves around Phoenix and the NBA, as it has spawned a league investigation into Sarver and the Suns. While Sarver and the Suns denied the allegations, this situations calls to mind what happened with former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was forced to sell the team after his racist comments came to light.
Holmes&rsquo; story features many different anecdotes about Sarver. After the Suns&rsquo; 106-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 30, 2016, Sarver reportedly went into the locker room and mentioned Draymond Green and a racial slur in the same breath.
&ldquo;You know, why does Draymond Green get to run up the court and say (n-word)?" Sarver asked.
Watson fired back immediately, telling Sarver that he can't say that word as a white man. Sarver then repeated the word several times in a row before asking Watson why he can&rsquo;t say it, because Green did.
This deep dive attempts to explore the potential deep-rooted issues that have surfaced within the Suns&rsquo; organization since Sarver took over in 2004. The piece features other allegations of racism, as well as misogyny and creating a toxic workplace environment.
For example, the report also claims that Sarver explained his decision to hire Lindsey Hunter over Suns legend Dan Majerle as the team's head coach in 2013 because "these (n-words) need a (n-word)" and someone who could "speak their language."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Watson, again on the record, also gave another example about how Sarver was against diversity within his organization from a conversation in 2016. Sarver reportedly mentioned how having a diverse staff of people could make it hard for a consensus to agree.
James Jones, the Suns&rsquo; current GM, responded to Holmes through Sarver&rsquo;s attorneys: &ldquo;On multiple occasions, I observed Earl engage in behavior and use language that was extremely unprofessional and offensive. That does not align with who we are."
Other Suns co-owners off-the-record told Holmes that they are embarrassed by Sarver&rsquo;s actions over the years. Some within the organization also see this story being released as an opportunity to &ldquo;right the ship,&rdquo; as ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowksi and Holmes <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32551930/nba-launches-investigation-phoenix-suns-owner-robert-sarver-racism-sexism-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported in a follow-up story</a> on Thursday afternoon hours after the initial article was published.
Now that these claims are public, it puts a severe damper on the Suns&rsquo; organizational reputation that they&rsquo;ve spent years trying to rebuild with head coach Monty Williams and GM Jones. Instead of talking about the on-court product of a team who made history last season, making the NBA Finals after an 11-year playoff drought, the focus now shifts to Sarver and the NBA's investigation.
&ldquo;The allegations contained in today&rsquo;s ESPN article are extremely serious, and we have directed the Wachtell Lipton law firm to commence a comprehensive investigation," NBA executive vice president of communications Mike Bass said in a statement. "The NBA and WNBA remain committed to providing a respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees. Once the investigation is completed, its findings will provide the basis for any league action.&rdquo;&nbsp;
To combat ESPN&rsquo;s story, Sarver hired a law firm to fight these demoralizing accusations against he and the organization. Over the past few weeks (since word of this story first leaked), Phoenix has gone out of it&rsquo;s way to release multiple PR statements from Suns brass saying these reports are undoubtedly incorrect.
Sarver and his attorney&rsquo;s vehemently denied all of these allegations laid out by Holmes. Also, a few hours after the story&rsquo;s release, Sarver put out this statement through Suns PR:
&ldquo;I continue to be shocked by the false reporting from Baxter Holmes. While there is so much that is inaccurate and misleading in this story that I hardly know where to begin, let me be clear: The n-word is not part of my vocabulary. I have never called anyone or any group of people the n-word, or referred to anyone or any group of people by that word, either verbally or in writing. I don&rsquo;t use that word. It is abhorrent and ugly and denigrating and against everything I believe in. The way I lead my personal and professional life makes that clear. Instead of reporting the truth, Holmes&rsquo; story is based on misrepresentations from former Suns coach Earl Watson and other unnamed 'sources.' Mr. Watson created an unprofessional and toxic atmosphere in our organization. He is clearly not a credible source. Despite hearing from witness after witness that disputed Mr. Watson&rsquo;s stories, Mr. Holmes completely disregarded the truth here. Now we are in the position of trying to disprove things that did not happen.
&ldquo;At this point, I would entirely welcome an impartial NBA investigation which may prove our only outlet for clearing my name and the reputation of an organization of which I&rsquo;m so very proud.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Watson, now an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, also released his own statement after Sarver called into question his credibility:
&ldquo;I am not interested in engaging with an ongoing battle of fact. Instead, I want to applaud the courage of the number of players, executives, and staffers for fighting toxic environments of racial insensitivity, sexual harassment, and micro-aggressions with their truth. Basketball and 17 years in the NBA has allowed me the financial privilege to speak my truth, but we can&rsquo;t forget about those who must remain silent for fears of losing their jobs. While our fortitude assists with the progress, there is still more work to be done in the name of equality, and I believe that one of the strengths of our league is it&rsquo;s ongoing commitment to justice. This has been a traumatic experience, one that has affected me profoundly, and I am not willing to relive it every day. But I will not forget it, and I will it address it more fulsomely at a point int he future when I feel ready.&rdquo;
Within the back-and-forth battle, multiple former Suns players and staffers have come out to defend Sarver. Most notably, <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a>'s own Rex Chapman, a former Suns player and current team ambassador, former Suns GM and current Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, and former Suns executive Lon Babby have put out statements regarding this situation.
Chapman (via <a href="https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1456363242742239233" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>): &ldquo;I read the article on Robert Sarver. Want to say that I&rsquo;ve known Robert for nearly twenty years. Since he bought the Suns. He&rsquo;s highly competitive. He can be tough. Even abrasive at times. He&rsquo;s unique. He&rsquo;s had his growing-pains as an owner. But the Robert Sarver I know is not a racist. I couldn&rsquo;t and wouldn&rsquo;t put up with it. The people he&rsquo;s hired with Suns and Mercury over the past two decades have been amazingly diverse.&rdquo;
Kerr: &ldquo;I never saw anything that suggested racism or misogyny, and I was very surprised to hear those allegations because that&rsquo;s not the person I know.&rdquo;
Babby: &ldquo;Robert is surely a demanding, and, at times, difficult to manager to work for. But I can tell you as assuredly that he is not in any way shape or form a racist or guilty of any kind of sexual harassment or mistreatment of women.&rdquo;
Jones, the NBA's 2020-21 Executive of the Year, released a statement through Suns PR two weeks ago on the forthcoming story: "None of what&rsquo;s been said describes the Robert Sarver I know, respect and like &mdash; it just doesn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
There are many other allegations laid out in Holmes&rsquo; story against Sarver, including claims that he interfered with coaches&rsquo; game plans and made lewd comments about his and players' sex lives.
The story will certainly reverberate throughout the Association, as the NBA officially launched their investigation into Sarver and the Suns on Thursday. Stay tuned to <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> for all the latest on the situation, plus Holmes&rsquo; story can be read in full <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32440987/phoenix-suns-robert-sarver-allegations-racism-misogyny" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

What were the biggest takeaways from ESPN's piece on Suns owner Robert Sarver, and what happens next for all of the parties involved?

Unpacking ESPN's damning allegations against Suns owner Robert Sarver

The NBA released the remaining 25 players of the league's 75th anniversary team Thursday night on TNT.
Here is the official release from the NBA, which lists all 75 players that made the team and the people that voted on the NBA's top 75 players of all-time team:
"A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. &nbsp;A combined 110 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. &nbsp;More than 1.5 million points scored.
Those are just some of the collective accomplishments of the players who comprise the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which was announced across TNT and ESPN from Oct. 19-21 as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. &nbsp;Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. &nbsp;Panelists did not rank their selections. &nbsp;Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.
As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players. &nbsp;Team highlights include:
&bull; Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
&bull; All 50 members of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, which was named in 1996, have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team.
&bull; The 75th Anniversary Team includes four players who played in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 (Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, George Mikan and Dolph Schayes), the first winner of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Bob Pettit for the 1955-56 season) and the first winner of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award (Jerry West for the 1969 NBA Finals).
&bull; Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.)
&bull; Six international players from six countries and territories have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).
&bull; The five NBA legends who are serving as ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season are part of the 75th Anniversary Team: Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Nowitzki, Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Representing different eras of the league&rsquo;s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 2021-22 season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team is listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the list of voters. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;For player profiles on each member of the 75th Anniversary Team, click here and visit NBA.com/75."
<table style="width: 95.7926%; height: 464px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="text-align: center; width: 149.879%; height: 27px;" colspan="4" width="691">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Damian Lillard</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Scottie Pippen</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Ray Allen</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Willis Reed</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Karl Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Oscar Robertson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Carmelo Anthony</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Moses Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Archibald</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Pete Maravich</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dennis Rodman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Arizin</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob McAdoo</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Garnett</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin McHale</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dolph Schayes</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Mikan</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Sharman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elgin Baylor</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hal Greer</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Reggie Miller</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Larry Bird</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Havlicek</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Thurmond</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kobe Bryant</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wes Unseld</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wilt Chamberlain</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Allen Iverson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hakeem Olajuwon</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dwyane Wade</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Cousy</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Russell Westbrook</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Gary Payton</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Anthony Davis</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jason Kidd</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dominique Wilkins</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave DeBusschere</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kawhi Leonard</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Pierce</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 97.1703%; height: 798px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 170.677%;" colspan="4" width="719">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM VOTING PANEL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jack McCallum</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Marv Albert</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">David DuPree</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Brian McIntyre</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">David Aldridge</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Wayne Embry</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ann Meyers</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bob Ryan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sam Amick</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Yoko Miyaji</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Simmons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sam Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Aschburner</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Stephen A. Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rachel Nichols</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Marc Spears</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Russ Granik</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Erik Spoelstra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Howard Beck</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Becky Hammon</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Hannah Storm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sue Bird</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Ernie Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Candace Parker</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sheryl Swoopes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Carol Blazejowski</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Mike Breen</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rod Thorn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doris Burke</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Scottie Pippen</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rudy Tomjanovich</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jerry Colangelo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Steve Kerr</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Gregg Popovich</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Peter Vecsey</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doug Collins</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Bob Lanier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaun Powell</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Cynthia Cooper</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Kara Lawson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ahmad Rashad</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rick Welts</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Costas</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Lisa Leslie</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Willis Reed</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Nancy Lieberman</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Tim Reynolds</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Michael Wilbon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Zach Lowe</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bill Rhoden</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Pat Riley</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jackie MacMullan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Oscar Robertson</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jeff Zillgitt</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Some notable snubs include Tracy McGrady, Bernard King, Alex English, Vince Carter, Tony Parker, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Bob McAdoo, and Pau Gasol to just name a few. This list was part of the NBA's marketing campaign for the league's historic 75th season and will surely spark a conversation/debate amongst NBA fans all over the world.

The NBA released the final 25 players of the 75th anniversary team Thursday on TNT.

Final 25 members of NBA's 75th Anniversary Team announced

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/shaquille-oneal-reveals-his-all-time-ranking-for-the-lakers-centers/" 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>:
During the NBA on TNT pregame show, following the league&rsquo;s announcement of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/first-25-members-of-nbas-75th-anniversary-team-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first 25 players from the NBA 75th Anniversary Team</a>, Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal was asked to rank the best centers in Lakers&lsquo; history.
Here&rsquo;s what he had to say:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN WILT. STOP IT!" Welcome back to another edition of Shaq vs. Chuck 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/CWB3squoTT">pic.twitter.com/CWB3squoTT</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1450605409421586435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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To no one&rsquo;s surprise, Charles Barkley disagreed, kicking off another back and forth between two NBA legends. O&rsquo;Neal <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1450605409421586435?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited his rings</a>, as he always does, and the statue of him outside the Staples Center &mdash; Barkley&rsquo;s response? &ldquo;You&rsquo;re already getting petty.&rdquo;
But is he? O&rsquo;Neal is right to rank himself as one of the Lakers&rsquo; great big men. Is he better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Should he even rank himself above Wilt Chamberlain? Where does Shaq rank among Lakers&rsquo; big men?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, O&rsquo;Neal, and Chamberlain are all deserving to be in the top spot. Choosing the best out of the three legends is tricky. These men played in different eras under different circumstances and different levels of competition.&nbsp;
Abdul-Jabbar sits on top all-time scoring list. His record is in danger of being overtaken by LeBron James this season. He won five rings in eight finals appearances. Off the court, Kareem remains an ambassador of the game, often appearing in public events and even campaigning for the players to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, Wilt Chamberlain played for the purple and gold in the latter part of his career. He was not at his peak yet, but he managed to win a title and Finals MVP at 36 years old. If Wilt suited up for the Lakers five years earlier, he would have won and accomplished more. So what&rsquo;s the verdict?
Shaq is wrong with his rankings; he should name himself ahead of both Kareem and Wilt. In terms of dominance, Big Diesel changed how teams drafted in his generation. He managed to score 28,596 point in his career despite lacking a jump shot and bricking almost every free throw. He spent his prime years as a Laker and had career averages of 27.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. That&rsquo;s why he deserves to be No.1 on this list. But why talk about it on the opening day of a new season?
Ranking all-time greats brings up heated discussions. As mentioned, aside from the stats, the players all played in different eras. Could Wilt or Kareem dominate today&rsquo;s NBA the way they used to dominate in their generation? Would Shaq&rsquo;s lack of outside shooting hurt his team&rsquo;s chances of making the playoffs if he played today? There&rsquo;s no way of knowing, which makes the all-time lists an interesting topic every time.&nbsp;
However, this one could&rsquo;ve waited. Shaq just couldn&rsquo;t resist sharing his thoughts.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Shaquille O’Neal was asked to rank the best centers in Lakers‘ history after the first 25 members of the 75th Anniversary team were revealed.

Shaquille O’Neal shares his top three centers in Lakers history

The NBA recently announced that players won't be randomly tested for marijuana throughout the 2021-22 season. While players will still be tested for performance-enhancing drugs and "drugs of abuse" (such as opiates, methamphetamines and cocaine), the league hasn't tested for marijuana since last year's NBA Bubble.
In recent years, 16-year NBA veteran Al Harrington has been speaking out about marijuana use in the league after starting a number of businesses that produce cannabis and CBD products (including Viola, Harrington Wellness, Butter Baby and re+PLAY Hemp).&nbsp;
Harrington <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> that &ldquo;85% of the players in the [NBA] smoke... or use some type of cannabis,&rdquo; but many have been afraid to publicize their marijuana use because of the stigma associated with the drug. 
However, he says that is about the change.
&ldquo;Even my best friends in the league, they didn&rsquo;t want [their] parents knowing they smoke or support a cannabis brand,&rdquo; Harrington told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GQ</a>. &ldquo;But, this year will be the year we will be surprised. I know personally of a few athletes that&rsquo;ll push that line, and say they use and why they use.&rdquo;
Harrington specified that there are three &ldquo;top-20-in-the-league-type guys&rdquo; who are expected to speak out. He believes this will have a huge impact on how marijuana is perceived.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll open up the conversation,&rdquo; Harrington told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GQ</a>. &ldquo;These guys do use cannabis on a daily basis and that stigma of, you smoke and you&rsquo;re unproductive or lazy&nbsp;&mdash; that shit goes out the window. Right now in professional sports &mdash; being that it&rsquo;s pretty much allowed in all leagues right now, in some shape, form or fashion &mdash; the level of play is still through the roof... It&rsquo;s a safe and alternative way to deal with sh*t. Yes, we are supermen. We do make a lot of money. But we have a lot of stress and sh*t on our plate. Constantly. So what is our vice? What can we use to get away? What&rsquo;s available to us? Cannabis is recreationally available or decriminalized in 18 NBA markets. So, I pay taxes in this state, I hoop in this state, and you&rsquo;re trying to tell me I can&rsquo;t go to the dispensary? It makes no sense.&rdquo;
Kevin Durant may be one of those top-20 players that Harrington is speaking about. Durant <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kevin-durant-partners-up-with-weedmaps-aims-to-destigmatize-marijuana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently partnered</a> with Weedmaps, an online marketplace for cannabis consumers and businesses. When he announced the partnership, Durant spoke out about destigmatizing weed.
"I think it's far past time to address the stigmas around cannabis that still exist in the sports world as well as globally," Durant <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32051873/kevin-durant-aims-destigmatize-marijuana-use-new-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "This partnership is going to help us continue to normalize those conversations, as well as create content, events, and a lot more through our Boardroom media network. This is just the beginning for us."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
NBA legend Allen Iverson recently became an ambassador for Viola, which is one of Harrington&rsquo;s cannabis businesses. Iverson has been open about his struggles with alcohol, and he openly wonders what would&rsquo;ve happened if he had been able to turn to marijuana instead of alcohol when he was young.
&ldquo;I used to smoke every goddamn day. It was the best feeling in the world,&rdquo; Iverson told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GQ</a>. &ldquo;I used to smoke and not drink sh*t. [Or] I used to smoke a blunt and drink a Corona, and I&rsquo;d be straight for the rest of the day.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Then, in 1997, Iverson was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. As part of a plea agreement, he agreed to random drug tests every month for two years, 100 hours of community service and three years of probation. He also had to enter the NBA&rsquo;s drug treatment program.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Once they put me through that program for a year, I felt like [smoking] wasn&rsquo;t worth it,&rdquo; Iverson <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, adding that it made parts of his rookie season miserable. &ldquo;I had to take a hiatus. That&rsquo;s what mighta turned me into a maniac with this Dom P&eacute;rignon. &lsquo;Cause I can&rsquo;t smoke no damn more.&rdquo;
For Iverson, marijuana never felt like a responsible option.
&ldquo;[Weed] always had a negative stigma with it. Until all these years later, you find out you&rsquo;ve had it all wrong,&rdquo; Iverson told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GQ</a>. &ldquo;I remember getting arrested for having a blunt and being all on ESPN. I was taunted when I was playing. Called &lsquo;Weed Head&rsquo; from people in the crowd. &lsquo;Where&rsquo;s the marijuana? Who&rsquo;s got the blunt, AI?&rsquo; I had to go through that throughout my career, particularly when I was younger. And look how far it&rsquo;s come now. That stigma. Them criticizing it as they were, it&rsquo;s like, &lsquo;Y&rsquo;all had it all wrong.&rsquo;&rdquo;
It remains to be seen whether the NBA&rsquo;s decision to suspend marijuana testing is temporary, but it certainly seems like the league is open-minded when it comes to this issue. Perhaps if some of the league's most notable players speak out (as Harrington predicts), the NBA will permanently do away with marijuana testing.

Al Harrington says that 85% of NBA players use cannabis, and that three top-20 players will speak out about their marijuana use soon.

Al Harrington: 85% of NBA players smoke weed, stars to speak out soon

For someone who&rsquo;s been so vocal about his disdain for the media, Kyrie Irving sure is good at attracting attention. He&rsquo;s a lot like that kid in high school who instigates a fight, but accepts no responsibility when a punch gets thrown.
On this planet (which is not flat, by the way), the words and acts of public figures have ramifications. It&rsquo;s the toll that players like Kyrie pay when they become NBA players.
Being one of the most gifted players in the league, Irving is in an exclusive class that includes the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and a few others. Whether they like it or not, they are ambassadors. And unfortunately, a growing number of them seem to not have been taught one important rule: to whom much is given, much is required.
Irving earned about $34 million last season and is eligible for a four-year extension with the Nets that will pay him around $45 million per year. He has the opportunity to earn more money in one season than someone like Charles Barkley earned in an entire career. And do you know why? Because people care about the league, and by extension, its players.
That&rsquo;s true, whether he likes it or not.
The players have realized their collective power. They&rsquo;ve gone from making news, to being news. Some, like LeBron and Carmelo Anthony, use the attention to their advantage.
Others, like Irving, are victimized by it.
Aside from advancing flat-Earth theory and denouncing Thanksgiving with a four-letter bomb, Irving has assembled an impressive list of boneheaded soundbytes, including slighting his former teammates (including James) and his current head coach, Steve Nash.
If you tried really hard to (as Irving has), you could argue that the &ldquo;big bad media&rdquo; is out to get him. You could argue that we, &ldquo;the puppets,&rdquo; as Irving onced referred to the media, are trying too hard to create narratives and controversies&hellip;
But that&rsquo;s not the case here.
&ldquo;My mask is off. Now take yours off. No fear.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
My mask is off. Now take yours off. No fear.
&mdash; A11Even (@KyrieIrving) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1438160955192459278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Predictably &mdash; for most of us, anyway &mdash; Irving&rsquo;s latest tweet heard &lsquo;round the world caused quite a stir.
In all fairness, you probably didn&rsquo;t need to have a Ph.D. in the triangle offense to decipher the intended meaning behind the message, particularly considering that the tweet itself was immediately preceded by a Sept. 9 tweet in which Irving wrote: &ldquo;JBY- Just be You.&rdquo;
But without context or further explanation &mdash; particularly in a world where the NBA is examining the feasibility of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-enhancement-necessary-the-nba-should-leave-well-enough-alone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosting outdoor games</a> &mdash; anyone with even a grade-school education should have known that the pun itself was asking for trouble.
Yet when Irving &mdash; who has 4.3 million Twitter followers &mdash; attracted negative attention for what&rsquo;s perceived as a political statement, he told everyone to &ldquo;Relax&rdquo; without taking any public accountability for what seemed to be a misconstrued comment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;Mask off&rdquo; means You stop being something you&rsquo;re not and stop lying to yourself. It&rsquo;s the moment you discover the real you and can walk around with NO FEAR in a society that shows a lot of the masks people wear to hide who they truly are. *nothing COVID rule related!! Relax 🤞🏾
&mdash; A11Even (@KyrieIrving) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1438287856703737857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Maybe we are a bit too uptight about all things related to masks and vaccines, but Irving stirring the pot and absolving himself of any culpability has become just as much his signature off the court as his handle is on it.
Shortly after Dwyane Wade retired, Gabrielle Union-Wade appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden. She adorably described how Wade was adjusting to life as a &ldquo;regular person,&rdquo; and how things like going to buy his own clothing at Old Navy or driving through a car wash were pleasures he hadn&rsquo;t known previously.
Wade, who may have never set foot in a grocery store, guessed that a carton of milk cost $20. Corden joked that it was almost as if poor Dwyane Wade had just awoken from a coma.
Kyrie, it would seem, is still asleep.
At best, he&rsquo;s incredibly tone-deaf. At worst, he&rsquo;s looking for attention, and I can&rsquo;t help but wonder if it&rsquo;s the latter.
Do you know what guys who aren&rsquo;t particularly fond of attention say and do?
Neither do I, and that&rsquo;s the point.
Expressiveness, curiosity and outspokenness are fine traits for any person to have, much less someone with the passions and convictions as Irving. But him constantly being mentioned in the news or trending on Twitter has less to do with the fact that people are out to get him and more to do with the fact that &mdash; for some strange reason &mdash; he&rsquo;s continually saying and doing things that attract attention.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. To whom much is given, much is required.
Having grown up in New Jersey, Kyrie is certainly familiar with the concept of paying a toll.
In his case, the levy isn&rsquo;t so much financial &mdash; it&rsquo;s a certain curtailment of one&rsquo;s freedoms. Once you become a public figure, your words and actions will have ramifications.
Blame the media if you must, Kyrie. But if we&rsquo;re puppets, you yourself are the master puppeteer.

With his name constantly involved in controversy, it's about time Kyrie Irving looks in the mirror, writes Moke Hamilton.

If Kyrie Irving hates attention, why is he so good at attracting it?

The NBA has announced a partnership with former president of the United States, Barack Obama. Obama will join the NBA's new 'NBA Africa' as a strategic partner. <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/former-president-barack-obama-joins-nba-africa-as-strategic-partner?%24web_only=true&amp;_branch_match_id=712679623240598614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here</a> is the full release:
The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner.
President Obama will help advance the league&rsquo;s social responsibility efforts across the continent, including programs and partnerships that support greater gender equality and economic inclusion. &nbsp;In this capacity, President Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture, which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation youth and leadership programs across Africa.
NBA Africa conducts the league&rsquo;s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which held its inaugural season in May featuring 12 of the top club teams from 12 African countries. &nbsp;NBA Africa is focused on expanding the NBA&rsquo;s presence in priority African markets, deepening the league&rsquo;s engagement with players and fans across the continent, and continuing to grow Africa&rsquo;s basketball ecosystem through programs like the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and NBA Academy Africa. &nbsp;In addition, NBA Africa has launched several social responsibility initiatives aimed at raising awareness of gender-based violence, supporting girls&rsquo; education, and improving the livelihoods of African youth and families.
&ldquo;The NBA has always been a great ambassador for the United States&mdash;using the game to create deeper connections around the world, and in Africa, basketball has the power to promote opportunity, wellness, equality, and empowerment across the continent,&rdquo; said President Barack Obama. &nbsp;&ldquo;By investing in communities, promoting gender equality, and cultivating the love of the game of basketball, I believe that NBA Africa can make a difference for so many of Africa&rsquo;s young people. &nbsp;I&rsquo;ve been impressed by the league&rsquo;s commitment to Africa, including the leadership shown by so many African players who want to give back to their own countries and communities. &nbsp;That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m proud to join the team at NBA Africa and look forward to a partnership that benefits the youth of so many countries.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We are honored that President Obama has become a strategic partner in NBA Africa and will support our wide-ranging efforts to grow the game of basketball on the continent,&rdquo; said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. &nbsp;&ldquo;In addition to his well-documented love for basketball, President Obama has a firm belief in Africa&rsquo;s potential and the enormous growth opportunities that exist through sports. &nbsp;NBA Africa will benefit tremendously from his engagement.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We have ambitious growth plans for NBA Africa and having President Obama join our efforts is a recognition that through sport, Africa can take its rightful place on the world stage,&rdquo; said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams. &nbsp;&ldquo;We look forward to working with President Obama and our strategic investors to use basketball as an economic growth engine across the continent and as a platform to improve the health and wellness of one of the world&rsquo;s youngest and fastest-growing populations.&rdquo;
Strategic investors in NBA Africa include a consortium led by Babatunde &ldquo;Tunde&rdquo; Folawiyo, Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group, and Helios Fairfax Partners Corporation (HFP), led by Co-CEO Tope Lawani. &nbsp;Additional investors in NBA Africa include NBA Legends Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (ties to Cameroon).
The NBA has a decades-long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg in 2010. &nbsp;Since then, the league&rsquo;s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through social responsibility, grassroots and elite development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, the launch of the BAL, and more.
The inaugural BAL season was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages. &nbsp;On Sunday, May 30, Zamalek (Egypt) defeated US Monastir (Tunisia) 76-63 to win the first BAL Championship. &nbsp;Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

The NBA announced that former president Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner.

NBA announces Barack Obama will join NBA Africa as strategic partner

The NBA released some key numbers to remember ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft:
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, July 29 at 8 p.m. ET at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.&nbsp;&nbsp;ABC&nbsp;will televise the&nbsp;first round of the NBA Draft&nbsp;for the first time, and ESPN will air both rounds.&nbsp;
Twenty draft prospects are scheduled to attend and have their once-in-a-lifetime experience on the biggest stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum will announce the selections for the first and second rounds, respectively.&nbsp;
Here is a by-the-numbers look at this year&rsquo;s NBA Draft:&nbsp;
History &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the NBA Draft Lottery began in 1985,&nbsp;four&nbsp;first overall picks have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs; first pick in 1987), Tim Duncan (Spurs; first pick in 1997), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers; first pick in 2003) and Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers; first pick in 2011).&nbsp;James won an NBA championship in his second stint with Cleveland. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the two-round format was adopted in 1989, Kentucky holds the record for the university with the most picks in an NBA Draft &ndash;&nbsp;six&nbsp;each in 2012 and 2015. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Barclays Center will host the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;eighth&nbsp;time.&nbsp;It last hosted the event in 2019 prior to the pandemic. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;11 &ndash;&nbsp;A college freshman has been the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in each of the last&nbsp;11&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;15 &ndash;&nbsp;This marks the&nbsp;15th&nbsp;consecutive year that Adam Silver will announce draft selections as either deputy commissioner (seven years) or commissioner (eight years including 2021). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1947 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will be held in July for the first time since&nbsp;1947, the year of the inaugural draft.
Prospects &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;In 2020-21, USC forward-center Evan Mobley became the&nbsp;first&nbsp;player to win the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, NBA G League Ignite guard Jalen Green and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs have won&nbsp;three&nbsp;gold medals together with USA Basketball in international play: 2019 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup, 2018 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup and 2017 FIBA U-16 Americas Championship. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;2021 NBA Draft prospects were teammates on the Montverde (Fla.) Academy team that went 25-0 during the 2019-20 high school season: Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, Arkansas guard Moses Moody and North Carolina center Day'Ron Sharpe.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7.6 &ndash;&nbsp;Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia) led Australia&rsquo;s National Basketball League in assists with&nbsp;7.6&nbsp;per game in the 2020-21 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;Besiktas forward Alperen Sengun (Turkey), the 2020-21 Turkish League MVP, turned&nbsp;19&nbsp;on July 25. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;48 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard&nbsp;Keon Johnson set the NBA Combine record with a max vertical jump of&nbsp;48&nbsp;inches.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75 &ndash;&nbsp;Last season, Cade&nbsp;Cunningham became Oklahoma State&rsquo;s first consensus All-America First Team selection in&nbsp;75&nbsp;years.
Teams &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2 &ndash;&nbsp;The Houston Rockets franchise is set to select&nbsp;second&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in 51 years.&nbsp;In 1970, the then San Diego Rockets selected five-time NBA All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich with the No. 2 pick. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder has&nbsp;three&nbsp;picks in both the first round (Nos. 6, 16 and 18 overall) and the second round (Nos. 34, 36 and 55 overall). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;The Toronto Raptors are poised to pick&nbsp;fourth&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time since selecting newly elected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at that spot in 2003. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7 &ndash;&nbsp;The Golden State Warriors&rsquo; first pick in the NBA Draft is at No.&nbsp;7&nbsp;overall, a spot where they have selected five-time NBA All-Star Chris Mullin (1985), two-time Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry (2009) and NBA champion Harrison Barnes (2012) during the NBA Draft Lottery era. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to pick third overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;49&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;51 &ndash;&nbsp;The Detroit Pistons are poised&nbsp;to make the first pick in&nbsp;the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;51&nbsp;years.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1970, the Pistons used the top pick to select eight-time NBA All-Star Bob Lanier, a longtime ambassador for the NBA Cares program.&nbsp;
Family Ties &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9.2 &ndash;&nbsp;Auburn guard&nbsp;Sharife Cooper&rsquo;s&nbsp;sister, Te&rsquo;a Cooper, is currently averaging&nbsp;9.2&nbsp;points per game with the Los Angeles Sparks in her second WNBA season.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;10 &ndash;&nbsp;Michigan forward Franz Wagner (Germany) and his brother, Orlando Magic forward-center Moritz Wagner, were both All-Big&nbsp;Ten&nbsp;Team selections with the Wolverines.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12 &ndash;&nbsp;Houston guard&nbsp;Quentin Grimes&rsquo;&nbsp;brother, NHL veteran Tyler Myers, was selected&nbsp;12th&nbsp;overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;33 &ndash;&nbsp;Boise State&nbsp;forward&nbsp;Derrick Alston Jr.&rsquo;s father, Derrick Sr., was the&nbsp;33rd&nbsp;overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and played three seasons in the league.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1984 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard Jaden Springer is the son of Gary Springer, who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the&nbsp;1984&nbsp;NBA Draft. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1992 &ndash;&nbsp;Loyola Maryland forward&nbsp;Santi&nbsp;Aldama (Spain)&nbsp;is the son of Santiago&nbsp;Aldama&nbsp;Ales&oacute;n, who was a&nbsp;member of the Spanish National Team that competed against the Dream Team at the&nbsp;1992&nbsp;Barcelona Olympics.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2015 &ndash;&nbsp;Gonzaga guard&nbsp;Joel&nbsp;Ayayi (France)&nbsp;is the brother of&nbsp;Valeriane&nbsp;Ayayi&nbsp;Vukosavljevic, who played in the WNBA in&nbsp;2015.&nbsp;
Global Game &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s Josh Giddey is poised to become the&nbsp;first&nbsp;NBA Academy graduate to be drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;Giddey attended NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;If NBA G League Ignite forward Jonathan Kuminga is drafted in the top&nbsp;six, he would be the highest-drafted player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo since Dikembe Mutombo was drafted fourth overall in 1991. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9 &ndash;&nbsp;Last year, a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;players from or with ties to Nigeria were drafted: Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, Aaron Nesmith, Precious Achiuwa, Zeke Nnaji, Udoka Azubuike, Desmond Bane, Daniel Oturu and Jordan Nwora. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;13 &ndash;&nbsp;Thirteen&nbsp;international players have been selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, most recently Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) in 2018. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;27 &ndash;&nbsp;A record&nbsp;27&nbsp;international players were selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, including a record 15 in the first round and a record-tying 12 in the second round. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;68 &ndash; Sixty-eight&nbsp;former Basketball Without Borders campers have been drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;This year&rsquo;s class features a number of potential draftees with BWB experience, including Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi (France; BWB Europe 2017), Western Kentucky forward-center Charles Bassey (Nigeria; BWB Global 2017 &amp; 2018), Paris Basket guard Juhann Begarin (France; BWB Europe 2019; BWB Global 2020), Zalgiris Kaunas guard Rokas Jokubaitis (Lithuania; BWB Europe 2017), Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia; BWB Asia 2018; BWB Global 2020), Texas forward-center Kai Jones (Bahamas; BWB Americas 2017), Seton Hall forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (Georgia; BWB Global 2017), KK Mega Basket forward-center Filip Petrusev (Serbia; BWB Europe 2017; BWB Global 2018), Alabama guard Josh Primo (Canada; BWB Global 2020) and Oostende forward Amar Sylla (Senegal; BWB Africa 2018; BWB Global 2019). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;215/25 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will reach fans live in&nbsp;215&nbsp;countries and territories in&nbsp;25&nbsp;languages on their televisions, computers, mobile devices and tablets. &nbsp; NBA G League &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;former five-star high school prospects who helped lead NBA G League Ignite to the 2021 NBA G League Playoffs are entered in the&nbsp;NBA Draft:&nbsp;Jalen&nbsp;Green, Jonathan&nbsp;Kuminga, guard&nbsp;Daishen Nix and forward Isaiah Todd.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 &ndash;&nbsp;Twenty-four&nbsp;of the 60 players who were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft played in the NBA G League during the 2020-21 season, including five first-round selections. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;Daishen&nbsp;Nix&nbsp;has a chance to join Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers and Trajan Langdon as NBA players who grew up in the&nbsp;49th&nbsp;state &ndash; Alaska.&nbsp; &nbsp; ESPN &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will air on both ABC and ESPN for the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time ever. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Five&nbsp;virtual technology cameras will be used for the telecast. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;ABC and ESPN&rsquo;s on-air talent will feature&nbsp;12&nbsp;reporters. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;ESPN will present the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;19th&nbsp;consecutive year. &nbsp; NBA TV &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;NBA TV&rsquo;s NBA Draft night coverage will include&nbsp;four&nbsp;former first-round picks: Rex Chapman, No. 8 in 1988; Brian Shaw, No. 24 in 1988; Jim Jackson, No. 4 in 1992; and Brendan Haywood, No. 20 in 2001. &nbsp; Partners &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;38&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Wilson was last used as the official basketball of the NBA&nbsp;38&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;Last seen on the court in the 1983 NBA Finals, Wilson basketballs will adorn the green room at the NBA Draft and will join the latest draft class on the court for the 2021-22 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft Cap from New Era features the commemorative NBA&nbsp;75th&nbsp;Anniversary Season logo and marks the first league-licensed product to carry the logo.

The 2021 NBA Draft: By the Numbers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; The Portland Trail Blazers went into damage-control mode while introducing Chauncey Billups as their new coach Tuesday, amid questions about how they selected him over more experienced candidates and how sexual assault allegations were lodged against him nearly a quarter-century ago.
Billups never faced charges related to those allegations that came out in 1997 and settled out of court with the accuser three years later. He addressed that chapter Tuesday, though when he was asked to elaborate on some of those comments, the Trail Blazers refused to let him answer.
Neil Olshey, the team&rsquo;s president of basketball operations, said the team hired an independent firm to look into the sexual assault allegations and determined that nothing nonconsensual had occurred.
&ldquo;We stand by Chauncey, everyone in the organization, and believe he&rsquo;s the right choice to be our head coach, and the right choice to be the kind of ambassador in the Portland community everybody here has become accustomed to,&rdquo; Olshey said.
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Billups, a five-time NBA All-Star over a 17-year playing career, has never been a head coach. He has served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers for the past season.
The 44-year-old Billups spoke broadly about the concerns from the 1997 allegations, saying &ldquo;there&rsquo;s not a day that goes by&rdquo; in which he doesn&rsquo;t think about the impact any decision can have on someone&rsquo;s life.
&ldquo;I learned at a very young age &mdash; as a player, and not only a player but a young man, a young adult &mdash; that every decision, has consequences,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s led to some really, really healthy, but tough conversations that I&rsquo;ve had to have with my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time in 1997, and my daughters about what actually happened, and about what they may have to read about me in the news and then the media.&rdquo;
When a reporter asked Billups to elaborate, a moderator said the question had already been answered and called on another reporter.
The Blazers settled on Billups after an interview process where several people -- San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon among them -- were talked to about the job. Others known to have been on Portland&rsquo;s list were Brooklyn assistant Mike D&rsquo;Antoni and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, who withdrew his name from consideration.
Olshey praised Hammon, who has been with the Spurs as an assistant under Gregg Popovich for seven seasons. At one point, Hammon was said to be the favorite of Jody Allen, owner of the Blazers and sister of the late Paul Allen.
&ldquo;We absolutely admire Becky. She did a great job. Obviously, making it as far as the ownership level of an interview process isn&rsquo;t easy,&rdquo; Olshey said. &ldquo;If you start with 20, we narrowed it down to about six or seven we did Zooms with as kind of a second round, and then she made it all the way to the ownership level, which is really an endorsement of just how far she&rsquo;s come and how close she is to being a head coach.
&ldquo;This was a diverse list of candidates,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;We felt like we were in an equitable search.&rdquo;
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Over the course of his career, Billups played for Boston, Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, Detroit, New York and the Clippers. Known as &ldquo;Mr. Big Shot,&rdquo; he was MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals after leading the Pistons to a title.
This season with the Clippers is his lone coaching experience.
Olshey, who as former GM of the Clippers claimed Billups off waivers in 2011, addressed Billups&rsquo; lack of coaching credentials. He believes Billups has potential, plus thinks he will mesh well with Blazers guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
&ldquo;Chauncey checked a lot of the boxes. We were looking for leadership, he&rsquo;s renowned as one of the great leaders we&rsquo;ve had in the NBA. He&rsquo;s a Hall of Fame point guard ... obviously our two best players are guards like Chauncey. He can relate to them,&rdquo; Olshey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the presence to hold guys accountable and Chauncey and I have some history as well, we go back beyond our relationship with the Clippers.&rdquo;
The Blazers parted ways with former coach Terry Stotts shortly after the team was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs.
Stotts coached the Blazers for nine seasons, taking them to the playoffs in the last eight. But Portland failed to advance past the first round in four of the last five years.

The Portland Trail Blazers introduced Chauncey Billups as their new head coach amid criticism due to his past.

Blazers introduce Chauncey Billups, 'stand by' hire amid criticism

The Utah Jazz announced that Mark Eaton has passed away at the age of 64 after <a href="https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/utah-jazz-legend-mark-eaton-has-died-age-64" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an apparent bicycle crash</a>.
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We are heartbroken by the passing of Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton. Our thoughts are with his family as we all mourn the loss of a great man, mentor, athlete and staple of the community. <a href="https://t.co/HkINyLF9ix">pic.twitter.com/HkINyLF9ix</a>
&mdash; utahjazz (@utahjazz) <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1398689602295066627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Eaton was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year with Utah and spent 11 seasons with the franchise after being drafted in the fourth round in 1982. The 7-foot-4 center is fourth all-time with 3,064 career blocks, and was once an auto mechanic before playing college basketball at Cypress College and UCLA.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The Utah Jazz are profoundly saddened at the unexpected passing of Mark Eaton, who was an enduring figure in our franchise history and had a significant impact in the community after his basketball career. Mark played his entire 11-year NBA career with the Jazz and his number was retired as an NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year," the team said in a statement.
"His presence continued around the organization as a friend and ambassador while giving back as a businessman and volunteer to his adopted hometown in Utah. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Teri and their extended family. Mark will be greatly missed by all of us with the Jazz.&rdquo;
BasketballNews.com extends its condolences to the Eaton family during this difficult time.
&nbsp;

Eaton's 3,064 career blocks are the fourth-most in NBA history.

Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton passes away at 64

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/raptors-masai-ujiris-focus-in-contract-negotiations-this-is-all-about-winning-the-championship-again-155220455.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">laid out his mindset as he approaches contract negotiations</a> with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in an address to media today.
"Everybody says blank cheque, blank cheque, but I'm not as much focused on blank cheque. A lot of the things that we have done here, we have to move forward as a franchise to compete with the best in the NBA. This is all about winning a championship again," Ujiri said.
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🚨Masai speech🚨 "This is all about winning the championship again. Lemme tell you something - everybody has forgotten what happened two years ago. We won. Nobody cares anymore. We want to win another one ... everybody's like why dont you get in the play in -- play in FOR WHAT?" <a href="https://t.co/jmdMU34yrM">pic.twitter.com/jmdMU34yrM</a>
&mdash; William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1395032331933650948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
Ujiri added:&nbsp;
"Lemme tell you something &mdash; everybody has forgotten what has happened two years ago. Yes we won, but nobody cares anymore. We want to win another one, that's what you want to do. You want to prepare yourself to win another one. Not playing the play-in game, not playing the playoffs, you want to win a championship.
"Everybody's like 'why don't you get in the play-in' &mdash; play-in for what? We want to win a championship here, and we have to put ourselves in position. So a lot of things that we did, whether that's build a practice facility, whether it's to get everybody to see us hosting an All-Star game, or getting a G-League team, I have an incredible staff that they allowed me to hire here from front office, to coaches, to medical. We have Drake, our ambassador who has been incredible to us, has lifted us," Ujiri said.
"Yeah, so what's the next lift? What's the next five years? What's the next ten years? What are we doing to put ourselves in conversation with all the great teams, and all the winners? That's what we want to do, and that's the conversation I'm going to have [with ownership]. Yes, I'm going to have asks, I'm going to have a lot of things that I think we need to put forward here to address these things, and I think ownership is open to hear this."
Ujiri has been with the Raptors since 2013 and helped guide the franchise to new heights, which included an NBA title in 2019.

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Ujiri said in an address, "This is all about winning a championship again."

Masai Ujiri makes title expectations clear as he approaches contract negotiations

There&rsquo;s a good chance that your favorite NBA player has spent time in the gym with skills coach Chris Brickley. After all, many stars have trained with Brickley or participated in his open runs in New York. That includes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown, Devin Booker, CJ McCollum, Trae Young, Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell among others.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also possible that your favorite artist has hooped with Brickley, considering Travis Scott, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, J. Cole, Quavo, Meek Mill, Trey Songz, Lil Durk, YG, Russ, Sheck Wes and Jack Harlow have shown up to work out or play in pick-up games.
Brickley was a walk-on at the University of Louisville who then made the transition to coaching. After working as an assistant coach at the college level for several years, he joined the New York Knicks as their director of player personnel. Since leaving the Knicks to train players individually, Brickley has become one of the biggest basketball influencers in the world, with over 1 million followers on Instagram and his own ESPN+ show (&ldquo;Declared&rdquo;). He&rsquo;s also a brand ambassador for a number of companies such as PUMA, Lids and, now, BODYARMOR.&nbsp;
Brickley just recently partnered with BODYARMOR, becoming their latest ambassador. He joins an impressive lineup that includes Harden, Mitchell, Young, Ja Morant, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Trout, Kyler Murray, Mookie Betts and Naomi Osaka among others.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com caught up with Brickley to talk about his career, his famous pick-up games, his stint with the Knicks, his BODYARMOR partnership and much more.
You were the New York Knicks&rsquo; director of player personnel before leaving to train players independently. How is your job different when you&rsquo;re running your own training business versus working for an NBA team?
Chris Brickley: I would say that being part of a team, the goal is to win games. You have players come in and out. I was with the Knicks for a few years and we went through 40-to-50 different players. Now, having my own business and doing the training, I know I&rsquo;m going to have [the same player] - whether it&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell or whoever - for five, six, seven years. It&rsquo;s kind of like a long-term thing and you&rsquo;re really invested in these players. They&rsquo;re not going to get traded and you don&rsquo;t have to worry about contracts and stuff; I&rsquo;m just worried about getting them better. That&rsquo;s kind of what I like to do at this point, just lock in with the player and build a relationship with them and develop their game&hellip; I just stay locked in to what I do. I wake up in the morning, I talk to the players, I watch games, I do what I need to do in terms of my partnerships, I go to sleep and then it repeats.
Would you be open to working for an NBA team again if the circumstances are right?
Brickley: Yeah, maybe in the future. Right now, I&rsquo;m super happy where I&rsquo;m at. But maybe down the line. I wouldn&rsquo;t X it out.
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Fans don&rsquo;t get a chance to see most of these offseason workouts aside from a few clips on social media, so what are some of the biggest misconceptions about NBA training and the work that players put in?
Brickley: You don&rsquo;t necessarily expect people to know how hard these guys work; they aren&rsquo;t going to brag about it. But for sure, to be in the NBA and especially to be successful in the NBA, you need to have a different type of work ethic. It&rsquo;s not just playing games. It&rsquo;s not just doing workouts either. It&rsquo;s watching film, it&rsquo;s what you take, it&rsquo;s what you drink. For example, this BODYARMOR partnership that we&rsquo;re about to announce, what these guys put in their body [matters]. It&rsquo;s about being mindful in every single thing that you do - from drinking the right thing to eating the right thing to watching enough film to doing recovery and so on. It&rsquo;s much more than just basketball.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/chr_lg.png" alt="" width="737" height="AUTO" />
How did the BODYARMOR partnership come together?&nbsp;
Brickley: I&rsquo;m super excited about it. I think it just makes sense since BODYARMOR is kind of on the rise as a company. They&rsquo;ve been on the rise; they have everybody from Donovan Mitchell to James Harden to Trae Young - it&rsquo;s a really good roster of guys. I&rsquo;d like to think that my company and what I&rsquo;m trying to build is on the rise too. We&rsquo;re both grinding to become the best in our fields. I know one of BODYARMOR&rsquo;s goals is, by 2025, to be the biggest sports drink in the game. For me, my goal is to be the biggest trainer in the game. It made sense and I&rsquo;ve always been a big fan of BODYARMOR and I&rsquo;ve always drank it, so it&rsquo;s very organic.
What advice would you give to aspiring trainers?
Brickley: That&rsquo;s a good question. First, you need to be passionate about the game of basketball. You have to be willing to understand that you might work for 10 years and not make much money. Things might not really get moving [for a while], so you have to be willing to make sacrifices. You have to be willing to sacrifice your time, sacrifice going out and partying, and things like that. Because, first and foremost, if you want to be a trainer, you need to put your time toward your players. If you don&rsquo;t have any players, how are you going to be a trainer? So you need to dedicate your time to the players and show the players that you&rsquo;re always there for them any time. Do they want to watch film late at night? Do they want to work out early in the morning? Whatever time they want to watch film or work out, I&rsquo;m going to be ready. It&rsquo;s just a big sacrifice. And you won&rsquo;t see results for a while. That&rsquo;s something that I&rsquo;d want to explain to a young trainer: Don&rsquo;t think that you&rsquo;re going to sign deals or get rich or anything like that, just be in it for the love of the game.
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You&rsquo;re basically on call 24/7. You&rsquo;ve talked about how Carmelo Anthony sometimes wants to work out at 2 a.m. and you never say no. Do guys often reach out in the middle of the night? And what is that like, being on call all day and night?
Brickley: Yeah, all the time. Living where the gym is, it&rsquo;s a good thing and it&rsquo;s a bad thing. Guys know that [I&rsquo;m always there]. Sometimes, guys will be on the road during the season&nbsp; - especially pre-quarantine - and they might play the Knicks or the Nets the next night and while they&rsquo;re in town, they want to get some work in at my gym in New York City, at The Summit.
I read that you and Carmelo got close because you would give him honest feedback and constructive criticism after games. I feel like a lot of stars appreciate that since most people in their life won&rsquo;t say those things. How has that honesty helped your relationships with players?
Brickley: I think you need to be, I think that&rsquo;s how the relationship builds. There&rsquo;s no relationship that&rsquo;s based off of, &ldquo;Hey, good job! You&rsquo;re the man! Good job! Good job!&rdquo; You&rsquo;re never going to build an organic relationship like that. I think you need to give constructive criticism and you need to explain to them what the real deal is. Like, &ldquo;You didn&rsquo;t play as hard as you should&rsquo;ve tonight,&rdquo; or maybe, &ldquo;You need to work on your pull-up off the left and work on finishing with the right.&rdquo; You can&rsquo;t just start the relationship like that, obviously, but as you get closer to someone [you can be honest]. That&rsquo;s what I do, and I think giving constructive criticism works. It shows them that you&rsquo;re paying attention and that you want to help them get better as a person and as a player, and I think they take a liking to that. And that&rsquo;s when you can get to work.
You&rsquo;re known for having star-studded pick-up games in your gym. What&rsquo;s the craziest pick-up game you&rsquo;ve witnessed? Is there a certain game that stands out?
Brickley: Yeah, I&rsquo;ve had a few legendary ones. When COVID isn&rsquo;t in the way, there are legendary ones every summer. If I had to pick, I&rsquo;d go with this one from 2017. KD had just won [the championship] and he beat LeBron. That happened and then literally two months after that series, LeBron and KD flew in and they played against each other. They were guarding each other, picking each other up full-court. There was a whole bunch of tension in the gym because they literally just got done playing against each other for the championship, and now they were playing in this private run against each other. That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ll never forget. There were like 15 NBA guys there: Melo, J.R. Smith (who was also playing in that series), Enes Kanter (who, at the time, had beef with KD), Hamidou Diallo (who was in college at the time). There were all types of funny storylines.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
An incredible run today. One of the best open runs of all time? You decide. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AcademyBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AcademyBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RelentlessPursuit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RelentlessPursuit</a> <a href="https://t.co/bNeHpgG11r">pic.twitter.com/bNeHpgG11r</a>
&mdash; Academy Basketball (@__TheAcademy) <a href="https://twitter.com/__TheAcademy/status/897552027005456386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2017</a></blockquote>

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I&rsquo;ve talked to a number of players and trainers about which position takes the longest to develop in the NBA. A lot of people have said that big men take the longest since they need to get bigger, develop lower-body strength and they are basically boys among men when they first enter the NBA. Do you agree that big men take the longest to become significant contributors?
Brickley: Yeah, especially because for big men, the game has changed. The game has evolved even since I was coaching in the NBA. It&rsquo;s tough to be a big man who just catches the ball on the block and turns and shoots. If that type of game was in, then Enes Kanter would be an All-Star since he&rsquo;s shooting like 60%. That&rsquo;s just not how the game is now. You need to be able to dribble a little bit and shoot threes and pick-and-pop and knock down mid-range shots. It&rsquo;s rare to see teams dribble down and throw the ball into the post; nobody really plays through the post now. Being a big - a real big, a seven-footer - you need to develop a little more [than other positions]. You might be really good at rebounding or you might be really good defensively - there might be one thing that you&rsquo;re really good at - but it&rsquo;s rare for a big to come into the league being able to shoot the three, dribble (for dribble handoffs), finish around the rim and play defense. As a big, you need to do a whole bunch of things, so I think it always takes some time.
Yeah, someone like Kanter would&rsquo;ve been dominant 20-30 years ago.
Brickley: Yeah, 100%.
You have a bunch of players who work hard, but is there a certain player who has really impressed you with their work ethic and hunger to improve? Is there anyone specific who stands out?
Brickley: Off the top of my head, I would have to say Donovan Mitchell, who&rsquo;s also with BODYARMOR. I&rsquo;ve worked with him since, shoot, 2015. I worked with him back in his college days and just to see his [improvement]... People were like, &ldquo;He might go first round, he might go second round; we don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo; I saw him work through that and then have an amazing rookie year and still continue to work out at 6 a.m. every morning. Then, he comes back and has another great year and he&rsquo;s back in the summer and still wants to work out at 6 a.m. every morning. Then, he becomes an NBA All-Star! Through all of these amazing things that he&rsquo;s done, he hasn&rsquo;t lost an ounce of motivation. When the offseason comes, he&rsquo;s texting me, &ldquo;Ready to go at 5 a.m.? Ready to go at 6 a.m.?&rdquo; His work ethic is crazy. When I see that he&rsquo;s an All-Star and has his own sneaker and has his deal with BODYARMOR, it just makes sense. He deserves it all.
What are your thoughts on how Donovan and the Jazz have played this season? It&rsquo;s been pretty incredible.
Brickley: I think he&rsquo;s playing great, and they have the best record in the league. I think [credit] goes to their coaching and Donovan&rsquo;s leadership, and the way they play - the way they move the ball, the way they play defense. It seems like they&rsquo;re playing faster this year. It&rsquo;s going to be interesting once the playoffs come because there are a bunch of really good teams. Right now, the Jazz look really good.

NBA skills coach Chris Brickley opens up about his star-studded pick-up games, his career, his advice for aspiring trainers and more.

NBA skills coach Chris Brickley: 'My goal is to be the biggest trainer in the game'

It&rsquo;s hard to believe that we&rsquo;ve nearly completed the first quarter of the 2020-21 NBA season. It&rsquo;s obviously been unlike any we&rsquo;ve ever seen, and Adam Silver and the league deserve a ton of credit.
So do the players&hellip; And so do the coaches.
I played for the Bucks in 1999 and coached the Clippers in 2011 &mdash; which were both lockout-shortened seasons &mdash; but for coaches, I&rsquo;m sure that this season is unlike any they&rsquo;ve ever experienced. There are some unique challenges, such as playing without fans and the strict limitations on interactions with players. Ttrying to keep players mentally fresh and motivated over the course of a long (condensed) season isn't easy.
On MLK Day, we all saw Steph Curry nail a terrific stepback three over Anthony Davis. He helped the Warriors beat the Lakers, but didn&rsquo;t get the satisfaction of feeling the energy get sucked out of Staples Center. Under normal circumstances, the building would&rsquo;ve gone silent while the Warriors and their fans in the building had their moment. Not this time.
As the scene unfolded, the lack of energy in the building was obvious.
Curry, like most players, feeds off of energy. And if you&rsquo;re playing in an empty arena, mustering the same kind of energy as if you were playing in front of a packed house isn&rsquo;t always easy. In the Orlando bubble, players at least knew they were competing for the championship, but the grind of the regular season sometimes makes it difficult to bring a natural urgency to each and every game. That&rsquo;s where fans often come in. That&rsquo;s not so much the case this season.
For a coach, that&rsquo;s probably just the start.
More than anything, time is the most important thing for a coach. It just feels like there&rsquo;s never enough. Practicing, reviewing film, installing plays and developing relationships are all necessary for a coach to understand how to put their players in positions to succeed on the court. In a condensed season, there&rsquo;s even less of it. And the recent uptick in positive COVID-19 tests within the NBA have only made things worse.
As a result, the league has restricted a coach&rsquo;s access to his team, further shortening the time that they have together.
Coaches enjoy working individually with players more than anything else &mdash; being on the court, tracking a player&rsquo;s development, seeing them improve individually so the group is stronger as a collective. That&rsquo;s what we live for. Those opportunities have now been limited.
Aside from the obvious, the lack of on-court time together also reduces a coach&rsquo;s ability to teach his team how to win. Knowing how to win and learning how to win are two different things. In tight moments that decide games, we tend to pay more attention to whether the ball goes in than whether the ball went to the right place, whether a screen is set at the right angle, whether a cut was properly timed or whether any of the other small factors that increase the percentage of success were executed successfully. With a limited amount of instruction time, it&rsquo;s tough to teach teams how to win, especially younger teams or those with a lot of new personnel.
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Today, coaches also have to deal with something that we didn&rsquo;t in 1999 or 2011: postponed games &mdash; a major potential source of frustration.
Preparing for a game only for it to ultimately not be played breaks rhythm and, in some ways, could be deflating. Guys look forward to competing, and when their ability to do that is taken away, there&rsquo;s bound to be some disappointment.
Coaches, like players, are competitive junkies. When you get on the court, whether you&rsquo;re wearing sneakers or holding a clipboard, you&rsquo;ve prepared to compete. Whether it&rsquo;s scoring, rebounding, setting screens or drawing up plays, everyone is in it together and everyone wants to get a win. Having that opportunity taken away is almost as much of a gut punch as a loss.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s especially true in a situation where a team has already prepared for a game and traveled to the host city. A postponed contest probably causes some frustration that, at the end of the day, a coach has to manage. When players travel to host cities &mdash; we talk about the &ldquo;Orlando bubble&rdquo; all the time &mdash; they live in a hotel bubble. They no longer enjoy the freedoms of going out to dinner, socializing freely, walking around the city, getting a coffee or seeing friends and family.&nbsp;
For them to make those kinds of sacrifices has to take a mental toll, especially since they&rsquo;re not able to unplug and do the things they&rsquo;d normally do to clear their minds and get away from the game for a few hours. Imagine self-isolating in a hotel room for a day for the sole purpose of playing a game, only for the game to not happen. That&rsquo;s a unique obstacle that nobody&rsquo;s really seen before, and it would surely have a mental effect on a coach&rsquo;s team. Being successful is not only about being physically ready to play, it&rsquo;s also about being mentally prepared to focus. We all need downtime and opportunities to unwind and clear our heads. It&rsquo;s not easy for everyone to do that when they&rsquo;re asked to isolate in their hotel rooms.
Now, just imagine having to do that for two or three days. That&rsquo;s the scenario some teams have faced since they&rsquo;ve been tasked to do something nobody&rsquo;s ever seen before in the regular season: play twice consecutively in the same arena.&nbsp;
Home-and-home series happen frequently in the league, but this season, we&rsquo;re seeing two teams go at it two times in a row in the same city. It&rsquo;s hard enough beating a team two times in a row under normal circumstances, much less in their own building.
When you combine those challenges with the demands of a &ldquo;normal&rdquo; NBA season, it&rsquo;s obvious that the coaches in the NBA today deserve credit for their hard work and dedication. For the most part, thus far, they&rsquo;ve been able to have their teams ready to compete at the high level we&rsquo;ve grown accustomed to seeing. There&rsquo;s no way that&rsquo;s been an easy task.
To put things in perspective, the challenges the league and its personnel face pale in comparison to the unforeseen losses that everyday people have experienced. People have lost loved ones and jobs, and many families are struggling to pay their bills. The sacrifices made by the NBA to continue to present its product obviously can&rsquo;t be compared, but COVID-19 has impacted each and every one of us. We may not be experiencing the virus in the same way, but there are sacrifices being made on all fronts.&nbsp;
Kudos to the league&rsquo;s coaches for doing their part to give us high-quality basketball. If nothing else, they&rsquo;re providing an outlet for us to take our minds off of the everyday reality of this horrible virus.
Hopefully, better days will be upon us soon.

Vinny Del Negro, who played and coached during lockout-shortened seasons, looks at the biggest challenges facing coaches this year.

The unique challenges facing NBA coaches during 2020-21 season

Chris Ebersole, NBA Senior Director of International Basketball Operations, discusses the international takeover and why it's here to stay.

Q&A: Chris Ebersole on international basketball taking over NBA

Last week, the NBA lost an amazing person and friend in Brent "BJ" Johnson. BasketballNews.com extends its sincerest sympathies and condolences to BJ's family and friends. BJ, who tragically passed away from a bike accident, was 65 years old.
BJ spent 26 seasons as a scout with the Houston Rockets and he had an incredible impact on many people around the league. The NBA family is grieving right now, but they are also paying tribute to this great man and appreciating the time that they got to spend with him. Over the last week, many people have shared touching stories and heartfelt words as they pay their respects to BJ:
Gersson Rosas, Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations
&ldquo;Our hearts break to hear of the passing of BJ Johnson, someone who not only I, but our entire NBA family, looked up to as a big brother. With BJ, there were never any strangers, he made everyone feel welcome with his innate ability to include people and show his love to everyone. He was and will always be a large part of our NBA family &ndash; to players, coaches, scouts and anyone he crossed paths with. BJ was an incredible basketball mind and representative for the NBA because of his passion, the way he loved the game and how he treated everyone he encountered. As one of the finest basketball evaluators in the league, he brought a human touch to being a scout by always giving more to the game than he received back. BJ was an inspiration to me and many within the Minnesota Timberwolves organization and across the NBA &ndash; a presence that will never be replaced and will surely be missed. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his wife, Claudette, and his children, Bijon, LeDon and Ciara.&rdquo;
Amadou Gallo Fall, NBA Africa VP &amp; President of BAL
&ldquo;More than a basketball lifer, a mentor, a teacher and a friend, BJ Johnson was simply an exceptional human being. I am stunned by his sudden passing. We have all lost a driving force for good in the game. He has been a friend to all of us in growing the game in Africa. He contributed to seed project, was a driving force of Basketball Without Borders, instrumental in supporting the launch and growth of NBA Africa and now the BAL (Basketball Africa League). His legacy went beyond the court and into the homes and the hearts of young people and their families that he touched. My heartfelt condolences to his wife, Claudette, and the rest of the family, the Houston Rockets organization and all those he loved and who loved him. BJ, you are forever with us.&rdquo;
Masai Ujiri, Toronto Raptors President of Basketball Operations
&ldquo;Many basketball fans may not know his name, but BJ Johnson was one of the best scouts in the NBA and that&rsquo;s not close to the best thing about him. He was an incredible human being. It is just impossible to describe what he meant to all of us and our league: An NBA life. He was good to the game. The NBA story will not be told without BJ. Since 2003, BJ came to every single Basketball Without Borders in Africa. He was also in every single college gym. Believe me when we say today that many hearts are broken. To his wife, Claudette, to his family, and to the Rockets, the Raptors and the whole NBA sends our deepest condolences, Go well, BJ. I hope you are scouting Kobe and Gigi already. And talking David Stern&rsquo;s ear off because he said you are not allowed in the gym. RIP.&rdquo;
Daryl Morey, Former Houston Rockets GM
"Before I came to the Houston Rockets, Chris Wallace told me the greatest scout in the NBA was BJ Johnson and I should talk to him first. I followed his advice and what followed was an amazing 14-year friendship. He was by my side for every key decision. I can't believe he is gone. RIP BJ"
Kim Bohuny, NBA Sr. VP of International Basketball Operations
&ldquo;BJ was truly one of the NBA&rsquo;s greatest ambassadors. He always greeted you with a big smile and warm handshake or hug. BJ was a basketball lifer who provided guidance and insight to everyone he met in the game. I will dearly miss my friend.&rdquo;
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Matt Babcock, NBA Draft Analyst, BasketballNews.com
&ldquo;I had known BJ since I was a teenager, more than 20 years. Once I finished college and tried to find my way working in the basketball world, I always felt that BJ was one of my biggest supporters. I&rsquo;m sure many people in the basketball industry had that feeling, as he just had that way about him. BJ had a zest for life and his positivity was contagious. There was not an arena in the world that wasn&rsquo;t filled with people that loved him. I was extremely saddened to learn the news of his tragic passing but I&rsquo;m certainly thankful to have known him, for the time that we had together, and to be able to call him my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Rest in peace, BJ.&rdquo;
Darvin Ham, Former Player and Milwaukee Bucks Assistant Coach
&ldquo;I would start by saying that, without B, there would be no me. &nbsp;At the beginning of the journey, [with] him entering my life 25 years ago, he told me three key things that are still with me today. One: Hard work has never killed anyone. Two: You&rsquo;re only going to get out of something what you put into something. Three: God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason; always listen to learn, brother! It saddens me to know that my big brother is no longer here in the flesh, but it brings me joy to know that I will still see his loving spirit everywhere. &nbsp;I LOVE YOU, BJ! Rest In Power, Big Brother!&rdquo;
James Posey, Former Player and Assistant Coach, BasketballNews.com
&ldquo;Man... BJ was someone who I never saw have a bad day. If you were having a bad day or moment and he entered your space, your mood would change by the end of y&rsquo;all conversation. He was just so full of energy and positivity... so full of knowledge for the game and life. I&rsquo;ve never known a person who was just always so happy to see everybody! The first time I met him, I was at the old practice facility, WESTSIDE TENNIS CLUB, and I was getting shots up, working on my shot. He was looking down from the track and the next thing I hear behind me is BJ saying, &lsquo;WE GONNA GET THAT JUMPER RIGHT!&rsquo; I had never met him before and I wasn&rsquo;t even on the Rockets; I was still with the Nuggets! That&rsquo;s just who he was - always willing to help, and always there to give you the confidence you needed. He believed in you, even if you didn&rsquo;t believe in yourself.&rdquo;
Jamal Crawford, NBA Veteran
"When I was an unproven rookie, he helped give me a lot of confidence that I had a bright future, even when I didn't see it. I wasn't even on his team. He always had some words of encouragement, or just kept it real with me. Prayers to his family."
Rudy Gay, NBA Veteran
"One of the most genuine people in NBA basketball passed tonight. RIP BJ Johnson!"

The NBA family is grieving after the tragic death of Houston Rockets scout BJ Johnson. BJ, who was 65 years old, impacted many people.

Remembering BJ Johnson: NBA family pays tribute to late Rockets scout

In the NBA bubble, most teams haven&rsquo;t had any trouble putting the ball in the basket. 
In fact, there are shocking point totals and incredible individual performances seemingly every day. On Sunday, the Toronto Raptors scored a franchise-record 150 points in their Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets (and their bench combined for a playoff-record 100 points). Hours later, Utah&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell (51 points) and Denver&rsquo;s Jamal Murray (50 points) had a shootout, marking the first time in NBA history that opposing players have each scored 50+ points in the same playoff game.
Across the board, offensive numbers in the bubble are up from the rest of the 2019-20 regular season - including combined points, made field goals, field-goal percentage, made free throws, free-throw percentage, made three-pointers and three-point percentage.&nbsp;
The NBA&rsquo;s average offensive efficiency was 110.7 points per 100 possessions, per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/summary?season=2019&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=09/29/2019&amp;end=03/21/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleaning the Glass</a>. That average <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/summary?season=2019&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=06/30/2020&amp;end=08/16/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> to 113.2 points per 100 possessions during the seeding games. Now, scoring is <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/summary?season=2019&amp;seasontype=playoffs&amp;start=08/15/2020&amp;end=08/29/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up even more</a> in the NBA playoffs, as teams are averaging 114.2 points per 100 possessions through Aug. 29.
Prior to the bubble, it had been more than 32 years since every team in a slate of five or more NBA games scored at least 110 points. In Orlando, it happened twice in the span of eight days.&nbsp;
Why are offenses thriving in the bubble? Will this trend continue as the playoffs continue? There are a number of theories as to why teams are having an easier time scoring in Orlando:
TEAMS ARE PLAYING ON THE SAME RIMS AND COURTS EVERY DAY
During a normal season, players are in a different arena on most nights and they have to get acclimated to each building. Every arena is different in terms of the depth perception, lighting, how the ball bounces off the floor, how soft the rims are and so on. In the bubble, all of the courts and rims are the same, so players can get comfortable and find their rhythm easier.&nbsp;
Some players shoot better at home games because they&rsquo;re used to the rims and in a familiar setting. This is similar. Players who adjusted to their surroundings during the early seeding games can just focus on scoring now. They can even build momentum from game to game, picking up right where they previously left off.&nbsp;
THE DARK ARENA IMPROVES SHOOTERS' DEPTH PERCEPTION
Certain aspects of the game environment in Orlando may actually benefit shooters. Since the virtual stands are darker than the on-court lighting and there are black curtains surrounding each court, several players have said that it&rsquo;s easier to shoot in the bubble because their depth perception is better and the rims are more visible.
&ldquo;I feel like it&rsquo;s a hooper&rsquo;s gym,&rdquo; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker told <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/8/6/21356187/nba-bubble-differences-referees-scoring-virtual-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ringer</a>. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easier to shoot in here with [better] depth perception. I love the setup that they have for us. There&rsquo;s not much more that comes with it beyond the game of basketball.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The depth perception on the basket is a lot better, just because you can&rsquo;t see through the backboard, shooting-wise, since it&rsquo;s blacked out,&rdquo; Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. told <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/8/6/21356187/nba-bubble-differences-referees-scoring-virtual-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ringer</a>.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Luka23_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
SCORERS ARE GETTING TO THE FREE-THROW LINE MORE
As FiveThirtyEight&rsquo;s Mike Prada <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-have-nba-offenses-been-so-good-in-the-bubble/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has noted</a>, every type of foul is being called more in the bubble - shooting fouls, loose-ball fouls, other personal fouls, charges, technicals, etc.&nbsp;
"Teams spent nearly 30 percent of their bubble possessions in the penalty, compared with 26 percent before the break," <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-have-nba-offenses-been-so-good-in-the-bubble/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote Prada</a>. "The average free-throw rate - free throws made per 100 field goal attempts - <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/fourfactors?season=2019&amp;seasontype=regseason&amp;start=07/30/2020&amp;end=08/15/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jumped from 20 before the shutdown to 22.8 in the bubble seeding games</a>, a mark unmatched over a full season since 2010-11.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s possible that the lack of fans at games allows refs to hear more (from contact on drives to certain interactions between players) and call more fouls. Regardless of the reason, offenses are getting more easy points from the foul line than usual.
DEFENDERS USUALLY FEED OFF OF THE FANS' ENERGY
With no fans in attendance, the intensity of the moment changes. Usually, players are energized by the fans&rsquo; emotions. A player may be exhausted, but they still step up on defense down the stretch because they are feeding off of the crowd. NBA fans are incredible and they create a really unique atmosphere at playoff games.&nbsp;
In the bubble, the game atmosphere is completely different; it almost feels more like a pick-up game. It seems like this environment has led to less physicality too. As the playoffs continue, I expect these games and these series to get more intense and physical. Also, without fans, it's possible that scorers are feeling less pressure than usual. While this atmosphere isn&rsquo;t ideal for an NBA postseason, it&rsquo;s what each team has been dealt and whoever adjusts to it best will have a big advantage.
THE LACK OF PRACTICE TIME IMPACTS DEFENSES MORE
Coaches always feel like they don&rsquo;t get enough practice time with their players, but that&rsquo;s a legitimate concern this season. After the NBA suspended the season in March, players had to go home and work out on their own for several months. Teams couldn&rsquo;t do much during that four-month break. Then, once the NBA decided to resume the season, coaches didn&rsquo;t have much time to work with their team and get them prepared before things started ramping up.
This time apart could explain why some teams have taken a step back defensively. Also, there&rsquo;s limited practice time during the playoffs, which makes it tough for teams to bring back players from injuries and reintegrate them into the lineup too. It seems that pausing the season affected teams' cohesiveness, particularly on defense.
WITH NO TRAVEL, STAR PLAYERS ARE WELL-RESTED
We&rsquo;ve seen some extraordinary performances from superstar players in the bubble. In a typical postseason, they&rsquo;d be putting their teams on their back while flying back and forth across the country. However, in the bubble, they simply bus back to their hotel after each game.&nbsp;
That means these star players have plenty of time to rest, get treatment and so on. They don't have to worry about taking red-eye flights and changing time zones (all of which wears you down as a player). These are some of the best scorers in the world and they're a threat to torch the defense any time they step onto the court, especially when they're well-rested.
Now, being in the bubble isn&rsquo;t easy (by any means) because they are away from their family and friends. But if you asked each player how their body feels, I bet a lot of guys would tell you that they&rsquo;re feeling better and more energized than usual.

Former NBA head coach Vinny Del Negro breaks down several reasons why scoring has increased in the bubble.

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