nba

• Kings Win 2021 Las Vegas Summer League Championship

  Aug 18, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  

  Source: Kings win Las Vegas Summer League with rout of Celtics; Louis King named championship game MVP (link)

   

  With the NBA summer league well underway, the Sacramento Kings have won the 2021 Summer League championship. They did so on Tuesday by defeating the Boston Celtics 100-67. The win marks the second time the Kings have won Summer League, as they did so in 2014 as well. Summer League adopted its current tournament format in 2013, and the Kings became the first team to win that tournament multiple times with their victory Tuesday. They posted an undefeated 5-0 record in Las Vegas. 

  Louis King was named the MVP of the championship game after putting up 21 points and five steals against Boston. Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Clarke have notably won that award in recent seasons, but King still has a lot of work to do to prove himself in the NBA. He went undrafted in 2019 out of Oregon and has spent the past two seasons in the G League. He signed a two-way deal with the Kings in May, though, and this strong summer showing should only help him prove to Sacramento that he has an NBA future.

  But King wasn't the only player to impress.  Davion Mitchell, the No. 9 overall pick, flashed strong playmaking and the relentless defense he displayed at Baylor in a stellar overall run through the tournament. Robert Woodard gave the Kings 14.4 points per game, and Jahmi'us Ramsey poured in 16.2 of his own. Summer League is a venue meant to highlight the talents of young players, and the Kings have several in their pipeline that will soon be ready to make a difference at the NBA level. 

  Read more

• Johnny Juzang Withdraws from NBA Draft

  Jul 8, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: Breakout NCAA tournament star Johnny Juzang pulls out of NBA draft in favor of returning to UCLA Bruins (link)

   

  UCLA guard Johnny Juzang made a name for himself as the breakout star of the NCAA tournament as the Bruins advanced all the way to the Final Four. Some fans and media (me included) recognized him a potential sleeper in the 2021 draft due to his performance. But Wednesday, Juzang announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to the Bruins.

  Juzang helped lead UCLA on a Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament in March, winning five games to go from First Four to Final Four. He had 23 points in the opening win over Michigan State, followed by 27 points against BYU. He was at his best in the final two games, a win over Michigan and a loss to Gonzaga. Juzang went for 28 points in the victory over the Wolverines, and his 29 points nearly led UCLA to an upset of the top-seeded Bulldogs in the Final Four.

  In the Bruins' six NCAA tournament games, Juzang averaged 22.8 points and shot 50.9% from the field. His 137 points were the second-highest NCAA tournament total in UCLA history. On the season, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 16.0 points and 4.1 rebounds.

  Despite the breakout postseason, Juzang was only projected as a late second-round pick in the NBA draft. He was ranked No. 53 in ESPN's latest draft rankings.

  Juzang's return likely cements UCLA as a preseason top-five team for the 2021-22 campaign. Cronin returns every player from the Bruins' NCAA tournament run, while also adding five-star prospect Peyton Watson, ESPN 100 guard Will McClendon and Rutgers graduate transfer Myles Johnson. Chris Smith, who missed the second half of the season, opted to leave for the NBA draft, while Cody Riley announced Wednesday he planned to return to UCLA.

  Read more

• Rachel Nichols Apologizes for "Diversity" Comments on Maria Taylor

  Jul 6, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: ESPN's Rachel Nichols apologizes on 'The Jump' for comments about Maria Taylor (link)

   

  ESPN NBA sideline reporter and “The Jump” host Rachel Nichols issued a brief apology for comments she made about diversity and her colleague Maria Taylor to kick off “The Jump” on Monday afternoon.

  A bombshell report from The New York Times on Sunday detailed the alleged heavy internal strife at the network over comments Nichols made in 2020 while Nichols and Taylor were both being considered to host coverage for the NBA Finals.

  According to them, Nichols was told by ESPN that Taylor, who is Black, was going to host the network’s coverage of the NBA Finals instead of her. Nichols was speaking with a longtime adviser of LeBron James, Adam Mendelsohn, on a call that was accidentally recorded and then later leaked.

  During that call, Nichols can be heard saying that she thinks Taylor was only being promoted because of ESPN’s "bad record on diversity". As it turns out, that recording was accessible to numerous ESPN employees, one of whom eventually leaked it. That employee is the only one to have been disciplined over the incident so far, something that remains an “active source of pain” among other employees. The comments also upset plenty of her coworkers on “The Jump” and among those involved in NBA coverage, including Jalen Rose, Adrian Wojnarowski and Jay Williams.

  Amidst this brewing controversy, Nichols made the apology. "The first thing they teach you in journalism school is don’t be the story, and I don’t plan to break that rule today or distract from a fantastic Finals,” she said. “But I also don’t want to let this moment pass without saying how much I respect, how much I value our colleagues here at ESPN, how deeply, deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I hurt, particularly Maria Taylor, and how grateful I am to be part of this outstanding team.”

  Read more

• Carmelo Anthony Wins First Social Justice Champion Award

  Jun 30, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: Carmelo Anthony of Portland Trail Blazers wins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award (link)

   

  Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony is the inaugural winner of the NBA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award. It was announced Tuesday.

  The NBA said Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, was selected "for his dedication over the past year to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar's life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged."

  The four other finalists for the award were Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris, Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday and Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson.

  The NBA announced the creation of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award on May 13. The annual honor was created to recognize a player for "pursuing social justice and upholding the league's decades-long values of equality, respect and inclusion."

  Abdul-Jabbar, formerly Lew Alcindor, is a six-time NBA champion, the league's all-time leading scorer and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The former Los Angeles Lakers and Bucks star is also known for pushing for societal change and inspiring reflection on injustice throughout his career.

  As the winner, Carmelo Anthony was able to select an organization -- Portland Art Museum's Black Arts and Experiences Initiative -- to receive a $100,000 contribution on his behalf. Barnes, Harris, Holiday and Toscano-Anderson will also receive $25,000 to give to a charity of their choice.

  Read more

• The Harlem Globetrotters Want to be an NBA Franchise

  Jun 23, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  

   

  Source: Harlem Globetrotters to Adam Silver: Make us an NBA franchise now (link)

   

  For nearly a century, the Harlem Globetrotters have existed alongside the NBA. While both products are viewed differently, there's no doubt the Globetrotters have had an impact and influence on the league and its players.

  The Globetrotters wants the NBA to acknowledge that connection, telling NBA commissioner Adam Silver it is time for the NBA to make the Globetrotters an official NBA franchise. 

  The team wrote a letter to the league Tuesday, explaining why Silver should grant the move. 

  The letter credits the Globetrotters with bringing "the street game inside." It also notes that when the NBA decided to integrate, the league took players from the Globetrotters instead of making the team an NBA franchise. It also points out the international reach of the Globetrotters. The team has played in 122 countries, helping introduce the world to basketball.

  The letter then states that the NBA can no longer ignore the Globetrotters before telling Silver it is time to make the team an NBA franchise.

  The Globetrotters have faced off against an NBA team twice. The team played the Minnesota Lakers in 1948 and 1949, before the NBA was integrated. The Globetrotters won both games against the Lakers, who won the NBA championship in 1949. 

  But, only time will tell if their franchise hopes are realized. Asking Silver to make the Globetrotters an NBA franchise is a big request, and likely not one that can be granted immediately. There's no indication the NBA is looking to add another team in the offseason.

  In the future, however, the Globetrotters make an interesting case for being considered. The team undoubtedly has a history with the NBA, and its influence on the league can't be denied. 

  If and when the NBA decides it is time to add more teams, Silver will have to consider the impact the Globetrotters have had on the NBA.

  Read more