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Via the Orlando Sentinel:
After over 2 1/2 years away from an NBA floor, Jonathan Isaac could make his return to the Orlando Magic tomorrow.
The Magic are going to list Jonathan Isaac as questionable for Monday’s home game vs. the Celtics, league sources told the Orlando Sentinel Sunday afternoon.
Isaac was drafted 6th in 2017, and averaged 5.4 points per game for the Magic as a rookie, 9.6 PPG in year two, and in 2019-20 was averaging 11.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG before suffering a major knee injury.
Portland Trail Blazers founding broadcaster Bill Schonely passed away on Saturday, January 21 at the age of 93.
Schonely was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, the first-born child of Walter and Juanita Schonely. He served in the Marine Corps, where he hosted a sports show for Armed Forces Radio overseas. Schonely then continued his broadcast career in Seattle with radio station KVI and as the voice of the Seattle Totems in the Western Hockey League. His wide-ranging sports broadcasting experience also included University of Washington football, Seattle Angels baseball, the Oakland Seals in the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball’s Seattle Pilots before joining the Trail Blazers.
Team founder Harry Glickman hired Schonely as the sixth employee in the organization’s history and quickly tasked him with assembling a radio network to introduce Oregonians to the Trail Blazers organization. With a gift for creative enthusiasm, he coined many iconic catchphrases during his time with the team, none greater than “Rip City”, now synonymous with the team and the city of Portland.
Serving as the team’s play-by-play voice for nearly 30 years, he called more than 2,500 games including the team’s incredible championship run in 1977 and the exciting runs throughout the 1990s. Schonely maintained a streak of calling games throughout his 30-year run that was only interrupted in 1982-83 when he stepped away to recover from heart bypass surgery. In 1999, Schonely was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for broadcasting and in 2012, he was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game as an outstanding broadcaster.
Schonely deeply valued his relationships within the community, and beginning in 2003, he served as a Trail Blazers Ambassador, supporting the team’s outreach mission while maintaining connections with the Rip City community and appearing on various radio and television broadcasts. He retired from the organization at the conclusion of the 2021-22 NBA season after more than 50 years with the Trail Blazers.
“The Mayor of Rip City” supported numerous charitable causes, notably the American Heart Association and the Providence Child Center, which in 2009 established the “Bill’s Kids Fund” to honor his longstanding dedication to and compassion for the medically fragile children who call the center home.
Schonely’s wife of 31 years, Dottie Schonely, was by his side when he passed.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Trail Blazers legendary broadcaster Bill Schonely,” said Dewayne Hankins, President of Business Operations for the Trail Blazers. “Our hearts go out to his wife, Dottie, and the entire Schonely family during this difficult time. Bill was a warm, engaging and sharp person – always up for a joke, a keen observation or a kind remark. His mark on the organization, the state of Oregon and all of sports broadcasting will be felt for generations. No one loved Rip City more than Bill did and we are all forever grateful for his contributions to the community.”
“The Schonz was a cornerstone of the organization since Day 1. He was the ultimate Trail Blazer – the voice of the Trail Blazers,” said Trail Blazers Alumni Ambassador Terry Porter. “He was someone that Blazers fans grew up listening to for many, many generations. His voice will be missed, his presence will be missed, but his legacy will not be forgotten. It’s intertwined with every part of this organization.”
The San Antonio Spurs have signed center Gorgui Dieng to a second 10-day contract.
Dieng, 6-10/265, started this season with the Spurs, appearing in 13 games and averaging 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 11.6 minutes before being waived on Jan. 5. He signed the first 10-day contract on Jan. 8. The 10-year NBA veteran has played in 611 total games and holds career averages of 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.3 minutes with Minnesota, Memphis, Atlanta and San Antonio. The native of Senegal was originally selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft (21st overall) by the Utah Jazz and before being dealt to the Timberwolves on draft night.
The Spurs roster currently stands at 17 players.
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that forward Christian Wood has sustained a fracture of his left thumb. The injury occurred in the second quarter of last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Wood will be re-evaluated next week.
Per ESPN.com, “Wood, a summer trade acquisition who opened the season as a sixth man but has been starting at center over the past month, ranks second on for Dallas behind superstar Luka Doncic in scoring (18.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.4).”
The Sacramento Kings have signed PJ Dozier to a second 10-day contract.
Dozier signed a 10-day contract with Sacramento on Jan. 9 and has appeared in three games for the Kings. Prior to joining the Kings this season, Dozier played for the Iowa Wolves, the Minnesota Timberwolves G-League affiliate, where he averaged 18.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 36.8 minutes per game in the regular season.
The 26-year-old has seen action in 108 regular season NBA games and 12 NBA playoff games. Dozier, a Columbia, South Carolina, native played for the Denver Nuggets from 2019-2022.
Via ESPN.com:
The Sacramento Kings ended Wednesday night’s game on an 8-3 run in the final minute to beat the Lakers 116-111, handing L.A. its third loss in the past week by a total of 10 points.
Afterward, LeBron James said the Lakers have “zero room for error” given the injuries the team is dealing with.
“We are limited with bodies,” James said. “So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back … we got to continue to play how we’ve played the last couple games. Play mistake-free basketball.”
James led L.A. with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and was on the floor more than any other Laker — logging 36 minutes, 30 seconds of playing time.
Ford Family Statement
The Ford family is sad to announce the passing of Chris on January 17, 2023. Chris was beloved by his family, friends, and teammates. He had a great love for his family, the city of Boston, the fans, and the entire Celtics family. He always showed humility and respect for all those that were fortunate enough to be a part of his life.
Boston Celtics Statement
As a player and coach, Chris Ford’s career spanned over a decade of Celtics basketball, and he made his mark every step of the way. He was a member of three NBA World Championship Boston Celtics teams, one as a key player on the 1981 Champions, and subsequently as an assistant coach for the 1984 and 1986 champs. Ford went on to become the team’s eleventh head coach, leading his former teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish to multiple playoff appearances in the trio’s final days together. ‘Doc,’ as he was affectionately known by his teammates, was a fundamentally versatile all-around guard. He was voted the team’s MVP in his first season with the Celtics, and he is famously credited with scoring the NBA’s first three-point basket. Ford joined an elite group of Celtics’ personnel (Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, and K.C. Jones) who have earned championship rings as both a player and coach with the organization. The Boston Celtics sends their deepest sympathies to the Ford family and their many friends.
PER THE DETROIT NEWS: “Chris Ford, a member of the Detroit Pistons’ top 50 players of all-time who later made the first 3-pointer in NBA history, has died. Ford, who reportedly recently suffered a heart attack, died Tuesday. He was 74. Ford was the 17th overall pick by the Pistons in the 1972 NBA Draft out of Villanova, and played seven of his 11 seasons with Detroit. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged double-digits in scoring in seasons for the Pistons, including 12.3 points in the 1976-77 season. In 1978-79, he was averaging 11 points when Detroit traded him to Boston for Earl Tatum.”
The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Donovan Williams to a two-way contract.
Williams appeared in 26 total games (19 starts) for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League this season, tallying 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 28.6 minutes (.481 FG%, .407 3FG%, .658 FT%). He scored 20-or-more points six times, including pouring in a career-best 30 points in a win on Nov. 23, 2022, over the Raptors 905.
The 6-6 guard saw action in five games with the Brooklyn Nets during the NBA 2K23 Summer League in Las Vegas, registering 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.8 minutes (.667 FG%, .750 3FG%, .750 FT%). Undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Williams was signed by the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 12, 2022, before being placed on waivers on Oct. 16, 2022.
A native of Houston, Texas, Williams suited up for the Texas Longhorns for two seasons (2019-21) before transferring to UNLV (2021-22). In his three collegiate seasons, he appeared in 68 games (14 starts), owning averages of 7.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.4 minutes (.435 FG%, .338 3FG%, .667 FT%). During the 2021-22 campaign as a Runnin’ Rebel, he saw action in 27 games (13 starts) and recorded career highs of 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in a career-best 22.3 minutes (.488 FG%, .436 3FG%).
Williams will wear No. 4 with the Hawks.
The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Joe Wieskamp to a second 10-day contract.
Wieskamp, 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, appeared in one game with Toronto’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905, during his first 10-day contract with the Raptors. He posted 19 points (6-9 FG, 4-6 3PT, 2-2 FT) and seven rebounds in the 905’s 122-119 win over Capital City on Jan. 9.
A native of Muscatine, Iowa, Wieskamp averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 29.4 minutes in 13 games (two regular season/11 Showcase Cup) with the Wisconsin Herd in the NBA G League this season. He shot .494 (79-160) from the field, .402 (33-82) from three-point range and .769 (20-26) from the free throw line.
Wieskamp was picked 41st overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by San Antonio. He appeared in 29 contests for the Spurs last season, averaging 2.1 points and 7.1 minutes.
Prior to being drafted, Wieskamp spent three collegiate seasons at Iowa (2018-21), where he was named All-Big Ten Second Team as a junior. He was also voted to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2019.
The Delta Center is coming back to Utah. The global airline will assume the naming rights for Utah’s premier sports and entertainment center – which is home to the Utah Jazz and more than 320 evenings of events each year – effective July 2023 as part of a multi-year partnership between the two organizations.
This agreement is a homecoming for Delta, harkening back to the arena’s original opening in 1991 when the airline held the naming rights as part of its first sponsorship with the NBA franchise. Within the long-term agreement, Delta will serve as the Official Airline of the Utah Jazz, adding to its current role as an Official Community Partner of the team. Delta will also hold numerous sponsorship and branding rights with the team, including media, hospitality and employee engagement extensions.