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The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on forward Matt Ryan.
Ryan appeared in 12 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 3.9 points (.371 3FG%) and 1.2 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game. The 25-year-old was originally signed by Los Angeles on Sept. 26.
The San Antonio Spurs are set to continue their 50th anniversary celebration with their “1999 Championship Night” on Friday, Dec. 2 when the team hosts the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m.
The special night honoring San Antonio’s first-ever championship will be highlighted by a David Robinson bobblehead giveaway to the first 10,000 fans in attendance and a pregame meet-and-greet with 1999 Champion Sean Elliott.
George Gervin’s bobblehead giveaway on Nov. 7 kicked off the collectible five-part series that ultimately come together as one unit to form a Spurs river barge, made popular during the team’s championship celebrations. Now, David Robinson’s piece of the puzzle will be available to early-arriving attendees, alongside a chance to meet Spurs TV analyst Sean Elliott on the main concourse before the game starting at 6 p.m.
David Robinson is a two-time NBA Champion with the Spurs, as well as a 10-time NBA All-Star and the league’s MVP in 1995. His No. 50 jersey is retired by the Spurs in the rafters of the AT&T Center after his 14-year career, all in San Antonio, where he helped the Silver and Black win titles in 1999 and 2003.
Sean Elliott helped the Spurs capture the 1999 Championship, most notably with his game-winning three-pointer dubbed the “Memorial Day Miracle” in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. Elliott was a two-time All-Star who also has his jersey retired by the Spurs.
The Dallas Mavericks yesterday signed free agent guard Kemba Walker.
Walker (6-0, 178) holds career averages of 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 33.3 minutes per game in 741 games (696 starts) with Charlotte, Boston and New York. He has shot 36.0% (1,663-4,614 3FG) from 3-point range and 84.0% (2,801-3,333 FT) from the foul line for his career.
The 11-year veteran averaged 20-plus points in five straight seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20, earning four consecutive All-Star nods from 2017 to 2020. Walker, who garnered All-NBA Third Team accolades with Charlotte in 2018-19, is also a two-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award (2016-17 and 2017-18).
Walker was selected by Charlotte with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent his first eight seasons with the Bobcats/Hornets. On July 6, 2019, he was dealt to Boston along with a 2020 second-round pick in exchange for Terry Rozier and a 2020 second-round selection. After spending two seasons with the Celtics, Walker was traded to Oklahoma City along with a 2021 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round selection in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick on June 18, 2021. He was waived by Oklahoma City on Aug. 6, 2021, and signed with New York on Aug. 11, 2021.
After appearing in 37 games (all starts) for the Knicks in 2021-22, the 32-year-old was traded to Detroit along with the draft rights to the 13th overall pick Jalen Duren in exchange for a 2025 first-round selection. Walker was waived by the Pistons on Oct. 17 and became a free agent.
The Bronx native was a three-year player at the University of Connecticut, where as a junior, he led the Huskies to the 2011 national championship en route to being named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding player. Among his other accolades earned in 2011, Walker also took home the Bob Cousy Award for college basketball’s top point guard in the nation.
Walker will wear No. 34 for the Mavericks.
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the following injury update on forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns who suffered a lower leg injury at the 5:25 minute mark of the third quarter yesterday at Washington:
An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) taken today at Mayo Clinic Square by Dr. Kelechi Okoroha on Towns confirmed a right calf strain. He will be sidelined indefinitely and reassessed in several weeks. Further updates to his progress will be issued when available.
In 21 games (all starts) this season, Towns is averaging 20.8 points on 50.5% shooting, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, who has missed the last four games with right ankle soreness, received an MRI examination yesterday that revealed a bone bruise. He will be listed as out for Wednesday’s game at Brooklyn and his status beyond Wednesday will be determined by his clinical evolution.
Hachimura originally injured his ankle on Nov. 20 in the Wizards’ game vs. Charlotte.
The San Antonio Spurs have signed forward Alize Johnson and waived Jordan Hall.
During the Spurs 50th Anniversary season, Johnson becomes the 50th call-up from the NBA in Austin Spurs history.
Johnson, 6-7/210, played in four preseason games with San Antonio this year before joining Austin on Oct. 15. He appeared in six games with Austin this season, averaging 22.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 34.7 minutes while shooting 59.8% from the field. Originally drafted by Indiana with the 50th overall selection in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Missouri State alum spent two seasons with the Pacers before stints with the Nets, Bulls, Wizards, and Pelicans. He holds career averages 2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes across 72 NBA games.
Hall was called up to the Spurs from Austin on Nov. 2 and appeared in nine games with San Antonio, averaging 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 9.1 minutes.
The Spurs roster now stands at 17 players.
The Phoenix Suns have promoted James Jones to President of Basketball Operations and General Manager.
Jones, who played for the team from 2005-07, was originally named the Suns’ general manager in 2019 after rejoining the franchise as vice president of basketball operations in 2017.
Per the Arizona Republic, “the Suns hired NBA associate vice president Morgan Cato as an assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations in June of this year.”
Suns Interim Governor Sam Garvin: “In the nearly 15 years I have known James, he has excelled in every role he performed, from player to NBPA Treasurer to his roles in our front office, most recently as general manager. James has the unique ability to create and lead high-performing teams in basketball operations and his commitment to collaborating with our business side, including at the C-level with partners like PayPal and Verizon, is second to none. We are fortunate for his contributions across the organization and this promotion recognizes his commitment to excellence.”
Now in his fourth season as the Suns head of basketball, the successes of Jones and his staff in their first three seasons include an undefeated NBA Bubble run (2020), consecutive playoff berths after a 10-year drought (2020-21, 2021-22), back-to-back Pacific Division titles (2020-21, 2021-22), a single-season franchise-record 64 regular season wins (2021-22), a franchise-record 18-game win streak (2021-22), a Western Conference title (2020-21), and the league’s best record since the start of the 2020-21 season. Jones was honored as NBA Executive of the Year in 2021.
Jones: “I am grateful for the privilege to work with and support the players, staff and employees of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. The collective efforts of our business and basketball operations have allowed us to provide an amazing atmosphere and best-in-class experience for our fans and community. I remain excited about and dedicated to driving success for our Teams on and off the court.”
The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Facundo Campazzo.
Campazzo (5-11, 165) first joined the NBA by signing with the Denver Nuggets in November of 2020 after a decorated international career playing in Argentina and Spain. He signed with the Mavericks on Oct. 18, 2022, and played in eight games this season with 10 points, nine assists and six steals.
The NBA today announced Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart as the NBA Cares Community Assist Award winner for the month of October in recognition of his ongoing support for pediatric cancer patients and commitment to creating access to opportunity for inner-city student-athletes.
Each month of the regular season the award recognizes a player who best demonstrates the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.
PER THE LEAGUE
Since joining the Boston Celtics in 2014, Smart has made it a priority to visit the Boston Children’s Hospital to spend one-on-one time with kids undergoing cancer treatments. As part of this effort, he also works to donate mobile charging stations loaded with tablets and video game consoles called “Smart Carts” designed to serve as entertainment hubs, as well as portals for communication and diversion during patients’ treatment and recovery. Over the past year and a half, Smart and his foundation, the YounGameChanger Foundation, have made “Smart Carts” available in seven different children’s hospitals throughout New England, one in his hometown of Dallas, TX, and two in collaboration with the JLH Social Impact Fund founded by Jrue (Milwaukee Bucks) and Lauren Holiday to support virtual programming at Children’s Wisconsin Hospital.
Smart primarily engages with his community through the YounGameChanger Foundation, a 501c3 he founded in 2014 to serve as a source of guidance, motivation, encouragement and empowerment for inner-city student-athletes to become game changers both on and off the court or field. The organization creates opportunities through education, sports and mentorship with emphasis on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) and also seeks to provide inspiration and life-changing experiences for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Earlier this month on Nov. 10, Smart hosted his biggest fundraiser of the year, the Bowling Bash, to help further support his foundation’s donation of “Smart Carts” and laptops to children’s hospitals and communities in need.
“I started my YounGameChangers Foundation to serve as a source of guidance, motivation and empowerment for youth to be game changers on and off the court,” said Marcus Smart. “You never know what people are going through, so giving back to make their lives better in any way and letting them know they are not alone is important to me. I am honored to receive this award and will continue prioritizing serving my community.”
Smart will be recognized during an on-court ceremony before the Celtics’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Steve Pagliuca, Boston Celtics co-owner and president of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, will present him with the award. The NBA will donate $10,000 to the YounGameChanger Foundation.
Dennis Scott will become the 12th inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame, CEO Alex Martins has announced.
Date and time for the induction ceremony will be determined at a later date.
“Dennis (Scott) still remains one of the elite, long-range shooters in both Orlando Magic and NBA history,” said Martins. “His ability to shoot from beyond the three-point arc was a major key to our success during his time in Orlando and his records stand to this day. We are proud to make Dennis the next inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.”
Originally selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft by Orlando, Scott played seven seasons with the Magic from 1990-97. He played in 446 regular season games (322 starts) with Orlando, averaging 14.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg. and 2.3 apg. in 30.7 minpg., while shooting .403 (981-2,432) from three-point range.
During the 1995-96 campaign, Scott set a then-NBA single season-record with 267 three-pointers made, a standard that lasted for ten years. The 267 three-pointers made remains the franchise record for most made in a season. On April 18, 1996 vs. Atlanta, Scott connected on 11 three-pointers, breaking the then-NBA single game-record, a mark that lasted for almost seven seasons. The 11 three-pointers made also remains the franchise record for most made in a game.
Scott also appeared in 41 playoff games (31 starts) with Orlando, averaging 12.2 ppg., 3.0 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 33.8 minpg., while shooting .364 (92-253) from three-point range. On May 25, 1995 vs. Indiana, he made seven three-pointers during Game #2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, setting a franchise playoff-record that still stands today. Scott helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals.
Scott remains the Orlando Magic all-time leader in three-pointers made with 981. Entering this season, he also ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals attempted (second, 2,432), field goals attempted (seventh, 5,737), games played (eighth, 446), steals (eighth, 429), points scored (tenth, 6,603), field goals made (tenth, 2,421) and minutes played (tenth, 13,692).
The Orlando Magic unveiled its inaugural Hall of Fame class on April 9, 2014 naming the first two inductees, Magic co-founder Pat Williams and the team’s first-ever draft pick and current community ambassador, Nick Anderson. Scott also joins Shaquille O’Neal (2015), the late Rich DeVos (2016), Anfernee Hardaway (2017), Jimmy Hewitt (2017), Tracy McGrady (2018), David Steele (2019), Darrell Armstrong (2020), John Gabriel (2022) and Brian Hill (2022) in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
The Orlando Magic Hall of Fame honors and celebrates the great players, coaches and executives who have had a major impact during the team’s illustrious 34-year history. It bridges the past with the future of Magic basketball, and the exhibit, located in Amway Center on the terrace level near Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience, provides Magic fans an opportunity to learn some Magic history while in the building. The inductees are selected based on their overall on and off the court contributions to the team and organization, years of service, impact in the community and general character of the individual.