Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Jaylen Brown reportedly signing with Kanye West’s Donda Sports

Some sports marketing news, via ESPN.com:

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he believes joining up with Kayne West’s marketing firm is the start of a “beautiful collaboration.”

It became public this week that the Celtics forward was the first NBA player to sign with Donda Sports, a fledgling marketing company that is part of West’s larger clothing line. Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald recently said he’d joined the firm.

With the NBA Finals set to begin, Donda Sports would be smart to issue a press release on this, sooner rather than later.

Los Angeles Lakers 2022-23 preseason game schedule

The Los Angeles Lakers 2022-23 preseason schedule was announced today.

The Lakers will open preseason on Monday, October 3 in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena versus the Sacramento Kings. Los Angeles will then head to Las Vegas for back-to-back games against the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers will play their final three preseason games on a California swing against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, at home versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, and on the road at Golden 1 Center versus the Sacramento Kings.

2022-23 LAKERS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
All Times Local

October 3: vs. Sacramento, in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena, 7:30 p.m.

October 5: vs. Phoenix, in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, 7:00 p.m.

October 6: vs. Minnesota, in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, 7:00 p.m.

October 9: at Golden State, in San Francisco at Chase Center, TBA

October 12: vs. Minnesota, in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena, 7:00 p.m.

October 14: at Sacramento, Sacramento at Golden 1 Center, 7:00 p.m.

Gary Payton II wins 2021-22 NBA season Bob Lanier Community Assist Award

The NBA today announced it will rename the Season-long NBA Cares Community Assist Award in honor of late Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA Global Ambassador, Bob Lanier, for his dedication to teaching NBA values and making a positive impact on communities across the globe.

And the first winner of the new Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for the 2021-22 season is Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II.

Payton was selected by fans during a 12-day public voting period and by an NBA executive panel for his sustained community outreach in support of youth in the Bay Area over the course of the season.

PER THE NBA:

Payton II has prioritized engaging with and giving back to his community, particularly through initiatives related to youth with learning disabilities and those dealing with hardship. This season, he founded the GPII Foundation, a nonprofit that acts as a conduit for Dyslexia-awareness, an educational disability he has dealt with throughout his life. The foundation provides funding for educators to become certified in early intervention services and support for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, including early screening, detection and certified assessment for youth and young adults.

Payton’s own personal struggle with dyslexia, and his passion and efforts to uplift young people impacted, led to the Warriors expanding their Read to Achieve program to specifically include students with learning disabilities. He also led attended a rally at San Francisco City Hall in support of universal screening for risk of dyslexia via Senate Bill 237 and hosted his first-ever Reading Rally with Decoding Dyslexia for students affected by learning disabilities. Additionally, Payton participated in the Warriors’ Black History Month celebrations and 75th Anniversary Live, Learn or Play Center dedication, among other events. He was awarded the January monthly NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Lanier, a League Office executive and NBA Global Ambassador for more than 30 years, 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. An author and humanitarian, Lanier was the recipient of many distinguished awards throughout his lifetime, including the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award for his significant contributions to civil and human rights and the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award as a player. The legacy he built will continue to live on through the seasonlong Community Assist Award recognition, which honors the next generation of players’ commitment to positively impacting their community throughout the NBA season.

2022 NBA Finals game schedule

Game 1: Thursday, June 2: Boston vs. Golden State, 9 ET, ABC

Game 2: Sunday, June 5: Boston vs. Golden State, 8 ET, ABC

Game 3: Wednesday, June 8: Golden State vs. Boston, 9 ET, ABC

Game 4: Friday, June 10: Golden State vs. Boston, 9 ET, ABC

Game 5: Monday, June 13: Boston vs. Golden State, 9 ET, ABC (If necessary)

Game 6: Thursday, June 16: Golden State vs. Boston, 9 ET, ABC (If necessary)

Game 7: Sunday, June 19: Boston vs. Golden State, 8 ET, ABC (If necessary)

Chauncey Billups praises Lakers’ choice of Darvin Ham as new coach

Here’s the Los Angeles Times, via the Detroit News website, with reaction to the news that the next Los Angeles Lakers head coach is going to be Darvin Ham:

The news of Ham’s hiring — which still hasn’t been announced by the Lakers — has been met with endorsements from those who crossed paths with Ham during his career: former coaches, teammates and colleagues lauding the Lakers for handing things over to a first-time coach.

“He’s going to be honest as a coach of the Lakers, which is what I think you need in the NBA today — somebody that’s going to be honest but know how to be honest without actually just tearing you down,” former teammate and Pistons great Chauncey Billups, now the coach in Portland said Saturday. “What can you say? He’s won as a player. He’s won as a coach. I mean, this dude is more than qualified for the task at hand. I’m so happy and proud of him. I spoke to him last night and he was so excited.”

Billups thinks the Lakers got it right.

“He’s ready for this job. He’s the right guy for this Lakers job,” Billups said.

Warriors eliminate Mavericks in five games to reach 2022 NBA Finals

ESPN.com: The Golden State Warriors are heading back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019 and for the sixth time in the last eight years. The Warriors punched their ticket with their 120-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 on the Western Conference Semifinals on Thursday night. Klay Thompson played his best game of the series, finishing with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting, including eight 3-pointers.

ESPN.com: Stephen Curry celebrated the Golden State Warriors’ return to the NBA Finals by adding a new trophy to his collection as he was named the first Western Conference finals Most Valuable Player on Thursday. After the Warriors eliminated the Dallas Mavericks with their 120-110 win in Game 5, Curry was handed the brand-new Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP trophy and was immediately hugged and lifted in the air by his teammates. Nine members of the media voted on the series MVP at the end of the game.

San Jose Mercury News: “Steph Curry added to a dusty trophy case Thursday night as the Western Conference Finals’ MVP. What comes with that is the NBA’s inaugural Magic Johnson Trophy, named after the Los Angeles Lakers’ legend. “The new trophy is pretty cool,” Curry said, “especially with who it’s named after and the standard that Magic set in terms of being a champion and playing the point guard position — and other positions — and the excellence he had through his career.” What may be surprising is that Curry’s trophy case is not as filled as you might suspect for a Warriors legend who’s closing in on his fourth NBA championship. In his three NBA Finals triumphs, MVP honors did not go to Curry, but rather Andre Iguodala in 2015 and Kevin Durant in 2017 and ’18. Of course, that Larry O’Brien Trophy is Curry and the Warriors’ ultimate goal once the NBA Finals get underway for the first time in San Francisco, at the Chase Center next Thursday night.”

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson cleared to resume full basketball activities

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that recent imaging of forward Zion Williamson’s right fifth metatarsal showed continued improvement.

Williamson has been cleared in his return to play progression without any restrictions.

And via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The 21-year-old star, who missed the entirety of his third season with a broken right foot, has progressed to the point where he no longer needs guardrails in his recovery process. A recent round of medical imaging showed that Williamson can run, cut and jump without any hindrances.

Williamson broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot sometime before NBA Summer League in August. The injury did not become public until late September. Neither the team nor Williamson said exactly when it occurred…

Williamson has one year remaining on his rookie deal. He is eligible for a contract extension worth as much as $181 million over five years.

Bulls and Pistons to play a January 2023 NBA regular season game in Paris, France

The NBA Paris Game 2023 will feature the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls and the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons playing a regular-season game at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.

The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the Bulls’ third game in Paris, having played two preseason games in the French capital in 1997. Chicago currently features five-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan, two-time NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk champion Zach LaVine, and two-time NBA All-Star Nikola Vučević (Montenegro). The Bulls won six NBA championships spanning eight years, becoming only the third franchise in league history to win three consecutive titles twice (1991-93 and 1996-98).

The Pistons will be playing their first game in France, having previously played regular-season games in London (2013) and Mexico City (2019). Detroit currently features 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant, 2020 No. 7 overall draft pick Killian Hayes (France), and 2021 NBA All-Rookie Team members Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons won NBA titles in 1989, 1990 and 2004 and made six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances from 2003 to 2008.

The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the first NBA game in Europe since 2020 and the league’s 12th game in France since 1991. The NBA Paris Game 2020 – the first regular-season NBA game in Paris – took place Jan. 24, 2020, and featured the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks.

In addition to The NBA Paris Game 2023, the league and its partners will conduct interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in the French capital.

The NBA’s presence in France spans more than 35 years. NBA games and programming have aired in France since the 1984-85 season, and the league played its first game in France in 1991. In addition to 12 preseason and regular-season games in France, the league has hosted interactive fan events, appearances by current and former players, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and, in 2007, Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen seven French players drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents, including Hayes.

Opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 NBA season featured 12 French players. During the 2021-22 season, live NBA games and programming air in France on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, including 48 weekend games in primetime as part of the league’s “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K22” primetime initiative. The Jr. NBA “Challenges Benjamin(e)s” program in partnership with the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), now in its 12th year, has reached more than 260,000 boys and girls across the country since the 2009-10 season. In addition to FFBB, the NBA has also collaborated with the Union Nationale du Sport Scolaire (UNSS), a government body that oversees the organization and development of sports activities in schools, to operate the 2022 Jr. NBA FFBB UNSS League for boys and girls in Marseille.

Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President – Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas: “It is a great honor to bring Chicago Bulls basketball back to Paris for The NBA Paris Game 2023 – an event that illustrates the league’s commitment to amplifying the national and global impact of basketball. Having played several games in Paris during my career, I know how special this will be for our players, our organization, and our international fanbase. We look forward to representing Chicago overseas and are grateful for the opportunity to do so.”

Detroit Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver: “The Detroit Pistons organization is excited to take on the Chicago Bulls and play our first-ever game in France. Playing a regular-season game in Paris will be a great experience for our players and coaches and we look forward to showcasing Detroit Basketball to an international audience.”

NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director Ralph Rivera: “The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are two of the most historic franchises in the NBA and feature an exciting mix of rising young players and established All-Stars. Welcoming the Bulls and Pistons to Paris for our second regular-season game will be a highlight for fans in France and across Europe, and with Paris hosting the Summer Olympics in 2024, basketball and the NBA are well-positioned for continued growth in France for years to come.”

Deputy Mayor in Charge of Sport for the City of Paris Pierre Rabadan: “The City of Paris is extremely proud to host these two iconic teams in the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. This is an exciting match-up that brings to mind the historic showdown between these Eastern Conference franchises. Basketball fans in France have been looking forward to seeing a game of this magnitude again, and I would like to thank our NBA partners for once again choosing Paris for this regular-season game. Paris vibrates with the sport of basketball all year long and this major event will contribute to further developing what is such a dynamic sport, so I have no doubt Parisians will be excited by this news.”

Accor Arena CEO Nicolas Dupeux: “The Accor Arena proudly hosted the first-ever regular-season NBA game in France in 2020, which captivated fans and showcased our world-class facility to a global audience. It is therefore an honor to once again host a regular-season game in 2023, which will provide fans with a great show of sportsmanship and entertainment as boldness and excellence continue to guide our programming.”

Bulls guard Zach LaVine undergoes knee surgery

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine underwent left knee arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday May 24th at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.

Per the Chicago Tribune, “the left knee was already a concern for LaVine, who tore his ACL in 2017. He spent the week before this season’s All-Star break in Los Angeles to receive cortisone and platelet-rich plasma injections, missing two games. LaVine continued to miss games throughout the final third of the regular season, struggling with pain and discomfort during games and on the bench.

And per the Bulls, LaVine is expected to make a full recovery.