Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Former Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton has died

A big loss was suffered today. Via the Salt Lake Tribune:

Utah Jazz All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Mark Eaton has died, the Jazz confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday morning. He was 64.

KUTV reports that Eaton’s death came after he went for a bike ride in Summit County around 8 p.m. MT, and didn’t return home. It is not immediately clear if that was due to a medical episode or some other sort of accident.

From the Utah Jazz: “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. 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.”

Eaton played his entire NBA career (1982-93) with the Utah Jazz. The 7-4 center out of UCLA was drafted by the Jazz in the fourth round of the 1984 NBA Draft. In his 11 NBA seasons, he appeared in 875 games, totaling 5,216 points, 6,939 rebounds and 3,064 blocked shots (fourth-most in NBA history). He led the league in blocks in 1984, ’85, ’87, and ’88.

Eaton was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1985 and 1989), a 1989 NBA All-Star and was named to five All-Defensive teams (three First Team and two Second Team honors). One of the best defensive players in NBA history, Eaton holds the NBA record for most blocks in a season (456) and career average blocked shots per game (3.50).

After Eaton retired from the game in 1993, he only further established himself as a member of the Salt Lake community. Eaton owned two restaurants, Tuscany’s and Franck’s in Holladay. He also became an author and a motivational speaker.

Eaton’s #53 jersey was retired by the Utah Jazz during the 1995-96 season.

Hawks forward/center John Collins wins inaugural Sekou Smith Award

The Atlanta Hawks tonight announced forward/center John Collins as the recipient of the inaugural Sekou Smith Award, which annually honors the player on the team’s roster who best represents themselves and the franchise with professionalism and integrity in their interactions with the media.

Several members of Smith’s family were in attendance at tonight’s game to take part in a pregame presentation. Collins was selected via a vote from a select local media panel.

In addition to the award, the Hawks will name the media workroom at State Farm Arena after Smith, redesigning the space to honor his memory. The Sekou Smith Press Room will formally open to media for the 2021-22 NBA season.

The team will also launch an annual Hawks-NBA Summer League internship in Smith’s name. Each summer, a journalism or multi-media student from a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) school will be selected to serve as the Hawks’ beat writer for NBA Summer League, and their work will appear on the team’s digital team properties, providing valuable experience and clips. In addition to covering associated travel costs, the Hawks will provide a stipend to the intern. The SWAC is comprised of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) including Jackson State University, Smith’s alma mater.

Smith served as the AJC’s Hawks beat writer from 2005-09 before joining NBA Digital as a multimedia reporter and analyst. He also spent time at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, MS and the Indianapolis Star, where he covered the Indiana Pacers as the team’s beat writer.

Hawks at Knicks Game 5 in MSG has sold out

The New York Knicks today announced that Game 5 of their 2021 NBA playoffs series against the Atlanta Hawks, scheduled for June 2, has sold out.

This follows Game 1, when the Knicks welcomed more than 15,000 fans and Game 2, when they expanded their seating for fully-vaccinated fans and increased capacity to more than 16,000.

Per the Knicks, the two games mark the largest indoor crowds to gather in New York since the start of the pandemic.

Also per the team, “given the enthusiastic response to vaccination requirements, the team also announced that, should they advance past round one, tickets will be sold exclusively to fully-vaccinated individuals.”

“The energy our Knicks fans have brought to the playoffs has been incredible – proving there’s nothing more exciting than Knicks basketball at The Garden,” said David Hopkinson, EVP, MSG Sports and President, Team Business Operations. “It’s moments like this that show us what’s possible if everyone gets vaccinated – we’ll all be able to get back to doing what we love— and that definitely includes being together to cheer on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.”

More from the team: “During the first round of the playoffs, fully-vaccinated fans are making up more than 90% of those in attendance at The Garden. Following New York State guidelines, fully-vaccinated sections do not require social distancing and individuals do not need to wear masks when seated. Children under the age of 16 are permitted to sit in a vaccinated section if they provide proof of a negative antigen or PCR COVID-19 test, or full vaccination. Unvaccinated children must wear masks while seated in a vaccinated section, except while actively eating or drinking. Non-vaccinated fans have continued to sit in socially distanced seating and maintain mask requirements except while actively eating or drinking. For entry, all fans must present valid proof of either full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test, along with an appropriate ID matching their documentation.”

Sacramento Kings basketball staff promotions

The Sacramento Kings announced staff updates within the basketball operations department ahead of the 2021-22 NBA regular season, including the promotions of Paul Johnson to Vice President of Player Development (in addition to his current role as Stockton Kings General Manager), Jonah Herscu to Sacramento Kings Assistant Coach, Rahsaan Gethers to Director of Media Relations, Penny Chatzis to Director of Team Player Development, Robbie Lemons to Director of Basketball Operations and Akachi Okugo to Stockton Kings Assistant Coach.

“Today we are announcing a number of promotions within the Kings basketball operations department,” said Kings General Manager Monte McNair. “Over the course of our first and unique season together, many in the department deserve recognition for their contributions. I am pleased to congratulate Paul, Jonah, Rahsaan, Penny, Robbie and Akachi on their promotions.”

Johnson joined the organization in 2020 as Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager of Sacramento’s G League affiliate Stockton Kings, where he has led Stockton’s front office with involvement in multiple aspects of Kings basketball operations. With more than eight years of experience in the NBA, Johnson served as the Assistant General Manager of the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue prior to his arrival in Sacramento. Additionally, Johnson was Pro Evaluation Coordinator for the Oklahoma City Thunder and a Referee Operations Analyst with the NBA. Johnson played collegiate basketball at La Salle University in the Atlantic 10 Conference where he served as team captain.

Herscu has served as Advance Scout with Sacramento for the past two seasons since joining the Kings in 2019. Previously, Jonah spent three seasons as an advance scout and player development assistant (2018-19) with the Los Angeles Lakers, along with assistant video coordinator (2016-18). Herscu carries 13 seasons of professional experience having worked in the NBA, NBA G League and WNBA as either an assistant coach or video coordinator. Herscu began his career with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2013, and was also an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Additionally, he has served in the video department for the Chicago Bulls.

Gethers has served eight seasons with the Kings. He has most recently worked with current Kings Director of Media Relations Alexander Sigua on basketball communications strategies, arranging interviews and attending to media. He has also been responsible for producing all sports information for all games, practices and offseason publications. The Colorado native started as a game night staff member of the Nuggets media department for three seasons, prior to becoming an intern with Denver. Gethers is a 2008 graduate of the University of Arizona.

Chatzis has served four seasons with the Kings, most recently as Executive Assistant to Kings General Manager Monte McNair and as Player Services Administrator. Chatzis supports all areas of basketball administration and proactively manages the day-to-day needs of the Kings front office. Penny has also been responsible for overseeing Player Services and Player Relations, which includes the onboarding of players into the organization, while also assisting with community integration. Chatzis also supports the management of player community appearances.

Lemons has served for five seasons with the Kings, starting his career as Scouting Coordinator and Basketball Operations Coordinator. In a hybrid role, Lemons has provided support to several branches of basketball operations, including the analytics, scouting and strategy departments. Before joining the Kings, Lemons graduated with honors from Stanford University in 2015 with a BA in Economics and a MA in Public Policy. He played on Stanford’s basketball team (2010-14) and was awarded First Team Pac-12 All Academic Selection and the Pac-12 Leadership Award.

Okugo previously served for four seasons in player development with Sacramento and Stockton. Prior to that, he served for two seasons as an assistant player development coach. A graduate of California State University, San Marcos, Okugo was a member of the men’s basketball team and ranks second in school history for three-point field goals made. Okugo also played at Grand Canyon University, and earned First Team All-State of California honors at Yuba City Community College. He received Most Valuable Player honors in the Bay Valley Conference.

Lakers and AEG sign deal to keep Staples Center as Lakers’ home through 2041 NBA season

The Los Angeles Lakers and AEG, the owners of STAPLES Center, have signed a long-term lease extension agreement ensuring that the defending World Champions will remain in their downtown Los Angeles home arena through the 2041 season.

Since beginning their first season on November 3, 1999 at the venue, the Lakers have achieved the most successful two decades in franchise history, posting both regular season (987-780) and playoff (139-79) records during that time on the way to winning six NBA championships, including last season’s record tying 17th title in the NBA bubble.

Separately, AEG and the Lakers confirmed their plans to make a wide array of significant capital improvements and upgrades throughout STAPLES Center.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with AEG. STAPLES Center ranks as one of the best arenas in the world to play and watch basketball and we are thrilled to be able to call it home for another two decades,” said Jeanie Buss, Governor, Los Angeles Lakers. The decision was made first and foremost with our fans and players in mind and AEG’s commitment to investing significant capital in the arena means that the Lakers will continue to play in one of the world’s premier venues. From the very beginning, AEG proved to be more than just the best arena operators in our industry, and on a daily basis they continue demonstrating why they are the best partner an organization could ask for.”

“When we began developing STAPLES Center, AEG had a singular goal — to create a showplace venue that would become the heart of sports in Los Angeles, home to the best franchises, events and fans,” said Dan Beckerman, CEO and President, AEG. “There is no doubt that our partnership with the Buss Family and the Lakers solidified the arena’s legendary status from the beginning and brought some of the most memorable moments in sports and entertainment history to fans. We look forward to another 20 years of our successful partnership with the Lakers and believe that the investments we are making will ensure that STAPLES Center remains the epicenter for sports and entertainment, delivering the most exciting events in the world.”

“The true winners today and for the future are our incredible fans, the greatest fans in all of professional sports,” said Tim Harris, President of Business Operations, Los Angeles Lakers. “For more than 20 years, Dan, Lee, and everyone on the arena’s staff has continually shared our vision and commitment to delivering first-class experiences to our players and our fans.”

“I couldn’t be more thrilled with today’s announcement and want to thank all of my colleagues who have played such important roles in creating so many unforgettable sports and entertainment moments in our arena,” said Lee Zeidman, President of STAPLES Center, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE. “For the past two decades, along with hosting 11 championship seasons achieved by the Lakers, Kings and Sparks, STAPLES Center and LA LIVE have helped drive the revitalization of downtown, bringing millions of fans to Los Angeles each year. Our planned renovations combined with the new Laker championships that are destined to be in our future, mean that the best is yet to come.”

In G League, Stockton Kings name Bobby Jackson new head coach

The Sacramento Kings today named assistant coach and Kings legend Bobby Jackson as head coach of the team’s NBA G League affiliate, Stockton Kings.

Jackson becomes head coach having spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach/player development coach for the Sacramento Kings under head coach Luke Walton. Jackson spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant player development coach and the previous three seasons as a collegiate scout for the organization. He has also served as a regional scout and player development coach for the Kings (2010-2012) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2013).

“We are thrilled to have Bobby lead our G League team and continue its development towards our future,” said Sacramento Kings General Manager Monte McNair. “Bobby has been a mainstay in the Kings organization for more than two decades contributing his relentless hard work, valuable knowledge and mentorship over time.”

“I am excited to be in lockstep with Bobby in the development of the Stockton Kings,” said Sacramento Kings Director of Basketball Operations and Stockton Kings General Manager Paul Johnson. “Bobby is a consummate professional and we are looking forward to getting to work.”

As a member of the Kings, the Salisbury, North Carolina native played six seasons accruing averages of 10.6 points (.440 FG%, .356 3pt%, .810 FT%), 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 22.7 minutes per game through 365 career games in the Capital City, punctuated by winning the 2003 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Over the course of 12 seasons in the NBA, Jackson posted averages of 9.7 points (.417 FG%, .354 3pt%, .793 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.98 steals and 22.2 minutes per contest in 755 games (started 143), for six teams: Denver (1997-98), Minnesota (1998-2000), Sacramento (2000-05 & 2008-09), Memphis (2005-06), New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2006-08) and Houston (2008).

Prior to his professional career, Jackson led the University of Minnesota to the school’s only Final Four appearance, posting 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists en route to earning 1997 Second Team All-American and Big 10 Player of the Year honors.

Julius Randle wins 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player award

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been named the 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player.

A first-time NBA All-Star selection in his seventh season, Randle becomes the first player to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award with New York. The annual award, which was first presented in the 1985-86 season, is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.

Randle received 98 first-place votes and earned 493 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant received the other two first-place votes and finished in second place with 140 points. Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. finished in third place with 138 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

In his second season with the Knicks, Randle averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in an NBA-high 37.6 minutes in 71 games. He set career highs for averages in points and assists and matched his career high in rebounds, ranking in the top 20 in the NBA in all three categories. The 6-9 Randle is the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a season, joining Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić (who also did it this season), Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Randle made a career-high 160 three-pointers in 2020-21, eight fewer than his total for the previous five seasons combined (168). He shot 40.1 percent from three-point range, well above his career mark of 29.5 percent entering the season. Randle also shot a career-high 81.1 percent from the free throw line.

Selected as a reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, Randle tied for eighth in the league in double-doubles with 41 and tied for seventh in triple-doubles with six. Randle was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for April and the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 17.

Behind Randle, the Knicks (41-31) finish tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. New York made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Randle, 26, signed with the Knicks as a free agent on July 9, 2019. Before joining New York, he played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and one season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Randle entered this season with career averages of 16.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Ties broken to establish selection order in 2021 NBA Draft

Six ties among teams with identical regular-season records were broken today through random drawings to determine the order of selection for NBA Draft 2021.

The drawings were conducted by NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe at the NBA office in Secaucus, New Jersey. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Marc Dieli, a representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

The results of the drawings:

The Oklahoma City Thunder (22-50) won a tiebreaker with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Chicago Bulls (31-41) won a tiebreaker with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings. Second and third place in the tiebreaker drawings went to Sacramento and New Orleans, respectively.

The Charlotte Hornets (33-39) won a tiebreaker with the San Antonio Spurs.

The New York Knicks (41-31) won a tiebreaker with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Dallas Mavericks (42-30) won a tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. Second and third place in the tiebreaker drawings went to Los Angeles and Portland, respectively.

The LA Clippers (47-25) won a tiebreaker with the Denver Nuggets.

NBA Draft Lottery 2021 will be held on Tuesday, June 22 and air live on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET. NBA Draft 2021 will take place on Thursday, July 29.

CHANCES NBA LOTTERY TEAMS HAVE AT WINNING THE FIRST OVERALL pick

Houston 14.0%
Detroit 14.0%
Orlando 14.0%
Oklahoma City 11.5%
Cleveland 11.5%
Minnesota 9.0%
Toronto 7.5%
Chicago 4.5%
Sacramento 4.5%
New Orleans 4.5%
Charlotte 1.8%
San Antonio 1.7%
Indiana 1.0%
Golden State 0.5%

Note that the Houston, Minnesota and Chicago picks may change hands.

Celtics home games will allow increased fan capacity in playoffs

The Boston Celtics today announced increased capacity and ticket sale information for all 2021 NBA Playoff games played at TD Garden, beginning with Game 3 of Boston’s first round matchup with Brooklyn on Friday, May 28.

Additionally, the Boston Celtics and TD Garden will host fans at near full capacity beginning on Sunday, May 30.

Tickets for all Round 1 home games are available now and can be purchased on the Celtics app, at Celtics.com, or at the TD Garden Box Office.

First two Knicks home playoff games vs. Hawks, capped at 15,000 fans, have sold out

The New York Knicks today announced that the team’s first-two playoff games against the Atlanta Hawks, set at 15,000 capacity due to Covid-19 social distancing guidelines, sold out.

Per the team, fully-vaccinated fans are expected to make up almost 90% of those in attendance at The Garden. The events will be the largest indoor gatherings for New York State since the start of the pandemic.

“I hope everyone in sports and entertainment is listening because the public has spoken – they are fine with getting vaccinated and want to get back to the experiences they love,” said James Dolan, Executive Chairman of MSG Sports and Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment. “This overwhelming response by Knicks fans – almost 90% of whom are vaccinated – should silence any doubters. It’s time to start booking events and filling up our schedules, so stay tuned. We want to thank Governor Cuomo for this leap forward; he knew we could do this – not just for us, but for New York.”