Ever since he was a teenager, LaMelo Ball has been SLAM Fam. 

He was doing full-scale SLAM photoshoots with his brothers throughout his high school run at Chino Hills in California. First covered at just 13-years-old, his starpower and basketball journey have taken him around the globe ever since, even before entering the NBA in 2020. 

“I felt like I could play in the League when I was 14, 15,” Ball told SLAM years back. “I probably couldn’t have, but that’s just how I thought.”

After his Rookie of the Year start in the League, the face of Puma Hoops saw the launch of his first signature shoe coincide with his first All-Star Game appearance the following season in early 2022.

It was on Issue #237 that he pulled up for his SLAM cover shoot in his unlaced infrared MB.01s, hitting the league’s longtime logo pose in a custom LaFrance jersey from his own clothing line.

“It’s a little bit of a reach to say he’s already achieved ‘NBA Logo’ face-of-the-League status, but he’s on his way there, and we’re not afraid of a bold call,” SLAM Ed. Adam Figman wrote at the time. “Consider this our prediction that one day we’ll all look back and realize that this cover made perfect sense.”

As we continue to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of SLAM this year and look even just a few years back — it did make perfect sense. 

Highlighting the most iconic covers, players and sneakers over the last 30 years to tell the story of SLAM’s impact on the basketball world, we teamed up with PUMA for this special edition pair of LaMelo’s latest signature shoe, the MB.04. 

In a loud infrared and metallic silver upper inspired by that Issue #237 cover and his “Out Of This World” game, Melo’s 4th signature model features blue accents throughout, and custom SLAM logos along the heel and tongue label. 

It was in that cover shoot that Melo debuted his iced out UFO chain, with the graphic coming to life once again here on the insoles of each shoe, and on the bottom of the MB.04 model. 

The packaging itself is crazy, featuring a SLAM cover-inspired outer sleeve with a portrait from that 2022 photoshoot, along with custom logos along the metallic shoe box. These joints are as loud as it gets — pure Melo. As he’s shown over the years, being subtle is never his style.

“From the beginning, I always felt like no one was really fucking with me,” Ball said in the cover story. “I just always had that attitude.”

As SLAM continues to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the magazine has been there for every step of LaMelo Ball’s rise. Now, it’s only right that SLAM is officially teaming up with Melo to bring things full circle.

This limited edition SLAM x PUMA MB.04 will be dropping in exclusive quantities on both SLAMgoods.com and puma.com this Friday, December 27 at 10 AM EST.

SECURE YOUR PAIR OF SLAM x PUMA MB.04 HERE

The post SLAM’s PUMA MB.04 Collab Celebrates LaMelo Ball’s “Out Of This World” Game appeared first on SLAM.

That’s because the 6-8 guard is the youngest player in American hoops to have gone pro—ever. 

Last spring, just after turning 17, the wiry, athletic phenom bypassed his senior year at LG Pinkston High School in Texas to join the G League Ignite. He etched himself into the record books by signing a two-year deal with the NBA’s premier developmental unit, edging out former Ignite star Scoot Henderson—who, up to that point, had been the youngest American to participate in a professional basketball league—by five weeks.

But beyond Pate’s historically young age marker—which, to be clear, has become more normalized in the modern world of basketball—he’s simply a baller. Throw on his highlight tape and you’ll quickly understand why this Southern blue chipper has been wildly sought after. Ranked as a five-star prospect, he garnered recruitment from the nation’s premier college programs (Kansas, Kentucky, Georgetown and the like) as one of the most coveted additions of his class.

Instead, he took the LaMelo Ball route by going pro early. He played with the Ignite for a season, and in his limited but stellar outings, cemented his potential as a hybrid 1 guard who can do it all. He concluded his debut campaign with an average of 24 minutes, 8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest. His length, smoothness, creativity and tempered decision making are reminiscent of Penny Hardaway (one of Pate’s idols) mixed with Shaun Livingston—another of Pate’s exemplaries—and a dash of (yes, I’m gonna say it) LeBron James, who is Pate’s all-time favorite.

“I watch the big guards. I key into what they’re doing,” he tells me over a Zoom call from his porch in Dallas. “But basketball wasn’t even my first love. I was a football player, bruh. I wanted to go to the NFL like Julio Jones, Dez Bryant. I only started playing basketball because I was in a program where you had to play both.”

It explains Pate’s propensity for action and his ability to shift gears and hit the lane with relentless bursts of speed. Large and point-guard minded, Pate knows where his spots are and will surgically get there to create for himself and his teammates. A panther in transition, he pounces, glides and Euro-steps around, through and over any defenders clogging the lane. Impressively, the former NFL hopeful plays with more finesse than force on the hardwood. In fact, it’s his cerebral grasp of in-game rhythm and flow that most seems to define his potential contributions at the NBA level.

But his plans to reach the Association became complicated by Ignite’s recent disbandment; only halfway into his contract with the team, the Las Vegas-based squad folded. Their unexpected dissolution means Pate and his cohort were the last to ever suit up in the experimental NBA organization’s black, purple and white threads. Like always, he had to figure out the best play to make next.

First, he attempted to enter the 2024 NBA Draft with his teammates Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland (lottery picks for the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, respectively) via a waiver exemption, but was denied due to being under the League’s age limit. That hasn’t deterred the bucket-getting protégé from pursuing his telos, though. Pate made a historic pivot by signing with the NBA-affiliated Mexico City Capitanes.

“I found out [about Ignite’s ending] 45 minutes before the world found out. I didn’t think an NBA program would shut down,” he admits. “But I don’t regret it. That’s adversity. That’s where I get my confidence from. I have to be fully prepared. You never know what’s gonna happen next. What’s next is I went to the gym and I had a job to do, the season wasn’t over yet. And it means I’m the last one in history, as the youngest to ever play with the Ignite.

“I’ve always kept the main thing the main thing,” he adds, without hesitation. “Basketball is the main thing.”

Basketball is why Dink Pate—a Black, Gen Z teenager from Pleasant Grove—is living in Mexico’s capital. Currently, he’s projected to be a star on the Capitanes.

The outfit is the only Mexican-owned sporting franchise to ever compete as a full-fledged member of any pro US league. Having officially joined the G in 2021, Mexico City has since become a top destination for NBA veterans like Jahlil Okafor, Kenneth Faried, Michael Carter-Williams and Juan Toscano-Anderson, who enjoy the chance to shine in North America’s largest city (Mexico City is bigger than New York, L.A, Chicago, Toronto or any other city you can name on this continental expanse). The metropolitan scale and commercial offerings, along with its passionate, international fan base, is something that other G League teams located in places like Southaven, Mississippi and Oshkosh, WI, simply cannot match. And unless they’re on a two-way contract, Capitanes players are available to be called up by any of the NBA’s 30 troupes, which makes it an ideal proving ground for a rising star like Pate. 

And yet, the Capitanes are also Latin America’s home base for its growing ranks of hoop talent aiming to reach the NBA from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. The coaching staff is bilingual. The players and personnel vary in age, experience and career paths. It’s no ordinary circumstance for anyone to enter, let alone an American teenager who nearly ended up playing at the University of Alabama before deciding to go pro.

To his credit, Pate isn’t overthinking any of it. He’s taking Spanish classes once a week. Growing up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where the Capitanes coincidentally played their home games during the COVID-impacted 2021 season (and which boasts over 2 million Mexican-heritage residents), has prepared him for this moment. He feels eager if not proud to put a spotlight on Mexico’s culture and its affinity for basketball.

“I be wearing my sombrero, bruh. I got Mexican homeboys. I stay representing,” he tells me, a Mexican American, with a genuine smile. “I feel like I got a country on my back now. I went down for two weeks and was showered with nothing but love. I love Mexico. That’s family.”

Mexico City will provide more than enough opportunities for what Pate is ready to deliver. Unlike his US-born contemporaries who will be mostly playing in front of college students and alumni at prestigious, ivory-towered campuses, Pate will be electrifying thousands of Spanish-chanting fans at Arena CDMX in the Azcapotzalco neighborhood of Mexico City as a member of the Capitanes.

When we linked up down south, he had just finished practice at Mexico’s national Olympic facility. We met at the bustling Monumento a la Revolución in the Aztec capital’s Plaza de la República. The triumphal arch—think the Arc de Triomphe on Champs-Élysées—symbolizes Mexico’s revolution, in which myth-like heroes such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa were crowned liberators of the country’s working classes, effectively rewriting Mexican history over a century ago. 

Besides standing for the nation’s rebellion, the memorial is also the primary logo for the Capitanes. And what better identifier is there for Pate—a player who has already broken history as the youngest pro US baller, and who signed to Reebok—than an ode to revolution?

The NBA’s current age eligibility rules were implemented in 2006, just three years after LeBron James entered the League straight out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School like an otherworldly meteor of fiery athleticism and professional maturity. But what King James has accomplished since going pro as a teen has been, well, kingly and unprecedented. In 2005, the NBA’s CBA determined that the League simply needed more time in assessing its ultra-young pool of talent, so mandated that all future players must be at least one year removed from their high school graduation and must turn 19 years old within the same calendar year of being drafted.

Unfortunately for Pate, being born in March means he won’t hit 19 until 2025, when he can finally become eligible for the NBA alongside fellow lottery prospects like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. At this stage, he’s embracing each step with a precocious mindfulness.

“You can do everything with poetry,” Pate says. “Poetry is real calm. It’s not loud. Stay low and move slow.”

When asked where he developed that mindset, he cites the apodictic rap revolutionary, Tupac Shakur. Pate flashes his Makaveli tattoo and tells me that all 713 of Pac’s tracks are worth listening to. 

On the court, Pate carries a Shakurian blend of maturity and freeness of spirit. You can see it in his off-the-dribble shooting. His calculated step backs. His rhythmic spins. And you can see it in the way he carries a joyful confidence, too.

“I’m not worried about my game,” he says. “I’m focused on my leadership, my communication. I’m gonna be that guy on the team. I’m ready to take the blame. I’ve always been a leader to high school kids but I’m about to be thrown to the fire. I’m ready for it.”

Portraits by Sandra Blow.

The post Dink Pate is Ready to Make History and Become the First Pro Hooper Drafted Out of Mexico appeared first on SLAM.

Ever since I can remember playing the game, watching the game, loving the game — SLAM Magazine has been right there. I’ve been wearing a rubber band ever since that first KICKS issue.

It was the foundation. The blueprint. The culture. All along. For both basketball and sneakers. For the last thirty years, and however many years it runs from here…

I knew I could also contribute to the anniversary in a unique way. 

To celebrate the impact of SLAM and its 30th anniversary, we’ve partnered with footwear brands across the industry. We’re looking back at some of the most iconic covers and players over the last 30 years, to tell the story of SLAM’s impact on the basketball world, all through some fire collaborative sneakers. 

My favorite part about SLAM is the chapters. The eras. The way that the magazine and the platform meant different things to different people along the way — each decade — but always made an impact and left its mark.

Tonight in New York, we’ll be previewing some of our upcoming SLAM 30th Anniversary footwear to come at the magazine’s 30 YEARS OF SLAM party, with a runway spanning throughout the entire rest of 2024 of more heat on the way. Here’s an early look at what to expect all year long. 

SLAM x LEBRON x NIKE

By the time the already-dubbed “King James” appeared on the cover of SLAM #78 at the midway point of his rookie season, the most hyped prospect in league history was already meeting, and even exceeding the hype.

“It’s only the beginning,” read the cover text. 

He was lacing up his first signature shoe, the Air Zoom Generation, throughout his historic 20.5.5 rookie year. It wasn’t just the league that had stamped him as the future, but Nike coined him “generational” off top with a record-setting $90 Million rookie shoe deal. 

The history between SLAM and Bron is also long stamped. The text behind the tongue of the SLAM x Air Zoom Generation is updated from the cover and says as much: “Since The Beginning…” 

Flipping the hues of his first shoes, a rich red suede takes on the base color, while a series of design details celebrating his debut signature all come to life. There’s a nod to his first PE, the “Laser” Generations worn on Christmas Day, which was also the first lasered hoop shoe to hit the NBA hardwood. A detailed lasered graphic highlighting the SLAM logo and James’ upbringing tells the story further.

For the first time, there’s a collar Swoosh placement, just as Aaron Cooper originally designed them. The molded parts on the shoe that drafted off of his much-discussed Hummer H2 are all chrome to honor his 18th birthday gift. We’re only just getting started with this one.

***

SLAM x AND1

When SLAM #41 dropped in April of 2000, we had just witnessed perhaps the greatest Dunk Contest performance of all time. Vince Carter was famously a sneaker free agent in just his second season, and he laced up the white and red AND1 Tai Chi for that instant classic array of dunks. 

AND1 had been around for a few years as a rising apparel company by that point and their transcendent streetball Mixtapes were moving major, but now, their footwear was taking off too. VC laced up a simple black and white pair of the Tai Chi on the very next cover slot that was available. The header was straightforward:

“The Greatest Show On Earth” 

To celebrate the 2000s era of AND1 and the impact of the Tai Chi on sneaker culture, we’re creating a new version that brings to life SLAM’s heritage colors of white, grey, black and orange, fittingly the exact shades from that cover shot of Issue 41. 

The mesh fade is a nod to another model from the era that I always loved, the Finger Roll, and a way to bring the Tai Chi’s original yin and yang inspired split read to the side of the shoe. As always, the shoe looks best with a suede color along the inside panel — a bright orange suede is seen on the SLAM edition. 

Our 30th anniversary crest can be seen along the inner collar, along with the three vertical stars found on the cover text. The 3M hits throughout tie back to the bright lights of All-Star Weekend, and the impact of The Greatest Show On Earth all these years later. 

***

SLAM x CURRY BRAND

Stephen Curry had just signed with Under Armour a few months before he was on his first cover of SLAM in December of 2013. And man, what a run he’s had in the decade since. He’s now the President of Curry Brand, his own damn brand within the Under Armour umbrella.

On the original cover, he’s wearing the Anatomix Spawn, a sneaker that marked a new era of design for UA, and the first model he wore with the brand to start the 2013-2014 season. 

The real story is the shoe that Stephen wore for the cover shoot was a mix of blue, purple and teal. In a full circle moment I couldn’t have imagined, I actually photoshopped the original picture, shifting the purple midsole to royal blue, and the teal collar to a Warriors-matching yellow. This was long before the league let go of their color rules, of course. 

A decade later, and Curry Brand has recently launched the Anatomix Spawn through its Flotro filter, remixing the company’s innovative Flow midsole with a modernized version of the original upper. 

While SLAM #173 was just the starting point of Curry as cover man, the SLAM x Spawn Flotro celebrates all of the covers that the 4-time champ has appeared on in the years since. 

The design incorporates a collage of his covers across the entire upper, with torn edges inspired by everyone’s childhood ritual of tearing out the pages of SLAM to tack up on their bedroom walls. 

The concept is also a nod to the generational impact that Curry has had on the game, inspiring young readers and players around the world to reimagine how they approach the game, extend their shooting range, and experience the joy of hoops.

The heel hang tag features the SLAM logo, while a pearlized midsole references the common 30th anniversary stone. The lace tips are a nod to both the milestone and Curry’s iconic jersey number, simply reading “THIRTY.” 

Stay tuned for more on the full SLAM x Curry Brand pack to come. We’ve got another model on the way, too…

***

SLAM x SABRINA x NIKE 

A year after being selected #1 overall in the WNBA draft, SLAM stamped Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu as “The Next Queen of NY” for the mag’s Future Issue. 

The following year, Sabrina was launching her very own signature shoe with Nike, taking her starpower and impact on the game to yet another level. An All-Star and All-WNBA PG in each of the last two seasons, the 3-Point Contest record setter will once again be running point this season for a loaded Liberty squad that reached the WNBA Finals last year.

The expectations are rightfully high yet again as Sabrina enters her fifth season. There’s also equally high expectations for her follow-up signature shoe, the Nike Sabrina 2.

After her debut signature model broke barriers and saw adoption at all levels of the game, inspiring “anyone, anywhere,” the momentum around her second sneaker makes it one of the anticipated models of the entire year.

We can’t wait to share how SLAM x Sabrina comes to life in New York later this year.

***

SLAM x LAMELO x PUMA

Since he was a teenager, LaMelo Ball has been SLAM Fam. He was doing full-scale photoshoots throughout his high school run at Chino Hills, with his starpower and basketball journey taking him around the globe ever since. 

After his Rookie of the Year start in the league, the face of Puma Hoops saw the launch of his first signature shoe coincide with his first All-Star Game appearance during his sophomore season. It was on Issue #237 that he pulled up for the cover of SLAM in his unlaced MB.01s, hitting the league’s longtime logo pose in a custom LaFrancé jersey from his own clothing line. 

With an iced out, 3D UFO pendant on his neck, the cover declared him “Out Of This World.”

With more to come later this year, look for SLAM and LaMelo to bring to life his “rare” and “1 of 1” personality in the loudest way possible, as we team up with Puma to celebrate Ball’s impact on the sneaker industry and his place in the future of both the game and SLAM’s next chapter ahead. 

***

SLAM x PENNY x NIKE 

As we looked back through the decades of SLAM covers over the years, we also looked at the various milestone issues since the very first cover went to print in ’94.

The 30th issue of SLAM featured none other than Penny Hardaway, with a Scoop Jackson-penned cover story that perfectly captured his immediate rise with the Orlando Magic and his mission to stay on top of the game that he poured everything into. 

Around that same time in the late ’90s, Nike had just unveiled one of their most innovative sneakers ever with Penny as the headliner. The Foamposite One has been one of the most unique and iconic sneakers across the industry ever since, with its molded upper and clear bottom making for an unmistakable look and a global following. 

The SLAM x Penny Foamposite takes it back to one of the earliest sketches from designer Eric Avar, who somehow saw the future when first crafting the shoe in the mid-90s. The molded Foamposite upper found here features a printed graphic inspired by Avar’s concept sketch, with the details dialed in from there. 

For the first time, there’s a Swoosh along the shank, just as Avar had sketched it. The tongue logos alternate between Hardaway’s sleek 1 Cent logo and the SLAM logo. The heel tabs feature the three vertical stars found on every cover throughout the magazine’s 30 years, and a number 30 that also honors SLAM’s 30th Issue. 

***

SLAM x ADIDAS 

When you ask anyone to pick their favorite cover of SLAM, it’s the 15th issue featuring a fold-out cover of rising rookies “set to blow up” that quickly comes to mind for many. One of the deepest Draft classes ever posed in front of a brick wall, and SLAM was right there in 1996 to stamp the collection of future Hall of Famers as next up. 

In partnering with Adidas, we’ll be bringing to life one of the brand’s most forward-thinking designs in company history. Yes, that means the Crazy Two is retroing in the future, for the first time. 

With a molded silhouette drafting from the automotive industry, the sneaker was every bit as boundary pushing as it was polarizing when it originally launched.

You’ll be seeing the outsized proportions of the sneaker come to life in an entirely new way later this year, as SLAM looks back to the shades found along the classic “Ready Or Not…” cover from the earliest days of the magazine.

***

SLAM x BUBBA CHUCK x REEBOK 

You already know this was a must. 

As Allen Iverson writes in the foreword of the “30 YEARS OF SLAM” book:

“I am SLAM.” 

The bond and timeline of the two have been linked ever since Iverson was first featured on the cover, while still in college. When Issue #32 dropped though, the impact reached beyond basketball. 

It’s not just an iconic SLAM cover. It’s an image that kickstarted an entire throwback jersey era for the 2000s, and cemented AI as the most culturally impactful icon that the league has ever seen. 

Throughout the detailed Russ Bengtson feature interview with The Answer, there’s a layout graphic featuring Iverson that’s centered around “The 3 of Diamonds.” 

As we all know, there isn’t much explanation needed to explain Allen’s affinity for ice.

The throwback “PHILA” jersey he’s wearing was custom made by a local nearby manufacturer named Mitchell & Ness, to highlight the history of the league in an “Old School Issue” as the NBA was dealing with a lockout that year. It was the chains, the tats, the watch and the earrings that let you know this was still a modern icon of the next millennium. 

Inspired by “frosted” diamond watches, the midsole of the SLAM x Reebok Question Low features a metallic frosted texture that extends up into the shoe’s iconic toe cap. The SLAM logo appears on the heel, while the lettering up the eyelets have been switched out to read Allen’s longtime nickname among his closest friends, “Bubba Chuck.” 

The “3 of Diamonds” logo from the original cover story layout can be found on both the heel of the shoe and through the clear outsole, bringing one of the most impactful covers in SLAM’s 30-year history full circle, celebrating once again that “Allen Iverson is Soul On Ice.” 

***

The post SLAM Celebrates 30 Years With Upcoming Sneaker Collabs  appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

An argument could be made that 2019 was an important peak in high school basketball. Hear us out for a bit. While 2017 and 2018 saw LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson bring new levels of eyeballs into the high school hoops space, it led to newfound momentum and interest in 2019. And although this new group of kids may have not garnered the same type of attention that LaMelo and Zion did individually, as a whole—collectively—they were rock stars, too. More specifically: Jalen Green, Josh Christopher and Sharife Cooper. 

They checked all the boxes on and off the court—each one had the perfect combo of skills and flair that drew large crowds in person and made for some very fun highlight mixes online. And then, off the court, they also happened to be the cool kids of their class: swaggy and fashion-forward, they knew how to utilize social media (and build an audience) impeccably and were top-tier pros when it came to on-camera interviews.

Jalen, out of Fresno, CA, was a top-three prospect in the class. His speed, explosiveness and hangtime made him an automatic fan favorite. Then you had Josh, also from Cali, but residing in Los Angeles. His family was no stranger to the sport, with his brother Patrick having logged some minutes in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, as well as in Summer League, the G League (D-League at the time) and overseas.  

And then there was Sharife. While Jalen and Josh were shooting guards, Sharife was a pure point guard. And although he was smaller in stature, his confidence and swagger were on the very same level as theirs, or anyone else’s, for that matter. He hooped out of Atlanta and shared the court at McEachern HS with now-Cavs forward Isaac Okoro. Like Josh, he also came from a family of athletes; his sister, Te’a, hooped collegiately before joining the L.A. Sparks in the WNBA.  

All roads led to a mid-August weekend in NYC, when all three arrived in the Big Apple to partake in the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 2—where the shoot for the iconic trio’s cover came to life. It’s one of those things where you look back and notice that all aspects of the aesthetics were spot on: the seamless backdrop color, their uniform colorways, their poses, their sneakers, their facial expressions. The most impressive part is that it took little art direction from our end to get them to execute the cover shot or any other flicks. We just put them in front of the camera and let them do their thing.

That’s what makes this trio so unique: it was all effortless. They understood media—both social media and traditional media. They understood branding. Despite their young ages, they had an impressive understanding of the game, on and off the court. And the hoops community took notice. This part isn’t subjective. It’s quantifiable. If you look at the view counts and engagement for video posts focused on this trio back in 2019, the numbers are as high as anyone we’ve ever covered.  

Speaking of coverage, another reason Jalen, Josh and Sharife hold such a strong presence in SLAM’s heart is that their rise came at a time when we were making a big push in the high school media space. Yes, SLAM had always covered HS hoops in some capacity—check our digital archive for LeBron’s HS shoots, our print HS Diary column, our beloved PUNKS section, and early in-depth coverage of the Ball brothers and Zion Williamson, among many others. But there hadn’t been a dedicated HS team internally focused on the space until then. By 2019, we had shooters attending HS games across the country on a nightly basis and dedicated social pages across Twitter, Instagram and YouTube that exclusively served HS hoops, and no one in the industry was churning out “Day in the Life” episodes with the top recruits in the country as consistently as we were. So, while we certainly helped raise the profiles of the trio at the time with our coverage, they also helped raise our profile in the HS space by allowing us in and trusting us to tell their stories.

And if we needed another reason to have Jalen, Josh and Sharife up in our rafters, they were also members of the inaugural SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 1 in 2018, and all three returned the following year for Vol. 2—a game and postgame celebration that our audience still talks about to this day. You don’t believe us when we say they were rock stars? Just check out the video online of kids running through the streets of New York City following the players’ bus after the game. For many blocks. 

Today, all three are still pushing hard on their NBA dreams—Jalen is playing a major role with the Houston Rockets (where he coincidently hooped with Josh for two seasons), while Josh and Sharife are still solidifying their places in the L. 

One thing is for certain, though: All three are legends in SLAM’s history.

All portraits by Jon Lopez.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Josh Christopher, Sharife Cooper and Jalen Green appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

The entirety of 2017 belonged to the Ball family. No one came anywhere close in the basketball universe when it came to media coverage and fanfare. And similarly, no media company came anywhere close to the access and trust with the family that SLAM received, and the result was a whole lot of incredible content.   

When the fam decided they wanted to take an unconventional route and challenge the status quo, it was SLAM they called to exclusively break each of their historic announcements—from launching their own signature sneakers to a first-of-its-kind semi-pro league. And while those happened in 2017 and 2018, it was technically in 2016 when SLAM and the Ball family first embarked on the wild ride. 

In the spring of 2016, right after Chino Hills High School (led by senior Lonzo Ball, junior LiAngelo Ball and freshman LaMelo Ball) went undefeated with a 35-0 record and was ranked No. 1 in the country, we took a cross-country trip to sunny California to produce the family’s first major magazine shoot. We did some stills at the school in their high school uniforms and then some stills at their home in…Big Baller Brand merch. This was almost a full year before BBB would become a hot topic of discussion. A little sprinkle of foreshadowing.  

A few months later, we reconnected for a fun YouTube video titled “Christmas Day with the Ball Family.” It was the reality show before the reality show, essentially, and helped demonstrate the fun but competitive personalities of not only the brothers but also their parents, Tina and LaVar. It’s amassed close to 13.5 million views on YouTube alone, making it SLAM’s most watched original content video of all time; and, FWIW, it has significantly more views than any standalone original piece from many of our competitors. 

And then came spring of 2017, when Lonzo, the most talked-about prospect in that year’s NBA draft, announced with SLAM exclusively that he was going to keep it in the family, turning down a traditional sneaker endorsement deal to launch his own signature sneaker with BBB. The momentous announcement went viral, of course, easily the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter that day, and the first of many announcements that SLAM helped break with the family. 

A couple of months later, just 48 hours after the 2017 NBA Draft, we did our first cover shoot with the brothers at their home: Zo wearing his new Lakers uniform, Gelo donning the UCLA colors and Melo with the Chino Hills threads. LaVar guest-wrote the cover story. WATTBA.

And then, two months later, we returned to Chino Hills to shoot another announcement. This time, LaMelo was becoming the first HS player ever to launch his own signature sneaker at just 16 years old. The video and photos (including Melo’s famous Lamborghini) from the shoot are forever etched in hoops history.

The following year, LaVar decided to launch his own professional league for HS players, the Junior Basketball Association, a historic endeavor that paid HS kids to hoop around the US and embark on a tour throughout Europe. LaMelo and LiAngelo both joined, and just like the other Ball family announcements that SLAM broke, it did numbers, as every sports talk show joined in on the conversation. In collaboration with the family, we also announced LaMelo’s decision to return to HS in the US later that year, when he joined SPIRE Academy in Ohio. 

All those exclusive videos and announcements aside, we’ve shot multiple other covers as well—LaMelo has given us time for two solo covers in the past four years. And we’ve also done some cool merch collabs with LaMelo’s LaFrancé brand over the past year.  

SLAM’s unique relationship with the Ball family has grown and evolved continuously, just like the family members’ individual careers. In many ways, our journey together seems like a fitting pairing. We both value family, loyalty and the fearlessness to do things in your own unique way.  

An argument could be made that many of those historic announcements helped pave the way for today’s HS landscape, which gives power to student-athletes like never before. For one, the family deciding to launch their own brand and profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL)—even though it risked LaMelo’s (and Lonzo’s) eligibility to play in college—helped drive the conversation around kids being allowed to make money without losing college eligibility. Today, thanks to new NIL policies, high school kids are allowed to do the same things that cost LaMelo the opportunity to play college ball. Similarly, LaVar’s JBA league drove conversation around the need for HS kids to have  alternative options to the traditional high school basketball experience, and lo and behold, there are now numerous leagues that offer to pay high school players.

The Ball family’s revolutionary journey has led to plenty of conversation and even planted seeds for new opportunities that weren’t there for HS kids at the time. SLAM is just glad to have played a small part in all of it. 

Portrait by Atiba Jefferson.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: The Ball Brothers appeared first on SLAM.

In the days before YouTube and any social media platform you’ve heard of, awareness of the Next Big Thing generally came in stages. The soon-to-be multi-platinum recording artist, the future Hall of Fame athlete and the arena-headlining comedic genius almost never got famous all at once; proximity, and connections, determined who knew about them when. Fame was a gradual thing, and very few people ever had a chance to be in the select group known as “first.”

Where basketball is concerned, this publication has generally been one of the exceptions. Strictly speaking, SLAM has never discovered anyone, but we built our rep in part on introducing the game’s brightest young stars to our readers before almost anyone outside their hometowns—including our national media peers—had heard of them. We built connections across the grassroots scene, we paid attention, and in a magazine created to celebrate today’s superstars, we always found space to tell you about tomorrow’s.

There’s a compelling case to be made for LeBron James as the last true superstar to emerge from that mostly analog era, a time when magazine covers, SportsCenter highlights and at least one semi-authorized biography (more on that in a minute) did the work of building the legend. He was already one of the biggest stories in sports when he stepped onto the NBA draft stage 20 years ago this summer. A lot of that had to do with the three SLAM features, two covers and a year’s worth of Basketball Diary entries he’d already been the subject of.

Shortly before he made his NBA debut that fall, not one but two LeBron biographies hit bookstore shelves. The first of them, by about three weeks, was mine. King James: Believe the Hype exists solely because of SLAM, specifically because of the access that then 16-year-old LeBron and his tightly kept circle granted the mag before what seemed like the entire world descended on Akron to feed on, and into, the aforementioned hype. To the extent that the book holds up, it’s as a snapshot of two surreal years in the basketball life of a guy who was destined to end up on the GOAT shortlist.

Of course, LeBron was neither the first nor the last to carry the Next Big Thing weight in our pages. Founded in 1994 with a distinctly NYC lean, it was only fitting that the first prep star we aligned with was Brooklyn’s own Stephon Marbury, perhaps the last truly iconic New York City-born-and-bred hoop star. The Coney Island point god was the first person to write our Basketball Diary; four years later, when Ray Allen played a high school star based heavily on Starbury in Spike Lee’s He Got Game, his character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, got his own on-screen SLAM cover (see pg. 60 for more on that—Ed.).

The flow of hype-generating, potentially generational talent has never stopped. On LeBron’s heels, and from Marbury’s own neighborhood and bloodline, came Sebastian Telfair, who memorably shared a cover with his friend from Akron and followed him as our Diary keeper. Then came OJ Mayo, a varsity star as a West Virginia eighth grader and thus the most obvious entry into the “who’s the next LeBron?” sweepstakes that nobody needed. Understand, Bassy and OJ were incredible high school players, and maybe under different circumstances would’ve had more substantial NBA careers. As it is, they helped confirm that LeBron—the dude who somehow not only met but surpassed the most ridiculous career expectations ever put on a 16-year-old basketball player—was the exception, not the rule.

In the years since, probably only Zion Williamson and the Ball brothers have come close
to LeBron levels of pre-NBA attention with the buzz created by their hyper-viral high school highlight clips (with LaMelo and Lonzo getting an assist from Pops, of course). The latest to contend for that ultrabright spotlight is Victor Wembanyama, a true unicorn with international appeal and a highlight reel perfectly suited to TikTok and Insta edits. If you’ve been paying attention, you know SLAM was up on these dudes early and often as well.

But as this magazine approaches its 30th birthday (!!!) and the subject of this story wraps up Year 20 in the League, there still hasn’t really been a saga quite like LeBron’s.

Sometime in 2002, when the national attention and increasingly prying coverage of LeBron James became truly disruptive, the administration at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School placed a sign in front of its entrance announcing that media was not allowed on campus. But a year or so earlier, when we pulled up to campus in the spring of 2001, we were greeted with a different sign: “WELCOME SLAM MAGAZINE.”

That first visit was a chance to meet the school’s AD and basketball coaches, LeBron’s teammates and the lanky 16-year-old himself. We hung in the lunchroom, watched an informal after-school practice run, then caught dinner with LeBron and his mom. The result was the first feature-length LeBron James profile to appear outside the 330 area code. In retrospect, it seems crazy that we didn’t put him on the cover, but trust that the mere thought of putting a largely unknown high school sophomore from Ohio’s fifth-largest city on our front page seemed, at the time, infinitely crazier. SLAM in 2001 was first and foremost a newsstand magazine, and only established stars moved newsstand units. (Honestly, our biggest regret might be that one of Atiba Jefferson’s iconic shots from that story didn’t grace the cover).

Still, we were already treating him as something different. He wrote our Basketball Diary in ’01-02, becoming the first non-senior to handle the gig; a year after that initial feature, with a game-changing Sports Illustrated cover and regular SportsCenter highlights under his belt, LeBron (alongside Sebastian Telfair) landed on our cover. A year after that, with his senior year over and his unprecedented high school career behind him, he got his first solo cover. Legendary hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion was behind the lens; LeBron wore a Mitchell & Ness Michael Jordan NBA All-Star jersey on his chest, an acknowledgement of the expectations he welcomed, and a custom SLAM headband on his forehead. The latter was his idea, nothing we asked for or expected, a generous nod to the publication that had sought him out and told his story before anyone else.

The book came out a few months later, and much of it expanded on reporting and interviews first published in the magazine. Part of that meant acknowledging the absurdity of dedicating so much ink—a sentiment shared by the many publishers who turned down the book proposal, apparently—to an 18-year-old high schooler. My pitch—that this dude had the potential to be one of the greatest of all time—had less to do with my own scouting prowess (ha) and much more to do with the opinions of people who actually knew. That started with his high school coaches, particularly Keith Dambrot, the once- and future-Division I college coach whose reputation helped bring LeBron and a handful of his AAU teammates to St. V in the first place.

Dambrot had run offseason skills sessions at the local Jewish Community Center attended by Bron and those teammates—aka the Fab Four, which expanded to a Fab Five by the time their high school run was over—so he knew he had a talented class. It didn’t take Dambrot long to realize that in LeBron, he had much more. When we first spoke in the spring of ’01, Dambrot never hesitated in acknowledging the validity of comparisons to the likes of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. He wasn’t worried about setting up LeBron to fail against unrealistic expectations, because he saw every day how hard his best player worked, his off-the-charts basketball IQ and just how talented he was.

The rest of the world got its chance to see him as his junior and senior seasons played out. There was the legendary 2001 ABCD Camp showing shortly after his first SLAM feature—LeBron, a rising junior, outdueling top-ranked senior-to-be Lenny Cooke in a game that took on outsized significance in the trajectories of both players. Even then, LeBron was being touted (among people who didn’t read this magazine, anyway) as an “unknown” who was “discovered” at the camp. Hardly, but it was another step in the creation of a legend.

Two more steps came in showcase games against national prep power Oak Hill Academy. The first, played in Trenton, NJ, in February 2002, marked the first and only high school meeting between LeBron and Carmelo Anthony. Both players balled out, with Melo leading his stacked Oak Hill squad to the win. A year later in Cleveland, the rematch was televised by ESPN, with Bill Walton and Dick Vitale on the call. With Melo gone to Syracuse, Bron and the Irish rolled to a 20-point win.

Even the games that weren’t on ESPN were events: St. V played a national schedule during LeBron’s senior season, hooping in Philly, Los Angeles and a handful of spots in between. The team’s home games, meanwhile, were moved to the nearby University of Akron to accommodate fan interest, and a local cable company secured a deal to offer them on pay-per-view. The off-court “controversies” that came with such attention—investigations and a suspension for accepting a couple of throwback jerseys from a local store and getting an advance on a Hummer a few months before he was officially worth nine figures—were ridiculous at the time and, particularly in the NIL era, somehow look even dumber now.

And then his amateur days were over, the $90 mil check from Nike preceding the first of his many comma-heavy NBA contracts. My book came out that fall, and another…over two dozen SLAM covers have followed in the two decades since. We didn’t know how all this would turn out, of course, but being first, we could only stick around to see how it ended. Twenty years later, we’re as amazed as anyone that his story isn’t over—that somehow, there is still more to write. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the ’03 NBA Draft and the Arrival of LeBron James appeared first on SLAM.

Step inside Scoot Henderson’s world. The first thing you might notice, right as you get to the front doors of the Next Play 360 training center in Georgia, is a giant photo decal of him on the window. He’s wearing his white G League Ignite uniform and holding a basketball. From a certain angle, it looks like he’s charging full speed ahead on the court, maybe even directly at you. 

The facility, which is run by the Henderson family, is where we filmed Scoot’s “Day in the Life” video just two years ago. Back then, Scoot was rockin’ a fro and dominating at Carlton J. Kell High School as the No. 1 ranked point guard in the Class of 2022. He became the youngest pro hooper in the United States when he signed a two-year deal with the G League Ignite as a junior. Then, at 18, he inked a multi-year endorsement deal with PUMA that was reportedly the richest shoe contract ever signed by a non-draft-eligible player. 

It’s April and Scoot is now 19. He just played two years with the NBA G League Ignite, where he averaged 14.3 points his first season, and then appeared in 19 games this year before he was shut down for the remainder of the season. The Marietta native has come a long way from just seeing his name “on social media sites” as a highly touted prospect. He’s being projected as a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Mock drafts have him going as high as top three. 

Scoot Henderson covers SLAM 244. Get your copy here.

When his reps offer us the chance to watch a private workout with his trainers, we get to see what all the attention has been about. There’s a few PUMA reps in the gym with us, but otherwise, no videos or photos are allowed. It feels quite literally like a moment to remember: watching a shirtless Scoot, who now has slickback braids and a fresh cut, driving to the basket. When you see how explosive and insanely athletic he is, you understand why he’s earned comparisons to Russell Westbrook. When he takes off and dunks the ball, he just stays up there for a moment, hanging on the rim. 

Suddenly it hits you. There’s no need to wonder what the future of basketball will look like when it’s standing right in front of you.

Later, Scoot reveals what he envisions for his own destiny. “I see a big house. Family. NBA. All-Star. Rings. MVPs, DPOYs, Rookie of the Year. Whatever I can achieve, I know what it takes to get there. I know it’s not an easy route at all, but I think I’m the man to do that.”

Looking around the gym, Scoot’s motto, “ODD,” is plastered on the wall. It stands for “Overly Determined to Dominate.” He says he made it up on the spot one day. 

“I’m like, Dang, I need a slogan. Like, it really came about [based on] my journey to where I am now: it was unorthodox and unheard of and very odd. So I’m thinking of ‘odd’ and I’m like, Hmm, some O-words that just describe me. I work hard, so I just came up with ‘overly determined to dominate.’ That’s kind of just how I view my competition, I want to be overly determined to dominate the competition. Not just that, it applies to life as well—to dominate that day.” 

Anyone close to Scoot will tell you that he’s ready in every aspect of the word. Ready for the spotlight and the responsibility. Ready for the League. Ignite teammate and veteran Pooh Jeter, who has known Scoot since he was 17, repeats it over the phone. “He’s so mature at this age, and just ready,” Jeter tells us. 

After dominating in the G, Scoot has only gotten more prepared. Physically, he’s ripped—Jeter brings up a running joke about whether Scoot puts muscle milk in his cereal. He can handle the moment, too. When he matched up against Victor Wembanyama and the Metropolitans 92 in an exhibition game, he hit a three right over the 7-4 French anomaly in the first quarter. Later, he scored on a reverse layup, showing everyone that he’s lethal with the ball in his hands from anywhere on the floor. “He just took off after that,” Jeter says. “The whole world was talking about Scoot.” 

The Ignite has proven to be the perfect launching pad for Scoot’s career. Not every 17-year-old can handle leaving home and moving all the way to Nevada, not to mention dealing with the attention and pressure that comes with being a top NBA draft prospect. And yet, Jeter has noticed how Scoot is moving like a pro now, too. He leaves his phone in the locker room during practice, is one of the first people in the gym and has learned how to handle things like injuries or coming off the bench. “I’m just feeling prepared,” Scoot says.

“Everything I’m doing right now and leading into the draft, the biggest goal in my life right now is getting there. And I feel pretty prepared. I’m training right now, getting my mind right, my breathing right. I was a pro for two years, so I just feel prepared [for] my dream. And I think I’m ready.” 

His family has seen the shift in him, too, especially older sister China (Scoot is the second youngest of seven siblings). She remembers when he was little and would wake at 6 a.m. before football games singing his team’s song, “We Will Rock You,” and stomping his feet to the rhythm. Fast forward to now and Scoot is still always dialed in, whether on the court or discussing business with the family. 

“[His mindset] is completely different compared to myself at that age, and just your average 18, 19-year-old,” China says. “So to kind of see him transition from when he first came on at 16, 17,
and then to now, it’s like, OK, now you’re speaking about grown adult things. Now you want to be put into certain rooms. At first, [his] focus was, OK, I just need to make it to the NBA. Now you see yourself as an entire entity, [and it’s like], How can I leverage this relationship versus this relationship? Just those conversations are kind of mind blowing to me.” 

I want to be the best point guard to ever play the game.

— Scoot Henderson on His Future

Spend an afternoon with the Hendersons and you can tell just how incredibly tight-knit the family is. On set, China is with Scoot the entire time, supporting him and sharing her thoughts on different outfits. But when the cameras are on, everyone just lets Scoot rock. He’s energetic and playful, like any 19-year-old; he watches The Boondocks and Rick and Morty, and prefers listening to his own music on set—he takes over the aux as soon as the shoot starts and mainly plays rap. Then there’s the Scoot that’s a bit of an old soul—he’s into reading and listening to old-school jams like Mary J. Blige’s “My Life.” While filming SLAM’s “Bag Talk,” Scoot even sings it a capella. His sisters Onyx and Diamond say that they all have an inside joke about the time Diamond called Scoot “Old Man.” Scoot will sometimes repeat it over and over again while laughing hysterically.

He’s also very into fashion and has fun trying different looks during the shoot, from going shirtless and wearing knitted shorts and black shades to pulling off an oversized mustard-colored floral jacket with his own pair of burnt orange flared pants. “That flair is kind of the same thing that I have on the court,” Scoot tells SLAM. “You just got to be confident—fashion is something you got to be confident with.” 

While wearing his white G League Ignite uniform, Scoot puts on his blinged out chain that reads, “CAVEAT,” which means warning. When we ask Scoot about what kind of legacy he wants to leave in the League, he says it so confidently that it sounds almost like one, too.

“I want to be the best point guard to ever play the game. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind. I’ve always thought to myself, how they say, you know, MJ and Kobe and those guys…I just want to kind of show people that like, you can be great no matter where you’re from. No matter how old you are, you could do what you got to do, as long as you put your mind to it. And you’d be ODD.”

This is the Future Issue, but really, we’re all living in a new era of basketball where hoopers like Scoot are entire “entities,” as China puts it, meaning they’re brands with endorsement deals, shoe contracts and blue checks on social media. For Scoot, that new era means posing for photo shoots like this one and designing his own PUMA All Pro Nitro colorway (which we got a sneak peek of while on set). Scoot says the blue, red and checkerboard details all pay homage to the Marietta Diner in his hometown. 

He’s also been tapping into his creativity through acting, starring in the recent biopic Shooting Stars about LeBron James and his early years at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School with his childhood best friends and teammates. Scoot, who plays Romeo Travis, says he was nervous at first. Looking at him on-screen, though, it looks like he’s done this before. 

“First take I was like, Yo, I’m in a movie for real. This is crazy. It was kind of nerve-racking, but I got over it really fast.”

Every kid grows up dreaming of playing in the NBA or starring in a movie one day, but few ever actually do. Then there are the ones who believe limits don’t exist. “I always envisioned myself being a pro, being a household name,” Scoot says. “I wanted to do everything. I didn’t want anybody to limit me to anything, like, limit me to being a football player or a basketball player. Right now I’m doing whatever I can. Whatever opportunity comes, I’m taking it.”

What happens next, in the actual future, is up to him. This next generation of stars isn’t just ready for the moment; they are the moment. Scoot knows what he needs to do to capitalize on the journey ahead once he gets to the League. “I plan on dominating by learning quickly, by having confidence,” he tells us. “I think that’s just the biggest thing for rookies. You know, LaMelo [Ball] came in and did what he had to do. Ant Man [Anthony Edwards] came in and did what [he] had to do. Paolo [Banchero]—obviously [he] had the Rookie of the Year and they did what they had to do because they were confident in themselves, they were confident in the work they put in, they were confident in their environment. And that’s just how I’m gonna go in.

I’m gonna go with my own flair and my own personality, and my own culture built up, and I’m gonna go in there confident. And that’s how I plan to maneuver my way up in the NBA.”

He knows it’s not just about him though. That’s something Jeter has told Scoot as he gets ready for this next chapter. “I always say, Whatever your pick [in the draft] is, it’s what you do after that. That’s how you create that [next] generation,” Jeter explains.

When the Ignite were in L.A. for their last game against the South Bay Lakers, Jeter remembers Scoot telling him that he wanted to go with him to his 8-year-old son EJ’s baseball game. “My youngest who’s 4, instead of Whoomp there it is, he’ll be like, Scoot there it is! That’s who [Scoot] is!” 

After our shoot wraps up and everyone is getting ready to leave, we notice that most of the young players trickling into the gym are wearing PUMA Stewie 1s. It’s another glimpse of the future, of Scoot’s impact. How he, and his family, are just as invested in future generations to come. “That’s always been my dream,” Scoot says. “For little kids to look up to me and just be there for anything.” 

The future has never looked brighter. 

Portraits: Diwang Valdez

Styling: Ian Pierno // Assistant: Kai Mac 

AVAILABLE NOW ON SLAMGOODS

No need to comment, “Put this on a tee!” We got you.

SHOP COVER TEES

Only 94 copies available.

SHOP GOLD METAL

The post Scoot Henderson is on a Mission to Become the Best NBA Point Guard Ever appeared first on SLAM.

Do you have a favorite SLAM cover? Of course you do. Many of us take it a step further—we have a top 5 list. A list that we keep stored away for barbershop discussions or comments sections. Our GOAT list usually ticks a few criteria boxes: 1, how iconic the cover is; 2, the impact of the player’s career; and 3, the cover’s concept.

One of the dopest concepts in recent years was SLAM 222. It was the second year SLAM dropped “The Future Issue,” this time with a Back to the Future theme that saw each cover athlete rocking a SLAM cover tee—of the cover they were on. It. Was. Sick.

Not only did the concept hit very different, the choice of ballers was perfect. The first cover featured Zion Williamson, the No. 1 draft pick (already on his second SLAM cover). The second cover featured 2020 draftee LaMelo Ball. They both had enough hype from their pre-NBA careers to make them household names in the basketball universe.

But it would be Ja Morant who would make this trilogy truly complete. The discussion around the other two names meant that the 2019 draft prospect got comparatively little airtime, so the casual hoops fan might have been forgiven for not knowing who he was. Like any classic SLAM issue, though, its iconic status would develop as a player’s career gained traction. Ja’s reputation as one of the most spectacular players in the L grew quicker than his locks, putting dudes on posters early.

Zion’s cover probably goes the hardest in this set, but the fact that Ja is fast becoming your favorite player’s favorite player means that his SLAM cover debut has secured its place in SLAM cover history, and all three versions of SLAM 222 on your top 5.

The post The SLAM Archives: SLAM 222 Featuring Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball From July of 2019 appeared first on SLAM.

On Tuesday, the former lottery pick continued to make his case for more minutes once with his fourth-quarter defense against Hornets swingman P.J. Washington, his opportune buckets, and his athleticism to finish plays on both ends of the floor. Being able to play the entire fourth quarter was proof of head coach Steve Kerr’s trust in his defensive play. He also found a way to contribute some timely buckets too.

“We went with him for his defense,” Kerr said, per The Athletic. “He’s playing really well defensively, and he was guarding LaMelo (Ball).”

“At the moment — fourth quarter,” Kuminga admitted, “I don’t usually get to be in the game.”

Here were the five big Jonathan Kuminga plays in crunch time tonight vs Hornets

*Rips away a steal from PJ Washington
*Traffic rebound over Plumlee
*Gets available for dunk
*Floater in iso vs Hayward
*Cuts open for another dunk pic.twitter.com/kEvGuzLhqg

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 28, 2022

During crunch time, Kuminga sat down, put a seat belt on Washington, and subsequently forced a turnover; he grabbed a traffic rebound out of Miles Plumlee’s hands and hit a floater over Gordan Hayward to give Golden State a five-point lead. Kuminga ripping the ball and collecting a steal garnered a lot of praise from Kerr and four-time champion Draymond Green.

“That was will,” Draymond Green said. “That was ‘I want the ball more than you.’ That was, ‘Our backs are against the wall. We’ve lost the lead. Let me go make a play myself.’ So he took the ball. He goes and gets a dunk. He goes and snatches a rebound in traffic. He made every play down the stretch. I think it all started with that play with PJ Washington taking the ball. He manhandled him.”

Here’s some of that Draymond Green sound on Jonathan Kuminga and individual vs team defense

“I don’t play defense within the team concept. I know most people think I do. But I don’t. When you’re good enough, the team concepts adapt around you.” pic.twitter.com/AnfplvJ63k

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 28, 2022

Kuminga put the finishing touches on the win with a cutting dunk in the lane and clamped up LaMelo Ball for 90 feet. Ball wanted a quick bucket with 10 seconds left, but Kuminga’s pitbull mentality forced Ball into a miss that sealed Charlotte’s loss. Kuminga’s effort is a welcome development for a Warriors team looking to reclaim the stingy defensive identity that former coach Mark Jackson built that led to four championships.

“It’s been a beautiful thing to watch,” Green said. “It’s his (improved) understanding on that side of the ball. He’s in the right spot more often than not now. I think his growth in that area has been absolutely amazing. Quite frankly, it’s been much needed for us. Because we haven’t guarded dribble penetration well. We haven’t been really good at the point of attack all year. He’s changing that for us.”

Although Kuminga isn’t a seasoned veteran yet, his physical acumen and embrace of being Golden State’s defensive hound dog will help the Warriors turn around a season that hasn’t gone quite as they expected. Getting stops and forcing timely turnovers like Kuminga caused will do the job. Draymond Green took the time to the point that, saying, “it’s a beautiful thing to watch,” Kuminga became a dogged defender in real-time.

“He f—ing locks up now,” Green said. “I think it’s very impressive to see. Not that you never thought he was capable, but to see the maturity and buying into a role. Like, ‘Oh, that’s my role; that’s what I need to do. I’m going to go do that better than anyone.’ We’ve seen his impact over the last few weeks. He’s hawking every point guard he gets on. … As a competitor, you lose your spot in the rotation; what are you going to do to get it back? Some sulk. Most sulk. Then some go and take it back. That’s what he’s done.”

Green also believes that if Kuminga can continue developing his defensive acumen and basketball IQ, he can play within and outside Kerr’s defensive concepts. Being disruptive on the ball and locking up his individual assignments will also help.

“I don’t play defense in the team concept,” Green said. “I know most people think I do, but I don’t. When you’re good enough, the team concepts adapt around you. That’s what he’s starting to show. We may not want him to pick up as high as he picks up all the time. But if you’re wreaking havoc, and it’s bettering us, and it’s worsening the opponent’s offense, who is going to say stop? When you’re good enough, and you’re capable, the team concepts adapt around you.”

The post How Jonathan Kuminga Impressed Draymond Green With His Defense appeared first on SLAM.

Once Bridges and Charlotte finalize a deal, it will likely help the NBA finish their investigation and give Bridges a suspension for his role in an offseason arrest that’s dried up his market as a free agent and left him off a roster a quarter of the way through the season. The length of the suspension is unclear.

.@MilesBridges AT THE BUZZER#AllFly pic.twitter.com/B4isBaxEEH

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 20, 2022

Bridges averaged 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game and have been a cornerstone member of the Hornets franchise since he was drafted 12th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. As a restricted free agent, many around the League expected Bridges to draw a $100 million plus offer sheet that Charlotte likely would’ve matched. His offseason actions changed that market, as stated above.

Charlotte (8-24) has dealt with some injury woes with LaMelo Ball, specifically missing double-digit games due to ankle injuries. Signing Bridges will help Charlotte upgrade their roster at the wing and will bring some entertainment and physicality to a lineup looking to make a run for a play-in seed and a spot in the playoffs.

The post REPORT: Negotiations Heating Up Between Hornets and Miles Bridges appeared first on SLAM.

During that three-game stretch, Ball averaged 19.3 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field and 7.0 assists. Before rolling his ankle that game, Ball was also having his best game of the season thus far. He scored 26 points shooting 10-17 from the field, dished out six assists, and recorded two steals.

However, after missing the team’s last 11 games, the Hornets have upgraded Ball’s status from Out to Questionable for their matchup Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons in a report via NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The Hornets are also hopeful that Ball could return to the lineup in this matchup, too, as he will warm up with the team come game time and see how he feels.

This is excellent news for a Charlotte Hornets (7-20) team sitting in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Hopefully, if Ball can return tonight, his energetic play style can help spark a Hornets victory.

The post REPORT: Hornets Upgrade LaMelo Ball to Questionable For Wednesday Return appeared first on SLAM.

The Hornets star was putting the finishing touches to his best game of the season after scoring a season-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and six assists. Ball was forced to go to the locker room before the Hornets ruled him out for the rest of the game and now, more than likely, the next couple of games. It was only his third game back since returning to the court.

Losing the 21-year-old again will only add to Charlotte’s early-season injury woes. Gordan Hayward has missed the last eight games due to a shoulder injury, Dennis Smith Jr. has missed the previous three games because of an ankle sprain, and Cody Martin, who only played for one minute the entire season, is out for four weeks after getting knee surgery.

After losing to the Pacers, Kelly Oubre sounded off on how the team copes with these injuries. The 26-year-old is averaging 18.2 points for the season.

“It’s very tough, but we have to be professionals about it,” said Oubre, per ESPN. “It’s the game of basketball, and those things happen. But people who are suited up and who are healthy enough to go out there, we have to go pick up that slack.”

PJ Washington also chimed in on things, reiterating that the Hornets have to find ways to win games. Charlotte is only 4-12 on the season, which is good for 14th in the Eastern Conference.

“We all know at some point everybody’s going to get back out there, and we can’t wait for it,” Washington said. “But right now, the problem is we’re losing games, so we’ve got to figure it out and start getting some wins.”

The Hornets will aim to turn things around on Friday when they play the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 P.M.

The post Kelly Oubre and PJ Washington Reflect on Hornet’s Early Season Injury Woes appeared first on SLAM.

The team has relied on Max Strus and Duncan Robinson to handle the load at the power forward slot, but the team looks to be losing hope in their defensive powers as reports suggest the Heat are looking at trade suitors.

“Kyle Kuzma and Taj Gibson aren’t the only potential moves that the Heat have been linked to recently,” according to Heavy.com’s Thomas Darro. “Link them to PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets, as well as finalizing a reunion between Crowder and the Heat. But another has been Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons and Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miami HEAT (@miamiheat)

Kuzma of the Washington Wizards is off to a fantastic start to the young season as he’s averaging 19.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and a staggering shooting at 46.5 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. His size and length could turn him into a problem under the talented Heat coaching staff, but Heat President Pat Riley always keeps the door open to other options.

Washington is a restricted free agent this upcoming off-season due to the inability to negotiate a contract extension. The Hornets may be focused on providing their star point guard LaMelo Ball an enormous deal for the 2024 season, leaving little cap space to work for Washington.

The Heat wouldn’t mind one-year rentals, especially when there’s a lot of talent that needs to be proven out of the group. The 24-year-old would add the floor spacing, agility, and defensive intangibles that much up well against star rivals like Jaylen Brown, Khris Middleton and Demar Derozan.

Finally, the reunion Heat fans would welcome with open arms. Not too long ago, Phoenix Suns’ Jae Crowder was part of the resilient 2020 Heat squad that, as a 5th seed, went six games against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The chemistry on display, both offensive and defensively, is in no way bound to be lost in just the two seasons apart.

With this possibly being his 10th straight playoff appearance, a reunion with the Heat opens the door to a final run at a championship.

The post REPORT: Heat Linked to Kyle Kuzma, P.J Washington, and Jae Crowder appeared first on SLAM.

No one knew what had happened or the extent to which Bagley III was hurt. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that an MRI revealed that Bagley suffered a bone bruise and sprained MCL in his right knee. Although the Duke product avoided severe injury, Bagley will miss up to 3-4 weeks.

Sadly, Bagley III now joins the growing list of other NBA players like Lamelo Ball, Marcus Garrett, and Dyson Daniels, who have fallen victim to the injury bug. At the end of the day, no one likes to see or hear about injuries, but they are sadly a part of the game we all love, as always hoping for all the best for Bagley, as the injury rehab process should soon begin here in the next few days.

The post REPORT: Marvin Bagley III to Miss 3-4 Weeks With Sprained MCL appeared first on SLAM.

The 21-year-old still found it in him to shoot the two free throws that followed this play after clearly being fouled. Ball would then immediately check out the game and head to the locker room. 

After getting an MRI today on that ankle, the results came in as a Grade 2 ankle sprain per Shams Charania of the Athletic. Ball will miss the start of the regular season as he heals. 

Charlotte Coach Steve Clifford announced Terry Rozier would start at point guard for the team while Ball recovers.

“Terry was the starting point guard on a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s a role he is comfortable with, and if that ends up being the situation, that is how we will do it.”

Clifford also hinted at Dennis Smith Jr. getting more playing time. When the Hornets coach spoke to Ball about rehab, he could see his frustration and disappointment.

“We talked about whatever the plan is; you have to be on the rehab,” Clifford said. “The better you are with it, the quicker you will get back. He was disappointed but very upbeat. It’s just part of the NBA.”

Charlotte will play their season opener on Oct. 18 against the San Antonio Spurs.

The post REPORT: LaMelo Ball Set to Miss Start of the Season Due to Ankle Injury appeared first on SLAM.

Ball also signed a training camp deal with the Pistons in 2020. Detroit ultimately waived Ball before he could play in the preseason due to an ankle injury. This left older brothers Lonzo Ball and Lamelo Ball in the League.

The trio is widely known for their impressive play at Chino Hills High School, where each of the brothers put up unguardable numbers. Liangelo Ball had out-of-this-world performances, which has kept their father, LaVar Ball thinking he’s the best out of the three. As everyone knows, LaVar is one of the more popular voices in basketball, and he proves so in an interview back in 2020, stating:

“Everybody’s trying to create the Big Three. They’ve been the Big Three since they’ve been babies. And people are telling me, ‘Man, you know the odds of all three of your boys being on the same team?’ and I say, ‘Yeah, probably the same odds of me coming into the NBA with my own brand.”

The middle child once scored 72 points in a single game, just a day after getting 56. Later that month, he dropped 65 points as well, leaving his mark as one of the best high school performances in a single month of all time.

LiAngelo Ball has had a tough slate of reaching the pros, but his career is still young, and he has an opportunity to prove to basketball fans he is that scoring phenom out of his three brothers.

The post LiAngelo Ball Signs One-Year Deal With Charlotte, Joining Brother LaMelo Ball appeared first on SLAM.

The Fayetteville-bred guard returns home after previous stops in Dallas, New York, Detroit, and Portland.

After Smith’s lone season at NC State, he had a brilliant rookie season for the Mavericks, posting averages of 15.2 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, and 3.8 rebounds per game on 39.5 percent shooting from the field. After being traded in his second season for Kristaps Porzingis and dealing with a chorus of injuries, Smith has bounced around the League quite a bit but has found a new home, back home. 

Dennis Smith Jr has averaged 10.7 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game for his career. Smith is well known around the basketball world for his nuclear athleticism. His high school mixtapes and hoop stories have achieved near cult status.

He started four of the 37 games he played for the Portland Trailblazers last season, and he joins the Charlotte Hornets backcourt alongside All-Star Lamelo Ball, Terry Rozier, James Bouknight, and Cody Martin. 

The post Dennis Smith Jr. Signs One-Year Deal With the Charlotte Hornets appeared first on SLAM.

First Team

PJ TUCKER

Julius Caesar reigned over the mighty Roman Empire with the famous words of “veni, vidi, vici.” Those words translate to “I came, I saw, I conquered,” which Jay-Z used in a song during his mighty reign over music. Hov is PJ Tucker’s favorite musician. This season was yet another encore of conquering for the NBA’s mighty, unbeatable, unrelenting, reigning Sneaker King.

DEMAR DEROZAN

By now it’s common knowledge that DeMar DeRozan has played in every single pair of Nike Kobes throughout his career. The amount of variety, from the lows to the mids to the highs, lands him on this list yet again. What gets him second billing, though, is his “WNBA” Kobe 6 PEs. Bean’s relationship with the W needs no explanation, so please watch the WNBA and please support the WNBA in the same way DeMar DeRozan does.

STEPHEN CURRY

Stephen Curry came out the gates with an entire pack of Curry 9 colorways done in collaboration with Sesame Street. But the 9 wasn’t just another silhouette. It’s the second one in his line to obsolete rubber midsoles in favor of the Flow tech that is pioneering different construction in basketball sneakers. Many more fire colorways followed after Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch got their shine.

TRAE YOUNG

Trae Young and adidas handled their business for this introductory silhouette. The Trae 1 was treated with numerous colorways, some of which matched the Hawks’ uniforms and some of which stood out as singular statements. “I think this shoe is going to bring out a lot of the creative ideas in my mind,” Trae told us in last year’s issue of KICKS. He was right.

JA MORANT

Sheer volume of high-level Kobes, KDs and Kyries would’ve been enough 
to land Ja Morant a spot on here. His intention on creating separation became crystal clear when he started to mix in outrageously loud customized Kobe 6s. The only part of Ja’s sneaker season that was as rare as the actual pairs was him repeating sneakers; almost every game came with something different. 

Second Team

JAYSON TATUM

Jayson Tatum has great chemistry with Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown and Al Horford and he’s just as in sync with Jordan Brand’s Senior Promo Colorway Designer Kelsey Amy. Together, the duo made dozens of Air Jordan 36 PEs that told Tatum’s story, illustrated his interests and paid homage to the legendary Kobe Bryant.

DEVIN BOOKER

Back again with his now-familiar rotation of Kobe 4, Kobe 5 and Kobe 6 PEs, Devin Booker introduced us to a couple of new 6 colorways that were adorned with, of course, “Be Legendary,” the pair of words that Kobe left him with back in 2016.

LAMELO BALL

For someone who isn’t even from this planet, LaMelo Ball did a damn good job of introducing the world to his first signature sneaker. The lead colorway’s all-red makeup contrasted crazy against Charlotte’s uniforms, while the mismatched “Rick and Morty” drop proved that traditional rules were of no concern to the 1-of-1 hooper.

DONOVAN MITCHELL

A ton of colorways, a few more colorways and then a couple of extra colorways define the D.O.N. #3’s run this past season. Spida has proven time and time again that he’s going to use his signature line to express himself, be it his love of Marvel, Monster’s, Inc. or the University of Louisville.

LEBRON JAMES

Nothing new here. Well, that’s technically not true. The King did play in the LeBron 19 this past season. And some retros in new colorways. The nothing  new here is that we’ve seen this man display an arsenal of ridiculous sneakers for almost two decades, so when he pulled out a golden version of the Nike LeBron 20-5-5 in his home region of Northeast Ohio, it was a reminder of just how long King James has been at the top.

MVP

PJ TUCKER

There’s grandeur in PJ Tucker’s consistency and his intentionality in this sneaker game. Sure as Alexander the Great rising each morning to examine how he could extend his rule across lands far away from Macedon, PJ’s extensive knowledge of history has furthered his dynastic rule as the Sneaker King. He’s the one pulling out samples that were made for Ray Allen and Gary Payton, playing in Kobe 6 PEs inspired by Kanye West’s original run of Nikes. He even played in those OG Yeezys this past season. The throne is being watched, meticulously.

Rookie of the Year

JALEN GREEN

In addition to several in-line adidas models, Jalen Green (bigggggg SLAM Fam) spent his rookie season in D.O.N.s, Dames, Hardens and Traes. But to keep it a Bucky Barnes, the real reason that our guy Jalen is getting this award is he wore the adidas Gil Zero twice. For the uninitiated, the Gil Zero is the actual silhouette that reintroduced the low top back to modern basketball over 15 years ago (absolute all due respect to Bean and his fourth sneaker). The young fella showing love to Gilbert Arenas made him the easiest pick of this entire awards section.

Most Improved

Stephen Curry

You’re for sure saying to yourself that Stephen Curry has had almost a decade of signature sneakers and that KICKS just put him on the first team from this past season a few pages back. You’re asking how it’s possible that he’s also being awarded with the Most Improved title. But never before have we’ve seen someone with such a technologically advanced main silhouette mix in old models like the Curry 1 (in new and old flavors) and the Curry 6. He also debuted the Curry 4 Flotro, an update of his iconic model from five years ago that now makes use of his groundbreaking Flow tech in the midsole. Those three factors are how this seasoned sneaker vet was a lock for Most Improved.

LeagueFits Tunnel Look of the Year

Jayson Tatum

So long ago that it almost feels like a myth here in 2022, Jordan Brand used to lace their players with amazingly beautiful colorways of retros. Seeing the old Jordans, as well as pairs in the late teens and early ’20s, in colorways that didn’t have red or black was a thrill, and those pioneering players and their PEs became legendary, lore-like figures in the annals of basketball sneaker history. Jayson Tatum pulling up to the NBA playoffs in a brand-new Air Jordan XIV PE was a brief return to the glorious days of yesteryear.

Best of the Best

Jordan

PJ Tucker

Eminem x Carhartt x 

Air Jordan VI

adidas

Jalen Green

adidas Gil Zero 

Restomod

PUMA

LaMelo Ball

PUMA MB.01

Nike

PJ Tucker

Nike Air Yeezy 2

Reebok

Montrezl Harrell

Reebok Kamikaze II Low

Under Armour

Stephen Curry

Under Armour Curry 1

The post The 2021-22 KICKS Awards appeared first on SLAM.

So, last October, when the now recently turned 18-year-old inked a deal with PUMA, he became the first American high schooler to sign with a global footwear company. The sentiment wasn’t just solidified—it was written in stone.

“When my family and I made the decision to join PUMA, we knew that PUMA had been in the game a long time,” Williams tells SLAM. “I just wanted to be with a brand that was going to let me be myself, take my input, help me perform on the court, and I wanted a chance to be different and do things differently.”

Signing on to a roster loaded with bucket-getters and larger than life figures—like two-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart and Charlotte Hornets Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball—not only felt like the right move for Mikey’s journey en route to the League (he becomes eligible for the NBA Draft in 2024), but it also allowed him to remain unapologetically himself.

“Hard work pays off, and staying in the lab and working on my game is the most important thing,” Williams says. “Staying true to who I am created this opportunity, and I want to encourage other young kids to do the same. At times the road is hard, but the rewards can be worth it.”

Nine months removed from that historic announcement, those rewards are being realized, as Mikey took an official visit to the University of Kansas in June. This summer, however, his premium is coming by way of spearheading PUMA’s latest innovation for the hardwood, the TRC Blaze Court, which just hit Hibbett Sports this summer.

From dropping defenders into a blender to suiting up in a matching teal puffer and Versace Trainers, Mikey isn’t the only member of his family keen to the outspoken articulation of fashion on the court. When the then-17-year-old had made his decision to sign on the dotted line, Mikey’s father Mahlon Williams—who was an All-CIF-SDS selection in his own day—began reminiscing back to the days of Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s fedoras, slick velvet suits and the many variations of his suede signature, The Clyde.

In his fullest form of expression, Mikey is dicing cats up along the perimeter in a pair of TRC Blaze Courts before slicing through help defenders for throwdowns that send spectators in slides and bulging backpacks into hysteria on the baselines.

Years of inspiration and history seep through the seams of the upper’s stitching as PUMA’s latest premier hoops silhouette draws upon both its fashion and concrete jungle origins by way of its legendary streetwear predecessor, the 2006 Blaze of Glory. Fans of one of the finest running silhouettes will appreciate the similarly constructed lacing system of the mid 2000s model that displayed a distinctive and significant lockdown fitting. And for the first time since its inception back in 1990, the brand’s staple cushioning system TRINOMIC, replicated from the honey bee’s honeycomb home, makes its debut on the hardwood.

PUMA set out to harness three fundamental concepts in the technological realization of the silhouette, directly aiming for cushioning, stability and flexibility. They then added a lightweight ProFoam + midsole for enhanced comfort alongside additional Pebax foam inserted in the heel for instant responsiveness. While the geeky tech aspects of the kicks aren’t his bread and butter, “The first thing that caught my eye was the color blocking,” Williams says.

Most recently appearing on social media pages rocking a dominant Neon Citrus colorway that’s reminiscent of the flesh of a ripe cantaloupe, the latest innovation for the court includes both black and white silhouettes contrasted with cherry tomato, sky blue and neon green accents.

Entering the final chapter of a more than dominant high school career, Williams announced back in April that he was returning to his hometown high school, San Ysidro, in San Diego. After spending the prior season expanding his skills against the country’s best at Vertical Academy in North Carolina, the Border Boys are back for one last run.

With time comes change, and as Williams prepares for his senior year, his squad has graduated eight seniors. But as the go-to option and head honcho on the court for what seems like his entire basketball life, leadership will be the furthest thing from a problem.

“I feel like I have been a leader my entire career,” Williams explains. “But as a senior, it will be my responsibility to really be that coach on the floor and help the young guys learn our system and how Coach Tuck [San Ysidro head coach Terry Tucker] likes to do things ASAP.”

Admittingly, Mikey knows everyone in the conference and state will be “gunning for us,” but that ain’t nothing new to a teenage hoops sensation with 3.7 millions IG followers who’s signing brand partnership deals left and right.

The pressure. The standards. The expectations. The responsibilities. Mikey’s been handling them for years, and like a vet, at that. Alongside guys like G-League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, who joined Williams by signing with PUMA this June, the youth movement isn’t just budding in PUMA’s North American HQ in Somerville, MA. It’s blooming to its fullest and ready to take the basketball sneaker ecosystem by storm.

As Mikey continues his voyage both on and off the court, he’ll do so with the TRC Blaze Court on his feet.

The post Mikey Williams on Signing With PUMA and Standing Out in the PUMA TRC Blaze Court appeared first on SLAM.

Irving has been linked to a Lakers move involving Russell Westbrook, but it seems unlikely that the Nets would want to take on Westbrook in a direct swap with Irving. Leading to the Lakers wanting to include the Spurs in any trade they negotiate with the Nets.

San Antonio traded away All-Star guard Dejounte Murray in exchange for multiple future picks; they also dealt away Derrick White to the Celtics in exchange for Josh Richardson. Jakob Poetl and Doug McDermott are also reportedly available for a trade as the Spurs look to move in a younger direction.

They also possess a plethora of draft picks, assets that the Nets would want in a deal like this.

Per Pincus, “League sources stressed that Brooklyn views resolving Kevin Durant’s trade request as a significantly higher priority than clearing Irving’s final $36.9 million of the Nets’ books.”

After trading Murray away to the Hawks, the Spurs seem to be headed towards a rebuild and are reportedly looking to offload some of their veterans to focus on developing their young players. Furthermore, the Spurs are likely eying 2023 NBA Draft prospect and potential No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama.

The team also recently signed former Thunder forward Isaiah Roby.

The Nets are looking to resolve the Durant situation before moving Irving, and the Lakers are looking to do the same for Westbrook, but neither team will swap straight up. San Antonio holds the key to all of this.

The post REPORT: Lakers Trying to Involve Spurs in Three-Team Deal for Kyrie Irving appeared first on SLAM.

The Hawks are sending three first-round picks and a future pick swap to the Spurs to pair Murray with All-NBA guard Trae Young, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/rxHtyr63jl

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

The Hawks agreed to send Danilo Gallinari and draft capital to the Spurs for Murray. Atlanta is sending a 2023 first-round pick they got from Charlotte, and their 2025 and 2027 first-round picks to the Spurs. San Antonio will also receive a pick swap in 2026.

The Hawks are sending a 2023 first-round pick via Charlotte, and their own 2025 and 2027 first-round picks to the Spurs in the deal, sources tell ESPN. Spurs will also get a pick swap in 2026.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

Murray will be expected to come in and provide a good deal of two-way support to backcourt mate Trae Young. The trade fulfills reports from last week that the Hawks actively sought to acquire Murray. The former Washington Husky averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.7 percent shooting from deep.

The post REPORT: Hawks and Spurs Agree to Trade Built Around Dejounte Murray appeared first on SLAM.

Klein notes that the package to obtain Murray would be Danilo Gallinari and multiple first-round picks, but John Collins will not be a part of the transaction despite being in trade rumors for a few seasons.

After sitting out all of the 2018-19 season, Murray has blossomed into one of the better point guards in the League. This past year he earned his first All-Star bid after averaging 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and a League-leading 2.0 steals per game.

Murray is halfway through a four-year rookie extension he signed in 2019 with the Spurs. The final two years of his contract have him making just north of $16 million and $17 million, respectively.

The Hawks are looking to pair Murray up with Trae Young, becoming a formidable backcourt within the Eastern Conference.

Klein also reports San Antonio is preparing for the future and the 2023 NBA Draft.

The post REPORT: Hawks ‘On the Verge’ of Obtaining Dejounte Murray appeared first on SLAM.

Charlotte is dismissing coach James Borrego, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 22, 2022

Charlotte has reached the play-In tournament for consecutive seasons and has improved by 10 wins in each of the past three seasons. However, Charlotte hasn’t won a game in the tournament in either of its appearances, despite their regular-season improvement and the development of SLAM 237 cover star LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Borrego went 138-163 during his Hornets tenure.

The Hornets finished the season ranked 10th in the East with a 43-39 record.

The post REPORT: Charlotte Hornets Let Go of Head Coach James Borrego appeared first on SLAM.

The magazine, SLAM 237, features Ball in a futuristic recreation of the NBA logo with all the cover text given a unique metallic foil embossed treatment. The issue was autographed by Ball, authenticated by Beckett Grading Services (BGS) and will be available exclusively on eBay via an auction that launches Thursday, March 31 at 2 p.m. ET and runs through Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m. ET.

“At eBay, we are constantly investing in ways to bring unmatched inventory to our marketplace,” said Bob Means, Director of Trading Cards at eBay. “This 1-of-1 auction of a LaMelo Ball signed and authenticated SLAM magazine is yet another example of our focus on stocking eBay with the latest releases as well as the rare and hard to find.”

The magazine includes an in-depth interview with Ball, the 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year, as well as an exclusive photo shoot from acclaimed photographer Diwang Valdez. A standard, non-metallic version of the issue is releasing globally on newsstands and in bookstores now, and is available at slamgoods.com alongside limited Black Metal (60 copies) and Gold Metal (94 copies) editions.

The publication has a long history with Ball, going all the way back to SLAM 200 (2016) when he and his two brothers, Lonzo and LiAngelo, then all playing for Chino Hills (CA) High School, and their father, LaVar, were featured. The Ball brothers went on to grace the cover of SLAM 211 (2017) and LaMelo’s first solo cover was SLAM 222 (2019).

“It’s history, it’s a blessing,” said LaMelo Ball of the first-of-its-kind SLAM collaboration. “To whoever wins it, congratulations!”

“SLAM has produced exclusive, limited metal editions for a few years now, and with LaMelo being a player we’ve covered since his freshman year of high school and someone we know has an extremely bright future, the opportunity to do something special for collectors and partner with LaMelo on it made complete sense,” said Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer of SLAM. “The bold cover nods to LaMelo’s status as the future face of the NBA, and our magazine’s cover is the perfect place to make this kind of declarative statement.”

In addition to the 1-of-1 magazine, a t-shirt featuring the SLAM 237 cover is available now. Shop here.

The post SLAM and LaMelo Ball Will Auction a 1-of-1 Autographed Edition of SLAM 237 appeared first on SLAM.

But on this night, many die-hard hoops fans are glued to their television screens and phones while the NBA celebrates the culmination of the 2018-19 season. The third annual NBA Awards, live from the Barker Hangar in Los Angeles and airing on TNT, will reveal the winners of some of the League’s most prestigious accolades. Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to earn his first of back-to-back MVPs. Luka Doncic is picking up his ROY hardware. Superstar hoopers aside, though, the night also features celebrity presenters. Samuel L. Jackson. Tiffany Haddish. Issa Rae. Shaquille O’Neal. And then there is actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj, who takes the stage to let off a few jokes. One joke in particular is about to become a trending topic on Twitter. 

“In the past two months, AD got traded, Zion went first and LaMelo Ball got shipped to boarding school in Australia. I can say that joke—neither of us will ever make the NBA,” says Minhaj, as some laughs break through the crowd.

Comedians crack jokes. That’s the point. But whether Minhaj actually believed what he said, only he knows. 

The irony of it all (aside from the fact that Melo went on to become the third overall pick in the draft the following year and won ROY a few months later) is that here was a 17-year-old kid who had become such a staple of hoops culture that he was the subject of a joke on a night meant to celebrate the game’s current greatest.  

About 50 miles east from where the awards were taking place, it didn’t take long before LaMelo, at home in Chino Hills, reacted online. He posted a comment, which was later deleted, that essentially questioned if Minhaj would say that to his face. Normal teenager reaction. All harmless. 

Almost three years later, LaMelo is now sitting on a table in a Charlotte hotel conference room on a late February afternoon. He’s wearing a custom 1-of-1 LaFrancé-branded basketball uniform (his personal lifestyle brand, named as a nod to his middle name) while rocking a No. 1 jersey, which he says he expects to be his new number starting next season. And then there’s the humongous iced out double chain around his neck with a 3D UFO spaceship. Casual. 

We just wrapped up his cover shoot and he is comfortably lounging as he reminisces on his journey so far.

SLAM 237 featuring LaMelo Ball is available now!

He’s no longer that bubble gum teenager who many predicted was all internet hype and would eventually fade into obscurity. To be fair to Minhaj, he was probably just repeating what he had heard others say—some who even consider themselves basketball experts repeated those same sentiments back then, too. On the night of the 2019 awards ceremony, ESPN had Melo projected as a second rounder in the draft. The 32nd pick, to be exact. 

As Melo is reminded of the days when many doubted him, and specifically the night of the awards, he begins cheesing hard. It’s the smile of someone who knows he’s had the last laugh. He always knew he would. And he enjoys every bit of it these days. But as I remind him of his deleted comment from that night, he can no longer control his laughter.    

“Oh, I said that?! That was probably me on some young shit. I’ll smack that n—a, for real!” he says before breaking out into more laughs. 

“Nah, I don’t really give a fuck when people said stuff like that. It’s all jokes to me, for real. When you say something, I’m gonna say something back. You mean it? Eh, I don’t mean it. Could mean it. Probably don’t. Probably do. It’s whatever.” 

Melo ain’t really sweating it. He never has. His nonchalant demeanor has lowkey played a big role in getting him here. If anything, it’s probably what kept him sane when his notoriety was exploding in high school, and yet media outlets and online trolls alike refused to acknowledge him as a legitimate high-level NBA prospect. Talent is obviously needed to get here. But ask all of the cautionary tales and highly touted high school players who never panned out about their voyage, and the importance of mental strength will be a common theme. Goes without saying that being under a microscope and the type of spotlight that Melo grew up in is not for the faint of heart. 

Melo, though, shrugs and scoffs at the thought (technically, the question) that there was ever even the smallest of chances that all that noise was ever hard on him. That lowlight mixtape that accumulated millions of views online when he was only 15 years old? He’s practically offended at the thought that he would ever be offended by it. 

“I ain’t gonna lie, everything was just normal to me. I give a lot of credit to my pops, just the way he had us. Pretty much saying, If they not talking about y’all and they not hating on you, you’re pretty much not doing nothing. You feel me? If they not hating on you, you obviously not doing something. If they talking about you good, if they talking about you bad, they’re still talking about you,” says Melo. “I never really looked at it like, Oh, why are they talking about me like that? If you not really in my household, I don’t really care what you got to say. No disrespect, but it’s like that.” 

Continuing to look back on his father’s words: “He said, Y’all destined for the League, type-shit. Made us really believe it. I came out the womb believing it. When you got that factor and really believe it, that’s really it. All you could do is make it, for real. That’s what our mindset was…I felt like I could play in the League when I was 14, 15. I probably couldn’t have, but that’s just how I thought. I was like, It’s just basketball. He could shoot, I could shoot. He dribbles, I dribble. From the beginning, I thought I was always—no one could really f**k with me. I just always had that attitude.”  

In late 2017, when Melo left Chino Hills High School at the beginning of his junior year and turned pro in Lithuania, he says that’s when he received his big affirmation—or rather, revelation—that there was nothing that could stop him. At the time, people criticized the move, saying it would hinder his growth and development, and ultimately obliterate any probabilities of him making the NBA.     

“Honestly, after Lithuania, I didn’t give a fuck where I got drafted to. The beds? You roll off to the left, you fall off. You roll off to the right, you fall off. Motherfucking calves hanging off the bed—not feet, calves hanging off the bed! It was bad, bro. Once you get through that, it was like, I don’t care where y’all put me in. As long as I’m in the States and I got water, I’m good,” Melo says confidently. “That whole shit, bruh—it felt like one big ass night! That shit was crazy. Food was hard to eat out there. Hella cold. Nobody around. That’s pretty much when I just locked in. I’m like, Yeah, I don’t really need too much. Just get it done and grind. That right there was big, I feel like. Sacrifice—you feel me? That’s what I looked at it as.  

“The mental shit goes back to Lithuania. Ever since all that, I aint gon’ lie, my mental has been straight. It ain’t nothing you can do. I even sat the bench there. I literally did everything out there.” 

LaVar still remembers Melo getting in trouble in preschool as if it was yesterday. One day, the teacher had asked the class what their favorite song was. Every kid took turns as the teacher went around the room. When it was finally Melo’s turn to speak, he excitedly shared with the class his favorite lyrics. 

“This dude starts reciting a DMX song with all the cuss words in it! His teachers said, Hold up, wait a minute! He had never been [in a situation] where someone would say, Hey, don’t say those cuss words! ’Cause I let him listen to rap when getting ready for the games. So he was always listening to DMX and what his older brothers were listening to,” recalls LaVar. In 2016, Zo did say that his five favorite rappers of all time were Lil Wayne, Future, DMX, 50 Cent and Tupac, so it’s easy to see where that came from.   

LaVar shares the childhood story to get to a bigger point. Being the youngest, Melo would always hang around his older brothers. Wherever Zo and Gelo went, Melo was there. That included the basketball court. Melo felt he could hang with them on the court, but then also invited himself to hang off the court, too. It got to the point where Melo was practically hanging with Zo’s and Gelo’s friends more than kids in his own grade. It was really just an extension of what was happening on the hardwood. LaVar had his boys playing up in age in AAU. Do some Googles and you’ll find videos of an 11-year-old Melo playing against high school kids next to his brothers at AAU events. Not just playing against high school kids at 11, giving them buckets.    

“We used to have movie night every weekend. I used to say, Each of you guys invite a couple of your friends. And Melo never invited his. He always invited Lonzo’s and Gelo’s. The older guys. Melo never wanted to hang out with no little guys,” LaVar says. “By the time we were playing in the high school leagues, and the boys were super young, I always had a couple of guys on the team that were 17 to balance that stuff out—needed some big boys to rebound. These dudes had tattoos and goatees and my dudes were barely in elementary. But they looked at [Melo, Gelo and Zo] as little brothers and protected them. [Melo] always talked crazy. He talked like them. You’d hear a little kid’s voice talking, and then you hear him talking about stuff that grown folks talking about. He was always like that.”  

But on-court development was only part of the plan. There was a whole other social aspect to it. LaVar decided to raise the family in the relatively affluent Chino Hills enclave, far away from the South Central L.A. streets he grew up in. He and his wife Tina would end up taking the boys back to W. Slauson and S. Van Ness all the time, though. After all, their grandparents still lived in the neighborhood. And aside from visiting family, he also wanted the boys to build up that same inner-city grit and toughness he had mastered. He wanted the boys to appreciate the unique situation they were in back in Chino Hills, and to also be cognizant and understanding of the different social conditions others less fortunate were born into. The routine trips to South Central ultimately became a major part of the boys’ development. 

Still, part of that preparation was also about making sure that Melo and his brothers wouldn’t get caught up in the glitz and glamour when they finally made it to the League. That the transition would be as seamless as possible because their lifestyle would be no different when that day came. Growing up around gated communities in Chino Hills was one thing. But Zo pulling up to high school in a new white BMW 7 Series and Gelo pulling up in a separate one—yes, to the same school parking lot—was just as much about preparing for the League as any drill was. When Melo finally turned 16, he famously got a Lamborghini gifted to him. Not many outside of the family understood the purpose of it all at the time. 

“If I wanted my sons to live the NBA lifestyle, you can’t dangle no fucking shoe in front of them, like you can do with the other superstars. You offered them some shoes, they were gonna be like, What am I supposed to do with these shoes when I got a BMW outside? You get to the League and now you can finally buy that BMW or Escalade you always wanted. [Melo, Gelo, and Zo] already had that in high school,” says LaVar. “Just like with Melo, when the media asked him if he was happy to have his own signature shoe [with Puma], he told them he’s had that since he was 16. He’s not gonna feel any different if we made sure that he felt those experiences at 16. Guys are out there breaking their neck trying to get a signature shoe. He’s been through all of that. You can’t re-do it. You can only have that feeling one time.” 

Adds Melo: “Right when I hit that age, everything started making sense. I had been through everything. Even with the whole playing on teams—I really started to see what my pops was doing. Even when we were younger, we always used to play on our own team under him, with just local kids. We wouldn’t go find the best teams. Then you look back at it and it’s like, Damn, that’s ’cause he wanted me to pass, shoot, rebound, steal. Damn near do everything. So, when you do get on those types of teams and you got that [NBA] talent around you [now], it’s way easier.”

So here we are today. Melo is now the face of an NBA franchise at only 20 years old. A franchise and a city that didn’t have much to cheer about prior to his arrival in 2020. The impact is evident in the significant increase of new season ticket holders that the team has reported since he touched down in the Queen City. In the fact that they’ve been in contention for a playoff spot the last two seasons after finishing almost 20 games under .500 right before he got to town. 

Some of his early accolades make his trajectory scary—in the best way. He’s already joined some elite company in his short time in the League. Fourth-youngest ever to be an NBA All-Star, behind only Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Magic Johnson. He finished with 18 points off the bench that night. There was a period earlier this season when he was the team’s leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game (Mason Plumlee has since taken over the rebounds category). The only other player in the League who was leading his team across all four categories at the same time this season was reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Melo became the second youngest player in NBA history to reach 700 career assists in February, behind only LeBron. There’s a bunch of other similar milestones, where his name sits next to some of the best.

But it hasn’t all been peaches and cream. As we headed to press, the team had dropped 13 of its last 17 games. The Hornets are fighting tooth and nail to hold on to one of the last remaining play-in game spots. And while Melo is focused on securing a postseason opportunity, he’s also aware that it’s all just a process. Just like his road to the NBA. From Lithuania to LaVar’s JBA world tour (which took him across Europe) to Australia, he’s become confident in knowing that not much in his life has been a matter of if, only when.    

“When they really put them keys in my hand, I feel like it’s gonna be a whole new situation. But until then, I’m gonna keep doing what I need to do, just try to get these wins,” says Melo. “I ain’t gonna lie, every game I feel like I can do more than what I’m doing. It’s just [about] reading the whole game and reading the whole situation. And everybody being on the same page. The consistency part. Once all that clears, I feel like we’ll be straight. 

“The season isn’t successful until you win a championship. But it’s [also] pretty much always about being better than the last year. So, last year we were in the play-in. This year hopefully we get in the playoffs, win a first round, something like that. Just keep going up from there. I just feel we’re like a big away. One that can clog up the whole paint, rebound. Put that bitch in my hands [and] let me rock! That’s how I be feeling. And then we’re gonna be straight.”

SLAM 237 is available now in these gold and black metal editions, plus an exclusive SLAM 237 Cover Tee.

Portraits Diwang Valdez.

The post The King of Queen City: LaMelo Ball’s Ascension to the Top is Only a Matter of Time appeared first on SLAM.

Ball’s stat line of 22 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, coupled with 13 points from P.J. Washington in the fourth quarter, powered the Hornets’ small-ball lineup that started in an 85-85 tie.

But what was underrated in Ball’s performance is his contributions with team defense holding Trae Young to only nine points on 3-12 shooting.

“We used our length, size, and physicality, and we made it tough on Trae.” Hornets Coach James Borrego said about the gameplan to defend Young per ESPN. “He is a heck of a player, and getting him out of the pick and roll, we went through probably three or four iterations tonight to make him think on the fly.”

But in the end, it was Ball’s execution of the offense when the Hornets went small playing “pick and pop” with Washington that was the difference in the game. Something that Hawks coach Nate McMillan discussed after the game.

“We didn’t get out quick enough, and we didn’t get out to the shooters, and they basically just ran a pick-and-pop game, and he was able to knock down some shots.”

Then finally, at the end of the game, Melo finished things off in style.

That feeling after your third win in a row…@MELOD1P | #AllFly pic.twitter.com/QncluWzBfR

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) March 17, 2022

Melo and the Hornets have a few days off before taking on the Dallas Mavericks at home on Saturday night.

The post Charlotte Hornets Overtake the Hawks in Playoffs Seeding Behind LaMelo Ball appeared first on SLAM.

Three players made early news for the All-Star Game. Donovan Mitchell sat out with a non-COVID-19 related illness, and it was announced on TNT that Chris Paul suffered a thumb fracture which will keep him out for six to eight weeks just before the game. He checked in late in the first quarter.

Suns star Chris Paul has suffered a right thumb avulsion fracture and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2022

Kevin Durant was also unable to attend the All-Star festivities after his mother, Wanda Pratt announced that his grandmother passed away Sunday and left Cleveland to be with his family.

The grandmother of Kevin Durant passed away this morning, Wanda Durant announces. Kevin Durant – named one of the 75 greatest players ever – will no longer attend 75th Anniversary team ceremony tonight at NBA All-Star Game as the family mourns loss.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2022

The event was not just for entertainment but for a good cause. Team LeBron and Team Durant competed for $750,000 in donations for two organizations. Team LeBron played for the Kent State I Promise Scholars Program, and Team Durant played for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. The competition was spread out over three quarters for $100,000 apiece.

Each organization started with a $150,000 contribution, with the winning team earning $150,000 for their respective organization.

First Quarter:

Defense was optional in the first quarter for the players, with the exception of Stephen Curry, who had the game’s only two blocked shots for an extended period. A point that Draymond Green trolled him for during the TNT broadcast.

“Why are you playing so much defense bro?”

This @StephenCurry30 and @Money23Green exchange pic.twitter.com/5V9Nz4TiLm

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 21, 2022

Otherwise, it was lighthearted, running up and down the floor with some high-flying dunks and long-distance shots. On a side note, Giannis Antetokounmpo finally missed a field goal attempt after hitting all 16 of his shots in last year’s event.

Throwback to last year’s Finals… Book and Giannis trading buckets at #NBAAllStar!

TNT & TBS pic.twitter.com/6iEs9nuxD2

— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2022

Another great moment was watching Trae Young and Curry match each other in three-point marksmanship. Knowing that these two will be compared to each other for the next several seasons, this moment sends a message that fans will be enjoying 30 footers for years to come.

In the end, despite Team LeBron running out to an early lead, Team Durant’s late first-quarter run was not enough to make up the deficit at the end.

Winner: Team LeBron wins the quarter 47-45. Kent State I Promise Scholars Program receives $100,000.

Second Quarter:

After showing his defensive prowess in the first quarter, Curry reminded NBA fans of his real forte, shooting the long ball. Chef Curry set the All-Star Game record by knocking down an absurd eight 3 point shots in the first half.

#NBAAllStar record for threes in a half.
There’s nobody quite like Stephen Curry pic.twitter.com/dnKw86B04i

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 21, 2022

Before the Curry fireworks started, Cavs representatives Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland had some solid moments in the second quarter. Garland looked very comfortable on the floor and used this long-range bomb from the logo to spark a 10 point quarter.

Darius Garland from the logo to hype up the Cleveland crowd! #NBAAllStar on TNT & TBS pic.twitter.com/WgjqAk1P5M

— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2022

While Team LeBron had all of the flash, Team Durant had the substance with LaMelo Ball combining with Dejounte Murray making plays for his teammates like Rudy Gobert, Devin Booker, and others. They ran out to a lead and never were in any trouble of losing it.

Team Durant win 49-46. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank receives $100,000.

Third Quarter:

Surprisingly, Curry has been shooting 37.9 percent from deep this season, well short of his career 42.8 mark. Well, he found his stroke in this game. If anyone thought SC30 was hot in the second quarter, the greatest three-point shooter of all time was burning up in the third quarter.

The two-time MVP broke the record for most three-pointers in an All-Star game by this point held by Paul George in 2016, and it was the way he was doing it that set the building on fire.

Stephen Curry is heat checking like no one ever has in an #NBAAllStar Game.

He’s got 13 threes.

Get to TNT & TBS now. pic.twitter.com/Fvj2Ep3fjB

— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2022

Even though Curry was stealing all of the thunder in the third quarter, Team Durant pretty much held the lead the entire quarter. But Team Durant got cold at the end and allowed Team LeBron to pull to a tie at the end of the third quarter.

Even though the period ended in a tie, the third period belonged solely to Stephen Curry, who cemented his claim to MVP after pouring in 45 points on 15-21 shooting from behind the line. At this point, he was only seven points away from the all-time scoring record.

Drive. Give it up. Relocate. Get it back.

Stephen Curry is playing his brand of basketball in the #NBAAllStar Game…

Oh, and he’s made 15 threes pic.twitter.com/FC6cQcdp0p

— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2022

Team LeBron and Team Durant finish the quarter with a 45-45 tie. Now the score is 139-138 Team Durant.

Final Quarter:

In the final quarter, the target score to end the game was set at 163. The gas Curry was cooking with ran out, and he finished with 50 points. Like in previous years, the ball was given to Joel Embiid in the post to score. But Jarrett Allen, with the assistance of LeBron James and Antetokounmpo, slowed him up just enough.

In the end, it was the Captain’s choice on who would close the game out!

BRON. CALLED. GAME.

Listen to the conclusion of the 2022 All-Star Game on NBA Radio.

https://t.co/AYipQpw9t4
pic.twitter.com/ivRfKU2iI3

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) February 21, 2022

Team LeBron defeats Team Durant 163-160. Kent State I Promise Scholars Program receives a donation of $150,000 for a total of $450,000. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank received a total donation of $300,000.

All-Star Game MVP: Stephen Curry with 50 points.

The post Team LeBron Wins the 2022 NBA All Star Game Behind Stephen Curry’s 50 appeared first on SLAM.

The addition of four players from the NBA G League Ignite developmental team with a four-team draft set the stage for three entertaining basketball games. The winners had to get to 50 points in the first round and 25 points in the final round.

Team Worthy vs. Team Isiah (Game to 50):

This was probably one of the more exciting games of the night. Jalen Green sparked Team Worthy, who led everyone in the game in scoring, and the Orlando Magic connection, Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs.

Jalen Suggs Cole Anthony

Cole Anthony giving us a sample of his hops…see them on full display tomorrow in the #ATTSlamDunk contest! #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/z3jYsdceAg

— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 19, 2022

Team Isiah looked like they had things well in hand to go to the next round before Team Worthy went on a massive 15-4 run to put go ahead 40-39. Both teams were neck and neck up to a 48-48 tie.

Then the Cole Anthony effect happened.

With Jalen Suggs on the line to end the game, Anthony said something to Suggs, with the rookie out Gonzaga missing the subsequent free throw.

That left the door for Team Isiah to win the game with Desmond Bane at the line. Anthony had a conversation with him, too, and even pulled down his shorts to distract him! Only for Bane to hit both of his free throws to end things.

Cole Anthony really pulled down his shorts during Bane’s free throw pic.twitter.com/WLEIBQlfN4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 19, 2022

Team Isiah defeats Team Worthy 50-49.

Team Barry vs. Team Payton (Game to 50):

While the first game showed a ton of highlight dunks and flashy play, things were a little more structured in this one. Hall of Famer Rick Barry will probably be the only coach in an All-Star event that mandates set plays to start a game, while Gary Payton, also a Hall of Famer, hasn’t lost a bit of competitive fire, too say the least.

Gary Payton was trash talking the ref from the bench pic.twitter.com/RJ5t4gfEDL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 19, 2022

For a while, it looked like Team Payton was off to win after a strong start by Timberwolves’ rookie Jaden McDaniels, but crowd favorite Mobley kept things close by dominating down low and getting easy baskets.

But when the Pistons’ number one overall pick, Cunningham, got warmed up, Team Barry’s offense started clicking with their ball movement, and the game turned around.

In a down to the wire affair like the previous first-round game, Team Barry was just disciplined enough to win thanks to two final baskets by Houston Rockets’ Jae’Shan Tate, including this game-winner!

Jae’Sean Tate takes it to the rack for the win!

Team Barry advances to the #CloroxRisingStars Final, where they’ll face Team Isiah following the #CloroxClutch Challenge on TNT. pic.twitter.com/UO4Twm2BJe

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2022

LaMelo Ball almost stole the pass and nearly ripped the ball from Tate in vain, but it was not enough.

Team Barry defeats Team Payton 50-48.

The Clorox Clutch Challenge!

Tyrese Haliburton and Bane were the only players to knock down five shots from positions of famous NBA Finals shots of the past to win the challenge.

Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane finish in under 40 seconds to win the #CloroxClutch Challenge! pic.twitter.com/cuTNrmnciC

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2022

What most will remember from this event was Scottie Barnes continually missing the layup part of the competition.

Team Barry vs. Team Isiah (Game to 25):

Just like in the first game, Team Isiah opened up a lead over Team Barry thanks to Toronto Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa’s quick 13 points to get within shouting distance of the targeted 25 points.

Precious Achiuwa is on fire!

He’s up to 13 points in the #CloroxRisingStars final…Team Isiah is 7 points away from the winning Target Score of 25 on TNT. pic.twitter.com/pmc79M5bks

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2022

But like in the first game, Team Isiah allowed a momentum-stealing run to enable their lead to evaporate. This time it cost them as tournament MVP Cade Cunningham took over, hitting huge shots to help Team Barry triumph over Team Isiah in the championship game with a 13-2 run.

Team Barry wins the tournament over Team Isiah 25-20.

The post Team Barry Wins A Newly Formatted 2022 NBA Rising Stars tournament appeared first on SLAM.

Denver Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland has been selected as an injury replacement for the NBA Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 17, 2022

Mitchell has ruled out the game due to right-hand soreness, which caused him to miss last night’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls in a 125-118 loss.

Hyland becomes the second-consecutive Nuggets player to be named to the Rising Stars after Michael Porter Jr. and Facundo Campazzo’s appearance last year in Atlanta. Appearing in 46 games in three starts, the 21-year-old from VCU is averaging 8.8 points, 2.7 boards, and 2.0 assists on 18 minutes per game. Over his last 10, he’s upped his averages to 10.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The 26th overall pick in 2021 ranks third amongst rookies in free-throw percentage (88.5), third in total threes (79), and 13th in points per game. Against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 15, Bones dropped a career-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, and two dimes while shooting 6-for-10 from distance, becoming just the third Nuggets player ever to post 27+ points and 6+ threes off of the bench, joining Wilson Chandler and Will Barton.

Hyland joins head coach Gary Payton’s team alongside LaMelo Ball, Scottie Barnes, Ayo Dosunmu, Chris Duarte, Scoot Henderson, and Jaden McDaniels in this year’s new format, featuring four teams of seven players.

The 2022 Clorox Rising Stars team rosters pic.twitter.com/d8d4jjpQ9s

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 4, 2022

The 2022 Rising Stars game will kick off All-Star weekend on Friday night.

The post Bones Hyland Replaces Injured Davion Mitchell in Rising Stars Game appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday night, LeBron James and Kevin Durant – the two captains for the All-Star game – selected their teams for the All-Star Game taking place in just under two weeks.

Each captain had to select their starting lineups first and then select their reserves. Because Durant is injured and will not be playing in the game, nine players were available to be drafted instead of eight, with Jayson Tatum replacing Durant as a starter.

James opened the draft up by selecting Giannis Antetokounmpo first overall, with Durant using his first pick to draft Joel Embiid.

James rounded off his starting lineup by selecting Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Jokic. Durant’s starting lineup will consist of Embiid, Tatum, Ja Morant, Andrew Wiggins, and Trae Young. Wiggins and Young were the final two starters selected in the draft.

Between the two, Durant has the least experienced starting lineup with Wiggins and Morant, both first-time All-Stars and Young just in his second All-Star Game.

Durant got the first pick to open up the reserves section of the draft and used the pick to select Devin Booker, and James used his first pick to draft Luka Doncic.

Durant filled out his reserves by selecting Karl Anthony-Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball, and Rudy Gobert.

James reserves will be Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet, and James Harden.

Harden was the last pick of the All-Star Draft, with Durant creating a funny moment where he opted against drafting his former teammate, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, to take Gobert instead.

The All-Star Game is scheduled to occur in Cleveland on Sunday, Feb. 20.

The post NBA All-Star Teams Set, Giannis Antetokounmpo Selected First Overall appeared first on SLAM.

Since Durant and Green will miss the annual All-Star festivities, they will be replaced in the starter pool for the Draft by the All-Star reserve from the same conference and of the same position group who received the highest ranking in the voting for All-Star starters. As a result, Durant will be replaced in the starter pool by Tatum. Green will be assigned to the same team that drafts Murray. The All-Star Draft will air on Thursday.

Ball and Murray will selected with the reserves in the second round.

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray have been named replacements for Kevin Durant and Draymond Green in the NBA All-Star Game.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2022

Ball, the 2021 Rookie of the Year averaged 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. The Hornets are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff seeding race, sitting at the ninth seed with a 28-26 record. The Hornets are just a game behind the Celtics for eighth place in the conference despite dropping four straight games.

Just call him ALL-STAR Melo!

BUZZ CITY! @MELOD1P is a 2022 #NBAAllStar!

: https://t.co/LgbvcfpSNU pic.twitter.com/1z1Zp8zVds

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 7, 2022

Murray made the All-Star game thanks to his stat-sheet stuffing first half, averaging 19.6 points, 8.4 boards, and 9.2 dimes per game, career-high marks across the board. The 25-year-old point guard also recieved a key endorsement from Spurs legend George ‘the Iceman’ Gervin. His 10 triple-doubles are the second most in the NBA, Murray set the single-season record for most triple-doubles in Spurs history.

As of Monday, the Spurs (20-34) are in 12th place in the Western Conference.

OFFICIAL: @DejounteMurray has been selected to the 2022 #NBAAllStar game!

Congratulations DJ!!

More info https://t.co/qZBRsC2y3C pic.twitter.com/mb1mr96TRx

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 7, 2022

The post LaMelo Ball and Dejounte Murray Make All-Star Game as Replacements appeared first on SLAM.

Giddeyy finished the game with 17 points, 14 assists, and 13 rebounds, snagging the record from Hornets superstar LaMelo Ball. At 19-years and 84 days old, Giddey surpassed the reigning Rookie of the Year for the record, who previously held the feat at 19-years and 140 days old.

“It’s cool, as I said earlier in the year. The individual stats are good; you enjoy it for the night,” Giddey said per ESPN. “But a win is always better than individual stats. If I have zero-zero-zero and we win, it’s always better than if I have a triple-double and lose.”

The sixth overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft shot 7-for-16 from the field and 3-for-5 from the three-point line against Dallas. Giddey led both teams in points, rebounds, and assists. Giddey’s performance gained attention from NBA legend Jason Kidd, who had 107 triple-doubles during his playing career.

“He’s unselfish. As a 19-year-old, he understands how to play the game,” Kidd said per ESPN. “He’s comfortable with the ball; his teammates all know that if he has it, they’re gonna cut because there’s a chance that they can get it. He’s comfortable shooting the three. He has the total package”.

“At 19, it’s just a matter of time of understanding how teams are going to play him. He’s as good as advertised,” said Kidd.

Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at 7 pm CT.

The post Josh Giddey Becomes Youngest Player in NBA History To Record Triple-Double appeared first on SLAM.

“That was kind of my first goal, to do more, like, lifestyle types of pieces,” Andrews says over Zoom. “When I got to college, the only opportunity they had at the paper was in sports. I thought, I know the game. I can cover sports. So for me, there is this dual and equal love of basketball and journalism, and they both sort of played out in their separate ways. I always loved writing classes, I always loved the conversation pieces of class that sort of existed over here, and then over here. I liked watching basketball…I didn’t think they were going to come together the way that they did in college.”

Andrews has been making waves since her days at the University of Portland, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Beacon. A few weeks into her sophomore year, she was covering a soccer game when her advisor pointed out that a player had been sent to the hospital. Andrews then went back and interviewed the school’s athletic trainer, who told her that they had suggested to the school “several times to pad the wall” that was around Merlo Field, but the university had failed to do so. After Andrews included this vital information in her piece, the school finally made the change two weeks later. 

“It’s not like a huge thing, but to see the work you do create change was something that was really awesome for me.”

It was then that Andrews’ passion for writing and reporting was born, and she went on to become editor-in-chief of The Beacon in 2016. “I like to say I majored in the weekend—I majored in the school paper, I was there all the time. Late nights, cutting up stories, reworking things on the floor. I love to write, I love to talk to people.”

She’s come a long way since. After working for the Chicago Tribune and covering the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls for ESPN, Andrews transitioned into becoming a sideline reporter. Understandably, she admits that she was nervous her first time being on camera. 

“I was in Milwaukee, on the baseline [for] six o’clock SportsCenter. Giannis had a concussion, Kawhi [Leonard] was out…That was my first time. I was wearing a jacket, like a blazer, and I looked afterwards to be like, Yo, did I just sweat through my entire [jacket]? But it was kind of cool, because today my colleague Jamal Collier did his first hit on [ESPN] NBA Today and I did think to myself, I wonder if he was feeling right now the way I was feeling then. I was fine, I wasn’t great, I wasn’t awful. But holy shit, I was so nervous.”

Still, with every opportunity, Andrews has seemingly seized the moment like a seasoned pro. She’s has continuously impressed with her live game coverage—especially during the 2020 NBA bubble in Orlando, where she became its youngest sideline reporter for a broadcast. 

“I think that writing and reporting prepares you for anything. I get asked now, Oh, what’s it like transitioning from a reporter to a host? I have the same backbone, I have the same make-up. I’m not transitioning into being an analyst or a spewer of opinions. I have wonderful colleagues, who by the way, do have those credentials that so many are looking for—where they played the game, they played the game at a high level and they’re going to break down the game. My credentials are in asking questions, in pushing people to explore themselves, to reflect, to examine something and potentially change or think about it differently. And that’s what I’m good at. That’s how I approach my job now.”

Last season, as the Bucks lifted the LOB trophy for the first time in franchise history, Andrews was there to cover the historic moment. She became the youngest broadcaster ever to host the NBA Finals trophy ceremony.

And now, at just 26 years old, she’s bringing that same energy to her latest role as the host of her very own show, “NBA Today” on ESPN, which debuted in October and has had LaMelo Ball and Draymond Green among its guests. Andrews admits that she hasn’t wavered from her love for writing, and in fact it’s all intertwined into what she does now. 

 “I write the scripts of the show, so I’m writing in that way….Writing for print is a very solitary activity, [whereas] writing for television is something where, yes, I’m writing but my producers are [like], Hey, why don’t we change this and tweak that? I always tell young people this when they ask me [and say], Oh, I want to be a broadcaster. I want to be on television. Being on television, that’s just the medium. Why do you want to do it? Do you want to do it for the storytelling [or] because you’re curious about people? As long as there is that, then it translates across mediums because writing is hard. It is a different type of hard. So for me, the transition from print to television, I was aided in the fact that it was just about reporting. It was just about gathering information and sharing it in a different way. Information is what’s important. It was about getting information and writing it or getting information and being able to say it on TV. And those are just two different parts of the same cloth that I think are important.” 

Even with all of the success, Andrews is committed to building her craft even further and spearheading a show that not only entertains, but also informs. Earlier this week, she had NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on to talk about how the League is addressing the omicron variant and the continuation of the season. 

“I just want to get better and help be a part of a show that is a part of the fabric of the NBA,” Andrews says. “I think that if we can get a little bit better every day; If we can tell some stories that we’re proud of, if we can maybe change something for the better, just a little bit—maybe make someone think a little bit differently about something that they hadn’t thought about in that way before, [or] push someone to question appropriately [and] think about someone in a more caring way—if we can achieve all of that, while celebrating the game, I think we’ll have done our job…I have a whole bunch of goals, but if at the end of the day we got better and we’re having fun and people have fun with us, watching us, listening to us, [and] they learn something, that’s all I can ask for.”

Andrews admits that she’s still working on finding a balance between her work schedule and doing the other things she enjoys, like reading and listening to the Dr. Death podcast. 

Still, Andrews’ presence is everywhere: turn on the TV and she’s there covering the League on NBA Today or the sidelines of an NBA arena. Hop on Twitter and you’ll definitely see her breaking news on your timeline, or even Adrian Wojnawoski retweeting her. 

She seems to be always tapped in. And therefore it makes sense why she would much rather not talk about what her screen time looks like. 

“Don’t ask me about it. It’s embarrassing. It’s gross. When [my] Peloton instructor—on a pre-recorded ride, by the way; I take the pre-recorded stuff because I don’t have time to figure out when I can take a live class now—[is like], Yes, you! You, put your phone down! I see you over there. How do you see me? How do you see me texting this person back or checking in with that agent or whatever. And you’re like, Oh, this half hour is carved out for the day. This half hour is for us. There is an US that exists within my phone. I get very excited when my screen time is down. It’s something that I’m like, Yes, this is exciting! But it’s not very often.”

Still, it’s clear that Andrews’ rise in the industry is a testament to her hard work. She says that it feels “gratifying” to be in the position that she’s in, where people not only watch and read her work, but will also come up to her in the line at the supermarket or while getting coffee just to talk to her about hoops. 

“It’s awesome that they want to take time out of their day to come and chat with me about a sport that we all really enjoy watching. The conversations we have on NBA Today, the conversations that I have with Ryan Ruocco and Doris Burke and Mark Jackson and Mark Jones and Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen, those are the conversations that everybody has in their car, yelling at the radio, with their friends at the barber shop. I just so happened to be privileged enough to get to have them where people want to watch and listen to what we have to say. I’ve said it before, [but] I have a get-to job, not a have-to job. And so many people in the world have a have-to job. My job is a reprieve from theirs. Sports is a reprieve from their have-to. What do I have to complain about or adjust to? This is awesome.” 

Photos via Getty Images and ESPN.

The post Malika Andrews’ Meteoric Rise to Becoming One of the Most Renowned Broadcasters in Sports appeared first on SLAM.

According to League insider Shams Charania, Ball and Terry Rozier are expected to be out 10 days unless they test negatively for COVID-19 within 24 hours. News on Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels has yet to be released.

UPDATE: @hornets have placed the following players in the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols: LaMelo Ball, Jalen McDaniels, Mason Plumlee and Terry Rozier

— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) December 4, 2021

ESPN League insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the team sent players and staff home due to internal concerns of more positive COVID-19 tests coming. In further response to the potential outbreak and to add more emergency depth, the Hornets recalled James Bouknight, Vernon Carey Jr., and Kai Jones from the Greensboro Swarm, their G-League affiliate. 

OFFICIAL: We have recalled James Bouknight, Vernon Carey Jr. and Kai Jones from the @greensboroswarm. #AllFly pic.twitter.com/7nPeLCz41i

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 4, 2021

The transactions will help the Hornets have the necessary eight players when they return to the court Sunday against the Hawks. Charlotte also has games this upcoming week against the Philadelphia 76ers (Monday and Wednesday) and the Sacramento Kings (Friday).

The NBA mandates that any player who has a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 must isolate away from his team for at least 10 days. Following that 10-day window, a player must undergo a cardiac screening and reconditioning in order to return to the team and court. A player can also clear protocols by recording two negative tests within 24 hours.

According to ESPN, since the season started, more than 20 players have been placed in the League’s health and safety protocols, including LeBron James. Last season nearly 30 games were postponed, but none were canceled due to COVID-19 reasons. The NBA hasn’t had to postpone a game thus far this season.

The Hornets (13-11) are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.

The post LaMelo Ball Amongst Four Hornets Placed Into Health and Safety Protocols appeared first on SLAM.

One young player who’s continued to put together triple-doubles at age 20 is LaMelo Ball, who’s now put together three early in his career. Following this third triple-double, he’s now tied for fourth-most in NBA history at age 20 or younger. 

This puts him in rare company, with the only players in history ahead of Ball being Luka Doncic (21), Magic Johnson (7) and LeBron James (5).

Ball just turned 20 years old 92 days ago, meaning he’s still got the rest of the 2021-22 season to climb this list even further. On the season, he’s averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest.

The rising star has been one of the best players for the Charlotte Hornets, who are currently in the playoff picture with a record of 10-8.

The post LaMelo Ball Continues to Break Triple-Double Records appeared first on SLAM.

Despite dominating the rookie class for most of the year statistically, scoring 19.3 points and grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game in just over 32 minutes per game with the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-8) , Edwards finished second in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award voting behind Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, who led the league’s rookies last season in assists per game.

Recently Edwards mentioned that he had a bigger award in mind with the same confidence he had when he told Stephen Curry he may score 50 points against his Golden State Warriors.

Ant: “Hey Steph, I might get 50.” @theantedwards_ was locked in last night pic.twitter.com/zm2dVy4NPt

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 11, 2021

“I don’t care about that,” Edwards told NBA.com. “I’m happy ‘Melo got it. They were saying our Draft class wasn’t going to be good, anyway. So, it didn’t bother me that I didn’t get it.”

“I’m trying to be MVP,” Edwards said. “I’m not really worried about Rookie of the Year.”

It already looks as if Edwards is working toward his goal.

Through 12 games, he’s averaging 24.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists which is an improvement to his rookie numbers of 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. His career-high scoring game of 48 points put him in a club with Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Luka Dončić and former Hawks star John Drew as the only NBA players to have three 40-point plus games before the age of 21.

For the Minnesota Timberwolves to become a playoff contender, they need their star second-year player to continue to try to attain his high aspirations. The Timberwolves play the Suns (9-3) Monday.

The post Anthony Edwards: ‘I’m Trying To Be MVP’ appeared first on SLAM.

Both players were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft, with the highly-touted Edwards winding up as the first overall pick and McDaniels landing with Minnesota in the first round as well (28th overall).

After a slow start, the explosive Edwards turned in a spectacular rookie season, averaging 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He finished as a runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting to Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball.

McDaniels, a lanky, athletic and versatile player, demonstrated tremendous promise as a rookie and projects to be at least a nice role player for the Wolves going forward. He averaged 6.8 points per game off the bench last season, and got better as his role and minutes on the team grew.

The post REPORT: T’Wolves Exercise Third-Year Options for Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday, the Charlotte Hornets announced that they had officially signed Ball.

Ball made quite the impression during NBA Summer League with the Hornets, playing in five games and averaging 9.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

The contract has now shifted Ball’s plans somewhat. The Athletic’s Shams Charania previously reported that Ball would partaking in the G League Draft, but the signing now “allows the Hornets the acquire his rights.” Ball could play for the Hornets G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

All Ball needed was an opportunity, and now he’ll have that chance.

The post Hornets Sign, then Waive, LiAngelo Ball to a Non-Guaranteed Deal—Could Play for Greensboro Swarm appeared first on SLAM.

After playing for the Hornets in Summer League, LiAngelo Ball is signing a contract in the NBA G League, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Ball will enter the Oct. 23 Draft, where he could be candidate for Charlotte’s Greensboro affiliate.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 11, 2021

Ball last played for the Charlotte Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged​​ 9.6 points per game and 2.0 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game while shooting 34.5 percent from the three-point line.

Prior to his time in Vegas, Ball went undrafted in 2018, playing overseas in Lithuania in the Junior Basketball Association. He then signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder G League but the season ended due to COVID-19. He then signed a training camp deal with the Detroit Pistons, however he didn’t make the final roster.

Now, Gelo will have another opportunity in the G League.

The post REPORT: LiAngelo Ball Signs NBA G League Contract appeared first on SLAM.

Borrego discussed how he wants Melo to gain a deeper understanding of the Hornets philosophy by knowing what to look for in certain in-game situations, while also becoming more of a leader and communicator.

“A lot of his success last year was based on instinct and feel,” Borrego said via NBA.com.. “Now his next step is managing who we are, his personnel around him and understanding the League in general. So our conversation as been around our team, our strengths, our values and understanding his teammates.”

“I want him to take the reins of this program. He’s the quarterback, the floor general and for us to take that next step he must run this team, not only on the offensive end but the defensive end as well.”

Hornets head coach James Borrego

Charlotte is banking on what LaMelo showed last season on a more consistent level when he was inserted into the starting lineup in February before the wrist injury when he averaged close to 20 points per game with 6.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals. 

The post Hornets Coach James Borrego Details How He Wants LaMelo Ball to Take the “Next Step” appeared first on SLAM.

His older brother Lonzo Ball just signed a four-year $80 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, and his younger brother LaMelo Ball just won Rookie of the Year last year playing with the Charlotte Hornets.

But LiAngelo can play too, and through three games in NBA Summer League with the Charlotte Hornets, he’s proven that.

In four games, Ball has scored 42 total points (10.5 points per game) and provided the Hornets with lethal outside shooting from deep with 41.7 percent shooting from 3-point range (6.0 attempts per game).

Ball’s first game of Summer League—which came against the Portland Trail Blazers veteran-laden squad—may have been his best though, as he finished the contest with 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting from three.

Gelo has even provided some highlight plays, hitting a halfcourt shot to beat the buzzer on Thursday against the Spurs.

Further, while his offensive skillset has received the most attention, he’s attempting to make an impact on both ends, recording 1.5 steals per game in Las Vegas.

While Gelo has come out and shown to be competitive in an NBA setting, it’s unclear what the future holds for the 22-year-old guard. That being said, many are under the impression that Ball’s performance this summer could be enough to land him a two-way deal.

The only thing that is clear now is that LiAngelo—like Lonzo and LaMelo—is not to be ignored.

The post LiAngelo Ball Having Surprise Impact for the Hornets in Summer League appeared first on SLAM.

Early Friday morning, The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania would report that the free agent forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has agreed to sign a two-year, $26 million-plus contract with the Hornets.

Oubre, 25-years-old, averaged 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game while playing for the Golden State Warriors last season.

The athletic Oubre has developed a reputation as a strong defender and offensive threat over the course of his career, even posting career-highs of 18.7 points, 1.3 steals and a true shooting percentage of 56.0 while playing for the Phoenix Suns in 2019-20.

With Charlotte adding rookies James Bouknight, Kai Jones and J.T. Thor in the 2021 NBA Draft (though replacing backup guard Devonte’ Graham with Ish Smith), adding a player with Oubre’s scoring potential gives the Hornets a strong and balanced second unit that can mix-and-match perfectly with the starters.

As of today, the projected depth chart features Ball, Oubre, Bouknight, Jones, Smith, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington in the team’s regular rotation.

While Smith takes over for Graham, Bouknight replaces Malik Monk (who signed with Los Angeles Lakers), Jones likely supplants Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee is a more dynamic version of Cody Zeller (who signed with the Portland Trail Blazers).

Oubre, meanwhile, is simply an addition; an added dynamics.

After going 33-39 last season, the Hornets have a legitimate opportunity to improve upon their 2020-21 campaign, particularly if they remain healthy.

The post REPORT: Kelly Oubre Jr. Agrees to Two-Year, $26 Million Contract with Hornets appeared first on SLAM.

There are a lot of mock drafts out there, but it’s never too late to hit you with a new perspective. Members of the SLAM Fam were assigned a team to pick for, and here are the results and explanations for who they’ve selected.

We’d also like to extend our condolences to the family and loved ones of Terrence Clarke, who tragically passed away in April. Tonight would have been a special moment for him. Rest in Peace.

2021 FIRST ROUND

1. DETROIT PISTONS: Jalen Green (6-6 G, G League Ignite)

Jalen Green is a really, really, really good basketball player. He’s so good that it doesn’t look like he’s trying, for real, for real. But that’s foolish. Underneath the air that he occupies on his ever-elevating jump shots and on his albatross-like soaring dunks is a foundation of respect for the game and what it takes to be a really, really, really great basketball player. He’s a student of high-level basketball, rapidly consuming both mental and physical knowledge. That desire has separated him from his peers and will separate him from the League at some point. His computational capacity moves so swiftly that it doesn’t look like he’s trying, for real, for real. But that’s foolish. He is. And he is numero uno. — Max Resetar 

2. HOUSTON ROCKETS – Cade Cunningham (6-8 G, Oklahoma State)

Whether you’re interested in basketball players versus hoopers, or players with understated skill versus “a bag,” Cade Cunningham is the player for you.

At 6’8” and 220 pounds, Cunningham is a dynamic point-forward prospect that any team could realistically slot into their starting lineup at the 1, 2, or 3, and that’s perfect for a Rockets team with a veteran point guard on a rebuilding team (John Wall), a promising backcourt talent without a true position (Kevin Porter Jr.) and small forwards that are specialists, not polished two-way playmakers with an arsenal of scoring moves (including a stepback game that’s eerily reminiscent of the sensational Luka Doncic) that’s buoyed by his footwork, balance, body control, and ball-handling abilities. — Quenton Albertie

3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS – Evan Mobley (7-0 C, University of Southern California)

Can’t count out Jalen Suggs here, especially if the Cavs end up moving Collin Sexton—which is a rumor that some reporters have been kicking around. All signs, though, point to Evan Mobley getting the call here. ESPN draft insider Chard Ford said this a couple of days ago: “I had a scout tell me the other night that Mobley is Chris Bosh on offense and Anthony Davis on defense. That’s an NBA superstar. That’s crazy.” If this forecast is accurate, the Cavs would be crazy not to take him.  — Franklyn Calle

4. TORONTO RAPTORS – Jalen Suggs (6-5 G, Gonzaga)

With Kyle Lowry’s likely departure ending an era he defined with professionalism, leadership, and grit, the Raptors can draft someone to continue that high standard. Suggs chose Gonzaga for the accountability and hard coaching, so he’ll embrace a similar situation in Ontario. A rotation of Fred Van Vleet, Suggs, and Malachi Flynn flexes versatility and hustle, while Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Chris Boucher uphold defensive tradition. Toronto won’t rely on Jalen’s on-court abilities immediately, but his leadership should convey from day one. In high school, Jalen was required to carry in two sports. He delivered state championships. At Gonzaga, he needed to be a do-it-all superstar. He delivered an unforgettable run. I don’t know what expectations are in Toronto, but I bet he’ll deliver. — Thilo Latrell Widder

5. ORLANDO MAGIC – Scottie Barnes (6-9 F, Florida State)

Now that the sexy picks are off the board, Scottie Barnes has the best potential that is not in the NBA Draft spotlight. Barnes made himself a top-five prospect dominating the pre-draft process. Teams were impressed with his incredible physical profile, wingspan, a strong bulky frame combined with a quickness.

He’s the perfect player to help set the defensive tone for Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley’s culture. However, his offensive game is limited due to his stiff shooting mechanics and confidence at times. Best case scenario, if he can combine his high energy, versatile defense with a reliable jumper, Scottie Barnes could have All-Star potential. Worst case, he could be a very capable All-NBA defender.  — Ronald Agers

6. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER – James Bouknight (6-5 G, Connecticut)

While the Thunder are looking to do everything they can to move into the top-five, Bouknight is still a great pick if they’re unable to. One of the most dominant scorers in this class, Oklahoma City would instantly have one of the most intriguing young backcourts in the league with him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His assist and turnover numbers are certainly something to worry about, but Bouknight essentially had to carry the offense in college. At the next level, with more spacing and talent, he could look like a completely different player. While he hasn’t been a dominant defender to this point, he’s got the tools to develop into a solid perimeter defender. — Nick Crain

7. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS – Jonathan Kuminga (6-8 F, G League Ignite)

Jonathan Kuminga is tuff. That’s all that needs to be said. – Theus McBee

8. ORLANDO MAGIC: Kai Jones (6-11 F, Texas)

Since Jonathan Kuminga was snatched up, Orlando will use their second lottery pick on Kai Jones, a raw athlete that fits the mold of a rim running, lob-catching threat. The Magic will continue their defensive theme in the lottery by drafting a player who shows potential with mobile defense with the ability to switch multiple positions. Offensively, he is a project with inconsistent shooting mechanics and no reliable post moves. Assuming Orlando drafts him at the 8th spot, they will need to have patience with him. They’ve done it before with another Texas Longhorn, Mo Bamba. If the Magic passes on Jones, look for a drop near the 20th selection. — Ronald Agers

9. SACRAMENTO KINGS: Franz Wagner (6-9 G/F, Michigan)

The needs of the Sacramento Kings this offseason are clear, they need help on the defensive end. Statistically, Sacramento had the worst defense in the NBA last year, clocking in with a defensive rating of 117.2, dead last in the league. Franz Wagner, a sophomore out of the University of Michigan, is a 6-foot-9 wing who showed the ability to defend multiple positions both on and off-ball at a high level in his two years with the Wolverines. Wagner’s versatile defensive abilities, along with improved jump shooting and playmaking on offense in his sophomore year, make him a great fit for the Kings at ninth overall. — Zach Dupont

10. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Josh Giddey (6-8 G, Adelaide 36ers (NBL)

 Josh Giddey’s game speaks itself, but if we are gonna dive into what makes him such a standout, our editorial intern, Jared, described him best: He’s a gifted passer who thrives in transition with an advanced ability to find the descending big man in pick and roll scenarios. Armed with a bounty of knowledge and experience from mentors, a year playing professionally and a playmaking bag rivaled by the League’s top guards, Josh Giddey is ready for what he’s been waiting for. 

Giddey is already a pro who dominated in the NBL and finished the season with 13 double-doubles, and three triple-doubles. His playmaking ability will only add to the Grizzlies’ roster offensively, especially when he’s alongside a bucket like Ja. – Deyscha “Sway” Smith

11. WASHINGTON WIZARDS: Alperen Sengun (6’9 C, Besiktas (Turkey))

Traded to Washington for the No. 15 pick and Thomas Bryant

Beal. Westbrook. Hachimura. Bertans. Avdija. The core of an exciting playoff team is here, so moving up in the draft makes sense for Washington to grab Turkish big man Alperen Sengun. The MVP of the Turkish Super League last season–who just turned 19 on Sunday–averaged 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in under 30 minutes per game. Last season’s emergence of Daniel Gafford made us feel comfortable moving Thomas Bryant and his expiring contract to clear some cap space since both Alex Len and Robin Lopez are also free agents. Sengun, who models his game after reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and MVP runner-up Joel Embiid, should be ready to contribute right away. – Aron Phillips

12. SAN ANTONIO SPURS: Davion Mitchell (6-2 G,  Baylor)

Mitchell is quite possibly the most capable player in the draft to step in and be a major contributor to whichever team drafts him. The Spurs selecting him at 12 is a fantastic fit for an organization known to garner the most out of their young draft talent. Mitchell’s size at 6’3 and age of 23 by the time the 2021 season tips off doesn’t necessarily scream lottery material, yet when you turn on the tape of Mitchell in this past year’s Final Four, those concerns seem to evaporate. — Josh Frohlinger

13. INDIANA PACERS: Corey Kispert (6-7 SG, Gonzaga)

Standing at 6-7 this wing is a walking bucket. I’m talking about a three-point sniper deemed one of the best all-around shooters in the draft. Once he’s hot this kid poses as a true threat from downtown. He may very well be the missing piece that Naptown needs. — Charlie Desadier

14. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Josh Christopher (6-5 G, Arizona State)

With Klay Thompson back in the mix this coming season, the Warriors are gearing up for yet another championship run. With two lottery picks in this draft, the Warriors have the ability to take a bit more of a gamble at 14 as opposed to 7; and that’s what they do snagging Arizona State’s Christopher higher than most mock boards have projected. As a 6’5 shooter with confidence and elite athleticism, Christopher already displays an NBA-ready frame with suburb transition finishing.

15. CHARLOTTE HORNETS (via Washington): Quentin Grimes (6-6 G, Houston)

Just one game away from the 8-seed a year ago, Charlotte is on the cusp of being a regular playoff contender. I tried to keep the team young while also adding guys who can contribute on day one. We moved back a few picks and added Thomas Bryant via the Wizards, who will fight for the starting center job should Cody Zeller take his talents elsewhere. After moving down to 15, adding Quentin Grimes was an easy choice. The Houston shooting guard is uber-efficient as a scorer and showed he can run an offense while at the NBA Combine. He’s a perfect fit to replace Devonte Graham in the Hornets’ guard rotation feat. LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, and can play alongside either, or on his own. — Ian Pierno

16. OKC THUNDER: Moses Moody (6-6 G, Arkansas)

There’s a real chance that Moody is taken in the top ten on Thursday, so the Thunder getting him at sixteen would be a pleasant surprise. Although OKC is looking to package No. 16 and No. 18 to move up and grab another lottery pick, they certainly wouldn’t be upset with a lottery talent like Moody falling to them here. While he may not have the ceiling of others in this class, his floor feels high. At a minimum, he projects to be a solid 3-and-D player at the next level. With a long frame and smooth stroke, Moody is a safe pick for a team that’s looking for a solid NBA player. — Nick Crain 

17. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Cam Thomas (6-4 G, LSU)

An instant-offense bucket-getter who, when he’s hot, cannot be left open under any circumstance. In other words, the perfect guy to stretch the floor alongside Zion Williamson. Done deal. — Adam Figman

18. OKC THUNDER: Jalen Johnson (6-9 G/F, Duke)

If it weren’t for his off-the-court issues, we could be talking about Johnson going just outside the top five of this draft. One of the most gifted prospects in this class, he’s an absolute force in transition. Johnson has the build of the perfect modern NBA forward and can do a little bit of everything. With their third pick in the top-20, OKC has the ability to take a gamble here, with Johnson being one of the highest risks in the draft but having the potential to be the biggest steal at the same time. — Nick Crain

19. NEW YORK KNICKS: Keon Johnson (6-5 G, Tennessee)

There’s no need to mince words. Keon Johnson is explosive. Watching him is almost akin to watching a bull in a china shop; he drives into the paint with the fury of a battering ram, unconcerned, and largely unbothered, by the less-athletic defender in front of him. The Knicks at No. 19 are a perfect landing spot for Johnson; while he still needs to address some major mechanical issues in his game—including tightening up his shot-motion and handle—his developmental upside will be cultivated and fostered by Tom Thibodeau and a potential rotation of him, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett long term could end up putting the League on notice. — Jackson Wald

20. ATLANTA HAWKS: Sharife Cooper (6-1 G, Auburn)

Rife is Trae 2.0. Put these two together and you got the new Mobb Deep. Both are small guards, but ready to make any play turn into a highlight reel. Sharife’s short college season left an imprint around the country of his game not slowing down due to all the allegations he faced his freshman year. The Hawks had an incredible season/playoff run making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Adding Cooper can only elevate their motion offense and create even more three-point possessions. In all honesty, Cooper’s a dawg, and I wish the Knicks were getting him next pick! — Nick Torres

21. NYK: Chris Duarte (6-6 G, Oregon)

Duarte is a proven commodity; he is a plus-defender, a reliable three-pointer shooter (he shot 42 percent last season at Oregon), and someone who will fit seamlessly in the Knicks’ new age grit-and-grind culture. Duarte has arguably the safety floor of any prospect selected after pick twenty. Also, as we saw with Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder in the NBA Finals, it never hurts to have a solid core of 3-and-D wings. — Jackson Wald

22. LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Tre Mann (6-5 PG, Florida)

You know those players that make you feel like you’re getting punched in the gut every time they make a three against you? Tre’Shaun Mann is one of them. All you have to do is turn on the tape for a couple of minutes and you’ll see not many people in the world possess his combination of size, athleticism, and scoring creativity. It may or may not happen right away, but when Tre gets comfortable in the League he’s going to be one of the most dynamic guards. — Christian Quezada 

*We’re breaking a few rules here and adding another name to this list, too.

BJ Boston (6-7 F, Kentucky)

Say what you want about his performance last season at Kentucky, but BJ Boston says he’s improved his game “tremendously” since his college days. Word is he even recently had a “great” pre-draft workout with the Lakers and dominated their “Mentality Drill.” 

Anyone who has been following BJ’s trajectory will tell you that he’s been ready for the bright lights since the start. He knows how to navigate a spotlight, and how to power through negativity while focusing on his game and the things only he can control. If the Lakers don’t draft Mann, then it sounds like BJ could fit in on a star-studded roster led by the King.  — Sway

23. HOUSTON ROCKETS: Usman Garuba (6-8 PF, Real Madrid (Spain))

After selecting Cunningham second overall, the Rockets’ focus now shifts to their center position. Enter Usman Garuba, a Nigerian-Spanish big man with extensive experience in international competition and a few awards in his trophy case to boot.

At 6’8” and 230 pounds (with a 7’3” wingspan), Garuba is already a high-energy defensive force thanks to an exceptional feel of how to disrupt passing lanes and shot attempts, as well as enough agility and fluidity to guard out on the perimeter or in space. Combined with his abilities as a passer and potential as an outside threat, there are many who see him in the Draymond Green mold.

With a bevy of offensive talents, players willing and capable of thriving without the ball in their hands (and who can be a defensive menace in the same breath) are invaluable. — Quenton Albertie

24. ROCKETS: Josh Primo (6-6 G, Alabama)

The Rockets, all-in on their rebuild, select another of the 2021 NBA Draft’s youngest players: 18-year-old Josh Primo, a one-and-done at the University of Alabama.

Primo’s most NBA-ready skill at this point is his outside shooting, as he knocked down 38.1 percent of his 3-point attempts at Alabama with his 3-point attempts amounting to 57.9 percent of his overall shot attempts. With that said, not only does Primo’s selection fit the Rockets’ current timeline but it addresses the team’s mediocre outside shooting as well.

Due to his youth and need to develop his other guard skills, Primo may not get minutes early on, at least outside of the G League. But he’ll grow alongside Houston’s vibrant young core until his number is called, and likely hit at least one three by the time he leaves the game, no matter how small the role. — Quenton Albertie

25. LA CLIPPERS: Jared Butler (6-3 G, Baylor)

LA is known for helping young guards develop into immediate NBA talent (just look at what Terance Mann was able to do in the playoffs this year)  and Jared Butler is next up for the Clippers. A smooth, consistent guard for the national champion Baylor Bulldogs, Butler’s veteran mindset and consistent shooting will likely make him an immediate rotation staple on the Clippers. — Camille Buxeda

26. DENVER NUGGETS: Ayo Dosunmu (6-5 G, Illinois)

Ayo Dosunmu was, for the large majority of last year’s college basketball season, the best player on the best team in the nation. Dosunmu is an all-around ballplayer; need him to lock down the opponent’s best player? He’s on it. Need him to get you some buckets? He’ll drop twenty-plus. He’ll face a pretty serious adjustment coming into the league, where he will likely never be the main ball-handler or facilitator, but Ayo has the experience and drive to make it in the league for a long time. — Saheem Anthony

27. BROOKLYN NETS: Jaden Springer (6-4 SG, Tennessee)

After declining his player option, Spencer Dinwiddie and the Brooklyn Nets will most likely be parting ways this offseason, which leaves the Nets with a major need for defensive prowess and playmaking. While he needs to fine-tune his shot creation abilities, Tennessee’s Jaden Springer is a great grab for the Nets at 27. Springer could serve as the next young developmental guard in the rotation amidst a roster that has a plethora of shot creation abilities. An energizer on both ends of the floor, Springer averaged 12.5 points a game in his lone season with the Volunteers and is a tenacious on-ball defender. He’s a perfect fit alongside the likes of Bruce Brown for Steve Nash’s small-ball lineup that lacked the ability to effectively defend ball screens and switches this past season. — Jared Ebanks

28. PHILADELPHIA SIXERS: Ziaire Williams (6-8 F, Stanford)

Although Williams had a somewhat underwhelming freshman year at Stanford, he’s still the same Ziaire. Looking past the pressure of being an incoming Top 10 player in the country, Williams showed flashes of high-level scoring mixed with impressive athleticism. Going to the cup more could do him wonders and he simply has too much potential to slip past the first round. At a lengthy 6’8 185, he fits the modern-day NBA’s positionless basketball scheme to a tee. His shooting needs to improve if he wants to get big minutes, but Williams can definitely lighten the scoring load off the bench for Philly in the 2021-22 season. — Caleb Gagne

29. PHOENIX SUNS: Isaiah Jackson (6-10, F, Kentucky)

Although there were hints of returning to Kentucky, Jackson is taking his talents to the NBA. Jackson is an all-around hooper who can get it done on both ends of the floor. He averaged 2.6 blocks per game and was selected to the SEC All-Defense team. Jackson is a versatile player who can do it all for a big man. His playmaking ability stood out as he is able to put the ball on the floor and advance the ball. The Suns could use a player to develop behind star center Deandre Ayton, giving them the bench support they can use in the frontcourt. — Kobe Blackwell

30. UTAH JAZZ: Kessler Edwards (6-8 F, Pepperdine)

Did I just take someone out of Pepperdine in the first round? It’s a hard sell considering just two Waves —Doug Christie and the oft underrated Dennis Johnson— have had a five or more year career in the NBA. How’s that for trivia? I believe Kessler Edwards could become the third. The Jazz could trade out to dump contracts, but after a failed move with Charlotte, I decided to examine team needs. Joe Ingles is getting older and slipping on defense and the loss to the Clippers exposed Utah’s need for perimeter stoppers. Edwards shot 38% from deep on 119 attempts and with a nearly 7-foot wingspan and strong fundamentals, he’s a prototypical 3-and-D wing. — Thilo Latrell Widder

The post SLAM’s Official 2021 NBA Mock Draft appeared first on SLAM.

As first reported by Rod Boone of Sports Illustrated, LiAngelo Ball is expected to sign with the Hornets and be on their summer league roster. 

Still 22 years old, this will be a great opportunity to showcase his skills in effort to earn a spot on the Hornets or another NBA team. 

After going undrafted in 2018, Ball signed with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League just three days prior to the league shutting down in March of 2020. Due to this, he never actually played in a game for the Blue, but did spend time on their practice squad. 

Next, he would spend time on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Detroit Pistons in early December before being waived 12 days later. An ankle injury resulted in him never playing in a single contest.

While he’s never been able to make the jump to the NBA, Ball will have one more chance this summer with Charlotte. 

The post LiAngelo Ball Expected To Join Hornets Summer League Team appeared first on SLAM.

The Australian National Basketball League’s (NBL) Rookie of the Year averaged just shy of 11 points, 7.3 rebounds and a league-high 7.6 assists in 32 minutes per game with the Adelaide 36ers. As of presstime, Giddey was No. 11 on ESPN’s Top 100 draft rankings.

His game on the court is naturally unselfish. At 6-9, Giddey easily fills up the stat sheet with jaw-dropping assists and a handful of boards (grabbing the sixth-most rebounds in the NBL this season). He finds joy in the little things, like the seams of the ball lining up perfectly in a shooter’s shot pocket or the gleam on his teammate’s face after receiving a clean pass to the bucket.

Giddey turned heads in April when he became the youngest player since LaMelo Ball to record a triple-double in NBL history, scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing 10 assists against the New Zealand Breakers.

His first few games as a pro weren’t so easy, as Giddey struggled with his confidence. As the season continued, his jitters dissipated and he broke out in his fourth game, posting a 12-point double-double, finishing the season with 13 total double-doubles and three triple-doubles.

“I think my whole game kind of went to another level,” Giddey says. “Playing with that swagger and confidence is what I love doing, and when I’m doing that, I think that’s when I’m at my best.”

It’s the first day of the NBA Combine and Giddey is calling from Chicago where he and 69 other young hopefuls are itching for their name to be called on July 29. His morning starts with an early lift, then transitions to a skill development session with former Texas A&M and Melbourne United guard Darryl McDonald. After a break, he heads back to the gym where he gets up hundreds of shots a night.

The one outlier in Giddey’s game is his jump shooting, but the Melbourne native has one person in his corner to help him course correct: Andrew Gaze, arguably the greatest player and shooter in the history of Australian basketball, a seven-time league MVP and 14-time scoring champ.

Josh’s relationship with Gaze started before he was even born, when Warrick and Gaze were teammates on the ’93 and ’97 Melbourne Tigers championship teams. Throughout his career in Australia, “Drewey” to close friends, was an integral part of Giddey’s growth.

“There’s no one really better to learn from and kind of get advice from and be in the gym with this summer,” Giddey says of his summer sessions with Gaze.

As a pass-first point guard, Giddey’s stalky frame is enticing as taller ballhandlers find more success in the League. He’s a gifted passer who thrives in transition with an advanced ability to find the descending big man in pick and roll scenarios.

Armed with a bounty of knowledge and experience from mentors, a year playing professionally and a playmaking bag rivaled by the League’s top guards, Josh Giddey is ready for what he’s been waiting for. 

“It’s exciting, because this is the stuff I’ve wanted to do my whole life, and for it to finally be here…it’s coming really quickly. I’m trying to take it day by day. Being around the guys I am, talking with these teams,” he says. “I’m trying to just enjoy the whole process.” 

Jared Ebanks is an editorial intern at SLAM and a rising senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Follow him on Twitter @JaredEbanks.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Upside Down: Josh Giddey is Australia’s Next Great Prospect appeared first on SLAM.

Ball beat out candidates such as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers quarterback), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young (Washington Football Team defensive lineman), and WNBA Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield (Minnesota Lynx guard).

He made himself relatable to everyone by admitting he forgot the speech that he had prepared.

“I forgot everything,” he said. “I can only think about my family right now. And my momma.”

.@MELOD1P wins Best Breakthrough Athlete and may have had the best speech so far pic.twitter.com/ofOkyHtG6G

— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021

LaMelo made the Hornets a must-see attraction this season with his flashy passes and exciting brand of basketball. After beginning the campaign as a bench player, he became one of the most promising youngsters in the NBA as a starter.

The third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals in 28 minutes per game. He is the only player in the last 60 years to lead all rookies in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals at the All-Star break.

Despite suffering a broken wrist that forced him to miss a month of play, he eventually returned to help the Hornets to a Play-In Tournament spot.

Past winners of the award include Tiger Woods in 1997, Tom Brady in 2002 and LeBron James in 2004.

The post LaMelo Ball Takes Home Best Breakthrough Athlete at 2021 ESPY Awards appeared first on SLAM.

Ball, the third pick in 2020 NBA Draft class, had a storied high school career at Chino Hills, a televised journey to play semi-professional ball in Lithuania and an impressive stint with the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL, where he averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

He was faced with lofty expectations immediately upon arriving into the league as his brother, Lonzo, was the second overall pick in the 2017 draft, and his entire family has been at the center of the basketball world’s attention following he, Lonzo, and eldest brother LiAngelo’s dominance at Chino Hills. 

LAMELO WINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (per @wojespn) pic.twitter.com/85pxM6CIej

— Overtime (@overtime) June 16, 2021

Impressively, Ball leapt up and over any bar expected from him this year.

His crafty playmaking, jaw-dropping passes through (and up-and-over) traffic, and his ability to slither through lanes and into the paint for feathery lay-ups have confounded defenses.

While only playing 51 games this season due to a wrist injury, Ball posted averages of 15.7 points (on 43.6 percent shooting from the field and 35.2 percent from three), 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. 

LaMelo Ball ROTY season:

15.7 PPG
5.9 RPG
6.1 APG
1.8 3PG
44/35/76%

He and Luka Doncic are the only rookies in NBA history to average 15/5/5 and 1.5+ threes in a season. pic.twitter.com/H1A3bMc8Vf

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 16, 2021

Melo’s stats are even more impressive when compared against his peers and rookies of olde.

Going into the All-Star Break, Ball was the only rookie in the past 60 years to lead all rookies in points, rebounds, assists and steals. It’s worth noting Ball did this without starting a game until Feb. 1.

His per-36 stats (19.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists) were only matched or surpassed by six players: Luka Donic, James Harden, Lebron James, the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, and Russell Westbrook. To that point, Ball joins Doncic as the only rookies in NBA history to average 15+ points, 5+ assists, 5+ rebounds and 1.5+ 3-pointers per game.

Prior to the season and following his injury, Ball’s status as a shoo-in for the award was in question.

In fact, any in the NBA community believe Minnesota Timberwolves rookie (the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft) Anthony Edwards was deserving of the award. Edwards played in 21 more games than Ball, and averaged 19.3 points, 2.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from 3-point range.

However, what was likely the deciding factor was Ball’s ability to contribute to a winning team. Whereas Edwards’ Timberwolves only won 23 games despite being led by a preeminent talent in Karl-Anthony Towns, Ball helped lead a Charlotte team that considered first-time starters Terry Rozier and Devonte Graham their best players last season to 33 wins (and a spot in the play-in tournament).

With a full offseason ahead of him and a Rookie of the Year award for his trophy case, the sky’s the limit for the youngest Ball brother.

The post Charlotte Hornets Guard Lamelo Ball Wins 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

The Charlotte Hornets are planning to pick up the team option on head coach James Borrego’s contract for the 2021-22 season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 25, 2021

Borrego has a record of 95-124 after three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, and finished what became a relatively exciting 33-39 campaign this season.

Charlotte made it to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament as the 10th seed but finished the season losing its last six games including a 144-117 blowout by the Indiana Pacers.

Borrego’s influence on the team was evident when the Hornets surprised many by occupying the fourth seed in April. However, injuries and COVID-19-related issues sidelined key players, including Gordon Hayward, LaMelo Ball, Devonte Graham, Malik Monk, and Miles Bridges.

The 43-year-old head coach received an endorsement from Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak, who was quoted as saying Borrego “did a great job.”

Since taking over for Steve Clifford (who is now the head coach for the Orlando Magic), Borrego has overhauled the team concept from building a roster of aging free-agent veterans to developing their young talent through the draft.

Thanks to a combination of young draft picks like Graham, Bridges and Ball—a 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year Finalist—along with veteran free agent acquisitions like Hayward and Terry Rozier, Charlotte has set a positive culture that is actually ahead of schedule.

It ain’t hard to tell that the Hornets enjoy playing with each other. (via @hornets) pic.twitter.com/5xDLuG7VGe

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 21, 2021

Now that Borrego is officially back in the fold, the next order of business will likely be addressing the center position, a positional weakness that Borrego singled out in a press conference late in the 2020-21 regular season.

The post Charlotte Hornets Pick Up Team Option On HC James Borrego’s Contract appeared first on SLAM.

MVP FINALISTS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

The MVP race will be a tight one, with three very deserving finalists. Stephen Curry ended the season as the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 32 points per game this year while shooting 42.1 percent from three-point range on over 12 attempts per game.

Nikola Jokic, the favorite for the award, played in every game this season and averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. Joel Embiid had an incredible season and is averaging 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

DPOY FINALISTS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

Defensive Player of the Year may be less of a mystery, with Rudy Gobert, who is averaging 13.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, is the runaway favorite. Ben Simmons, who is averaging 7.2 boards and 1.6 steals per game, and Draymond Green (7.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals) both had excellent seasons on the defensive end as well.

SIXTH MAN FINALISTS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

The sixth man of the year will come down to a pair of Utah Jazz players, Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles, and Derrick Rose. Clarkson has been a scoring machine all year, averaging 18.4 points per game.

As for his teammate, Ingles has a well-rounded case and is averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. Rose has been no slouch either, with his time with the Knicks proving crucial to their success and averaging 14.7 points per game to boot.

ROY FINALISTS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

Rookie of the Year is down to three young guards. Anthony Edwards put up gaudy scoring numbers all season, averaging 19.3 points per game, while LaMelo Ball’s 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game for a near playoff team is hard to ignore. Tyrese Haliburton is a distant third in this race, but he had a very respectable rookie season for Sacramento.

MOST IMPROVED FINALISTS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

The Most Improved Player Award is another one where little debate is needed. Julius Randle has had an unbelievable season for the Knicks, going for more than 24.1 points per game on the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference while being named an All-Star.

The two other finalists are one current Denver Nugget, Michael Porter Jr., and one former Nugget, Jerami Grant. Porter Jr. took a huge step in his second season, averaging 19 points per game while shooting 44.5 percent from three-point range. Grant went from averaging no more than 14 points per game at any point in his career to averaging 22.3 points per game.

COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

Quin Snyder and Monty Williams will both have excellent cases, leading their teams to first and second in the Western Conference, respectively. Tom Thibodeau has a great case himself, taking a Knicks team that finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last year and pushing them to fourth in his first season.

The post NBA Announces Finalists for End of Season Awards appeared first on SLAM.

The Orlando Magic are in that rebuilding phase. Despite ending the season with a 21-51 record, many believe that there are brighter days ahead for the promising young team. That includes their newly acquired guard RJ Hampton, who has shined bright since getting traded down South.

You know the name: RJ Hampton, whose journey to the pros was both unconventional, and monumental as a 5-star recruit. The Little Elm-native confidently passed upon his final three collegiate offers from Kansas, Memphis, and Texas Tech to take his highly sought-after skills overseas, as did Charlotte Hornet’s rookie LaMelo Ball. Hampton opted to play in New Zealand, suiting up for the Breakers in the National Basketball League. 

Looking back, Hampton says he feels like the NBL helped prepare him for the Association:

“The NBL definitely prepared me for the NBA” he says confidently as if the answer is quite obvious over ZOOM in April. “I think playing against grown men at such a young age helped me mature a lot faster I think than I would have if I went to college.”

After getting selected No. 24 overall by the Denver Nuggets, Hampton was traded to the Magic in March, where he’s since then impressed while earning significantly more playing time. Prior to the trade, Hampton only saw the floor for 9.3 minutes per game, but while suiting up for the Magic, he was given more opportunities to showcase just how explosive and impactful his game truly is while playing 25.2 mpg. 

He scored his first career double-double in a 119-112 win against the Detroit Pistons, dropping 16 points and a career-high 10 dimes, shooting 5-of-11 from the field. Hampton, who later admitted that he’s been feeling more “comfortable” on the floor, was showered by water and hugged by teammates.  

“I get a lot of playing time here with the Magic,” Hampton says, “so every game is a new game, a fresh start…It’s a new opportunity for me, a new place where I can showcase my skills. We have a lot of young guys on the team so I’m getting to mesh with them (and)  getting to grow with them, I think it’s gonna be fun for me.”

Hampton finished his rookie season scoring consistent double-digit numbers, including a career-high 19 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

He averaged 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in the Month of May, leading all rookies in rebounding. 

That improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. On Monday, Hampton was named NBA Rookie of the Month for games played in May, making him only the seventh Magic player to earn the honor and the first to win it since Elfrid Payton in 2015. 

As a player on the rise that has continued to prove himself and adapt to whatever has been thrown his way, Hampton has been able to compete, and learn from, players around the League this season, from Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine to scoring-champ Steph Curry.

“It’s fun competing against those guys,” Hampton says, “[But] at the same time, you want to take their heads off anytime you do play them and get the edge on them but I can always grow and learn from playing against those guys and watching their film.” 

Hampton’s addition to the team will surely only continue to help elevate the Magic, and his speed and playmaking abilities have already been deemed a “breath of fresh air” for the franchise. As he continues to solidify his role on the team, it’s only up from here. 

The post RJ Hampton is Finding His Rhythm With the Orlando Magic appeared first on SLAM.

Most games with 5+ threes by a rookie in NBA history:

11 — Saddiq Bey
9 — Steph Curry
9 — Allen Iverson pic.twitter.com/2XWEHxrCeo

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 4, 2021

Saddiq hit five 3-pointers in back-to-back games this week against the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets to break the record, passing the 20 point plateau on both occasions.

Head coach Dwane Casey is impressed just as much by his efficient play as his shooting.

“He’s efficient in his play,” says Casey, via NBA.com.“It’s kind of like you want him to be a little more reckless, more aggressive. But he’s such a conscientious player, a conscientious kid that he doesn’t want to make mistakes – and doesn’t.”

Bey has season averages of 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting a solid 38.3 percent from beyond the line. Over his last 12 games, he’s picked up his production scoring 15.8 points per game on an eye-opening 40.9 percent shooting from 3-point range.

He has scored 20 or more points nine times overall this season, which is quite a feat considering Bey is accomplishing this in a shortened season, with no summer league, and a shortened preseason with six more games to add to the record.

With all of the attention surrounding Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, Saddiq Bey’s take on his chances of being NBA’s Rookie of the Year is just as low key as his record-breaking exploits.

“I just try to control what I can control. I don’t really know too much about other rookies—except the ones on my team. I try to just control what I can control and I just try to get better every day.”

The Detroit Pistons have committed to developing their young players this season by buying out Blake Griffin and trading Derrick Rose, but Bey’s recent performances this rookie season justifies the vision for the future.  

The post Saddiq Bey Makes NBA History As A 3-Point Shooter appeared first on SLAM.

On Tuesday afternoon, third-year forward Miles Bridges was ruled out for the next 10–14 days (per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium) after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

The Hornets, currently 31-33 and eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, just received an adrenaline boost in the form of a healthy LaMelo Ball.

However, with Bridges being both one of Ball’s favorite passing targets and Charlotte’s best defenders, his extended absence could cause the Hornets to fall out of the playoff race.

Charlotte is just 1.5 games ahead of the 10th-seed Washington Wizards but 3.5 games back of the sixth-seeded Miami Heat.

Bridges, having the best season of his career, is averaging 12.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per game, while shooting a career-high .506 percent from the field and .405 percent from 3-point range.

The post Miles Bridges to Miss 10–14 Days Due to Health and Safety Protocols appeared first on SLAM.

In his first game back on the court, Ball nearly notched a triple-double in an extremely impressive outing. In just 28 minutes, he produced 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He would go on to play again the very next night, putting up 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Ball playing in both games of a back-to-back is promising when it comes to the status of his wrist. 

After Ball’s first game back, head coach James Borrego spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and the rest of the media describing just how special Ball is. 

“You never know how someone is going to respond off that [much] time off. If there is a guy that can maybe come back and not miss a beat, it’s Melo. He just has that instinct, that feel. That didn’t quite surprise me.”

The Hornets are battling for playoff positioning down the final stretch of the season. Currently sitting as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 31-33, LaMelo Ball’s return to the court couldn’t have come at a better time. 

The post LaMelo Ball Looks Great Since Recovering From Wrist Injury appeared first on SLAM.

After Monk was projected to miss two weeks after suffering the injury while competing against the Brooklyn Nets back on April 1, he instead will miss his 15th straight game on Wednesday to close out the Hornets road trip. The team will practice for the next two days to gauge if Monk can return to play this weekend.

While this two day period is very much needed, the Hornets will be using creative measures to get simulated live action for Monk before his return on Saturday or Sunday.

Hornets head coach James Borrego talked about some options for his guard:

“We can do some scenarios, 2-on-2, 3-on-3,” Borrego said. “We have some bodies that we’ll work out against. Like today, the group that didn’t play yesterday – Vernon (Carey), Nick (Richards), Caleb (Martin), Grant (Riller) – that group played with some of our video guys out there on the floor. So, we’re able to put a group out there that can play some live either before a game, at practice time or shootaround. We’re going to get creative to find time to do that.

Monk has been playing the best basketball of his career before his injury. In the four straight games before going down, he had scored in double figures with averages of 18.3 points on .528 percent shooting from the field.

Monk has emerged as a valuable scorer off-the-bench, with averages of 16.2 points on .483 percent shooting over a 15-game span from Feb. 22 through March 26.

The Hornets are counting on the returns of Monk and fellow guard LaMelo Ball to make a push for the NBA play in tournament. They are in the eighth seed one game above the Indiana Pacers. However, they are just four games ahead of the Chicago Bulls in the 11th spot.

The post Malik Monk Set for Full Team Practice this Week Ankle appeared first on SLAM.

Now, it looks like LaMelo can return to the practice court later this week.

After Charlotte finishes up their road trip with the second of their back-to-back games on Wednesday, Ball will have an opportunity to get on the practice court on Thursday and Friday.

Prior to Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee, Hornets head coach James Borrego spoke about LaMelo’s progress and possible timeline (via Rod Boone of SI.com’s Fan Nation):

“I think what will be important will be the transition from Wednesday’s game into Saturday’s game,” Borrego said. “We have a couple days there to kind of figure out where we are at. So that will be important for us. I don’t know what those two days will look like.”

The star rookie has been doing consistent individual sessions working himself up to team drills which will formulate a scheduled return to game action. If there are no setbacks, Ball could return for one or both of the games of a back-to-back set this weekend against the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat.

LaMelo’s return may bring back some storylines surrounding the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award. Before the injury, Melo was running away from his competition, Minnesota’s number one pick, Anthony Edwards. Ball is averaging 15.9 points per game, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds.

There’s no doubt that the Hornets could use him right now. They have lost seven of their last ten games and are currently in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings just above the Indiana Pacers.

The post Hornets’ LaMelo Ball Scheduled to Practice on Thursday; Return Up in Air appeared first on SLAM.

After playing against Edwards on Sunday night, Paul George spoke to Justin Russo of CLIP & ROLL and other members of the media, giving high praise to the rookie.

“You talk about a three-level scorer. He’s elite. I see star, All-Star, possibly superstar. Sky’s the limit for the kid.”

In this particular game against the Clippers, Edwards finished with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists. Even with the great individual perimeter defenders they have, the Clippers struggled to slow the rookie down.

On the season, Edwards is averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Although he’s just 19 years old, Edwards has been a legit contributor and one of Minnesota’s best players.

With LaMelo Ball returning from injury in the next week or so, the Rookie of the Year race will likely come down to the wire over the final month of the season.

The post Paul George Calls Anthony Edwards A Potential Superstar appeared first on SLAM.

While there was a chance he might miss whole season, he’s recovered quickly and will be back on the court helping the Hornets on their playoff push soon.The Hornets issued a press release with an update on Ball’s injury on Monday, bringing optimism to the situation.

“Ball’s cast was removed and a CT scan confirmed the wrist has healed. He has been cleared to return to individual basketball activity. Additional updates on Ball’s status and return to game action will be provided as appropriate.”

Shortly after, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Ball is set to make his return to the court in the next 7-10 days.

Charlotte is currently 28-29, good for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Ball’s return will only increase their odds to make the postseason with his averages of 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game on .375 from deep.

While he was an NBA Rookie of the Year favorite prior to his injury, Ball will have quite a bit of ground to make up if he wants to take home that hardware.

The post LaMelo Ball Set To Return To Action In Next Week appeared first on SLAM.

ESPN’s Olgun Unc and Andrew Lopez report that Louzada, the 35th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, will be signing a multi-year contract.

Louzada has spent the last two seasons in the NBL, averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals in 23.5 minutes per game. He also played for New Orleans during the 2019-20 preseason, averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game (4 games) while shooting .439 percent from the field and .444 percent from 3-point range (on 4.4. attempts per game).

Athletic, with a nice handle and potential as an outside threat and a facilitator, the young wing has a chance to prove he can be more than just a depth piece for the up-and-coming Pelicans. His most reliable skill is currently his perimeter defense, where a lean and muscular frame accentuates his high motor.

The 21-year-old Louzada joins LaMelo Ball (Illawarra Hawks), R.J. Hampton (New Zealand Breakers) and Brian Bowen (Sydney Kings) as NBL Next Stars alumni who have made it to the Association. Josh Giddey, a lottery prospect in the 2021 NBA Draft, is also part of the NBL Next Stars program.

The post Pelicans Finalizing Multi-Year Contract with Didi Louzada appeared first on SLAM.

Ball — though seeking a second opinion — would be ruled out for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign, leaving the NBA world disappointed that the young star’s showmanship would have to be shelved until next season.

Fortunately, both the fans and Ball himself have a legitimate chance to be spared from such a future, as the fracture was less severe than the team originally thought.

Per The Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell:

Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said Ball’s wrist fracture could heal in time for him to play again in this chase of a playoff spot. However, Kupchak cautioned that the Hornets wouldn’t do anything in managing Ball that could put him at risk.

“We don’t know if LaMelo is out for the season or not,” Kupchak said in a conference call with Charlotte media Friday morning. “There is a possibility (of Ball playing again), just based on other players who have had this injury, that maybe he does come back for some portion of the year.”

Charlotte is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference standings at 22-21, so the hope would be for the Hornets’ season to last long enough for Ball’s chances of returning to continue rising, even if the Hornets reach the postseason before he does.

That being said, Ball is set to be re-evaluated four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair his wrist on Mar. 23, with the final game of Charlotte’s regular season is May 16.

The post Hornets Leave Door Open for LaMelo Ball to Return to Court appeared first on SLAM.

The third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball would fracture his wrist while going up for a layup in a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ball is averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 28.6 minutes per game this season, shooting .451 percent from the field and .375 percent from 3-point range.

According to ESPN’s Stats and Info, Ball’s numbers are comparable to Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson’s rookie season when extrapolated to their per 36 minute counterparts.

The post LaMelo Ball Suffers Season-Ending Injury, Seeking Second Opinion appeared first on SLAM.

Due to the Knicks’ newfound success, they’re regaining their status as an attractive destination for players and at a perfect time too.

With the trade deadline (Mar. 25), less than a week away, New York is trying to resolve their point guard conundrum and find a lead playmaker.

While many have reported that Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier and Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo are high on the Knicks’ wish list, the nature of trade season often presents multiple options for teams looking to revamp their roster and that continues to be the case this season.

According to the New York Post’s Marc Berman, New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is one such option, as the eldest Ball brother would not only end their search for a playmaking guard but has a mutual interest in joining the Knicks:

The Post has learned the Knicks, with plenty of cap room, would be heavily on Ball’s radar as a restricted free agent.

It’s no surprise Ball would consider the Knicks an attractive destination. His father, LaVar Ball, wanted the Knicks to find a way to draft his point-guard son, LaMelo, the favorite for Rookie of the Year who also wound up in a smallish market with Charlotte.

Ball is having a career season with the Pelicans in 2020-21, averaging 14.2 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He’s improved his shooting to career-bests, hitting .385 percent of his three-pointers and holding a .562 true shooting percentage.

Currently on the final season of his rookie contract, Ball and the Pelicans failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension prior to the start of teh 2020-21 season.

As a result, he’ll be a restricted free agent this offseason.

The post Lonzo Ball, Knicks Have Mutual Interest in Trade appeared first on SLAM.

That puts Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman directly in the spotlight, with both having an up-and-down seasons that have paled in comparison to LaMelo’s.

For Edwards at least, the conversation is less of a question about his potential than where the two players are at in their respective careers.

Already a starter, Edwards has averaged 15.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steal per game while demonstrating an elite level of athleticism and downhill explosion that’s eerily reminiscent of future Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade.

However, Edwards has had a rough go of it as a jump shooter, knocking down just .381 percent of his shots from the floor and .315 percent of his 3-point attempts.

For those wondering, Timberwolves superstar Karl-Anthony Towns — the face of the franchise and a player known to be both candid and outspoken — is of the mindset that Edwards being selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft was “the right decision for [Minnesota] as a franchise.”

While Edwards seems to take offense to the ongoing debate, KAT’s support of his young teammate speaks volumes about himself, Edwards and the Timberwolves franchise as a whole.

In addition, while Ball has played the best of all rookies in his class, Edwards was the most natural fit (of he, Ball and Wiseman) for a Minnesota team that already had Towns at center and prized facilitator in Ricky Rubio. As guard Malik Beasley’s future with Minnesota was in question in the offseason before signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Timberwolves, Edwards provided them with a safety net as well.

All in all, it’s difficult to say that Edwards wasn’t the right pick for Minnesota, no matter how well Ball is playing for Charlotte.

The post Karl-Anthony Towns: Anthony Edwards Being Drafted with No. 1 Pick ‘the Right Decision’ appeared first on SLAM.

The U.S. Team will be headlined by LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) — four potential superstars with flair to match their talent. The quartet will be joined by James Wiseman (Golden State Warriors), Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets), Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings), De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks) and Keldon Johnson (San Antonio Spurs).

The World Team will be comprised of R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks), Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards), Facundo Campazzo (Denver Nuggets), Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Brandon Clarke (Memphis Grizzlies), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (New Orleans Pelicans), Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards), Theo Maledon (Oklahoma City Thunder), Precious Achiuwa (Miami Heat) and Mychal Mulder (Golden State Warriors).

As with the 2020-21 NBA All-Star rosters, there has been rapid response and passionate debates about whether any players were left off that should have been in. Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose game is easy on the eyes and has been productive for an improved Cavs team, is one such player.

However, while those players may not have received the recognition they (or their fans) desired, those that were awarded the honor of being on the Rising Star were undoubtedly deserving of their spots.

Traditionally, the Rising Stars Game would be played during All-Star Weekend but this year, there won’t be a physical game. The 2020-21 All-Star Game, Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest will all take place on Mar. 7 and aired on TNT.

The post 2020-21 Rising Stars Roster Unveiled by NBA Top Shot appeared first on SLAM.

Ever since LaMelo Ball stepped foot into the league, there has been a never-ending Twitter debate about whether or not it’s permissible to call him “Melo”—considering that the nickname already belongs to 10-time All-Star, walking bucket, and NBA vet Carmelo Anthony. When Ball started mimicking Anthony’s three-to-the-dome three-point celebration gesture, everyone had something to say about it.

However, Anthony has given his stamp of approval to the Charlotte Hornets rookie to not only mimic his iconic celebration, but he also said that it’s an “honor” to share his name with Ball:

“There’s nothing nobody can do, nobody can say, I think LaMelo is going to be somebody in this game for a long time,” Anthony said, according to Yahoo Sports. “So, the name Melo you might as well continue getting used to that or stay with it. I don’t get into that though. For me, it’s a respect thing. It’s an honor for him to have that name, for him to embrace it, for him to do the celebration. It’s an honor, it’s a blessing, it’s a respect thing for me, so I embrace him.”

Ball continues to impress as a rookie and finished with 30 points and 8 assists in the Hornets 111-123 loss to the Trailblazers on Monday. Anthony finished with 29 points, two assists, and two rebounds.

After the game, the two swapped jerseys—solidifying that one generation has embraced the next.

Melo Melo

Respect.#RipCity #StayMe7o pic.twitter.com/cfeqUuj09h

— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) March 2, 2021

The post Carmelo Anthony Gives LaMelo Ball His Blessing appeared first on SLAM.

If he looks smooth, confident and dominant on the court, the numbers do anything but paint a different picture.

According to ESPN’s Stats & Info team, Ball became the third teenager to play at least 10 games in a calendar month and average at least 20.0 points, 6.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game in that stretch.

The two other players to record those numbers: Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

While Ball may not have the brawn of LeBron or the accolades of Doncic, a decorated player in the EuroLeague before bringing his talents stateside, he’s arguably just as phenomenal a passer.

In fact, a gifted ball-handler with soft touch from the lane to the logo, Ball could actually be a better offensive player than both by the time he reaches his prime.

All that’s certain as of today is that you can hardly imagine a better start for the 19-year-old Chino Hills product.

The post LaMelo Ball’s Latest Feat Only Accomplished By Luka Doncic, LeBron James appeared first on SLAM.

Last season, Ja Morant won the NBA Rookie of the Award for his stellar rookie season. While him and the 2019 rookie class had a ton of talent, this new class in 2020 has made a huge impact on their respective teams this season. With a unique mix of guards, wings and bigs coming out of the 2020 NBA Draft, it’s a wide open race to this point.

A third of the way through the 2020-21 season, we broke down our top five Rookie of the Year candidates.

LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)

No. 3 Pick – 14.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.5 SPG

Ball has come off the bench for the majority of the season, but has been a quality producer when he gets his opportunities. Showing flashes of being a consistent triple-double type player, Ball is an above average rebounder for a guard and also an excellent passer. 

As soon as he became a starter on the team, his numbers only got better, making him look like perhaps the best player in his class. With his length defensively, Ball also leads the Hornets in steals per game. 

Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

No. 1 Pick – 14.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.7 SPG, .316 3P%

Spending most of his time coming off the bench as a spark plug scorer this season, Edwards has shown just how high his offensive ceiling is. While his shooting splits haven’t been great, some of the moves he’s shown off have been impressive. 

If he continues to get more time, there’s no reason he couldn’t score the most points of any rookie this season. As he adjusts to the professional pace of play, his efficiency should rise. 

Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings)

No. 12 Pick – 12.5 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, .452 3P%

While on draft night it looked like the Kings may have gotten a steal in Haliburton at No. 12, he’s proven that point with his high level of production. While he doesn’t have the most exciting style of play, he gets the job done in every possible way. 

When it comes to filling up the stat sheet, Haliburton is by far the best rookie. He’s shown an ability to do it all on offense as well as defense and plays well beyond his years from an IQ standpoint. 

Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks)

No. 25 Pick – 12.4 PPG, 2.6 APG, .942 FT%, .370 3P%

The Knicks got an absolute steal in Quickley late in the first round and might have gotten their point guard of the future. With one of the most pure floaters in the entire NBA, he’s been tough to guard all season. 

Quickley has also been extremely efficient from both the free throw line and from beyond the arc. He’s been a key part of New York’s solid start to the 2020-21 season. 

James Wiseman (Golden State Warriors)

No. 2 Pick – 12.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG, .409 3P%

Many were skeptical of drafting a center so early in the draft with the modern NBA play style, but the Warriors should be happy with their selection in Wiseman. Although he was recently benched, he’s shown flashes of being great in this league down the road. 

While he has the size to dominate in the paint and pull down rebounds, Wiseman has also shown his shooting touch and ability to run the floor. As the season goes on, expect Wiseman to continue to improve and end up being among the best in this rookie class. 

The post NBA Award Watch: 2021 Rookie of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

He’s emerging as the best rookie in the class thus far. Over his first five starts, Ball has averaged 22.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game. He’s done this efficiently, shooting .514 from deep and .889 from the free-throw line.  

Over this span, Ball has notched multiple games of 20 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds, joining LeBron James and Luka Doncic and the only players to do so at age 19 or younger according to Elias Sports. 

Ball now leads all rookies in total points, rebounds, assists, steals, doubles-doubles, and triple-doubles. Although he’s been given some of the most opportunities out of any rookie in his class, LaMelo Ball has been taking advantage of his playing time.

After the Hornets defeated the Rockets, Ball earned a shoutout from Magic Johnson:

The leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball, had 24 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds in Charlotte’s 119-94 win over Houston!

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 9, 2021

The post LaMelo Ball Has Gone Off Since Becoming Starter appeared first on SLAM.

As good as Ball has been for the Hornets, he’s had trouble limiting his turnovers. Throughout his first 15 games, he’s complied a total of 39 turnovers. This has been a topic of concern for Ball’s coach, James Borrego.

Borrego recently spoke to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, saying that Ball’s inability to take care of the basketball has been a reason for him not starting and for his limited minutes this season.

“If you’re turning the ball over five times in 16 minutes, that ain’t gonna cut it for me. If you’re doing that on the offensive end, you better be bringing something defensively.”

If Ball can take better care of the basketball while also showing the flashes of brilliance that we’ve seen early on, there is no question that he will be a starter on this team at some point. In fact, he’s got a chance to even earn a starting spot during the course of this season.

LaMelo Ball has averaged 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 24.8 minutes per game off the bench as a rookie.

The post James Borrego Says LaMelo Ball Needs To Take Better Care Of Ball appeared first on SLAM.

Mere days after breaking the record for the youngest player in NBA history to post a triple-double, Ball—the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft—already has an opposing head coach making a case for him to be the Rookie of the Year. In this case, Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle pointed out Ball’s rare “flare” and “energy” in particular.

Averaging 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game at 19-years-old is no insignificant feat and it’s even more impressive when realizing he’s posting those numbers while coming off the bench for 25.3 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes, Ball is averaging 16.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game, numbers that are certainly inspiring if they’re any indication of his future production.

That said, although they’re the most impressive of his draft class, statistics are only one part of the story when it comes to Ball.

As Carlisle rightly pointed out, Ball sensational play style lends itself to team success and league-wide adoration. Although he’s not on either of their levels as a pro player yet, Ball plays like a mash-up of Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry, arguably the two best point guards in league history.

At this point, although there are other rookies who are performing well this season—like Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman or Sacramento Kings point guard Tyrese Haliburton—you would be hard-pressed to say that there’s anyone playing better than Ball has thus far.

The post Mavs HC Rick Carlisle: LaMelo Ball Looks Like Rookie Of The Year appeared first on SLAM.

18 teams, including 17 G League teams and the G League Ignite, will play in the G League bubble. The top eight teams will then advance to a single-elimination playoff.

Five-star high school recruits Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd and Jonathan Kuminga are among the players who will play for the Ignite — a developmental team that’s part of the G League’s program to develop elite prospects. Kai Scotto, a 7’2″ Filipino center who has been compared to Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, is also on the Ignite.

In the bubble, NBA veterans like Michael Beasley, Jeremy Lin and Lance Stephenson will be making comeback attempts. Meanwhile, LiAngelo Ball — the brother of lottery picks Lonzo and LaMelo Ball — has also signed a G League deal as he attempts to find an NBA home.

The G League teams that aren’t heading to Lake Buena Vista includes highly-respected clubs like the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Grand Rapids Drive and Maine Red Claws.

Capitanes, a Mexico City-based team from the top Mexican pro league, was scheduled to join the G League in 2020-21 for their inaugural season. Unfortunately, that plan has been delayed due to Capitanes opting not to send players to the bubble.

The post NBA G League Announces Plans to Start 2020-21 Season In February appeared first on SLAM.

LaMelo (22 PTS, 12 REB & 11 AST) is now the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double pic.twitter.com/cAuJ1J5yNz

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 10, 2021

After his record-setting performance, Ball said that these types of accomplishments come easy to him. 

“I’ve been doing this ever since I was three, so it comes quite easy to me, for real.”

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is averaging 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game off of the bench. Ball has been instrumental in the Charlotte Hornets’ 5-5 record and the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference to this point. 

The youngest brother of Lonzo Ball and LiAngelo Ball looks like he has the chance to potentially become the best NBA player of the three brothers. Gelo has reportedly signed a contract in the G League to play in the bubble.

The post LaMelo Balls Becomes Youngest Player In NBA History To Record Triple-Double appeared first on SLAM.

Now that it’s been six straight games in which Monk has played zero minutes while being healthy, he’s starting to get frustrated. In a recent interview with The Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell, Monk gave more insight into his situation and how it makes him feel. 

“Super, super, super freaking frustrating. I finally became an NBA player, finally got the minutes I thought I deserved a couple of years ago. I was proving myself. And that’s all I really could ask for at that point.”

Monk had been averaging 16.7 points per game in 28.6 minutes of action last February until a drug suspension ended his 2019-20. He was reinstated during the lockdown.

The Hornets are certainly deep at the guard positions with Devonte’ Graham, Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball, so Monk has quite a bit of competition for playing time. While it hasn’t yet been reported that he is requesting a trade, it makes you wonder how long he will continue to sit on the bench before he wants a fresh start on a new team. 

The post Malik Monk Grows Frustrated Without Playing Time This Season appeared first on SLAM.

As the new faces on the roster start to build chemistry, this team will only get better with time. Additionally, LaMelo Ball seems to be coming along nicely as their rookie cornerstone. On the flip side, Devonte’ Graham has had a fairly slow start to the season.

For more information about the numbers behind our Heat Check series, hop over to our main Heat Check 2020-21 post.

Terry Rozier	24.5p, 3.8r, 3.0a
Bismack Biyombo	9.3p, 6.3r, 2.3a
Gordon Hayward	19.8p, 5.5r, 6.0a
Miles Bridges	12.5p, 7.8r, 1.5a
P.J. Washington	11.8p, 6.0r, 2.8a
Caleb Martin	4.7p, 1.7r, 1.3a	–
Cody Martin	3.3p, 3.5r, 2.3a
Devonte’ Graham	11.5p, 3.5r, 7.0a
Cody Zeller	6.0p, 3.0r, 0.0a
Jalen McDaniels	3.5p, 2.0r, 0.8a

Team-by-Team Breakdown

The post Heat Check 2020-21: Charlotte Hornets appeared first on SLAM.

It’s a dilemma that any rebuilding team is happy to have but it’s a dilemma nonetheless. Hornets head coach James Borrego is on the hook to not only find Ball minutes but also simultaneously continue to foster growth in Devonte’ Graham.

Oh, and effectively build Gordon Hayward into the team’s offense, maximize the $60 million investment in Terry Rozier last offseason, develop sophomore wing P.J. Washington and, eventually, give 2017 lottery pick Malik Monk an honest chance to prove himself after a disappointing 2019-20.

“I thought LaMelo played extremely well tonight,” Borrego told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer after Ball put up 13 points in 15 minutes of action in a hard-fought Saturday night loss to the Thunder. “I’ll look at the film and see what that looks like. Maybe there are some more minutes for him.“

Bonnell writes that Ball was limited to just over six minutes in the second half of the game after struggling defensively.

“It’s tough. There are a number of guys that are capable of handling minutes. I’ve got to juggle that rotation,” Borrego said. “LaMelo’s got to do his part. It’s my job to do what’s best for this club.“

In addition to the 15 minutes Ball played on Boxing Day, he suited up for 15 more in the team’s home opener.

The post Early Logjam Limits Playing Time for LaMelo Ball appeared first on SLAM.

Instead, we decided to switch it up and hit you with some predictions that you haven’t thought about—or that you have but are afraid to admit.

From playoff predictions to thoughts on who will run the East and West, here is our official 2020-21 NBA preview:

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics Will Run the East

Deyscha Smith, Associate Editor

A 22-year-old destined to lead, having reigned supreme since he was only 19. Time Lord says he’s ready to move past his past performances. Fearless point guard is hurt, but his guards (in) waiting for minutes can now fill his place. Winter is, literally, coming.

This is SLAM, not HBO, but stay with me here. If the Celtics stick to the script and deliver a performance of their young careers, the team can rule the East this season. Brad Stevens has the right cast, but he’ll need Jayson Tatum to make an All-Star level sequel, Jaylen Brown to step up and lead, Jeff Teague to find chemistry amongst the youth, and the actual youth, Williams, Pritchard, Nesmith, Waters, to embrace the lights and be about that action.

The Midrange Jumpshot Will Come Storming Back

Max Resetar, SLAMKICKS

Analytics and space-and-pace philosophies have focused on guarding the three pointer with so much intensity that big men pretty much only play drop defense out of pick-and-roll.

As long as bigs continue to stay back in the paint on the PNR, a new crop of midrange shooters, along with mainstays like KD and Kawhi, will have the middie back in the League this season. Because, at the end of the day, a bucket is a bucket.

Donovan Mitchell: MVP Candidate

Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer

There are two types of MVP seasons: the “This guy ran the regular season by any statistical measure” seasons (every LeBron MVP, Giannis last season), and “This guy was fun as hell and built up an amazing narrative, so he gets it even though it’s kinda debatable” seasons (D-Rose in 2011, Russ in 2016). If Giannis’ stats improve, he could grab a third. But it says here that the media is bored of all that, opening the door for a fun superstar to make The Leap and ride a bunch of game-winners and insane scoring nights to an MVP trophy. That superstar? Donovan Mitchell.

The Hawks will make the Playoffs

Ryne Nelson, Senior Editor

Thanks to a busy offseason, this year’s Hawks will be a completely different team with a souped-up offense centered around Trae Young. They signed Bogdan Bogdanovic to provide scoring and playmaking, Danilo Gallinari to pick-and-pop, and Rajon Rondo to run the second unit. Even ATL’s sieve-like defense should improve with the additions of Clint Capela and Kris Dunn. Atlanta could still struggle on that side of the ball, but an electric offense should be enough to carry them into the playoffs.

The Nets Will Win 28+ Straight

Arvind Pitchai, VP, Social Media

KD. Kyrie. Spence. Caris. JA. Joe Harris. DJ. Taurean. Jeff Green.

We’ve been waiting on the KD/Kyrie duo, but the Nets’ depth hasn’t been talked about enough.

Unfortunately for the rest of the NBA, they are going to gel. The most studious player in the League, Kevin Durant, will allow that to happen. The last great win streak was 27 games from the 2012-2013 Miami Heat. The Brooklyn Nets will take that throne.

LaMelo will make the All-Star Game, the first rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011

Ian Pierno, Senior Producer

We’ve known that LaMelo Ball can put up numbers ever since his 92-point outing at Chino Hills, and he’s going to put up All-Star caliber numbers in Charlotte, too. The Hornets are unlikely to contend, but they’ve put pieces around Ball that can score in a variety of ways—Miles Bridges will finish the oops, Devonte Graham can snipe from deep and Gordon Hayward for everything in between. He’s going to run up his dime numbers, and his scoring history speaks for itself.

Lakers repeat/LeBron’s fifth title same week as Space Jam

Franklyn Calle, Senior Producer

Space Jam: A New Legacy has a July 16 release date, while the current NBA playoff dates are May 22-July 22. Meaning, LeBron James will win his fifth NBA championship and finally stand within one title from MJ’s career total in the same weekend that he debuts the sequel to a film Jordan once starred in 25 years earlier. In another stars aligned twist, the original Warner Bros. film hit theaters at the beginning of the same season that MJ won his fifth ring; LeBron will now be getting his fifth ring just hours after starring in the sequel.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SLAM (@slam)

The Phoenix Suns will finish 3rd in the West.

Theus McBee, Associate Social Media Editor

There is not a single back court in the entire Western Conference that is better than the one in Phoenix. Additionally, Deandre Ayton, also known as the most underappreciated center in the National Basketball Association, will be playing in his first NBA All-Star Game months from now. With that being said, the Phoenix Suns will be a top 3 seed in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

Avery Bradley will help the Miami Heat remain an Eastern Conference powerhouse

Aron Phillips, Chief Operating Officer

While the Lakers were able to take home the Larry OB after 95 days in the Bubble, they did so with Avery Bradley watching from home. But don’t worry—Bradley will have his chance to play in the Finals this season, only now as a member of the Heat. A cagey 10-year vet who started 44 of 49 games for the Lakers last season, Bradley is the perfect piece to round out Miami’s All-Star core and he’ll be ready to lockup his former teammates as he goes for back-to-back rings.

With Russ, Wizards are Legit Contender in the East

Mike Harris, eCommerce Specialist

It’s never easy when you get out of a 10-year relationship. But when Russell Westbrook—a nine-time All-Star/former MVP who averaged a triple-double three years in a row—comes to town, you begin to think the future is bright. Paired with a 27-year-old All-Star snub coming off his highest scoring avg to date named Bradley Beal, there is no reason this team should not be a top 4 team in the East that’ll make the ECF.

Karl-Anthony Towns is Going to Have a Monster Season

Christian Quezada, Senior Video Producer

Karl-Anthony Towns AKA The Most Unappreciated Talent in our League is everything you want offensively from a big man. He’s going to sneak the Wolves into the crowded Western Conference playoffs—and that, plus his incoming 30-and-10 averages, will be enough to make him First Team All-NBA. Bet that.

A Few More Bold Predictions…

Markelle Fultz will win Most Improved Player

Lonzo Ball will win Defensive Player of the Year

Vince Carter will be the best NBA studio analyst ever

Miles Bridges will have the highest body count in the League

James Harden will score 75 points in a game

Facundo Campazzo will get punched in the face

DeMarcus Cousins and/or John Wall will be on a SLAM cover before the end of 2021

Damian Lillard will make 15 threes in one game

Ja Morant will be in a Lil Baby video before October

Zach LaVine will average 30+ PPG

Kawhi Leonard will avenge last season’s disappointment with a playoff sweep

Kelly Oubre will be the second-best player on the Golden State Warriors

The post SLAM’s Official 2020-21 NBA Preview: Everything You’re Not Talking About appeared first on SLAM.

We broke down the Hornets’ depth chart for the 2020-21 season below. We’ve also previously published a summary of the Hornets’ offseason.

Biggest Questions

• Was Gordon Hayward overpaid? The Hornets had to eat the final year of Nic Batum’s contract to pull off this massive contract to acquire Hayward. We will soon find out if Hayward is the answer Charlotte was looking for.
• How quickly does LaMelo Ball become the best player on the team? There is no question that he has the talent and ceiling to be the face of the franchise. In fact, that’s why the Hornets selected him No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Will he become their top option in year one?

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Charlotte Hornets: Projected 2020-21 Depth Chart appeared first on SLAM.

Heading into training camp this offseason, Ball was given his first shot on an NBA team with the Detroit Pistons signing him to a non-guaranteed camp deal. Through Detroit’s first two preseason games, Ball didn’t see the floor.

On Sunday, shorty after that second consecutive game without playing, James Edwards of The Athletic announced that the Pistons would be waiving Ball. 

LiAngelo’s brothers Lonzo and LaMelo play for the Pelicans and Hornets, respectively. For now, it appears as if the middle Ball brother will be without an NBA team. 

The post LiAngelo Ball Waived by Detroit Pistons appeared first on SLAM.

The Hornets will be looking to make the Eastern Conference Playoffs this season, even if nobody in Charlotte says it out loud.

Hornets Offseason Additions

Biggest Acquisitions

• Gordon Hayward: Gordon Hayward wanted an expanded role after years of sacrificing for the benefit of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s development. One of the most complete players in the NBA, Hayward immediately becomes the best player the Hornets have.

• LaMelo Ball: LaMelo Ball could be the future face of the franchise. A generational passing talent that could be East Coast version of Luka Doncic, Ball’s potential and career trajectory are so promising that he’s arguably the most important player on the roster.

Hornets Offseason Subtractions

Biggest Losses

• Dwyane Bacon: Dwyane Bacon may not have put up eye-popping stats for the Charlotte Hornets in his time there but he was a mainstay in the rotation and provided valuable defense and 3-point shooting. Had he received more playing time, he would have likely demanded more consistent minutes.
• Willy Hernangomez: One of the Hornets’ other underused players due to a position logjam was Willy Hernangomez, a smooth low-post scorer and facilitator with great size for the center position at 6’11” and 250 pounds.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Charlotte Hornets: Offseason Summary 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

It’s tough to determine who will end up having the best rookie season without seeing them play on this stage. However, when it comes to betting odds, many sites, including Odds Shark, have LaMelo Ball as the slight favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year in the upcoming season.

Ball wasn’t the first player taken in the 2020 NBA Draft, both Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman were taken before him, but Vegas still regards him as the favorite to bring home the trophy.

Ball has an excellent opportunity to win this award in Charlotte as he’ll arrive in town as one of the team’s primary options out of the gates. After skipping college to play a season overseas professionally, the 19-year-old guard is taking the next step into the NBA.

In less than three weeks, the 2020-21 season will officially kick off and these rookies will get the opportunity to show off their talent in real NBA action.

The post LaMelo Ball Early Favorite for Rookie of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

While Ball would still need to make the Pistons’ team out of training camp, he put in work with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate last season. He was a practice player with that squad before the league got cancelled due to COVID-19.

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, of course, came from the Thunder organization before he took the Detroit gig. He’s brought several former OKC players over to his new franchise since, including Jerami Grant and Justin Patton.

Ball’s non-guaranteed deal will be an exhibit 10 deal, which means that the Pistons will keep Ball’s G League rights in the event that he doesn’t make the big league team out of camp.

The middle Ball brother went undrafted but worked out with the Lakers once.

The post LiAngelo Ball to Sign One-Year Deal with Pistons appeared first on SLAM.

As a guest several months back on The Old Man And The Three podcast with JJ Reddick, Lonzo gave his thoughts on what he expects in their first NBA matchup. He didn’t sound too worried about guarding his youngest brother, saying, “I know his game pretty well, so it might be a tough night for him.”

Lonzo is certainly known for his perimeter defense. On top of that, he’s been playing against LaMelo all his life. It will be one of the most anticipated individual matchups of the entire 2020-21 season when the Pelicans and Hornets match up.

LaMelo is projected to be a prolific offensive player, but Lonzo plans on making his life tough when they cross paths.

The post Lonzo Ball On Guarding LaMelo in the NBA: ‘I Know His Game Pretty Well’ appeared first on SLAM.

Although the terms of the deal aren’t yet known, Biyombo will be considerably more affordable than he was when the Magic game him $70 million back in 2016.

The 28-year-old is quietly coming off a career year in Charlotte, averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in less than 20 minutes of action.

Biyombo will return to a Charlotte organization with more ambitious plans in 2020-21 than last season. The team is in the process of acquiring Gordon Hayward via free agency and draft LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft.

The post Bismack Biyombo Agrees to Return to Hornets appeared first on SLAM.

Charlotte made the announcement official on Thursday that they would not extend a qualifying offer to Dwayne Bacon, which will make him an unrestricted free agent.

Bacon only appeared in 39 games last season for the Hornets, averaging 5.7 points per contest on a poor .284 from deep. He spent some time with the Greensboro Swarm of the G League last season as well, averaging 31.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest through nine games.

For Bacon, this is a chance for a new beginning. He’s spent his entire career in Charlotte since he was drafted in 2017. Still just 25 years old, a team could find value in taking a chance on him.

The post Charlotte Declines Qualifying Offer for Dwayne Bacon appeared first on SLAM.

Hayes didn’t have any family in Germany, didn’t speak the language, and had to live on his own in an apartment. For an 18- year-old kid, his biggest concern was figuring out what he was going to eat every day.

Omelettes became one of his go-to meals. An egg, mix in with somered peppers, tomatoes, ham or turkey and a little bit of onions, but not too much though— he’s not a huge fan of them.

He had to learn to take care of himself since the age of sixteen, back in France. A year ago, Hayes wasn’t even old enough to drive himself because the legal driving age is 18, so he either hopped on the bus or asked teammates to help him out. Now, here he was in Germany, having to figure it all out, again.

He brought that same mindset to the court, where he had to prove himself to both head coach Jaka Lakovic, and his teammates. Respect is earned, never granted.

“When you’re 18 coming to a new team that nobody knows, you got to show up that first day of practice and just practice hard and show everybody what you’re about,” he says when asked about the moment. “As a point guard, you got to gain everyone’s respect.”

He further explains: “Everything [Lakovic] said, I would do. Full court pressure, I would go full court pressure the whole game.  I was just trying to stay on the court, to prove to the coach that I’m somebody he can rely on. The point guard has to be the coach on the court, so that’s what I would be.”

It’s a circumstance that won’t differ much from the NBA. In a few weeks, Hayes will be a youngin’ yet again, on a new team, in a new city, having to prove himself yet again.

Hayes, who is calling from Orlando just a week before the draft, says he knows a thing or two about proving himself in a grown man’s league.

“I know I’m ready for the NBA and I’ve been preparing for this for life, so now it’s going to be a new chapter in my life opening up.”

The question that remains, though, is whether France’s elite point guard can make waves across the Atlantic.

—

Hayes says he had early talks with his father, DeRon, about either going pro or going to high school in the States. His father knew that a career overseas could prove beneficial after a standout career at Penn State, so he took his talents over to France, where he met Hayes’ mother, Sandrine.

Hayes was born in Florida while his father was playing in the American Basketball Association, but grew up in France once his father returned to the Pro A. A young Hayes would spend summers in Lakeland, and then return back to France, where soccer was one of the more popular sports.

Still, Hayes had hoop dreams of his own. He loved Dwyane Wade, and France’s own Tony Parker.

“When you talk about French basketball you gotta talk about Tony Parker. Everything he did in the NBA and in France with the national team, you gotta respect him. Someone I really looked at when I was younger was Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose but, Tony still has a really big impact on France.”

When it came time to decide where Hayes was going to play in high school, a young Killian wanted to play in the States, where the elite prospects were. DeRon thought otherwise.

“Going pro was always a part of my plan, my big picture,” Hayes says. “My dad, we talked about maybe going to high school but, he told me being a professional at 15 years old is unique and you can get a lot more of an experience from.”

Hayes listened to his pops, and shined at the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in 2017, where he earned MVP honors there, and at the FIBA Europe U16 Championship the following year. The lefty helped lead France to a gold-medal victory, averaging 16.6 points, 7 boards and 5.1 assists a game.

Then he signed a pro-deal at 16 with Pro A Cholet.

His rookie season was far from easy, though. As the team struggled, so did he. Appearing in only nine games, Hayes averaged only 2.2 points.

“It was hard,” Hayes says when looking back. “It wasn’t what I expected it to be, it was a struggling season and I really struggled. But it was a big learning experience.”

He learned quickly that this wasn’t school yard games and he wasn’t playing with high schoolers. In a pro league, he had to hold his own: 

“The coach, he was really cut throat and if you messed up—if you’re playing in high school and you turn the ball over, nobody cares. But, if you’re a pro and you turn the ball over, you’ll go back on the bench. Learning that, and the physicality of it, the team, growing and trying to figure out my body and grow into it— and there’s people that played ten years professionally and they’re going at me. It was a big learning experience for me.”

His confidence developed, as did his game. Going into the next season, he found a better rhythm on the court, averaging 7.1 points and 3.1 assists, but was left unsatisfied. Mock drafts had him projected with the 27th pick. He knew he was a lottery pick.

“That was really tough on me,” he says. “I [felt like] I needed to prove that that’s not where I belong, I need to work hard and play good so that my ranking could go up. I wanted to be a lottery pick, I wanted to be in the top 10 so I had a lot of work to do.”

After signing with Ulm in Germany, he knew he wanted to make a name for himself on a new team, and to have it be recognized in the States.

 “I feel like in Europe, a lot of people know who I am, but in America, you see guys like LaMelo or RJ Hampton, Cole Anthony, everybody knows who they are. I feel like I got to really show who I am as a person and definitely on the court, what I can do.”

Hayes has been preparing for this moment since he was a young pro in France, then in Germany, and now as a projected lottery pick. While quarantining with his family back in Lakeland, he took no days off.

He’s been working out with his trainer two or three times a day: Mondays might be back and shoulders, biceps another day, legs the following day.

In March, he weighed 197-198 pounds, and now he’s up to 215. He feels more explosive, more agile.

He and his dad hooped together, too. They bought a hoop from DICK’S Sporting Goods and put it in the backyard. Some days, they’d play 1-on-1, other days he and his cousin, EJ, would play king of the court.

When he wasn’t training, he and the fam were spending lots of quality time together. Hayes even became a whole barber during quarantine, giving his dad and cousin fades when they needed it.

Hayes knows that hearing his name called is an accomplishment for the entire family, especially his father.

“My dad, it was his dream to be in the NBA and get drafted, so being able to make his dream come true through me, is definitely a blessing. It’s going to be new for the both of us. Coming into the draft, it’s not a guarantee but we kind of know where I could land. We’re just all going to be there and enjoy the moment.”

That same dream has now become a reality— the Detroit Pistons drafted Hayes as the No.7 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. With training camp only weeks away, Hayes doesn’t have a casual, c’est la vie type of attitude during this big moment. He’s ready to get to work and knows nothing will be guaranteed.

His nickname is fitting. After people in the States would struggle to say it properly, he’d have them call him “Kill.”

“I want to kill everybody that’s in front of me,” Killian Hayes, aka Kill, says. “If it’s a crossover or something like that, it definitely feels good in the moment. I remember I hit one guy up and he fell. That definitely felt good, but then you just got to move on. You can’t stay stuck on that play forever, it goes quick. I’m quick to move on.”

—

Deyscha Smith is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow her on Twitter @deyschasmith.

Photos via Getty Images. 

The post My Time: Killian Hayes is Ready to Make Waves from France to Detroit 🌊 appeared first on SLAM.

Presented by Foot Locker’s 12 Days of Greatness

2020 NBA Draft

2020 NBA Draft Trades & Notes

The New York Knicks packaged picks No. 27 and No. 38, then sent them to the Utah Jazz for pick No. 23 (SLAM story)

The Milwaukee Bucks acquired pick No. 45 in exchange for a pair of future second rounders (SLAM story)

The Thunder pocketed pick No. 34 tonight, along with Al Horford and a future first in exchange for Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson (SLAM story)

The Pistons will now draft at No. 16 after acquiring the pick from the Rockets along with Trevor Ariza (SLAM story)

The Oklahoma City Thunder flip Ricky Rubio to the Minnesota Timberwolves to up to No. 17 (SLAM Story)

Landry Shamet and Luke Kennard on the move in three-team deal involving pick No. 19 (SLAM Story)

Knicks trade back two spots late in first round to add early second round pick (SLAM Story)

Nuggets give up future first round pick to Pelicans to acquire RJ Hampton (SLAM Story)

Pistons acquire Tony Bradley and pick No. 38 for cash considerations (SLAM Story)

Grizzlies acquire pick No. 30 from Celtics to acquire Desmond Bane (SLAM Story)

Sixers trade Josh Richardson and No. 36 pick to Mavericks for Seth Curry (Slam Story)

Thunder pick up No. 37 pick from Wizards to select Vit Krejci (SLAM Story)

Pelicans trade Pick No. 39 to Jazz who take Elijah Hughes (SLAM Story)

Charlotte acquires Nick Richards from New Orleans who was picked at pick No. 42 (SLAM Story)

Clippers move up two spots late in second round to acquire Jay Scrubb at pick No. 55 (SLAM Story)

Kenyon Martin Jr. traded to Rockets after being selected by Sacramento with pick No. 52 (SLAM Story)

We consolidated the final 2020 NBA mock drafts from some of our favorite draft experts (SLAM story)

The post SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Recap appeared first on SLAM.

It’s unclear what protections will come on the future first-round pick.

The move gives Detroit two firsts tonight while providing financial flexibility for a Rockets team that faces a hard cap. Wojnarowski reports that the manoeuvre will allow them to use their full mid-level exception.

The Pistons will now pick No. 7 and at No. 16 and could potentially package those picks to move up if the opportunity arises. Yesterday, LaMelo Ball told the media that he worked out for the top-three teams and Detroit.

Additionally the Rockets are purchasing the Pistons’ 2021 second-round pick, originally from the Los Angeles Lakers, for $4.6 million.

More to come.

The post Pistons to Acquire No. 16 Pick, Trevor Ariza From Rockets appeared first on SLAM.

The question at hand is who could pair well with big-man Karl Anthony Towns? Will it be Georgia’s standout freshman Anthony Edwards, the name that is dominating the top spot on most mock draft boards, or LaMelo Ball – the flashy point guard who has been in the spotlight since he dropped 92 points for Chino Hills? Sources told ESPN that Ball had his first private workout with the Timberwolves last week and that he “shot the ball well.”

However, it sounds like the Hornets are also eyeing Ball. According to the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, sources say Michael Jordan has given the Hornet’s front office the go-ahead to draft Ball if they keep the third pick.

Then there’s James Wiseman, a unicorn that has remained a mystery ever since his freshman season at Memphis was cut short due to certain circumstances. Mock draft boards are predicting that Wiseman could also go either No. 2 or 3. While there’s upside in Ball, but Wiseman, as ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote is that, “Wiseman might be better equipped to immediately help the franchise return to the NBA Finals.”

While those names dominate the top three spots, the rest of the draft is stacked with prospects that are just as intriguing. Deni Avdija and Killian Hayes are two international prospects that some say could “lay to rest” the league’s “decades-old international stereotypes.” Other names, such as Obi Toppin, Tyrese Haliburton, Patrick Williams, Patrick Williams, Onyeka Okongwu and Devin Vassell have all been bouncing around the top-ten spots on draft boards.

As for RJ Hampton, Cole Anthony, Tryese Maxey and Josh Green, they’re all hovering around the latter part of the first-round.

Mock Draft boards have been updating, predicting and speculating all day. To make sense of it all, we’ve rounded up mock drafts from the league’s draft experts, to give you a sense of what tonight’s selections could look like:

AGGREGATED 2020 NBA MOCK DRAFT

This aggregate mock draft pulls the latest updates from ESPN, The Athletic, Tankathon, Bleacher Report, The Ringer and NBADraft.net.

The post Consolidated 2020 NBA Mock Draft appeared first on SLAM.

That’s what everyone is trying to figure out, as the T’Wolves seem as if they’re starting to view their lottery pick as a burden rather than a blessing. Whether Minnesota will trade the pick or use it to select one of the projected top three picks is still an unknown but the Timberwolves will still come out on top, as they’ll undoubtedly get better no matter what they do.

Minnesota is embarking on a new era, trading away former first overall pick Andrew Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell. With D-Lo and Karl-Anthony Towns the current franchise cornerstones, the Wolves have a great chance of adding to their core and finding the player that bits best between the pieces they already have with three picks in the upcoming draft.

Related: Full Minnesota Timberwolves 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Timberwolves Draft Needs

For Minnesota to maximize their opportunities this offseason, the 2020 NBA Draft will be crucial.

Russell and KAT are a strong and dynamic offensive pairing but Minnesota is lacking defensively with those two are their best players. Their defensive deficiencies are further enhanced by the absence of Robert Covington (who was sent to the Houston Rockets in a four-team trade that ultimately allowed Minnesota to land Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez).

After trying to locate their third star with the first overall pick, the Timberwolves need to focus on establishing a stronger defensive presence as they rank 28th in opponent’s points per game. The Timberwolves are destined to be a team with big names and no real success unless they can stop somebody.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Minnesota Timberwolves: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

San Antonio’s current veteran stars — LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan — don’t seem like they really want to be there. However, while they might be looking forward to becoming free agents in 2021 (DeRozan can actually decline his player option for the 2020-21 season if he would like), it means that the Spurs will either take another step back in the 2021-22 season or that they put more pressure on themselves to expedite their rebuild.

Frankly, with a lottery pick and the chance to cut a substantial chunk of their team payroll in a summer when there will be a sizable amount of marquee free agents, San Antonio’s future isn’t as bleak as it may seem. The Spurs have just been dominant for so long that the rebuild feels as if it’s taking much longer than it really is.

Related: Full San Antonio Spurs 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Spurs Draft Needs

There’s a perfect player for the Spurs to select with their lottery pick in Saddiq Bey. However, finding out how to utilize their second-round selection will be a bit more tricky for San Antonio.

It’s no secret that the Spurs have been somewhat resistant to falling in line with the rest of the NBA when it comes to taking 3-point shots. Not that they weren’t efficient when they did take them, shooting .376 from deep last season (4th in the NBA). It’s just that they didn’t do so too often; their 28.5 3-point attempts per game ranked 28th in the NBA.

That said, while improving their potency from behind-the-arc will help them transform a traditional offense into a modern one, San Antonio’s primary issues last season were on the defensive end. With five rotation players that were at least 30-years-old last season, the Spurs needs to get younger and more athletic in their frontcourt.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

The post San Antonio Spurs: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

However, the Raptors’ performance in the regular season was a lot different than it was in the playoffs, where rising star Pascal Siakam demonstrated how important it is for players with physical prowess to improve their guard skills. Subsequently, Toronto’s focus this offseason should be on player development and free agency rather than the 2020 NBA Draft.

This is particularly true due to the Raptors having just the second-to-last pick in each round.

Related: Full Toronto Raptors 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Raptors Draft Needs

It’s always wise to shore up depth or plan ahead and that’s exactly what Toronto will be doing during the 2020 NBA Draft. The Raptors could have 15 players entering free agency, an absurd number when considering that thy were just in the NBA Finals last year and made it as far as the second round of the NBA Playoffs this year.

Using their draft picks on fringe roster or fringe rotation players will be a cheap way of maintaining the status quo. It also allows them to maximize their cap space for the 2021 offseason, should they decide that they want to chase one of the established stars whose contracts will expire in 2020-21.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Toronto Raptors: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Because the team’s two best players — Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose — are both injury-prone and at least 30-years-old, this isn’t the typical case of using the offseason to build around the current cornerstones. To that point, neither Griffin nor Rose can be seen as franchise cornerstones as they’ll both become free agents within the next two seasons.

Therefore, Detroit will have to hope that they’re one of the teams that can find a high-level starter — if not a player with All-Star potential — with a pick outside the top-five.

Related: Full Detroit Pistons 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Pistons Draft Needs

As previously mentioned, what the Pistons need is a prospect with star potential. Although this is seen as one of the weaker drafts, Detroit should at least be able to find a player that can be part of the team’s core for years to come.

Both offense and defense were a problem for the Pistons last season so a player who specializes in either rather than being balanced would be fine. Nonetheless, offensive production is the most important factor in winning in today’s league, so Detroit would be best served by locating a talented scorer with the seventh overall pick.

Along the perimeter, the Pistons have a couple players who are solid offensively in Rose and Luke Kennard. Versatile forward Sekou Doumbouya, the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, flashed his potential in the NBA G League. However, they need more firepower on the wing and that could be what they use the draft for.

That said, should big man Christian Wood not be re-signed, Detroit should look to replace the hole left by him (and Andre Drummond) at center.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Detroit Pistons: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

It would be foolhardy to believe that the Hornets will be championship contenders or have figured out the key to be perennial playoff contenders within the next couple of years. However, with a top-three selection and a few promising players that are currently on the roster, they could be slowly edging back towards respectability.

Related: Full Charlotte Hornets 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Hornets Draft Needs

At this point, the only position that the Hornets don’t need help at is point guard, as Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham are not only Charlotte’s most productive players but play the same position.

Looking at the rest of their young core, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington are both solid forwards who make an impact on both sides of the ball. Malik Monk, who averaged 10.3 points per game last season, looks as if he can man the role of sixth man.

Outside of those five players, the Hornets have serious work to do and a difficult decision to make with the third overall pick in particular.

Because today’s league is driven by offensive talent and Charlotte was 30th in points per game last season (102.9), finding players who excel at putting the ball in the bucket is the Hornets’ main priority. With Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez on the way out, there’s one player who may fit the bill better than any other: James Wiseman.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Charlotte Hornets: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

New York is re-branding itself, hiring former agent Leon Rose as team president; the highly influential William Wesley as executive vice president and senior advisor; and tough-nosed Tom Thibodeau as head coach. Trying to become an attractive free agent destination again after multiple years of being spurned by marquee players, the next step for the Knicks after rebuilding the executive suite is handling business on the court.

The jury is still out on R.J. Barrett and Kevin Knox, the team’s two last lottery picks. However, with a top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and the strong play of Mitchell Robinson, New York has a legitimate chance of becoming one of the league’s up-and-coming teams.

Related: Full New York Knicks 2020 Salary Cap Preview

Knicks Draft Needs

New York needs help in a lot of different areas and, with their lottery pick, should be looking to take the best player available regardless of fit. More than likely, the Knicks will be able to find away to get said prospect on the court, regardless of if he plays that same position of Knox, Barrett or Robinson.

Yet, it can’t be understated how much the Knicks need a point guard of the future. While Frank Ntilikina is frankly underrated and Elfrid Payton is a solid young lead guard, neither are the explosive scorers that have become increasingly popular and beneficial to a team’s success.

It’s possible that New York finds that player with one of their last two picks, as this draft has plenty of quality point guards to choose from.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

The post New York Knicks: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Guided by one of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstra and one of the most influential NBA executives in Pat Riley, the Heat have excelled in the player development department and built a gritty culture in Miami. This bodes well for the Heat entering the 2020 NBA Draft, as they hold a top-20 selection that could be as impactful as Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro have been for them.

With Goran Dragic’s future with the team unclear though, Miami may not have the luxury of missing on the pick.

Related: Full Miami Heat 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Heat Draft Needs

Miami appeared to run out of gas in the 2020 NBA Finals, raising questions about whether or not the Heat truly have enough high-level shot-creators.

Yes, Miami had seven players averaging at least 10 points last season. Yes, the injuries to Dragic and Adebayo severely hampered the offense. Yet, the Heat ranked 15th in the NBA with 112.0 points per game in the 2019-20 regular season and only averaged 104.5 points in the NBA Finals.

This could be an effect of multiple Heat players being better as an off-ball option offensively rather than making a move with the ball in their hands.

In fact, four of Miami’s rotation players — Robinson, Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk — took at least 50 percent of their total shot attempts from 3-point range in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Two others, Nunn and Herro, took at least 45 percent of their total shot attempts from 3-point range.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Miami Heat: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Heading into the 2020-21 season, the Pelicans need to continue to build around Ingram and Williamson. Depending on how a potential trade involving veteran Jrue Holiday shakes up the roster, any prospect they pick in the 2020 NBA Draft could wind up being a luxury addition. As for now though, the lottery pick needs to be used on a specific type of prospect.

Related: Full New Orleans Pelicans Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Pelicans Draft Needs

A commonality found among most teams that miss the playoffs is a certain level of defensive ineptitude and, for the Pelicans, this particular trend holds true.

New Orleans, ranked 27th in opponent’s points per game last season (117.1), actually has the personnel to perform much better on that end and bringing Stan Van Gundy on as head coach could be just what the doctor ordered. Nonetheless, bringing in more players with high basketball IQs, great intangibles and commendable defense will still make his job a lot easier next season.

David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, is definitely smart enough to recognize that.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post New Orleans Pelicans: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Yet, it’s rarely discussed that as impressive as the feat was, barely surviving the first two rounds is evidence of how much further away the Nuggets are from reaching the NBA Finals rather than how close they are. Yes, Denver was missing at least one starter throughout the entirety of the postseason but the Nuggets clearly need more talent on both ends of the floor.

There’s going to be a quick turnaround for Denver this offseason but their additions in free agency and the 2020 NBA Draft could be pivotal to the team’s immediate and foreseeable future.

Related: Full Denver Nuggets 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Nuggets Draft Needs

Though there were a couple of veterans on the roster last season, the Nuggets are — for all intents and purposes — a young team. As a result, adding another young piece could extend or help maintain their championship window, allowing them to mimic franchises like the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs.

That said, Denver’s lack of experience was problematic in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, with key players lacking necessary awareness and the team lacking players who were battle-tested.

It begs the question: do the Nuggets really need to add a rookie to their roster this offseason?

If Denver does try to draft a player that can provide immediate help rather than trading the pick or using it on a draft-and-stash product, there are a couple of interesting options for them in the back half of the first round. With the questions surrounding the free agencies of Jerami Grant and Paul Millsap, taking a power forward is the most practical option.

As the Nuggets were a middling team in terms of 3-point percentage last season, they could also look to add perimeter shooting.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Denver Nuggets: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Kings head coach Luke Walton and second-leading scorer Buddy Hield are bumping heads, at odds over Hield’s starting role and playing time. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Harrison Barnes, arguable the team’s two most talented wings, are rumored to be being pursued by the Milwaukee Bucks. Promising center Harry Giles is likely out of the door as well, as Sacramento can only pay him $3.9 million in free agency after foolishly declining his option for the 2020-21 season.

Related: Full Sacramento Kings 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Kings Draft Needs

What will it take to bring the Kings out of dysfunction once again?

Nobody can be sure of the answer to that question but with four picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, including a lottery selection, Sacramento needs to improve the team culture.

The Kings may also need to replace Bogdanovic through the draft, as the $9.3 million mid-level exception is the best deal they can offer impending free agents. If a deal between Bogdanovic and the Bucks does transpire and Harrison Barnes is involved, matching salaries may result in Milwaukee sending a versatile defender and elite shooter in Khris Middleton to Sacramento. However, the Kings can’t guarantee the deal will occur, so they need to have multiple plans to replace the Serbian swingman.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides