Giving back to the game that raised you is an admirable notion that should be praised by hoopers all across the world, no matter how small the gesture. You can cross that notion off of Carmelo Anthony’s to-do list.

In 2005, Anthony co-founded Team Melo, a non-profit organization based out of Baltimore that’s dedicated to helping student-athletes on and off the court. 

“Not only do we do basketball, but we also mentor, [have] after-school programming—it’s another component to [Anthony’s] charitable work,” Team Melo president and cofounder Robert “Bay” Frazier explains. “We do back-to-school drives, Thanksgiving drives, it’s everything—it’s all inclusive, just giving back to the youth in Baltimore.”

This individualized helping hand is what truly separates Team Melo from other AAU programs. A prime example is Cam Whitmore, a Villanova commit and Team Melo member of five years who attests to the huge impact Carmelo has had on his life.

“He invited me over to his house to work out with him, just giving me some teaching points about the specifics. Like the midpost game, stuff like that. And in the outside world, [he told me], Just remain humble, everything else will come toward you, just keep moving,” says Whitmore.

Don’t let their off-court kindness fool you, though: Team Melo has some serious hoopers on their roster.

The 17U team is a member of the prestigious Nike EYBL circuit, with eight of its 10 players currently holding college offers, according to Frazier. A notable alumni you may hear about come draft time in June is All-Big East First Team forward Justin Lewis from Marquette.

With travel and gear all paid for, players only have to worry about one thing: showing up and balling out. For Frazier, the end result is about much more than just the scoreboard.

“It’s the glory of seeing the guys become successful. They don’t all have to make it to the NBA, it’s about going to college, enjoying college and coming back to me, like, Man, Bay, you’ve been a blessing to me, and their parents saying that. I love that, I love that part. That’s what I get out of it.”

Photos by Hugo Rodas and Liam Callahan.

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“To be honest, I’ve always liked fashion. I always liked getting dressed. From the beginning, I just liked clothes. I liked sneakers all the time. It was always a thing for me; I just never thought of it as something to actually make a living out of and make my job,” the 28-year-old tells SLAM.

Barnes ended up connecting with James Johnson, who suited up for the Brooklyn Nets this season, during his time in Dallas. It was then that Barnes truly made strides in the fashion industry, largely because of this relationship with Johnson, who he calls one of his ‘best friends’ to this day.

“I’ve always met different members and teammates on his team. At the time, he was playing with the Mavericks, and I met Dorian Finney-Smith and Trey Burke at dinner. We all just got cool. Probably like two weeks later, Dorian booked me for my first game, my first time styling him. They played the Knicks probably like a week or two later, and I styled him, and he wore my hat,” explains Barnes about the first time he styled an NBA player.

Barnes started his brand, Drip Sold Separate, in July 2020, a mere nine months before styling Finney-Smith. Since then, he’s worked with standouts around the L, fellow Pennsylvania natives Wayne Ellington and SLAM 236 cover star Kahleah Copper to four-time rebounding champion Andre Drummond back when he was a member of Barnes’ hometown Sixers earlier this season.

However, little did Barnes know that Drummond would eventually end up teaming up with his best friend Johnson and another player he would soon work with: Kevin Durant. If you told Barnes back in July of 2020, when he first started Drip Sold Separate that he would work with Durant, he might have called you crazy. Barnes has been a fan of KD since “forever.”

“Kahleah was in New York, they were playing the Liberty, so I was already going to the game. This was probably not too long after I came out with my first hat, and she texted me like KD gon’ be at the game, and I was like, alright, bet I was going to take a hat. One of my friends that knows KD as well, I tell him bro you gotta hit KD up, I’m going to the game, and I wanna give him a hat,” Barnes explains how he first met Durant.

Everything then changed after Johnson signed with Brooklyn over the summer.

“I always go to James’ games, and being that I’m in Philly and New York is right there, I started going to almost every home game. I started going to the games, and me and K [Durant] just started seeing each other all the time too. So like, we starting to put a face to the name. We acknowledging each other, we’re shaking hands, we’re catching up for a couple seconds, and then I made James a 1-of-1 hat, and I made [Durant] a 1-of-1 hat [too],” Barnes says.

Durant ended up wearing that hat in a postgame press conference following a game against the Clippers. “I was just geeked up like I was hype. My favorite player got my hat on, and then we started building a rapport; we got pictures speaking together at the game. It was dope.”

From there, a true relationship blossomed into what eventually would become a collab between Barnes’ Drip Sold Separate and Durant’s media network company, Boardroom.

“I’m just like, man, he liked my hat so much I gotta figure something out. One of these days, I was just in the house watching the [Boardroom] podcast, and they had their merch link in the bio. I click on it, and I’m like, they don’t got nothing for real — and they don’t have hats like KD loves hats, how do you not have hats,” Barnes explained on how he first got the idea to try and make something between the two brands.

“So, just thinking ahead, I just created something. It just so happened the “D” from my logo fits right in the middle of “Boardroom” so I just created the hat at first, and then I was like, let me make a sweatsuit just in case this goes somewhere, and they wanna see what else I got.”

When Durant and the Nets were in Philadelphia on March 9th, Barnes had a sense of urgency to talk to Durant about his mock-up designs. Who other to turn to than James Johnson? Going into Johnson’s hotel room, Barnes expected to talk about the game that was scheduled for the next day. Instead, he was greeted by the two-time NBA champ sitting ominously on the couch.

“I’m like, oh shit. Damn. KD right there. I instantly got nervous. Inside I’m going crazy; I’m sweating for the first 30 minutes. So then we just chilling, watching the game, listening to the game like normal people. I’m comfortable now; we’re laughing and joking. I said something about the 1-of-1, and he said that’s one of his favorite hats.”

“I’m like, yeah, I was watching the podcast the other day, and I seen y’all don’t really got that much merch, you need some hats. And he literally was like cook it up. That simple,” Barnes explained on how the two agreed to a collaboration. “I showed him the picture of the hat, and he like, damn bro, that’s tuff. I showed him the picture of the hat and sweatsuit, and he went crazy about it.”

After getting Durant’s blessing to work with his brand, Barnes knew he had to speak to Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman since Durant was focused on the season at hand. After meeting with Kleiman following a Nets game, a mutual agreement to work together was formulated. In fact, Durant had already talked to Kleiman about Barnes’ proposal.

The drop was officially released on May 15th. That day marked not only a momentous occasion for Barnes, but it came with mixed emotions.

“The date was the one-year death anniversary of my brother; he got killed last May 15th. So Sunday was just a crazy day for me; my emotions was all over the place. I was upset and hurt about my brother, but I did something monumental, so I made that day really like a honorable day.”

Having top-of-the-line quality fabric for both pieces of clothing with such a tremendous backstory behind it, Barnes says the collaboration with Boardroom couldn’t have gone any better, especially when it came to decision-making. “They let me do my thing with it. I really appreciated that, for real,” Barnes said. “It means everything. Opportunity don’t come by very often, especially an opportunity like this.”

“This just the beginning. This is just the beginning. For sure. That’s family now; we locked all the way in.”

Photos via Taron Barnes

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Wheeler and WSLAM’s Camille Buxeda and Jianni Smith covered many topics, but one reoccurring theme that kept popping up is the importance of Wheeler’s mother and the effect she had on her life.

“When I go at anything like this interview, when I’m on a court, when I’m doing anything that I can impact I always just try to do it to the best of my ability because let the world know that someone who struggled most of her life raised a great daughter.”

The impact Wheeler’s mother had on her is put to heart in a new adidas PE that’s being released in honor of her. On the latest episode of WSLAM’s pod, Wheeler gave an exclusive sneak peek at the design of the shoe.

“It has ribbons under the sole and in the ribbon it says ‘For Mom’ …. it cuffs my feet and my feet don’t slide. And it also give me that boost feeling because it’s soft,” Wheeler said of the shoe. “My mom passed away from cervical cancer. The ribbon of cervical cancer is teal, so the shoe’s all teal. And I think the dope part about it is the bottom of the shoe. It’s clear, and it has ribbons all over them.”

Along with talking about the new adidas PE, Wheeler and the Get With It crew covered quite a few topics spanning the whole length of Wheeler’s career. Wheeler decided to attend Rutgers University over UConn, LSU, South Carolina, and others. She says it all started with a visit from head coach C. Vivian Stringer.

“The conversation was super family-orientated because we just started talking about food, it wasn’t even about basketball,” Wheeler told WSLAM. “I think the one thing that stuck out to my mom is was I never let home, so she felt more comfortable with me going to Rutgers because how Vivian approached our family.”

According to Wheeler, Stringer let her know that she’d be able to graduate in four years and ‘know how to talk, how to represent herself, and etiquette.’ As the first to graduate from college in her family, Wheeler also saw the school’s etiquette classes as something she could ‘bring home’ to teach them.

After 77 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years with Stringer at Rutgers, Wheeler reflected on something Stringer taught her that still sticks with her to this day. “Honestly, just being relentless. Like, she never gave us nothing. She didn’t care how good you were; I was the number one player leaving out of Florida when she recruited me, and she didn’t care. Like I don’t care how good you are, you’re going to work for everything.”

This relentless attitude enabled Wheeler to fight through being undrafted in the WNBA Draft, and ultimately taking a chance on herself in Puerto Rico after getting a call from a friend to play for a club team.

“I was working at True Religion and a drug abuse facility,” Wheeler says. “So for me, I’m like, Okay do I walk away from almost 3,000 to make only 1,000? But this is not my calling, like this is just work. Basketball is my calling. So I’m just like, ‘Man me walking away from this is basically betting on myself.’ So I just decided, I’m like, Alright. I ended up quitting both jobs.”

After winning a championship down in Puerto Rico with the team, Wheeler was able to showcase her talent briefly overseas and land a tryout with the Atlanta Dream. There, she put on a ‘I’m bout to bust they ass and get this spot’ attitude to eventually be selected for the one open roster spot after competing against three other players.

While Wheeler only played 17 games in Atlanta, it was a jumping point for the rest of her career. A mere four years later, she became the first undrafted player in history to be named All-Star Game MVP, representing the Indiana Fever. However, Wheeler admits that she didn’t even see the All-Star nod coming at all.

“When I got that, I thought it was a prank honestly,” Wheeler says. “I’m thinking my best friend or my brother told a girl to call me to prank call me. Because if you ask Bethany, I’m like ‘man stop playing get off my damn phone’ like cursed at the lady and everything.”

Wheeler was instrumental in Team A’ja Wilson’s 129-126 victory, recording a game-high 25 points and seven assists in 19 minutes of run to secure the victory for her team.

It all eventually came full circle for Wheeler, who made her way back to Atlanta this season. She’s currently averaging 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the 4-1 Dream. Wheeler has a strong message for the rest of the W and anyone who is sleepin’ on ATL.

“Just keep sleeping on Atlanta if you want to. I think we woke some people up that first game though,” Wheeler says. “When we lose we gon’ lose together, when we win we gon’ win together, and we never separate… y’all gon see.”

Subscribe to WSLAM’s new podcast, Get With It, here.

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“I just stay strong, of course, like I have some hard times — just me being a competitor like I want to obviously be out there playing with my teammates. Just keeping an even-keeled head, just making sure I reassure myself that I’m young, I’m 21-years-old, so I got a long career ahead of me. So, like it’s really just taking it one day at a time, just keep working. That’s really it.”

Wiseman was attempting to suit up for the Warriors back in March after a three-game stint with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League; however, the franchise decided to shut him down to protect his long-term outlook. Coach Steve Kerr said it was a ‘very simple’ decision, adding that they are protecting Wiseman’s future.

Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field last year in his rookie season. He will be watching his squad take on the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night for Game 4, currently up 2-1 in the series.

The post James Wiseman Explains Mindset Amidst Rehabbing Process appeared first on SLAM.

The Suns won a League-high 64 games this season, a franchise-high win total for Phoenix, and the first time they won 60+ games since 2006-07, when Steve Nash was commanding the team as a two-time MVP of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns. Williams is only the third coach from Phoenix to win the award, joining Mike D’Antoni (2004-05) and Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-89).

Phoenix was fifth in the NBA in offensive rating (114.2), third in defensive rating (106.8), and first in net rating (7.5). Under Williams, the Suns have a 149-78 record through three seasons (65.6 winning percentage), with one Western Conference championship under their belt from last season.

Williams was a finalist alongside Taylor Jenkins from the Grizzlies and Erik Spoelstra from the Heat. Williams and the Suns are currently tied 2-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, with Game 5 scheduled for tomorrow.

The post REPORT: Monty Williams Wins 2021-22 Coach of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

“Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead winning teams throughout his long and successful coaching career. He has worked with some of the best players in the NBA and is one of the league’s premier defensive minds. I am excited to bring his extensive experience to Sacramento.”

Brown is currently the lead assistant with Golden State, whom he was with when they won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was lost for words when speaking about Brown leaving Dub Nation to join Sacramento.

“I don’t even know where to begin. What Mike has done for me, this organization in his six years here — He’s an amazing coach, friend. Sacramento made a great choice.”

Brown was named Coach of the Year back in 2008-09 after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a franchise-record 66 wins alongside a then 24-year-old LeBron James. Brown holds a 347-216 career record as a head coach (61.6 winning percentage), having led six of his seven squads to the postseason when being at the helm.

Brown will remain with the Warriors through the 2022 playoffs before heading to Sactown.

The post Sacramento Kings Officially Announce Mike Brown as Next Head Coach appeared first on SLAM.

Sixers star Joel Embiid will return for Game 3 vs. Miami tonight, sources tell ESPN. Doc Rivers said he could be limited in minutes, because of minimal conditioning in the past week.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 6, 2022

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the 76ers perennial All-Star Joel Embiid has cleared concussion protocols and is doing ‘everything possible’ to play in Game 3 tonight. He participated in the team’s shoot-around this morning.

Charania further reported that The Process will be fitted with a mask but will need to feel comfortable playing in the mask before receiving the green light to play. However, Embiid’s return still remains unclear as Marc Stein reports that he has been upgraded to “doubtful” for Fridays matchup.

Embiid suffered a torn ligament in his thumb in Game 3 of the Toronto series, then sustained a concussion and orbital fracture in his right eye in the game-clinching Game 6. These injuries have kept Embiid out of the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat.

Although Embiid is reportedly ‘doing everything possible to be available to play’ Friday in Game 3, the 76ers have officially listed him as out on every injury report submitted to the NBA every hour. Teams are required to submit an official injury report to the League on the hour from 12:30 PM all the way through gametime.

Without their star big man, the 76ers have fallen behind 2-0 in the series versus the Heat. With a 7 PM EST tip-off tonight, there’s a tight window available to have Embiid play.

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“It’s not a desirable job, man. Nobody wants to guard anybody. But from a competitive standpoint, I love the way I came into League, and I made myself in the League being that. It’s like, ‘Nobody wants to guard him. I got him,” Tucker said.

Tucker showcased his elite defense against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. While guarding James Harden, Tucker allowed him to score just five points all game, with the rest of Harden’s points coming from the line or against another Miami defender.

While Harden shot 66.7 percent against Tucker, he got only three shots up on him in four minutes and 42 seconds of action; the largest timeframe spent guarding the Beard by far in Game 1.

Tucker elaborated on the behind-the-scenes necessities it takes to be an effective defender:

“I got to study film. I got to study tendencies. I got to study everything. I got to know everybody on the floor. You got to talk. You got to be vocal. You got to be physical. You got to understand the game. You got to understand how games are being read.”

However, he believes defense takes more than just understanding the game and what your opponent wants to do. Using Draymond Green as an example, Tucker gave another golden requirement of being an elite defender:

“He’s [Draymond Green] one of the most competitive people in the League, but he does his job just as good if not better than anybody in the highest level, championship level. And that’s what it’s about for me. Being a defender’s being the most competitive person out there.”

Tucker and the Heat play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers tonight at the FTX Arena.

The post PJ Tucker Shares What it Takes to be a Defensive Ace appeared first on SLAM.

“That was a thing we really talked about in Game 1, where we’ve been a bigger physical team all year. I didn’t love how we didn’t react to them being physical — we adjusted well, we learned some things from Game 1, and it felt like we knew we didn’t react to the way they were playing.”

Coach Udoka also added that being ‘outmuscled’ in Game 1 was a motivating factor for his team:

“Two big teams, but we haven’t kind of been outmuscled like that all year, and I think our guys took that to heart, and we knew we’d come out with the right effort tonight.”

Udoka’s Celtics leave Boston with the series tied 1-1, headed to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Saturday.

The post Ime Udoka On Being Outmuscled in Game 1: ‘Our Guys Took That to Heart’ appeared first on SLAM.

“I view it as guarding him on an island where it’s just you and him, and you have to do your job… he started being a lot more aggressive in the second half and getting downhill and creating for himself. But, it’s just one of those things you just hunker down and trust the work you’ve done and do your best to contain one of the best players in the world.”

Through the two games thus far, the two-time MVP has been guarded by Williams for ten minutes and 20 seconds. He’s shot 44.4 percent from the field, a drastic 12.4 percent difference from his field goal percentage in the first round (56.8 percent).

For comparison’s sake, when you add up the minutes total of Giannis being guarded by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams III, the Greek Freak has shot 72.3 percent from the field in six minutes and 31 seconds.

Grant Williams will look to bring that number down in Game 3, which is Saturday at 3:30 pm EST in Milwaukee.

The post How Grant Williams Approached ‘Containing’ Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 2: ‘It’s Just You and Him’ appeared first on SLAM.

“In terms of my extension, I don’t really plan on going anywhere. This is added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the League for the next few years. I’m just looking forward to the summer and just building with our guys here.”

Irving also added he wants to ‘manage’ the Nets franchise alongside Kevin Durant, Joe Tsai, and Sean Marks.

“When I say I’m here with Kev[Durant], I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe [Tsai] and Sean [Marks] and just our group of family members that we have in our organization. So it’s not just about me and Kev; I don’t want to make it just about that. We are cornerstones here, but we have Ben; we have a few other guys under contract. I think we just got to make some moves and really talk about it.”

Irving has until June 29 to decide on his player option worth $36.5 million. He is eligible for up to a five-year, $248 million extension.

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The return of the injury came after positive reports of Simmons surfaced all week. Charania reported a meeting took place between Simmons’ camp and the Nets on Monday.

“Sunday’s events triggered frustration and disheartenment throughout the organization, multiple sources said. The fallout of Simmons being ruled out Sunday led to a meeting among franchise officials, Simmons, and his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, on Monday in Brooklyn.”

Charania also reported that Simmons explained his reoccurring back issue to his teammates and team executives:

“According to sources, Simmons told those in the room that a mental block exists for him, dating in part to last summer’s postseason, which is creating stress that could serve as a trigger point for his back issues. He added that he does want to play basketball and play for the Nets as he works on solutions in regard to his well-being.”

Charania reported that it was not only the front office but also the players and coaches frustrated with the situation:

“On Sunday, Simmons informed the team his back was sore. For Nets players, the confusion was not centered around Simmons’ ailment but with the perceived lack of attempt to play, effort to be in uniform and push his body in these high-stakes playoffs, sources said. Nets players and coaches wanted to see Simmons show resolve and enter this series to start his on-court Brooklyn tenure, even if it was for limited minutes on Monday or none at all, while still dressing for the game.”

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“The overall message that I’m going to give to the team and that they relied back to me is — we’re not scared of anybody, we’re not going to run from anybody. If you’re going to win, you’ve got to go through certain teams at certain times anyway, so might as well get a really good test early, and I think it’ll help us going down the line.”

Being the only team to sweep their first-round opponent in the entire playoff bracket, the Celtics await the winner of the Bucks versus Bulls series, which is currently 3-1 in Milwaukee’s favor.

With a Wednesday tip-off for Game 5 of that series slated for Wednesday, the Celtics have time to rest and prepare with a boost of confidence surging through their veins.

The post Ime Udoka Following Sweep of Nets: ‘We’re Not Scared of Anybody’ appeared first on SLAM.

Boston star Jaylen Brown included the need to continue to get better on the Celtics’ to-do list following this series.

“A lot [on how much confidence this win gives the Celtics]. As you maneuver through the playoffs, that’s a part of it — teams gain more and more confidence, so we’re looking forward to our group continuing to get better.”

Brown averaged 22.5, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game during the first round of the playoffs.

Brown’s Celtics were the only team in the League to sweep their opponent in the first round, giving them an extra few days of valuable rest. Boston will face the winner of the Bucks versus Bulls series, which is currently 3-1 in Milwaukee’s favor.

The post Jaylen Brown on Celtics’ Mindset After Sweep: ‘Continuing to Get Better’ appeared first on SLAM.

“I would like to think it’s us getting in his head and causing him to be second-guessing; we’re playing one of the greatest players in the world, and to do this, we can’t have him be comfortable.”

On the season, Durant is averaging 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 37.2 minutes of play per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field. In the first round versus Smart’s Celtics? Those numbers drop to 22.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 43.1 minutes of play per game while shooting 36.5 percent from the field.

Smart added that he wouldn’t say that ‘they’re [Durant and Kyrie Irving] broken’ as ‘they’re human’ and nobody knows what Brooklyn’s star duo is ‘dealing with outside of basketball.’ Irving has dropped from 27.4 points per game and 41.8 percent shooting from deep to 21.7 points per game, and 33.3 percent shooting from deep against the Celtics.

The post Marcus Smart on Guarding Kevin Durant: ‘We Can’t Have Him Be Comfortable’ appeared first on SLAM.

“If Kevin doesn’t score a bucket tonight, I think it would be perilous to say Kevin Durant’s apex is behind him. He’s been unbelievable this year. Unbelievable,” Nash said.

Nash continued, offering up ‘perspective on part of the ingredients’ of why Durant has been struggling against the Celtics in the first round.

“He’s carried a huge burden for us, particularly coming off a seven-week absence. Think about that. That’s not easy. To come back from a knee situation he missed seven weeks, he fought to come back. He comes back; then he has to play 40 plus minutes a night, defend, protect the rim, score prolifically, lead his team. That’s — a lot of burden. So if it cumulates in a patch of play that’s unlike Kevin, you have to have perspective on part of the ingredients that are there and why.”

Durant is averaging 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 37.2 minutes of play per game on the season. Since returning from a knee injury on March 3rd, Durant has averaged 31.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 38.6 minutes of play per game.

As for the rough ‘patch of play’ against the Celtics that Nash alluded to not looking like the Durant we know, Durant has averaged 22 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 43.1 minutes per game while shooting 36.5 percent from the field — a number far below his season average of 51.8 percent.

The post Steve Nash On Kevin Durant’s Struggles: ‘You Have to Have Perspective’ appeared first on SLAM.

“I’m the guy that will never count something being done until it’s done. Ray Allen hit a shot to take away a championship ring my first year as a coach [as an assistant with the Spurs in 2012-13], and so that’s always in my mind… one thing can happen to flip a series, and you don’t want to be on the wrong end of that.”

Udoka also shared the slow-churning ‘one game at a time’ mentality that he instills into the minds of his players.

“Our message is ‘enjoy what you’re doing, but do it better.’ When it’s all done, we’ll enjoy it for a second and move on to the next one. That’s our mentality. One game at a time. One quarter at a time. One play at a time. Don’t look at the big picture.”

Udoka and the Celtics will get a chance to move forward in the bigger picture tonight, as they’ll head to Brooklyn with hopes of completing the series sweep over the Nets.

The post Ime Udoka on Possible Sweep: ‘Never Count Something Being Done Until It’s Done’ appeared first on SLAM.

“Of course we’re all disappointed, we’d love to see Ben on the floor with our team,” head coach Steve Nash says. “But I don’t want to be taken that I’m disappointed in Ben. His back is his back.”

This flareup in Simmons’ back injury occurred after Wojnarowski reported on Friday that Simmons was likely to play on Monday, but as Wojnarowski alluded, a setback did occur.

However, if the Nets win, Nash did not rule Simmons out stating, “I don’t know. I think It’s the same as I would’ve told you yesterday. We’ll see how he progresses, and see if there’s an opportunity for him to play at some point in the series if we go on.”

With Simmons sidelined, the Nets will look the keep the series alive as they’re currently down 3-0 against the Celtics. Game 4 will take place in Barclays Center with a 7:00 PM EST tip-off.

The post Steve Nash on Ben Simmons: ‘His Back is His Back. We’ve Got to Work Through This’ appeared first on SLAM.

“We took their [the Nets] punch; we talked about that, right? Remember we said they’re going to come out and hit us? We took their punch, we stayed with it, and we did what we had to do — protect the home court. Good job — We got a long way to go.”

Brooklyn jumped out to a double-digit lead at the 5:54 mark of the first quarter, 18-8, after Kevin Durant sank two free throws. That lead eventually ballooned to 17 with 1:47 seconds left in the first half.

However, as Horford said, Boston ‘took their punch’ and outscored Brooklyn 69-45 the rest of the way, using a combination of tough-nosed defense and meticulous offense.

Horford and the Celtics head into Game 3 at Barclays Center up 2-0 on the Nets, with tip-off slated to start at 7:30 PM EST on Saturday.

The post Al Horford on Celtics Comeback: ‘We Took Their Punch and Stayed With It’ appeared first on SLAM.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is out for Game 3 vs. Utah tonight, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/PhQ3KWWHPj

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2022

The Dallas faithful might have something to look forward to watching Thursday, and it’s not just Game 3 against the Utah Jazz. Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd said star Luka Dončić might be a game time decision, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that there’s ‘pessimism’ surrounding the possibility that Dončić ends up playing tonight. He was officially listed as ‘Questionable’ on the offical injury report after the Mavs said he was ‘Doubtful’ for the first two games due to a left calf strain. Dončić sustained this left calf strain against the San Antonio Spurs in the season finale.

Dallas will be playing in Vivint Arena in Utah for the first time in this series, an arena they went winless in the regular season, going 0-2. The Mavericks will hope that Luka will be able to suit up to try and win their first game in Vivint Arena this season, putting them up 2-1 on the Jazz. Tip-off is set for 9 PM EST.

The post REPORT: Luka Doncic Ruled OUT For Game 3 Against Utah appeared first on SLAM.

“I’m not surprised at all. I think the timing is right. Their window is now for these young guys that are on this team that have matured. They’ve been through series together, they’ve been through seasons together, they’ve been through battles together, and I got a chance to experience some of that.”

Irving also praised the ‘difference’ he sees in the Celtics this year, primarily due to Coach Ime Udoka.

“But you’re just seeing there’s a difference in their verve, there’s a difference in the way they approach the game, and also they have a set offense and defense that they rely on — Ime has been a huge part of that,” Irving said.

Irving also credited longtime Celtics head coach turned executive Brad Stevens, calling him the man in the ‘President’s role’ that ‘has a lot to do with it.’

The Celtics are currently up 2-0 on Irving and the Nets, with the two squads set to clash for Game 3 in Barclays Center on Saturday.

The post Kyrie Irving on Celtics Rekindled Success: ‘The Timing is Right’ appeared first on SLAM.

First Team:

Justin Anderson – Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Mason Jones – South Bay Lakers

Justin Tillman – College Park Skyhawks

Trevelin Queen – Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Moses Wright – Texas Legends

Second Team:

Cat Barber – College Park Skyhawks

Charles Bassey – Delaware Blue Coats

Braxton Key – Delaware Blue Coats

Saben Lee – Motor City Cruise

Reggie Perry – Raptors 905

Third Team:

Luka Garza – Motor City Cruise

Jared Harper – Birmingham Squadron

Justin Jackson – Texas Legends

Carlik Jones – Texas Legends

Anthony Lamb – Rio Grande Valley Vipers

The G League also released their All-Rookie and All-Defensive Team rosters. Notable players are the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year Mac McClung and the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year Shaquille Harrison. The teams are as follows:

All-Rookie:

Charles Bassey – Delaware Blue Coats

Luka Garza – Motor City Cruise

Carlik Jones – Texas Legends

Mac McClung – South Bay Lakers

Micah Potter – Sioux Falls Skyforce

All-Defensive:

Charles Bassey – Delaware Blue Coats

Braxton Key – Delaware Blue Coats

Tacko Fall – Cleveland Charge

Shaquille Harrison – Delaware Blue Coats

Trevelin Queen – Rio Grande Valley Vipers

The post 2021-22 All-NBA G League, All-Rookie, and All-Defensive Teams Announced appeared first on SLAM.

Duren was the leading scorer for the Tigers, averaging 12.0 points point game. He was also their leading rebounder (8.1) and shot-blocker (2.1). Duren stuffed his trophy case in his one year with the program, given multiple awards during his time with Coach Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

Duren was named the AAC Freshman of the Year and made the All-AAC First Team and All-AAC Tournament Team.

Duren is likely a top-10 pick after showcasing an intriguing combo of physical tools 6’11, 250 points, 7’5 wingspan), power, explosiveness, and a growing skillset. As the youngest player in the NBA Draft, Duren will also be drafted based on his potential and whoever drafts him hopes they can pull out of him while he’s on a rookie contract.

Duren will join a growing list of future NBA stars that have committed to entering the 2022 NBA Draft, which will take place on June 23rd at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The post Memphis’ Jalen Duren Will Enter the 2022 NBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

“You can look at it a number of ways. There’s obviously areas of the game where you wanna improve, so take your pick. I’m proud of the guys. That was our first real intense playoff experience together. They had a poor start to the second half, which cost us, obviously. But other than that, I thought there was a lot of growth from our group.”

To Nash’s point, the Nets entered the locker room at halftime tied with Boston at 61 apiece. Cut to the halfway mark of the third quarter, and Boston is up 15 points on Brooklyn with a score of 84-69 showing on the jumbotron. Although Brooklyn would battle back to take the lead late in the game, the Celtics had one last trick to pull out of their sleeve.

Nash and the Nets have one more dance with the Celtics in TD Garden on Wednesday before heading back home to the Barclays Center on Saturday at 7:30 PM EST for Game 3.

The post Steve Nash After Tough Game 1 Loss: ‘I’m Proud of the Guys’ appeared first on SLAM.

“The resilience we have. The approach we have. The work we put in. And you know, learning. We had a lot of games to learn from early in the year.”

Smart didn’t only dish out the game-winning dime to Tatum; he also recorded 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. However, it will likely be his last-second dime to Tatum that will be remembered for quite some time. Smart gives credit to Coach Ime Udoka for trusting his team to make the right decisions in the last play of Game 1.

“You’ve gotta credit Ime [Udoka] for trusting us in that situation,” Smart said.

Coach Udoka and company will get the chance to repeat their magic at home on Wednesday at 7 PM EST for Game 2 before heading to Brooklyn on Saturday at 7:30 PM EST for Game 3.

The post Marcus Smart Credits Boston’s ‘Resilience’ Following Game 1 Victory appeared first on SLAM.

Since Curry exited the lineup on March 16, Poole has averaged 27.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 39.8 percent from deep. The former Michigan Wolverine has been on an absolute tear, as the last time he failed to reach the 20-point mark was during a March 1 loss to the Timberwolves.

Missing only six games this season, Poole has been a staple for the Warriors all year long and has scored the second-most total points for the Dubs with 1,346. His 203 made three-pointers thus far have surpassed his sophomore mark of 97 by a considerable margin.

Poole and the Warriors face the Lakers on Thursday, the Spurs on Saturday, and the Pelicans on Sunday before heading into the postseason.

The post Jordan Poole Blossoming Since Stephen Curry Exited the Lineup appeared first on SLAM.

The Grizzlies have gone 7-0 since Morant suffered a tweaked knee injuries, beating formidable opponents such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and the Brooklyn Nets. In that seven-game span, Memphis has scored 124.4 points per game, which would rank first in the NBA by almost ten whole points.

What makes this even more impressive is that the Grizzlies have held opponents to 106.1 points per game in that same span, which would rank sixth in the League.

Some stars of the show? Desmond Bane, who has averaged 22.5 points and shot 58.5 percent from deep, was huge for Memphis earlier in the run, though he sat out the last game due to left ankle soreness. Dillon Brooks churned out 30 points in Friday’s victory over the Phoenix Suns, who own the best record in the NBA. De’Anthony Melton has nearly doubled his season average of points per game (10.8), with 19.4 points scored in this span.

However, It’s been a total team effort, as 10 players have scored in the double-digits multiple times in this seven-game window. This young Grizzlies team has a chance to make history down the stretch with their team one win shy away from matching the franchise-best 56 wins they had during the 2012-2013 campaign.

Sitting one game back of the franchise’s 56 win-mark as the all-time high,

Memphis plays Utah tomorrow, Denver Thursday, the Pelicans Saturday, and Boston Sunday.

The post Memphis Grizzles Win Seven Straight Down the Stretch appeared first on SLAM.

Following Monday morning practice, Durant reflected on the Nets’ regular season as they prepare to fight for a spot in the postseason play-in tournament:

“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury. I’m not looking at it as like a ‘we’re just not a good basketball team.’ There wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie out of the lineup. That’s just what it is. When we’re all on the floor together, I like what we got.”

Durant has been stellar since he returned, averaging 32.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three. KD put up a career-high 55 points in a close loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

The Nets have the same record as the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets but don’t have the tiebreaker and are one game behind the Hawks for eighth place. Brooklyn faces Houston tomorrow, the Knicks on Wednesday, Cleveland on Friday, and the Pacers on Sunday.

The post Kevin Durant on Nets’ Season: ‘Our Season Was Derailed by My Injury’ appeared first on SLAM.

Bron has a left ankle sprain that he sustained Sunday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, while Davis has been out since suffering a right mid-foot sprain on February 16 against the Utah Jazz. However, things seem to be trending upwards for the former Kentucky Wildcat, as he participated in his first full live practice since the Jazz game.

“We’re at a point now where it’s really about how he responds to that and the level of soreness he has coming out of his first live work,” Coach Frank Vogel said, elaborating on Davis’ condition to ESPN.

This year, the Lakers have struggled when their superstar duo isn’t on the court. They hold an 0-3 record when both don’t suit up and have below .500 records when one of the two isn’t playing: 6-13 without James and 14-23 without Davis.

“It’s been that type of year,” Vogel said. “It’s one of those things that’s out of our control. It’s unfortunate. But we have to lock in, and again like we’ve done all season, we have to shift our identity on the floor with regards to who’s in and who’s out.”

The Lakers will play in Dallas on Tuesday at 7:30 PM EST.

The post LeBron James and Anthony Davis Listed as Doubtful For Tonight’s Game appeared first on SLAM.

“I haven’t had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation, who I am as a player and spend time with my family, my kids and my wife. So, I feel strong, mentally and physically,” he said.

“It’s the first time that I can say I was pain-free since maybe 2016, 2017… It’s a good feeling working out the other day, and the coaching staff kept asking what I was thinking about because I had a smile on my face. I was just like, ‘Damn, I got so used to playing with that pain that I didn’t realize how limited I was and how much I was just catering to playing around it,” Lillard said of his abdominal pain.

Although there have been multiple whispers of Lillard’s desire to leave, Dame Dolla made it abundantly clear his heart remains in Portland.

“That’s the only thing I care about, honestly… like I said, my best is yet to come. And the only things that I play for at this point is I want to be the MVP of the league, and I want to win the championship.”

The post Damian Lillard on Injury Rehab and Title Hopes: ‘My Best is Yet to Come’ appeared first on SLAM.

In the three games Memphis has played since Morant went down, Bane has averaged around 25.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game while shooting a ridiculous 60.8 percent from downtown on 7.6 triples attempted per game. This shooting prowess is nothing new, as he’s 10th in the League in three-pointers made this season with 209.

He’s scored 20+ in eight of the last 10 games and shows no signs of slowing down. Bane’s per-game scoring average has doubled in his sophomore year, improving from 9.2 points per game in his rookie year to 18.2 points per game this season.

Fresh off of a playoff-clinching victory over the Indiana Pacers off the back of Bane’s 30 points, the Grizzlies will defend FedExForum against the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow at 8 PM EST.

The post Desmond Bane and the Grizzlies Flourishing in the Absence of Ja Morant appeared first on SLAM.

Booker is the leading scorer on the team with the best record in the League, as the Phoenix Suns (60-14) are the only 60 win team in the NBA. Booker’s 49 point outing against Denver came on the fifth anniversary of his 70-point outing against the Boston Celtics, which ties for sixth all-time in a single game.

For March, Booker averaged 30.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from the arc. The latter is well above his career mark of just 35.6 percent.

Former MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas also gave Book kudus for his MVP level play, stating that there’s no question the Suns’ guard should win the award.

He should be MVP no question https://t.co/mW2zUWNt2w

— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) March 25, 2022

The post Kyrie Irving Calls Devin Booker This Season’s MVP appeared first on SLAM.

The Wichita native, who is also a two-time Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year, has been ballin’ for Sunrise Christian Academy this season and averaged 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The 25-1 Buffaloes are the top seed in this year’s GEICO High School Nationals Tournament set to start later this month.

Ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2022, the elite, 6-7 wing is also a 2022 McDonald’s All-American and will represent the United States at the Nike Hoop Summit next month.

On Tuesday, Dick was presented with the honor by Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum alongside friends, family, teammates, and coaches. Tatum was the 2015-16 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Moments after being presented the award, SLAM caught up with Dick to talk about his prolific high school career, meeting Tatum virtually, and what he’s hoping to achieve at Kansas.

SLAM: What’s up Gradey! How are you doing, what emotions are you feeling right now?

Gradey Dick: Man it’s crazy, it’s been a wild day so far but I’m blessed for everything.

SLAM: You’re the first Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year to come from the state of Kansas, what does this honor mean to you and your community?

GD: I hope that it kind of puts Kansas on the map, I know we’re not really thought of too much of a basketball state but, to show our history and all the guys that have gone through this, guys and girls, I think it’s huge. For me to kind of help do that is just…it’s crazy. I’m blessed and thankful.

SLAM: What was going through your mind when you first saw Tatum on the live feed?

GD: It was wild, I mean, we weren’t expecting it at all. My whole team was there and just a few coaches and some of the faculty, and then he popped up on this big projector and kind of talked to me individually and then once he announced that I was the National Gatorade Player of the Year, everyone came kind of rushing in with the trophy and everything. I was extremely surprised and just at a loss at words.

SLAM: How does it feel to be virtually handed this award by one of the brightest stars in the game today?

GD: It was huge to see and to talk with one of the guys I watch, probably one of the most in the League right now. And just taking some of his [film] and watching [it] and seeing different kind of moves I want to add into my bag, and being able to talk to him personally and hearing from him, just kind of his reactions of when he was handed the award is just a dream come true.

SLAM: What goes through your head as you start to reflect on your four years in high school?

GD: All these awards and just the prestigious different things that have been coming, its just really huge and all the goals I written down with my dad at the start of the year and being able to have the ability to achieve them by the end of the year is just a dream come true. But I feel like off the court is what’s most important. What I do in my community and kind of leaving that legacy for the future.

SLAM: Soon, you’ll be making that two and a half hour trek to Kansas. Aside from its close proximity to home, why did you chose Kansas over other programs such as Texas Tech and Baylor?

GD: Just the family aspect that’s all around Lawrence with the coaches, the players, and even some of the teachers on some of the visits I went on. Especially the fans at Allen Fieldhouse, it’s one of the craziest venues in college basketball and when I envision myself stepping on the floor for the first game, it’s just adrenaline pumping. It’s going to be one of the craziest feelings I’ll never forget.

SLAM: You’ll also be joining former teammate Zach Clemence in the locker room at Kansas, what are you most looking forward to when you reuniting with him and the rest of the team?

GD: Just being back together, and just hanging out with the new guys, not being so far away from them. Zach was actually like my roommate at Sunrise last year, so just to be back with him at the school is going to be the time of our lives.

SLAM: What do you think that you can bring to the table for the Jayhawks to continue to compete at such a high level?

GD: I think I bring my versatility just as a player and due to my size and everything like that. I have a lot of different ways to score the ball, so I feel like coming in with that versatility, and [I’ll] just hit the ground running right from the get-go as a freshman.

SLAM: You’ll also be joined by two other standouts in your class, MJ Rice and Ernest Udeh Jr. What do you think you guys will achieve as a group?

GD: I think sky’s the limit, for us. Even if we’re young, guys will see who’s returning and who’s not, and just us freshmen coming in, I know we’ve talked a lot about how we need to be prepared right from the start. Just coming in early and leading the team.

SLAM: How are you going to prepare for your freshman season?

GD: I think we know after talking with Coach Self that he expects us to kind of just throw us into the fire early. So like I was talking about earlier, just being prepared and being consistent on a daily basis [in] our workouts and everything like that so we can be confident right from the start.

SLAM: Going back to the Gatorade award, where would you rank this moment thus far in your basketball career and why?

GD: It’s definitely number one. I mean it’s one of the most prestigious award that a basketball player can achieve, and I think the thing that makes this award so special is not only what I did on the court this year, but what I did off the court in my community and at my school. That makes this thing so much more special.

SLAM: How do you want to be remembered at both Sunrise Christian Academy and Wichita Collegiate School?

GD: Just someone that’s always going to be themselves and is confident in whatever they do.

Holden Velasco is an editorial intern at SLAM and a sophomore at CUNY Queens College with a Media Studies major and Writing minor. When he’s not emerged in the basketball world, you can find him rewatching Revenge of the Sith or the latest Marvel movie. Follow him on Twitter, @HoldenVelasco.

Photos courtesy of Gatorade.

The post Kansas Commit Gradey Dick Earns Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

From the jump, history was made. Using his signature stepback move, former Brooklyn Net James Harden moved past Reggie Miller for third place on the all-time made three-pointers list.

Sitting courtside announcing the game for TNT, Miller had nothing but love for Harden.

Opposite Harden, Kevin Durant was looking like his usual self for the Nets, scoring eleven points in the quarter.

Kyrie Irving continued his stellar play from Tuesday’s historic game, as he also scored eleven in the first, including this beautiful pull-up with 0.1 seconds left on the clock.

The Nets led 40-23 at the end of the first, with Durant and Irving scoring 11 apiece while Seth Curry had nine. For the 76ers, it was Joel Embiid carrying the load, scoring a massive 16 points with 10 of them coming from the line.

For the Nets, the trio of Durant, Irving, and Curry carried the offensive load in the second quarter, combining for 49 points. Durant, however, continued to give us highlight plays, including this coast-to-coast and one.

Brooklyn built a 21 point first-half lead thanks to their perimeter trio and hard-nosed defense. The Nets held Embiid to only five points in the quarter, with Harden entering the locker room with 11 points on 3-15 shooting.

When the action restarted, it was more of the same from the first half. Nearly two minutes into the second half, Durant put Tobias Harris in a blender to knock down a three-pointer.

By the time the third quarter was over, the once boisterous Philadelphia crowd had been all but silenced with the host down by 32 points.

The fourth quarter saw the onslaught continue and by the time the final horn went off, the Nets defeated the 76ers 129-100, their second largest margin of victory this season.

For Philly, the blowout loss is just the first they’ve suffered from Harden in the lineup. The main culprit was tough shooting (32.3 percent from the field) and turnovers.

Durant posted 25 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block. Irving finished with 22 points. Embiid led the way for Philadelphia, finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

The Nets move to 34-33 while the 76ers fall to 40-25. The Nets will host cross-town rival New York Knicks on Sunday, while the 76ers will be traveling down to Orlando to take on the Orlando Magic.

The post The Brooklyn Nets Run the 76ers Out of Wells Fargo Arena, 129-100 appeared first on SLAM.

At the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, he hit that shot using his signature stepback move to pass Reggie Miller for third place on the all-time made three-pointers list.

Sitting courtside announcing the game for TNT, Miller was there to see it happen.

Harden now has 2561 career threes, with more likely to come from tonight’s game. Ray Allen is second on the list with 2973 made three-pointers, 412 more than Harden. While getting past all-time three-pointer king Stephen Curry is unlikely, the dual the two former MVPs will have could be a joy to watch as the two are playing in an era where the triple has become the most weapon in the game today.

.@ReggieMillerTNT @JHarden13 pic.twitter.com/vB9QkWnhcn

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 11, 2022

The post James Harden Passes Reggie Miller for Third in All-Time Three-Pointers Made appeared first on SLAM.

When fully healthy, the Warriors have had one of the best lineups in basketball, primarily due to Draymond Green’s role as the ultimate glue guy.

However, since Green suffered a back injury in January, his absence has definitely been missed as Golden State has dropped seven of their last 10 contests.

A Warriors staff member went as far as to tell ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, “He’s the control center of everything we do.”

Coach Steve Kerr agreed with that sentiment. When speaking about the up-and-coming guard Jordan Poole being asked to do more, he alluded to Green’s Swiss army knife effect on the team:

“The change is not him playing off the bench; it’s that Draymond isn’t out there,” Kerr said per Andrews’ story. “Think about the first half of the season. … He was not really our backup point guard. He played with guys who handled the ball. He really focused on scoring and shooting. But with the injuries we’ve had, Jordan has had to take on playmaking duties, and there’s a much bigger responsibility.”

The Warriors’ defensive numbers back up the significance of the Green’s absence.

With Green on the court, the Warriors only give up 100.3 points per game which would rank first in the NBA by 2.4 points. Without Green, they’ve given up 109 points per game, which would be tied for 14th. In addition, Green ranks first on the team in assists (7.4), rebounds (7.6), steals (1.4), and blocks (1.2) per game.

On Saturday night, the Warriors head to the bright lights of Los Angeles to face the downward trending Los Angeles Lakers (27-35).

The post Warriors Call Draymond Green the Missing ‘Control Center’ appeared first on SLAM.

“It’s been challenging for us this year defensively… we’ve had a lot of breakdowns, we’ve lost a lot of games because our defense has broken down, but it’s also been our offense at times.”

The Lakers rank 26th in points allowed per game (112.7), 27th in points allowed in the paint per game (50.3), and 27th in points allowed off turnovers (17.0).

A lot of that has to do with the absence of Anthony Davis, who’s out for a month due to a mid-foot sprain.

A clear picture is painted using FiveThirtyEight’s defensive Raptor metric that tightly measures player ratings. Of players who’ve played 505 or more minutes thus far (equal to at least eight minutes per game), Davis is one of only two players on the Lakers roster who has a score above a +1.0 defensive rating: +2.4. Austin Reaves (+2.1) is the other, while James is the only other player in the positive, at +0.4.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel remains adamant that his team will continue to try and fight through the struggles.

“No stone unturned in terms of trying to find solutions to get this right,” Vogel said per ESPN. “But it hasn’t taken shape. There’s no quit in us. We will continue to persist. We’re trying to adjust and shift and find ways to win with Anthony out. We haven’t found that yet. But it’s not something that we can’t do. We just haven’t found it yet.”

Saturday night, the Lakers (27-35) host the struggling Golden State Warriors (43-20).

The post LeBron James on the Lakers’ Defensive Woes: ‘It’s Been Challenging’ appeared first on SLAM.

The former eighth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft had an explosive week in the G League, scoring 57 and 43 points in back-to-back games for the Grand Rapids Gold, the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate team. Before inking on the dotted lines to move up to the NBA, he was ninth in the entire G League in scoring, averaging 26.0 points per contest.

The surging Celtics (38-27) get solid depth at the shooting guard position, as the former Michigan Wolverine will look to re-establish himself in the NBA and earn solid minutes.

The post REPORT: Nik Stauskas to Sign Two-Year Deal With Boston Celtics appeared first on SLAM.

This revelation comes days after Nets Coach Steve Nash said Durant was ‘three games away,’ from returning to action. The Nets social media team made it official by welcoming their superstar player back with a simple message:

The Nets have had a 5-16 record since their superstar went down midway through January, falling from second place in the Eastern Conference at 27-15 to eighth place at 32-31.

It’s time for Brooklyn to turn up again, and it’ll be a good test for KD to face off against the top-seeded Miami Heat (41-21) at 7:30 pm EST in Barclays Center.

The post Kevin Durant to Return to Action Thursday Against the Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

This move sends the former All-NBA center on the hunt to join his third team in two seasons. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as a favorite to pick up Jordan.

Ever since the 76ers traded backup center Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade, the 76ers have been looking for a suitable player to fill the backup center role that Drummond left vacant. Most recently, they signed Willie Cauley-Stein to a 10-day contract last Wednesday. Cauley-Stein has appeared in only one game since signing on the dotted line.

The 76ers have an open roster spot to sign Jordan outright but may opt to wait out the deal before signing Jordan; per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, doing so would save Philly money.

In late December, Jordan started in 19 games this season before falling out of the Lakers’ rotation. He’s averaging 4.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 67.4 percent from the field this year.

The post REPORT: 76ers Favorite to Sign DeAndre Jordan After Lakers Release appeared first on SLAM.

In fact, if you look at the four highest single-game scoring performances in Grizzlies franchise history, Morant holds or is tied with every mark except third place (Mike Miller with 45). Three of those games from Morant have come in the past two and a half weeks. However, when he finally broke the 50 point mark, he had nothing but praise for those around him:

“[I’m] just thankful for my teammates, my coaches… they believe in me, have all the confidence in the world that I can go and make the right play, and tonight they was looking for me. Like I said before, as I got close [to the record], they told me to go ahead and go get it. That’s why y’all see every time they got the ball; they was looking for 12, man.”

With that help, Morant scored 52 points on 73.3 percent shooting while making all four of his three-point attempts. That was the first time a Memphis Grizzly has ever scored 50+ in an NBA game. That historic game came with a win, too, as the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs 118-105 in FedExForum.

On Thursday, Morant and the Grizzlies will travel to Boston to face the Boston Celtics.

The post Ja Morant On Historic Game: ‘They Told Me to Go Ahead and Go Get It’ appeared first on SLAM.

Allen Iverson, Hall-of-Famer and one of the most adored players in League history, certainly thinks so. Following Morant’s record-setting 52 point performance Monday night, Iverson took to social media to praise the Grizzlies superstar MVP candidate.

Posting a picture of his MVP trophy from the 2001 season with Morant’s jersey on it, Iverson’s message is clear. Morant promptly responded to the former 11-time All-Star.

Iverson averaged 31.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game in his 2001 MVP campaign while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 56-26 record before losing in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. This season, Morant is averaging 27.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game and is the spearhead of a 43-20 Memphis Grizzlies team currently holding the third seed in the Western Conference.

The post Ja Morant On Allen Iverson’s MVP Praise: ‘Pass the Torch OG’ appeared first on SLAM.

“I’m sure it’s possible, but for me, it’s probably again in the next three games more likely than Saturday,” said Nash on Durant’s timetable to return. He elaborated on the return process:

“In general terms, to return to play, you have to have a number of high-intensity workouts. So playing at full capacity typically three times before you can return without an incident,” said Nash. “He’s [Durant] playing. I would say he’s had one [high-intensity workout]. We’ll see. He seems like he’s getting there. We’ll see how he responds tomorrow, and then we’ll try to get him subsequent workouts.”

As for Nash’s former teammate on the Phoenix Suns and new signee, veteran point guard Goran Dragić, Nash gave a similarly optimistic answer.

“I suppose it’s not out of the question,” said Nash on Dragić playing Saturday. “We have to assess how he comes through today, tomorrow and see where he’s at Saturday. It’s probably less likely he’ll play Saturday, but I think in the next three games, he’s out there.”

Nash also spoke about Ben Simmons, the main piece required in the Harden trade.

“Conditioning,” said Nash on what’s keeping Simmons out. “It’s been a long layoff. He hasn’t played NBA basketball for a long time, so we’re just trying to work through that.”

He also added that it’s ‘unfair’ for him to talk about Simmons’ headspace but was adamant about how ‘excited’ he is for both parties to be together.

The post Nets Announce Kevin Durant Could Return in ‘the Next Three Games’ appeared first on SLAM.

Harden did not appear on the official injury report Friday morning after nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out of four games in Philly and his last four games in Brooklyn. After forcing his way out of Brooklyn, Harden will have one goal in mind tonight when lacing up his sneakers to play for his new team for the first time: a championship.

“(Winning a title is) the goal, man. That’s the goal. Like Daryl (Morey) said: The opportunity to win is now. Joel is playing the best he’s ever played. So my job is to come out there and help him and help the entire team win a championship this year and in years going forward.”

Philadelphia is now at full strength, and their newly acquired superstar guard is looking to guide them to their first NBA Championship since 1983 when Dr. J was in town.

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Irving was restricted from participating in home games at Barclays Center due to New York City’s vaccination mandate that required individuals to be fully vaccinated to attend large indoor events. This prohibited the unvaccinated Irving from playing home games for the Brooklyn Nets and away games against the New York Knicks. But as The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a plan to scratch this mandate.

When asked if New York has a plan to phase out the vaccine mandate like other major cities, Adams replied quite simply,

“Yes, and I can’t wait to get it done.”

Although there’s no timetable on when Mayor Adams plans to phase out the vaccine mandate, the verbal confirmation that New York City will do it is significant. Expect more details to emerge in the coming days.

While the Nets only have 23 games left on their schedule, having Irving full-time at some point will certainly help, as they own a subpar 13-15 home record. This will have ripple effects come playoff time, as Irving will now be eligible to play every game instead of every other.

Brooklyn — Uncle Drew is back.

The post NYC to Phase Out Vaccine Mandate Opening the Door For Kyrie Irving to Play Full-Time appeared first on SLAM.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau reported that the Warriors will try to sign Poole to an extension this summer before becoming a restricted free agent in 2023.

“The Warriors also will try to sign Poole to a multiyear extension this summer, which would allow them to avoid having to deal with him in restricted free agency in 2023,” Letourneau wrote. “Keith Smith, a salary-cap expert for Spotrac, estimates that deal to be in the four-year, $80 million range.”

The timing of this extension would be tremendous for Golden State, as All-Star starter Andrew Wiggins will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2022-23 season. Getting Poole inked on a contract extension gives Dub Nation one less financial thing to worry about.

The 22-year-old is averaging 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 28.8 minutes of run per game. He also leads the NBA in free throw accuracy at 92.2 percent, which is 0.3 percent higher than Stephen Curry. He’s proven to be a capable scorer and able to anchor the second unit.

The former Michigan Wolverine is looking at a possible large payday if he continues this stellar play.

The post REPORT: Warriors Expected to Offer Jordan Poole A Four-Year Extension appeared first on SLAM.

Although multiple contenders called Dragić, his relationship with former teammate Steve Nash (Brooklyn’s head coach) led him to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

Dragić hasn’t played since November 13 following a ‘mutual agreement’ with the Toronto Raptors to keep him sidelined. He’s been working out in his South Florida home to keep in shape in hopes of joining a contender. The Raptors ended up moving him at the trade deadline to the Spurs, where he reached a buyout agreement.

In only five games played this season, Dragić averaged 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three. The Nets, however, hope he can return to his play from last year, where he was a backup for the Miami Heat.

Last season, the Dragon averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 assists per game on 43.2 percent shooting from the field and 37.3 percent from distance. Dragić is a proven ballhandler and shot-creator, something Brooklyn has needed, especially when Kyrie Irving isn’t in uniform.

To make space for Dragić on the roster, the Nets released Jevon Carter, their third-string point guard. Carter had a guaranteed contract for this and next season, worth around $7.5 million in total. However, the Nets can stretch out his $3.9 million contract for next year over the next three seasons. That would be a $1.3 million dead cap hit through the 2024-25 season. Carter has subsequently signed with Milwaukee off of waivers.

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“Ben Simmons, from what I’m told, is going to really ramp it up this week and see where he’s at at the end of the week, but he’s getting close. I don’t think it’s going to–it’s going to be more like weeks rather than months.”

Acquired at the trade deadline on February 10, Simmons has been ramping up his conditioning with the Brooklyn Nets for just over a week now. Shelburne reported on what Simmons was doing to stay in shape before the League shifting trade deadline.

“He has worked out separately with his own group of trainers, according to sources close to Simmons. He has organized his own runs with local players,” Shelbourne said. “He has lifted weights at a local fitness club that’s open to the general public. He has seen his own therapist but hasn’t shared information about his treatment with the team.”

The Brooklyn Nets have 23 remaining games on the schedule and will face Simmons’ former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, on March 10 in Wells Fargo Arena.

The post Ben Simmons is ‘Getting Close’ to Return, Expected Back in ‘Weeks’ appeared first on SLAM.

“I think right now we’re the best duo in the NBA. I think we are, personally. Just where we’re at right now, obviously in the standings and the level of play that we’re at. We came into the year with people having different narratives about us and our team, and I think we [proved those wrong]. So I think we’re gonna continue to grow on that and get better.”

The duo combines for 52.7 points per game as the engine of the Chicago Bulls team tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat at 38-21. When DeRozan was shown LaVine’s comment, the five-time All-Star agreed with his teammate.

“I don’t see why we’re not. You know what I mean?” DeRozan said. “He’s completely right.”

LaVine continued to pour on the praise for the 32-year-old veteran from Compton.

“I’m glad to have another guy that’s been in these situations, these big-time games, where we haven’t been in that before,” LaVine said continuing to praise teammate. “He’s been to the Eastern Conference Finals and been in big moments. His calmness is something that’s always been impressive to me.”

This comment comes not even a week after DeRozan broke a record held by NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain since 1963. When DeRozan scored 38 points on 16-for-27 shooting in a win against the Sacramento Kings last Wednesday, he broke Chamberlain’s record of most consecutive games, scoring 35+ points while shooting better than 50 percent from the field.

At seven games, DeRozan has a chance to extend that record when the Bulls face off against the Atlanta Hawks (28-30) on Thursday.

The post Zach LaVine on Playing With DeMar DeRozan: ‘We’re the Best Duo in the NBA’ appeared first on SLAM.

Hansel has amassed over 3.6 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, but don’t be fooled by his celebrity status or amputated arm; the 18-year-old Dominican-born hooper can play. Participating in the SLAM Summer Classic, Hansel showcased his skills all summer long.

In addition, on Tuesday, Hansel was featured in an advertisement for J Cole’s Dreamer brand.

Not a bad week for Enmanuel Hansel. The uber-athletic 6’4″ combo guard is one of the most watchable players in the high school game right now, and coach Hardaway is looking to make him the first Memphis commit from the Class of 2022.

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Recording his third outing scoring 40+ in the past four games, Luka Dončić is leading the new-look Dallas Mavericks into an era without Kristaps Porziņģis. Dončić now has 30 double-doubles, trailing Chris Paul by only one game for the most double-doubles by a guard this season. The Mavericks are 21-9 in such games. How does he do it? He says a good ol’ cup of Joe.

After shipping off Porziņģis to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline, the Mavericks have gone 2-0 with the newly acquired Spencer Dinwiddie and Dāvis Bertāns. While their performances aren’t eye-popping, it’s their play styles that are making a difference.

Dinwiddie gives Dallas an added ball-handler with a proven ability to score, though his efficiency is down this season. Bertāns provides the Mavericks with a volume catch-and-shoot big that could go back to his old self with his new team, potentially thanks to Doncic.

This performance by Doncic ties him with Mark Aguirre for the most 45+ points game in Mavericks history with four. He’s also the fourth player in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Walt Bellamy) with multiple 45 points, 15 rebounds, five-assist games in a calendar month, with Wilt Chamberlain in January 1966 being the last to do it.

The Dallas Mavericks head into the All-Star break with a 35-24 record with the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

The post Luka Dončić Leads New Look Mavericks Past Pelicans With Near 50 Point Triple-Double appeared first on SLAM.

Joel Embiid finished with 42 points, 14 rebounds, three triples, and 11 free throws while shooting over 65 percent from the field. After getting his 23-game streak of scoring 25+ broken on Tuesday, Embiid came back with a vengeance.

Thursday’s performance now brings Embiid to nine total games scoring 40+ — the most in the League. Embiid now leads the NBA in points per game, barely edging Giannis Antetokounmpo by 0.2 points with 29.6. Embiid also broke the tie with the Greek Freak for the most games this season with 35+ points and 12+ rebounds with 10 total.

This win comes without Philadelphia’s newly acquired superstar guard James Harden, but Embiid remains optimistic on what the 76ers will look like when the 2018 MVP takes the floor.

“I mean, he used to say Scary Hours. I say scary minutes,” said Embiid after the Bucks game per Yardbarker. “For all the 48 minutes, we’re going to be on the floor all together. I’m just excited for us to be healthy. I got to keep doing what I’ve been doing, and I’m sure my teammates are gonna follow. We’re pretty excited about what we can accomplish.”

There’s now a three-way tie between the 76ers, Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers for the third seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break. With the way Embiid has been playing recently, it’s not out of the realm of possibility the 76ers take that place — and maybe more.

That’s certainly true when Scary Minutes takes the floor.

The post Joel Embiid Wills 76ers Past Bucks, Furthering His MVP Case appeared first on SLAM.

For the 19-year-old Kuminga, a chance is given to showcase his skills against the League’s brightest young stars. Kuminga is averaging 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.3 minutes of run per game on the season.

Kuminga put many on notice in the Dubs’ weekend game against the Los Angeles Lakers, recording 18 points, nine rebounds, and one block in 25 minutes. However, what was most impressive is that he was given the dreaded task of guarding LeBron James — and he held his own. The King shot 33.3% percent from the field, the lowest field goal percentage he’s shot in a game this season when playing 35+ minutes.

Kuminga’s performance left teammate Klay Thompson impressed, per NBCSports.

“He just guarded LeBron James for however many minutes, gave us 18 on 11 shots, and almost a double-double — how many more 19-year-olds or 20-year-olds are doing that?”

Kuminga will look to continue his strong rookie campaign by delivering an outstanding performance in the Rising Star game this coming weekend.

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James Harden practiced with the Sixers today. Coming soon to Broad Street. (via @NBCSPhilly) pic.twitter.com/4InocWnxEa

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2022

“I just knew for a very long time this was a perfect fit,” Harden said. “Obviously, you have the best big man in the league in Joel, and then obviously the coaching. Just from top to bottom, it made sense. I’m just happy and blessed that I’m here. As Doc [Rivers] and everybody wants … it’s [about] being the last team standing. I’m excited for the opportunity.”

Harden also stated that he wanted to go to Philadelphia when Houston was looking to move him.

“Originally, when I was going through everything I was going through in Houston, Philly was my first choice,” Harden said. “It just didn’t happen.”

He said he wished it ‘worked like that’ but understood Houston had to do what was best for them ‘present and future.’

Harden elaborated on his fit with the 76ers and praised his new teammate, Joel Embiid.

“I think we complement each other,” Harden said. “Obviously, the whole world knows how great Joel has been playing — not just scoring with the basketball but rebounding. He had a triple-double last game. His presence alone is unbelievable — I feel like I’m the same way as far as making my teammates better and doing different things that impact the game at the highest level. And then we have a great core of guys that can also help with that.”

Harden also spoke on his left hamstring, an injury that will keep him out through the All-Star break.

“Hamstring feels really good. Just doing a lot of strengthening work right now. It definitely was a collaborative decision on making sure that after the break, we were full go. Uphill is the only way we can go,” Harden said. “To my conditioning, it’s great. I’ve been doing a lot of running, a lot of sprints, a lot of treadmill work, strength, and conditioning. But it’s nothing like basketball conditioning, playing 5-on-5 and pick-and-rolls and getting hit and things like that. So that’s something I’ve got to incorporate. But overall, my body feels great.”

As for what Harden wants out of his time in Philadelphia? He put it simply, stating,

“I just wanted to get here and take my time, and most importantly focus on the end game, and that’s winning a championship.”

The post James Harden Says He’s ‘Perfect Fit’ for Philadelphia 76ers appeared first on SLAM.

“It’s a blessing to be in an organization like this,” Simmons said. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the floor and building something great here.”

Simmons believes things will get ‘very scary’ in Brooklyn when the team is at full strength. As for when he would return, he was optimistic but gave no date.

“I don’t have a date yet, but I’m working towards getting back on the floor,” he said. “No date yet, but I’m starting to ramp it up.”

When he eventually gets on the floor, Simmons believes he can bring a lot to the table for the Brooklyn Nets.

“I think it’s just staying aggressive and playing to my strengths. That’s being a play-maker, making the right plays, and setting my guys up. Defensively, locking down who I need to lock down,” Simmons said about his fit with the team. “I’m excited to get on the floor with these guys. Incredible team and incredible talent. I’m super excited.”

Simmons also spoke on his mental health, which was widely reported as playing a key role in Simmons’ trade request and refusal to play for the 76ers. When asked about how things got so bad in Philadelphia, he stated:

“But there’s just a lot of things internally that had to happen over time. And it just got to a place where I don’t think it was good for me mentally. So it is what it is. It happened, and [I’m] moving forward.”

Already feeling welcomed by Brooklyn, it seems like it will be easier for Simmons to move forward.

“For me, it felt like it should feel always. My teammates embraced me as soon as I got here,” said Simmons about being back on an NBA bench. “The fans were very welcoming, which was great. The energy, around the locker room and in the building, was terrific.”

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