Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta confirmed as ambassador to Italy, San Marino
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta poses for a photo during Rockets Media Day on Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Houston.
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USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Shane Battier on preparing to try to guard Kobe Bryant
Shane Battier on preparing to try to guard Kobe Bryant One of the reasons the late great Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players in NBA history was his immense and seemingly limitless skills on offense. Perhaps there was no greater one-on-one player in the history of the sport, and he had an incredible array of moves, shots and fakes, not to mention incredible footwork, that he used to reduce defenders to rubble. One player who had some success guarding him was forward Shane Battier. But like just about anyone else, Battier often got handled by Bryant. He made an appearance on "Pable Torre Finds Out" on Thursday and talked about trying to guard the "Black Mamba," something he called "scary." 'I played against the greatest players of my generation, and I miss that anxiety. Guarding Kobe Bryant is [expletive] scary. I never will forget the feeling of getting on the bus at the Marina Del Rey Ritz—it's a 45 minute ride to the Staples Center—and I'm just thinking to myself, '[expletive], this guy is trying to embarrass me. ... He wants to score 80 points on me tonight.' 'That anxiety was real. I call it productive paranoia. Instead of being paralyzing, I used that to be like, man, I better know everything about Kobe that there is to know about him. I tried to learn, I threw myself into data analytics and just learned Kobe better than Kobe knew himself. It allowed me to stay in the game. I understood, okay, I'm not going to stop these guys, but I can be a human yellow light, and slow them down a little bit. That was my only goal — just be the human yellow light.' Battier got his chance to guard Bryant for an extended amount of time during the 2009 Western Conference semifinals when his Houston Rockets took on the Los Angeles Lakers. He didn't exactly do badly -- Bryant shot above 45% in just three of the seven games of the series, and he twice shot under 40%. Battier tried to put a hand in Bryant's face so that the latter couldn't see the basket. It seemed to work at times, but it didn't work well enough, as the Lakers prevailed in seven games and went on to win their fourth NBA championship of the Bryant era. The legendary guard simply wouldn't let anyone give him the yellow or red light — at least not for an extended amount of time.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Shaquille O'Neal Opposes Giannis Antetokounmpo's Potential Trade Request; Claims He Should Recruit Superstars Instead
Shaquille O'Neal Opposes Giannis Antetokounmpo's Potential Trade Request; Claims He Should Recruit Superstars Instead originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated from the first round of the NBA Playoffs for the third time in a row after they lost to the Pacers in five games. Following this exit, ESPN published a report claiming Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the first time in his career, is open to potentially considering leaving Milwaukee and requesting a trade from the Bucks. Advertisement This made the two-time MVP one of the biggest names to watch out for in the trade market once the offseason begins. Shaquille O'Neal spoke to Yahoo Sports about this potential trade move. He gave his advice to the Greek superstar about embracing the small market team because a small market is an outdated concept in the NBA, and social media has made every team a potentially big market for the players. 'I would tell him that, probably, throwing in his face in a bigger market doesn't matter. Social media is the market now. Giannis has made a name for himself on social media. You got to LA, and now 50% of your contract goes to taxes, more pressure, and more stress. Being that he's in control of that ship, he should go upstairs and be like, 'I want to see all the free agents, I want all the phone numbers, I'll talk to them.' He should bring people to him." O'Neal feels Antetokounmpo should use his position on the team to demand more from the front office and become actively involved in recruiting talent to the team. O'Neal has had personal experience with moving from a small-market team to a big-market team when he moved from the Orlando Magic to the LA Lakers. However, he claims that times were different back in his day and that Antetokounmpo should not make himself go through that process. "You know, when I was coming up, it was a small market, it's too small, you probably need to go to a big market, I took the pain through that. But now every market is the same. Nobody cares what city you're in anymore, this ain't the 90s.' Where Giannis Antetokounmpo May End Up: Rumors And Best Fit According to immediate predictions from NBA Insider Brian Windhorst after ESPN reports on Antetokounmpo's potential request, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs are in the best positions to make a move for Antetokounmpo. Considering that the main reason why Giannis is expected to leave is a lack of success, he is predicted to immediately join a team that becomes a title contender. Advertisement The San Antonio Spurs have the highly rated Victor Wembanyama and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle alongside veteran talent of De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell. They will immediately become title contenders if they find a way to retain this core and trade for Antetokounmpo. The Houston Rockets were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference due to top-tier talents like Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jalen Green. That, combined with Ime Udoka's coaching, makes the Rockets a viable destination for Antetokounmpo. The Rockets have a lot of draft assets and young talent to potentially sign off on a trade without giving away this young core. Two team names that also came up in this discussion were the Warriors and the Knicks, simply because they are big markets. Considering that neither of these teams has enticing draft assets or young talent for the Bucks to give away their franchise player, it is highly unlikely that Antetokounmpo lands in either of these teams. In the most recent rumors, Toronto Star's NBA Insider Doug Smith claimed Antetokounmpo has interest in joining the Raptors. It will be interesting to see where Antetokounmpo lands if he requests a trade or if he listens to O'Neal, stays in Milwaukee, and fixes things internally in the franchise. Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo Hints Where He Could Play After NBA Retirement This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
DJ Augustin Set to Join Rockets in Surprise Role
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former NBA star guard and lottery pick D.J. Augustin has taken on a new role with the Houston Rockets. More NBA news: Kevin Durant Trade Speculation Will Reportedly Get Aggressive in Coming Weeks The former Texas Longhorn and No. 9 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft is reportedly joining the Rockets in the front office. Kelly Iko of The Athletic shared the news via X. Former NBA guard D.J. Augustin is joining the Houston Rockets in a front office capacity, sources tell @TheAthletic. The 37-year-old, who played for Houston in 2021, spent 14 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2024. — Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) June 5, 2025 : D.J. Augustin #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Ricky Rubio #9 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on February 23, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.... : D.J. Augustin #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Ricky Rubio #9 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on February 23, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. More Photo by"Former NBA guard D.J. Augustin is joining the Houston Rockets in a front office capacity, sources tell @TheAthletic. The 37-year-old, who played for Houston in 2021, spent 14 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2024," wrote Iko. Augustin announced his retirement a little after the start of the 2024-25 season. It's unclear what his role with the Rockets will be, but he'll be providing some expertise, regardless of his position. The 37-year-old played 14 NBA seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers. A New Orleans native, Augustin was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the ninth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft after a standout career at the University of Texas, where he earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors that same year. Charlotte viewed him as their point guard of the future, and he showed promise right away—dropping 12 points and dishing out two assists in 25 minutes during his NBA debut. He went on to average 11.8 points and 3.5 assists per game in his rookie campaign. Augustin averaged 9.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game over 976 games played. The Rockets are coming off their best season since the 2019-20 season. Houston earned the No. 2 seed in the loaded Western Conference with a young group as its core. Led by Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Fred VanVleet, the Rockets are sure to come back stronger than ever next season. Head coach Ime Udoka has built a culture in Houston that players and fans can hang their hat on. In Augustin's basketball career, he has earned an NBA All-Rookie Second Team, won the Bob Cousy Award, and been named Consensus First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12. More NBA news: Suns to Hire Cavaliers Assistant as Franchise's Next Head Coach Former NBA All-Star Believes Thunder Resemble Prime Warriors Team Dan Hurley Makes Position Clear as Knicks Begin Coaching Search LeBron James' 'Mind the Game' Podcast Takes Massive Shot at Brian Windhorst Knicks Coaching Search Heats Up as Top Candidates Are Revealed For more on the Rockets and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
