
Jalen Williams visits China for Adidas event
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their summer. They captured the NBA championship after a historic season this past June. When you bring home the Larry O'Brien trophy, you have the next few months to showboat the accomplishment as you wait to get your ring.
One player who played an important role in the Thunder's championship run is Jalen Williams. The 24-year-old played through a torn wrist ligament that required pain-numbing shots before every playoff game. He scored 40 points in a decisive Game 5 win over the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Still sporting a wrist cast, Williams traveled across the globe. He landed in China for an Adidas event. Arriving at the airport, he was welcomed by a sea of fans who wanted to see the All-NBA player in person. He recorded a video of the crowd and posted it on his Instagram story.
Adidas has a handful of players who travel to China in the offseason to represent their brand. Considering Williams' ascension into one of the league's best players, it shouldn't be surprising to see him assigned for the international visit.
The NBA has had strong support in China over the years. As the Thunder have been a title contender for most of the last two decades and are fresh off a championship, their international support should be surprisingly large for a small-market franchise.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
LeBron James will break another long-standing record on Opening Night
I gotta be honest. At this point, I assume that LeBron James already holds most of the relevant individual NBA records. I mean, James has been playing professional basketball for 20 years. He did surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader a couple of years ago. He's an all-timer still playing at an All-Star-caliber level at the age of 40. Those kinds of guys usually rewrite the record books as they go, you know? LA TENSION: LeBron is overstaying his welcome with Lakers But no. With the NBA revealing the schedule for some of its more notable 2025-2026 marquee dates on Tuesday, James somehow has another impressive accolade in his crosshairs. When his Los Angeles Lakers play the Golden State Warriors on Opening Night, James will officially become the all-time leader in NBA seasons played, surpassing the legendary Vince Carter, with whom he is still currently tied at 22 seasons apiece. Again, this is objectively bonkers now that I see it at face value and laid out like this, but I'm surprised James hadn't already achieved this! Well, the more you know: I'm gonna be candid again. I think James is the best basketball player ever. Full stop. I will definitely appreciate him while he's still around, but I really hope he will just retire soon already. It'd be nice and appreciated if he stepped out of the spotlight for the NBA's next generation. But if he's going to keep stacking achievements like this as an active NBA player, who are any of us to hate on that? He's penning his legend every time he steps on the court. Who are some of the other NBA icons with the most seasons played? I'm glad you asked. Aside from James and Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, and Robert Parish all played at least 21 seasons. Next to James, Chris Paul is the only other active player with at least 20 seasons played. Can James break any other NBA records this year? Yes! If the Lakers' forward plays at least 50 regular-season games this season, he will surpass Parish (1,611) for the most-played regular-season games all time.

Miami Herald
26 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Where does Heat stand in East? Veteran scout weighs in. And Kai Jones update
Where has a busy NBA offseason of transactions left the Heat in the Eastern Conference hierarchy? I explored that and looked at every Eastern team's rotation in this piece. On Monday, I asked a longtime Eastern Conference scout to offer his perspective on Miami's place in the East following the addition of Norman Powell. Some feedback: ▪ On where the Heat stands in the East after the Bucks added Myles Turner; the Pacers lost Turner to free agency and Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles; the Magic added Desmond Bane; the Hawks improved significantly and the Celtics lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles and parted ways with Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet for financial reasons: 'Let's start with who's better. I see six teams for sure: New York, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee. Philadelphia is better if they're healthy. So I would say the Heat's a solid play-in team, in the same ballpark as Indiana and potentially better than Boston. They're not 10 or 11; they're more like 7, 8 or 9. 'It's around a .500 team. If they won 45, it would be a great year. They're not bad, but they're not good. Chicago is mediocre; the Heat is maybe a little better than mediocre. They have three very good NBA players with [Bam] Adebayo, [Tyler] Herro and Powell. We'll see about Ware. Andrew Wiggins is meh at this point.' ▪ On acquiring Powell from the Clippers, at the cost of only Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love: 'That's a very good move. He's coming off a career year, and his shooting has been very good. The strange part is early in his career he was a defensive guy. 'His defense was not very good last year. He became much more of an offensive player. Can he really become a two-way player? Even if he can't, he can put the ball in the basket, and they needed scoring and shooting.' ▪ What about a potential starting lineup of Powell, Herro, Adebayo, Ware and Wiggins? 'That backcourt would be very shaky defensively. Herro as a primary ballhandler, I don't know. Herro as a No. 1 point guard is funky to me. Ideally Powell is your sixth man and finishing the game. Starting Davion Mitchell would give you a guy that can guard.' What about Powell sharing some of the ball-handling duties with Herro and Adebayo if Mitchell plays off the bench? 'Powell is not a handler,' the scout said. 'He's not a secondary ballhandler either, in my view. He is a scorer. He is laser focused on shooting and scoring.' ▪ On Simone Fontecchio, who was acquired from Detroit in a sign-and-trade involving Duncan Robinson: 'The year before last was good,' when he averaged 10.5 points and shot 40.1% on threes. 'He's not a great athlete and somewhat one-dimensional, but he's very competitive. 'I wouldn't call him a three-and-D guy. But he tries on defense. He struggled last season. He doesn't have much handle. But give him consistent minutes and he could be a guy that can make shots and a Heat culture guy. Not a great athlete. He's probably your ninth man [with Haywood Highsmith possibly out to start the season after knee surgery]. Is he even playing on a good team? Maybe.' ▪ On first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis: 'NBA people I talked to in Las Vegas were killing him, didn't have anything nice to say about him. Quickness and shooting were my concern. Can he beat [skilled NBA players] off the dribble? He better be able to make shots. His play was disappointing, but I'm not ready to judge. He's [very young at 19].' Kai Jones is spending four days working out at Kaseya Center this week as the Heat evaluates whether to sign the veteran power forward/center. One involved source said the Heat long has shown an appreciation for Jones' skill set but is merely 'kicking the tires' to see if signing him would be something worth considering. Jones, 6-11, has played for Charlotte, the Clippers and Dallas in a three-year career and averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 10.1 minutes in 107 games and six starts. He played well in 12 games (and six starts) for Dallas late last season, averaging 11 points and 6.4 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game while shooting a remarkable 83.6 percent from the field (61 for 73). Jones — who attended Orlando Christian Prep and Brewster Academy in New Hampshire — was drafted 19th overall by the Knicks in 2021 and immediately traded to Charlotte. A native of the Bahamas, Jones, 24, played in 28 games off the bench for the Clippers last season before being released March 1; he joined the Mavericks on a two-way contract the next day. The Heat has 14 players under standard contracts; teams can carry no more than 15 once the regular season starts but aren't obligated to begin the season with 15 players. Miami, which could use one more backup in its power rotation, could opt to fill the 15th spot before training camp or sometime early in the season. Another option for the Heat would be signing Jones to an Exhibit 10 contract, allowing him to compete for the 15th guaranteed contract during training camp. ▪ The Heat will not be featured in any of the league's marquee television slots announced Tuesday, not a surprise for a team coming off a first-round playoff drubbing. As expected, ABC, ESPN and the NBA opted against showcasing the Heat on Christmas for a second year in a row. Miami also won't be featured in any national telecasts during the first week of the season or on Martin Luther King day. The NBA's Christmas ABC/ESPN games, in order, will be Cleveland-New York, San Antonio-Oklahoma City, Dallas-Golden State, Houston-Lakers and Minnesota-Denver. The first four of those games will compete with three NFL games on Christmas: Dallas-Washington and Detroit-Minnesota (both on Netflix) and Denver-Kansas City (on Amazon Prime). NBC, beginning an 11-year deal with the NBA, will carry Oklahoma City-Houston and Lakers-Warriors on opening night (Tuesday, Oct. 21). The Heat is expected to receive very few national telecasts this season. The NBA will announce each team's four group-play NBA Cup games on Wednesday and will release the full schedule on Thursday, with two of the 82 games to be determined after NBA Cup group-play is concluded.


Newsweek
28 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Astros' Concerning Announcement Spells Trouble For Playoff Hopes
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. As they battle to fight off a charge from the surging Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros have managed to hold on to what is now just a one-game lead in the American League West. After an announcement by manager Joe Espada on Monday, the Astros' chances of a fifth straight division title -- ninth straight, discounting the abbreviated 2020 season -- suddenly looked much dimmer. Six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader has saved 28 games for the Astros this season, and did not blow a save until July 12, against the Texas Rangers in Hader's 40th appearance. That remains his only blown save so far. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 15: Josh Hader #71 of the Houston Astros walks across the field prior to the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 15: Josh Hader #71 of the Houston Astros walks across the field prior to the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Of Houston's 67 wins prior to Tuesday's home game against the Boston Red Sox, Hader has pitched in 42 of them. "Losing him for any length of time would be a crippling blow," wrote Athletic Astros correspondent Chandler Rome late Monday night. But losing Hader is exactly what the Astros are potentially looking at, after Espada announced that the nine-year veteran was unavailable to pitch in the season opener Monday against the Red Sox due to what the manager described as "shoulder discomfort." The southpaw was set to undergo tests on the shoulder Monday, but the Astros had not announced any results as of Tuesday morning. More MLB: Astros Dealing With Frustrating News on Highly Anticipated Outfield Prospect Since being swept by Boston in a three-game Fenway Park set, the Astros have stepped on the gas, winning five of seven. But Hader has not pitched since last Friday, when he threw two innings against the New York Yankees in what ended as a 10-inning victory for Houston. That outing was Hader's second two-inning stint in eight appearances, and just his fourth of the year. He was not been called upon to throw multiple innings at all between April 8 and July 19. Hader has now pitched 52 2/3 innings, after throwing 71 last season -- his highest total since his 75 2/3 inning 2019 season. He has now pitched 180 innings over his last three seasons, Hader's highest three-year total since logging 204 2/3 in the first three years of his career, 2017-2019, with the Milwaukee Brewers. But Hader is now 31 years old, compared to those initial three seasons which took him from age 23 to 25. More MLB: Yankees Fans Hope Latest Aaron Boone Ejection Precursor to Firing On Monday, with the Astros leading 7-6, two outs in the ninth inning and a runner on second base, Espada brought in lefty Bennett Sousa to face Red Sox Rookie of the Year candidate Roman Anthony — exactly the type of lefty vs. lefty matchup tailor-made for Hader. Sousa fanned Anthony to end the Red Sox' threat and nail down the save. If Hader misses significant time, the Astros will need numerous performances just like that one from Sousa and their other relievers if they hope to keep their grip on the division title, and possibly even a playoff spot as well. More MLB: Astros' Disturbing Announcement Gives Team MLB Lead in Unwanted Category