Latest news with #2025NBAPlayoffs
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Nikola Jokic's agent posts crytpic photos with LeBron James, Maverick Carter to tease ‘big plans'
If Nikola Jokic's agent was looking to raise some eyebrows, he certainly succeeded. Misko Raznatovic, the agent of the Denver Nuggets superstar, posted to Instagram a not-so-subtle post of himself on a yacht with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his longtime business partner, Maverick Carter. The post is geotagged in Saint Tropez, France, though it's unclear when exactly the get-together took place. The Instagram post is additionally captioned, 'The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!' The post and its timing certainly grab the attention of basketball fans everywhere, considering the implications it could have. James, 40, opted into his contract with the Lakers for this upcoming season, which he's set to make $52.6 million in, and it likely signals the end of his tenure with the Lakers, with whom he signed with in 2018 as a free agent and helped them win a title in 2020. And the agent to one of the biggest NBA stars on the planet meeting with James and his business partner would certainly lend more credence to the idea that James' time in Hollywood could be coming to a close. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) during the first half in Game Five of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Nuggets and teaming with Jokic would give James another shot at an NBA title and Denver is expected to have the necessary cap space to make something happen. Speculation has continued and on Sunday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that James' future in LA would come down to one major factor. 'It all really depends on how this coming season goes,' a source told the insider. Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round 2 Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 18, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images Previously, James' agent Rich Klein told ESPN that his client's big priority was that he 'wants to compete for a championship' and 'values a realistic chance of winning it all.' 'We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,' Klein said in his statement last month. 'We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him.'
Newsweek
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Celtics Trading Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks in Blockbuster Three-Team Trade
Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Boston Celtics reacts in the first half during game 4 of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on April 27, 2025... Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Boston Celtics reacts in the first half during game 4 of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on April 27, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. More Photo by
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"He said he didn't want to call plays anymore" - Tyrese Haliburton reveals Rick Carlisle conversation that took his career to the next level
"He said he didn't want to call plays anymore" - Tyrese Haliburton reveals Rick Carlisle conversation that took his career to the next level originally appeared on Basketball Network. Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the top storylines of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The 25-year-old from Oshkosh, Wisconsin has emerged as one of the biggest stars of this year's postseason with incredible play in the clutch. Advertisement Although his streak of two consecutive All-Star game appearances ended this season, Haliburton is a much-improved player from the guy who averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 assists per game in Sacramento. During the Indiana Pacers' media session the day before Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton credited head coach Rick Carlisle for the dramatic improvement of his game. "Going into the following year, before training camp, he met with me and he said he didn't want to call plays anymore. I was surprised cause I know what the conversation around coach was, especially from players and point guards specifically. When he gave me that kind of nod, that was the ultimate respect, the ultimate trust that I could get from anybody. Because he's such a brilliant basketball mind, he's been around such great guards, great players. So for him to give me that confidence, I think that's really taken my career to the next level." Rick's embrace of the fast game Carlisle has been in the league for a long time, and he's had a long history of confrontations with his points guards, such as Jamal Tinsley, Jason Kidd, Rajon Rondo, and Dennis Smith. His squabbles with the mentioned guards arose from his meticulous control of the game, often calling the plays from the sidelines. But a lot has changed since then. Advertisement Rick was initially known as a defensive-minded coach, but his early teams ran slow and deliberate offenses. Towards the end of his Mavs tenure, when he had Luka Doncic, he started playing at a fast, even frantic pace. Haliburton joined the Pacers midway through the 2021-22 NBA season. They went 25-57 that year. After their conversation, Haliburton averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game and made his first All-Star team. Still, the Pacers did not make the playoffs in 2022-23 but their win total increased to 35. Last season, Hali made his second straight All-Star team. The Pacers won 47 games, and despite being just the 6th seed in the East, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the eventual champions swept them, the Boston Celtics. Related: "That crossed the line" - When George Karl suspended Carmelo Anthony for refusing to sit during a Nuggets timeout Carlisle just let Hali cook at the end of game 1 Carlisle's ultimate trust in Haliburton has been on full display in the 2025 NBA Playoffs where Tyrese has emerged as the postseason's best clutch player. That confidence was perhaps at its highest level with Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals going down to their final possession. Advertisement After SGA missed a short jumper for the Thunder, the Pacers grabbed the rebound with 9.7 left on the game clock and down 109-110. Rick did not call a timeout and the ball found its way to Haliburton who hit the game-winner with 0.3 seconds left. "Very," Carlisle replied when asked how comfortable he was with not calling timeout in that final possession. "We talked about it. We still didn't know the outcome of the challenge yet, but we said, if it is their ball, let's get a stop because there is gonna be a difference in the shot clock and the game clock… If we get a stop and get the rebound, we're gonna go. Hopefully, we get it to Tyrese's hands and hope to make a play." Haliburton has been celebrated for his clutch plays this postseason. But no player would have made any of his game-winners if he did not have supreme confidence in himself. For Tyrese, it was that summer conversation with Carlisle that did it. Related: "Dad, you at 17, me at 17, who was better? I said, 'Listen, son...'" - Dominique Wilkins on the moment he realized his son didn't know how great of a player he was This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Post
31-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Jalen Brunson is not buying into the Karl-Anthony Towns ‘soft' narrative one bit
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson heard the reputation when Karl-Anthony Towns was with the Timberwolves. Now teammates on the Knicks, Brunson believes he's seeing the reality. Rather than a player who is soft, he has seen one who constantly has fought through injuries. 'I mean, there are narratives with traded players on other teams,' Brunson said Saturday morning at Knicks shootaround ahead of Game 6. 'And when you get to the team, it's, 'Oh, that guy is not really like that.' It's just, that's how narratives work. They're usually probably false. I have the utmost respect for him and the way he's been able to play throughout this entire season and playoffs. We're all banged up, but we're all gonna push through. I had faith that he was gonna play last game.' Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks react during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025. Getty Images Towns was questionable for Game 5 with a knee injury, but he played 36 minutes and recorded 24 points on 10-for-20 shooting and 13 rebounds. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. He was not on the Knicks injury report entering Saturday's Game 6. Towns, whom the Knicks acquired from the Timberwolves in the blockbuster deal that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota, was named to the All-NBA third team this year. But due to his preference to shoot from outside the arc rather than bang bodies in the paint and his weak defense, a narrative that Towns is soft has hovered over him much of his career. Brunson isn't buying it. New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns driving to the basket guarded by Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner in the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'I knew that he was a player that was gonna help us win,' Brunson said. 'He's helped us get to this point. And so I think no matter what the situation is, he's gonna continue to do that.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
OKC Thunder practice: What Mark Daigneault, Chet Holmgren said on May 31
May 28, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after a play during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images After a two-day rest, the Oklahoma City Thunder held their first 2025 NBA Finals media availability on Saturday. They're fresh off a blowout Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to punch their ticket to the championship round. The Thunder will now enjoy a week off before they host Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 5. The Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks will be the opposition. Indiana holds a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Advertisement Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Chet Holmgren talked to the media on Saturday. Daigneault discussed OKC's homecourt advantage while Holmgren reflected on his journey from a hip fracture that cost him three months. Here's a recap of the Thunder's NBA Finals May 31 practice: This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder practice: What Mark Daigneault, Chet Holmgren said on May 31
