Latest news with #Clippers'
Man of Many
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Man of Many
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Now Eligable for Record $380 Million Contract, the Biggest in NBA History
By Ben McKimm - News Published: 22 May 2025 Share Copy Link Readtime: 3 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. He led his OKC Thunder team to a 68-win season and took home the MVP after a historic achievement that only Michael Jordan could match. Now, the world's best-dressed male athlete, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is eligible for a historic five-year USD$380 million supermax extension at the end of the 2025-2026 NBA season. SGA can sign a four-year $293 million supermax extension after this season if he chooses. However, new rules established as part of the NBA collective bargaining agreement now make him eligible for an extra year, and a never-before-seen contract extension with even more money if he waits until next season to sign his contract. Hilariously, the OKC point guard will keep all the money after firing his agent Thad Foucher of Wasserman in February 2025. Before any decisions are made, the MVP has one last mission to accomplish: winning an NBA Championship. His OKC Thunder team holds a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs after a 31-point, 9-assist, and 5-rebound effort from SGA in game one. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is eligible for a five-year USD$380 million supermax extension because he meets the following requirements as it relates to supermax extensions under the new NBA collective bargaining agreement: Named MVP in one of the three previous seasons Named All-NBA or Defensive Player of the Year in the prior season or two of the three before that Hasn't changed teams in seven to eight years (unless the change occurred in his first four seasons) Has one or two years left on his current contract The 26-year-old, spent his first season in the NBA at the Los Angeles Clippers after being selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night for a pick swap (ended up being Miles Bridges) and two future second-round picks. Jason Tatum holds the record for the biggest contract in NBA history after the Celtics star agreed to a five-year, $314 million contract extension, in July 2024 | Image: Supplied Shai was named in the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2019 before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason for Paul George and one of the biggest trade hauls in NBA history, including: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Danilo Gallinari Clippers' 2022 unprotected first-round pick (Jalen Williams) Clippers' 2024 unprotected first-round pick Clippers' 2026 unprotected first-round pick Miami Heat's 2021 unprotected first-round pick (Tre Mann) Miami Heat's 2025 protected first-round pick for 1-14 (unprotected for 2026) Right to 2023 first-round swap with Clippers (not conveyed) Right to 2025 first-round swap with Clippers Now, after a 68 win season that saw him average 32.7 points with a 50.1% field goal percentage, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals, he's guiding the second youngest team in the NBA (average age of 24.12 years old) to the NBA Finals. If he can get past Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, he can make history and bring an NBA Championship to OKC. Jason Tatum holds the record for the biggest contract in NBA history after the Celtics star agreed to a five-year, $314 million contract extension, including a player option and trade kicker, in July 2024.
NBC Sports
05-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Harden's legacy complicated by Game 7 'no-shows'
Dan Patrick weighs in on the Clippers' future and James Harden's "pattern" of disappointing in elimination games before examining Nuggets, Warriors, and Rockets storylines as the NBA Playoffs roll on.
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Steve Ballmer's Game 7 ploy to recreate 'The Wall' in Denver hilariously blew up in his face
Steve Ballmer's Game 7 ploy to recreate 'The Wall' in Denver hilariously blew up in his face It's easy to make fun of him, but I think L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer actually deserves a lot of credit. He's invested a lot in the Clippers' fanbase and the franchise on the whole. He's built them a cool state-of-the-art arena. He seems to care a lot about the Clippers' success as a team and the culture they've built for themselves and their fans. Also, he's very visible and prominent (often to a theatrical degree, but that's OK). In terms of major sports owners, it can be a lot worse than having someone like Ballmer from a fan's perspective. Ballmer did his best to help the Clippers and their fans before Saturday night's Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets. Ballmer went out of his way to buy out an entire section for fans from "The Wall" behind the basket (and closest to the Nuggets' bench). I can't lie. Unless you're the Nuggets or their fans, this was pretty cool to see: Ballmer even flew them AND bussed them to Denver's arena: Ballmer's plan seemed to work at first. His section of Clippers fans in Denver was so loud initially that Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon actually got booed while walking off the court following their pregame warmups: Unfortunately for Ballmer, his plan kind of blew up in his face, the way most things have for the Clippers in this era. Because by the end of the game, after Denver broke the game wide open, at one point building a 35-point lead before entering cruise control, this section of "The Wall" probably couldn't have been any quieter. For all Ballmer did to bring support for his franchise by bringing Clippers fans to Denver, the Clippers' players did not oblige, as they clearly quit the moment the Nuggets landed a haymaker in the form of a 15-0 run to start the second half. In fact, from the start of the second quarter to 8:49 in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets went on an 82-42 extended run with no reserves on the floor to end the game and the series. Phew. James Harden was predictably invisible, Kawhi Leonard was an astonishing -33 during his minutes (the worst of his career), and Russell Westbrook got the last laugh. Ballmer seems like an owner who cares deeply about his fans and his team. That is admirable. But these Clippers are definitive living proof of one sports axiom. Even a good owner can't wash the stink off a loser franchise by themselves.
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA playoffs takeaways: Nuggets dominate Game 7, send Clippers packing
The Denver Nuggets overpowered the LA Clippers in Saturday's Game 7 to win and advance to the second round. After a close first quarter, the Nuggets pulled away in the second, took a roaring lead in the third and shut down the Clippers' offense. All of Denver's five starters, as well as veteran Russell Westbrook, put up double-digit points in the 120-101 win. Advertisement Denver advances to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. In a Game 7 that the Nuggets truly needed to win, in a series with so many storylines, Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson changed the course of the game in the second quarter. They came off the bench, played terrific defense and provided a level of energy the Clippers weren't able to match. More importantly, during some of Saturday's most important moments, they took and made big shots. They started their portion of the game 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and they made the Clippers pay for choosing not to guard them. This was the result: The Nuggets, trailing by 26-21 heading into the second quarter, started the quarter on a 7-0 run, all with Nikola Jokić on the bench. In a series where the bench struggled mightily to generate offense without Jokić on the floor, Watson and Westbrook provided the minutes and the production needed for the starting group to eventually turn Game 7 into a rout. — Tony Jones, NBA staff writer 17 UNANSWERED POINTS.24-4 RUN.35 POINTS IN THE QUARTER. DENVER EXPLODED IN THE THIRD ON TNT ‼️ — NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2025 The Nuggets' lack of depth hasn't been a season-long issue. It's been a seasons-long issue, a reason both former coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired in the regular season's last week. It most clearly manifested itself in last week's Game 4, when interim coach David Adelman devoted just seven total minutes to reserves in the second half. Part of that was because Westbrook was injured, but part of it reflected the old issue: Malone didn't trust the young players Booth drafted, and Booth didn't retain veterans who Malone used. That resulted in a thin, unproven bench. Advertisement The Nuggets have struggled without Jokić on the floor forever. The three-time MVP, however, struggled to start the game, and Adelman rested him to start the second quarter. Naturally, it was Westbrook — a veteran Malone relied on, perhaps too much — and Peyton Watson — a 22-year-old wing whose role changed frequently under the old coach, a draft night acquisition of Booth's in 2022 — who supplied the minutes that allowed Jokić to steady himself. Overall, Watson and Westbrook combined for 17 points in the first half, including five of the seven while Jokić sat, while the Clippers' dangerous bench had just seven. (Jokić eventually got it going, finishing two assists shy of a triple-double.) It is easy to imagine both Malone and Booth watching the game unfold, nodding, thinking that they knew what they were talking about all along. — Eric Koreen, NBA senior writer Energy. It's something that Adelman said his team needed from one another before Game 7. It certainly helps to be home, and it certainly helps to play one of the NBA's oldest teams in the Clippers. It also helps if your second-oldest player is Westbrook, the former Clipper who was traded away despite picking up his player option. The Clippers held a 26-21 lead after the first quarter, but Westbrook had a sequence in the second quarter where he hit a 3, drew a foul on defensive target Bogdan Bogdanović, got back-to-back steals and capped a 10-2 Denver run with an assist to Aaron Gordon. The Clippers never led again. And the Clippers looked like a team that, once again, couldn't handle the energy that the Nuggets had at home. Westbrook matched Kawhi Leonard for a quarter-high 10 points, with both players essentially spending the entire period on the floor. By halftime, the Nuggets had outscored the Clippers 14-4 on fast break, 9-4 on second chances and 30-26 in the paint. Advertisement LA didn't have legs to shoot, missing 13 of 18 shots outside the paint in the first half. Ivica Zubac was in rare foul trouble, as was Norman Powell, who had more fouls in the first half (3) than buckets. As for the Clippers' stars, they didn't star. James Harden played 46.5 minutes in Game 6, and predictably had a slow start with as many first-half turnovers (two) as field goals (2-of-6). Derrick Jones Jr. got the start over Kris Dunn and Nicolas Batum, but Westbrook outscored the Clippers' bench 10-7 in the first half. And then when Batum started the second half in place of Jones Jr., the Nuggets absorbed a Leonard 3 and immediately put the game away with a 17-0 run. It's a tough ending for the Clippers in a series where perhaps going the distance wasn't in their best interests, but also, it's difficult for them to accept that they were eliminated by a Nuggets bench led by a player that they had on their team last season. — Law Murray, Clippers beat writer
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clippers are actually healthy in NBA playoffs. Can they win Game 7 vs. Nuggets?
Clippers are actually healthy in NBA playoffs. Can they win Game 7 vs. Nuggets? Show Caption Hide Caption Thunder's preferred matchup: Clippers or Nuggets? For The Hoops crew discuss whether the Thunder would prefer to face the Clippers or Nuggets in the second round of the NBA playoffs LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers managed to force a Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets with a 111-105 victory in Game 6 on Thursday. The Clippers' defense managed to keep Nuggets star Nikola Jokić from a triple-double (25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds). Jokic has averaged a triple-double in the series with 25.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game. James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Norman Powell led the Clippers' offense, combining for 79 points. Nicolas Batum was held in high regard by his coaches and teammates for his efforts on both ends of the floor in Game 6 and could be added to the starting lineup for Game 7. He finished with six points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals on Thursday. It will be up to coach Tyronn Lue to consider whether he will check in with his players again, through individual conversations, like he did prior to Game 6. Lue's squad has seen different results throughout the series while playing in Denver. Clippers-Nuggets Game 6 takeaways: L.A. sends series back to Denver for Game 7 The Clippers split the first two games of the series on the road with the Nuggets. The two games were decided by a combined total of five points. Denver then blew out L.A. 131-115 in Game 5. Russell Westbrook played a big role in the final minutes of Game 1 as the Nuggets rallied to win in overtime. Westbrook scored 15 points in the game, including three on an uncontested shot in the corner from long range that helped give Denver a lead late in regulation. He also knocked an inbound pass away and off of Harden with 9.6 seconds left to help seal the win in overtime. Leonard helped the Clippers in Game 2 with a 39-point performance while shooting 15-of-19 from the field; his teammates combined for 26-of-66 shooting from the field. 'We can have the confidence to know that we have won there, but it's going to be a different game,' Leonard said. 'We have to come out aggressive in the first quarter and make sure they don't get a big lead on us.' The Clippers are looking to avoid having their season end with a first-round exit for a third consecutive year. In each of the previous two seasons, Leonard was a non-factor for the Clippers. He played in just two games in each of those first-round series because of injuries. He started off the 2024-25 season listed as day-to-day after undergoing a knee procedure during the offseason to address swelling. Leonard had expressed during media day in September that he expected to play the season opener, but he missed the first 34 games of the season. The Clippers went 19-15 without him. He also mentioned during the Clippers' media day that he was hoping to remain healthy enough to have a run in the playoffs. He's been able to follow through with that through the first six games. The team has not reported a single player on the injury report this postseason. The Nuggets took a lead in the series while dealing with their share of injuries. Westbrook had left foot inflammation and was considered questionable after rolling his ankle before Game 3. He missed Game 4 before rejoining the series. Michael Porter Jr. has continued to play despite a bad left shoulder. He's averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game in the series. When is Game 7 between Clippers and Nuggets? The Clippers will travel to play the Nuggets in Game 7 at Ball Arena in Denver. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on May 3 (TNT).
