Latest news with #Cousy
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could become OKC Thunder's third NBA MVP in past 12 seasons
Kevin Durant in 2014. Russell Westbrook in 2017. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025. Assuming Gilgeous-Alexander noses out Nikola Jokic for this year's Most Valuable Player award, SGA will become the Thunder's third MVP winner in the last 12 years. Advertisement That's a one-MVP-per-presidential-term pace. Producing three different MVP winners in any stretch of time is rare enough. Only the Rockets, Lakers, Celtics, 76ers and soon-to-be Thunder have done it. But three in a 12-year span is unprecedented. Until now. Consider that eight franchises are still looking for their first MVP: the Grizzlies, Hornets, Magic, Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Pistons and Raptors. A lot of small-market teams among them. Oklahoma City, in its 17th season, in the third-smallest market in the NBA, is the outlier. No team has ever had an MVP trio the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in such quick succession. And that's not even counting James Harden, a Thunder draft pick who went onto win an MVP with the Rockets. Advertisement Here are the five teams — and yes, we're penciling in the Thunder — that produced three MVPs. Sorted by the span between awards, from longest to shortest. More: Why OKC Thunder is unbothered by physicality in NBA Playoffs: 'We really don't care' Rockets: Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden (1982 to 2018, 37 years) Malone won three MVPs: Two in Houston (1979 and 1982) and one in Philadelphia (1983). Twelve seasons after Malone's MVP season in Houston, Hakeem Olajuwon won his first and only MVP. Olajuwon finished top-5 in MVP voting six times. Harden, in 2018, became the third Rocket to win MVP. He was second in MVP voting the year before and the year after. Advertisement Three Rocket MVPs in 37 years. More: Buy or sell for OKC Thunder trends? What to make of Chet Holmgren's shooting, SGA's slump Lakers: Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant (1990 to 2008, 19 years) A fourth Laker, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, won MVPs in 1976, '77 and '80, but we're looking at the shortest span in which a team had three MVPs. For the Lakers, that's Magic — who won the last of his three MVPs in 1990 — Shaq (2000) and Kobe (2008). Three Lakers MVPs over a 19-year stretch. It's been 17 years since the Lakers last had an MVP. The Lakers haven't had an MVP in the Thunder's existence. Advertisement More: Why OKC Thunder star Chet Holmgren was more than willing to shoot 3-pointers vs. Grizzlies Celtics: Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens (1957 to 1973, 17 years) Cousy and Russell went back-to-back in 1957 and 1958. Russell won again in '61, '62, '63 and '65. Dave Cowens, in 1973, became the third Celtic to win MVP. Cousy's win to Cowens' win spanned 17 seasons. Larry Bird then won three consecutive MVPs from 1984-86. But the span between Cousy, Russell and Cowens winning MVP was shorter than that of Russell, Cowens and Bird. The Celtics haven't had the most players win MVP — that distinction belongs to the team below — but they have the most combined MVPs (10) among their winners. Advertisement Five for Russell, three for Bird and one each for Cowens and Cousy. More: Clippers or Nuggets? Who should scare OKC Thunder in NBA playoff conference semifinals? 76ers: Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone (1968 to 1983, 16 years) Five Sixers have won MVP: Wilt Chamberlain ('66, '67, '68), Erving ('81), Malone ('83), Allen Iverson ('01) and Joel Embiid ('23) That's the most of any team. They combined for seven MVP awards, which is one fewer than the Lakers and two fewer than the Celtics. The shortest span of three Sixers winning MVP was 16 years, from Chamberlain in 1968 to Malone in 1983. Advertisement Chamberlain and Malone both won MVPs with two organizations. Chamberlain's first MVP came in 1960 with the then Philadelphia Warriors. Malone won back-to-back MVPs in 1982 and '83 — in '82 with the Rockets and '83 with the Sixers. Malone was also the 1979 MVP as a Rocket. More: When will 2024-25 NBA awards be announced? Schedule set for most winners Thunder: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2014 to 2025, 12 years) Not to jinx SGA (ballots have long been turned in), but he's going to win. In doing so, he'll be the third Thunder to win MVP in the last 12 years. Sam Presti should probably have that on his resume. Presti drafted three MVPs in Durant, Westbrook and James Harden — who won his MVP in Houston — and traded for another in SGA. Advertisement More: Could OKC Thunder trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if former NBA MVP leaves Bucks? Teammates Kevin Durant, left, and Russell Westbrook pose for photographers during OKC Thunder Media Day in Chesapeake Arena on Monday, Sep. 29, 2014. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman NBA teams with multiple MVP winners 76ers (5): Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid Celtics (4): Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird Lakers (4): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant Rockets (3): Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden *Thunder (3): Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Bucks (2): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giannis Antetokounmpo Bulls (2): Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose Spurs (2): David Robinson, Tim Duncan Suns (2): Charles Barkley, Steve Nash Advertisement Warriors (2): Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry *Assuming SGA wins MVP Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@ . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at . This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could become OKC Thunder's third NBA MVP
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
On this day: Bob Cousy's last game as a Celtic; Frank Ramsey drafted
On this day in Boston Celtics history, Celtics point guard luminary Bob Cousy finished his career with the Celtics with a bang in 1963, defeating the longtime Boston rival Los Angeles Lakers 112-109 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals four that year. The win secured Boston's fifth consecutive NBA championship. Cousy scored 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists in his final game as a Celtic, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor. The Holy Cross alum played for 13 seasons with Boston, virtually his entire career apart from seven games as player-coach for the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-70 season. Advertisement He would win six championships with the Celtics, and be elected to 13 NBA All-Star Games, among many other honors over that stretch. Cousy averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in his time with Boston. Feb 22, 1961; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy (14) defends Los Angeles Lakers guard Rod Hundley (33) at the Forum. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports It is also the date of the 1953 NBA draft, which was held in Boston, Massachusetts. Several notable players were taken by the Celtics, including a trio of Kentucky Wildcats. Lou Tsioropoulos was the first, a forward drafted 24th overall, and would play three seasons for Boston. Tsioropoulos averaged 5.8 points, 4.8 boards, and 1.1 assists in those seasons. Forward Cliff Hagan was the second, selected 13th overall, but never played for the Celtics. Instead, he served in the military and was dealt along with center Ed Macauley for big man Bill Russell's contract in 1956. The third of the trio was Hall of Fame wing Frank Ramsey, taken fifth overall. Ramsey would go on to win seven championships over his nine seasons in the league, all with Boston. He averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game over his career. Advertisement It is also the date of the 1954 NBA draft, held in New York City, and in which Boston drafted two players of note. The first was Red Morrison, taken out of Idaho with the 14th overall pick. The center would play two seasons with the Celtics, recording 3.8 points, 5.6 boards, and an assist per game with the team. The other was wing Togo Palazzi, selected with the fifth overall pick of the draft out of Holy Cross. Palazzi would play three seasons with Boston, putting up 5.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game over that stretch. Boston, MA - 1/1/1960: From left, Boston Celtics players Tom Heinsohn, Bill Russell, Capt. Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Frank Ramsey pose together at the Boston Garden in Boston circa 1960. (Boston Globe Archive/) --- BGPA Reference: 170504_BS_001 Today is also the date of the 1973 NBA draft, again held in New York, in which the Celtics selected two players of note. The first was forward Phil Hankinson, taken with the 35th overall pick from the University of Pennsylvania. He would play two seasons with Boston -- winning a title with the team in 1974 -- and averaged 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds over his career. The other was center Steven Downing, drafted with the 17th overall pick out of Indiana. Downing would play two seasons with the Celtics, logging 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game before being waived in 1974. Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Bob Cousy's last game; Frank Ramsey drafted
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2026 NCAA men's basketball championship odds: 5 way-too-early title predictions
2026 NCAA men's basketball championship odds: 5 way-too-early title predictions Freshmen don't win championships. That was my stance before the 2025 NCAA tournament, and my position has only hardened since watching Duke flame out in the Final Four and the national championship be played between two veteran-laden teams. With that in mind, my favorite way-too-early picks to win the 2026 title aren't the teams winning on the recruiting trail and grabbing the top one-and-done prospects -- though that doesn't hurt. Rather, I like the teams that project to have a decent amount of returning players from rosters that won this year. Of course, this is almost impossible to gauge right now with players hopping in and out of the transfer portal and others trying to get a read on their NBA draft stock, but I gave it a good effort to come up with five teams I think have a good shot to win the 2026 national championship. First, let's take a look at odds for the early favorites at FanDuel. Now, for my favorite way-too-early picks: Arizona gave Duke its toughest game of the tournament prior to the Final Four, and though the Wildcats are losing leading scorer Caleb Love, three starters could be back for a team with an incoming class of players that includes two top-40 prospects -- one being five-star Koa Peat -- and LeBron James' youngest son, Bryce. 4. Michigan State (+3500) The Spartans are tied for the longest odds of any team on my list, but with Tom Izzo as coach, they might also have the highest floor; because if nothing else, we know they'll make the tournament. To help with that, they'll likely return a handful of players from this year's Elite Eight team, including Jaxon Kohler, who scored a team-high 17 points in their loss to Auburn. 3. Purdue (+1400) Only one player from Purdue's Sweet 16 roster this year was a senior, so there's a world where nearly the entire team is back in 2025-26. That includes four starters and Cousy award winner Braden Smith. How does BYU top its deepest tournament run in more than a decade? Bringing in the top recruit from the class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa, certainly helps. But the 6-9 forward is going to need some help, and he could have it with the potential return of leading scorer Richie Saunders and fellow starters Keba Keita and Mawot Mag, among others. 1. Houston (+1200) If Houston can keep a few or all of Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, Joseph Tugler and Terrance Arceneaux to carry the tradition of toughness and deep tournament runs Kelvin Sampson has built, the Cougars will continue to be a national title contender. Especially with one of the best incoming recruiting classes, which already includes two five-star prospects and a third top-20 player.
USA Today
06-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 14 - Bob Cousy (1950-63)
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 14 - Bob Cousy (1950-63) The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. And for today's article, we will continue with the fourth and final of 4 people to wear the No. 14 jersey, Boston Hall of Fame guard alum Bob Cousy. After ending his college career at Holy Cross, Cousy was picked up with the fourth overall selection of the 1950 NBA draft by the (then) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now, Atlanta Hawks). The New Yorker would play the first 13 seasons of his pro career with the Celtics, however, after he was dealt to the (defunct) Chicago Stags, who then disbanded, Cousy ending up with Boston in the dispersal draft. After his storied career with the Celtics ended, his number would be retired. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Cousy wore only jersey No. 14 and put up 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on: Apple Podcasts: Spotify:
