Latest news with #G-Leaguer
Express Tribune
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Social media reacts after Mavs send Anthony Davis to G league ahead of return
The Dallas Mavericks have assigned Davis to their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, allowing the 10-time All-Star to participate in full practices and scrimmages as he recovers from a strained left adductor. Davis, acquired in the high-profile Luka Dončić trade, has played just one game for Dallas since the Feb. 8 deal, posting 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks before exiting with an injury. Social media had a field day with the news. Traded Luka for a G-Leaguer 💀 — Stevie (@RaptorsShaq) March 17, 2025 While sources indicate discussions about shutting Davis down for the season, the former NBA champion remains determined to return. His presence could provide a crucial boost to a Mavericks squad that has been battling roster shortages due to injuries. Los Angeles Lakers fans were quick to point out the downturn in Davis' fortune ever since he was traded for Luka Doncic. Ever since, the Slovenian Luka has been instrumental in Lakers' upturn in form. They sent my guy AD to the G League smh — LakersSpin (@LakersSpin) March 17, 2025 Dallas has been operating with the league-minimum eight active players multiple times in recent weeks, including in Sunday's home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Guard Jaden Hardy, who has missed seven games with a sprained ankle, was also assigned to the Legends as he nears a return. Meanwhile, two-way players Kessler Edwards and Brandon Williams are approaching their NBA game limit, further restricting the Mavericks' options. Despite an open roster spot, Dallas is hard-capped at the first apron and does not have the financial flexibility to sign a player to a 10-day contract under the league's hardship exception. It's funny when people tried to defend the Mavs trading Luka for AD by saying 'well with Anthony Davis they have a better chance to win a chip in the next 2 years' but that never made any sense because Luka Doncic is currently better than Anthony Davis lmfao — Brandon Awadis (@brawadis) March 16, 2025 With the postseason race tightening, Davis' recovery timeline could play a significant role in determining the Mavericks' fate down the stretch. Biggest name to ever be assigned to the G-League? — NBA Hoops Online (@NBABoards) March 17, 2025
Boston Globe
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘Magic in the Air' is a slam dunk on a game that was defined by its joyful pursuit of aesthetic brilliance
In the aftermath of last weekend's NBA's All-Star debacle — which felt not like a celebration of the sport, but more like a corporate retreat hosted by an achingly obnoxious Kevin Hart , with intermittent basketball interludes — Sielski's lines more than lingered. It felt like a diagnosis demanding an overdue treatment. Advertisement So I asked him: How do we get back there again? ' Adam Silver sure would like to know,'' said Sielski of the NBA commissioner. 'You know what I think it is? I think there's an aesthetic aspect that basketball is missing.' Not entirely, and not all the time, he noted. We agreed that Stephen Curry sticking long-distance daggers into Team France, for instance, during the gold medal men's basketball game in the Paris Olympics is about as aesthetically pleasing as sports can be. But familiarity and redundancy has sapped a sense of wonder, Sielski said. Mac McClung — the G-Leaguer and gymnast-in-basketball-gear who jumped over a car on his way to winning the dunk contest for the third straight year — is the rare exception. And even McClung comes with a bit of a sideshow aspect considering he has played all of five NBA minutes this season. 'The true joy of basketball derives from watching these athletes do what they do in a breathtaking way,'' said Sielski. 'The reason McClung is brought back for the dunk contest, and the reason why people remain interested in him, is because physically he defies every stereotype. He's a short white guy, which suggests to the average viewer that there's a challenge in him dunking the ball. It seems extraordinary when we see him do it and I think that sense of wonder has been lost because we've seen so much that it's impossible to match the feeling of seeing Julius Erving or Michael Jordan dunk for the first time. That feeling is retained a little bit with someone like McClung, sort of like with [5-foot-6-inch dunk champion] Spud Webb in the '80s. Advertisement 'Basketball right now needs more of those feelings, the sense that you're watching something extraordinary and maybe even unprecedented. The NBA has to find a way back to that somehow.' Such joy is easily found in Sielski's book, which is not a chronological narrative history of the dunk, but structured rather as a series of compelling chapter-by-chapter stories that could stand as exceptional long-form features on their own. My favorites were on Joe Fortenberry , a massive Texan who played for the 1936 US Olympic team in Germany and was credited by New York Times sportswriter Arthur Daley with the first dunk, and David Thompson , the sky-walker for North Carolina State at a time when dunking was banned by the NCAA, and later an ABA and NBA superstar who became a what-if with the Denver Nuggets. 'I wanted to write a book that would be in-depth and tell the story of something in full, but also would be something that someone could pick up and read Chapter 8, and then Chapter 4, and each one would just be it's own self-contained entity,'' said Sielski, who said he was inspired by his friend Tyler Kepner's book, 'K'', which told the story of baseball through history of all the different pitches. 'I realized that the dunk would allow me to write about all of these gigantic figures in sport — Jordan and Dr. J and Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain — and tell some lesser-known stories too, like Joe Fortenberry's. Advertisement 'The end result, I think,'' he said, 'is that the book itself is full of joy.' Netflix's "Court of Gold" is worth a Thirty Ink Basketball docs are must-watch While the NBA may be searching for certain answers, we might just be in a golden age of documentaries about basketball. Netflix's 'Court of Gold,'' a behind-the-scenes look at the men's basketball competition at last summer's Paris Olympics, will turn you into a Kevin Durant fan if you're not already. And not just because he wears a Bruins hat through much of the six-part series. HBO Max's 'We Beat The Dream Team' doc — a way overdue telling of the band of US college stars that beat the original (and, really, only) Dream Team in a scrimmage during their tuneup for the '92 Olympics — is also excellent. And, around here, the most anticipated basketball doc of all – HBO Max's epic nine-part 'Celtics City' docuseries, executive produced by Bill Simmons – drops March 3. ESPN, MLB to end partnership The word Thursday night that ESPN and Major League Baseball will mutually end their 3½ decade rights partnership after this season wasn't a surprise, though it was not expected to be announced this soon. But for those of us that permanently have the 'Baseball Tonight' theme song rattling around in our heads, it is sad news. As Celtics radio voice Sean Grande noted on Thursday night's broadcast, it's disconcerting that ESPN is splitting with baseball, and TNT and the NBA are going their separate ways in the same year. Two sports television divorces that we couldn't have imagined even a few years ago … Ch. 7 is carrying four Red Sox spring training broadcasts, starting with Sunday's 1 p.m. matchup with the Blue Jays … Joe Buck will call a national MLB game for the first time since leaving Fox in 2021 when he handles play-by-play for the Yankees-Brewers Opening Day matchup on ESPN. I've missed Buck on baseball, so count me among those who have longed to hear it. Advertisement Chad Finn can be reached at
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Worst All-Star Weekend EVER!? NBA, TNT, LeBron & Kevin Hart TORCHED by KOC!
Kevin O'Connor spared no one from a total evisceration of the NBA All-Star Weekend, especially the new Sunday night game format. Why did TNT make the night more about themselves than the players? How did Commissioner Adam Silver allow an All-Star Weekend in San Francisco without Steph Curry in the 3-point contest? How is Kevin supposed to be excited about a "G-Leaguer" that "only uses props" in the Slam Dunk contest? KOC loves LeBron but says he's to blame as well for pulling out of the All-Star Game last-minute! EVERYTHING All-Star is a mess according to Kevin and Dan Titus. The guys also break down the several weird sound bytes from Draymond Green, including he and Jimmy Butler both being "alpha" personalities, Dray's prediction that the Warriors will win the title THIS season, and Green allegedly "turning down" the Warriors' Head Coaching position in the future once Steve Kerr retires. 0:22 - Team Shaq Wins 41-25! MVP: Steph Curry (2nd ASG MVP) 2:16 - Was Wemby Impressive? Injected energy into Team Chuck 3:40 - New Format vs. East vs. West – Which one's better? 5:35 - Charles Barkley vs. Draymond – Did Dray's generation ruin the NBA? 6:52 - How To Fix All-Star Weekend – KOC & Dan's ideas 9:41 - Giannis' Big Idea – Team USA vs. World + Global ASG Cities 12:20 - Mac McClung 3-Peats in the Dunk Contest 17:49 - Draymond on Butler & GSW's Title Chances 19:08 - Did Draymond Turn Down Future GSW HC Job? Serious or trolling? 21:08 - Fantasy Basketball Breakout Players w/ Dan Titus 26:36 - More Fantasy Pickups – Who's worth adding? 32:51 - Thanks for Watching! Like & Subscribe! 🖥️
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ja Morant, Giannis Antetokounmpo float return to superstar dunk contests, inspired by Mac McClung
Are the stars returning to the dunk contest? Ja Morant sounds ready. As does Giannis Antetokounmpo. Morant, inspired by G-Leaguer Mac McClung's sensational perfect run to a three-peat in Saturday's dunk contest, suggested that he was ready to throw his hat into the dunk contest ring. Morant made his proclamation on social media, just minutes after McClung defeated Stephon Castle in the final of Saturday's dunk contest at the NBA's All-Star Saturday night in San Francisco. mac might make me decide to dunk — Ja Morant (@JaMorant) February 16, 2025 Morant then sent out feelers to fellow top dunkers Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. zach & AG wassup 👀 — Ja Morant (@JaMorant) February 16, 2025 LaVine and Gordon didn't immediately reply. But Giannis Antetokounmpo saw Morant's tweet and says that he's in. As long as Morant's actually in. If you do it. I'll do it with you 💯 — Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 16, 2025 Which, whoa. Sign us up. McClung's sensational efforts notwithstanding, the dunk contest has largely been a dud for years. This is due in large part to a lack of star power. See Saturday's contest that featured G-Leaguer McClung, Bucks role player Andre Jackson Jr. and rookies Stephon Castle and Matas Buzelis. They're nice players, but these aren't the first names to come to mind for the marquee of All-Star Saturday's headliner. This is a contest that once featured Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Julius Irving — in the same contest. Jordan and Wilkins were regular participants and faced off twice. Kobe Bryant won it in 1997. Vince Carter won it in 2000 in what's considered by many the greatest performance in dunk contest history. But with a few exceptions, star power has fizzled since the turn of the century. Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin and Donovan Mitchell have all won it since. And LaVine and Gordon put on a dunk contest for the ages in 2016. But names like these are the exception since the turn of the century. LeBron James never saw fit to lend his talents to All-Star Saturday. And the star power's dwindled to a flicker since 2019 in contests that have featured Hamidou Diallo, Derrick Jones Jr, Anfernee Simons, Obi Toppin and McClung (3 times) as winners. All-NBA players like Morant and Antetokounmpo would signal a throwback to the days of the superstar dunk contests featuring sensational dunkers. Especially if, say, Anthony Edwards joins them. Add in McClung in a quest for a four-peat in a G-Leaguer vs. NBA superstars showcase, and the NBA would have appointment viewing next All-Star Saturday. Let's just hope that Morant and Antetokounmpo aren't teasing us.
