Latest news with #NBA-level
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Yuki Kawamura sparks Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan's legendary spirit fueling NBA rise
Yuki Kawamura sparks Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan's legendary spirit fueling NBA rise (Image Source: Getty Images) Chicago is buzzing ahead of the 2025–26 NBA season. The Chicago Bulls have their eyes on a new point guard who could bring something fresh to the second unit. His game is fast, his story is inspiring, and his path to the league has been anything but ordinary. Yuki Kawamura joins Chicago Bulls ahead of 2025–26 season On July 15, the Chicago Bulls made an announcement. They signed Yuki Kawamura, a 24-year-old guard from Japan's national team. The team said Yuki will join their training camp in Chicago at the end of September. — msports_all (@msports_all) Yuki got noticed after playing in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He also played for Yokohama B-Corsairs in Japan's People liked his speed, good passing, and how he leads on the court. NBA scouts watched him closely. The Bulls believe Yuki will be a strong player for their bench this season. While Kawamura is adapting to the NBA's pace, he is also learning to navigate life in the U.S. 'It's about understanding both the game and the culture here,' he told reporters during a media session at the Advocate Center on August 1, 2025. Michael Jordan 's lasting legacy guides new Bulls talent Although Michael Jordan retired in 2003, his presence still shapes the Bulls' identity. Kawamura, who grew up watching Jordan highlights on television in Fukuoka, Japan, said he draws inspiration from the six-time NBA champion's mentality. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo During the Bulls' summer program in Las Vegas in early July 2025, Kawamura spoke with Scottie Pippen Jr., who shared stories about how his father, Scottie Pippen, learned from Jordan's work ethic. 'It's about showing up every day and competing like it's the Finals,' Kawamura said. Bulls general manager Marc Eversley explained on that the franchise keeps Jordan's values alive through training habits, discipline, and focus on winning. 'Yuki understands what this jersey represents. He plays with pride,' Eversley noted. Kawamura had his first unofficial practice session with teammates Ja Morant, Jaylen Wells, and Scotty Pippen Jr. at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 13, 2025, when he was still visiting U.S. training facilities. The session, captured by Petre Thomas of Imagn Images, gave him a taste of NBA-level competition before signing with Chicago. Also Read: Julius 'Dr. J' Erving breathes new life into Rucker Park legacy bridging streetball and NBA dreams For Kawamura, joining the Bulls is not just a career step—it's a chance to be part of a legacy. 'Wearing this jersey means carrying history. That pushes me,' he said in an interview with ESPN. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
USA Today
02-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nets' Egor Demin did what was asked during Las Vegas Summer League
Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin had plenty of people watching how he would handle his first taste of NBA action in the Las Vegas Summer League that happened last month. After being selected by Brooklyn with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Demin showed in Las Vegas that he could have a future as an off-ball contributor, something that the coaching staff liked to see from him. "Yeah, his role here (Summer League) was WAY different than what we're going to ask him to do in the regular season," a Nets coach said of Demin's role in the summer league, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith. Demin, who came into the Draft as the best passer in the class, did not spend nearly as much time with the ball in his hands as he did during his one season at BYU, but that was by design. "But that's what this is for, right? We tasked him to shoot it from deep and to shoot it a lot. He did exactly as he was asked," the Nets coach continued. "We know about the playmaking. This was a chance to see if he could get his shot off against NBA-level defenders. He did and those shots went in a lot too. We couldn't be happier with his work here (Summer League). Demin, 19, finished the 2024-25 college basketball season with a 24.9% usage rate as he was clearly the point guard for the Cougars and was making all of the decisions for the team. After playing three games for the Nets in the summer league, Demin finished with a 19.4% usage rate as he had to share the ball-handling responsibilities with players like fellow rookies Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf, among others. As the Nets coach alluded to, Demin played more of an off-ball role than he has at any point over the past few seasons and the results were encouraging for what his future could be in the NBA. Demin not only shot 43.5% from three-point land, but he shot that well 7.7 three-point attempts per game, showing that the concern over his jumpshot may have been a bit overblown based on the early results.
Los Angeles Times
31-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
LeBron James and Maverick Carter meet with Nikola Jokic's agent about starting a new league
A proposed international league described as the F1 of basketball gained attention over the weekend when Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, posted a photo on Instagram of him meeting in shorts and bare feet with LeBron James and the Lakers star's business partner Maverick Carter on a yacht off the coast of the French Riviera. Raznatovic accompanied the photo with an intriguing comment: 'The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026! @kingjames @mavcarter The post triggered speculation that perhaps James and Jokic could team up on either the Lakers or Nuggets, but more likely it suggests James has more than a peripheral interest in the new league. Front Office Sports reported in January that Carter was advising a group of investors trying to raise $5 billion to jump-start the league but that James wasn't involved. That may have changed. So what's the league about? Early discussions are of a touring model with six men's and six women's teams playing in eight cities, none of which are likely to be in the United States. Investors include the Singapore government, SC Holdings, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, a Macau casino operator, UBS, Skype founder Geoff Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, according to the Financial Times. Reports have linked VC firm Quiet Capital, tech investor Byron Deeter and Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment to the effort. Investors are leaning toward not allowing players in the league unless they cut ties with the NBA, making the model somewhat like LIV Golf — the professional circuit funded by (PIF). A better comparison in terms of format and scale might be Formula 1 Racing, which holds 24 races a year across five continents. Raznatovic's involvement would be key. His Belgrade, Serbia, agency BeoBasket has a partnership with Excel Sports Management and represents dozens of top European players, including Clippers center Ivica Zubac. The EuroLeague is currently recognized as the world's second-best basketball circuit, but can't come close to paying players NBA-level salaries. If Raznatovic's social media post is an indication, the new league could launch as soon as the fall of 2026. Until then, fans wanting an alternative to the NBA can check out Ice Cube's tour-based Big3 basketball league, which makes its single stop in Los Angeles on Aug. 9. The LA Riot, coached by Nick Young and starring Dwight Howard and Jordan Crawford, will play the Boston Ball Hogs at the Intuit Dome at 1 p.m. PDT.
USA Today
27-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Current 2025-26 Philadelphia 76ers depth chart after offseason moves
The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to move on from a miserable 2024-25 season in which they finished 24-58 in a year where contending for a title was the expectation. Instead, injuries decimated the roster and affected the team's star trio the most. Joel Embiid was limited to only 19 games. Paul George played 41. Tyrese Maxey played "only" 52. It wasn't just the stars either as Jared McCain was limited to 23 games in his rookie season and other important pieces missed time as well. It was an overall just tough year for the Sixers. As the attention now turns to 2025-26, the Sixers made moves around the margins in an effort to improve the supporting cast. Assuming they re-sign restricted free agent Quentin Grimes--which is the expectation--here is how the depth chart looks for Philadelphia at the moment: Point guard Starter: Tyrese Maxey Depth: Kyle Lowry, Hunter Sallis (two-way deal) Maxey is coming off a season where his shooting percentages (43.7% overall and 33.7% from deep) are down from his career norms. Likely due to the fact that defenses loaded up on him to slow down Philadelphia's offensive attack. Assuming the Sixers will have a clean bill of health in 2025-26, Maxey should get back to his All-Star level for Philadelphia. As far as the depth is concerned, Lowry is back after he played only 35 games in the 2024-25 season. One could assume that this season, his 20th in a Hall of Fame career, could be the final one for him and he could take on more of a mentor role. The rookie Sallis is likely to spend time in the G League playing for the Delaware Blue Coats. McCain can play some minutes here as well. Shooting guard Starter: Jared McCain Depth: VJ Edgecombe, Eric Gordon, Sallis McCain was on his way to being in the Rookie of the Year race as he averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from deep before having to undergo surgery in December to repair a laterally torn meniscus in his left knee. As he prepares for his second season, one can assume he will be the starter due to his shooting ability. Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, is somebody who could eventually take over the starting role, has to improve as a 3-point shooter. It was a tough go at it in the summer league, but he showed off his elite NBA-level athleticism and was able to produce at a high level on the offensive end. Gordon is back to fire up his usual assortment of 3-pointers. Small forward Starter: Quentin Grimes (assuming he returns) Depth: Kelly Oubre Jr., Justin Edwards Grimes, who remains unsigned, played well for the Sixers after the trade acquisition from the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 46.9% overall and 37.3% from deep in 28 games. He is currently a restricted free agent and is widely believed to return to Philadelphia. His shooting ability will be important for the Sixers on the offensive end. Oubre is set to return and give the Sixers a jack of all trades. He can score in isolation, can move off the ball, and make an impact on the defensive end as well as on the glass. He is going to be a key piece, and also could be a tradeable asset. Edwards is entering his second season and will give Philadelphia a 3-and-D option for the bench unit. Power forward Starter: Paul George Depth: Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker (two-way deal) All eyes will be on George entering the 2025-26 season. Coming off a disappointing first season in Philadelphia in which his offensive numbers were down across the board, the 9-time All-Star was battling injuries while adjusting to a new system and situation. He then had offseason surgery on his left knee so it will be interesting to see how he looks when the new season begins. Watford and Walker are two players who are expected to give Philadelphia some good production off the bench. Watford is somebody who can give the Sixers a ton of versatility as somebody who can make plays with his passing and an overall versatile player from the big man spot. Walker, a 3-year big man, is on a steal of a two-way deal in Philadelphia. He should be on a standard deal very soon. Center Starter: Joel Embiid Depth: Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Johni Broome, Dominick Barlow (two-way deal) Everything begins and ends with Embiid. The health and status of the big fella is going to decide how far Philadelphia goes and that was obvious when he played only 19 games in 2024-25 and the Sixers struggled. He averaged 23.8 points in those 19 games, but shot only 44.4% from the floor, 29.9% from deep, and averaged only 7.8 free throw attempts. Those are not Embiid-like numbers. He has to be 100% healthy for Philadelphia to have a chance at contention. As for the depth, Drummond was limited to only 40 games due to a bothersome left toe injury and his numbers were down a bit. A healthy Drummond can make a difference for Philadelphia. However, the Sixers should probably do their best to give time to Bona, Broome, and Barlow as Philadelphia begins looking ahead to the future.
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sixers' Hunter Sallis talks handling the ball, summer league lessons
LAS VEGAS -- The Philadelphia 76ers are using the summer league as a way to evaluate their youngsters and continue helping them grow at the next level. Undrafted rookie Hunter Sallis is one of those players who needs the necessary court time to develop and prepare for his maiden voyage into the NBA in the 2025-26 season. The Sixers will be looking for Sallis to do a lot of different things on the floor. He will be looking to score and show off what made him a special player at Wake Forest, but when watching these summer league games, there have been times when the ball is in his hands and he has been asked to run the offense from the point guard spot. "I'm definitely confident having the ball in my hands," Sallis said at summer league practice on Monday. "Just making the right play. That's something that they've been preaching all of summer league, especially during our training camp. So just trying to go out there and make a read for myself or others and get the right play." Sallis is averaging 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 3.2 rebounds in his four games thus far in Las Vegas. He has shown off an athletic ability that will help him transition to the league sooner rather than later. He has NBA-level athleticism and is somebody who can put the ball in the basket when he gets on a heater. With one summer league game left on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, Sallis is looking to continue his NBA education. He revealed the lessons he has learned about the league in the early part of the summer league. "I mean, just knowing like every possession matters," Sallis said. "Especially, in games. Like you see our last game we played, like, that came down to every single possession that mattered. That's what the NBA is all about. So it's just that's really been the biggest thing. You can't take any plays off." Sallis will look to end things on a strong note on Friday before the summer league ends.
