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Fox News
38 minutes ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Caitlin Clark leaves Fever's win in tears as she appears to suffer injury
Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night in tears as she appeared to injure her groin after firing a bounce pass to teammate Kelsey Mitchell. Clark had scored nine consecutive Fever points when she dribbled toward Mitchell and made a nifty pass as Mitchell cut backdoor. After Mitchell made the lay-up, Clark gingerly went back down toward the basket and banged her head against the padding. She came off of the floor in tears and wrapped a towel around her head. Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters after the game that Clark "felt a little something in her groin" toward the end of the game and came off the floor, according to the Indy Star. She was being evaluated. Clark has missed nine games so far this season due to injury. She had been working her way back from a groin injury and was placed on a loose minutes restriction when she returned. On Tuesday, she managed to score 14 points with eight rebounds and eight assists in the game. However, her shooting woes have been prevalent over the course of the season as she's tried to power through injuries. She came into the contest shooting 1-for-28 from deep on the road. Clark was set to be in the 3-point shooting contest and play in the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend, but it appears those two added events to her calendar are in question. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Times
38 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
NBA Summer League brings hoops, and Kevin Garnett assists with film festival
LAS VEGAS — If he had an unlimited budget — a Steven Spielberg-esque budget — Kevin Garnett would go in any number of directions cinematically. 'My friend, his nickname is Waterhead,' Garnett began on the phone before beginning again, perhaps contemplating what kind of project could best explain Waterhead's life. 'I would like to have a 'Narcos,' kind of — well, I watch a lot of documentaries. One of my favorite documentaries is 'The Men Who Built America.' It's five to six different people: Carnegie, Vanderbilt, names that we would know, Rockefeller. A bunch of names from yesteryear that made the jump, have made the way. … 'The second thing I would probably do is a Black 'Entourage.' I'd do a LeBron [James] comes to the league out of high school, and he has three or four friends with him, and they enter the league, like, boom. Nobody to better know that story than myself, which I find comical. You can tell some interesting tales and watch the growth of a player, a young man to a man, a player turning into the face of the league, having children himself, being a father. I just think that story is so dope to tell. Advertisement 'And, I'd also like to do something like 'Billions.' 'Billions' was one of my favorites. Like a 'Godfather,' one of the classics. I would love to do a Black 'Godfather,' showing the origins of a Black man and his rise. Almost like if you did like a Robert Smith, kind of dissecting his whole life, and the challenges he had to go upon, going all the way back to his parents. … and you can't forget about the low-life stories, too.' The Hall of Famer is determined to be as great in the storytelling space through his Content Kings Studios production company as he was during his 21-year NBA career — highlighted by a 2008 title with the Boston Celtics, as well as being one of only five players in league history to win both the league's Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. (The others were Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Hakeem Olajuwon — the only player to win both in the same season.) Garnett is now looking to give current players a chance to branch out into telling their own stories – through movies, podcasts, streaming and other entertainment options. And he'll do that this week at NBA Summer League, as part of the second annual Summer League Film Festival. Garnett is listed as a co-host for the event, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Center, the annual co-home for Summer League games, along with the connected Cox Pavilion. 'I've lived a dope life,' Garnett said. 'I've lived a crazy life, both up and down. And I'm very humbled and very blessed to be sitting here, speaking on a lot of things, to be able to have survived a lot of things to speak on. I think a lot of young people are going to scripts. When you hear me go into storytelling or talking about something, it's because I'm trying to give some type of path to some lost m—f— or a little, young, lost m—f— that don't know their way. 'We need that. We forget that we need a script, or we need an example sometimes. It helps.' A post shared by NBA Summer League (@nbasummerleague) The SLFF is the latest innovation from Las Vegas Summer League co-founders Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall to make the 11-day event — already a haven for hardcore basketball fans — about more than just the games. Actor/producer Mark Wahlberg is lending his name to the festival, as well, with multiple screenings through the final day of summer league. Advertisement More than 30 projects will be part of this year's festival, including documentary shorts that detail, among other subjects, the circumstances and communities that raised the likes of Nikola Jokić in Serbia, Luguentz Dort in Montreal and Udonis Haslem in Miami. Having an extra 3,000 to 5,000 people who might not come through during the second week of summer league — as most teams shut down their top prospects after the first few games — is a modest goal. 'It's also to expand the experience here,' LeGarie said. 'In order to keep it fresh, you can't just keep doing the same thing and hope that people think Febrese is enough. It isn't. You still have to bring some fresh excitement. More importantly, summer league is about storytelling. What better way to tell your story than with film? And also, it's a social media marketplace.' Among the films that will be screened at the festival: Garnett was one of the producers of the well-received Showtime documentary 'Goliath,' which focuses on the life of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain. Content Kings, co-founded by Garnett, Brian Bennett and Mike Marangu, is involved with multiple productions, specializing in IP development, production and post-production services. 'Being able to connect the OGs from the past and the kids today, Kevin's that ultimate bridge,' Marangu said. 'As he always says, you're looking at it through a new lens. His OGs were Hakeem, Jordan, (Charles) Barkley. These young kids now, they can't see past the Kobe years. Just being that bridge, being that ambassador, that's not just sports, entertainment, business … it's a new wave, and he's the ultimate person who lived that and still appreciates what happened back then, and also appreciates these young kids now. 'As we were looking at the film festival opportunity, there's just so much that these kids want to do in the media space and don't know how. … There's a career path. You can be a pro at something else.' Advertisement Garnett had a well-received turn in front of the camera in Adam Sandler's 'Uncut Gems' in 2019, playing himself as an unwitting witness to Sandler's degenerate gambler's spiral. He estimates followers got only about '60 percent' of his actual personality during his post-playing stint hosting 'Area 21,' and his segments on TNT's 'Inside the NBA' that ran for a few seasons. A post shared by Marcadorrd (@marcadorrd) Garnett's not looking to become a movie star in this next stage of life. He wants to become a collaborator and conduit for other athletes looking to define themselves to the world through film and video. Putting his name with the film festival is a way of giving back to the next generation. 'Anybody and everybody that knows me knows I'm a bet on myself. I'm gonna bet on my team,' Garnett said. 'I'm not afraid to step outside of my box and do something that other people haven't tried. Just because somebody else tried it and failed doesn't mean you're going to fail. The first thing I want everybody to know is that seeing is believing. … When it's in your heart, it's in your heart. If you're in production, if you've got a vision and you want to do something for yourself, you can go out here and do it. Garnett considers what he does 'a real business for me.' He wants to be a resource for those looking to do streaming and production. He is 'putting a flag in the ground' for those wanting to develop. The film festival is the perfect place to showcase that talent. 'Anybody, any players that come to our festival, they can say, 'Ah, s—, Big Fella did this; I can do my version of this. I can get my story out here, that I can own and build content while I'm a rookie,'' he said. 'When I was young, I didn't really say a lot. I don't think the league and the world gave me any credit for the knowledge that I had. … There's a lot of s—- that I don't even look to take credit (for). It's part of the craft; it's part of the wave.'
New York Times
38 minutes ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside the Raptors' defensive blueprint: What fuels them and who they look up to
LAS VEGAS — If the Toronto Raptors are going to make a move up the Eastern Conference standings next year, their defence will give them the biggest nudge. While there are plenty of questions about the Raptors' offence, as the team is short on 3-point shooters, there are reasons to be optimistic about the defence. From Jan. 1 through the end of the season, the Raptors finished as the seventh-best defence. If you only consider their 27 games after the All-Star break, they ranked second, behind only the Detroit Pistons. Advertisement Now, the Raptors played a notably weaker schedule late in the season, and several key players were missing in the final month-plus. However, Scottie Barnes seemed to be playing at an All-Defense level, while several younger players helped make the Raptors difficult to play against. That was on display again to start the Las Vegas Summer League, as the Raptors turned their opponents over regularly. With that in mind, The Athletic caught up with four Raptors who also have played in summer league: sophomores Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead and Ja'Kobe Walter, as well as rookie Collin Murray-Boyles. If defence is going to be the Raptors' foundation, it seems reasonable to wonder what the players think matters most on that end, what types of plays they love to make, which opponents they admire and how good they think they can be when the real games start. Mogbo: His instincts, his reactions. I feel like if you can see the ball, see the hips, read the defender well and if you have good hands, not just out there just reaching and not out there playing (randomly), your instinct is really important. Murray-Boyles: The willingness to do it. Wanting to defend is the first step in being a defender and wanting to make an impact on that side of the ball. … I think just trying to find where I could stand out (allowed him to strive to be a good defender). That was the biggest thing for me. I was never the one to have highlight tapes. I was never one to wow people with my offensive game. I'm just gonna do the right thing, try to make the right plays. I was just trying to stick out as much as possible. And I put a lot of that on my defence. Shead: I'd say his ability to stay in front of the ball. A good defender on ball is just not needing any help. A good defender off ball is just keeping his eyes on a swivel and seeing where there's help needed and being in the right position. So I think there's two really big parts to that, on and off the ball. Advertisement Walter: I'd say active hands. Active hands, always mirroring the ball, always trying to make the offensive player worry about you. Length lets you dictate when he's doing that, not letting him dictate you, just getting to him, making him move the ball around, just pressure him. Mogbo: Probably a passing lane steal, and now it's just fast break, showtime. You see your teammates jump on the bench and be like, 'Yeah, he's about to tear the rim off.' That's the best. Murray-Boyles: Probably just getting a stop. I feel like that's the biggest thing that is attributed to play defence, getting a stop and being able to make a play on offence. Steal, block, (forcing a) bad shot, (forcing a) shot-clock violation. All of the above is good for me. Shead: If I get a tipped pass or something on the floor and I get the loose ball and it leads to a bucket for us, that turns me up. I think that's that Houston Cougar in me. That turns me up. Walter: When the opposing player, they turn their head, and I get to come behind and steal the ball. I love that. Just always seeing when they don't really realize that you're still locked in and guarding them, too, even though you're off the ball. Mogbo: I think I had two of them: against Philly at home and Brooklyn, where I blocked the shot and I ended up either getting the ball off the blocked shot and throw a dunk or my teammate got it and passed to me. I think one was Kelly Oubre and the other was (Maxwell) Lewis. Murray-Boyles: I think my freshman year I had probably the best block of my career against Vandy. That was probably the best chase-down (block) I've had in my life. Shead: We were at Xavier (in college). I was having a terrible game. I subbed back in. It wasn't really a defensive play. It was off an offensive rebound. Ball was on the floor. I dive, get it, we get the ball and dunk and I'm slamming my hands on the floor. I literally hurt both of my hands. Hardwood is hard. Walter: I had a couple during the end of the year where I got an open-court steal. There was one against Dennis Schröder on the Pistons, just 'cause we were on a comeback and it was flowing with the game. We were all turned up, and that just kept it going. Mogbo: There are a lot. Davion (Mitchell) was pretty crazy in practice. We didn't match up often. But when I had the chance to, I was trying to get off the ball a little bit. He's a good defender, and his energy is contagious. Murray-Boyles: Oh, he played in Alabama last year. Transferred to Kentucky. He was just an overall good defender, probably one of the best defenders in the SEC. I don't even think he was on the (All-Defense team). Mo — Mo Dioubate. He was the guy that shut me down. He was really good, very physical, almost a similar style to me. Physical, knows how to use his hands. He did a really good job. Advertisement Shead: Marcus Sasser. Playing three years (in practices in college) against Marcus, he learned every move. I learned every one of his moves. We were just freaking destroying each other in practice until we got on the same team. I think my freshman year and sophomore year, the beginning of my sophomore year before we were both starters, man, we used to just terrorize each other. And it led to a lot of fights in practice. Marcus doesn't talk (trash). And then he just kind of will give you a 'Get out my way' or 'You suck.' A little something here and there. He doesn't really talk much, but when he does, it's annoying. Walter: Jamal Shead. Jamal is strong and he has a low centre of gravity. He slides very well. He meets you with physicality. And then, he has active hands. People don't even know that he's fouling, it's that simple, because you can't call everything. Mogbo: I'd probably say Herb Jones before he got hurt. His length, his ability to get (in) passing lanes, on-ball steals. Also, a little Dyson Daniels. I like the way he reads his opponent well. He gets a lot of pluck steals. I remember he got one in Memphis in clutch time and then he got a game-winning layup, too. Just seeing his eyes and just seeing how he reads his opponent very well, I kind of want to add it to my game. Murray-Boyles: I watch a lot of basketball, so I like a lot of different players. I like Draymond (Green), how he hustles, how hard he plays. I feel that's something I want to get to, that level of intensity all the time, the intensity he plays at. That's something I want to get at. Toumani Camara, his hands. His IQ is through the roof. … Lu Dort. If I watch anybody (the most), it's Lu Dort. He's the best, I feel like, perimeter defender in the league. He can guard any position. He's probably the main guy I try to take cues from. Shead: I wouldn't say just defensively, but defensively too: T.J. McConnell. That was my first (NBA) game where I was lost. He stopped everything. He is in the right place at every point in time. And on offence, even though he doesn't shoot 3s, he's still super hard to guard. I think everybody in the (NBA) Finals got a little bit of a taste of what I felt the entire time that I was guarding him. Walter: I like Tony Allen. Avery Bradley. I studied them, watching their highlights, like I was saying, how they have active hands all the time, getting deflections (on the) help side, on ball, it didn't really matter. Those two players. Kawhi (Leonard) locks up. Y'all know that, Toronto. Kawhi locks up — especially when he was on the Spurs. That's when I really saw it. Those three are mainly my favourite to watch. Mogbo: We've got a high ceiling. I feel like everyone can be very versatile, switch one through five, one through four. I feel like our talk and our (wingspans) definitely help a lot. It kind of crowds the paint a little bit. The offensive guys, they can't really see too much. They can't see over our defence because we got a lot of length and athleticism. Just bringing that to the table every game with our high motor and our talk, it is going to be a killer for us. Advertisement Murray-Boyles: Top-three defensive team in the league, easily. What we did (against the Bulls in Summer League, causing 33 turnovers in a 40-minute game) is a really good taste of what we could be. With the guys that we already have, our vets, it's going to be very good to see. Very excited — especially for this franchise, really getting back to winning and getting back to the postseason. Shead: Best defensive team in the league. I think you combine me, Scottie, Ja'Kobe, RJ (Barrett) can guard, Jak (Poeltl) is super smart. And if you get guys like (Immanuel Quickley), you get guys like Gradey (Dick), you get guys like (Brandon Ingram) to buy in — because everybody that's at this level can guard. It's just about if you want to. If we just follow Scottie's lead, because he's going to be super intense all the time, I think we got a good shot. Walter: Number one in the NBA. You saw after the All-Star break last year, we were No. 1 in the NBA. I say now that we all know that mentality and how we all play together, the chemistry of what we are trying to do, I'm not (going to be) surprised if we're No. 1.
Washington Post
38 minutes ago
- Business
- Washington Post
NBA owners to conduct ‘in-depth analysis' of possible expansion
LAS VEGAS — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that the league's Board of Governors green-lit during its annual summer meetings an 'in-depth analysis of all the issues around expansion.' The NBA, which most recently expanded to 30 teams in 2004, has long contemplated the possibility of adding a new team or teams, with Seattle and Las Vegas mentioned frequently as possible destination markets. Seattle was home to the SuperSonics from 1967 until a 2008 relocation to Oklahoma City, and Las Vegas hosts the NBA Cup and NBA Summer League tournaments.
South China Morning Post
39 minutes ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
‘Heart over height': Yuki Kawamura searches for NBA spot during Chicago Bulls summer stint
Yuki Kawamura came to Las Vegas with a simple goal: get a contract. Advertisement The second-year point guard understands the challenge. Last season, Kawamura was the shortest player in the NBA at 5-foot-8 (1.72 metres). No matter. He won a training camp contract, then a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. His playing time was not much – 93 minutes in total – but it was enough to showcase his abilities as a playmaker at the highest level. This year is no different. Kawamura knows he can make an impact in this league. And he will take any opportunity to prove that point, again and again. 'I believe I still can play in the NBA,' Kawamura said after his first NBA Summer League game with the Chicago Bulls. 'I want to get a contract – two-way, whatever. I just want to get a contract.' Summer league games are not typical NBA games. They move too quickly for fans of specific teams to pack the stands. So Friday's match-up between the Bulls and the Toronto Raptors was not punctuated with much in the way of applause or cheers – until Kawamura came on the court. Japan's Yuki Kawamura puts up a shot against Finland during their World Cup game in 2023. Photo: Kyodo When the guard entered the game midway through the first quarter, a row of fans decked out in hachimakis (helmet-scars) and Japan basketball gear sprang to their feet, lofting posters and blown-up photos of Kawamura's headshot.
