Latest news with #OklahomaCityThunder
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
A year later, ESPN loves Thunder additions of Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein even more
After being the youngest first seed in NBA history, the Oklahoma City Thunder pivoted to win-now moves in the 2024 offseason. The rebuild was over as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren established themselves as one of the best trios. The Thunder wasted little time building around them. They traded Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso. That one-for-one deal was met with praise. The Thunder flipped their worst starter for a role player who perfectly fits their brand of basketball. Soon afterward, the Thunder backed up the Brink's trucks to lure in Isaiah Hartenstein. He signed a hefty three-year deal to leave the New York Knicks. That move was also met with praise. He was the perfect traditional center to pair next to Holmgren. One NBA championship later, safe to say both moves will greatly age for the Thunder. They were Sam Presti's final touches to a basketball masterpiece. The 2025-25 Thunder went down as one of the greatest teams in league history with the best point differential ever and a title to cap it off. ESPN's Kevin Pelton recently revisited the 2024 offseason. He brought out his marker to regrade all of the big deals. For the Thunder, that meant hearing more praise on the savvy moves to bring in two textbook role players that enhanced their playoff chances. "After limiting Caruso's minutes during the regular season, coach Mark Daigneault relied heavily on him during the playoffs," Pelton wrote. "Caruso started the second half of Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets and was asked to defend three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in what became a blowout win. He also played an important role in the NBA Finals." Pelton gave the Caruso deal an "A" for the Thunder when it happened. It remained there a year later. The 31-year-old's importance multiplied the deeper they went into the playoffs. It got to the point he was one of the five most important players. Meanwhile, Hartenstein's addition received a bump. He went from an "A-minus" grade to an "A." The 27-year-old had a career season where he averaged a double-double. The Thunder needed that type of production from him as they dealt with injuries. "The only concern with the Thunder signing Hartenstein was how he might fit alongside incumbent center Chet Holmgren. Injuries prevented us from seeing that duo until February, but they started together for all but the first three games of the Finals during Oklahoma City's title run," Pelton wrote. "Hartenstein was outstanding defensively, and his screening and high-post passing proved important offensively." Whether you're a basketball supergenius like Pelton or more of a casual viewer, what Caruso and Hartenstein brought in their first years was pretty evident to see on the court. They helped the young Thunder grow up and played winning basketball.
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Tyrese Haliburton praises Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after NBA Finals: 'MVP for a reason'
Despite having every reason to be upset with how the 2025 NBA Finals played out, Tyrese Haliburton has stuck with his glass-half-full perspective on life. The Oklahoma City Thunder won a decisive Game 7 over the Indiana Pacers to capture their first championship. But Haliburton's torn Achilles hovered over the legacy-defining game. Once he went down, the Thunder jogged their way to an NBA championship. Nobody on the Pacers could make up for what the All-Star brings both as a scorer and playmaker. Alas, Haliburton's absence rubbed some folks the wrong way. They view it as a cheap title for the Thunder. Of course you're going to win a game where TJ McConnell was relied upon to create buckets. That said, it comes with the territory of sports. There was always a risk involved as Haliburton played through a calf strain. Appearing on ESPN's "Pat McAfee Show," Haliburton had no sour grapes about the Thunder's championship. He went out of his way to compliment Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He's fresh off one of the greatest individual seasons ever highlighted by an MVP, Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP trophies. "Shai is the MVP for a reason. I think that he gets paint touches at an elite level. Does a great job of getting to his spots, can score at all three levels," Haliburton said. "The season he put together is one of the greatest seasons in NBA history." Haliburton has always been complimentary towards Gilgeous-Alexander. He called him the MVP before he won the trophy. What made it more daring for him to say that was that Nikola Jokic was still in a two-man race. He almost led one of the biggest upsets ever but fell just short. A championship counts all the same for the Thunder. They received some injury luck, sure. But so did every other NBA champion in league history. What happened to Haliburton is unfortunate and altered the Pacers' long-term future, but it would've been unreasonable to expect him to sit out with a championship within grasp.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: I'm The Best Player In The World
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: I'm The Best Player In The World originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first NBA championship with his 29-point performance in their 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7. He was awarded the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award after averaging 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in seven games of the NBA Finals. Following the celebrations and press conference, Gilgeous-Alexander sat down for an exclusive interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews. Here's how their conversation went about Gilgeous-Alexander's claim to being the best player in the world. "Inevitably, the conversation after someone wins a Finals MVP it always turns to it; that player can claim being the best player in the world. Are you ready to take that title?" "Yeah, for sure, it's another goal of mine to stand at the top of the mountain. The way I have this year has been pretty fun, it's definitely one of the things I want to check off my list." Andrews: "Can you say you've checked it off?" SGA: "Sure, why not?" SGA On Joining Elite List With Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the fourth player in NBA history to win the regular season MVP award, the scoring champion in the season, and the Finals MVP Award in the same season. It was first accomplished by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971), then followed by Michael Jordan doing it four times with the Bulls (1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998) and Shaquille O'Neal (2000). When Robin Roberts of Good Morning America asked him how he felt about this, Gilgeous-Alexander gave a humble response. 'Yeah, it's hard for me to even wrap my head around. But it just goes to show like when you work hard, when you focus on the right things, when you take care of the right things, and you stick with that program for a certain amount of time, you can achieve anything. Most importantly, when you dream and go after it that anything is possible.' Is Gilgeous-Alexander The Best Player In The World? Having won both the Michael Jordan MVP Award and the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of basketball at the moment, the 'top of the mountain,' as he put it. However, being the best player in the world is something that cannot be constant all the time. While he may be the most accomplished, one could argue that he is not the most skilled individually. Basketball is a team sport, but unfortunately, its comparisons usually come down to individual matchups. Winning the MVP award means he was the best player on the best team in the NBA this season. However, statistically, Nikola Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander's competitor for the MVP Award, had a much better all-around performance than he did. Nikola Jokic averaged 29.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 9.9 assists in 84 games he played in the 2025 regular season and playoffs, nearly a triple-double. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.0 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 99 games played in the 2025 regular season and playoffs. Therefore, in my conclusion, Gilgeous-Alexander is the most accomplished basketball player in the world at the moment, but he is not the most skilled player story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Black America Web
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
LeBron James Caught Rapping 'Not Like Us' On Vacation With Jeff Bezos, X Rides For Drake
Source: George Pimentel / Getty Social media has its foot on LeBron James' neck and for once it's got nothing to do with the NBA GOAT debate. King James is trying to enjoy what may be his last NBA offseason, and that includes vacationing with friends and family, which is how he found himself in Cannes, France. The only problem is that while out grabbing dinner, he was seen vibing a bit too hard to Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us.' A hyped up James and his wife Savannah can be seen sitting next to friend Maverick Carter singing along to the now-infamous 'A minorrrr' line. To make matters worse, billionaire Jeff Bezos is seen filming the moment as his newly minted wife Lauren Sanchez dances along. It's only the latest fracture in James' relationship with Drake, because the NBA champion chose to publicly support Kendrick Lamar during the beef instead of his longtime friend. He was even spotted dancing to the diss track at Lamar's Juneteenth Pop Out concert, which immediately caused a riff with Drake, who then changed lyrics on 'Nonstop' to 'how I go from 6 to 23 but not LeBron.' Then Drizzy cemented that there was no coming back from his disloyalty by covering up his James tattoo with one of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the fellow Canadian native who won this year's NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Drake has been the butt of all jokes about the beef on everything from subtle jabs, wearing a bullet-ridden hoodie to show his friends shot him in the back, and addressing the signs he missed on 'What Did I Miss?' That track even had a bar that seemingly references Bron, when Drake raps, 'I saw bro in the Pop Out with them but been d-ckriding gang since 'Headlines.'' But seeing James turn up to 'Not Like Us' on vacation has rubbed fans the wrong way, and they're suddenly looking at his broken friendship with Drake a bit differently. The Los Angeles Lakers have found new rappers to hang out with, recently appearing in Tyler, The Creator's video for Stop Playing With Me.' Which also features Drake hater Pusha T alongside his brother Malice as Clipse. See how social media is roasting King James below. LeBron James Caught Rapping 'Not Like Us' On Vacation With Jeff Bezos, X Rides For Drake was originally published on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nets' Egor Demin reacts to first NBA action in Las Vegas Summer League
LAS VEGAS -- Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin played his first game as an NBA player in Thursday's 90-81 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Las Vegas Summer League. Demin, the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft came into the league with a fair amount of hype, but his performance against the Thunder showed his strengths and weaknesses. "I don't want to say I actually had this feeling of like first game excitement. I think this feeling got out before we got on the court for me, personally," Demin said following his outing of putting up eight points and four rebounds in 22 minutes. Demin had a slow start to the game as he shot 0-for-3 from the field and had two turnovers and two fouls in 10 first-half minutes. "I was really trying to be dialed in and stay focused and from the first second, try to give my best effort," Demin continued. "I was talking before, for me, it was about effort. I wanted to give the best energy I can, the best effort on defense and offense, and try to be as impactful as I can be for the team." Demin's second half not only showed more of the positives of his game in terms of his long-range shooting and rebounding, but it also displayed his ability to bounce back from a rough start. Demin will most likely be looked to as one of the primary, if not the main, ball-handlers on the Nets for the 2025-26 season and along the way, he will have to learn how his game translates to the next level. Demin came into the Draft as arguably the best passer in the class, but Thursday was not the best representation of what his passing can do for an offense. Demin posted zero assists to two turnovers, but as he learns how to best make plays with the ball in his hands, he will be fine. "I prefer to say I'm a playmaker. I just really want to learn how to make plays," Demin explained. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Egor Demin reacts to first NBA action in Las Vegas Summer League
