Worldwide Sports News

With NBA Media Days taking place this week, let’s take a look at some of the notable stories involving former Kentucky Wildcats.

Milwaukee Bucks

We’ve seen in the past that professional organizations tease some of their players by sneaking in a hat or shirt from another team for them to sign, and the reactions are always priceless. 

This edition of that is the Bucks sneaking in the players’ college rivals’ sayings or slogans, and Kentucky was featured in two of them. 

Tyler Herro was prompted to say “Go Cards!” and he responded, “No, sir. I don’t say that.” 

Boy Wonder wasn’t going to be fooled by saying that, and was holding strong to his old Kentucky home and the school he had tattooed on his body. This is coming on the heels of Herro making some noise this offseason after he recreated the iconic TJ Ford pictures. Good offseason so far for the bucket.

Nate Ament, a former Tennessee Volunteer, was given the saying, “Go Big Blue!” and he said it, and it sounded incredible. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Nate!

Oklahoma City Thunder

Otega Oweh is prepared to start his professional basketball career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and at his first-ever NBA Media Day with the Thunder, he was asked a question that people could see coming from a mile away. 

“We know you spent time at OU and then Kentucky. They’re playing each other in a couple of weeks. Are we going to see you at the game in, like, the split-down-the-middle jersey, or are you going to pick a side?

Oweh’s response may shock some people, he said: “It’s crazy; I was just talking about that, like, I want to say yesterday. I probably don’t have enough time now to get a split jersey, but I’ll be supporting for sure. I’m not going to say who, but I just want to see a good game. 

Well, Big Blue Nation would prefer an answer somewhere in the Ballpark of “What’s a Sooner, I’m a Wildcat”, or “No question, I’m Big Blue all the way”. It’s a 26-minute drive from Paycom Center, where the Thunder play, to Gaylor Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners play football, so I would say it’s easier said than done. 

Hopefully, Oweh is there in a T-shirt with one of his buzzer beaters against the Sooners on it, but that may be wishful thinking. Very thankful for his time in Lexington; now we need to see him rep the blue and white.

Philadelphia 76ers

The offseason NBA news has been all about the move of LeBron James leaving the Lakers to join the 76ers, and rightfully so. With that, Kentucky fans get to celebrate, or not, the fact that James now has a couple of Wildcats as his teammates and could potentially cut down the nets with them. Tyrese Maxey and Justin Edwards are now partnered up with the King and have high hopes for the city of brotherly love. 

My favorite takeaway from 76ers Media Day, though, is the pair of shoes Justin Edwards decided to wear for the special day. He chose to don the Kobe 5 Grey Kentucky PE’s in his pictures. As a lifelong, die-hard Kentucky fan and a big-time sneakerhead, this made me smile. Such a beautiful shoe on a player that all of BBN and I are rooting for this year; love to see it.

A Michael Jordan jersey from his 'Last Dance' season has sold for $12.3m (£9.3m), a record for a piece of game-worn Jordan memorabilia.

He wore the jersey in game three of the 1998 NBA Finals, his last season with the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan helped the Bulls win the series 4-2 for his sixth and final NBA Championship. He was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player in all six.

The previous record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia was $10.1m (£7.6m) for his jersey from game one of the 1998 Finals.

The game three jersey was put up for sale by entrepreneur Ryan Gough and sold at Joopiter, Pharrell Williams' digital auction house, which gave it an estimated price of $10-15m (£7.5-£11.3m).

Jordan's 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello was sold for $2.7m (£2m), four times the auction record for that model.

"Few objects in the history of sport embody greatness as completely as Michael Jordan's game three jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals," Joopiter said in the auction posting.

"Worn during the Last Dance... it marks the culmination of an era that transformed basketball into a global cultural phenomenon.

"Today it stands among the most important game-worn sports artifacts ever to come to market."

The record price for a piece of game-worn sports memorabilia is the jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth when he "called the shot" during the 1932 World Series, which was sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024.

• Why everyone’s talking about The Last Dance
• Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt sells for £7.1m

After putting together the best season of his NBA career, big man Neemias Queta enters next year with a familiar mindset: there’s still room to grow.  

The Celtics big man took a significant step forward last season, establishing himself as a reliable part of Boston’s rotation, but he isn’t treating that progress as a finish line. Instead, Queta is focused on continuing to round out his game and finding new ways to contribute.  

During Media Day, Queta was asked about the areas of his game he has emphasized improving heading into the season. He pointed to his mobility as a particular focus, an area in which he believes he has already made significant progress. 

“I’m working on my mobility. Obviously, I feel like I’ve taken great strides in that aspect, and I want to be able to keep on improving in that. Being able to be more versatile,” Queta said. 

In a separate Media Day interview, Queta expanded on those comments.  

“My versatility has gotten better, my ability to shoot the ball [has], too. Being able to be more of a mismatch killer too is going to be something that I’m trying to rely on this season,” Queta explained.  

What particularly intrigues me about Queta’s developing versatility and mobility is the potential stress he can place on defenses with the ball in his hands, particularly as a handoff keeper and downhill driver. We saw flashes of this last year.  

But when Queta says his mobility has improved over the offseason, I believe him. That progress was evident during his time representing his home country of Portugal in FIBA competition. 

 When discussing how playing in this setting can shape his development, Queta emphasized the opportunity to expand his role and experiment with different aspects of his game. 

“When I go down there, I’m scoring the ball a little more… I see it as an opportunity to get better.” 

Queta also highlighted the value of stepping outside his familiar structure of the NBA.  

“You might be able to test different coverages and different methods that you’re not as used to doing over here [in the NBA] and check your comfort zone, too.” 

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has also noticed Queta’s development in this area, saying at practice that, “The area that he’s gotten more confident in is just making plays, whether he’s in the seam, catching in the paint versus a small, just when he has the ball in his hands, something happening and not getting rid of it because we want something else to go to.”  

Queta, having a bigger impact as a handoff keeper/driver this year, aligns with the Celtics early intention on developing different ways to attack on offense.  

During Media Day, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens described the direction coming out of the coaches’ meetings, saying, “It seems like there’s a lot of leaning into different ways to attack and different ways of playing.”  

Additionally, Stevens noted, “At times in the past…in the biggest moments we’ve had a tendency to be stagnant. I think this group can be more versatile in those ways.” 

To me, this is ultimately about having as many viable counters as possible available at any moment. I don’t want Queta to start isoing and crossing over opposing fives every chance he gets, but I do think he is more than capable skill and athleticism wise, to make his own offense especially when these opportunities will be coming with premade advantages.  

Playing alongside Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, and Derrick White naturally creates opportunities for Queta, as defenses are forced to devote significant attention to those perimeter threats. If Queta can consistently capitalize on the openings that attention creates, it gives the Celtics another layer to their offensive attack. 

The Celtics have had only three official practices since Media Day on Monday, but most of them have been balling at The Auerbach Center since the summer and some roles might already be solidifying. From their media availability and post-practice comments, we’re getting some dribs and drabs of what’s already getting established.

We’ll know a little more when the team returns from South Carolina and certainly after their first preseason game in Cleveland on October 8th, but let’s read between the lines jump to a couple of way-too-early conclusions.

Baylor Scheierman will start at QB

Scheierman hinted that he’s looking forward to more playmaking opportunities this season. The former high school quarterback pointed to his basketball IQ and situational awareness as strengths in his game. And after some glowing early reviews, it’s not farfetched that the 26-year-old gets a promotion to the starting lineup.

“The other day, Baylor, I think he got like four offensive rebounds in one possession, and I just said, ‘I like him.’ That’s all I need to know. I like him. I like him a lot,” Mike Conley said on Wednesday. “And obviously, he did a bunch of other things other than that, but his willingness to crash and keep possessions alive and make the right reads was impressive — stuff like that sticks out to me.”

Boston will most certainly pick up his fourth-year option for next season; the bigger question is whether or not Brad Stevens will lock him up with a rookie extension. If Joe Mazzulla has any influence with the front office, Scheierman could be here to stay.

“Baylor’s a guy that is extremely professional with his work and his development. If a guy earns it more, he earns it more. I also think it’s a natural progression for our team. The more guys that we have being able to do more things, the better it makes them,” Mazzulla said. “Baylor works on his craft. Yes, he’s great at the hustle stuff and the offensive rebounds, but he takes the other stuff just as serious. I think he’s gotten better at it more this summer.”

Here’s former CelticsBlogger Jack Simone on the emerging Scheierman:

Paul George is replacing Jayson Tatum, not Jaylen Brown

When Brown was still a Celtic, it was Tatum that would come out midway through the first and third quarters to be the bridge between the first and second units. Now, he’ll most likely be the early workhorse and obviously the closer in even quarters. However, the highlight here is less about Tatum and more about Paul George.

Pre-training camp stories are always drawn from the well of wishful thinking. And with that qualifier, by all accounts including himself, Paul George is feeling great and looking like his old self so far. The 36-year-old is entering his 17th season, but consider this: he only played 78 games for the 76ers over two seasons, not unlike the 95-game sabbatical Al Horford took in two years split between Philadelphia and Oklahoma City.

Even if it’s just for 62-67 games this season, if George can tap into a vintage version of his former self, he could be the Robin to Tatum’s Batman and the veteran scorer next to Pritchard and the rising tide lifting all boats off the bench.

I built a potential rotation using a roster-building tool created by CelticsBlog’s Nate Moskowitz. You’ll see that George’s minutes lines up a ton with more specialized wings like Sam Hauser and Jordan Walsh. Mazzulla can only do that if PG13 can carry a superstar-lite load.

Pencil in Neemias Queta as a starter, too

Queta coined the term “Big Fella University” for the center room that includes himself, newly signed Mitchell Robinson, his battery mate from last season, Luka Garza, and young bigs Chris Cenac Jr. and Amari Williams.

But if we’re being honest, Queta graduated from BFU a long time ago. Following in the shoes of Luke Kornet, Neemy shuttled between Maine and Boston on a two-way contract, earned a standard deal, and this summer, signed a four-year, $56 million contract to solidify his standing as a franchise cornerstone moving forward.

And if seeing is believing, along with Scheierman, is getting a lot of run with the black shirts that include Derrick White, Paul George, and Jayson Tatum:

Over the summer, Queta worked on his mobility and ability to score and drive away from the rim. He showed off some of that off during his FIBA play this summer and if that translates to the parquet, any debate about whether he or Robinson starts is moot. Queta will be the big man on campus.

And for what it’s worth, four players have bobblehead nights at TD Garden: Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and…Queta on January 27th.

Let’s check out the Southeast Division Dub Nation, a spicy part of the NBA this year. Last season, the Warriors split two with Miami, and only one of them still stings. The Heat took the first one 110-96 in November, against a Golden State roster so short-handed it looked like a Santa Cruz scrimmage. Then on MLK Day at Chase Center, the Warriors won 135-112, and in the third quarter Jimmy Butler came down awkwardly on his right knee and didn’t get up. Torn ACL, against the one team on the schedule he’d most want to beat. Basketball has a mean sense of humor sometimes.

So here we are. Steph and Draymond are still chugging along, still making a way out of no way, with Jimmy in tow and working his way back. He told everybody at media day his testing numbers are off the charts and he’s ahead of schedule, which is exactly what Jimmy would say, and I believe him anyway.

And the man is happy here. You remember how he left Miami. January 2025, after a loss to Indiana, Butler stood at the podium and said the quiet part out loud: “I want to get my joy back.” Somebody asked if he could find it in Miami. He gave them two words, “probably not”, and a few weeks later he was a Warrior. Bad knee and all, he found joy.

Which makes this Heat summer kind of beautiful, because Miami turned around and became the place other stars go to find theirs. Giannis Antetokounmpo spent a year being dragged through every trade rumor on earth in Milwaukee and finally got out. Klay Thompson took a buyout from Dallas and signed with Miami in late August. Two guys who had soured on where they were, landing in the same building as Bam Adebayo, the one guy who never left. Riley went shopping in the clearance aisle of NBA discontent and came home with a two-time MVP and a four-time champion.

It wasn’t cheap. Miami sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and three first-round picks to Milwaukee to make the Giannis deal happen. Then they spent the rest of the summer filling in around him with Klay, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis and extensions for Andrew Wiggins and Pelle Larsson.

Now here’s the question I actually can’t stop chewing on. Are Bam and Giannis the greatest modern NBA frontcourt? Let’s be honest about who’s ahead of them. Tim Duncan and David Robinson are clearly first: two MVPs on one front line, with two titles together. Ben and Rasheed Wallace have the 2004 ring and enough technical fouls to fund a small city. And dammit I’m gonna put Draymond Green and Kevin Durant here too, two titles with Draymond at center and KD doing whatever he wanted at the four.

Call that the Banner school of thought. You want to be the best frontcourt, show me the rings.

Then there’s the Freak school of thought, and it deserves real weight, because nobody on that list was built like this. Giannis is a 7-footer who runs like a wing and finishes like a truck. Bam can guard all five spots, and last March he dropped 83 on Washington, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. The AP summed it up in four words, “It’s Wilt, then Bam,” and I still don’t fully believe it. One of these guys can give you buckets every night; the other one gave you 83 in a single night!!!

The problem is space, which is why Klay matters more than his age suggests. He spent years spacing the floor so Draymond could run the offense from the elbow without anybody guarding him honestly. He’s done this job before, he’s just 36 now doing it in Florida humidity.

From where we sit, Miami’s in the East, so this team matters to Golden State twice a year and then again only if June gets weird. But those two nights are going to be appointment viewing. Draymond versus Giannis is one of the best defensive staredowns of the last decade, Klay walks into Chase wearing Miami red for the first time, and Jimmy gets another crack at Miami after his last meeting ended with that knee injury.

If you really want an answer on the best modern frontcourt, there’s one guy in Miami who can tell you from the floor. Klay’s about to watch Bam set a screen and Giannis roll to the rim, and he’s going to recognize the feeling, because he won four rings standing next to Draymond and two of them standing next to KD too. If Klay says this one’s better, Dub Nation, I want to hear it from him in March, after they’ve played.