CHICAGO (AP) — Stacey King, who played on three consecutive NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls from 1991-93 before returning to the organization as an Emmy-winning broadcaster, has died. He was 59.

The Bulls announced that King died Sunday and said they were notified by a family member. No other details were immediately available.

“Stacey King was a cherished member of the Bulls family and one of the truly unique personalities in our organization’s history,” Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “His connection to Chicago, the Bulls and our fans spanned more than three decades — first as a player and later as the unmistakable voice that helped bring Bulls basketball into the homes of generations of fans. We will miss him deeply and remember the joy, energy, humor, candor and passion he brought to our organization, our broadcasts and our fans every day. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

King began his NBA playing career with the Bulls, who selected the 6-foot-11 forward/center out of Oklahoma with the sixth overall pick in the 1989 draft. He averaged 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds over his five seasons with the Bulls.

He played a total of eight seasons in the NBA during a career that also included stops in Minnesota, Miami, Boston and Dallas. King posted career averages of 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds.

As a broadcaster, King endeared himself to a new generation of Bulls supporters. He spent more than two decades as a commentator on Bulls games.

“Stacey loved being a Bull,” Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “You could feel it in everything he did — the way he played, the way he called games and the way he connected with our fans. He had a unique gift for bringing people together and making every game feel personal. He brought an energy and love for the game that came through in every broadcast, helping fans feel connected to our team. Whether it was through a broadcast, a conversation or a photo with a fan, Stacey made people feel seen and valued.

“We were fortunate to know him not only as a player and broadcaster, but as a friend. Stacey genuinely cared about people, and he made our organization better. We will miss him dearly, and his impact, memory and legacy will remain a part of the Chicago Bulls forever.”

King delighted fans with his memorable calls and nicknames. His enthusiasm was apparent every time the Bulls hit a big shot.

“We enjoy what we do,” King said last month on his “Gimme the Hot Sauce” podcast, a reference to a comment he'd frequently make after big plays. “It's a fun job. It never seems like work for me. Every night, I go to work, win, lose or draw, I'm having fun.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Three-time NBA champion and beloved broadcaster Stacey King has died, the Chicago Bulls announced Sunday, June 7.

King was 59 years old.

In a statement on social media, Bulls' owner Jerry Reinsdorf said "Stacey King was a cherished member of the Bulls family and one of the truly unique personalities in our organization’s history. His connection to Chicago, the Bulls and our fans spanned more than three decades – first as a player and later as the unmistakable voice that helped bring Bulls basketball into the homes of generations of fans. We will miss him deeply and remember the joy, energy, humor, candor, and passion he brought to our organization, our broadcasts, and our fans every day. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

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King was the sixth pick in the 1989 draft out of Oklahoma. His connection to the city of Chicago is undeniable as he was not only beloved as a player but as the team's color commentator for nearly 20 years.

A Philly hoops legend is taking on a major role for his hometown team.

The Sixers will reportedly promote Jameer Nelson to executive vice president of basketball operations, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Nelson was one of four candidates reportedly on Bob Myers’ short list to replace Daryl Morey before the franchise decided to hire Cleveland Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey. Nelson, who previously served as the team’s assistant general manager, was reportedly the only internal candidate under consideration.

Nelson is one of the most decorated local players in history. The Chester native attended Chester High before heading to Hawk Hill to play for St. Joe’s. Nelson had one of the finest college careers of any Big 5 player. A fantastic four-year run culminated in a magical 2003-04 season in which the Hawks went 27-0 during the regular season, finishing as the No. 1 team in the country. After a disappointing early exit in the A-10 Tournament, St. Joe’s made it all the way to the Elite Eight, losing a 64-62 heartbreaker to Oklahoma State. Nelson was named the Wooden Award winner as college basketball’s top player among a slew of accolades.

The 6-foot guard was selected 20th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2004, but was immediately traded to the Magic. Nelson then spent the next decade in Orlando and was named an All-Star in 2008-09. All told, he spent 14 years in the NBA playing for the Magic, Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons before retiring in 2018.

Not long after his playing career ended, he was tapped by the Sixers to be the assistant general manager of the Delaware Blue Coats, the team’s G League affiliate, in 2020. He was promoted to GM in 2023-24 and was promoted again this past season as assistant general manager of the Sixers. All indications were Nelson was well-thought of within the organization and would’ve held a big role moving forward, even if he wasn’t named president of basketball operations.

The announcement of Nelson’s expected promotion also coincided with the news of Elton Brand’s fate. Charania has reported that Brand will not return as Sixers GM, and will work in a new role with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. Charania added that Brand chose not to interview for the president of basketball ops position and has been supporting the team’s draft preparation.

In Myers, Gansey and Nelson, the Sixers have a triumvirate of former high-level basketball players leading things — a stark departure from the analytics-driven Daryl Morey. We’ll see if it’s a recipe for success.

“You’re gonna have a dude. You have to have a 1A dude. And they’re missing that.He too small.

“I have a philosophy: If your best player is small, you’re not winning. John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you can go down the list… Steph Curry is the only—he’s in a different class.” — Becky Hammon (Dec. 2023)

Sometimes, revisionist history sucks. Sometimes, revisionist history is facts.

And these days, having just wrapped up the first week of the sixth month in the Gregorian calendar, facts tell you Mrs. Hammon—or at the very least her take on New York Knicks point guard, captain, and franchise player Jalen Brunson—sucks.

I’m not here to retell the whole Brunson story once more—from Rick, to Mark Cuban by way of Dallas, to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award and the current NBA Finals 2-0 lead.

We’re past that. Way past that.

See, life’s a thing of highs and lows. Brunson, in the eyes of any and every New Yorker and Knickerbocker fan, is a franchise savior. But past miseries surely played in the big-headed’s favor.

By the time Brunson arrived in Manhattan, thanks both to his connection to the Knicks organization—one that started nearly 25 years earlier—and a rekindled relationship in the summer of 2022, New York had gone through their fair share of wretchedness.

Seven trips to the playoffs in the prior 23 years, starting in 2000 and following a five-game NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. 19 postseason wins to 33 losses. 771 regular-season wins to 1,073 losses. Six seasons above .500 to 17 with a losing record.

In the four seasons under Brunson’s guidance at the point, the Knicks have won 61.2% of their regular-season games, advanced to the conference semis twice, made the conference finals two more times and, in this the fourth year of the JB Era, finally clinched the long-chased NBA Finals berth.

Only the 94-98 Knicks and the 71-74 Knicks have put together better runs than the current Knicks. Only the latter won one title. The 2026 Knicks could match that following Brunson’s four-year run in town.

All of the above to get to the point of the article before it’s too late and I found myself having written more words about stuff unrelated to it than the actual thing.

Where does Brunson rank among New York’s all-time guards?

It’s inevitable to fall for the sugar rush these Knicks are giving us, considering Brunson the one and only man in history to save the franchise from relocating out of utter dysfunction, and crown him King Knicks Guard. Hell, even FanDuelstill considers JB the favorite candidate to end up winning the NBA Finals MVP at +115 over the actual, leading MVP candidate in everybody’s mind and boxscores, Karl-Anthony Towns at +165.

Even if the Knicks end up bottling this thing and losing the Finals in hellaciously historic and astonishing fashion (spoiler: not happening), Brunson has already secured his place as one of the bona fide Knicks greats. Do a quick search, and you’ll find a million boards. Here’s one from KD’s platform, just to make the post fancier.

As things stand, there is no debate in placing at least two or three names above Brunson in the all-time leaderboard—it is obvious that nobody is touching Patrick Ewing or Clyde for starters. Keywords: As things stand.

In a matter of days, likely no later than Wednesday night, Brunson will write his name in golden letters in the history books of the New York Knicks organization.

How many players can actually say that? Not a lot. How many of them played an important role at the guard positions for the Knickerbockers while at it? Fewer, if not just a handful.

There are plenty of ways to cut straight to the chase and get rid of plenty of no-names, as great as some of them might have been. Quickest pathway? Knicks’ retired numbers, a graveyard where Brunson’s No. 11 is already destined.

That’s it, that’s the list (with the omission of coach Holzman’s No. 613).

Within that list, Frazier, Dick Barnett, Dirk McGuire, and Earl Monroe played guard throughout their careers.

No. 1 — Walt “Clyde” Frazier

Frazier spent 10 seasons with the Knicks, made seven All-Star teams, earned seven All-Defensive First Team selections, won two NBA championships for New York and ultimately made the Hall of Fame. Not only that, but he even had a game worth replaying forever in his Game 7 performance in the 1970 NBA Finals, when he put up an extraordinary 36-point, 19-assist, seven-rebound performance to send the Los Angeles Lakers packing. No debate here.

No. 2 — Earl “The Pearl” Monroe

Monroe is probably where the debate starts, as silly as that sounds. For now (now meaning before Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals), The Pearl remains ahead. Monroe came to New York already established as one of the league’s great guards, and he simply took his game further in Manhattan, helping the Knicks win their 1973 title. He made four All-Star teams in his career, earned a place in the Hall of Fame, and started his career by being named the 1968 Rookie of the Year. That said, he didn’t rack up trophies as Clyde did, with no real personal awards in his resume.

No. 3 — Jalen “Captain Clutch” Brunson

Consider this placement just a stopgap toward greater heights, fellas. Brunson has already led the Knicks to the NBA Finals, he’s won multiple playoff series as the franchise’s No. 1 player and offensive engine, and once and for all put an end to the long and nonsensical drought at the point guard position in New York. Yes, Brunson is not really a man for awards outside of new-era crafted titles such as Cluth Player of the Year and all this flashy stuff, but he’s already earned three All-NBA call-ups and has won something no other lead guard in NYC ever did: the NBA Cup (lol). Anyway. Two more wins this month, and I’m moving JB up to No. 2, with all due respect to the elders and path-pavers.

No. 4 and 5 — Dick Barnett & Dick McGuire

McGuire, at the very least, belongs in the conversation, having made five All-Star teams as a Knick and later joining the Hall of Fame.

The same goes for Barnett, who was more of a taker than a giver and a legit shooter more than he ever was a passer. Even then, he was a guard and he makes the top-5 cut. An All-Star nod and two titles in his resume (he only played four games in the 1973 run, though) and his near-17 PPG only second to Willis Reed’s 24 in the 1970 playoffs, are more than enough.

The Rest — Mark Jackson, Michael Ray Richardson, Derek Harper, Charlie Ward, Stephon Marbury

Action Jackson won Rookie of the Year with the Knicks in 1988, made the All-Star team in 1989, and led the league in assists later in his career. Sugar Ray made three All-Star teams with New York and led the NBA in assists and steals in 1979-80. Harper helped steady the 1990s Knicks and started on the 1994 NBA Finals team. C-Ward won the 1994 Heisman Trophy before becoming a long-term Knicks starter and part of the 1999 Finals team. Starbury stole my heart from the get-go. That’s it, that’s the reasoning there—always remember the tough days.

Where do you rank Jalen Brunson among all-time Knicks guards? Is he already a top-3 all-time Knicks, no positions considered? Let us know in the comments section below!

In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox attended a series of meetings and plans were hatched to throw the World Series in favor of the Cincinnati Reds.

The fix was far from the first in baseball. At the time, America’s pastime was in its infancy and the notion of ‘integrity of the game’ was also in its infancy. Gamblers and players routinely fraternized, and the occasional fix was more or less accepted — maybe not always with good grace, but without a great deal of protest.

Then the World Series was fixed.

The response was not particularly swift. White Sox owner Charles Comiskey and the rest of the league’s owners spent most of 1920 trying to bury the story, but when a grand jury was convened to investigate the conduct of the Series in the context of laws against gambling in general, it became hard to keep a lid on what actually happened. In September of that year, Eddie Cicotte confessed and the scandal exploded onto the front page.

Ultimately, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the first commissioner of a U.S. professional sport, instituted lifetime bans against the eight players who sat in on meetings to throw the Series. Landis’ ban was based on players knowing about the fix, so even guys that arguably didn’t participate in the fix like Shoeless Joe Jackson were banned for life.

Fast forward to the 1980s in the NBA and maybe Gloria was right…

In the 1981-82 season, that prince of an owner, Donald Sterling, publicly suggested that his team should lose games to secure a top pick. He was fined a record $10,000 by David Stern, but there were no further consequences — not even when Sterling allowed the team’s active roster to fall as low as eight players that season.

Two years later, the Houston Rockets decided to sit their starters in order to secure the top pick in the pre-lottery draft. Their reward? One of the best centers ever to play the game, Hakeem Olajuwon. Granted it took a decade for that to pay off with a pair of championships, but the Rockets definitely benefited from playing to lose.

Also competing for the bottom of the draft that season? The Chicago Bulls. They got Michael Jordan with the third pick, and the rest, for them, is history as well.

In 1996-97 multiple teams, the Celtics included, tanked for a chance to pick Tim Duncan, in the NBA’s relatively new lottery arrangement which gave the worst teams better odds at getting a top pick.

In the 2010s, Sam Hinkie made tanking a publicly declared priority for the Philadelphia 76ers, with the team deliberately stripping itself of competent players in order to secure multiple top draft picks (picks which Hinkie wasted, for the most part, but that’s another story for another day).

Tanking has become as accepted an affront to the integrity of basketball as gambling once was in baseball.

There is no material difference between the players throwing games for monetary gain and GMs throwing seasons in order to secure high draft picks.

None.

In both cases, the individuals involved are deliberately doing less than their best in order to lose.

It’s true that the NBA has finally done something to minimize the most egregious forms of tanking, but this new system, with its dramatic rise in odds for 4-10 finishers has basically created a huge disincentive for teams that are ‘on the bubble.’ Teams sitting in the gap between the 10^th place in the lottery standings and the 19^th place teams that are assured playoff spots have little incentive to push for a better record and every incentive to play for a worse one.

If you finish in 11^th place, you get one lottery ball. If you finish in 10^th place, you get three.

All this new approach has done is change the way teams will choose to tank and how they’ll pursue it. Changing the goal from ‘being the worst team in the league’ to ‘being bad enough to get three lottery balls’ doesn’t change the fact that the team’s management is still trying to lose.

Sure, the optics might be a bit better, but tanking is still cheating. It’s still a violation of trust.

What can be done?

Sadly, not much. Gambling-influenced play typically comes out due to criminal investigations, where law enforcement agencies have both the power to seize communications and the authority to threaten real consequences against individuals complicit in these schemes.

Recall that it was a criminal investigation that brought the Black Sox scandal to light.

With a matter like tanking, there aren’t any laws being broken.

And in any event, tanking is often done with a nod and a wink. The NBA might have the power to compel teams to turn over emails and other correspondence, but these aren’t likely to feature an owner and a GM chatting about how they’re going to aim for a top pick in the lottery.

When tanking is egregious, as what happened with the Pacers and the Jazz this season, the league’s response is, basically, a slap on the wrist.

Yes, under the new lottery arrangement, the league has the ability to impose more severe punishment for conduct perceived as tanking, and this is a good first step.

However, like locked screen doors that only stop honest burglars, penalties for obvious acts of tanking only affect the stupidest teams. Any team can get around these penalties by cooking up plausible-sounding reasons for trading away good players (‘saving on cap costs’), and for resting starters (‘injury recovery’).

In order for tanking to stop, the collective attitude of fans — which is ultimately what drives league policy — needs to change. As long as we pretend that tanking is anything but cheating, it’s going to continue.

The game we’re promised is one where both teams are playing to win. We didn’t sign up for Gloria’s murky realm where some teams are playing to lose, because if they lose they win.

As long as we believe that trying to win is optional, as long as we’re content to see teams trying to lose, we will be complicit in the active undermining of the integrity of the game.

Who knew the Knicks had it in them?

I’m going to wrap up this column by noting that we might have another ‘fo-fo-fo’ in the making.

Yeah, this means that Jamie Dolan might get to hoist a Finals trophy, and it means that I got my “Spurs in six” prediction quite wrong, but in the end, I’m fine with it.

I don’t particularly care for the Knicks, but I’m sick and tired of the notion that the Western Conference is head-and-shoulders better than the East. It’s such an accepted narrative, that I’d be happy to see the East’s third seed spank the West’s second seed, even if it means having to deal with Knicks fans acting like this isn’t the team’s first championship since 1973.

With the C’s out of the playoffs, I’ve been in favor of maximum chaos, and the Knicks winning a title is about the maximumest chaos that we can get short of human sacrifice and dogs and cats living together.

Let’s have an annoying conversation.

Frankly, most discussion around the Houston Rockets these days airs on the side of irritating. They’re in an irritating position. The Rockets are young, but Durant isn’t. They’re good, but not good enough. They’re X, which is good, but they aren’t Y, which is better. The Rockets are like the time you saw your favorite artist live, but the seats were worse than you’d thought, and the guy in front of you is really tall, and even though you’re at the Kanye West concert, and he hasn’t had his antisemitic meltdown yet, it’s not as special as you want.

Ugh.

This conversation will be annoying because it’s going to be cliched. Two teams are in the NBA Finals. Every year, that leaves 28 teams (and their fans, and their semiprofessional writers) wondering how they got there, and how they can get there. It’s the age-old search for the NBA’s new meta.

Yet, here I am, writing the generic “what can the Rockets learn from an NBA Finalist” piece. Here’s the deal: These teams advanced to the NBA Finals. The Rockets did not. So surely, there’s something to be learned here.

From the Spurs, there isn’t much to learn. You just need to get so remarkably lucky in the draft that even rational people entertain conspiracy theories. You can draft Josh Primo, Blake Wesley, Jeremy Sochan, Rob Dillingham, an old man, and an infant all in the first round. If you get to draft Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper, you can just stash the baby on Amen Thompson and camp Wemby in the paint.

The Knicks are different. What they’re doing demands admiration. There was precious little luck involved in their process.

How did they do it?

The Knicks made smart, bold decisions

It starts with Jalen Brunson.

When the Knicks handed him a four-year, $104 million deal, you wouldn’t have to search far to find someone who thought it was an overpay. By the time he signed a five-year, $156 million extension, it was widely understood that he was taking a massive discount to enhance the team’s cap flexibility. Outside of that signing, this group was largely built on the trade market.

The Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and a pick deal evoked the Hitler vs. Stalin meme. The Knicks were flipping a losing player for another, slightly better losing player. A chorus of eye rolls.

RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby. This was perceived as a good deal, and it was. We’ll elaborate later.

Five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges? Outlandish. You’d have to win a championship to justify this deal, and the Knicks weren’t winning any championships. This leads me to the first quality this front office has shown that the Rockets could learn from:

Sheer, unadulterated audacity.

Let’s get back to that Anunoby deal. Barrett was 23. He was averaging a respectable 18.2 points per game. Rest assured that he had supporters who felt he’d reach his ceiling if the Knicks were just patient. The team identified him as a sub-championship player and moved him anyway.

It was bold. Fortune favors the brave. It’s a consistent theme in the Knicks’ decision-making process. They’re seemingly impervious to outside noise. This organization has done whatever it thought it needed to do. It has trusted its own internal evaluation process, and it has paid off.

This is not about any particular Rocket. Barrett, as a talented-but-flawed, productive young player, could be Thompson, Alperen Sengun, or Reed Sheppard. The point is that if the Rockets do not believe any one of these young guys could get on the floor in the NBA Finals, they should trade them and live with the fan outrage. The fans will calm down when the team is in the NBA Finals.

Did I mention the NBA Finals?

The Knicks have targeted playoff-proof players

Towns’ turn as a plus defender has certainly been unexpected. Now that it’s happened, take a look at the Knicks’ playoff rotation.

See any non-shooters besides Mitchell Robinson? See any defensive liabilities at all? That’s right, you don’t. One non-shooter. Zero defensive liabilities.

Here’s an analogy I’ve been toying with lately. A team’s offensive creation is its weapon. Shooting and defense are its armor. The defensive aspect of that analogy is obvious, but spacing the floor protects your star creator’s ability to create.

In the NBA Finals, you can afford as few weak links as possible. This isn’t unique to the Knicks. The Thunder, Celtics, and Bucks’ rosters were all similarly constructed. Even the Nuggets insulated the best offensive creator in the world (at the time) with a platoon of shooters and defenders.

Ultimately, this entire piece just reduces to another “Sengun and Thompson can’t shoot, Sengun and Sheppard are both questionable defenders” piece. It’s the reality the Rockets need to be facing. They should look to the Knicks, who realized they didn’t have a championship-caliber roster and took bold steps to build one.

That doesn’t mean trade everyone now. The Rockets can continue building through the draft. The first step is to find their Brunson (yes, I know Towns is on track for Finals MVP, but Brunson bears the brunt of the defensive pressure). It doesn’t matter how you do that, but once you do, you can’t be scared to part with beloved young players to put the right team around him.

In time, the Rockets might be fun to talk about again.

Why do we have to wait one more day to enjoy another Knicks game?

Who would have thought, but turns out ballers also rest on weekends.

We don’t, so here’s another Bulletin presented by your very own.

Mike Brown

On not looking too far amid the NBA Finals:

“One of the things that we preach is being present. In order to be present, you can’t think about the past, you can’t think about the future. For all of us as humans, that’s hard as heck to do.”

On reminding himself to stay present:

“I constantly — boom — flick myself in the head. Tell myself: be present, be present, be present. I obviously mention it to the group, too. With those guys being who they are, they’ve really embraced it, and they’re really trying to live it every single moment during this run.”

On the Knicks’ supporting cast stepping up in Game 2:

“Somebody is always there. Mitch defensively at the end of the ballgame. Mikal during a stretch of the ballgame was huge for us on both ends of the floor. You’re not stopping a guy like De’Aaron Fox. You’ve just got to try to make him work. We put Mikal on Fox in the second half a little bit and made him work. But what he did for us offensively when we were struggling and then when we took Jalen out was huge. He made big play after big play after big play. Landry hit a couple of big shots. Deuce (McBride) came off the bench late and hit a big 3 for us. OG was huge on his drives. Again, a lot of contributions from a lot of guys, and that’s why you like having a team because it could be anybody’s night on any given night. Our guys don’t care. They sacrifice for one another and we found a way to get a win.”

On Mikal Bridges’ two-way impact in Game 2:

“[Bridges] was huge for us on both ends of the floor. You’re not stopping a guy like De’Aaron Fox. You’ve just got to try to make him work. We put Mikal on Fox in the second half a little bit and made him work. But what he did for us offensively when we were struggling and then when we took Jalen out was huge. He made big play after big play after big play.”

On Landry Shamet’s opportunity:

“I’m talking about his whole career because he’s been a journeyman, but he probably deserved more of an opportunity because what he does out on the floor on both ends is very hard to find in this league, especially at his size, with is mental and physical toughness. We gave him an opportunity and showed him we loved him. He embraced it and he ran with it.”

On recruiting Shamet to New York:

“When I first got the job, I called Landry. I said, ‘hey, I want you here.’ I’m sorry about the way the circumstances are contractually. I have nothing to do with that, but I believe you can help us.”

Jalen Brunson

On keeping a 0-0 mindset heading into Game 3:

“I think our mindset was 0-0, not being up 1-0. Even with the series it is now, next game, mindset has to be 0-0 again. It’s just how it has to be. You can’t be comfortable. You can’t be satisfied with anything. Just continue to push forward.”

On trusting his teammates and working in the shadows:

“That’s just who they are. That’s who my teammates are. Night in and night out, they come and bring it. There’s always going to be things said, regardless of the situation, but I have the utmost trust and faith in them just because of the work ethic and the things that we’re able to do every day. When there’s no cameras and when we’re in the practice gym, when we’re in film, when we’re trying to be the best team that we can be, that’s when, in those moments, that’s when we grow.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On New York’s energy through Game 2:

“New York City showed up. The fans showed up. The energy showed up.”

On shutting down the narrative about Brunson’s struggles in the Finals:

“I’ll leave that question to you and everyone else. I’m just worried about the team result, which is winning. And for JB, you call it rough shooting nights. I see him hitting the free throw to give us the game, get Mitch a chance to get the stop for us to win the game. The last game, he hit some of the craziest shots I’ve seen to give us the game. So I don’t know if you say a rough shooting night. I see Captain Clutch doing what he’s always been doing since I got here . . . You know, he’s a huge part when it comes down to the actual, the game, to winning the game. Number 11 can’t be messed with.”

On the Knicks’ unity as the foundation of its success:

“This team leans on each other. I think that’s why we’ve gotten here. That’s why we had the success we had during the regular season even when things weren’t going great, because at the end of the day, when things do get tough and the trials and tribulations do present themselves, this team doesn’t disband. They don’t go away from each other. We lean into each other even more. We trust each other even more to get out of the rut. That’s what special teams do. Jalen knows. He has a national championship, and you’ve seen the camaraderie and unity they have.”

On the importance of enjoying the grind of the game:

“I didn’t get (a college championship), but I know the success I did have in my career has always come down to one thing: It’s been the unity of the team. How well does that team truly enjoy being in each other’s presence? Because the NBA season is a grind, and you’re going to be with each other more than you’re going to be with your families, your kids, and if you guys don’t truly enjoy the grind and the work that needs to be put in together, I don’t think success is possible. So it’s a testament to these guys, that’s where resiliency comes from, that we don’t want to let each other down. We do look at each other as family, as brothers, and we don’t ever want to see each other not succeed.”

Josh Hart

On the 2-0 lead meaning nothing:

“It’s still 0-0 as far as we’re concerned. Being up 2-0 means really nothing. The Spurs are going to come out on Monday [in Game 3] with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation, and we’ve got to be better.”

De’Aaron Fox

On trying to avoid making the wrong kind of history:

“We just got to try to make history not repeat itself.”

Stephon Castle

On the Spurs feeling good heading into Game 3 with a 2-0 deficit:

“It was going to take everything to win the series anyway. Putting ourselves in this type of predicament is going to be tough, but I don’t think it’s anything we can’t handle.”

Walt Frazier

On Victor Wembanyama’s missed game-winning jumper:

“I saw [the last jumper was off]. I could look at his face. He wasn’t shooting with confidence. He’s fatigued. He doesn’t know how to pace himself. That turnover? He was exhausted. Come on, that was egregious. [And then the] foul? Come on, man, you just lost the ball. Why are you fouling? You see, when you get tired mentally, you’re losing … a little calamity. And it cost them the game.”

On whether the series will return to San Antonio for Game 5:

“I don’t think so. I think it’s our destiny now, the way things have unfolded for the Knicks. Every game — the grit, the resiliency, the resourcefulness. I don’t see it ending, because we’ve got 10 guys that are thriving. So, like tonight, Jalen was mediocre, and somebody steps up. And it’s been that way.”

Jeremy Lin

On the Spurs’ inexperience showing up late in Game 2:

“The Spurs have so much heart. 14-0 run to come back into the game, but the last 30 seconds, just so much inexperience. Whether you want to call it youth, whether you want to call it fatigue, it just wasn’t it.”

On the Spurs’ awful late-game decision-making:

“The first play: another isolation for Wemby with 30 seconds, tough shot over Mitchell Robinson. Then you have a turnover, then you have a foul. I mean, they had the game where you have the ball with 12 seconds left, it’s a tie game, there’s no way you should be able to ever lose that game.”

On the contrast to the Knicks’ late-game approach:

“If the roles were reversed, the Knicks get the ball, what do they do? They will immediately find Brunson and he will immediately find the mismatch that he wants. But the Spurs, when they get the ball, they’re not really sure. So Wemby’s dribbling up, Castle’s not even looking for it, they don’t know who’s going to take charge, is there a timeout to be called or not. It just seemed, as Wemby said, very blurry.”

On wanting a private conversation with Carmelo Anthony going public on his podcast:

“I know our teams are in contact. My desire is still the same. I’d like to have a private conversation before having a public recorded conversation. That’s my goal right now — to be able to have that private conversation. Would love, of course, to go on the podcast and talk about those things. And talk about things publicly afterward.

“I do think a private conversation would go a long way in terms of being able to work through, talk through, go back and hash things out about how things ended. I think that would be super healthy, so I think that would be amazing. You can sense and tell that there’s not that hostility or ill will. Or not rooting for the other person. It’s just something that we can go back and have that discussion about.”

On not wanting to guess about issues Melo has hinted at:

“I can guess [what the issues are], but I don’t think it would do Melo justice for me to guess what I think he might mean.”

On returning to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4:

“I will be going back as a spectator for the first time ever. After leaving the Knicks, I did play against the Knicks multiple times, but I have never been back to The Garden as a spectator. This will be my first time in 14 years back at The Garden, not as an opposing player. I can’t wait. I really genuinely can’t wait for Game 3 and 4.”

On the Knicks inviting him back to the Garden:

“A big shoutout to the Knicks. They have been really adamant and consistent about trying to get me to go back to a game. I’ve always had the desire. It’s not that I didn’t want to, I was just always still playing. I won’t be courtside, but I will be in the first two rows.”

Stephon Marbury

On how Becky Hammon must be feeling these days:

“She’s going to be on her knees praying for us to lose. I love this feeling. Up 2-0 with this comment hanging over the heads of all New Yorkers. This is what sports is about.”

Charles Oakley

On Adam Silver’s recent comments about his mediation efforts to bring him to MSG:

“I want to talk about the series. I want to talk about the commissioner lying again. When the commissioner is talking about with him and Michael Jordan, he’s throwing Michael Jordan under the bus. That’s what he’s really doing. He’s trying to have a conversation like they just talked yesterday. He’s coming back out with something from 2017 when we met with that guy from New York, Michael, and himself. And he’s trying to act like they tried to solve a problem. And he went to the public in 2017 said we met and we came to an agreement that this is over with. And now you look in the paper he’s making another statement about that, but you didn’t solve the problem in 2017 cuz it’s nine years later and it’s still going on.”

On whether there was a new meeting with James Dolan and others:

“No. He’s lying again. It’s two times in this case he has lied about. He lied about putting the statement out that what happened. And he’s lying now like they talked two days ago. No, he didn’t. I haven’t talked to James, I’ve been to court with James. And we tried to settle and he said no. So, this has been a whole thing of they ain’t blackballing me from the NBA.”

Fat Joe

On his message to Shaquille O’Neal before Game 2:

“You don’t believe, Shaq.”

On his message after the Knicks went up 2-0:

“This, this is our year. New York City, this is our year.”

On Knicks fans invading San Antonio:

“We here, we here. We are not playing. Shoutout to San Antonio, great guys, great basketball program. Tim Duncan—my favorite power forward of all time.”

Marv Albert

On how the Knicks have captivated New York:

“They have captivated the city. The crowd, now, aside from the crowd at the Garden, which is off the charts in terms of the sounds of rooting and all that, but [also] with the crazy party that went on at the Garden, which they stopped because they had some problems and then they resumed. Then you have huge turnouts at Radio City Music Hall or watch parties at the Garden, and you didn’t have them in those days [in the ’70s]. I don’t know if you’d get the same number of people. People are really excited about this team. The Mets and the Yankees and the Jets and Giants, if they win, would have a very good reaction. I don’t know if it would be the same as this. This is really unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s extraordinary.”

On New York as a hoops city:

“It’s always been different than other teams in the league. Because New York City and its suburbs are such a basketball-geared area. All you need is the basket, the backboard and the ball and you go down to the schoolyard, that’s what we used to do. That’s what kids still do. It’s crazy about basketball — krazy with a K.”

Kevin Garnett

On the Knicks overwhelming the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama:

“He’s not seen this. He’s gon turn around and see this sea of Blue and Orange, and no one’s seen this. It’s gon look like lava. Have you ever seen the streets of New York like this? This is like all the parades put in one.

“Knicks finna smash ’em. Aight, n—a, can the boy play in the pressure cooker? Huh? Can he come in Madison Square Garden and play? And ain’t no going to play no chess and going to Carbone, and think you going to be in the streets of New York. Nah n—a, you gonna be in that hotel room. Ain’t no going out, n—a. You don’t want to be out in this storm. You don’t want to be out in this Knicks storm, n—a. That’s crazy, f–k this n—a talkin’ bout? Knicks gonna bone these n—-s. You ready?”

Kendrick Perkins

On the Knicks’ togetherness and trust being key for their postseason run:

“They got what you call ‘togetherness.’ For Towns to start the game on Wemby, that’s what you call trust. For Mike Brown to continue to lean on Landry Shamet, he played 32 minutes; that’s what you call trust. You could see and feel the energy through the television screen. It’s led by big-body Brunson, but every guy’s been a star in their role. Every guy is being unlocked in a different fashion that they never been unlocked in their career.”

Brian Windhorst

On Towns outplaying Wembanyama in the Finals:

“They’re winning because Karl-Anthony Towns totally outplayed Victor Wembanyama in the first half of this game in a way that we never expected to see.”

Stephen A. Smith

On urging Donald Trump to skip Game 3:

“He’s coming to Game 3 of the Finals, and I don’t want him there. He’s coming to Game 4 of the Finals, and I don’t want him there. And it has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that. It has everything to do with him disrupting and contributing at the same time to the chaos that’s going to be existing at Madison Square Garden.

“If it were Barack Obama coming to the Garden, I would say, ‘Stay home.’ Stay at the White House. I have been covering sports for over 30 years. And I’m telling you right now, come Monday, for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, I expect to see an environment I have never seen in my entire career covering sports.”

No. 47

On attending Game 3 and praising the Knicks’ Jim Dolan:

“[The Knicks] find a way to do it. They’re really great, a great team. I’m happy for Jim because Jim has really been fighting hard to produce such a team.”

On the record-breaking MSG Game 3 ticket prices:

“You can watch it on television. It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television. That’s the way life goes. Now, if the team wasn’t a big success, you can go very easily. You can do that too. But that’s the way life is.”

The Knicks have found pretty much every way to win a game. During their 13-game playoff win streak, they’ve blown out teams by as much as 51 points. They’ve also had some nail-biters.

Added to the win streak was another close affair on Friday night. The Knicks won Game 2 of the NBA Finals 105-104 in dramatic fashion. New York blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead, came up with a steal after a surprising Victor Wembanyama gaffe, took a one point lead after Jalen Brunson made a free-throw and narrowly avoided a loss after Wembanyama missed a mid-range jumper in the closing moments. 

New York is now up 2-0 after taking both games on the road. The Game 2 win continued a mesmerizing postseason run. As the Knicks look to push to a 3-0 series lead on Monday night in Madison Square Garden, let’s touch on three keys to the third game.

Top performer

Through two games, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the best player on the floor. His numbers of 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through the first two games seem modest. But his impact has been loud in this series. He’s picked apart the Spurs defense in a variety of ways. He’s knocked down three-pointers, attacked closeouts with drives to the rim, and he’s ducked in for post-ups against smaller defenders. Towns has done all of that with efficiency. On defense, he has held up containing Wembanyama in the pick-and-roll. 

In Towns’ 68 minutes during the Finals, New York has a net rating of plus-14.9 according to NBA Stats. When he’s off the floor, the Knicks have been outscored by 16.2 points per 100 possessions. It’s a small sample size, but it shows how important having Towns on the floor has been to New York during the finals.

Towns is playing the most well-rounded basketball of his career, and it’s been a driving force in New York’s 2-0 series lead.

Defensive disruption

The Knicks are winning this series mainly on the strength of their defense. Through two games, the Knicks have held the Spurs to 100.5 points per 100 possessions per NBA Stats. It’s a far cry from the 115.4 points per 100 possessions the Spurs averaged during the first three rounds of the postseason.

New York’s defense has made offense a chore for Wembanyama. The seven-footer is averaging 27.5 points in the series, but he’s shooting just 40.5 percent from the field. New York centers Towns and Mitchell Robinson have been effective in one-on-one situations against Wembanyama. 

The Knicks have also overloaded the paint with help defenders who have consistently slowed down Wembanyama’s forays to the rim as the roll man in the pick-and-roll. The Spurs haven’t been able to take advantage of New York’s extra help in the paint, shooting just 30.6 percent from three in Games 1 and 2.

Wembanyama played better in the second half, putting up 22 points. He made a few three-pointers, and relied more on his faceup game. The turnaround could give him some momentum going into Game Three.

Corner pocket

One adjustment the Spurs made in Game 2 was applying more pressure to Brunson. San Antonio’s perimeter players checked Brunson full court and there were more double teams and traps on the Knicks’ All-Star guard. With that aggressive defense comes more opportunities for Brunson’s teammates. 

As San Antonio doubled, it left the Knicks many opportunities to attack from the corner. New York is 15-for-28 (54 percent) on corner threes in the first two games. The Knicks have thrived from the corners over the past few years. New York was sixth in corner three-point percentage during the regular season (41.6 percent) and the club is third in the category (43.8 percent) in the postseason.

Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Landry Shamet are three players who do most of their damage from three in those two areas. Bridges and Anunoby were number one and two respectively in total corner three attempts during the regular season.

Will the Spurs dial back the pressure going forward? Brunson has struggled from the field during the first two games. But he still is playing a part in generating good looks for other Knicks. If the Knicks continue to accumulate corner threes, they should be in good shape for the rest of the series.

Sixers promoting Nelson to executive VP of basketball operations under Gansey originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Along with hiring Mike Gansey as their new president of basketball operations, the Sixers are making other significant front office changes.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday that the team is promoting Jameer Nelson to executive vice president of basketball operations, the No. 2 spot in their front office hierarchy. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark confirmed that news.

Charania also reported vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa has signed a multi-year extension and Elton Brand “will not return as 76ers GM and is currently working through a new role with the franchise and its parent company, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.”

According to a report from Marc Stein, Karangwa had “drawn interest in recent weeks” from the Mavs and Lakers. Brand took the Sixers’ general manager job in 2018, which at the time was the top spot in the Sixers’ collaborative front office structure. He’d served under former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey since 2020. ESPN reported Brand “elected not to interview for the president role” after Morey’s exit.

Nelson’s risen steadily up the Sixers’ front office ranks. The former Saint Joseph’s star and NBA point guard accepted Brand’s offer of a role as Sixers scout and Delaware Blue Coats assistant GM in 2020. He was later promoted to Delaware’s GM and then stepped up to Sixers assistant general manager in May of 2025. 

“Initially, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, whether it was front office, coach, media, whatever,” Nelson told NBC Sports Philadelphia in a 2024 phone interview. “I just knew I wanted to stay around the game. Elton and I had been talking for a couple of years … just back and forth about what I wanted to do. And he was willing to help me step foot in the right direction. … Over the years, we’ve been seeing what I like, my value, and all that stuff to help the group. He’s played a huge role in my growth and my front office experience.”

The Sixers are set to hold an introductory press conference for Gansey on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. 

The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Monday night’s Game 3 of the NBA finals, which Donald Trump plans to attend.

The Knicks are encouraging fans to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures due to the president’s attendance.

Related: NBA finals: Knicks within two wins of elusive title after holding off Spurs in Game 2

The Knicks said on Saturday that a strict no-bag policy will be in place and that there will be airport-style “screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game, which is scheduled to start at 8.40pm local time.

Trump confirmed last week that he will attend the game between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, the first NBA finals game in New York City since 1999. He has already attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.

Trump is not expected to be the only prominent political figure at the Garden. New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has also said he plans to attend Monday’s game, though he suggested there is little chance he will cross paths with Trump.

“I will be in a very different section,” Mamdani said last week.

The mayor’s office said Mamdani would be paying his own way for a ticket. Trump, meanwhile, said he would be attending as Knicks owner Jim Dolan’s guest, setting up a finals scene that could feature two of New York’s most prominent political figures under one roof.

The game will take place amid a fevered atmosphere in New York as the Knicks attempt to win their first NBA title since 1973. They lead the Spurs 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and are on a 13-game winning streak.

The Washington Wizards entered 2026 with a projected $80 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season.

But after acquiring four players before the February deadline — including Trae Young and Anthony Davis — and winning the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, the Wizards sit just $11 million below the luxury tax.

The current odds to be the No. 1 pick, according to Fandual Sportsbook, are as follows:

AJ Dybantsa: -450

Darryn Peterson: +380

Cameron Boozer: +1700

Here’s a breakdown of what the No. 1 pick means for Washington’s long-term cap sheet.

2026-27 Active Roster Cap

The maximum rookie-scale contract for the No. 1 pick is a four-year, $69,003,336 deal.

The contract represents 120% of the rookie scale, which is the most a first-round pick can sign for. The lowest a first-round pick can sign for is 80% of the rookie scale.

For reference, the Wizards signed Tre Johnson — last year’s No. 6 pick — to a four-year, $37,439,131 contract, which was 120% of the rookie scale. They did the same with Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George in 2024.

So, based on previous transactions, expect the Wizards to do the same with this year’s top pick and pay 120% of the rookie scale ($15,208,260) to the No. 1 selection.

Should Washington pay the No. 1 at 120% of the rookie scale, that contract looks as follows:

One of the unfortunate realities of being a Phoenix Suns fan is that whenever history enters the conversation, especially anything tied to championships or monumental moments, the Suns always seem to find themselves on the wrong side of it. As much as we try to outrun the past, we are constantly reminded that the Suns are a franchise that has accumulated 2,510 wins, owns the fifth-best winning percentage in NBA history at .535, and still has never won a championship.

On Friday night, we received another reminder. A reminder of a history that has never included the Suns winning the final game of an NBA season.

As the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs battle in the 2026 NBA Finals, the Spurs have become only the third team in league history to fall behind 0-2 in the Finals after winning Game 1 on the road. And the first team to ever find itself in that position? You guessed it. The Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns made their second NBA Finals appearance in 1993 behind an MVP season from Charles Barkley, posting a league-best 62-20 record, the same mark the San Antonio Spurs finished with this season. After surviving a seven-game battle with the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals, much like San Antonio recently did against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix earned home-court advantage and hosted the first two games of the NBA Finals.

The difference? The Suns ran into Michael Jordan. While the New York Knicks don’t have their own version of Jordan standing across from them, the Suns had to deal with the real thing, along with a Chicago Bulls team chasing its third consecutive championship. 

And things started poorly. Phoenix dropped both games at home at America West Arena, immediately falling into a 0-2 hole. Game 1 saw the Suns lose 100-92 despite 21 points and 11 rebounds from Charles Barkley and 20 and 12 from Richard Dumas. Barkley scored 42 points in Game 2, but so did Jordan, as Chicago won 111-108.

To their credit, the Suns fought back. They won a thrilling triple-overtime Game 3 and eventually pushed the series to Game 6, earning one more opportunity on their home floor to extend the Finals. It wasn’t enough. They lost Game 6 at home, and with it their championship hopes.

What Phoenix ultimately ran into was arguably the greatest Finals performance of Jordan’s career. Across the six-game series, he averaged 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. As great as that Suns team was, and as magical as that season felt, the greatest player in the world simply wasn’t going to be denied.

One of the reasons I look forward to summer is that there are fewer lines of demarcation reminding Suns fans where the franchise stands historically. Of course, then there’s the draft. The Phoenix Suns have had only one No. 1 overall pick in franchise history. We all know how that turned out.

There’s something unique about being a Suns fan. It takes a certain mentality to survive all of the near misses, heartbreaks, and historical reminders that seem to pop up every time the NBA decides to celebrate something significant.

We’ll see if the San Antonio Spurs can avoid the fate that befell Phoenix, who were later joined by the Orlando Magic in 1995 as the only teams to lose the first two games of an NBA Finals at home. Maybe San Antonio can reverse the trend. I’d be lying if I said I was rooting for that outcome.

As a Suns fan, I’m clearly pulling for the New York Knicks. Part of that is historical grudges that will never dissipate. Part of that is because I’d like to see Mikal Bridges finally get one. He’s been up 2-0 in a series before, just like he is now, and watched it slip away. I’d like to see this one end differently. And sure, it wouldn’t hurt to see Landry Shamet get a ring too.

We’ll see what the Spurs can do on Monday, as the NBA Finals continue at 5:30pm on ABC, this time from Madison Square Garden.

As the NBA Draft draws closer, the Dallas Mavericks have made it clear that Cooper Flagg is now their cornerstone, their primary building block.

That makes perfect sense. He’s coming off a spectacular rookie season, he is just 19 and will be 20 for most of next season, and he’s shown every sign of being able to carry the leadership burden.

Which puts teammate and fellow former Blue Devil Kyrie Irving in an interesting situation.

Now 34, and coming off of an ACL injury, his future is uncertain, and a lot of people are suggesting that Dallas should trade him as part of an overhaul.

Among other things, he’s due to be paid $39,491,282 this coming season.

We have no idea what Dallas is thinking, obviously, but if they moved Irving, they could free up a lot of money to pursue, say, Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s going to make a good bit more than Irving – about $58.5 million – and pairing him with Flagg would be incredible.

Or they could move Irving and spread that money around. They could sign, say, Luke Kennard for not that much, possibly Rui Hachimura, or Quentin Grimes.

The Mavericks also have two first-round draft picks to work with. They could sweeten the pot for an Irving trade and go for someone completely unexpected. Just imagine if they pulled off a trade for Bam Adebayo, Domantas Sabonis, or, say, Darius Garland?

A lot goes into an NBA trade, and we have no idea what Dallas would have to do to make it worthwhile. First, you have to deal with the salary cap, and then you have to make sure the pieces fit together.

Here’s another thought that could be fun, if difficult: Ja Morant and Memphis are clearly at the end, and while he’s damaged goods at this point, given all his various issues with the Grizzlies, he’s still an extraordinary talent. It’s fun to imagine him with Flagg, and it would be nearly impossible to guard both.

The good news is that Memphis won’t be able to get very much for him. The bad news?

He’s still Ja Morant, and he’s clearly a risk. But if it works…wow.

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