Category: Basketball

This article from SI.com’s NBA Draft page takes a look at Duke big man Patrick Ngongba and what he needs to work on.

They’re correct to say that, while he’s a good athlete, he’s not elite. However, intelligence is a more valuable asset than raw athleticism. Look at some guys who have carved out nice NBA careers despite limited athleticism, at least by NBA standards: Jared McCain, Jalen Brunson, and Luka Doncic, to name a few. Now look how many great athletes have washed out of the league or failed to live up to expectations.

Never bet against smart players.

Ngongba needs to prove he can stay healthy, but assuming he can do that, he has a lot to offer, and not just post play: “Ngongba will have to be much better to overcome his age, and potentially even add some skills not yet seen. Though it’s not out of the question the NBA values his play-making big archetype, and ancillary skills, enough to take a shot on him in the late-lottery.

“Regardless, he should be a locked-in first-round selection with even limited improvement.”

The ancillary skills include his passing game, which is superb. He brings a lot to the table for any team, and we may see aspects of his game this season that we haven’t see before.

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After two series of signature shoes and a childhood spent as a sneakerhead, Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker is partnering with Rizzoli Publications to release a book titled In My Shoes: Hardwood to Concrete, chronicling the creation of his signature shoes.

Devin Booker's new book, In My Shoes, is dropping this September. Inside you’ll find roughly 150 pairs of Nike Book 1 releases and PEs that were revealed over a two year span 📖 pic.twitter.com/Eum8dyvq2T

— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) July 31, 2026

Set to be released on September 8, the book chronicles how the Nike athlete aspired to join the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in having signature shoes with the company. It features initial sketches he made as a kid and present-day, behind-the-scenes looks at some of his most popular colorways, including his “Chapter One” shoes and player-exclusive designs such as “Desert Camo” and “Moss Point.”

Many NBA players have worn Booker’s signature shoe, including Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who wore it when the two played against each other in December. Booker was trying to recruit Curry to Nike while Curry was a sneaker free agent this past year.

Available in hardcover, the 240-page book is available for preorder on Amazon for $56.98, with free delivery for Friday, September 11th.

While Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Charles Barkley and other Phoenix Suns players have had signature shoes while with the team, only Booker has played his entire career in Arizona, with many of his sneakers featuring purple and orange colorways that represent his Suns ties. His first signature shoe with Nike came out in 2024, with the Book 2s coming out earlier this year.

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Jeremy Sochan has had a strange NBA ride. Originally drafted ninth overall in 2022, he was a bit of a mismatch for the San Antonio Spurs. With his bright-colored hair and intimidating on-court nature, he harkened back to the mid-90s when the Spurs traded for Dennis Rodman. Like Rodman, Sochan never quite fit in with the Spurs culture.

In his first two seasons, while the Spurs were struggling to get their footing, Sochan’s struggles flew under the radar. He averaged between 26 and 29 minutes per game and averaged just over 11 points, but waffled as a power forward against many of the league’s larger, more experienced players. It was during the second season that Gregg Popovich tried him out as point guard, an experiment that ultimately failed. In his third season, he maintained roughly the same amount of minutes and points per game, but lost his starting spot alongside Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul, and Harrison Barnes, ceding the role to Devin Vassell. He was given some minutes as the center when the Spurs went small, another unsuccessful ordeal.

The 2025-2026 season exposed chinks in the armor as Sochan struggled to find minutes at all. Over 28 games, he averaged just 12.8 minutes scoring 4.1 points. As the trade deadline approached, his name was mentioned in conversations. It seemed a suitable trade could not be found so the Spurs waived him. It was believed in media circles that Sochan’s next destination was overseas. But lo and behold, he signed on with the New York Knicks two days later. Unfortunately, he fared even worse in The Big Apple averaging 6.9 minutes over 16 games scoring 2.8 points per game.

That said, Jeremy Sochan ended up an NBA Champion. That is an honor no one can take away from him. He played in the final minutes of Game 5 and was on the court when the final buzzer ended the season. He hoisted the Larry O’Brien in the same arena he’d played his first three-plus seasons. But his time in New York ended shortly after the festivities.

Sochan entered free agency this summer and has now signed a one-year minimum deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.

From a lottery pick with potential $80M plus extension upside in San Antonio to signing a 1-year minimum deal (~$2.5M) in Portland, the business of the NBA is harsh and moves fast.

Jeremy Sochan now gets a full reset with the Trail Blazers to rebuild his market value and prove… https://t.co/cz8woRBdWY

— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) August 1, 2026

A vet minimum is a far cry from what Sochan may have anticipated a couple of years ago, but time has a way of altering fortunes. And Portland may be the last stop on his NBA ride. The Trail Blazers Organization has been in a bit of a tailspin itself.

First, it was exposed that owner Tom Dundon utilized money saving techniques such as leaving two-way players behind on road trips, forcing staff to check out early from hotels, and reducing treatment staff. Then he eliminated fan experiences such as t-shirt giveaways. He also cut coaching salaries and limited contracts. After Chauncey Billups stepped down due to illegal gambling practices, Tiago Splitter was named interim for the remainder of the season. Splitter was not invited back. They hired Micah Nori, but limited the contract to one season.

In addition to signing Sochan, Portland traded Kris Murphy and Jerami Grant for Ja Morant, adding to the Island of Misfit Toys motif.

Whatever strategy Portland is taking, Sochan’s NBA career got the life support it needed to keep him in the big show for another year. If he can bounce back into form and pick up minutes, he could find himself in the Pacific Northwest for an extended stay.

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The Golden State Warriorsmissed out on LeBron James and immediately pivoted to filling their roster with familiar names in an attempt to run it back — but they hope they stay healthy this time.

The first order of business was bringing back the heart and soul of their team, four-time All-Star Draymond Green, for his 15th NBA season. Green inked a one-year, $27.7 million contract, a person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

He averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 27.5 minutes over 68 games during the 2025-26 season. One of his most valuable assets is his level of commitment on the defensive end, where he's compiled nine all-defensive selections and the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year award.

After finalizing Green's contract, the Warriors continued to focus on rounding out the roster with guys who know exactly what to bring to the table.

Golden State remains committed to continuity. The Warriors brought back veteran center Al Horford, who turned 40 in June, on a multi-year contract. The team announced Saturday, Aug. 1, it had signed both De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II, bringing both back for the 2026-27 season.

Melton averaged a career-high 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 23 minutes after missing the first 22 games recovering from a torn left ACL. Melton is going into his eighth NBA season.

Payton played a career-high 73 games last season with the Warriors, where he averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.6 minutes per game. He also led the team with 58.3% field goal shooting.

What's next for Warriors after missing out on LeBron?

It's back to business as usual. The Warriors were reportedly never sold on James truly considering the Bay Area as a home for his 24th season. They hoped James would pick them, but did not lean on that possibility.

So naturally, they move on.

For the Warriors that means looking internally. There's feeling around the Warriors organization that the team could have been in legitimate postseason contention if it had not faced as many untimely injuries. Key players, such as Stephen Curry (jumper's knee), Jimmy Butler (torn ACL) and Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon), missed considerable time. The Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline, but with injury-riddled lineups, they never got to see the full potential of their addition.

The hope is that they come back healthy for the 2026-27 season and get a true look at what the team could be through the course of the season.

Anticipate moves during summer 2027

As players heal and gear up for the 2026-27 season, it should be noted that many of the Warriors' top contracts expire next summer. That includes those of veterans Curry, Green and Butler.

Melton, Payton and Brandin Podziemski are also in need of new deals. Porzingis has a player option to return in 2027-28 or he could become a free agent.

There is plenty of superstar talent that will potentially be unrestricted free agents next July. That list includes Curry, Michael Porter Jr. and Tyler Herro.

An even bigger list is the number of stars with player options who could become free agents in 2027, which includes superstars like Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, to name a few.

Don't expect all those names to become available — some will opt in while others will opt out but are committed to their teams while seeking a bigger payday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Warriors run it back with familiar faces after missing out on LeBron James

Jeremy Sochan’s tenure with the Knicks has come to an end.

Sochan, 23, agreed to a one-year deal with the Trail Blazers on Saturday, ESPN reported.

The exact details of the forward’s contract with Portland have yet to be released.

Sochan’s deal with the Trail Blazers comes after a brief and disappointing Knicks tenure, in which he averaged just 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 6.9 minutes through 16 regular-season games.

He did not see much action during the Knicks’ historic championship run, either, averaging just 3.3 minutes through eight postseason games.

The Knicks picked up Sochan in February two days following the Spurs’ decision to waive him after he fell out of the rotation in San Antonio.

Outside of last season, Sochan has had an impactful NBA tenure since being drafted by the Spurs with the No. 9 pick in 2022.

Through his first three NBA seasons, Sochan averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, earning All-Rookie second-team honors for the 2022-23 season.

Despite not being in the Knicks’ rotation during their Finals run, Sochan was valuable with his inside knowledge of the Spurs.

“Whether I’m playing or not, it’s important to feed all the information I have,” Sochan told The Post’s Jared Schwartz in June. “And I think I know quite a lot. I’m watching their games now, I’m seeing the old plays we [ran], when they go up to certain people and at what times, it’s pretty obvious to see. It’s gonna be interesting.”

Sochan also shared the knowledge he had on San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama and his potential weaknesses.

“Being that tall [Wembanyama] gets tired,” Sochan said. “Give him different looks and [not beat him up but] be very physical, and make him run.

“And he’s gonna get tired, he’s gonna have to take some plays off in my opinion.”

A decade ago, superstar forward Kevin Durant made the league-altering decision to join the Golden State Warriors in free agency, forming an unstoppable force in the NBA.

He's seven years removed from that era, having since joined the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns and now Houston Rockets. However, there are a few moments that make Durant reminisce on his days in the Bay Area.

The latest occurred following a USA Basketball practice, when the 16-time All-Star was asked about LeBron James and his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers for his 24th NBA season, and whether the Sixers are top contenders for the NBA title.

"For sure! You don't think so?" Durant responded to a reporter's question. "The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the (Warriors) team I was on. (The Sixers) have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they’re going to be a contender. They're going to be a great team to watch."

Now that LeBron James has chosen the 76ers as his next NBA franchise, the question has become what the Sixers’ ceiling is with him on their roster.

There’s no doubt that this team is loaded with talent after having added James and trading for Jaylen Brown. But some seem to think that there might be too much talent in Philadelphia because only one person can have the ball at a time.

Rockets star Kevin Durant doesn’t seem to think so, which was made clear by the comments he made when asked about James’ decision on Saturday.

“For sure! I mean, you don’t think so?” Durant said when asked whether he believes the Sixers are contenders, per an X post from Ben Golliver of ESPN.

“[The] last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on. They’ve got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they’re going to be a contender. They’re going to be a great team to watch,” Durant added.

Kevin Durant on LeBron James’s 76ers: “The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on. They have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they’re going to be a contender.” pic.twitter.com/aFcSyDoEq1

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 1, 2026

Of course, Durant is referring to when he joined the Warriors in July 2016, a move that paired him with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Durant received a ton of criticism for this decision, especially because the Warriors had just defeated his Thunder in the Western Conference finals a few months prior.

Durant’s decision led to two NBA championships for Golden State, which also won a title before he arrived and won another after he left.

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James’ decision hasn’t been met with the same backlash. Then again, the Sixers didn’t beat the Lakers in the postseason earlier this year.

We finally have confirmation that the Golden State Warriors will indeed be re-signing Gary Payton II. While rumors have swirled for weeks that the Dubs and Payton were expected to agree to a veteran minimum deal to return, Marc Stein of SteinLine reported on Saturday morning that the two sides were expected to finalize a deal by the end of the weekend. Minutes later, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Warriors had agreed to re-sign Payton to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum.

Already 33, limited, and with an extensive injury history, Payton only further solidifies Golden State’s attempt to run it back with the 37-win 2025-26 roster. A perplexing approach given the team’s struggles and age. Nevertheless, Payton is a favorite of head coach Steve Kerr and face of the franchise Steph Curry.

A basketball journeyman for most of his twenties, Payton found his place as a high-energy role player who has the ability to lockdown players on the perimeter. Payton has played with the Warriors for each of the past six seasons (although he did also have a short stint with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022-23 season). Despite his long injury history, Payton has been quietly one of the Dubs healthiest role players over the past two seasons.

In 2025-26, Payton averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.9 steals in 15.6 minutes per game across 73 appearances on 58.3%/29.1%/65.0% shooting. For his career, Payton has averaged 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 15.1 minutes per game on 56.4%/32.8%/63.0% shooting.

The Los Angeles Lakers will have a new look on the court next season, after LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency after spending the past eight years in Tinseltown.

Thankfully, Lakers fans still have superstar guard Luka Doncic to be excited about in the wake of James’ exit. But it appears that Luka might also have a new look on the court.

The Lakers’ social media accounts posted a photo of Doncic shooting a free throw during a practice on Friday. But the kicker was that the 27-year-old was wearing a headband in the photo, which is something he doesn’t typically do.

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Headband Luka

via @lukadoncicpic.twitter.com/zDKH45sd0p

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 31, 2026

Perhaps Lakers fans just needed something excited about, and are using this photo as an excuse to do so. Whatever their reasoning, the prevailing response to this photo is Lakers fans forecasting a successful upcoming season, both for Luka individually and Los Angeles as a whole.

“MVP and Championship soon I can smell it,” wrote @yearlyfire.

“PLEASE ROCK THE HEADBAND NEXT SEASON @lukadoncic ,” added a Doncic fan page.

“Lakers gone be sneaky good this upcoming season,” added @real1jimmyy.

Regardless of whether Doncic debuts this headband once next season rolls around, him now having the keys to the franchise will bring a lot of expectations. Not that he wasn’t dealing with pressure before, and has always been able to navigate the spotlight in the past.

The more pertinent question is whether Doncic’s supporting cast is good enough to help him bring Los Angeles back to the postseason in their first campaign in nearly a decade without LeBron.

The Lakers made their big move this summer in landing Walker Kessler, but there’s still work to be done in the front court.

In parting with both Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton this offseason, LA has holes to fill, even if they took care of the hard part. Kevon Looney was brought in but given his age and mileage and his drop in production, most don’t view him as the primary backup center.

The Lakers appear to be included in that mix as multiple recent reports have indicated they’re still in the market for a big man. But it’s a market that isn’t friendly to buyers right now, so not much headway has been made.

LA has at least one more move to make with the roster already at 16 players. With a chase for Jonathan Kuminga still on, though, it’s not clear how a backup center fits into the equation. It’ll likely have to be the Lakers taking a chance on an underutilized player buried on a roster.

One player who could fit that bill, and who has been mentioned with the Lakers multiple times this week, is Jericho Sims with the Bucks.

Dan Woike of The Athletic first brought him up as a potential option based on “conversations with both team and league sources” about the type of players the Lakers could target. Then, on Friday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reiterated that report, noting that the Bucks could have a roster crunch that forces a move.

Milwaukee, which has also been linked with interest in Peyton Watson, has a roster crunch and is looking to trim its roster from 17 to 15 players by opening night. As The Athletic’s Dan Woike noted, the Los Angeles Lakers could be a trade partner for Bucks center Jericho Sims.

The first thing worth noting is that the Lakers, too, have a roster crunch, so the two teams making a deal right now doesn’t make a ton of sense. For the purple and gold, they would need to do a lot of consolidating to get to a point to trade for Sims or, potentially, work out a multi-team trade.

There is logic, however, to Sims being a fit in LA. And LA has shown interest in him in the past, dating back to the 2025 trade deadline.

He’s an uber-athletic big man who amassed 95 dunks in 67 games last season. Comparatively, Hayes had 122 last season in 66 games. While his time with the Lakers was up-and-down, Hayes definitely had some moments in the purple and gold and the team did not replace his athleticism or lob-catching ability at center.

Sims, however, does have flaws. He leaves something to be desired defensively and is not a rim protector despite the athleticism. In many ways, he’s limited like Hayes in those regards.

His contract is friendly as he’s set to make $2.8 million this season after picking up a player option this offseason. It would also make him very easy to trade for, if the Lakers do end up going down that route.

But, again, many things must happen before then. Presumably, the Lakers are likely going to address their need for a wing with trade assets first before eyeing anything else. And to even open a roster spot, the Lakers will have to make a three-for-one trade, which is very unlikely as teams do not have three open roster spots at this point in the offseason.

If anything, this might be a player worth monitoring if he’s released due to the roster crunch or if he’s still buried on the Bucks’ bench when the season starts. But there are plenty of reasons it makes sense for the Lakers to be targeting Sims, if indeed they are.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

There is an active NBA player whose career is already the envy of many of his peers. This player has:

• Been a starter in multiple NBA Finals
• Won a championship
• Been All-Defensive First Team
• Finished second for Defensive Player of the Year
• Been his team’s leading scorer (26 points per game)
• Been his team’s second-leading scorer
• Been his team’s fourth-leading scorer
• Had top-20 seasons in points, field goals, shooting %, 3-point %, free-throw %, steals & lowest turnover %

By 2050, when climate and social chaos have killed off pro sports, this player will be long-forgotten. If not before.

That player is not Kenny Sears, inactive from the NBA since 1964 and the mortal coil since 2017. I mention Sears because he is an ur-example of the sands of time disappearing all trace of a legend. Man spent six-plus seasons as a Knickerbocker. Twice he was an All-Star. One year when he wasn’t, he still finished eighth for MVP, a feat he accomplished twice in New York. He led the league in shooting twice, including a healthy 10 points above the league average (49%-39%) in 1959.

Now, nobody knows him.

Go on, look up the numbers. Dismiss. Deride. “There were only, like, 15 players back then anyway. Of course he was an All-Star; everybody was!” A combo forward who didn’t tip the scales at 200 pounds, lighter than Mikal Bridges, barely bulkier than Landry Shamet. Dude looked like he couldn’t dunk a donut, much less a basketball. Still, Sears’ biggest failing dwarfs all those. He wasn’t superficial.

I don’t mean he wasn’t shallow. I don’t mean that he was, either; I’ve no idea what Sears was like as a person. I mean he wasn’t where the fans’ eyes went first — that’d have been Carl Braun, Richie Guerin, Dick McGuire, Harry Gallatin. When we first see someone we see the surface of them, what’s sparkly and obvious. Braun was named to five All-Star teams. Guerin made six. McGuire and Gallatin? Seven. Compared to them, Sears wasn’t even Fredo to Sonny and Michael, more de Gaulle to Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Maybe you’re a big deal back in Lille, but this is Yalta, son.

As fun as it is to just sit around and remember random NBA guys (Yinka Dare!), I’m not suggesting you have to. You’d probably like it, though. It’s fun, even if only as an apertif or chaser. I’m asking you to remember the specific players you do. Get together with your people and talk about them. Talk over drinks. Pop some eds. Write about the players who struck you, even if you only a note pad, a lily pad.

Some personal faves? Drazen Petrović. P.J. Tucker. Manute Bol. Jamal Crawford. And it’s cliche, but Toronto Vince Carter . . . Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, VC and if I’m honest Victor Wembanyama are maybe the only NBA players I’ve ever seen who look like cheat codes in a video game.

Magic was a magician, but a magician is a person who’s mastered anticipation and deception. Kyrie Irving can make any shot from any angle at any point in his jump or descent anywhere on the court, thanks to repetition of however many drills and skills it takes to become second-nature. But the nature is, by definition, secondary and not primary.

Jordan was literally brighter than everyone else on the floor. He moved differently. If you didn’t see it, I’m sorry, because I doubt it shows up on a computer screen. But on the TV in your living room in 1992, I am telling you that man glowed and he flowed. It wasn’t just me.

Shaq was like the actual Hulk. Like the league had been full of Captain Americas and Black Panthers and a few Things, and then one day the Hulk showed up. The contrast, that erasure of a long-held sense of scale — it took your breath away. The biggest centers looked like forwards next to him. This is not normal.

Carter leads the super-super short list of NBA athletes so athletic they make NBA athletes look like amateurs. Imagine St. John’s is playing UConn next winter and somehow Anthony Edwards is on the Red Storm. Connecticut has top athletes, but Ant *actually is* in a different league. Carter looked like he belonged in whatever alien basketball league was a level up from the NBA.

What makes them unforgettable? Because there are stories only you can tell. You decide which to carry with you, which to share with others. Example: in a March 1993 game between Miami and Washington, the then-Bullets collected 30 rebounds. The Heat’s Rony Seikaly had 34 by himself.

That’s not life-changing information. Your pulse didn’t climb. But before I knew that, all I remembered of Seikaly was he was a famously favorite target of Patrick Ewing, and he was married to an SI swimsuit cover model. He was a far better offensive big than the Benoit Benjamins and Sam Bowies of his day, though clearly below Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Still, don’t lose the lead: how many people walking around the planet ever out-rebounded an NBA team?

I was too young and dumb to properly appreciate Seikaly. Back in the day I could only see the Heat on TV when they were playing the Knicks, Nets or Bulls (this being the glorious age before Miami ever sniffed the playoffs). So how badly was I overlooking others? How many? And if I could be so wrong about people I watched play, what to make of my thoughts about all those I never did?

How easily we forgot how great “pretty good” players were. Did you know Shaq once finished tied in MVP voting with Anthony Mason? Mase’s career didn’t take off till he was 25, but by the time he retired he’d been on an All-NBA Team with Shaq, Penny Hardaway and John Stockton, won Sixth Man of the Year, finished top-10 for DPOY three times and top-15 for MVP twice. Someday someone will compare him with Malik Rose.

I don’t blame people. We mostly all have bigger issues in life. Underrating NBA players doesn’t matter, except that it does as part of the same flattening we do with the past. The 1920s weren’t just flappers, nor the ‘40s WWII, nor the ‘60s hippies, etcetera. If your idea of gumbo is broth, the cooking is gonna suffer. As are those you feed.

Once upon a time, a player made All-NBA First Team his first 10 years. Starting in his second season, he averaged 25 to 31 points a game for a decade, twice leading the league; in that same stretch he averaged 15-20 rebounds per night. He was MVP twice, runner-up twice and top-four eight times. Nobody remembers him.

How about the guy who won more scoring titles than the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and more blocks titles than its all-time leading shot blocker? He’s got more MVPs than Michael and more rings than LeBron, but is at best an afterthought in GOAT debates, at worst an also-ran — who pays homage to an even more dismissed all-timer.

Bob Cousy gets written off for playing against plumbers by a catch-and-shoot specialist who spent half his career coming off the bench. Wilt was only great because there weren’t any other 7-footers back then. Magic and Bird went from Jordan’s mountaintop in 1990 to dust in his wake by 2000. MJ wasn’t even really athletic, he just played when everybody else was a literal toilet. Draymond Green thinks he could’ve guarded Shaq.

If you never watched the old Knicks, watch an old game. Basketball-reference can’t capture Bill Bradley’s incessant movement, its impact on the opponent’s defense. The stats can tell you Willis Reed was better than the average bear, but can’t convey his combination of silk and steel. Check out Kareem his first years in Milwaukee. Even late-stage Wilt Chamberlain was doing things that make you rewind because you can’t believe it.

But you have to dig in. They say the devil’s in the details. They also say hell has all the best musicians. So if you wanna have fun, ya gotta go deep.

Don’t ever forget Mikal Bridges’ midrange movement and mastery, or the multiple, multiple, multiple playoff games he’s already *won* with his defense. Don’t ever let Mitchell Robinson be reduced to a rim-runner who couldn’t shoot free throws. By all things holy, guard against the erosion of Josh Hart’s impact over time. How many fans today have any inkling the importance that Alvin Robertson, Joe Dumars and Horace Grant held for their sides? If you don’t tell the story of Hart, and keep it warm and alive inside, rest assured he’ll morph for the ignorant from a cornerstone to a backpack.

I don’t think I’m often clear why something matters to me, and why I think it should matter to you. More and more of our lived experience and made memories come from screens. We neuter more and more of our senses as our eyes dominate our perceptions. One of the strangest experiences I had as a professor was seeing students go 80 minutes without writing down a thing we talked about in class, then after it was over snapping a photo of the whiteboard. That. Isn’t. The. Same. Thing.

We live in an age when more than ever before we can’t trust our own eyes. And where there’s people who can’t see, there’s people selling something promising slivers and glints of light, for a price. Don’t buy it. Re-learn what you know. Re-love what you’ve loved. One day your now is everybody’s then, and all you’ll have left of it is whatever you took the time to keep. It matters in basketball. Not just in basketball.

LeBron James might not be the only recognizable Los Angeles Laker who’s leaving the team this offseason.

Robbie Avila—whom the Lakers signed to an Exhibit 10 contract after he went undrafted in June—is, “waiting to see what his options are” after being granted a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, according to an X post from basketball insider Adam Zagoria.

This is the byproduct of a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado named Charlotte Sweeney granting a class-wide preliminary injunction that makes the NCAA declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who ran out of eligibility this spring, which was announced on Friday.

Avila, who graduated from Saint Louis earlier this year, now has a decision to make about whether he wants to remain with the Lakers or return to college.

Avila became a college basketball fan favorite because of his unique, eccentric look, which has inspired countless hilarious nicknames, including “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” because of the glasses he wears on the court.

The six-foot-10, 240-pound center played limited minutes for the Lakers during NBA Summer League, and didn’t make much of an impact. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game with the Billikens during his senior season, which was enough to earn him A-10 Player of the Year honors.

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It will be fascinating to see what decision Avila makes. The fact that he barely played during Summer League might be enough to convince him to take his talents back to college.

While Avila might not have made much of an impact on the Lakers’ roster this upcoming season, fans would be losing some entertainment value if he goes back to college, if only because they can’t use his nicknames any longer.

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In the span of three weeks, teams owned by Jimmy Haslam traded DE Myles Garrett and SF/PF Giannis Antetokounmpo in deals that included players and draft compensation. For the Cleveland Browns and Milwaukee Bucks, Haslam’s teams, the trades reset their rosters and turn their attention toward the future.

According to a report, Haslam pushed for the package from the Miami Heat over one from the Boston Celtics, due to his experience with Garrett, which led to this humorous “Anthony Schwartz caused the Garrett and Antetokounmpo trades.”

Both big trades were similar. The Browns acquired DE Jared Verse and three draft picks, while the Bucks added Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, four draft picks, and one pick swap.

According to Haslam, he believes it is more difficult to rebuild in the NBA than the NFL:

The Haslams saw Myles Garrett and Giannis Antetokounmpo traded in June from #Browns and #Buckspic.twitter.com/C70LWLSC06

— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) July 31, 2026

Cleveland fans are aware that Haslam’s Browns have made the playoffs just twice, their only two seasons with a winning record during his ownership tenure, and his 14-year record as owner is 78-150-1. If rebuilding is more difficult for Haslam in the NBA, we send our condolences to the fine fans in Milwaukee for what their process might look like.

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What do you think? Is it harder to rebuild in the NFL or the NBA? Do you feel bad for Bucks fans or glad to have someone to experience Haslam ownership struggles with?

Share your thoughts below in our comment section: