Category: NBA

The buzz around NBA2K27 is picking up ahead of its September 4th global release. In addition to early access, cover art, and first look images, they’ve finally released the top 100 player OVR ratings. 

If you’ve played the game, or follow the global conversation, every year there are huge surprises and disappointments. More than ever if you’re a Raptors fan. While they haven’t released the full roster yet and many of the player ratings won’t be available until closer to the early access release date of August 28th, there’s already more than enough to have opinions on just in the top 100.  

Some of the ratings were on par as expected. Back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having the highest OVR of 97 is respectable. Right there with him are the other top finishers in voting, Wemby and Jokic. Jalen Brunson edging Lebron James out of the top 10 also feels warranted with his performance and championship. But the longer you look at the list, the more you start to realize some things that are… not really anything that can be rationalized. While we could take all day and point them out, there’s enough just amongst the Raptors to get worked up about. So let’s break down the three most shocking:

1. Scottie Barnes is an 88 OVR.

You would have to have seen this coming. A huge leap from his 51st rank to start last year in 2K26, he now sits 23rd. Positionally I’m okay with this. Until you start to compare him to other 88 OVR players. Deni Avdija, whose post season numbers were substantially worse than Scottie, who only played 66 games last year, and whose defense is considerably worse than Scottie sits at the same OVR. The exact same can be said about Austin Reaves who also sits at an 88. To add insult to injury, Anthony Davis who only managed to play 20 games last season is two points higher at 90. The only solace in this situation is finally both Paolo Banchero and Evan Mobley are ranked lower than him. 

My hot take: Scottie is an 89, and Jamal Murray and him should both be above Davis. 

2. The 19-position fall of RJ Barrett.

So last year, RJ started at an 82 OVR. This year, he is starting as an 82 OVR. Already, I have some questions. Statistically, he may not have been as electric, but if you actually watched the games he played better. He had to share the scoring load with more ball-handling players. He had less touches. Still, he was efficient, played better in the clutch, and in some games, felt like the only reliable scoring option. Apparently that means you stay the same OVR. Since there’s so many guys that sit at 82 though, this means he’s actually fallen from 68th to 87th, suggesting he’s gotten worse. Even if that was the case, compare that to players rated more highly: Ajay Mitchell (a talented player, but genuinely, what am I missing here?), Payton Pritchard (absolutely not), and Paul George (????). 

My hot take: If they’re all 82s fine, but there’s no way there’s 86 people in the league you’d rather have than RJ Barrett. Especially those three.

3. Kawhi Leonard erasure. 

It’s no secret that the investigation has complicated things for the Raptors, the trade still isn’t official, and Kawhi is listed in 2K27 as a Clippers player. But it already feels like he’s getting the Raptors treatment. Yes, he moved up and OVR point to 93 and from 15th to 11th, all great. But now, Cade Cunningham is above him, despite averaging 4 fewer points per game, fewer rebounds, a lower FG percentage, and his complete disappearance in game 7 against Cleveland. It feels like while previous years, 2K has valued the “grandfathered in” greats, giving guys like LeBron, Kawhi, KD, and Steph the edge, now they seem to be favouring the “younger talent” and the fresh faces in the League. Wemby being second after three years isn’t undeserved, just surprising. Cunningham being 8th this quickly also caught me by surprise. It seems like things are slowly changing. 

My hot take: I’d have Steph 8th, KD 9th, and Kawhi 10th if it’s them over Cunningham (although honestly I think Maxey, Tatum, and Mitchell could all make a case for 10th over Cunningham too). 

Let’s see how the rest of the Raptors OVRs stack up as more information is announced.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country.

You ready for this week’s question? It’s a good one. With former Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni recently being named to the Basketball Hall of Fame, it’s time to discuss who was the second-best coach in Rockets history?

I had the luxury of being a senior in high school when the Rockets won their first title and a college freshman for the second, so it’s clearly Rudy T for me in the top spot. But both D’Antoni and former Rockets coach Rick Adelman (RIP) have a legitimate case for the number two spot.

Adelman finished with 195-135 Rockets record (.588), while D’Antoni was 217-101 (.682). However, it’s important to note that the Rockets only had a true contending roster until about 2009 for Adelman, with the next several seasons being mired in mediocrity. Adelman was 108-56 in his first two seasons (.659) until Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady fell to pieces.

Adelman was 9-10 in the postseason, getting to the Western Conference Semis in 2009, where the Rockets had a legitmate shot at the NBA Title (Yao was playing out of his mind), until injuries did them in against the Los Angeles Lakers.

D’Antoni made it all the way to Western Conference Finals in 2018, where injuries also did him in against the Golden State Warriors. I think both of those teams wind up with hardware if they didn’t get hurt. But the history books show they both fell short. D’Antoni was 28-23 in the postseason for Houston.

D’Antoni did take home Coach of the Year honors in the 2018 season, and he was the architect of the best regular season Rockets record at 65-17, while Adelman peaked at 55-27, but was the man to turn a perennial first round out under Jeff Van Gundy to a legitmate title contender. He also won multiple NBA Coach of the Month awards, but never took home Coach of the Year trophy.

So what say you? On paper, it looks like D’Antoni has the edge. He also transformed James Harden into an offensive juggernaut. But Adelman brought the best out of that group in 2009 and had a coaching tour de force during 2008 and 2009, including the famous 22-game win streak.

So what say you, TDS?

Cast your vote, tell us in the comments, and we’ll be back soon with the results.

It looks like both sides are digging in their heels ahead of a fight between Jeanie Buss and her siblings.

News of the Buss family agreeing to sell their nearly 18% stake in the Lakers was quickly followed by Jeanie’s opposition to the sale. On Tuesday, the family responded to Jeanie’s claims with a statement to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Here is the full statement:

The Los Angeles Lakers have never been just a basketball team. They have been one of the greatest privileges of our lives.

Our focus has always been on what we believe is best for the Lakers, the fans who have supported this franchise for generations and the greater Los Angeles community.

Johnny, Jimmy, Janie, Joey and Jesse have made the decision to sell the family’s remaining stake, and we remain united in that decision. We intend to move forward thoughtfully, respectfully and through the appropriate process.

We have tremendous respect for Bob Iger and Josh Kushner and believe they understand what the Lakers represent to Los Angeles and our incredibly loyal fan base. We are confident they will honor everything this franchise stands for while building upon the foundation our father created.

Clearly, the family is focused on moving forward with the sale, which is to be expected since they were the ones who voted for it. Of the two sides, the non-Jeanie siblings are definitely winning the PR battle right now.

Both this statement and the one when the sale was initially reported were well-crafted and portray the family making the decision that’s best for the Lakers. Portraying it in that light is a great win in the court of public opinion.

On the other hand, Jeanie’s letter about her siblings’ decision didn’t have the same vibe. It felt much more aggressive and dismissive about their wishes with an attitude that she knows best. Because she was put on the back foot, it was always going to be hard for her to come off as anything other than defensive, but that’s how her letter came across.

Unfortunately, a public back-and-forth is likely how portions of this will play out. It doesn’t really serve anyone’s best interests in doing so, but given how the family has handled things throughout the last decade, it feels like it’s the path we’re heading down.

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

Shams Charania is not backing down after Jeanie Buss’ legal team accused the ESPN insider of inaccurately reporting the latest twist in the Lakers’ increasingly messy ownership saga.

Appearing Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Charania addressed a letter from Buss’ attorney that accused him of falsely reporting that all six Buss siblings voted to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% stake in the franchise.

The statement specifically claimed Charania “falsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell” the stake to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger and that Jeanie was “out” as controlling owner.

Charania took direct issue with that characterization.

“That letter included my name in it, which I do find interesting,” Charania said. “I do have to make it clear, I fully stand by my reporting.”

He then zeroed in on what he believes Buss’ legal team got wrong.

“The first line of the statement from the lawyer said that I reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell,” Charania said. “That key sentence right there is inaccurate.”

Buss’ attorney, Adam Streisand, went further in Monday’s statement, alleging a “years-long pattern” in which Joey and Jesse Buss have leaked “false, defamatory and pernicious” information to Charania in an effort to damage the Lakers while Jeanie carries out what the attorney described as their late father Jerry Buss’ wishes.

Charania did not retreat from his reporting in response to those accusations, instead emphasizing that his report concerned whether the family had enough votes to move forward with the sale.

That distinction has become central to the latest round of Buss family infighting surrounding the Lakers. In ESPN’s current report, Charania wrote that the family trust received enough votes to approve the proposed sale, with at least five of the six siblings voting in favor.

ESPN separately reported that Jeanie did not participate in the vote. According to Charania’s sources, four votes were required to trigger the provision allowing the sale.

That is different, however, from whether those votes can actually force Jeanie to give up the family’s stake.

Buss is challenging her siblings’ attempt to sell, with Streisand arguing that the family trust and a 2017 court ruling prevent a sale without approval from the co-trustees and require them to preserve enough ownership for Jeanie to remain the Lakers’ controlling governor.

Charania maintained that his reporting concerned the majority vote while acknowledging that interpreting the rules of the trust itself is another matter.

The fight comes less than a week after Mark Walter agreed to sell the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a record $12.5 billion valuation. The Buss family is seeking to include its remaining stake in that transaction, while Jeanie argues her siblings do not have the authority to make that decision without her.

So while Charania is pushing back on the claim that his reporting was inaccurate, the larger question remains unresolved.

What began as another blockbuster Lakers sale is increasingly shaping up as a battle over exactly what the Buss family voted for — and whether that vote actually has the power to end Jeanie’s reign.

One day after Jeanie Buss contested her siblings attempting to sell the family’s shares of the Lakers, the rest of the Buss family made it clear they aren’t backing down.  

Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon: “The Los Angeles Lakers have never been just a basketball team. They have been one of the greatest privileges of our lives. Our focus has always been on what we believe is best for the Lakers, the fans who have supported this franchise for generations and the greater Los Angeles community.

“Johnny, Jimmy, Janie, Joey and Jesse have made the decision to sell the family’s remaining stake, and we remain united in that decision. We intend to move forward thoughtfully, respectfully and through the appropriate process.”

Jeanie’s siblings agreed to sell their 17.8% stake of the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, who are slated to become the franchise’s majority co-owners after agreeing to buy the Lakers from current majority owner Mark Walter at a historic valuation of $12.5 billion.

“We have tremendous respect for Bob Iger and Josh Kushner and believe they understand what the Lakers represent to Los Angeles and our incredibly loyal fan base,” the statement from the Buss siblings added. “We are confident they will honor everything this franchise stands for while building upon the foundation our father created.”

Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss is opposing her siblings’ vote to sell the family’s share of the Lakers, according to a letter from her lawyer, Adam Streisand, which was obtained by the California Post, arguing her siblings can’t legally execute a sale without her approval and that any vote of the Buss family selling would be “void”.

The Buss family trust includes six of the late Dr. Jerry Buss’ children: Johnny (69), Jim (66), Jeanie (64), Janie (62), Joey (41) and Jesse (37).

The siblings believe they simply need a majority vote (four out of six) to allow the trustees to sell the family’s shares.

Jeanie didn’t vote to sell the family’s ownership stake in the Lakers, while the other five siblings in the trust did.

“Pursuant to the JAB Trust and the attached Court Order, the co-trustees are bound to vote the Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. shares to ensure that the minimum 15% ownership requirement is maintained in order to ensure that Jeanie Buss may remain Controlling Owner,” Streisand said in the letter. “Any attempt by the co-trustees to do otherwise, and any attempt to aid or abet the co-trustees as such, would constitute a breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and be in contempt of court.”

The letter added: “On behalf of Jeanie Buss, I demand that your clients make clear publicly that Jeanie Buss is the Controlling Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and that your clients shall take no action on this supposed “vote” to sell the 17.8% stake.”

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The siblings took the opposite action, making it clear they still intend to sell their share of the Lakers.

What comes next remains to be seen.

Jeanie and her representatives didn’t issue a statement in response Tuesday.

The Buss family said in a statement Monday morning: “We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction. We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles; but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”

Selling the Lakers would result in Jeanie no longer being the team’s Governor, since she would no longer have the qualifying 15% ownership stake in the franchise required told hold that position. She has been team’s Governor since 2013 after Jerry’s death.

When Walter purchased the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family, the league announced that Buss would remain the team’s Governor for a period of at least five years (through 2030).

Iger told the California Post last week he and Kushner intended to honor the agreement made between Walter and Buss. 

But on Monday, Jeanie’s attorney sent a letter to lawyers for the other siblings demanding that they retract the announcement of the proposed sale, insisting that rules of the family trust and a 2017 court ruling make clear that she will remain a controlling owner of the team for life.

The letter also called the announcement of a planned sale of the family’s stake in the Lakers, “just the latest instance of a years-long pattern whereby Joey and Jesse Buss leak false, defamatory and pernicious `information’…for the malicious purpose of doing harm to the Los Angeles Lakers so long as Dr. [Jerry] Buss’ chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father’s wishes.”

Kushner and Iger are purchasing about 65% of the Lakers in their deal with Walter. The Buss family’s share of the Lakers would give Kushner and Iger about 83% of the franchise.

That sale needs to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors, which is scheduled to meet Sept. 15-16 in New York.

Kushner also must sell his minority ownership stake in the Heat before he can officially become the Lakers’ co-majority owner.

But after the latest update in this saga, how and when this will be resolved isn’t clear.

The NBA rumor mill never stops, and the latest smoke concerns one of the purest scorers of this generation.

Year One of Kevin Durant on the Houston Rockets proved to be “frustrating and disappointing,” in the words of general manager Rafael Stone. Houston won 52 games, but was bounced in the first round of the postseason, after injuries took their toll.

That has led to Durant, who will turn 38 in late September, to pop up on the rumor mill as a potential trade candidate. This, however, should be taken merely as the work of high speculation from the corners of NBA message boards.

For the Rockets, this entire offseason was essentially the anticipation of the return of point guard Fred VanVleet, who missed the entire 2025-26 campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Dennis Schroder isn’t one to shy away from the truth. He showed this in his limited time with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, often being one of the most vocal players on the court and in the locker room.

Whether he was urging his teammates to hustle back on defense or to keep the bigs involved offensively, Schroder wasn’t afraid to call it how he sees it.

That’s continued even after Schroder was traded to the Charlotte Hornets last week.

In an interview with EuroHoops, Schroder opened up about the challenges of his role in Cleveland.

“When you have two legends in your position who bring the ball up the court and play a lot of isolation, then it’s just difficult,” said Schroder.

Playing behind James Harden and Donovan Mitchell is a unique challenge for anyone. Being the backup to two ball-dominant stars is a thankless job. It requires a sacrifice that isn’t always recognized. Schroder wasn’t in his comfort zone sharing the floor with both Mitchell and Harden, as no one in that group excels without the ball.

Anyone watching the Cavs could tell you that.

This isn’t to say that Schroder should have had more touches. We all agree that the ball should be primarily in Harden or Mitchell’s hands. But it’s no secret that co-existing with them in the backcourt is easier said than done. You need a specific skill set that doesn’t match Schroder’s archetype.

Schroder is at his best when he’s on the ball. He isn’t the type of player who can spot up in the corner or space the floor. And even with his scrappiness on the defensive end, he still isn’t the ideal partner to cover up for either Harden or Mitchell on that end of the floor.

That put Schroder in an awkward position. The Cavs needed a backup point guard — but they didn’t need the type of package that Schroder brings. He’s a speedy, on-ball floor general who can run the offense in a pinch. Not a 3-and-D guard who can fill in the gaps.

For this reason, Schroder is right to feel optimistic about landing in Charlotte.

“I’ve known [I was being traded] for a month,” said Schroder. “I think it’s a better situation for me from a sporting perspective.”

Schroder will have more room to be himself on the Hornets bench. Meanwhile, the Cavs search for a way to capitalize on their newfound financial freedom. The trade feels like a win for both parties.

The Toronto Raptors have signed Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Malachi Smith to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 training camp contract through the work of his agent, Michael Lelchitski of SIG Sports.

Across 15 games, four of which were starts, played with the Brooklyn Nets to close out the 2025-26 season, 6-4 Smith averaged 8.3 points on a shooting split of 48.5 percent from the field/43.5 percent on three-pointers/100.0 percent at the free-throw line, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per contest. He was waived back on July 10 after the organization exercised his minimum salary team option on June 30, in order to make salary cap space.

Toronto doesn’t have any of its three two-way spots available and currently has 17 players on the payroll (both standard and training camp contracts), including Smith’s $2,185,116 that he’s owed next season. An NBA roster has a 15-player limit. Once the trade of forward Brandon Ingram and guard Gradey Dick for Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard goes through, one roster spot will open up for the Raptors.

The 26-year-old Smith will be fighting mostly with Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle, who went undrafted in 2026, for minutes throughout the preseason. If he were to get cut, Smith should have the option to join the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBA G League affiliate.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

The $12.5 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers has unleashed a family feud.

The Buss children are at it again.

Jeanie Buss, 64, took over as the team’s governor and controlling owner in 2013 after the death of her father, Jerry, the team's longtime and celebrated owner. She sued in 2017, alleging that two other brothers tried to oust her. Now Jeanie Buss is fighting to hold on to that power.

She is one of six siblings and apparently is outnumbered. Her five siblings issued a statement saying they plan to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% in the Lakers to the incoming owners -- venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

The 17.8% is how much the Buss children retained after selling the team to Mark Walter in June 2025 on a valuation of about $10 billion. The terms of that sale stipulated that Jeanie Buss was to remain the team's governor for at least five years following the sale.

But that plan looks to be in jeopardy after Walter sold the team to Kusher, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, and Iger. NBA rules require a team’s governor have at least 15% ownership. If her siblings are allowed to sell their shares, Jeanie Buss won’t meet the threshold needed to oversee the team.

The NBA has not yet approved the sale and it could take months to resolve.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mid-Major fans and fans across the country.

Loyola Chicago is honoring Sister Jean with a statue this Friday on what would have been her 107th birthday.

So, that got us thinking: who should be the next mid-major legend to be given a statue?

Pete Carril, Greg Kampe, Bill Russell, Steph Curry, Steve Nash or Buddy the Street Dog?

Pete Carril

Carril was the architect of the Princeton offense. His Tiger teams were rock solid on defense and led the nation in scoring defense 14 times. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famer won 13 Ivy League championships and retired as the only coach to win 500 games without scholarship players. Carril led Princeton to the 1975 NIT championship.

Greg Kampe

Kampe is gearing up for his 43^rd season with Oakland and is the longest-tenured active Division I men’s basketball coach, ranking third all-time in DI behind Jim Phelan (49 seasons), Phog Allen (49 seasons), and Jim Boeheim (47 seasons). The 2026-27 season moves Kampe ahead of Mike Krzyzewski. Kampe oversaw the Golden Grizzlies’ transition to Division I and pioneered one of the best March Madness upsets in recent memory as Oakland and hot-shooting Jack Gohlke took down Kentucky.

“Consistency is the hallmark of success,” is one of Kampe’s favorite quotes.

After all, he was voted our sexiest mid-major coach back in 2022.

Bill Russell

One of the greatest players in basketball history, Russell suited up for San Francisco before winning 11 titles with the Boston Celtics. He played with the Dons in the 1950s and guided them to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956. USF won 55 consecutive games, and Russell is the career leader in rebounds for the program with 1,606. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Russell was a staunch advocate for social justice. The WCC adopted the “Russell Rule,” which ensures that all schools in the conference consider candidates from underrepresented groups when interviewing for athletic administrator and coaching vacancies.

Steph Curry

We all remember Curry nearly shooting No. 10-seed Davidson into the Final Four. The guard’s run in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was nothing short of miraculous. It put his name in the national lexicon of basketball before he became the NBA career 3-point leader and changed the game with his approach to shooting. Curry led the nation in scoring in 2009 and broke the single-season 3-point record in 2008. Four NBA titles and a couple of MVPs later, Curry and his legacy live on.

Steve Nash

Nash put together one of the best college careers with Santa Clara and led the Broncos to three WCC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. He ranks among the top 10 in program history in points, steals, assists, and free-throw percentage. The two-time NBA MVP led both the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals and had his number retired by both Santa Clara and the Suns. He went on to become a consultant and helped guide the Warriors to back-to-back titles with Curry as one of the star players.

Buddy the Street Dog

OK, let’s have a little fun with this one. Buddy the Street Dog is the “spirit animal” for the Queens men’s basketball team. The two-foot replica of a German Shepard joined the Royals this season as they reached the NCAA Tournament in their first season of eligibility after transitioning to Division I. Buddy is awarded postgame to the player whose contributions to the team’s success may not show up in the box score (taking charges or diving for loose ball).

“We want [the players] to embody the street dog mentality of fighting for everything you can get,” Queens head coach Grant Leonard said.

Both Queens and Buddy are a perfect 1-for-1 when eligible to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Editor note: Damian Lillard and Artis Gilmore were also discussed.

Lillard is painted on a horse statue in Ogden, Utah, where he starred for Weber State.

Why a horse and not an actual statue depicting Lillard? Lillard has a fear of statues.

“I’ve always been scared of historic stuff like that. If I see statues of Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. — all that stuff kind of gives me a funny feeling,” Lillard said back in 2012 on a trip to Washington, D.C. during his rookie season with the Portland Trailblazers.

Gilmore will have his statue at Jacksonville University unveiled next May. Nicknamed “The A-Train,” Gilmore led the 1970 national championship game, where the Dolphins fell to UCLA.

Gilmore went on to have a hall-of-fame career in the ABA and NBA. He began his college career at Garner-Webb before playing his final two seasons at Jacksonville.

Knicks coach Mike Brown is enjoying the post-championship life.

The coach and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma enjoyed some R&R in Porto Cervo, an Italian seaside resort in Northern Sardinia on Sunday in new beach photos obtained by The Post.

The couple, mostly private regarding their personal life, were seen canoodling in the ocean and laughing together while lounging under an umbrella.

Brown sported white swim shorts and sunglasses while Ledesma donned a blue bikini.

The pair’s European vacation came after a whirlwind summer for Brown.

In his first year at the helm, Brown coached the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years against the Spurs in June.

The Knicks won four of five against San Antonio, and clinched the NBA title in a 94-90 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

After that, Brown’s media tour included stops at “The Tonight Show” and “Good Morning America.”

He also received a standing ovation and applause — as well as “let’s go Knicks” chants — when he hit up the Polo Bar in mid-June.

Brown and his first wife Carolyn, who divorced in January 2015, share two sons together, Elijah and Cameron.

Both played collegiate sports and Elijah began his basketball career at Butler before transferring to New Mexico and then finishing his college career at Oregon.

Brown has yet to be seen in photo from the wedding of Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns and model Jordyn Woods, which took place Aug. 15 in Malibu.

Towns’ Knicks teammates, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby were all in attendance.

NetsDaily has confirmed that the Brooklyn Nets are signing Nick Pringle, a 6’10”, 230-pound 24-year-old power forward out of Arkansas, to an Exhibit 10 deal. Pringle, who went undrafted in June, played last season at Arkansas with Darius Acuff and Trevon Brazile, drafted at No. 7 and 35th.

An Exhibit 1o can be a training camp contract, but the Nets and other teams have also used it to fill out G League rosters. The plan for Pringle will become evident shortly after he’s signed. Last couple of seasons, the Nets have signed players to Exhibit 10s then quickly waived them often within 24 hours. The players’ G League rights go directly to Long Island without a stop at Brooklyn’s training camp. Each player signed to an Exhibit 10 can receive up to an $85,000 bonus if they stick with the G League club for 60 days. While some organizations will negotiate the amount of the bonus, the Nets generally provide each signee the full $85,000. G League players also receive a standard $46,350 salary plus housing expenses.

Pringle had previously played at both Alabama and South Carolina in his six-year long collegiate career. At Alabama, he teamed up with Grant Nelson who played for both Brooklyn and Long Island last season and was on the Nets summer league rosters in Sacramento and Las Vegas last month.

A native of Seabrook, S.C., Pringle played at Wofford College in 2020-21, Dodge City Community College in 2021-22, then two seasons at Alabama in 2022-23 and 2023-24, a season at South Carolina in 2024-25 before winding up at Arkansas last year. He was part of Alabama’s 2024 NCAA Final Four team, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game throughout the Crimson Tide’s run in the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s some highlights from his season with John Calipari and the Razorbacks, primarily focused on his athlaticism.

Rebounding and defense have been his forte. For his collegiate career, played in 152 games with 81 starts, averaging 16.1 minutes a game. For his career, he scored 853 points and shot 64.9% from the field, twice hitting before than 70.0% for the season. He also grabbed 654 career rebounds and recorded 125 stocks — combination of steals and blocks.

He also played three games for the Celtics Summer League team in Las Vegas, but only one where he topped 20 minutes, a loss to the Magic. In that that game, Pringle scored four points, grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists, blocked three shots and recorded two steals in 20.3 minutes.

Seros Partners, his agent, first reported on the Nets agreement Monday. Seros also represents Mikel Brown Jr.

Although the were unconfirmed reports during Summer League that Deon Brown, a 6’4” combo guard out of St. Louis, and Ben Humrichaus, a 6’9” small forward out of Illinois, would also join the Nets on Exhibit 10 deals. Both Tyler Bilodeau, taken at No. 43 out of UCLA, and Chaney Johnson, who’s returning, have signed two-way deals, leaving one open. Nelson is seen as a strong candidate for the third if he recovers from a “shooter’s knee” issue that sidelined him last season.

Betrayal, bloodlines and a battle for the throne.

Again.

Nine years after their last Game of Thrones-esque power struggle, the Los Angeles Lakers have somehow wandered back into Westeros, only this time the drama is more scintillating and vicious than ever before. 

Forget Succession, the better comparison is House of the Dragon.  

And Jeanie Buss is Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. 

The similarities between the Buss family and the hit HBO show have become almost absurd. 

Both stories begin with an aging patriarch presiding over a powerful dynasty and making his succession wishes unmistakably clear.

In Season One, King Viserys chose his daughter Rhaenyra to inherit the throne, just as Dr. Jerry Buss chose his daughter Jeanie to become controlling owner of the Lakers. Those instructions were later reinforced by language in the family trust requiring the trustees to take reasonable steps to keep her in control. 

But then the patriarch died and everybody started reaching for the Iron Throne. 

Dr. Buss purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. Under his family’s leadership, the Lakers have more wins than any franchise in history over that span and 11 NBA championships, more than any other team during their tenure. 

When Dr. Buss died in 2013, the family harmony he envisioned didn’t survive him very long. The Lakers become their own version of the Dance of the Dragons, except instead of Vhagar and Caraxes scorching the Red Keep, it was Jeanie and Jim’s lawyers scorching each other with court filings. 

Jim first tried to usurp Jeanie in 2017 after Jeanie fired her brother as head of basketball operations. Together, Jim and Johnny Buss pushed for a new Lakers board that conspicuously did not include their sister. Without a board seat, Jeanie could not remain the controlling owner. She got a restraining order, took them to court, stopped the maneuver and ultimately emerged with her authority strengthened. 

Pick whichever Buss brother you want to cast as Aegon II or Aemond or even Daemon Targaryen. The analogy doesn’t need to be anatomically perfect. The important part is the recurring theme of a family fighting for the throne after their patriarch has died. 

We’ve seen this show before. 

Only now the Targaryens all have private-equity portfolios and billions of dollars to play with instead of dragons. 

Last year, Jeanie agreed to sell the majority share of the Lakers to Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation while working out a deal to remain governor of the team until 2030. Then immediately after Walter took over, Joey and Jesse Buss were dismissed from their basketball operations positions as the new regime began reshaping the organization. 

Jeanie instantly took on the role of villain within her own family. 

Queen Rhaenyra spent Season Two of House of the Dragon learning the uncomfortable truth about inherited power: that having a king proclaim you as the rightful heir doesn’t mean everybody around you will happily kneel. 

A coup was contrived by the Hightowers (House Green) and King Viserys younger sons Aegon II and Aemond. Aegon was crowned in Rhaneyra’s place and she was exiled to Dragonstone before a war between the family broke out for the throne. 

Jeanie is now entrenched in the Lakers version. 

According to ESPN, five of the Buss siblings voted on Monday to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger after Walter agreed to sell his controlling interest at a $12.5 billion valuation last Wednesday. Jeanie was the lone sibling who did not vote for the sale, and now her attorney is arguing the transaction is “void” and cannot proceed under the terms governing the family trust. 

Why would she try to stop it?

Because if that 17.8% disappears or dips below 15%, then Jeanie would fall below the ownership threshold necessary to remain Lakers governor. 

The latest coup by the Buss brothers is so wonderfully House of the Dragon that it might as well have been ripped out of the script itself. Years ago, it was Jim and Johnny trying to usurp Jeanie’s power. Joey and Jesse were perceived as part of her side of the family power structure. Now the alliances have shifted again. 

And that’s the point of George R.R. Martin’s novel A Dance With Dragons that the show is based on. There are no permanent teams when a throne is involved. Allies become enemies. Enemies become useful. Family loyalty lasts right up until somebody believes they have the opportunity to sit on the Iron Throne. 

Even Jeanie’s sale to Walter now feels like the betrayal of Queen Rhaenyra’s new Targaryen bastard dragon riders from Season Three. The idea was to harness enormous outside financial power while still preserving her place atop the Lakers kingdom. Instead, Walter is already selling the team to Iger and Kushner less than a year after he took control. Now, Jeanie suddenly finds herself fighting to preserve the very authority the original transaction was designed to protect. 

And as House of the Dragon reminds us, power is easy to acquire, but much harder to keep. 

You won’t find dragons flying above Crypto.com Arena any time soon, but the fight for power of the Lakers now features billionaires, lawyers, trusts, emergency meetings, sibling alliances, and nearly half a century of family history hanging in the balance. 

For nearly 50 years, the Buss family has been Lakers royalty. Dr. Buss built the kingdom. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James decorated its walls with championship banners. 

But dynasties rarely fear outsiders as much as they should realize the real threat comes from within the household. 

King Viserys spent his final years believing his succession plan would preserve the Targaryen dynasty. 

Dr. Buss probably believed the same thing. 

But both fathers discovered the same truth:

You can name an heir, but you can’t make the family bend the knee.

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