Category: NBA

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and NBA have each reached out to scoreboard manufacturer Daktronics, seeking information about the company’s dealings with Kawhi Leonard.

This comes as the findings of the NBA-backed investigation into Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers concerning alleged salary cap circumvention still have not been announced.

Howard Atkins, acting chief financial officer of Daktronics, disclosed the development Wednesday, Sept. 2 in an earnings call and said the company was cooperating.

“Let me now briefly address a matter that has been in the media concerning the NBA’s investigation of Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers in connection with the league’s collective bargaining agreement that many of you may have heard about,” Atkins said during the call.

“As you might expect, we have received requests for information from the NBA. Additionally, the Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking information from us concerning the company and Mr. Leonard. We take these requests seriously and are cooperating. At this point, out of respect for the respective processes, we will not be providing further comment.”

It is unclear if this latest development may further delay the disclosure of the findings of the league’s investigation. Training camps are set to begin at the end of the month.

Yaxel Lendeborg has yet to play a minute in the NBA but already has his eyes on a player he wants to “lock up.”

The X account @EnjoyBBall posted a video that featured Lendeborg.

The Warriors rookie forward paused to think about who he’d want to face, and he revealed it to be the team’s former two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant.

“I want to lock up everybody I guard up, obviously,” Lendeborg said. “… Probably KD, man; I want to try to lock him up, see what I can do.”

Lendeborg said that given his 6-foot, 9-inch frame and weighing 230 pounds, he believes Durant would give him a good matchup just because of their size similarities. Durant is 6-11 and weighs 240.

Lendeborg grew up a Cavaliers fan, idolizing Kyrie Irving, and both of Durant’s Finals MVPs came against the Cavaliers.

Before entering the NBA draft, Lendeborg built a reputation as a strong, versatile defender in college. He finished last season averaging 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for Michigan.

Lendeborg’s college basketball career began as a junior college product at Arizona Western College, and he attended UAB for two seasons and later transferred to Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to an NCAA championship against UConn.

During Michigan’s Sweet 16 matchup against Alabama, he put on a clinic with 12 rebounds, two steals, seven assists and 23 points in 34 minutes.

The Warriors are scheduled to report for training camp on Sept. 29 and hope Lendeborg is a spark plug for their veteran-led team, centered around future Hall of Famer Steph Curry.

Over the summer, Lendeborg made his presence felt across the Warriors’ organization after helping lead the team to an NBA summer league championship and being crowned the game’s MVP.

Aside from lining up across from Durant, Lendeborg also named Irving, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo as other NBA players he hopes to guard one day.

“All because they’re similar to my height, besides Kyrie and, you know, very fluid. So very excited about those,” Lendeborg said.

The 2025-26 season is behind us, and every one is looking forward to 2026-27, where the Spurs will be the reigning Western Conference Champions with something to prove after a disappointing Finals appearance. But we can still take a quick moment to look back after the NBA released the Plays of the Year from last season, as voted by the fans.

Stephon Castle and Luke Kornet both managed to beat out their teammate Victor Wembanyama at arguably his biggest strengths, winning Dunk of the Year and Block of the Year, respectively. Castle’s fan-favorite dunk came in Game 2 of the Conference Finals against the Thunder (which they admittedly lost), when he received a pass from Wemby at the top of the arc and drove straight down the paint for the tomahawk slam over seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein. Replays show he got the ball as high as the top of the backboard square, which is quite some hops for a 6’5” dude. (Coincidently or not, this was also the game where Hartenstein later yanked Castle down after pulling or getting his fingers tangled in his hair — you be the judge.)

Kornet’s block came in Game 7 of the same series and helped clinch a trip to the Finals for the Spurs. Clinging to a precarious six-point lead early in the fourth quarter and Wemby sitting with five fouls, Kornet chased down Hartenstein after a steal and blocked his breakaway lay-up attempt, sucking the life out of the Thunder crowd as they made a last ditch effort to come back. The play stopped a momentum swing that was building for OKC, and the Spurs held on the rest of the way.

Other winners include Nikola Jokic for Assist of the Year, Luka Doncic for best Handles, Bam Adebayo for best Performance (I’m skeptical considering the circumstances of his 83-point game, but he can have his flowers), OG Anunoby for Clutch Play of the Year (ugh, we all know what that was), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for best…Drip? (I assume that’s wardrobe, correct me if I’m wrong, Gen Z Pounders. That slang isn’t part of my Millennial vocabulary.)

Do you agree with the fans votes? Do you have other plays that had your vote, be it from the Spurs or otherwise?

Thirty-plus years later, the Swamp Dragons are finally here.

The Nets will hold Swamp Dragons Night on Jan. 29, 2027 against the Clippers to honor the zany idea for a team name that almost came to fruition in the 1990s.

The specialty-themed night will feature a bobblehead and is part of the Nets’ 60th season celebrations.

“One of the most memorable ‘what ifs’ in basketball history will come to life as fans celebrate the unforgettable identity that ‘almost was,'” the team’s press release stated.

One can only wonder how the history of the Nets franchise unfolds had they been named the Swamp Dragons, a name so outlandish it sounds like it belongs in minor-league baseball.

While playing in New Jersey, team brass considered changing the name in an attempt to entice more fans.

Former Nets president Jon Spoelstra told ESPN in a 2016 article that he liked the idea of a “Dragons” nickname after it emerged as a finalist for the expansion Toronto franchise.

The swamp angle played homage to the team’s home in The Meadowlands.

 “The Dragon came up right away, but we needed something to identify it locally. I was sitting in my office with Jim Lampariello, our vice president, and I just said, ‘Every time I look out the window here, I see this swamp. And every time I think of swamps, I think of swamp rats. What about that?'” Spoelstra told ESPN.

“He just said, ‘I don’t think that’s very nice. What about Swamp Dragons?’ I loved it. Dragons are mythical, and fun.”

But one very important NBA person had some qualms: then-NBA commissioner David Stern.

“David told me, ‘This is the stupidest f—ing idea I’ve ever heard,'” Spoelstra told ESPN.

Stern ultimately allowed the Nets to proceed if all seven of the team’s owners would agree on the change and all seven OK’d the name, per the ESPN article.

They reportedly agreed to proceed forward, and the NBA spent $500,000 “to protect the name and any markings they would produce,” according to ESPN.

The team’s logo would have featured a teal, purple and black dragon twirling a basketball on one claw while they breathed red fire, which would have aligned with other logos at the time.

The original Raptors logo is similar in its portrayal.

The Nets next had to get a supermajority from the league’s 27 owners to green-light the change, but some backlash reportedly emerged about using the word “swamp.”

Spoelstra told ESPN that an individual from then-Gov. Christine Whitman’s office called them and said they didn’t like the term being used.

The owners didn’t mind the backlash and reportedly OK’d the change in a 26-1 vote in what should have been a grand moment.

But that one vote somehow came from the Nets co-owner David Gerstein.

“We voted against our own name change,” Spoelstra told ESPN. “I thought (Stern) was kidding. If your own team votes no, you can’t go ahead with something like this.”

Gerstein indicated in 2016 that not proceeding was the right call.

“I don’t recall the vote, but we all thought it was inappropriate in the end. The name just wasn’t right,” he told ESPN. “I mean, would they be the Brooklyn Swamp Dragons today? The rest of the league would have done whatever we wanted, but we decided collectively to vote against it.”

The Nets ultimately changed their logo in 1997, and have since ditched The Meadowlands and moved to Brooklyn and undergone even more logo changes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a tough salary cap position. Because they’re hard-capped at the first apron after completing the sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, they needed to sign someone with zero years of NBA experience to remain under that threshold. To accomplish this, they signed 2022 second-round pick Khalifa Diop.

Diop is a 24-year-old, 6’11” center from Senegal. He’s spent the last three years playing professionally for Baskonia in Spain. Diop played in 47 games last season in the Liga ACB in Spain and EuroLeague. He started 38 of those contests and averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 16.4 minutes per contest on 67% shooting from the field.

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Diop’s only experience in the wine and gold came during Summer League in 2023. There, he played just three games and averaged 4 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 17.4 minutes.

Cleveland’s main roster is likely set for the start of next season. They’ve typically gone into the season with 14 players on the roster, leaving one slot open until after the trade deadline to maintain flexibility. There’s an outside chance that an additional trade gets made or a player on an unguaranteed contract such as Mario Hezonja (contract guarantees on 11/15/26) or Craig Porter Jr. (contract guarantees on 1/10/27) is waived. Barring something like that, this is going to be the group heading into the year.

Diop likely won’t get many minutes with the Cavaliers next season. He’ll be the fourth center on the roster behind Thomas Bryant. Still, there’s upside there given Diop’s physical traits. We’ll see if he can reach his potential in Cleveland.

Taylor Swift had the “Eras Tour.” Now, the Brooklyn Nets have “Era Nights.”

For Nets fans of all ages, Barclays Center is becoming a celebration of the franchise’s past, present and future in the coming season with six different celebrations. The biggest surprise? The Nets will host Swamp Dragons Night on January 29, 2027, when they face the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. The event is part of the Nets’ six-night 2026-27 Era Nights series celebrating different periods in franchise history.

In 2016, Zach Lowe uncovered the story behind the Nets’ nearly becoming the “Swamp Dragons” in an exclusive ESPN feature, revealing a treasure trove of photos of uniforms, logos, court designs and merchandise created for the proposed rebrand that had never seen outside dusty trademark applications.

Appropriately, Lowe broke the news before the Nets sent out official word…

The Nets were struggling to attract fans and sell merchandise in New Jersey, and then-team president Jon Spoelstra was searching for a way to give the franchise a new identity. The idea he landed on? The Swamp Dragons — inspired by the Meadowlands and the era of colorful, cartoonish NBA logos.

And the Nets didn’t just kick the idea around. They went all the way in.

The NBA spent $500,000 protecting the Swamp Dragons name and related marks. The team settled on a teal, purple and black color scheme, commissioned new logos and developed uniforms, court designs, shooting shirts and warmups.

Then, it all fell apart because of the Nets! Even after the NBA’s Board of Governors voted 26-1 to approve the name change, the Nets themselves had voted against it. The one dissenting vote was their own!

More than three decades later, the Swamp Dragons are finally getting their night in Brooklyn. Will they play in Swamp Dragon uniforms? Nope, says C.J. Holmes but there will be merchandise. Oh yeah.

The Brooklyn Nets Era Nights Series

The Brooklyn Nets’ 2026-27 Era Nights series will celebrate six distinct periods in franchise history, from the team’s ABA roots and Julius Erving era to the move to Brooklyn and the back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances of the early 2000s.

Here’s the full Brooklyn Nets Era Nights schedule…

ABA Night — November 18 vs. Chicago Bulls

The Nets will celebrate their ABA roots, including their championship teams, league innovations and the Julius Erving era that helped establish the franchise as one of basketball’s most forward-thinking organizations.

80s Night — December 18 vs. Orlando Magic

The Nets will look back at their move to New Jersey and stars like Buck Williams, among others who helped lay the foundation.

90s Night — January 9 vs. Houston Rockets

The 1990s brought some of the most influential players and moments in Nets history. The night will celebrate Dražen Petrović’s lasting legacy, as well as the era’s impact on the franchise and the global game.

Swamp Dragons Night— Jan. 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers

One of the strangest “what ifs” in NBA history will finally get its night in Brooklyn. Expect merchandise to pop off the shelves for this one — Nets fan or not.

2000s Night, presented by Ticketmaster — March 15 vs. Indiana Pacers

The Nets will celebrate the most successful era in franchise history, honoring the back-to-back Eastern Conference championship teams and the players who helped put New Jersey on the national basketball map. So many fans now are present because of this team.

Hello Brooklyn Night — March 31 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The series concludes by celebrating the Nets’ move to Brooklyn. Hello Brooklyn Night will mark the franchise’s arrival at Barclays Center and the return of major professional sports to the borough after a 55-year absence.

As for the future, we’ll know more then than we do now.

• Nets celebrating Swamp Dragons night in homage to rebrand that fell apart – Matt Ehalt – New York Post
• The Swamp Dragons live: Inside the Nets’ plans to revive their strangest almost-identity ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

NBA fines Clippers $30M, penalizes Kawhi Leonard and more after investigation originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA, the team will forfeit five first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months for violating salary cap circumvention rules.

Also, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months and team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year. Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty.

The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.

The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.

The team maintained that stance after the league’s announcement.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner (Adam) Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”

The Clippers said they will “now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

The NBA opened the investigation in September 2025 into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by podcast journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.

The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, “violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” Leonard said in his statement.

The league said Ballmer was suspended for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” among other issues.

Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors has been on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. The Raptors had said they still want Leonard, and he apparently is just as eager to return to the team where he won an NBA title in 2019, when he was Finals MVP.

“As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard said in his statement.

NBA fines Clippers $30M, penalizes Kawhi Leonard and more after investigation originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA, the team will forfeit five first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months for violating salary cap circumvention rules.

Also, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months and team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year. Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty.

The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.

The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.

The team maintained that stance after the league’s announcement.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner (Adam) Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”

The Clippers said they will “now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

The NBA opened the investigation in September 2025 into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by podcast journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.

The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, “violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” Leonard said in his statement.

The league said Ballmer was suspended for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” among other issues.

Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors has been on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. The Raptors had said they still want Leonard, and he apparently is just as eager to return to the team where he won an NBA title in 2019, when he was Finals MVP.

“As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard said in his statement.

The Golden State Warriors’ outlook is always solid when Steph Curry is on the court.

Unfortunately, Curry might not be on the court as often as Warriors fans want next season.

This sentiment stems from a comment that NBC Sports reporter Monte Poole shared during an episode of “Dubs Talk” on Tuesday.

“There’s at least some lingering concern about [Curry’s] knee,” Poole said.

Curry missed 39 games during the 2025-26 regular season because of patella-femoral pain syndrome, which is more commonly known as runner’s knee.

“From what I’ve been told, it can be managed. But it has to be managed. And that’s a new thing for Steph, because people always say he’s the most conditioned guy in the league, and now he has to manage a knee. I guess we’ll find out,” Poole added.

“But from what I understand, he and his trainers have devised ways to kind of work around that, and sort of support that whole possibility of the knee not being as great as he wants it to be. So, I’m curious to see how it turns out. But Steph seemed pretty confident that he’ll be able to go out there and put out 70-plus games.”

Curry has said in the past that the unpredictable nature of this knee ailment (as opposed to something like a sprained ankle, which has a more clear and direct recovery timeline) is especially frustrating.

But nobody expected this issue to last into the 2026-27 season. And the fact that Golden State is already preparing to manage Curry doesn’t bode well for him and the fans who want to see him play.

Jaylen Brown set to enter first Sixers season with ‘kill' mentality originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

What has happened since July 1, the day the Sixers made the blockbuster move to acquire Jaylen Brown from their conference rival, Boston Celtics?

A lot of questions have been raised over the past two months about his relationship with the Celtics and, more importantly, his former teammate of nine seasons, six-time All-Star, Jayson Tatum. On August 6, Brown held his introductory press conference with the Sixers at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in Philadelphia, where reporters asked if he and Tatum were still in touch.

“Not really,” he responded.

Despite the lack of communication between Brown and his former teammate, he’s doing his best to leave his former city on good terms.

Let’s fast forward earlier this week. Brown organized a single-day farewell block party – the 741 Frequency Fest – a free public thank you event and goodbye celebration for Boston fans after playing ten seasons with the Celtics.

Brown’s farewell party was also livestreamed on his FCHWPO Twitch channel, where he also streamed again once the event concluded.

Brown wasted no time diving right into his offseason with the Sixers.

“It’s been a great summer,” he said. “We’ve been working, don’t let it fool you, don’t let nothing fool you, we’ve been in the gym, we’ve been working. I know y’all seen some of the workouts and stuff like that.”

Yes, yes, we have Jaylen.

On Aug. 19, NBA trainer Chris Johnson posted an Instagram video that featured Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and LeBron James working out together. The video has 10.8 million views — one of the most-viewed videos on Johnson’s page. 

During the stream, Brown disclosed that the workout took place in the “birthplace of The Bean,” referring to the late, great Kobe Bryant and the city of Philadelphia.

“We’ve been working, building chemistry with the guys,” he said. “Maxey is a dawg, LeBron is the f****** — don’t even need to say what LeBron is, he looks good, healthy.”

Aside from Brown working out with Maxey and James, he also gave a shoutout to the youngsters.

“Been working with the young guys. Labaron [Philon Jr.], VJ [Edgecombe]. Dogs. Even [Dominick] Barlow, [Adem] Bona, Anfernee [Simons]. I worked out with everyone on the team constantly.

“I’m grateful to the city of Philadelphia already and I ain’t even been there for that long. I’m grateful that they’ve just been a warm embrace.”

The season hasn’t even begun yet and it seems like Brown is already enjoying the City of Brotherly Love.

Brown then went on to express how he has been perceived, discussed and handled by those within the basketball world. Was he talking about the Celtics organization? USA Basketball? The media? He doesn’t say for sure and leaves it up to the viewers to interpret.

“For reasons I don’t need to share, I just feel like people don’t be understanding.”

“There is politics and so much stuff that goes on behind closed doors … It is what it is, but that just only motivates me even more to come out and show you who I am versus you trying to create these narratives and create these storylines because, in reality, you know what it is.”

But the narratives still linger about the type of person he is.

“And now they create these narratives that I’m saying ‘I’m the smartest person in the room’ or ‘I got a disease.’ Colin Cowherd, you know, to quote him, he said ‘it’s a disease’ or to quote one of his sources. Like these people is crazy, bro, and y’all got to see it.”

“These companies they be crazy. Corporations they be crazy, they be lying to us, they be putting stuff, propaganda out, putting out false statements, stuff that’s not even true. That’s why I started streaming in the first place. Because these industries be so corrupt bro, we force the hand. I want the chat to be able to see it, be able to stand up.”

If there’s one thing the Sixers are going to get from Brown, it’s intensity.

We saw a glimpse of that intensity between him and Embiid in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, when the Sixers overcame a 3-1 deficit to take the series at TD Garden.

“My mentality is kill … I feel like I want blood this year,” he said. “I feel like that’s the mentality, I want blood.”

As a Sixers fan, that’s a sentence that makes your mouth water. To have a player as driven as Brown makes all the difference for a team like the Sixers. This is a player who is already an NBA champion, Finals MVP and five-time NBA All-Star. For him to be this motivated going into his first season with Philadelphia is a scary sight.

Only 48 days until new-look Sixers take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, but who’s counting.

Jaylen Brown set to enter first Sixers season with ‘kill' mentality originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

What has happened since July 1, the day the Sixers made the blockbuster move to acquire Jaylen Brown from their conference rival, Boston Celtics?

A lot of questions have been raised over the past two months about his relationship with the Celtics and, more importantly, his former teammate of nine seasons, six-time All-Star, Jayson Tatum. On August 6, Brown held his introductory press conference with the Sixers at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in Philadelphia, where reporters asked if he and Tatum were still in touch.

“Not really,” he responded.

Despite the lack of communication between Brown and his former teammate, he’s doing his best to leave his former city on good terms.

Let’s fast forward earlier this week. Brown organized a single-day farewell block party – the 741 Frequency Fest – a free public thank you event and goodbye celebration for Boston fans after playing ten seasons with the Celtics.

Brown’s farewell party was also livestreamed on his FCHWPO Twitch channel, where he also streamed again once the event concluded.

Brown wasted no time diving right into his offseason with the Sixers.

“It’s been a great summer,” he said. “We’ve been working, don’t let it fool you, don’t let nothing fool you, we’ve been in the gym, we’ve been working. I know y’all seen some of the workouts and stuff like that.”

Yes, yes, we have Jaylen.

On Aug. 19, NBA trainer Chris Johnson posted an Instagram video that featured Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and LeBron James working out together. The video has 10.8 million views — one of the most-viewed videos on Johnson’s page. 

During the stream, Brown disclosed that the workout took place in the “birthplace of The Bean,” referring to the late, great Kobe Bryant and the city of Philadelphia.

“We’ve been working, building chemistry with the guys,” he said. “Maxey is a dawg, LeBron is the f****** — don’t even need to say what LeBron is, he looks good, healthy.”

Aside from Brown working out with Maxey and James, he also gave a shoutout to the youngsters.

“Been working with the young guys. Labaron [Philon Jr.], VJ [Edgecombe]. Dogs. Even [Dominick] Barlow, [Adem] Bona, Anfernee [Simons]. I worked out with everyone on the team constantly.

“I’m grateful to the city of Philadelphia already and I ain’t even been there for that long. I’m grateful that they’ve just been a warm embrace.”

The season hasn’t even begun yet and it seems like Brown is already enjoying the City of Brotherly Love.

Brown then went on to express how he has been perceived, discussed and handled by those within the basketball world. Was he talking about the Celtics organization? USA Basketball? The media? He doesn’t say for sure and leaves it up to the viewers to interpret.

“For reasons I don’t need to share, I just feel like people don’t be understanding.”

“There is politics and so much stuff that goes on behind closed doors … It is what it is, but that just only motivates me even more to come out and show you who I am versus you trying to create these narratives and create these storylines because, in reality, you know what it is.”

But the narratives still linger about the type of person he is.

“And now they create these narratives that I’m saying ‘I’m the smartest person in the room’ or ‘I got a disease.’ Colin Cowherd, you know, to quote him, he said ‘it’s a disease’ or to quote one of his sources. Like these people is crazy, bro, and y’all got to see it.”

“These companies they be crazy. Corporations they be crazy, they be lying to us, they be putting stuff, propaganda out, putting out false statements, stuff that’s not even true. That’s why I started streaming in the first place. Because these industries be so corrupt bro, we force the hand. I want the chat to be able to see it, be able to stand up.”

If there’s one thing the Sixers are going to get from Brown, it’s intensity.

We saw a glimpse of that intensity between him and Embiid in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, when the Sixers overcame a 3-1 deficit to take the series at TD Garden.

“My mentality is kill … I feel like I want blood this year,” he said. “I feel like that’s the mentality, I want blood.”

As a Sixers fan, that’s a sentence that makes your mouth water. To have a player as driven as Brown makes all the difference for a team like the Sixers. This is a player who is already an NBA champion, Finals MVP and five-time NBA All-Star. For him to be this motivated going into his first season with Philadelphia is a scary sight.

Only 48 days until new-look Sixers take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, but who’s counting.

Noah Clowney and the Brooklyn Nets surely have greater ambitions than winning social media, fan-voted awards, especially on the cusp of a new season. However, it still would’ve been nice to do so.

This week, the NBA announced the winners for its 2026 NBA ID Fan Favorites, which fans vote on across the NBA App, its website and social handles to determine the best moments from the 2025-26 season. The awards up for grabs were Dunk of the Year, Photo of the Year, Assist of the Year, Block of the Year, Handle of the Year, Performance of the Year, Clutch Play of the Year and Drip of the Year.

Clowney was one of six finalists for Block of the Year with this rejection he had on Ja’Kobe Walter in a late December game last season. Clowney finished that contest with 19 points, nine boards, two assists, and two blocks. He was also a team-high +28 in what was Brooklyn’s eight win of the season.

However, the Block of the Year nod went to Luke Kornet for his pivotal rejection in the Western Conference Finals vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Clowney was the only Net nominated for an NBA ID award this year. The last time a Brooklyn player received a nomination and won one came after the 2022-23 season, when Kevin Durant has his double crossover on Daniel Gafford celebrated as the Handle of the Year.

Clowney will surely be on the prowl for more suffocating rejections in the upcoming season, motivated by falling short for this award … and his expiring rookie contract. I’ll go out on a limb and say the latter is probably more compelling than the former.

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

Golden State Warriors fans have been blessed to get to watch Steph Curry play for 17 years now. It’s been one hell of a journey, filled with four championships, two MVP awards, and the most made threes in NBA history.

Thankfully for us, there’s no end in sight. Curry is preparing to lace up his sneakers for an 18th season, and is in talks with the Warriors regarding a contract extension.

On the one hand, he’s still one of the best players in the NBA, and clearly still has a love for the game. On the other hand, he’ll turn 39 during this upcoming season. So it’s no secret that he has more games behind him than ahead of him.

So, Dub Nation: how many more years will we get the gift of watching The Chef?

NBA issues huge punishments for Kawhi Leonard-Clippers cap circumvention scandal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Los Angeles Clippers were fined $30 million and star player Kawhi Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty by the NBA on Wednesday for violating salary cap circumvention rule, the league officially announced after ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news.

The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation. The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.

Los Angeles maintained that stance after the league’s announcement.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner (Adam) Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”

The Clippers said they will “now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

The NBA opened the investigation in September 2025 into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by podcast journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.

The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, “violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” Leonard said in his statement.

The league said Ballmer was suspended for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” among other issues.

Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors has been on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. The Raptors had said they still want Leonard, and he apparently is just as eager to return to the team where he won an NBA title in 2019, when he was Finals MVP.

“As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard said in his statement.