LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 19: The sneakers worn by Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Charlotte Hornets during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 19, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Perhaps Michael Jordan’s media career will mirror his NBA years with a little break in the middle.
Jordan’s run with NBC Sports’s basketball coverage is expected to cease after just one year, according to Front Office Sports, although the reason has not yet been revealed.
NBC Sports landed exclusive interviews with Jordan in its return to NBA coverage last season, an addition many hailed since Jordan is known for being rather reserved when it comes to media details.
Michael Jordan during one of his NBC segments. @NBAonNBC/YouTube
That excitement, though, tempered when NBA fans realized that Jordan would not be making live appearances to provide analysis.
Instead, the network broke up one pre-recorded sit-down interview with Mike Tirico into different clips for the “MJ: Insights to Excellence” segments that didn’t highlight the sport’s current storylines.
“It’s a bad look for NBC and it’s just a bad look, plain and simple,” Barkley said in January.
“They couldn’t fly to Michael like once a month and do a new interview? That makes NBC look really bad, plain and simple.”
Tirico defended the segment, pointing to the rarity of Jordan speaking about the sport since he had last done so during ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary in 2020.
He described Jordan as “awesome” for the segments.
“Was it what everyone wanted? Probably not,” Tirico said in January. “Was it better than not hearing from Michael Jordan? You’re damn right it was. And if we get another shot at it, will I be more than excited to be a part of it? You betcha. In our world right now, all you want to do is make the final answer before you know everything. I love that Michael trusted us enough to sit and do something that he hasn’t done in a long, long, long time.”
He added: “Every time one airs, people say, ‘Oh, this is from the same interview.’ But they also talk about what he said. It starts a topic of conversation. His voice still resonates.”
Michael Jordan (r.) sitting with Mike Tirico (l) during one of the segments. @NBAonNBC/YouTube
Jordan, the six-time NBA champion, is still active in NBA circles due to his standing as a minority owner of the Hornets.
Jonathan Kuminga now has limited options in free agency after another one of his suitors pivoted. Getty Images
The Timberwolves can sign Kuminga as part of their tax mid-level exception, without requiring the Hawks cooperation. In some ways, it’s an easier deal for the Timberwolves to get done.
Kuminga’s free agency has been a complex process, but it’s near its conclusion.
Siblings Joey and Jesse Buss (in black hat), from left, sitting in the front row during a press conferrence announcing new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, at the UCLA Health Training Center, in El Segundo, CA, Monday, June 6, 2022.
The Buss brothers will be on the Padres’ ownership group’s advisory board as part of their investment in the franchise.
Joey Buss said in a statement to The Athletic: “We are honored to join Kwanza and José and have the opportunity to contribute to the future of a team that Jesse and I have loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego. Sports have always been a part of our family’s story, and great organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and create a lasting sense of community. Padres fans have built one of the most passionate and loyal communities in all of sports, and we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to deepen that connection in San Diego and around the world.
“The Padres are on the cusp of something special, and through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing our experience and perspective to the ownership group and doing our part to build on the strong foundation already in place.”
Alternate governor Joey Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers addresses the fans during the NBA Cup Trophy ceremony after the game against the Indiana Pacers during the In-Season Tournament Championship game on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (NBAE) NBAE via Getty Images
Joey and Jesse Buss are also pursuing an ownership stake in an NBA Europe franchise.
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King winds up against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in San Diego. (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan
Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ current governor, didn’t vote in favor of the sale and is contesting her siblings’ decision through her lawyer, Adam Streisand.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Bennedict Mathurin #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts after the play in the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Don Collier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bennedict Mathurin is headed to New Orleans. How long he’ll stay in the Big Easy remains to be seen.
The former Arizona Wildcats standout has signed a two-year $16 million deal with the Pelicans that includes a player option, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Bennedict Mathurin has agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, including a player option, sources tell ESPN.
Mathurin’s reps approached the Clippers about withdrawing his $8.8M qualifying offer, effectively turning the QO into a more favorable… pic.twitter.com/U53SEBOm3m
According to Charania, Mathurin chose flexibility and an earlier route to unrestricted free agency versus longer-term offers that would have come with total team control.
Mathurin was traded last season to the Los Angeles Clippers after spending the first three-and-a-half seasons with the Indiana Pacers. The 24-year-old averaged 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year.
Mathurin only started one game with the Clippers out of 26 appearances. He’ll have a better opportunity to earn a starting role in New Orleans, where his main competition will be Trey Murphy and Saddiq Bey. The Pelicans are coming off a 26-56 season.
New Orleans has had its eye on Mathurin for some time, according to Charania, who reported the team has aggressively pursued him for over a year.
Mathurin becomes the first Arizona alum to play for New Orleans since Solomon Hill and Stanley Johnson played for them in 2019.
Jonathan Kuminga has found a new home following his first foray into unrestricted NBA free agency.
The former top Warriors draft pick has agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves that includes a player option, his agent Aaron Turner told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday.
Per Charania, Kuminga will start for the Timberwolves during the 2026-27 NBA season.
BREAKING: Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender. pic.twitter.com/KdtD6YEy9j
Following his up-and-down tenure in the Bay, Golden State traded Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks in February, along with Buddy Hield, in the deal that brought Kristaps Porziņģis to the Warriors. The Hawks subsequently declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option in June after the young forward averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds across 16 games with them.
As the Warriors’ No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga averaged 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 278 games with Golden State . As a rookie, he helped Golden State win the 2022 NBA championship, and his best season came two years later when he averaged 16.1 points in 74 contests.
But Kuminga was in and out of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s rotation during his last few seasons with the team and eventually demanded a trade, bringing an end to an often-tumultuous tenure with Golden State.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were linked to Kuminga this offseason, but instead he lands with a different Western Conference competitor. Kuminga and the new-look Timberwolves will play the Warriors in Golden State’s fifth game of the 2026-27 season on Oct. 28th in Minnesota.
The start of NBA training camps is still a little more than a month away, but it’s not too early to look ahead at the upcoming regular season.
A busy offseason that saw stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami Heat), LeBron James (Philadelphia 76ers) and Jaylen Brown (76ers) find new homes has mostly wrapped up as teams enjoy their final month of summer vacation before getting back to hoops.
And with that fluctuation in personnel comes a new hierarchy and balance of power in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Either way, all teams are chasing the New York Knicks, who snapped a 53-year title drought in dramatic fashion by knocking of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The Spurs, of course, remain one of the teams to beat in the West.
Here’s a look at projections for every team, based on our view of what each team's record will be at the end of the 2026-27 regular season:
A couple of things to note: Indiana’s success will depend entirely on how star point guard Tyrese Haliburton returns after missing all of last season with his ruptured Achilles tendon. But if he can return to previous form, the Pacers — a team that is being significantly overlooked — could be a real threat in the East. The Celtics are an intriguing team to watch, but they will need Derrick White to bounce back from a tough shooting year, and they’ll need Paul George to take on a massive role to replace Jaylen Brown. Either way, this puts a ton of pressure on Jayson Tatum to carry the squad.
The Bulls could be a sneaky team to make a jump, with the additions of Norman Powell and No. 4 overall rookie Caleb Wilson. And the Magic have a new coach in Sean Sweeney, but he’ll have to revamp an offense that struggled to find consistent shooting. Orlando may be a candidate to drop off.
It’s clear the Thunder and Spurs are the top two teams in the West, when healthy. Yet, the race for the guaranteed playoff spots in seed Nos. 3 through 6 should be tightly contested. As it stands now, the Timberwolves, Rockets, Nuggets and Lakers appear to be in that next tier, but health and the fit of new additions will be the determining factors. Minnesota is incorporating LaMelo Ball, the Rockets will be getting a boost at point guard with the return of Fred VanVleet (torn ACL) and the Lakers have a revamped roster with LeBron James gone and Walker Kessler in.
The Jazz, now that their tank is complete, are a team that could ascend with their mix of young players (rookie guard Darryn Peterson, last year’s No. 5 overall selection Ace Bailey and Keyonte George) and vets (Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.).
For a couple of weeks, it had been rumored that New Orleans was the only outside team seriously in pursuit of Bennedict Mathurin, and it was going to come down to them or the LA Clippers — and the Clippers had the power because he was a restricted free agent.
Then came this report Wednesday: Mathurin and the Pelicans reached agreement on a two-year, $16 million offer, with the second year of that a player option, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
For that to happen, the Clippers and Mathurin have to agree to rescind his $8.8 million qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent. The official deadline for a team to rescind that offer unilaterally is July 13, but it can still do it throughout the offseason if the team and player agree. That has yet to officially happen, but the sides are working toward it, reports NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Mathurin will agree because it is a great deal for him, despite reportedly discussing longer-term offers with other teams that would have been worth more money. While Mathurin believes he should make more, this contract gets him back on the free agent market as soon as next summer if he wants, but it gives him the security of a second year. He sees that as his best scenario.
While the Clippers have given lip service to wanting Mathurin back, their actions have shown he is not a priority. If (when?) the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto goes through, the Clippers will have 16 guaranteed contracts on the roster, plus Cam Christie's non-guaranteed deal, and that is without Mathurin. The Clippers already have to make a trade or waive at least one guaranteed contract before the season starts. They don't need Mathurin.
The Clippers and Pelicans couldn't work out a sign-and-trade, in part because it requires at least a three-year contract for Mathurin. If the report that the Clippers are working with Mathurin to rescind the offer is true, then he walks out the door for nothing.
Mathurin came to the Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac trade and quickly showed he can put up numbers off the bench, averaging 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the 26 games he played. He also showed he's not terribly efficient doing that, shooting 20.7% from 3-point range and posting a true shooting percentage right about the league average, plus he had nearly as many turnovers as assists.
It may take some lawyers in a room and a couple of days to become official, but it sounds like Mathurin is set to join the Pelicans team — a team that won 26 games last season, but the only big move of their offseason was to change coaches to Jamahl Mosley. There is talent on this roster — Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Derik Queen, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray — but it has yet to mesh and show it can win.
Mathurin steps into that roster, where team president Joe Dumars is betting that Mosley can get this team to defend and put the puzzle pieces together.
Philadelphia, PA - April 24: Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey argues a call in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers played in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
The NBA has yet to officially confirm all of the uniforms that each team will be wearing during the 2026-27 season, but as usual, the sickos at NBA Uniform Tracker are doing the Lord’s work this offseason.
In late July, they revealed that the Sixers would be bringing back their 2017-18 “City Edition” jerseys this year.
Leak!
The Sixers looks to be bringing back the 2017-18 "City Edition" for this upcoming season. The city edition looks to be featuring a white, potentially shiny, Nike swoosh to commemorate 10 years of the "City Edition". https://t.co/617TPbnr5Dpic.twitter.com/06RYl3vbdT
— NBA Uniform Tracker™ (@nbaunitracker) July 21, 2026
A few weeks later, NBA Uniform Tracker followed up with confirmation of the Sixers’ two standard jerseys—the white “Association” and the blue “Icon” jersey—plus the red “Statement” jerseys that they’ve also been wearing since 2019.
Notably absent from that list? The Iverson-era “Classic Edition” jerseys that the Sixers brought back last year, much to the delight of fans throughout the greater Philadelphia region.
In fairness, it isn’t the Sixers’ call to shelve the Iverson jerseys this year. According to the NBA’s “LockerVision” website, Classic Edition uniforms are only “worn by teams commemorating anniversaries or key moments in franchise history.” The Sixers brought back the Iverson jerseys last year since it was the 25th anniversary of their run to the 2001 NBA Finals. (LeBron James signing with the Sixers on a veteran-minimum contract apparently doesn’t qualify as a key moment in franchise history.)
If ever there was a time to make an exception, it would be this year.
After the Sixers added LeBron and Jaylen Brown this offseason—not to mention Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Labaron Philon Jr. and Ariel Hukporti—the fanbase is feral with excitement. The Sixers even capitalized on that by opening the team store at Xfinity Mobile Arena for two days so fans could purchase officially licensed gear, since Fanatics almost instantly sold out of LeBron’s Sixers jersey. And fans turned out in droves for that opportunity.
Still, not allowing the Sixers to bring back the Iverson jerseys is an enormous missed opportunity for the NBA. After all, ESPN photoshopped LeBron into one of those jerseys in its tweet announcing that he’d be joining the Sixers.
Breaking: LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, his agent Rich Paul told @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/MT9OQfgd2T
You know who won’t be getting those jerseys, at least from an official NBA retailer? Sixers fans.
In an era where the NBA’s primary, secondary and tertiary focus appears to revolve around making more money above all else, not allowing Sixers fans to buy Iverson-era LeBron jerseys or Brown jerseys is the ultimate definition of an own-goal. Hell, it was nearly impossible to find Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey throwbacks last year, and if memory serves correctly, they didn’t even sell a VJ Edgecombe one online. (Another own-goal.)
There is one way that the NBA could right this wrong, though.
In the 1996-97 season, the Sixers donned blue Hardwood Classics jerseys “celebrating the 1966-67 team.” Allen Iverson wore that jersey in one of the most iconic SLAM Magazine covers of all time.
If last year’s throwbacks aren’t coming back, can the NBA at least bring back the ’66-67 ones in honor of the 60th anniversary of that team? I’m literally begging you to take my money here, Adam Silver.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 01: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at State Farm Arena on March 01, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We may finally, mercifully, be nearing the end of Jonathan Kuminga Watch.
First, the list of teams he can even sign with is dwindling. Second, the season is actually approaching. If he wants to play this season, he’ll have to join a team soon.
Seemingly, his options are the Lakers and the Wolves. On either team, he would start. On one team, he’d get a multi-year deal at something close to the money he’s seeking. On the other team, he would not make nearly as much.
You’d think it’d be obvious which team — cough, the Lakers, cough — would be ahead. The latest update would indicate as much as Jake Fischer discussed the Kuminga situation on Bleacher Report on Tuesday (h/t Odd-Direction9452/Reddit).
“Kuminga, I think, has seemed to prefer going to the Lakers. They’ve had the most opportunity to negotiate there. Minnesota is just limited to signing Kuminga to the taxpayer mid-level. He would walk into a starting job, I think, in both situations where Minnesota is thin at the forward spot, the Lakers have been selling him on this vision of having him start next to Luka. They’re going to have the spending power, in theory, to reward him next year if all goes according to plan. That’s going to come to some type of conclusion here soon.”
Yeah, Jake. We all thought this would be done weeks ago. You’re not alone on that.
This report comes after one late last week that the Lakers and Hawks were still discussing a deal. There are still some moving parts here before a deal is done, but heaven knows everyone involved has had lots of time to discuss things.
ATLANTA — LeBron James’ growing passion for golf now includes a partnership with the PGA Tour announced Tuesday that will bring a two-day tournament to Firestone Country Club in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, next summer to connect youth with aspiring professionals.
The LeBron James Family Foundation Invitational will be played July 6-7 on the South course at Firestone, where the PGA Tour recently ended a 72-year run.
The event is to include mentorship that connect students from James’ “I Promise” program with players who advanced through the tour’s Pathway to Progression Pro-Bound Five that creates spots for college players in the Advocates Professional Golf Association circuit.
James, who signed a two-year deal to play with the Philadelphia 76ers, recently launched his own YouTube Golf channel, which began with a golf trip to Scotland with former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates.
“Golf has become a passion of mine, and I’ve seen firsthand how the game can open doors, build relationships and create opportunities that many kids don’t even know exist,” James said in a release. “This partnership with the PGA Tour gives my foundation a chance to introduce my ‘I Promise’ students and more people to the game at a young age, support talented athletes chasing their dreams, and continue investing in the city of Akron that means everything to me.”
The “I Promise” program serves Akron-area students and their families by providing them with the programs, support and resources to succeed in school and beyond. The idea behind the two-day tournament is to introduce them to golf through community programs while creating opportunities for those getting onto the APGA.
“The PGA Tour believes golf can create opportunity, change lives and bring communities together,” said Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour’s CEO and commissioner. “LeBron and the LeBron James Family Foundation have shown what is possible when that commitment is backed by action, and this partnership brings that shared vision to life.”
Rolapp also said the partnership gives the PGA Tour a presence at Firestone. The course had been part of the golf landscape dating to the 1954 Rubber City Open. It since hosted two PGA Championships, the World Series of Golf and a World Golf Championship that Tiger Woods won eight times.
It became a PGA Tour Champions major until announcing that it was leaving this year for California.
“The LeBron James Family Foundation is very proud to be part of preserving the PGA Tour’s presence in our community,” said Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “With this event, we’re excited to not only support more diverse golfers getting into the game, but to also expose our ‘I Promise’ students and more youth in Akron to the world of possibilities that golf opens up.”
Former NBA forward and Duke men’s basketball star Kyle Singler posted a series of unsettling videos on Instagram on Tuesday, Aug. 25, alleging that his former Blue Devils coach, Mike Krzyzewski, and others in his life have “turned the other way” when he reached out to them.
In one of the videos, in which a disheveled Singler is pacing around a room, he says that he has no power and no house.
“Man, Coach K has set me up,” Singler said in one of the videos, captioned ‘Where u &.’ “Set me up, man. I have no power. I have no house. I’ve reached out to coach and everybody has turned the other way. I’ve reached out to Coach and he has fully dismissed the message. You guys are cutting my power off, breaking into my house, stealing money, ruining my life. I reached out to Coach K and all he did was sit me on the bench. Thanks, man. Is that what we’re doing at that school, sitting people down, teaching them up? Cool beans, man. Coach, where you at? Help a brother out. Thought we were on the same team, man.”
A McDonald’s All-American coming out of South Medford High School in Oregon, Singler played for Krzyzewski for four seasons at Duke. In 2010, he helped lead the Blue Devils to a national championship while earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and as a senior the following season, he was a second-team All-American.
After playing in Spain for a year, he joined the Detroit Pistons in 2012 and played six NBA seasons, with the Pistons from 2012-15 and the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015-18. He last played professional basketball in 2019, when he suited up for CB Canarias, a club in Spain.
Though he said in one video that he has no house, the 38-year-old Singler noted in another video that he’s stuck at his house, has people “watching my residence” and feels “imprisoned.” He later alleges that there are people “trying to kill me.”
“I’m stuck at my house and I can’t leave,” he said, while pacing in what appeared to be the same room from earlier videos. “I feel imprisoned. Where we at? Leaving people stranded. I’ve tried to share messages about where we’re at and back home, I’ve got people, my friends, family, devastated and gone, died.
“Again, my life’s on the line. I got people breaking into my house, jacking money, breaking into my accounts. And you know what? Duke’s all about it. I got Duke begging for my money. Everybody’s after my money, trying to kill me. What’s going on? What’s the deal? Seems like people got a lot of anger and a lot of violence and a lot of retribution on their mind. Coach, you got a former player being mistreated and abused and you ain’t doing nothing, man. Help out.”
Singler said that he “can’t even live anymore” in Oklahoma without getting arrested, kicked out of restaurants or “[expletive] checked” while out in public before again turning his attention to Krzyzewski.
“Coach, man, I’ve reached out to you many times and tried to share with you where I’m at and you’ve just been deflective, leaving people in the dust,” he said. “I don’t respect it.”
It’s not the first time in recent years that Singler has posted concerning content on one of his social media platforms.
In an Instagram video in Nov. 2024, he said that “I fear for my life every day,” which prompted the NBA Players Association, NBA All-Star and Singler’s former AAU teammate Kevin Love, and others to offer their support.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 22: Assistant Coach Brett Brown of the San Antonio Spurs & Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers embrace after the game on January 22, 2024 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Eight years ago, Brett Brown memorably said that the Sixers were poised to go “star hunting.” Now they have a bunch of them – including the one he coveted back then.
Brown is 65 now, and six years removed from a seven-year run as the Sixers’ coach – a tenure that took the franchise through the depths of the Process (i.e., that lovely 10-72 finish in 2015-16) to the brink of a playoff breakthrough. (You know the rest. Kawhi. Four bounces. Heartbreak.)
Fired by the Sixers after the ‘19-20 season, Brown returned to his “Spurs life,” as he often called it, once again becoming an assistant coach for the team that had provided him with his first NBA opportunity years earlier.
He has since transitioned into a senior consultant role for the team, meaning he travels often from his Delaware Valley home to San Antonio during the season. At the same time he has the flexibility to go see his son Sam play at Davidson, the younger Brown’s landing spot after transferring from Penn when coach Steve Donahue was fired following the ‘24-25 season.
Oh, and that thing about “star hunting”? Brett Brown said that in June 2018, after a 52-30 season. He was the interim general manager at the time, as well as the coach, and in his mind the Sixers needed another marquee player to complement Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
A month earlier, he hinted at who he wanted (as did Bryan Colangelo, who because of the Burner-gate scandal was fast approaching the end of his time as the team’s personnel chief).
Brown and Co. whiffed on that score, as James, having declined his player option at the end of his second go-round with his hometown Cavaliers, opted to sign a free-agent contract with the Lakers.
But now, all these years later, LeBron is here.
“I think it’s fantastic for the city,” Brown said over the phone Tuesday night, as he drove with his family to Ventnor, NJ, for some shore time. “I think it’s an endorsement to the players and Nick (Nurse) that LeBron chose them. There’s a lot of great things to be admitted with LeBron’s decision to come to Philadelphia, and Jaylen (Brown)’s trade. It’s real. They’ve got a team that is as good as anybody in the league. We’re always relying on health and luck and all that, but shoot, to start with, they put that group on the floor …”
His voice trailed off.
“And you know what?” Brett Brown said. “Down deep, I’m really happy for Joel. It’s an opportunity, maybe the last, that he can do what I know down deep he wants to do – and that’s to be remembered as a champion. There’s a side of me that thinks like that as it relates to my old days with Philadelphia, and Joel especially.”
Embiid is the only remaining Sixer coached by Brown here. The third overall pick in 2014, Embiid sat out two seasons with foot injuries before establishing himself as a star, and the franchise centerpiece.
Now he is 32, and deep into a career that has been marred by injury and postseason disappointment. He had an excellent team around him in ‘18-19, as Brown’s star hunting eventually led to the in-season acquisitions of Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.
But Embiid now has more talent around him than he has ever had.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Brown said, “one that doesn’t come around very often, if ever.”
It was also a long time in coming. Eight years, in fact.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks attends the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade and victory rally celebrating winning the 2026 NBA Finals on June 18, 2026 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA Championship in 53 years. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The champs have been busy this offseason, continuing their media tours with new sponsorships, talk shows, and overall just enjoying the best few months anyone could ask for as kings of their respective worlds.
The extra media attention has given us some pretty cool opportunities at P&T. Kento talked to Karl-Anthony Towns last month, Russ got a chance to talk to the ever-mysterious OG Anunoby, and I got the opportunity to talk to everyone’s favorite glue guy, Josh Hart, as part of his recent ambassadorship announcement with Scouting America, formerly known as “Boy Scouts of America”.
Hart was in the Scouts program for much of his childhood, joining it to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Moses, and one of his close friends. He gradually rose through the ranks before putting it off at age 13 as life and basketball started to pick up for him. At 16, he returned to the program at the wish of his father, who wanted him to keep his years-old promise to see things through. Josh eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor, a week before his 18th birthday.
When asked why he decided now to be an ambassador for the program that shaped much of his upbringing, Hart cited what the program meant for him growing up.
“It’s always been an uphill climb in my career, but I’ve always had life lessons that I’ve gotten from scouting, and I think now is a good time to partner with them and try to influence other kids, parents, adults, and tell them, you know, you can do both.”
“You can do sports, you can do arts, you can do engineering, or whatever walk of life you want to do as a kid, but you can also do scouting,” he added. “You don’t have to pick between one or the other.”
I followed up asking him about that sort of balance that he mentioned of being able to do both scouting and pursue things like basketball, as he did growing up. For him, it was about time management and sacrifice.
“The big thing is sacrifice,” Hart said. “There’s going to be times you might not be able to hang out with friends, or there might be times when you can’t go to a camping trip or a basketball camp or a football camp. There’s going to be sacrifices, but as long as you’re good with managing the time and saying, ‘I got to do X for this merit badge; I got to put the work in on the court this week. Let me lock in for this.’ You’ll put yourself in the best position to be successful.”
Scouting wasn’t for me, personally, growing up. I tried it once because one of my close friends was super into it, but it just didn’t stick for me. A lot of people I know learned valuable lessons there, so it was nice to pick the brain of someone who went through the system and has applied what he’s learned to everyday life and, particularly, his role as a “glue guy” in the NBA.
“You have to have that teamwork mentality,” Hart said about applying his lessons in scouting to his basketball career. “It’s not always about you, and sometimes that’s hard to realize, but scouting helps you understand that more and more.”
“You can’t be out on a trail, 15-20 miles from civilization, when someone gets hurt and think about yourself, he added. ” You’ve got to make sure you’re not focused on yourself, but on how you can help this person, how you can help the group, and navigate where you are and the dangers. I think that [scouting] definitely helped with the foundation of being a servant.“
The purpose of this interview was to, of course, bring light to Josh’s Scouting America ambassadorship, but we’d be remiss not to talk ball. I first asked him a question about both scouting and basketball, giving him a chance to make a basketball merit badge, which he said would require being able to “dribble, shoot, have lateral quickness, leadership”, while adding that the latter aspect would be earned through certain game situations. I can think of a guy who’d get this badge quite easily.
We got some physical media attached to the interview opportunity, which came with the following image of Hart doing the Boy Scout sign, which entails raising three fingers on your right hand. See if you can find what piqued my interest here:
Josh Hart doing the Boy Scout sign with his busted ring finger. | Scouting America
The ring finger on his shooting hand was a topic of discussion in Knicks circles all season long, particularly when he had his low points from the perimeter. He underwent a procedure on the finger after the 2024-25 season, but aggravated it during training camp, electing to play through it with a splint all of the following season. With the finger still appearing to be busted, I asked if he had any plans to repair it, whether now or in the future:
“No, I’ll let it go,” Hart said. “At the end of my career, when I’m done hooping, I’ll probably have to get a joint replacement in it, but for now it’s fine.”
He agreed with my subsequent comment about not messing with what’s working, and I can see why. Hart notably shot a career-high 41.3 percent from downtown on reasonable volume, attempting 3.7 per game. Game 2 against Cleveland was a perfect example of how he didn’t let the injury impact his efficiency:
I stayed away from asking about Hart’s contract situation, in which he’s currently eligible for an extension with a team option currently on the books for 2027-28, but I asked about what it’s been like to have stability in New York, particularly after winning a title and seemingly entrenching the core of this team even further.
“When you’re young in the league, you’re trying to prove yourself and have a long career in the league, and that gets harder and harder the more you’re moving around,” he remarked before adding that he was always traded for a star prior to coming to NY. “It’s tough to try to solidify yourself when you’re going from team to team. Before I came to New York, I had six different coaches in my six years in the league, so it was tough.”
“But now, I’m in New York. I feel like I have a home here, and I’m extremely happy.”
Before getting to the good stuff about the championship, I also touched on the slog of an NBA season and how a guy like him, renowned for his tremendous hustle, sticks with it over the course of the season.
“I think it’s family, obviously my wife is a huge part of that, I’m with her almost every day, so she always keeps me grounded,” he said, touching on a few things that keep him in it. “Having close friends on the team—Mikal, JB— me and JB sit on the plane, so we talk about a lot of game or family stuff, so there’s that, but also my faith.”
“Friends, family, faith, those are the three ‘F’s’ that ground me and help me through tough times, whether that’s tough times on the court or off the court.”
His Twitter feed is always entertaining, but what stood out this week was the rehashing of that moment in Game 4, where the Knicks were on the verge of taking their first lead after the 29-point comeback on a steal and a Hart breakaway, but he missed the layup before committing a foul on the other end. After the whistle blew, he sat frustrated on the ground, only for his teammates to help him up and keep him focused on the end goal.
“They just told me to get up and move on,” Hart said about that moment. “Jose, KAT, JB, pick me up. You can see Landry yelling and motioning for me to get up, and I think that just shows the togetherness we had, where it’s like, ‘Okay, there was a mistake, but now let’s regroup, let’s figure out how we’re going to overcome that mistake and persevere in the moment.’”
“I think that just shows the tight-knit culture and team that we had, and I think that’s a big reason why we won.”
Lastly, I wanted to ask him about what it’s been like to essentially achieve basketball nirvana. It was said for decades that when big stars were linked to the Knicks, “Just imagine what winning a title there will do for their legacy.” How they’ll never have to pay for a meal again in the greatest city in the world. To be elevated beyond the pantheon of champions to being forever beloved in the city that never sleeps.
He used that opportunity to talk about what’s it felt to feel that kind of love by directing it back at the fans and seeing what it means to them.
“The thing that’s super cool for me is that about 90 percent of the people that have talked to me about it, they always mentioned either their dad or their son, and I think that’s the coolest thing.”
“You never want to have a 53-year-long championship drought, but that’s generations. There are people who’s dad’s watched 1973 who were waiting for another one and raised their kids to be Knicks fans, and now they watch those games together. It’s so cool, because it really seemed like it just united families; it gave families that thing throughout all of New York, so it was super cool to hear that.”
That part really hit home with me, even as someone who’s too young to have witnessed the Patrick Ewing era, let alone the ancient (in basketball terms) championships in the 1970s. The second the buzzer sounded in Game 5, I immediately hugged my 39-year-old brother, who’s the reason I became a Knicks fan. He was alive for the 90s; he was alive to see all the pain and failure from the 2000s and early 2010s while I was way too young to understand the game like I do today.
It’s really a powerful moment to have decades of heartbreak spill out, and it’s nice to know that the people who provided us with this happiness that some never thought would come appreciate the love the same way we appreciate them for ending a decades-long nightmare.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 10: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a free throw during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round Two Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Spurs guard Stephon Castle posted a video of his summer workout.
The post starts with Castle responding to this question- “What’s been your focus this summer?” His response is that shooting has been a top priority. While working on his shot, he is refining his rhythm.
From there, trainer Olin Simplis takes over explaining what Castle is doing. “Working his pickups off his dribble off the deep ball his gather his shot line.”
Simplis is described here on the “About” page of his Guard Whisperer site:
“Olin Simplis is not just a trainer. He is a development architect. His work sits at the intersection of skill, psychology, biomechanics, character, and pro-level preparation — built across three decades of work with NBA professionals, WNBA champions, NCAA standouts, and elite prep talent.”
Simplis referred to Castle as “the best perimeter player” in a recent interview, praising his constant improvement and conditioning.
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