NBA investigator interviews have begun for Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard and his uncle and business adviser, Dennis Robertson, per ESPN.
Leonard, Robertson, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer are under investigation after a series of podcasts from the show “Pablo Torre Finds Out” revealed Ballmer’s company, Aspiration, was accused of receiving a $50 million investment from his personal LLC in September, 2021.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard have been interviewed for their roles in the Clippers-Aspiration scandal currently being investigated. NBAE via Getty Images Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard have been interviewed for their roles in the Clippers-Aspiration scandal currently being investigated. NBAE via Getty Images
Shortly after the investment was made, Leonard and Aspiration agreed to an endorsement deal of $28 million. Torre recently revealed on Friday that in March of 2023, Ballmer invested another $10 million, which suggests these investments have been recurring.
According to the article by ESPN, the interview process has been lengthy. Ballmer and other Clippers executives have also sat in for interviews by the NBA’s private investigation team.
Before game 1 of the NBA Finals, this past Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that the investigation was far along and that he thinks they’re getting close to putting an end to it.
“The investigation is being conducted by a law firm independent of the NBA,” Silver said before Game 1. “I mean, yes, ultimately we are paying their bills, but they are doing the work independent of the league office. My instruction to them is we can’t be investigating forever, and at some point, we have to wrap it up, but at the same time, I think the most important thing is we get it right.”
Silver has not given a timeline for when the investigation will be finished, but did say the Clippers need “to understand what situation they are going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams.”
The federal prosecutor who launched the DOJ’s investigation into Aspiration renders his verdict on the Kawhi Leonard scandal:
“It’s very hard to imagine a scenario where rational actors would take these routes, but for the sake of this outcome. And that would be salary-cap… pic.twitter.com/KTWhsBTawZ
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 5, 2026
Since the allegations were made public, Ballmer and the Clippers have denied them and have remained adamant that there is no evidence supporting them.
In the article, ESPN says they have spoken to people in and close to the NBA about potential outcomes from the investigation, and that the NBA could receive some pushback from the National Basketball Players Association or from the other 29 owners.
Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) and New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reactsin the second half during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Today is Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The New York Knicks are at the San Antonio Spurs again. Watch at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC or WJLA-TV in the DMV.
The Knicks lead the series 1-0, so we’ll see what happens tonight!
The return of the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals after nearly 30 years in the wilderness coincided with the league’s most-watched game since before the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC’s coverage of Wednesday night’s Game 1 averaged 16.93 million viewers, setting the tone for the series.
The Knicks’ 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs nearly doubled last year’s analogous Pacers-Thunder broadcast (8.91 million viewers), bettering that delivery by 90%. Per Nielsen, New York’s win peaked at 19.63 million viewers in the 11 p.m.-11:15 p.m. ET quarter-hour.
To further place the Game 1 deliveries in context, ABC’s TV turnout beat Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals by some 580,000 viewers.
All told, Wednesday’s broadcast drew the NBA’s largest audience since Game 6 of the 2019 Raptors-Warriors series averaged 18.59 million viewers.
Media buyers this week said that the average unit cost for an in-game commercial in Friday night’s game landed at some $800,000 per 30-second spot, and while scatter rates are significantly higher, much of the inventory was sold well before the playoffs got underway. That said, Disney’s ad sales team is looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of a $60 million night when Game 2 tips off.
Disney earlier this week confirmed that it has sold out all of the available guaranteed units in the Finals, but that some slots remain should the series proceed past Wednesday night’s outing in New York. At last count, 42 advertisers had suited up for this year’s installment of the NBA Finals.
ABC’s coverage of the Knicks-Spurs showdown continues Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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If the opening night of the NBA Finals is any indication of what we’ve got in store for Game 2 and beyond, my good people, we’re headed for basketball Nirvana.
The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs are back at it on Friday night, and I’ve got a same-game parlay anchored in the back-and-forth battle we all want in the finals.
Here are my best NBA picks and Knicks vs. Spurs SGP predictions on June 5.
Our best Knicks vs Spurs SGP for Game 2
SGP leg #1: Spurs moneyline
The young San Antonio Spurs couldn’t put away the New York Knicks in Game 1, and the veteran side made adjustments and refused to be rattled on the big stage. Game 2 could also come down to the wire, which has me keeping it simple and sticking with San Antonio to win outright.
The Spurs are great off a loss, and with those nerves settled, I expect an efficient offensive effort – as we saw in the first half of the opener. The Spurs evened this championship series before a swing to the Big Apple.
SGP leg #2: Victor Wembanyama Over 11.5 rebounds
Victor Wembanyama still grabbed 12 rebounds on 22 rebounding chances but was pulled away from the rim to defend outside shooters on Wednesday. That left San Antonio susceptible to the crashing Knicks, who snatched 10 offensive rebounds. Wemby stays closer to home in Game 2 in order to kick-start the transition attack off rebounds, and his projections call for as many as 15+ boards Friday.
SGP leg #3: Dylan Harper Over 11.5 points
Dylan Harper thrived in the pace of the first half of Game 1, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the opening two frames. But once New York slowed that transition attack, Harper had a tough time finding his flow. De’Aaron Fox’s struggles could also see Mitch Johnson giving his rookie more floor time in the final minutes. Harper’s models call for as many as 13 points in Game 2.
Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Knicks vs. Spurs predictions for Game 2.
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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The star power of Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson helped this year's NBA Finals get off to a huge start in terms of viewership, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the last finals matchup between LeBron James and Stephen Curry eight years ago.
Game 1 of the finals matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks averaged nearly 17 million viewers on Wednesday night, up 90% when compared to last season's finals Game 1. It was the most-watched Game 1 since 2018, the most recent time James — then of Cleveland — and Golden State's Curry faced off in the title round.
Wednesday's game had a peak audience of 19.63 million viewers around 11 p.m. EDT, which would have been in the fourth quarter of New York's 105-95 victory.
It was the most-watched finals Game 1 ever on ABC and the most-watched finals contest since Game 6 of the 2019 title series between Toronto and Golden State.
The viewership numbers for Game 1 on Wednesday were higher than the opening game of 15 of the past 16 World Series, including the 2024 series opener between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers — a matchup pitting the country's top two media markets. That game averaged 15.2 million viewers.
The women are expected to arrive for Game 2 of the NBA Finals as they arrived for Game 1, and for many games before that.
They’ll be wearing their traditional nun’s habits and San Antonio Spurs jerseys. They’ll also be rooting (and praying) for the home team when the Spurs take on the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center on Friday, June 5.
It makes the nuns almost as easy to spot as Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 phenom. And like Wemby and the rest of the Spurs, the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in San Antonio have become celebrities in their own right.
The Sisters adore the Spurs, and the affection appears to be mutual.
During Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, Wembanyama did not head out of the tunnel without taking time to shake each of the nuns’ hands, according to The Athletic.
"In a way, he was saying, 'Thank you,'" Sister Bernadette Mota told The Athletic. "He didn’t say 'Thank you' out loud, but he grabbed our hands. … You could see the focus in his eyes, and also his sense of gratitude for the prayers that we were giving the team.
"Without saying a word, he said a lot."
No bandwagon jumpers
The nuns started cheering on the Spurs long before Wembanyama arrived in 2023 and has now led the team to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
Former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich helped forge the relationship between the team and the nuns more than 20 years ago, according to Sister Mota.
"We had some sisters who were really diehard Spurs fans throughout the years, and they’re the ones that made that initial connection with the Spurs, and they would write to Coach Popovich and he would actually write back," Mota told EWTN Catholic Television. "And him and his wife came to visit the Sisters a few times. “So much of that love and that connection with the Spurs community and their players, our sisters would watch the games and over the years… it’s just kept up since then.
"But a few years back it had kind of died down a little bit. And then COVID happened and we kind of lost that connection. But just this past year and more recently these past weeks, it really has built up in a really strong way. And so we’re back praying with the Spurs."
These Sisters got game
The nuns’ love for basketball transcends cheering for the Spurs. They play, too.
The Sisters cheer with equal fervor for the Spurs, but the biggest mission is not to help the team win their first NBA title since 2014.
While a handful of nuns attend home games, they've also held at least one playoff watch party for the children who attend St. John Bosco School in San Antonio and the children's parents. The Sisters also report that attention they've received from attending games has led to significant donations that will be used for the children, who apparently share the nuns' love of the Spurs.
An excerpt of a story on the Salesian Sisters website reads, "By meeting young people where they are and sharing in the joys that matter to them, the Sisters bring faith, encouragement, and hope into everyday life."
12-year old Wyatt Neus is one of Steph Curry’s biggest fans. As it turns out, Curry is a big fan of Neus, as well.
Neus, who has Down syndrome, recently went viral for his performance in a student-teacher basketball game in Plymouth, Minnesota, draining a long “Curry range” shot while wearing the famous No. 30 Warriors jersey. Neus also performed Curry’s trademark “night, night” celebration as a full gymnasium cheered him on.
The video and the story caught the attention of Warriors vice president of communications Raymond Ridder, who passed them on to Curry.
A short time later, Curry responded with his own video addressed to Wyatt, who watched with his parents Eric and Brooke by his side.
Minnesota student Wyatt Neus, who has Down syndrome, went viral after sinking a deep "Curry range" shot at school. The moment reached Stephen Curry, who surprised Wyatt with a personal video message and an invite to a Golden State Warriors game.
“Hey Wyatt,” Curry began. “I just want to say that was really, really special and inspiring what you did, showing out in front of your whole school. Unbelievable shot, unbelievable celebration, and even better jersey. Great job, Wyatt. See you soon.”
Wyatt, who says he has rooted for Curry since “[he] was a baby,” will see Curry in person next season, as the Warriors guard extended an invite to attend a Warriors-Timberwolves game in Minnesota.
“It’s just shocking,” Brooke Neus said of Curry’s gesture. “For Steph to take the time out of his day and to look at that is just, I never thought it would become anything like this. We thought it was a cool video that, you know, just like that. Hard to believe that we could maybe lighten other people’s hearts, but this has taken a new life of its own, and we’re so lucky.”
Now when the Warriors take the court at Target Center next season, there will be at least two people who can shoot from “Curry range” in the building.
Before he even made it to the NBA, when he was earning just $150,000 playing in France, the Spurs star and Frenchman rejected lucrative soda endorsements worth millions.
“We’re not gonna mix his image with sodas like Coca-Cola,” his agent Jérémy Medjana told The Athletic. “They all want him, but Victor will never sell soda. Because he doesn’t want to kill the kids.”
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives against the New York Knicks during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) AP Photo/Eric Gay
The 22-year-old phenom is reportedly so committed to his stance of promoting positive health that he doesn’t begin press conferences until Gatorade bottles are removed. Meanwhile, he endorses Barcode, a plant-based performance drink with no added sugar.
Wembanyama currently has deals with Nike, Louis Vuitton, 2K Sports, Fanatics, Authentic and H-E-B and understands more deals will flow in if he wins it all, but brand deals aren’t his main focus now.
“I think what Victor understands is not to be distracted by all of the fanfare around his career,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told The Athletic. “Because he will be defined by championships, not by commercial opportunities or the platform he has to speak out on issues he cares about.”
The first overall pick by the Spurs in 2023, Wembanyama has taken the league by storm since his arrival.
After averaging 21.4 points per game as a rookie in 2023-24, Wembanyama increased that number to 24.3 last season and 25 this year. He also finished third in MVP voting this season, behind just Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JUNE 3: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots the ball during the game against the New York Knicks during Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 3, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
Wembanyama also took home Western Conference Finals MVP honors after beating the Thunder in seven games to send the Spurs to their first NBA Finals since 2014.
The center went just 6-of-21 in the Spurs 105-95 loss to the Knicks in Game 1 of the Finals Wednesday, but can rebound Friday night.
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The Knicks’ win streak extended to 12 games with a statement victory in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals. Tonight, they’ll try to continue that by taking a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
Though the Knicks got off to a hot start, they found themselves trailing the Spurs, but a huge late-game run helped secure the 105-95 victory.
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
Path 3 has already been rumored to be under consideration. Boston is among the teams linked to Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in trade rumors, and such a deal almost certainly would require shipping Jaylen Brown out of town.
Do Stevens and the Celtics need to make such a drastic move, or should they run it back with largely the same group plus a healthy Jayson Tatum? Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated joined Friday’s Early Edition to discuss which path he’d take.
“I don’t see a real reason to overreact to a bad playoff loss given what this season was supposed to be,” Mannix said. “I mean, the expectations coming into the year were extremely low. They wind up winning 56 games, having a better offensive rating this year than they did last year.
“Yeah, it was an ugly way to go out against Philadelphia, and obviously, they have some needs to address if they want to be considered a championship contender, but they’ve got the core of a championship-contending team. They’ve got two superstars that know how to play with each other. They’ve got a second star who elevated himself this year into that first tier of players.”
Brown stepped up in Tatum’s absence, leading Boston to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. When Tatum returned, it was like he had never left. The Celtics’ star tandem picked up where it left off before Tatum’s injury and appeared ready to make a run at Banner 19.
Then, they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Sixers.
Despite that devastating result, Mannix looks at this year’s Eastern Conference champions as a reason not to make any drastic decisions.
“I think looking at the New York Knicks is a great example of why you want to keep things together, because one of the reasons the Knicks are playing in the Finals right now is because of their chemistry,” Mannix said. “Jalen Brunson has been around for four years. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, two or three years. They’ve built chemistry over multiple years and they’re playing and succeeding as a team.
“The Celtics have done it even longer with this group, and I would love to see them go out, try to find a big man, try to find a little bit more depth in the backcourt, and then run it back next year with a healthy Jayson Tatum and a vastly improved Jaylen Brown.”
Boston enters the offseason with a glaring need for frontcourt help. It could also use a playmaking guard and a another reliable scoring option for when Tatum and Brown need a breather.
White, a Celtic since 2022 and a key member of the 2024 championship squad, is owed $30.34 million for the upcoming season. The three-time All-Defensive selection is one of Boston’s few trade chips that could bring in a significant haul.
Perhaps a big-man upgrade and other improvements on the margins will be enough. But as opportunities arise in the offseason, Stevens will have to seriously ponder whether a major change is best for the franchise’s future.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MAY 25: Luigi Suigo, #19 of U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan receives the All-Tournament Trophy from Michele Gherardini, representative of Adidas after Adidas NextGen Euroleague Finals Championship game between U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs U18 Zalgiris Kaunas at Mubadala Arena on May 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Grau/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)
The NBA is truly a worldwide league, boasting 135 international players from 43 countries at the beginning of the 2025-2026 season (NBA News, 10/22/25). So, as well as evaluating US college and G League prospects, team scouts also have the daunting task of crisscrossing the globe for new talent. Is there another Luka Doncic making his name with Real Madrid? Another Giannis bending rims in the shadow of the Acropolis? Another Wemby towering over the Arc de Triomphe?
For the Utah Jazz, who only (only!) have the second pick in the entire draft, is it worth trading some of their assets for the chance to land the next big continental phenom? Let’s take a look at some of the worldwide talent on offer and you can decide for yourself. ‘
Karim Lopez is the undisputed top international prospect in this year’s draft. The 6’8” Mexican born wing is currently playing down under with the New Zealand Breakers. Watching his highlights, you see a player who can do a little bit of everything: ball handling, three-point shooting, creating his own shot, setting up teammates, driving to the basket. His size, athleticism and quick hands also provide glimpses of his potential on the defensive end. But as he is expected to be drafted between 11 and 14 on most draft boards, it would be a huge stretch for the Jazz to shell out enough player and future draft capital to acquire him.
Not to worry though. If you can’t afford a Cadillac, perhaps there’s a sporty mid-size sedan in the Jazz’s price range. Or perhaps in the case of this next player, a stretch limo. Standing 7’3” with a 7’5” wingspan, weighing in as a 289 lb Heavyweight, and optimistically referred to by one pundit as “The Italian Wemby” (whoa there, fella), Luigi Suigo is projected to be picked anywhere from the late first round to the early- to mid-second round. Watching his highlights, it’s easy to see why NBA scouts would be intrigued by this towering Goliath. He dominates the paint, easily putting back misses by his teammates. But he can also step back beyond the arc and hit threes, though his three-point percentage needs improvement. The capital needed to take a flyer on Suigo could be a lot less, especially if he drops into the second round. And it’s enticing to think of him as a backup rim protector to Walker Kessler.
Jack Kayil, a 6’5”, 185 lb German point guard is projected to be picked between 37-40 or per some analysts will remain undrafted. Playing for ALBA in Berlin during the 2025-2026 season, he averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds, while shooting just over 34% from three. His handle is reminiscent of Keyonte George and he could be a promising backup guard, especially if the Jazz don’t select Darryn Peterson with the second pick. Kayil is currently committed to Gonzaga, but that could change if there is more interest from NBA teams.
The Jazz, of course, may be completely happy with just taking the second pick and keeping their future draft capital and current players intact. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially considering that the 2027 NBA draft will likely have more intriguing international prospects: Dash Daniels, an elite defender with Melbourne United, whose brother, Dyson Daniels, had a breakout season with the Hawks; Miikka Muurinen, Lauri Markkanen’s Finnish national team sidekick, who will have completed a year with the University of Arkansas; and Sergio de Larrea, a 6’5”, 175 lb shooting guard from Spain, a three-point marksman with a high basketball IQ, who reminds me of Austin Reaves. But my suspicion is that Austin Ainge and the rest of Jazz management are keeping their options open, both here and overseas, as they try to create an edge in their quest to get back to the post season.
Admittedly, it wasn’t “total” speculation. There were already whispers that the Brooklyn Nets were interested in Nate Ament in the upcoming NBA Draft, whether at #6 overall or after trading down. But stronger was the inductive reasoning behind it; given what we know about Brooklyn’s recent drafting history and Ament’s profile, the fit is almost too obvious. But we’ll get to that.
Over the past week, the whispers have become PSAs. Our own Connor Long reported that the Nets were interested in the University of Tennessee product, while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports just mocked Ament to Brooklyn at #6, adding that the Nets are indeed “drawn” to him…
For what it’s worth, NetsDaily has not heard anything directly from Nets sources about their draft plans, though team insiders are telling people they “feel good” and are “excited” about the summer. Not much there.
But sources around the league — agents and their employees, as well as scouts for rival teams — all paint the same picture: The Nets are very interested in Ament. In fact, some sources are debating whether it’s an outright “lock” that Brooklyn takes the 6’10” forward. You hear phrases like “league-wide expectation,” and when other prospects are mentioned (Karim Lopez, Aday Mara, or one of the guards), the boldest convictions are that they could still be “in play.”
Three weeks out, there is such widespread agreement on Brooklyn’s interest that you wonder if it’s smoke. Or if Brooklyn is telegraphing their interest in a prospect recently projected to go much lower than #6 so as to facilitate a trade-down. O’Connor did note in his latest mock that “plenty of teams [are] interested in trading into this spot.”
The Egor Dëmin selection last season is a valuable reference point, likely part of why these sources feel confident about Brooklyn taking Ament. The team’s interest in Dëmin pre-draft was well known, but few believed the Nets would actually take Dëmin at #8 overall, a clear reach relative to most draft boards. (ESPN had the BYU product at No. 13 in their last mock.) After Brooklyn’s stunning 2025 NBA Draft — from the Dëmin selection to the other four picks to their jubilant reactions in the war room — sources aren’t putting anything past them.
While Dëmin and Ament are not identical prospects, there are important similarities, particularly when you consider how they could fit into the next iteration of the Brooklyn Nets. The thinking goes: Size + shooting provides a floor, and once GM Sean Marks goes star-hunting in the trade market, long viewed as an inevitability, those players theoretically slot in comfortably next to high-usage players.
If Brooklyn does take Ament, they clearly don’t believe this crop of guard prospects (Acuff, Wagler, Brown Jr., Flemings) will produce that aforementioned high-usage star. That thinking may be most in line with consensus; teams are lower on that group of players than the general public might be, hence players like Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara shooting up mocks.
Nate Ament could be a prototypical Nets prospect darling for other reasons. Let’s list ‘em.
Prospect pedigree: Ament was the No. 4 prospect in his high school class before an underwhelming freshman season at Tennessee. Dariq Whitehead, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and to a lesser extent, Egor Dëmin were all extremely hyped prospects who lost hype during their pre-draft year.
High-character billing: Watch an interview. Read this Marc J. Spears story. Nate Ament does seem like a hard worker with a very pleasant attitude, affirmed by those in the know. We know the Nets really, really value character.
Weaknesses: The general sell is size + shooting, right? Well, Ament shot 33% from deep, 37% on long twos, and under 79% from the line. Not terrible, but Brooklyn would certainly be banking on a shooting leap, nothing new for them. Ament also struggled with physicality and explosiveness, creating space and/or finishing at the rim. How many current Nets could that last sentence apply to?
O’Connor gave Ament a bit of a pass on the shooting:
[O]ver the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch and shots began to fall. He averaged 23.8 points over a six-game stretch in January and February that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit in the country. Then he dealt with an ankle injury that ruined his momentum entering March and severely struggled during the tournament.
We haven’t heard anything from Nets sources about their interest in Nate Ament. Brian Lewis tweeted Friday that Ament has not yet worked out for Brooklyn. Acuff was in Wednesday, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, the first word any of the top prospects have been in. And while league sources are quite clear on their opinion, there are still nearly three weeks until the 2026 NBA Draft. Things can change in a hurry.
Alas, even if Ament to Brooklyn isn’t a “lock,” the noise and our own inductive reasoning is simply too much to ignore. We’ll have plenty of analysis coming, namely an interview with a prominent NBA Draft analyst on Brooklyn potentially taking Ament. But we can say this: If it does come to fruition, particularly without a trade-down from #6 overall, it will be a very polarizing (at best) decision within draft circles, perhaps even more than the Dëmin selection…
Nate Ament has declared for the draft out of Tennessee. Draft range is ballpark No. 8 to No. 18 on draft night. Polarizing prospect for scouts. The ones who like him really like the upside. The ones who don't aren't interested at all. Would bet he ends up back half of lottery. pic.twitter.com/f5VejArtQV
For those looking for more discussion on Nate Ament, I appeared on the most recent episode of Locked On Nets with Erik Slater, where we discussed Ament at length. Once again, we’ll have further analysis of Ament and other prospects before the draft, starting this weekend.
Ten years ago, home teams wore white uniforms for 97% of NBA playoff games, and alternate jerseys were rarely worn during the postseason. This year, only 32% of playoffs games have featured home teams in white—many fans have voiced a desire for that number go back up—as NBA team’s jersey choices have become more chaotic.
The New York Knicks wore their non-traditional black uniforms at Madison Square Garden for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but the San Antonio Spurs were not allowed to wear their popular Fiesta jerseys for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
This week, Club Sportico talked to the NBA to get the league’s perspective on alternate uniforms during the playoffs, and whether the home whites tradition could ever return, even if only for the Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs opened the NBA Finals at home with another glorious Fiesta night. Just as they’d done in previous rounds, fans wore the team’s 1990s “Fiesta” shades, divided into tangerine, fuchsia and turquoise sections of the arena, to create an awesome visual.
But, unlike in the first two rounds, the team itself was not dressed as colorfully. Despite being cheered on by a giant sherbet menu, the Spurs wore their traditional black instead of their Fiesta jerseys. This wasn’t a surprise—Sporticoexplained back in April that the NBA requires teams to wear their “primary uniforms” in the conference finals and Finals.
The league’s priorities, though, seemed contradictory to me. If the NBA wants a more classic look for the higher-profile later rounds, then why allow the Spurs to wear black at home, when home teams typically wore white for the league’s first 70 years?
I talked to Christopher Arena, the NBA’s SVP of on-court and brand partnerships, to get his perspective.
“There’s something about world-building as a team hosts a game that they can tell a story wearing whichever uniform they’re wearing,” Arena said. “If in the early rounds, that’s about City Edition and Fiesta and doing t-shirt giveaways that paint the crowd, great. If that’s about a more traditional team like the Knicks and they just want to wear white at home, that’s great too.”
The league does recognize the importance of history—it’s one reason City Edition jerseys are no longer allowed late in the playoffs. The Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets clinched the 2019 and 2023 Finals, respectively, wearing alternates that debuted in those particular seasons and are no longer worn. The NBA understood that this wasn’t ideal.
“When you get to these big, call it trophy, T-shirt, hat moments… there’s something about seeing the teams in their core identities and fans connecting to that,” Arena said.
Don’t expect the home whites tradition to come back, but towards the end of our conversation, Arena seemed open to the idea of having some “dividing line” to distinguish certain games when teams would have to wear white at home.
“You could do just the Finals. You could do conference finals and Finals. You could do all the playoffs, including the play-in. You know, you could do Friday night games,” Arena said.
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