Lakers guard Luka Doncic is part of an investment group that has purchased Italian team Vanoli Cremona with hopes of joining NBA Europe in the near future. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Luka Doncic could be involved in two championship bids this upcoming season.
The Lakers’ superstar and former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson are leading an investor group that acquired a professional basketball team in Italy, it was announced Friday, with hopes that the franchise could become part of the NBA’s new European venture.
The group plans to move Vanoli Cremona, a team that plays in a northern Italian city about 60 miles southeast of Milan, to Rome, and submitted a bid for the club to join NBA Europe, making Doncic the first player to state his ambition to become part of the NBA’s expansion across the pond.
“I have dreamed about owning a team in Europe for a long time, to finally have this happen is amazing,” Doncic said in a statement. “Vanoli has a great history, and we are ready to take it to the next level in Rome. We have an amazing group of partners, and I really believe we can do something special for basketball in Italy and Europe.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said this year that the NBA is working with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, to begin a standalone league in Europe. The league could begin as soon as October 2027 with up to 16 teams hosted in major cities in England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Turkey.
Rome and Milan are the top Italian targets to host NBA Europe teams. Rome, the Italian capital, has not had a Serie A team since 2020, when Virtus Roma ceased operations because of financial difficulties. Vanoli will begin playing in Rome for the 2026-27 season.
“Rome deserves world-class basketball, and we are excited to be bringing it back,” Nelson said in a statement. “Vanoli Cremona has a proud history, and we are committed to honoring that legacy as we build toward an exciting future in Rome. This city has been without top-flight basketball for too long. That changes now. We are bringing the resources, the expertise, and the passion to make this club a source of pride for Rome and for all Italy.”
Nelson, who is the lead investor and managing partner, was the general manager when the Mavericks traded for Doncic on draft night in 2018 and was the architect of Dallas’ 2011 NBA championship team led by German star Dirk Nowitzki. The investor group also includes Valerio Bianchini, a celebrated coach in the Italian league, and Rimantas Kaukėnas, a 17-year pro across European leagues.
The 27-year-old Doncic, who was born in Slovenia and started his professional career with Real Madrid in Spain, is part of a recent wave of international stars taking over the NBA. The last eight most valuable players have been born outside of the United States. Doncic finished fourth in MVP voting this year behind two-time winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is from Canada, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is from Serbia, and Victor Wembanyama, a 22-year-old Frenchman expected to dominate the league for years.
The NBA played two regular-season games in Europe this season, with the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic facing off in Berlin and London. Next season, Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will play in his home country against the New Orleans Pelicans and in Manchester, England.
The Lakers superstar is part of an investment group, which is led by former Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson, that purchased professional basketball club Vanoli Cremona of Italy’s top-division Lega Basket Serie A.
The Lakers’ Luka Doncic (77) is part of an investment group that wants to relocate an Italian team to Rome. NBAE via Getty Images
As part of the deal, new ownership announced the team will relocate to Rome, with plans to submit a bid to be part of the NBA’s plans to create a league in Europe.
Rome hasn’t had a top-division basketball team since the bankruptcy of Virtus Roma in 2020.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced earlier in the year that the NBA, in partnership with FIBA, is working on bringing a new league to Europe but didn’t announce formal plans, share a timeline for when the league could potentially start or the number of teams that could be a part of the league.
Rome is expected to be one of the target host cities for the league along with Milan, London and Manchester in England; Lyon and Paris in France; Berlin and Munich in Germany; Barcelona and Madrid in Spain; Athens in Greece; and Istanbul in Turkey.
While details for the new league haven’t become official, the working target date for the league to launch is fall 2027.
The NBA and FIBA have explored a 16-team league, which includes 12 “permanent” spots and four other teams that qualify for a spot in the league.
Nelson, 63, is the son of former NBA coach and executive Don Nelson, and was the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations and general manager when Dallas acquired Doncic as part of the 2018 draft night trade with the Hawks.
Doncic, who’s Slovenian, played professionally for Real Madrid before coming to the NBA.
“Since I came to the NBA, my dream was to always own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Doncic told The New York Times. “I grew up there, grew up playing basketball there.”
With Post wires.
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DETROIT, MI - MAY 13: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers running down court in the game against the Detroit Pistons during Round Two Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 13, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a long summer ahead of them. The most pressing issue will be determining who belongs on the team next season. When asked if Evan Mobley will ‘definitively’ be back, Koby Altman gave a somewhat shaky response.
“Umm, yeah, I mean, he’s part of our future,” said Altman.
Altman’s comments are open to interpretation. At face value, and given his tone when answering, it almost sounds like Altman is dismissing the question altogether. Why wouldn’t Mobley be on the team next season?
Another reading would suggest that this question flustered Altman. His hesitation has been seen as less than reassuring to Twitter.
I’ll leave it to you, glorious Fear the Sword reader, to determine which side of the aisle you land on.
The rest of Altman’s answer dodges the question. He declines to comment on any speculation of trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo and goes on to praise Mobley for his growth in Cleveland.
“Since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third-best record in the league,” said Altman. “All Evan has done is impact winning; he’s been remarkable for us.”
Mobley won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2025 and notched his first All-NBA and All-Star selections during the same season. But in his most recent campaign, Mobley failed to repeat any of those performances. Some have seen this as a regression, or at best, stagnation.
“He knows he needs to get better,” said Altman. “We’ve talked about the intangibles-not even skill stuff, the intangibles; how are we going to get stronger?”
It’s no secret the Cavs have been waiting for Mobley to make a superstar leap. That hasn’t happened yet, even if he showed some noticeable improvements in the playoffs this year. Pressure to win is mounting, and there are questions as to whether or not Mobley can do enough to push his team over the top.
Still, Altman saw growth in the playoffs and suggested he believes Mobley can get to where he needs to be.
“Mobley, you could argue, was consistently our best player throughout the playoffs,” said Altman. “He’s a franchise-caliber player, and we’re very fortunate to have him.”
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ends up on the court after making a shot during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs on May 20 in Oklahoma City. (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player.
Last week, a lawyer representing the two-time reigning NBA MVP sent a cease-and-desist letter to sports prediction market and fantasy sports company Underdog that includes a demand for the destruction of all copies of the cheeky and extremely limited-edition game Unethical Hoops.
Done in the style of the children’s classic Operation, Unethical Hoops requires players to use tweezers to pull objects from tiny holes, with the slightest touch of a metal border setting off a buzzer indicating failure.
Instead of pretending to be doctors attempting to remove body parts from a patient, however, Unethical Hoops players act as members of an opposing basketball team trying to take the ball from a cartoon character who very much resembles Gilgeous-Alexander.
In this game, the buzzer represents the whistle of a foul-calling referee.
“Shai has made hoops all about foul baiting and now you’re stuck guarding him in Underdog’s new board game,” a description reads on the game’s website. “Don’t get baited. Steal the ball without getting whistled.”
In a letter dated May 22, attorney Eric Fishman of ArentFox Schiff LLP demanded that Underdog “immediately and permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in any and all media, including but not limited to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website)... and any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.”
The notice also calls for Underdog to “immediately destroy all physical goods or advertisements that use Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL, including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website,” as well as a promise never to use the star player’s name, image or likeness without his permission.
Fishman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times.
According to the Unethical Hoops website, which remains active more than a week after the date on the cease-and-desist order, only 100 copies of the game were made, to be given away to Underdog users. The giveaway ended as scheduled on Friday.
Underdog declined to comment on the matter other than to point out that the company has pulled comical stunts at the expense of members of the sports world.
“We’ve poked fun at Knicks and Lakers fans, the Red Sox owners, the Mets and more,” a spokesperson said via email. “We like to have some fun with whatever is in the sports fan zeitgeist.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is a four-time All-Star who led the league in scoring last season (2,484 points) and was second in scoring this season (2,117). He led the Thunder to their first NBA title last year and has them back in the Western Conference finals this year (the decisive Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs is Saturday in Oklahoma City).
While one of the NBA’s biggest stars, Gilgeous-Alexander is often criticized for the number of favorable foul calls he receives — he has ranked second or third in the league for number of free throw attempts per game in each of the last four seasons and is currently second among all players in the 2026 playoffs with 9.8 a game — and the lengths he appears to go to in order to receive them.
After Game 2 against the Spurs, one NBA fan account on X wrote, “Shai flopped on every single shot attempt” and posted a video that showed seven such examples (Gilgeous-Alexander actually attempted 24 shots that night). The post has been viewed 22.7 million times.
Earlier this week, prior to Game 6 of the conference finals, another fan account on X posted a video “ranking all 44 times SGA fell on the floor while shooting during the 2026 playoffs from least to most egregious.” That post has been viewed 1.3 million times.
As the cartoon likeness of Gilgeous-Alexander states in the Unethical Hoops ad, “so much as breathe on me, I’m getting the call.”
The real-life SGA was asked during a TV interview after Game 3 in San Antonio about the “flopper!” chants that rained down on him at Frost Bank Center.
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “It’s nothing. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time. I don’t really hear it. I’m focused on what’s going on on the court.”
PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs reacts with associate head coach Sean Sweeney during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on November 26, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It seemed bound to happen, but Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is reportedly on the verge of accepting his first (and well deserved) head coaching gig. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Sweeney and the Orlando Magic are finalizing a deal for him to replace Jamahl Mosley as head coach, who was fired after a disappointing season and has since been hired by the New Orleans Pelicans.
BREAKING: The Orlando Magic are finalizing the hire of San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Sweeney broke into NBA coaching in 2011 and now lands the Magic head job as a top rising candidate. pic.twitter.com/aV3Zj6l57k
Sweeney will finish the remainder of the postseason with the Spurs, including Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow and, should they win, the Finals beginning on Wednesday, June 3.
After Mitch Johnson officially became the Spurs head coach last summer following Gregg Popovich’s retirement, he hired Sweeney away from the Dallas Mavericks as his “defensive coordinator”. Sweeney helped completely revamp the team on that side of court, and they went from a middling defense with Victor Wembanyama (and terrible without him) last season to one league’s top defenses this season. He is considered to one of the top X’s and O’s minds in the league, and it shows in the Spurs drastic improvements at all levels, from basics all the way up to their ability to shift schemes based on opponent or scenario. He no doubt played a huge role in their 28-game improvement from last season, and it will be interesting to see where the Spurs look to replace him.
The Magic will be a good launching point for his head coaching career. They are also a young, talented team with promising stars in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs and one of the top defenses in the league, but they failed to meet expectations this season in large part due to injuries and offensive struggles, finishing 8th in the East and blowing a 3-1 lead to the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the playoffs. Other finalists for the position reportedly included former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy (whose brother, Stan Van Gundy, was the Magic’s coach from 2007-12 during their peak with Dwight Howard).
Before Sweeney joined the Spurs, he was Jason Kidd’s lead assistant in Dallas for four years, which included helping lead them to the Finals in 2024 with Luka Doncic. He began his NBA career in 2011 as a video coordinator for the Nets before becoming an assistant coach in 2013. He then had stints as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014-18 and Pistons from 2018-21.
Good luck to Coach Sweeney, and thanks for helping make this team what it is today!
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 3: The sneakers worn by Ousmane Dieng #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the game against the Boston Celtics on April 3, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
On the eve of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic are reaching into San Antonio's bench to snag a coach.
Sean Sweeney, the Spurs' defensive coordinator, has been tapped to be the next head coach of the Orlando Magic, reports Shams Charania of ESPN, and since confirmed by other reports. Sweeney will continue with the Spurs through the remainder of their playoff run, then head to Orlando after the season.
Former Bulls coach Billy Donovan was considered the frontrunner in Orlando, but the Magic front office went younger, choosing an untested but promising coach.
Sweeney will replace Jamahl Mosley, who was let go after a disapointing 45-win season in Orlando that saw the Magic bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Pistons. After trading four first-round picks to get Desmond Bane last offseason, expectations were sky high in Orlando entering the season. While Mosley dealt with a rash of injuries, the issues with a stagnant offense and slipping defense seemed bigger than that. Mosley landed on his feet, taking over as the New Orleans Pelicans head coach a couple of weeks after being let go by the Magic.
Sweeney was at the front of the line of assistant coaches around the league who deserved a shot in the big chair. He's a smart hire for a team that built itself around a defensive identity, something that slipped this past season. That said, it's easier to design a defense with Victor Wembanyama on the back line and high-level defenders like Stephon Castle on the perimeter.
Sweeney takes over a roster with some big-name talent — Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Bane — that has never really meshed. Orlando's front office appears more interested in keeping the roster together and betting on a coaching change to make things work. An assistant coach in the NBA since 2011, Sweeney has worked with plenty of stars, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and now Wembanyama.
The Orlando Magic have concluded their search for a new head coach and are ready to usher in a new leader.
The Magic are finalizing the hire of San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney as their new head coach, according to ESPN.
Sweeney broke into NBA coaching in 2011 as a video coordinator for the New Jersey Nets. From there he was promoted to his first assistant coaching gig as the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. He spent four seasons in Milwaukee as an assistant from 2014 to 2018, where he began to gain of repertoire for development after helping Giannis Antetokounmpo become an All-Star.
Following his four seasons in Milwaukee, Sweeney took another assistant position with the Detroit Pistons, where he coached under Dwane Casey for three seasons.
Sweeney then went to Dallas to reconnect with then-head coach Jason Kidd, for whom Sweeney was an assistant with the Bucks. Together they reached the 2024 NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Boston Celtics.
Sweeney, 41, has coached under the likes of Avery Johnson and P.J. Carlesimo, in addition to Casey and Kidd. He's surrounded by the San Antonio culture and has been able to soak up knowledge and wisdom from one of the greatest coaches in NBA history in Gregg Popovich.
Sweeney replaces previous head coach Jamahl Mosley, who was fired on May 4. Mosley, who was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans as head coach on May 18, spent five seasons in Orlando and coached the team to a playoff berth in each of the past three seasons. The Magic never advanced past the first round, however, and they had a 3-1 lead against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs before allowing the Pistons to rattle off three consecutive wins to take the series.
Sweeney will assume the Magic head coaching role following the 2026 postseason, as his Spurs are in a battle with defending NBA champion-Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot in the 2026 NBA Finals against the Eastern Conference champions, the New York Knicks. The Spurs-Thunder series is tied, 3-3, as a deciding Game 7 tips off on Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m. ET.
BAYONNE, NJ - MAY 25: The sun sets on the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building in New York City on May 25, 2026, as seen from Bayonne, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
June 5, 1994
Game 7. ECF. 34 and a half seconds left. Knicks down one. I’m 15, watching in the living room with my papi. My mother and sisters are elsewhere; they don’t want to deal with our stressing.
Charles Oakley inbounds to John Starks, surprisingly wide-open for the pass given all 19,763 in attendance and the millions watching at home know exactly what’s about to happen: Starks running a pick-and-roll with Patrick Ewing. Starks is as open as he is because his defender, Reggie Miller, made a business decision as he trailed Starks towards an Anthony Mason screen. Miller is alive today because he didn’t test Mase.
Starks dribbles to his right, past the pick. Antonio Davis, Ewing’s defender, hesitates for a split-second, giving Starks all the runway he’d need to take it to the cup. It’s the same action the ‘90s Knicks ran whenever they were in desperate need of a last-second bucket.
Once Ewing slammed home the rebound to put the Knicks up one, Papi and I allowed ourselves the briefest expression of joy, a “yes!” as short and sibilant as airbrakes on a truck. For the next 22.7 seconds, neither of us breathes. Instead we wait. For the other shoe to drop. Or not.
I’d never seen the Knicks advance so far. Papi saw them win two titles, but that was back in ye olden days, the 1970s. This was the mid-‘90s — too late for Hammer Time, too soon for Y2K. The Knicks were thisclose to a championship. The Rangers, too. It was a glorious time.
Not so much for a Knicks/Rangers fan living in western New York. The move from Long Island to Rochester introduced the Mirandas to garbage plates, ice storms, the highest concentration of Confederate flags north of the Mason-Dixon and a particular strain of hate for all things NYC. Western New York has this particular paranoia where many locals believe NYC gets all of the state funding without contributing enough revenue to deserve it. It’s like a small child being pissed that their parents who work 40-50 hours a week “only” give them a weekly allowance and not their whole paycheck.
After the Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, a local sportswriter penned a column crying about how insufferable that was in and of itself, and that if the Knicks won, too, life up here in God’s Arctic armpit would suddenly be intolerable.
When we lived on Long Island, my uncle lived around the corner. He was a K9 officer in NYC. When I’d stop over to visit he’d order a whole pizza, just ‘cuz I was there. The day my friend and I were chased by two pit bulls, it was my uncle who shot his gun into the air, bringing the dogs to a stop before loudly yelling to their owners they could either come get their dogs now — alive — or wait until later, when they wouldn’t be.
Upstate cops were different. Anytime I walked around my neighborhood with a Black friend, we’d see people peeking out from their homes, behind curtains. Without fail a cop car would show up within 10 minutes, always wondering what we “were up to.” I called the police once in my entire time in Rochester, when an angry white man with a bat was threatening my Puerto Rican friend’s mother. The police came, ignored me, ignored us, spent 30 minutes talking to the man, then all the white neighbors, the ones who’d come out of their house once the police were there, all telling me, “You’re gonna get it now, spic. Gonna get what you’ve got coming.” Only after all that did the offier approach us. My friend’s mother told me in Spanish not to say anything. The cop asked if I was Puerto Rican. I said yeah. He said, “Do you have a father in the home?”
When the Knicks held on to advance to the Finals, I felt closer to them, to the city. Closer to my papi, who played at the Garden in high school and taught me everything I knew about watching and playing the game (except how to beat him one-on-one; now that he’s in his 70s, I might have a shot — maybe). I was living somewhere that was never home, never right, but I knew I wasn’t alone. Not with my family there. Not with Papi there.
And while the Mets and Jets were trash, and the Rangers had finally done the impossible, the Knicks were just four wins from what I’d waited my whole life as a fan (at that time, “my whole life as a [Knick] fan” equaled four seasons). Once they won, I’d rock my Ewing sneakers, my Knicks shorts, my Knicks T-shirt (featuring Ewing, Starks, Mason, Charles Oakley and Greg Anthony; people forget Greg was highly regarded coming out of UNLV), and the cheap giveaway Knicks hat I’d gotten at a game three years earlier. I’d strut into school, letting all the racists and bigots look upon my wardrobe with despair.
Family was forever. Justice was inevitable. The Knicks would always be there for me.
June 11, 1999
The Knicks advanced to the Finals three hours ago. I didn’t see it. I was in a bar.
I was drinking and drugging a lot. My parents’ relationship was fraying, one sister out of college, the other just started. The house had been sold. I’d set the game to tape, figuring if they won I’d re-watch, if not I wouldn’t.
I spent that night in a pool hall with some friends, where we noted on one of the televisions that the Knicks had won. One was a Laker fan, my best friend since moving upstate. Years later our friendship ended, after he started stealing from me and lying to his wife to support his drug habit. The other, a Celtic fan and fellow socialist, would remain close to me another 20-plus years, until, after buying a nice big house in a pretty suburb for his wife and two kids, he cut all ties as the Black Lives Matter movement was moving, telling me I couldn’t understand “how hard it is to be a Republican under Trump,” and that “property rights matter, too.”
I came home and slipped silently into the living room, the same room I’d seen the Knicks win the East five years prior. I rewound the tape far enough to see late in the fourth quarter. The Garden crowd chanting “JEFF VAN GUN-DY *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP CLAP CLAP!* Allan Houston hugging his coach; Latrell Sprewell waving a towel. For the first time in my life as a Knick fan, and only one of two times ever as one, I wept (the other was beating Boston last year).
Suddenly from behind, noises. A blanket being whipped off. A middle-aged man, awakened from a rough night on the living room couch. Papi. Not at all thrilled to have been woken by his 20-year-old oblivious son turning on the TV after midnight. Clearly there’d been another fight between my parents. Even on a night like this, reality wouldn’t stop being real. My drinking all night, getting high, even the Knicks: nothing put a dent in the pain. Whatever tears I’d shed from joy grew hot and fell fast, no longer sparked by wonder, but blunder.
The Knicks had no chance in the Finals; everyone knew. Ewing was out with an Achilles tear. Larry Johnson was injury-compromised. Going up against David Robinson and Tim Duncan, the Knicks’ best big, Marcus Camby, was no thicker than a Fruit Roll-Up. And the thing was, this might be as good as it was gonna get for New York.
The Ewing era was coming to a close. My family was falling apart. The century was coming to an end. The future, long a land I’d longed to live in, now seemed as likely an outcome as me pitching for the Mets.
May 25, 2026
In the city for the first time in a while. I let a few people know I’m there. All respond the same way: “Are you here for the Knicks?
I am not. My father and I have tickets to a Mets game, purchased months before the season started, before David Stearns re-invented a worser wheel by turning Pete Alonso into Jorge Polanco’s DL stay. I’m staying on 36th Street, my father on 37th.
I don’t remember the last time I saw him. Since the divorce he’s married twice, lived in Virginia, Bulgaria, rural Missouri, Puerto Rico, Cape Cod. His old man died when my dad was 19. My old man didn’t die, but by my mid-20s I got used to not seeing him for months or years at a time, the way an amputee gets used to a phantom limb.
Every time I see him, it’s too short. A girlfriend in college tore me a new one once. I had an hour lunch and worked 20 minutes away from her. So I picked up some drive-thru and drove to spend the time we could together. I couldn’t understand her at the time, telling me through tears that she’d rather not see me at all than only see me for a few minutes before I left again. I grew to understand her.
My entire adult life, seeing my father has always sparked joy and anger. Joy at this wonderful, loving, miracle of a man reminding me why I’ve always loved him so much, even when I didn’t want to. And anger over all the years lost, the conversations never shared, the things he could have taught me, the memories we’ll never share.
He’s one street away, but I don’t see him the day he arrives. He’s going to get food from the same restaurant I am, but I end up getting takeout with a friend; he doesn’t ask to eat together, neither do I. Not because I don’t love him. But because I do.
We’re going to the Met game Tuesday, before we leave town Wednesday. Tuesday, right after I finish a call with a Knick fan who runs an animation studio who’s such a lovely dude, I try to call my father. I can’t. My phone’s been suspended. I can’t call or text.
I don’t know where he is. His hotel is far enough from mine (avenues are loooong) that if I walk all the way there and he’s not there, I’ll risk missing any chance of catching the game. I email him, hoping he’ll check it even though he’s retired. I should have known better.
My father has never retired. He can’t. Whether working in education or ministry, he’s never been able to stop. He ran dozens of marathons, up until he was 60. He played high school baseball, was scouted by one or two MLB clubs, then played men’s “senior” baseball from his 30s into his 60s. Of course he checks his email. We connect and meet at an Italian place around the corner, then head to Citi Field.
The meal is delicious and delightful (vodka pie). He was in London the week before, so I’d asked him to bring me back anything relating to Manchester City. When we meet in front of the restaurant, he’s very proud to show me my “surprise.” And it is a surprise — a hat and jersey in the red of Man United. He didn’t realize he’d mixed them up. He feels terrible. I don’t. Laughing, I assure him the story of his mix-up makes the United shirt mean more to me than the City kit ever would’ve.
I tell him about the months of depression. The struggles the past few months. Years. The dreams I’ve let go. Tell him about my new plan, my new purpose. I’m going to save up for a year and move to NYC. It’s the only place I’m happy. The only place where I really ever feel alive. Where I ever really feel me.
On our way to the 7 train, we’re crossing an intersection. It is 80 degrees, the first sunny, nice day of the trip. We’re joking, happy. Everything feels right with the world. Then, without warning, for a moment, I think that I’m floating. It’s not the euphoria.
There’s a maybe two-foot deep hole in the middle of the intersection. New York bedrock being more solid than diamond, I wasn’t on the lookout for any two-foot deep holes. Suddenly I’m flying face-first toward the street. You know it’s bad when it’s 5:00 in Midtown and all the strangers around you stop and gasp as you tumble; these people wouldn’t stop to look if Abraham Lincoln passed by riding on top of Napoleon. My brain races right to chill mode. Get up. Now. Laugh it off. If you’re not bothered, it’s no big deal.
I start to stand, and am shocked to find I’m falling again. My legs are trembling. My father reaches out his hand to help me up, but before I can reach it I’m going down again. My hand lands on his knee, and for a second I let it stay there. More than a second.
I look up, now a middle-aged man myself. There is Papi. Older, grayer, thinner (far thinner than me, goddamnit). But it’s Papi. Lifting me up. Showing me love. Never there when I want him, but always there when I need him.
24 hours earlier, the Knicks clinched their first trip to the Finals since 1999. We did not watch the game together. We didn’t need to. Family is forever. Justice, while slow, is inevitable. And the Knicks will always be there for us.
The Knicks’ resiliency will be put to the test once again.
Everything has been coming up Knicks over the past few weeks, but they were dealt a pretty big blow on Thursday night, as it was revealed that Mitchell Robinson suffered a broken right pinky.
It’s still unknown exactly how/when the injury occurred, as Mike Brown said Friday afternoon that it didn’t happen during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals or at practice.
Brown and Knicks PR simply said that they weren’t going to get into specifics.
Either way, Robinson was forced to undergo surgery earlier this week, but he is pushing hard to get back out there for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Whether Robinson is ready or not come Wednesday night's tip-off, the resilient Knicks are confident that they will be able to weather the storm.
“Whatever the picture ends up being, us having those trials and tribulations where things weren’t looking good, just like in December with the 2-9 11-game stretch, it shows we have resiliency,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
“If this playoff run has shown anything, 1 through 15 can go out there put a Knicks jersey on and get the job done, and we truly believe that -- this is a situation that we’ve garnered enough experience and trust in each other that whatever the picture ends up being we feel confident.”
Brown said the team is preparing everybody in case they need to be called upon in Robinson’s absence.
The big man has been stepping up to play key minutes off the bench through the playoffs, providing a spark with his tenacious defense and rebounding prowess.
Robinson’s averaging 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 points across 13 postseason games.
New York certainly could use his downlow presence as the team looks to contain San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama or OKC’s front-court duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the next round.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MAY 18: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver looks on after the most valuable player trophy presentation before Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center on May 18, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NBA officially passed its contentious lottery reform on Thursday afternoon in an attempt to address a purported tanking crisis. My initial concerns about the plan still stand, and the NBA added in a couple more bizarre elements for the final product.
It was originally reported that teams can’t pick in the top-5 three years in a row, or No. 1 overall in consecutive years, as part of the new lottery changes. This is seemingly meant to address the San Antonio Spurs moving up into the top-4 in three straight lotteries to draft Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. That rule created a dilemma over picks that had already been traded. The league decided that it will not grandfather in traded picks, meaning teams who initially made those deals are now punished for them.
The one team this affects in the 2027 NBA Draft is the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies own the Utah Jazz’s unprotected first-round pick in 2027, but now it’s suddenly top-5 protected because the Jazz picked in the top-5 in 2025 and 2026, and thus can’t land a third consecutive top-5 pick in 2027 even if they’re not the ones making it. Somehow, that isn’t even the most bizarre amendment to the reform.
The NBA announced it is flipping the top-16 picks from the first-round in the second-round as part of the lottery reform. This means the team that picks No. 16 in the first-round automatically gets the first pick in the second-round. The team that holds the No. 1 overall pick in the draft won’t pick until No. 16 in the second. The team that drafts No. 2 overall in the first-round now has the 15th pick in the second-round, and so on.
This is an unprecedented move in American professional sports. Previously, the second-round of the NBA draft has been determined by overall record, meaning the Brooklyn Nets pick third in the second-round this year even though their first-round pick fell to No. 6 in the lottery, because they had the league’s third-worst record. Why would the NBA do this? John Hollinger of The Athletic talked to NBA executive vice president Evan Wasch to get an explanation:
Two pieces of logic drove this, according to Wasch. First was to “counterbalance to the luck of the draw in the first round” by at least giving the poor sap whose ping-pong ball was drawn last a better second-round pick.
Secondarily, however, the league wanted to guard against the scenario — one officials acknowledged was unlikely — whereby teams deep in the relegation zone started to tank to land the 31st pick.
My first question is: who asked for this? My second thought is that this is so strange and so creative that I can’t even really be mad about it. I’m mostly just amused.
I always thought a top-10 pick in the second round was pretty valuable. Some recent hits from that range include Jalen Brunson, Ajay Mitchell, Ayo Dosunmu, Herb Jones, Andrew Nembhard, and Neemias Queta. These days, the depth of the NBA Draft has been significantly thinned out by the NIL money flowing through college basketball, so the second round looks a lot weaker. The No. 31 overall pick (or the No. 33 overall pick once the Las Vegas and Seattle expansion teams join) is still a decently valuable asset, but it’s not really worth being upset over at this point.
The best news for NBA lottery reform haters like me is that it’s only a three-year commitment. Come the 2030 NBA Draft, we will possibly have another new lottery system. Three years is a really short trial run, but that’s what the NBA thought it needed to do to address the public relations black eye that came from tanking. It’s going to be fascinating to see how this all goes, including the suddenly flipped second-round.
NBA point guard Terry Rozier arriving at Brooklyn federal court in New York, where he faces charges connected with a sprawling illegal gambling indictment. (Yuki Iwamura / Associated Press)
Part of the rationale to legalize sports gambling was that professional athletes make so much money that they wouldn’t be tempted by bribes. It would be bonkers, the thinking went, to risk untold millions in career earnings by taking dirty dollars to throw games or manipulate statistical outputs.
Bonkers, meet Terry Rozier.
Federal prosecutors filed two new charges against the NBA point guard Thursday, alleging that he agreed to a $100,000 bribe as part of a gambling scheme that involved him intentionally removing himself early in a 2023 game so gamblers could win bets on him failing to reach his usual totals of points, assists and rebounds.
What might motivate Rozier to take part in such as scheme is perplexing. Consider this comparison:
Rozier, a 10-year veteran out of Louisville, has been paid $162 million playing for four NBA teams. He was under contract for $26 million for the 2025-2026 season. The $100,000 bribe prosecutors say he agreed to is the equivalent of $384 for someone making $100,000 a year.
The new indictment adds charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy to the existing two wire fraud charges he has faced since October. Those charges followed a sprawling indictment of 34 defendants that also ensnared Hall of Fame player and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones.
Rozier is not speaking to the media because of the ongoing criminal case, but his lawyer said that other defendants are lying about Rozier’s involvement to gain favor with prosecutors.
“There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors,” said Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney.
In December, Trusty asked the federal judge overseeing the case, LaShann DeArcy Hall, to dismiss the initial charges against him, citing government overreach and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the federal wire fraud statute. Hall heard oral arguments for the dismissal in April and has yet to issue a ruling.
“The new indictment confirms that our motion to dismiss was a good one — it’s just new charges and new theories trotted out in the hope that something sticks,” Trusty said.
The indictment alleges that Rozier — then a member of the Charlotte Hornets — informed co-defendant Deniro Laster that he would remove himself from a March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans because of a leg injury. Laster allegedly shared the information with several bettors, who bet $258,700 that Rozier would not reach his statistical averages.
Rozier was removed nine minutes into the game, finishing with five points, four rebounds and two assists. His rebounds total exceeded his average of 3.3 per game, causing some of the bets to lose. According to the indictment, Rozier agreed to reduce the alleged bribe to $70,000 to cover those losses.
As part of the proceedings Thursday, defendant Marves Fairley — described in the original indictment as representing himself on Instagram as a “gambling guru” — pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Fairley told the judge that he and associates obtained information from NBA players and coaches that could influence the outcomes of games and used it to place bets. He also said he placed fraudulent bets himself and on behalf of at least one professional player, who he did not identify.
“I agreed to pay a player to change their game performance to give me an advantage,” Fairley told the judge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman, however, named Rozier as the player. Fairley also admitted that he purchased information from Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones about the medical status of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Jones became the first of the 34 defendants to plead guilty, admitting in April that he urged a co-conspirator to “get a big bet on Milwaukee before the information is out!” ahead of a February 2023 game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks in which James was a late scratch because of a foot injury.
Two unidentified sportsbooks were named as victims of the alleged conspiracy in the original indictment, and the superseding indictment names the NBA and the Hornets as additional victims.
The clobbering that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain took in the final minutes of Tuesday's Game 5 of the Western Conference finals trickled down from a demand by Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, according to a video online.
The clobbering that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain took in the final minutes of Tuesday’s Game 5 of the Western Conference finals trickled down from a demand by Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, according to a new video.
The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama whispered “hard foul” to teammates Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee as he exited the game with his team trailing by 14 with 2:20 remaining, Mike Tirico, NBC’s play-by-play announcer, said on the Game 6 broadcast Thursday night.
The new clip of Wembanyama from Game 5 surfaced during Game 6, with Wembanyama seeming to mouth “hard foul” to Plumlee.
“Hard foul was the message to sent to Mason Plumee, Bismack Biyomobo, and you saw just that…” Tirico said during the Spurs’ eventual 118-91 win.
After Wembanyama’s exit, Plumblee and Byombo committed hard fouls on McCain within a minute span.
The first foul happened when McCain received an elbow to the back from Plumlee that knocked him to the floor, and the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after a league review, the NBA announced Wednesday.
Biyombo committed the second foul as McCain drove to the basket.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama whispered “hard fouls” to teammates Bismack Byombo and Mason Plumblee as he exited Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 2:20 remaining. XSpurs’ Mason Plumblee fouled OKC’s Jared McCain in the final minutes of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. X
NBC Analyst Reggie Miller mentioned that McCain shouldn’t have been in the game in garbage minutes after the two fouls.
“See, these are two shots to McCain in here in the starting lineup in the closing moments of this game,” Miller said. “He doesn’t need to be on the floor here.”
Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama in the first half of Game 5 in the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Oklahoma City. AP Photo/Julio Cortez
McCain discussed Plumlee’s foul after the Thunder’s 127-114 victory in Game 5.
“That was crazy. I didn’t expect it, obviously,” McCain told “The Association” on Tuesday. “We were at the free-throw line, too, and I was like, ‘Why’d you do that man?’
“I’m just asking him questions, and he was like, ‘I’ve got another one for you, too.’ … It’s all in competition, so gotta respect it.”
Jared McCain of the Thunder shoots a free throw during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs on May 26, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images
In his first start of the series in Game 5, McCain scored 20 points while shooting 7-of-19 from the field. He also grabbed three rebounds.
The Spurs forced a Game 7 on Saturday in Oklahoma City with their resounding win Thursday, and the winner will face the Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals, beginning June 3.
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 29: James Harden #1 and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the Toronto Raptors during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2026 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers seem to have every intention of bringing back James Harden and Donovan Mitchell this summer.
Harden, who has a player option that he’s expected to exercise this offseason, has already said he ‘100%’ plans on returning to Cleveland.
Meanwhile, Mitchell’s player option isn’t until next season. The Cavs can extend Mitchell long-term this summer and run no risk of losing him unless he demands a trade. President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman suggested that no such trade request is on the horizon.
“All I can tell you is Donovan has been steadfast in how much he loves it here,” said Altman. “There hasn’t been any question of will he be here or does he want to be here; I think the bigger question, is the one that’s been answered, is does he want to be here and does he want to be here long term, and I think he’s answered that.”
Mitchel has led the Cavs to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons and has been on multiple All-NBA teams since arriving in Cleveland. There are valid concerns about his viability as a No. 1 option on a title team — but Altman isn’t openly sharing any of them.
“Yes,” Altman replied when asked if Mitchell can be the best player on a championship team. “And we’re going to keep pouring into that.”
Altman also reinforced his belief in Harden, stating that the Cavs didn’t trade for ‘MVP Harden’ but rather a complementary player who can stabilize them moving forward.
“He helped regalvanize the group; we were kinda shaky there… when he came on board, he gave us a real belief and swagger,” said Koby Altman. “We traded for him and shot out of the gate 5-0, with some real inspiring confidence; we’re not in the Conference Finals without James.”
The plan, for now, appears to be having both guards back with a full offseason and training camp together to figure things out. That might frustrate some fans, but it falls in line with the patient approach that Altman has taken in previous years.
PHOENIX, AZ - DECEMBER 06: Grand Canyon Antelope guard Jaden Henley (10) looks on before the Jerry Colangelo Classic college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Grand Canyon Antelopes on December 6, 2025 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
While there is still five months until the 2026-27 college basketball season tips off, we are less than one month away from the 2026 NBA Draft!
There are two former Mountain West guards — Grand Canyon’s Jaden Henley and Utah State’s MJ Collins — hoping to hear their name called on draft night, which begins June 23. Both guards competed in the NBA’s G-League combine earlier this month, but neither were invited to the Draft Combine.
This year’s class is one of the most anticipated in recent memory, although there were fewer early entrants — players departing college early — than in year’s past. Neither Collins nor Henley — who both exhausted all of their college eligibility — fit into that bucket. But the number of players who withdrew their name ahead of Thursday’s deadline could help these two as late June nears.
Why recent withdrawals could help Collins, Henley:
Heading into the 2026 cycle, there were 71 Early Entrants, 106 fewer than the amount heading into the 2025 class. However, over half — including former San Jose State guard Colby Garland, who’s transferring to Georgia Tech with one season of eligibility remaining — returned to college.
A few of them who did include Rueben Chinyelu (Florida), Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State; in transfer portal), Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt) and Tounde Yessoufou (St. John’s; Baylor transfer). Those aren’t MW players, but ones with legitimate talent that will have an automatic ripple effect on both Collins and Henley.
There’s a higher likelihood that at least one — if not both names — could be called on draft night. I still think Henley, who’s currently No. 75 on Rookie Scale’s consensus big board, would still be the first name. But weirder stuff has happened on draft night.
Nevertheless, the chances that both players are able to find pathways to crack an NBA roster increase, albeit marginally. Each organization is allotted three two-way spots, which is expected to be north of $600K in 2026-27. Those two-way players can be active for 50 games per season. It will be an uphill climb, but both are intriguing in their own way.
Collins is an athletic multi-level scorer who averaged 17.5 points on 48.7/36.1/81.0 shooting splits last season. Henley is a hyper athletic defensive-minded big guard who’s a straight line-drive slasher. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 46.6 percent shooting and 56.2 percent true shooting last season.
So far, Henley has either planned to, or completed a work out for the 13 teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings, according to HoopsHype’s workout tracker. Collins has worked out for three: The Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Do you think either have a chance of hearing their name called in the top-60? Let us know in the comments!
