Shams Charania is not backing down after Jeanie Buss’ legal team accused the ESPN insider of inaccurately reporting the latest twist in the Lakers’ increasingly messy ownership saga.
Appearing Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Charania addressed a letter from Buss’ attorney that accused him of falsely reporting that all six Buss siblings voted to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% stake in the franchise.
The statement specifically claimed Charania “falsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell” the stake to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger and that Jeanie was “out” as controlling owner.
Mark Walter, left, a majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jeanie Buss, minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, talk as the Lakers play the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Charania took direct issue with that characterization.
“That letter included my name in it, which I do find interesting,” Charania said. “I do have to make it clear, I fully stand by my reporting.”
He then zeroed in on what he believes Buss’ legal team got wrong.
“The first line of the statement from the lawyer said that I reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell,” Charania said. “That key sentence right there is inaccurate.”
Buss’ attorney, Adam Streisand, went further in Monday’s statement, alleging a “years-long pattern” in which Joey and Jesse Buss have leaked “false, defamatory and pernicious” information to Charania in an effort to damage the Lakers while Jeanie carries out what the attorney described as their late father Jerry Buss’ wishes.
Charania did not retreat from his reporting in response to those accusations, instead emphasizing that his report concerned whether the family had enough votes to move forward with the sale.
Shams Charania appears on ESPN’s NBA Draft coverage on June 23, 2026, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBAE via Getty Images
That distinction has become central to the latest round of Buss family infighting surrounding the Lakers. In ESPN’s current report, Charania wrote that the family trust received enough votes to approve the proposed sale, with at least five of the six siblings voting in favor.
ESPN separately reported that Jeanie did not participate in the vote. According to Charania’s sources, four votes were required to trigger the provision allowing the sale.
That is different, however, from whether those votes can actually force Jeanie to give up the family’s stake.
Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss is seen during a preseason NBA game against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Buss is challenging her siblings’ attempt to sell, with Streisand arguing that the family trust and a 2017 court ruling prevent a sale without approval from the co-trustees and require them to preserve enough ownership for Jeanie to remain the Lakers’ controlling governor.
Charania maintained that his reporting concerned the majority vote while acknowledging that interpreting the rules of the trust itself is another matter.
So while Charania is pushing back on the claim that his reporting was inaccurate, the larger question remains unresolved.
What began as another blockbuster Lakers sale is increasingly shaping up as a battle over exactly what the Buss family voted for — and whether that vote actually has the power to end Jeanie’s reign.
One day after Jeanie Buss contested her siblings attempting to sell the family’s shares of the Lakers, the rest of the Buss family made it clear they aren’t backing down.
Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon: “The Los Angeles Lakers have never been just a basketball team. They have been one of the greatest privileges of our lives. Our focus has always been on what we believe is best for the Lakers, the fans who have supported this franchise for generations and the greater Los Angeles community.
“Johnny, Jimmy, Janie, Joey and Jesse have made the decision to sell the family’s remaining stake, and we remain united in that decision. We intend to move forward thoughtfully, respectfully and through the appropriate process.”
Jeanie Buss, left, and Mark Walter attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. Getty Images
“We have tremendous respect for Bob Iger and Josh Kushner and believe they understand what the Lakers represent to Los Angeles and our incredibly loyal fan base,” the statement from the Buss siblings added. “We are confident they will honor everything this franchise stands for while building upon the foundation our father created.”
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss is opposing her siblings’ vote to sell the family’s share of the Lakers, according to a letter from her lawyer, Adam Streisand, which was obtained by the California Post, arguing her siblings can’t legally execute a sale without her approval and that any vote of the Buss family selling would be “void”.
The Buss family trust includes six of the late Dr. Jerry Buss’ children: Johnny (69), Jim (66), Jeanie (64), Janie (62), Joey (41) and Jesse (37).
The siblings believe they simply need a majority vote (four out of six) to allow the trustees to sell the family’s shares.
Jim Buss and his sister Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers attend a news conference. Getty Images
“Pursuant to the JAB Trust and the attached Court Order, the co-trustees are bound to vote the Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. shares to ensure that the minimum 15% ownership requirement is maintained in order to ensure that Jeanie Buss may remain Controlling Owner,” Streisand said in the letter. “Any attempt by the co-trustees to do otherwise, and any attempt to aid or abet the co-trustees as such, would constitute a breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and be in contempt of court.”
The letter added: “On behalf of Jeanie Buss, I demand that your clients make clear publicly that Jeanie Buss is the Controlling Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and that your clients shall take no action on this supposed “vote” to sell the 17.8% stake.”
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
The siblings took the opposite action, making it clear they still intend to sell their share of the Lakers.
What comes next remains to be seen.
Jeanie and her representatives didn’t issue a statement in response Tuesday.
The Buss family said in a statement Monday morning: “We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction. We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles; but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”
Selling the Lakers would result in Jeanie no longer being the team’s Governor, since she would no longer have the qualifying 15% ownership stake in the franchise required told hold that position. She has been team’s Governor since 2013 after Jerry’s death.
When Walter purchased the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family, the league announced that Buss would remain the team’s Governor for a period of at least five years (through 2030).
But on Monday, Jeanie’s attorney sent a letter to lawyers for the other siblings demanding that they retract the announcement of the proposed sale, insisting that rules of the family trust and a 2017 court ruling make clear that she will remain a controlling owner of the team for life.
The letter also called the announcement of a planned sale of the family’s stake in the Lakers, “just the latest instance of a years-long pattern whereby Joey and Jesse Buss leak false, defamatory and pernicious `information’…for the malicious purpose of doing harm to the Los Angeles Lakers so long as Dr. [Jerry] Buss’ chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father’s wishes.”
Jerry Buss died in 2013. AP
Kushner and Iger are purchasing about 65% of the Lakers in their deal with Walter. The Buss family’s share of the Lakers would give Kushner and Iger about 83% of the franchise.
That sale needs to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors, which is scheduled to meet Sept. 15-16 in New York.
Kushner also must sell his minority ownership stake in the Heat before he can officially become the Lakers’ co-majority owner.
But after the latest update in this saga, how and when this will be resolved isn’t clear.
The NBA rumor mill never stops, and the latest smoke concerns one of the purest scorers of this generation.
Year One of Kevin Durant on the Houston Rockets proved to be “frustrating and disappointing,” in the words of general manager Rafael Stone. Houston won 52 games, but was bounced in the first round of the postseason, after injuries took their toll.
That has led to Durant, who will turn 38 in late September, to pop up on the rumor mill as a potential trade candidate. This, however, should be taken merely as the work of high speculation from the corners of NBA message boards.
For the Rockets, this entire offseason was essentially the anticipation of the return of point guard Fred VanVleet, who missed the entire 2025-26 campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Point guard was the biggest weakness for the Rockets, and competent play at the position should take considerable pressure off of Durant to be the one to create offense. Houston tried several different options at point guard. From Amen Thompson in the regular season opener against the Thunder, to Reed Sheppard later in the year, Houston could not find a consistent facilitator.
That led to Durant playing on ball more than coach Ime Udoka wanted, and it also led to frequent offensive stagnation.
The reality is the Rockets can still field an interesting and competitive team this season, so there simply is no incentive to bail on Durant — at least not yet.
Houston will also return backup center Steven Adams, and Durant himself missed five of Houston’s six games in that first-round series loss against the Lakers.
“We think the players in our locker room can win a lot of games and can be very competitive,” Stone said in May. “We have players coming back from injury; they will help us. If we bring back, largely, the same group, I think continuity will help us.”
All this to say: don’t expect the Rockets to move Durant.
No major outlet or NBA insider has reported anything about Durant being on the trading block. The only reason his name has come up in the rumor mill is because fans have conjured highly speculative potential trades involving him, most of which — frankly — make no sense at all.
Durant has one more season left on his contract and also has a player option worth $46.1 million for 2027-28. He averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game across 78 appearances last season. He is still a steady scoring threat, though it’s clear he needs more help and facilitation at this stage of his career.
VanVleet should stabilize play-making and should get even more out of Durant. Houston still needs Thompson, Sheppard and forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason to develop further. Center Alperen Şengün has to continue playing within the system.
But the Rockets did not ship all those assets (Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, the 2025 No. 10 overall pick and five second-round selections) to simply pull the plug on Durant after one injury-riddled season.
Now, should Houston’s season absolutely implode and should it become clear that this roster is not in position to compete, the Rockets may then consider moving Durant before the February trading deadline to recoup assets. But if this hypothetical goes down, it’s likely because Durant is either injured or has drastically underperformed, either of which would lower his value, anyway.
And though he’s in the sunset of his career, Durant has been far too consistent for that to feasibly be an option.
It’s always a challenge to incorporate an elite star into a new system. Often, it takes time for these new teammates to jell. That’s only magnified when key injuries rob a team of its identity.
This is the time of the year when hoops fans are starved for any news or juicy trade scenarios. Treat anything you see about Durant as just that.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 09: Dennis Schroder #8 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after a basket against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 09, 2026 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dennis Schroder isn’t one to shy away from the truth. He showed this in his limited time with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, often being one of the most vocal players on the court and in the locker room.
Whether he was urging his teammates to hustle back on defense or to keep the bigs involved offensively, Schroder wasn’t afraid to call it how he sees it.
That’s continued even after Schroder was traded to the Charlotte Hornets last week.
In an interview with EuroHoops, Schroder opened up about the challenges of his role in Cleveland.
“When you have two legends in your position who bring the ball up the court and play a lot of isolation, then it’s just difficult,” said Schroder.
Playing behind James Harden and Donovan Mitchell is a unique challenge for anyone. Being the backup to two ball-dominant stars is a thankless job. It requires a sacrifice that isn’t always recognized. Schroder wasn’t in his comfort zone sharing the floor with both Mitchell and Harden, as no one in that group excels without the ball.
Anyone watching the Cavs could tell you that.
This isn’t to say that Schroder should have had more touches. We all agree that the ball should be primarily in Harden or Mitchell’s hands. But it’s no secret that co-existing with them in the backcourt is easier said than done. You need a specific skill set that doesn’t match Schroder’s archetype.
Schroder is at his best when he’s on the ball. He isn’t the type of player who can spot up in the corner or space the floor. And even with his scrappiness on the defensive end, he still isn’t the ideal partner to cover up for either Harden or Mitchell on that end of the floor.
That put Schroder in an awkward position. The Cavs needed a backup point guard — but they didn’t need the type of package that Schroder brings. He’s a speedy, on-ball floor general who can run the offense in a pinch. Not a 3-and-D guard who can fill in the gaps.
For this reason, Schroder is right to feel optimistic about landing in Charlotte.
“I’ve known [I was being traded] for a month,” said Schroder. “I think it’s a better situation for me from a sporting perspective.”
Schroder will have more room to be himself on the Hornets bench. Meanwhile, the Cavs search for a way to capitalize on their newfound financial freedom. The trade feels like a win for both parties.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 12: Malachi Smith #18 of the Brooklyn Nets drives around a screen set by E.J. Liddell #9 against Immanuel Quickley #5 of the Toronto Raptors during the first half at Scotiabank Arena on April 12, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Toronto Raptors have signed Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Malachi Smith to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 training camp contract through the work of his agent, Michael Lelchitski of SIG Sports.
Across 15 games, four of which were starts, played with the Brooklyn Nets to close out the 2025-26 season, 6-4 Smith averaged 8.3 points on a shooting split of 48.5 percent from the field/43.5 percent on three-pointers/100.0 percent at the free-throw line, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per contest. He was waived back on July 10 after the organization exercised his minimum salary team option on June 30, in order to make salary cap space.
Toronto doesn’t have any of its three two-way spots available and currently has 17 players on the payroll (both standard and training camp contracts), including Smith’s $2,185,116 that he’s owed next season. An NBA roster has a 15-player limit. Once the trade of forward Brandon Ingram and guard Gradey Dick for Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard goes through, one roster spot will open up for the Raptors.
The 26-year-old Smith will be fighting mostly with Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle, who went undrafted in 2026, for minutes throughout the preseason. If he were to get cut, Smith should have the option to join the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBA G League affiliate.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
The $12.5 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers has unleashed a family feud.
The Buss children are at it again.
Jeanie Buss, 64, took over as the team’s governor and controlling owner in 2013 after the death of her father, Jerry, the team's longtime and celebrated owner. She sued in 2017, alleging that two other brothers tried to oust her. Now Jeanie Buss is fighting to hold on to that power.
She is one of six siblings and apparently is outnumbered. Her five siblings issued a statement saying they plan to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% in the Lakers to the incoming owners -- venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
The 17.8% is how much the Buss children retained after selling the team to Mark Walter in June 2025 on a valuation of about $10 billion. The terms of that sale stipulated that Jeanie Buss was to remain the team's governor for at least five years following the sale.
But that plan looks to be in jeopardy after Walter sold the team to Kusher, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, and Iger. NBA rules require a team’s governor have at least 15% ownership. If her siblings are allowed to sell their shares, Jeanie Buss won’t meet the threshold needed to oversee the team.
When Jerry Buss died in 2013, he owned 66% of the Lakers, and he left 11% to each of his six children. But Jeanie Buss, through Adam Streisand, contends her siblings need her approval to sell their remaining shares.
In a copy of a letter obtained by ESPN, Streisand wrote that any family vote for a sale "would be and is void" because Jeanie’s approval is needed.
"Co-trustees are bound to vote to ensure that the minimum 15% ownership requirement is maintained in order to ensure that Jeanie Buss may remain controlling owner," Streisand wrote, via ESPN.
"Any attempt by the co-trustees to aid or abet the co-trustees as such, would constitute a breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and be in contempt of court.
"On behalf of Jeanie Buss, I demand that your clients make clear publicly that Jeanie Buss is the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and that your clients shall take no action on this supposed 'vote' to sell the 17.8% stake."
The siblings see things differently.
“We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction,” the Buss family said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles, but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”
Lakers in limbo off, on court
Under Jerry Buss, the Lakers became one of the most iconic teams in sports.
The team won 10 NBA titles between Jerry Buss’ purchase of the Lakers in 1979 for $67.5 million and his death in 2013.
Since then, the Lakers have won just one more title, giving the franchise 17 -- second behind only the Boston Celtics' 18 titles.
Jeanie Buss' biggest move since firing her brother Jim in 2017 was to sign LeBron James the following year. James led the Lakers to an NBA title in 2020 during a COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. The Lakers have not returned to the Finals since. This offseason, James left the Lakers and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers have retooled their roster around star Luka Doncic, and for the moment, the Lakers look to be in limbo on and off the court.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mid-Major fans and fans across the country.
Loyola Chicago is honoring Sister Jean with a statue this Friday on what would have been her 107th birthday.
So, that got us thinking: who should be the next mid-major legend to be given a statue?
Pete Carril, Greg Kampe, Bill Russell, Steph Curry, Steve Nash or Buddy the Street Dog?
Pete Carril
Carril was the architect of the Princeton offense. His Tiger teams were rock solid on defense and led the nation in scoring defense 14 times. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famer won 13 Ivy League championships and retired as the only coach to win 500 games without scholarship players. Carril led Princeton to the 1975 NIT championship.
Greg Kampe
Kampe is gearing up for his 43rd season with Oakland and is the longest-tenured active Division I men’s basketball coach, ranking third all-time in DI behind Jim Phelan (49 seasons), Phog Allen (49 seasons), and Jim Boeheim (47 seasons). The 2026-27 season moves Kampe ahead of Mike Krzyzewski. Kampe oversaw the Golden Grizzlies’ transition to Division I and pioneered one of the best March Madness upsets in recent memory as Oakland and hot-shooting Jack Gohlke took down Kentucky.
One of the greatest players in basketball history, Russell suited up for San Francisco before winning 11 titles with the Boston Celtics. He played with the Dons in the 1950s and guided them to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956. USF won 55 consecutive games, and Russell is the career leader in rebounds for the program with 1,606. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Russell was a staunch advocate for social justice. The WCC adopted the “Russell Rule,” which ensures that all schools in the conference consider candidates from underrepresented groups when interviewing for athletic administrator and coaching vacancies.
Steph Curry
We all remember Curry nearly shooting No. 10-seed Davidson into the Final Four. The guard’s run in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was nothing short of miraculous. It put his name in the national lexicon of basketball before he became the NBA career 3-point leader and changed the game with his approach to shooting. Curry led the nation in scoring in 2009 and broke the single-season 3-point record in 2008. Four NBA titles and a couple of MVPs later, Curry and his legacy live on.
Steve Nash
Nash put together one of the best college careers with Santa Clara and led the Broncos to three WCC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. He ranks among the top 10 in program history in points, steals, assists, and free-throw percentage. The two-time NBA MVP led both the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals and had his number retired by both Santa Clara and the Suns. He went on to become a consultant and helped guide the Warriors to back-to-back titles with Curry as one of the star players.
Buddy the Street Dog
OK, let’s have a little fun with this one. Buddy the Street Dog is the “spirit animal” for the Queens men’s basketball team. The two-foot replica of a German Shepard joined the Royals this season as they reached the NCAA Tournament in their first season of eligibility after transitioning to Division I. Buddy is awarded postgame to the player whose contributions to the team’s success may not show up in the box score (taking charges or diving for loose ball).
“We want [the players] to embody the street dog mentality of fighting for everything you can get,” Queens head coach Grant Leonard said.
Both Queens and Buddy are a perfect 1-for-1 when eligible to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Editor note: Damian Lillard and Artis Gilmore were also discussed.
Lillard is painted on a horse statue in Ogden, Utah, where he starred for Weber State.
Why a horse and not an actual statue depicting Lillard? Lillard has a fear of statues.
“I’ve always been scared of historic stuff like that. If I see statues of Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. — all that stuff kind of gives me a funny feeling,” Lillard said back in 2012 on a trip to Washington, D.C. during his rookie season with the Portland Trailblazers.
Gilmore will have his statue at Jacksonville University unveiled next May. Nicknamed “The A-Train,” Gilmore led the 1970 national championship game, where the Dolphins fell to UCLA.
Gilmore went on to have a hall-of-fame career in the ABA and NBA. He began his college career at Garner-Webb before playing his final two seasons at Jacksonville.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle "Ro" Ledesma at the beach in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Knicks coach Mike Brown is enjoying the post-championship life.
The coach and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma enjoyed some R&R in Porto Cervo, an Italian seaside resort in Northern Sardinia on Sunday in new beach photos obtained by The Post.
The couple, mostly private regarding their personal life, were seen canoodling in the ocean and laughing together while lounging under an umbrella.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma at the beach in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRID
Brown sported white swim shorts and sunglasses while Ledesma donned a blue bikini.
The pair’s European vacation came after a whirlwind summer for Brown.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma in the ocean in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRIDRochelle “Ro” Ledesma, wife of New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown, in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRID
In his first year at the helm, Brown coached the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years against the Spurs in June.
The Knicks won four of five against San Antonio, and clinched the NBA title in a 94-90 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma at the beach in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRIDNew York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma at the beach in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRID
After that, Brown’s media tour included stops at “The Tonight Show” and “Good Morning America.”
He also received a standing ovation and applause — as well as “let’s go Knicks” chants — when he hit up the Polo Bar in mid-June.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma at the beach in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRIDNew York Knicks head coach Mike Brown and his wife Rochelle “Ro” Ledesma at the beach in Porto Cervo, Italy, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. FREZZA LAFATA / BACKGRID
Brown and his first wife Carolyn, who divorced in January 2015, share two sons together, Elijah and Cameron.
Both played collegiate sports and Elijah began his basketball career at Butler before transferring to New Mexico and then finishing his college career at Oregon.
Brown has yet to be seen in photo from the wedding of Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns and model Jordyn Woods, which took place Aug. 15 in Malibu.
Towns’ Knicks teammates, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby were all in attendance.
Arkansas forward Nick Pringle (23) celebrates after the SEC tournament championship win against Vanderbilt at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
NetsDaily has confirmed that the Brooklyn Nets are signing Nick Pringle, a 6’10”, 230-pound 24-year-old power forward out of Arkansas, to an Exhibit 10 deal. Pringle, who went undrafted in June, played last season at Arkansas with Darius Acuff and Trevon Brazile, drafted at No. 7 and 35th.
An Exhibit 1o can be a training camp contract, but the Nets and other teams have also used it to fill out G League rosters. The plan for Pringle will become evident shortly after he’s signed. Last couple of seasons, the Nets have signed players to Exhibit 10s then quickly waived them often within 24 hours. The players’ G League rights go directly to Long Island without a stop at Brooklyn’s training camp. Each player signed to an Exhibit 10 can receive up to an $85,000 bonus if they stick with the G League club for 60 days. While some organizations will negotiate the amount of the bonus, the Nets generally provide each signee the full $85,000. G League players also receive a standard $46,350 salary plus housing expenses.
Pringle had previously played at both Alabama and South Carolina in his six-year long collegiate career. At Alabama, he teamed up with Grant Nelson who played for both Brooklyn and Long Island last season and was on the Nets summer league rosters in Sacramento and Las Vegas last month.
A native of Seabrook, S.C., Pringle played at Wofford College in 2020-21, Dodge City Community College in 2021-22, then two seasons at Alabama in 2022-23 and 2023-24, a season at South Carolina in 2024-25 before winding up at Arkansas last year. He was part of Alabama’s 2024 NCAA Final Four team, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game throughout the Crimson Tide’s run in the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s some highlights from his season with John Calipari and the Razorbacks, primarily focused on his athlaticism.
Rebounding and defense have been his forte. For his collegiate career, played in 152 games with 81 starts, averaging 16.1 minutes a game. For his career, he scored 853 points and shot 64.9% from the field, twice hitting before than 70.0% for the season. He also grabbed 654 career rebounds and recorded 125 stocks — combination of steals and blocks.
He also played three games for the Celtics Summer League team in Las Vegas, but only one where he topped 20 minutes, a loss to the Magic. In that that game, Pringle scored four points, grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists, blocked three shots and recorded two steals in 20.3 minutes.
Seros Partners, his agent, first reported on the Nets agreement Monday. Seros also represents Mikel Brown Jr.
Although the were unconfirmed reports during Summer League that Deon Brown, a 6’4” combo guard out of St. Louis, and Ben Humrichaus, a 6’9” small forward out of Illinois, would also join the Nets on Exhibit 10 deals. Both Tyler Bilodeau, taken at No. 43 out of UCLA, and Chaney Johnson, who’s returning, have signed two-way deals, leaving one open. Nelson is seen as a strong candidate for the third if he recovers from a “shooter’s knee” issue that sidelined him last season.
Nine years after their last Game of Thrones-esque power struggle, the Los Angeles Lakers have somehow wandered back into Westeros, only this time the drama is more scintillating and vicious than ever before.
Paddy Considine stars as King Viserys I Targaryen in HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” Ollie Upton / HBO
And Jeanie Buss is Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.
The similarities between the Buss family and the hit HBO show have become almost absurd.
Both stories begin with an aging patriarch presiding over a powerful dynasty and making his succession wishes unmistakably clear.
In Season One, King Viserys chose his daughter Rhaenyra to inherit the throne, just as Dr. Jerry Buss chose his daughter Jeanie to become controlling owner of the Lakers. Those instructions were later reinforced by language in the family trust requiring the trustees to take reasonable steps to keep her in control.
But then the patriarch died and everybody started reaching for the Iron Throne.
Dr. Buss purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. Under his family’s leadership, the Lakers have more wins than any franchise in history over that span and 11 NBA championships, more than any other team during their tenure.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss poses with the NBA Championship trophy after Game 6 of the NBA Finals at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 16, 1980. The Lakers defeated the 76ers 123-107. (NBAE) NBAE via Getty Images
When Dr. Buss died in 2013, the family harmony he envisioned didn’t survive him very long. The Lakers become their own version of the Dance of the Dragons, except instead of Vhagar and Caraxes scorching the Red Keep, it was Jeanie and Jim’s lawyers scorching each other with court filings.
Jim first tried to usurp Jeanie in 2017 after Jeanie fired her brother as head of basketball operations. Together, Jim and Johnny Buss pushed for a new Lakers board that conspicuously did not include their sister. Without a board seat, Jeanie could not remain the controlling owner. She got a restraining order, took them to court, stopped the maneuver and ultimately emerged with her authority strengthened.
Pick whichever Buss brother you want to cast as Aegon II or Aemond or even Daemon Targaryen. The analogy doesn’t need to be anatomically perfect. The important part is the recurring theme of a family fighting for the throne after their patriarch has died.
We’ve seen this show before.
Only now the Targaryens all have private-equity portfolios and billions of dollars to play with instead of dragons.
Last year, Jeanie agreed to sell the majority share of the Lakers to Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation while working out a deal to remain governor of the team until 2030. Then immediately after Walter took over, Joey and Jesse Buss were dismissed from their basketball operations positions as the new regime began reshaping the organization.
Jeanie instantly took on the role of villain within her own family.
Jeanie Buss and Jerry Buss attend a ceremony honoring Jerry Buss with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, on Monday, Oct. 30, 2006. (FilmMagic) FilmMagic
Queen Rhaenyra spent Season Two of House of the Dragon learning the uncomfortable truth about inherited power: that having a king proclaim you as the rightful heir doesn’t mean everybody around you will happily kneel.
A coup was contrived by the Hightowers (House Green) and King Viserys younger sons Aegon II and Aemond. Aegon was crowned in Rhaneyra’s place and she was exiled to Dragonstone before a war between the family broke out for the throne.
Because if that 17.8% disappears or dips below 15%, then Jeanie would fall below the ownership threshold necessary to remain Lakers governor.
The latest coup by the Buss brothers is so wonderfully House of the Dragon that it might as well have been ripped out of the script itself. Years ago, it was Jim and Johnny trying to usurp Jeanie’s power. Joey and Jesse were perceived as part of her side of the family power structure. Now the alliances have shifted again.
And that’s the point of George R.R. Martin’s novel A Dance With Dragons that the show is based on. There are no permanent teams when a throne is involved. Allies become enemies. Enemies become useful. Family loyalty lasts right up until somebody believes they have the opportunity to sit on the Iron Throne.
Ewan Mitchell stars as Aemond Targaryen in HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” Ollie Upton/HBO
Even Jeanie’s sale to Walter now feels like the betrayal of Queen Rhaenyra’s new Targaryen bastard dragon riders from Season Three. The idea was to harness enormous outside financial power while still preserving her place atop the Lakers kingdom. Instead, Walter is already selling the team to Iger and Kushner less than a year after he took control. Now, Jeanie suddenly finds herself fighting to preserve the very authority the original transaction was designed to protect.
And as House of the Dragon reminds us, power is easy to acquire, but much harder to keep.
You won’t find dragons flying above Crypto.com Arena any time soon, but the fight for power of the Lakers now features billionaires, lawyers, trusts, emergency meetings, sibling alliances, and nearly half a century of family history hanging in the balance.
For nearly 50 years, the Buss family has been Lakers royalty. Dr. Buss built the kingdom. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James decorated its walls with championship banners.
But dynasties rarely fear outsiders as much as they should realize the real threat comes from within the household.
King Viserys spent his final years believing his succession plan would preserve the Targaryen dynasty.
Dr. Buss probably believed the same thing.
But both fathers discovered the same truth:
You can name an heir, but you can’t make the family bend the knee.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Florida point guard Xaivian Lee plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Joe Tipton reports. Lee spent one season with the Gators after transferring in from Princeton.
In 35 games last year, Lee averaged 11.6 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, shot 42% from the floor and 29.2% from three-point range. He also shot 76.5% from the free-throw line.
Lee spent three years at Princeton before electing to hit the portal and play for the Gators last season. In three seasons with the Tigers, Lee averaged 12.7 points per game. 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shot 43.1% from the floor.
Lee entered the NBA Draft process earlier this summer and went unselected during the 2026 edition. He agreed to am Exhibit 10 deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in June. An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, non-guaranteed NBA minimum-salary contract that invites a player to training camp. It is often utilized by franchises to evaluate undrafted rookies along with fringe players and allows them to retain the player’s G League rights if they are waived.
Xaivian Lee hitting NCAA transfer portal again
Earlier this year, Xaivian Lee participated in the NBA G League Combine in Chicago. Lee was not among the six players invited to the NBA Draft Combine that week, but he made his mark in the two games he played and tested well in the various workouts. He led his team in assists on both scrimmages.
Lee ranked No. 1 overall in the pro lane drill at 9.97 seconds and also finished in the top five in the shuttle run (No. 2 overall), 3/4 court spring (No. 3) and vertical jump (No. 5).
NBA scout Cyro Asseo wrote the following on Lee: “Played as a lead guard, prioritizing playmaking for his teammates over his own scoring. He grabbed any loose boards in his path and showed he can use his quickness for more than just scoring, though his defense remains a slight concern.”
GatorsOnline’ Keith Niebhur contributed to this report
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Steve Ballmer (L) and NBA Commissioner Adam SIlver attends an NBA playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on May 11, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/GC Images)
It’s been 11 months since the NBA opened a formal investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers for salary cap circumvention, and somehow Adam Silver has only made it worse. We are no closer to knowing what exactly happened, there’s backbiting occurring between the NBA and the media — but more concerning is a pervasive opacity shrouding the process, pronounced enough that it feels less like the league is leading an investigation and more like it’s trying to navigate a balancing act that will satiate the public’s need for answers while not angering Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer.
Pablo Torre initially broke the story last year, which alleged that the Clippers used a now-defunct sponsor to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard as a fake employee, allowing the team to exceed his max-level contract. The Torre report initially got the ball rolling and led to the NBA investigation — which is ongoing now.
Since that point, the NBA has largely been quiet, Torre has continued to gather more details, expanding on his reporting, and on Monday ESPN dropped a story that intimated the investigation was coming to a close, functionally absolving Ballmer of responsibility as a result — which the NBA then refuted. It’s all a mess, so let’s try to make sense of this from all angles right now.
In August of 2026 a new report from Torre noted that Leonard had a second undisclosed endorsement deal with Daktronics, the company that made the video board for the Clippers. The nature of this deal has not been disclosed, though Torre says it was also sourced through employees of Daktronics.
ESPN’s reporting
Initially, ESPN was extremely quiet after Torre’s initial report. Then, in September of 2025 reporter Ramona Shelburne conducted a sit-down interview with Steve Ballmer that allowed him to explain the Clippers’ side of things, which was devoid of any hard-hitting questions. It essentially allowed Ballmer to absolve himself of responsibility, saying that he didn’t know anything about the deals — other than the fact that he made introductions between Aspiration and Leonard.
Reporting on ESPN’s side was quiet until this week, when a story was published by Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes, and Shelburne — which indicated that the NBA found no wrongdoing by Ballmer. Instead, the penalty was likely going to be focused on “failure to supervise,” saying that unnamed Clippers employees operated autonomously. In addition, the report indicated that the league and Clippers were working together on a resolution to the in investigation — which frankly should never, ever happen.
“The league presented initial findings of its investigation, led by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to the Clippers in late July, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. In recent days, both sides have been negotiating a resolution to the investigation, the people said.”
The NBA is denying the ESPN report, which we’ll get to in a moment.
The Clippers’ side of things
From the first report, the Clippers have alleged no wrongdoing. Ballmer has positioned himself as simply a man who made introductions between Leonard and companies he did business with, having no knowledge a deal took place to pay Leonard. They’ve characterized this as a normal procedure for NBA teams to make these introductions, which is accurate — and has started a firestorm over the possibility that organizing business connections could be considered salary cap circumvention in the future.
The NBA’s side of things
Adam Silver has dragged this process out for almost a year. That enabled the Clippers to retain the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft without punishment, while also allowing them to find a trade that will send Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors once the salary cap investigation is complete.
A statement by the NBA late Monday vehemently denied the ESPN report, but failed to address specific details of what the league denied.
The NBA and spokesman Mike Bass has now released the following statement, saying that ESPN’s story on the investigations has “numerous and significant inaccuracies.” pic.twitter.com/5hioJPAzD7
Once again, the NBA is asking for patience from the public on an investigation that has taken longer than it ever should have, essentially saying we’ll get all the answers once the investigation is complete. Still, there is no timetable on how long this is going to continue to drag on.
The factors at play now
One of the key reasons Adam Silver is so reviled as NBA commissioner is that his approach to everything when it comes to the league is that profit and expansion is more important than anything else, even competitive balance or fairness. Silver is light on punishment, even in the case of former Suns owner Robert Sarver who was fined $10M and suspended for one year after an investigation by the league found that he had routinely and often been racist, misogynistic, and inappropriate in the workplace. The punishment stopped short of forcing Sarver to sell the team, which he later did of his own will.
Sarver was a small player in the NBA’s circle of important owners. Steve Ballmer is a whale. The former Microsoft executive is the richest NBA owner by a significant margin, with a net worth of $152B — while also being critical to Silver’s goals when it comes to using the myriad business relationships Ballmer has to further the goals of the league.
Essentially Ballmer is the last owner Silver would ever want to punish for anything. As commissioner he doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds, but these allegations are extremely damaging to the perception of the NBA. If the result of this investigation is too soft it will further erode public faith in the NBA as a whole, but too harsh at it will anger the league’s cash cow.
That balance is reportedly being worked on behind closed doors, according to the ESPN report from Monday. It makes it seem as if the Clippers have been found guilty of cap subversion; everyone in the room knows it, but now they are desperately trying to find a resolution together that will satiate the public without damaging Ballmer’s reputation or hurting his team too much. With pockets as deep as Ballmer’s, there’s functionally no fine imaginable that would be large enough to hurt him. Even if we imagine the same $10M fine that Sarver received, it would be the equivalent of 0.06% of his net worth — the same as a $60 fine for someone who earns $100,000 a year.
We all know what should happen. If the Clippers actively engaged in salary cap circumvention at any level, then they should be docked draft picks or forced to play under the NBA’s luxury tax for a set period. That will not happen. Silver does not want to harm the Clippers, not really. Nor will there be any suspension of Kawhi Leonard beyond a slap on the wrist, because to do more could void the trade to Toronto and hurt the Clippers as a result as well.
Nobody is going to be happy with the result of all this, except for Adam Silver and Steve Ballmer. That is how this is being engineered, and it’s by design. It’s a feature of the Silver-run NBA, not a bug.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 02: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 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 Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NBA was verging on being a failing business when Jerry Buss bought the Los Angeles Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 for $67.5 million. Pro basketball only had a small television footprint at the time, attendance was falling, teams were claiming to lose money, and the league couldn’t untangle itself from the perception that its players would rather do an eight ball than dive for loose balls. The NBA’s meteoric rise over the next 20 years happened for a variety of reasons, but the story of its success goes hand-in-hand with Buss turning the Lakers into arguably the premier franchise in American sports.
The Lakers drafted Magic Johnson about a month after Buss’ acquisition closed, and the rest is history. Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led Los Angeles to five championships, and when they were done, it didn’t take the Lakers long to reboot around Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Phil Jackson for another five championships. The Lakers were just about a model franchise until Buss died in 2013 and left the team to his six children. Since then, the team has a sub-.500 cumulative record, one championship, and a behind-the-scenes power struggle among the siblings worthy of prestige TV.
The Buss family drama should have ended when the siblings agreed to sell the franchise to Mark Walter for $10 billion last year. Only one problem: that sale included a provision that said Jeanie Buss would continue to serve as the team’s governor for five years. That seemed like a pretty sweet deal for Jeanie until Walter turned around and flipped the franchise to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger earlier this month for $12.5 billion. Jeanie’s place with the franchise going forward seemed to be in peril after that deal, and it got even weirder on Monday.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Buss siblings sold off the remaining 17.8% of the franchise it owns to Kushner and Iger. Five of the siblings wanted to sell. Jeanie didn’t. Jeanie’s lawyers are now arguing that the siblings cannot legally sell their shares without Jeanie’s approval because it goes against the family trust, according to a report by CNBC.
Lakers fans thought they had a dream ownership situation when Walter agreed to buy the team a year ago. He had been a terrific owner for MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, spending a record amount of money on contracts that helped the team win the last two World Series. It appears that Walter’s empire started to crumble when the DOJ began breathing down his neck for loan fraud related to the Lakers purchase. Now he’s also in talks to sell his shares of English football powerhouse Chelsea. Walter needs to get liquid quickly, and it’s hard to beat cashing out an investment that makes you $2.5 billion in under a year. That’s what he originally bought the Dodgers for back in 2012.
The federal investigation sure seems like it played a role in Walter’s sale to Kushner and Iger. It isn’t lost on anyone that Donald Trump’s DOJ is investigating Walter to the point that he had to sell the Lakers to brother of his son-in-law (Jared Kushner is heavily involved in the White House’s Middle East diplomacy). The idea that the Lakers and Dodgers would both be able to out-spend their rivals quietly started to crash and burn when the feds began poking around Walter’s empire, even if no one realized it at the time. It’s left the franchise in an extremely vulnerable position with Kushner’s private equity firm now controlling the team with no experience in owning sports franchises.
The timing of all this is fascinating from an on-court perspective. The Lakers essentially mortgaged their future this summer to build around Luka Doncic with two years remaining on his contract. Los Angeles knew it needed a strong defensively center, so it traded two future first-round picks and two swaps for Walker Kessler. The Lakers then handed out four-year contracts to Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes while giving Collin Sexton two years, while most other NBA free agents were only getting one year deals.
The Lakers are all-in. They can’t trade a future first-round pick for the next seven years. Lead executive Rob Pelinka improved this team in some potentially meaningful ways, but they still lost LeBron James in free agency, still play in the loaded Western Conference, and still need to find answers in the forward room before anyone is ready to deem them a true championship contender.
It would make sense if the new ownership group wanted to replace Pelinka with one of their own guys, but does that really make sense when a new front office would immediately be strapped for future assets that Pelinka traded away? The Lakers were already going to be facing a ton of pressure on the court this season, and that only multiplies with new owners coming in.
Lakers fans are understandably uneasy about all of this, but you can argue the franchise is in a better place today than it was a month ago. The weird split power dynamic between Walter and Jeanie Buss is gone, the familiar cronies that lined the family business under Jeanie have no stake in the game anymore, and the new owners are apparently flush with cash. While it’s totally understandable to have some discomfort with a Kushner as the lead owner, it doesn’t sound like his group made this deal to strip the team for parts.
New Lakers owner Josh Kushner sent a letter to investors in his firm, Thrive Capital, earlier this week. @nmasc_ got a copy of it. Thrive Eternal, which will financing part of the Lakers sale, invests in "assets counter positioned to transformation." Bob Iger is an advisor at… pic.twitter.com/CRqtDXOAS3
I don’t think this is a Tom Dundon situation. Kushner and Iger wanted a premium brand. Iger saved Disney twice. Jerry Buss turned the Lakers into a premium brand, and his kids have essentially presided over its downfall since he died. The Showtime era Lakers died with Dr. Buss. The fact that the team can still attract mega-watt superstar power and win a championship after his passing is a testament to the brand having lasting appeal even after the kids tried to run it into the ground.
The short-term future of the Lakers will be decided more by if Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams can shore up the wing defense than the sale. This season hangs in the balance with Doncic’s health, Austin Reaves’ potential ascension to All-Star status, and Kessler’s ability to be worth everything they traded for him. If the swing factors swing in the Lakers’ favor, I would expect Kushner and Iger to be happy to write Doncic a huge check for an extension, and to keep this team intact up to the same point where most every other NBA owner is willing to go right now — which stops at the second apron.
It’s for the best that the Lakers family ownership dynamic is finished. The NBA has simply outgrown that model, and the Buss kids were never going to stop fighting. Walter’s sale is a curveball, but the Lakers should have more stability with Kushner and Iger than they would have had with Walter under federal investigation. The leadership should be more professional than it ever was with the Buss kids in charge.
It remains to be seen how Kushner will run the team, and the first real question starts with Pelinka’s job as lead executive. Walter’s Dodgers spared no expense in making sure the entire organization was acquiring top of the market talent in every department, and not just on the field. Will Kushner be willing to eventually replace Pelinka with the best candidate available? Will Doncic be signed to a long-term extension by then?
I wouldn’t say the Lakers are in big trouble yet, but the stakes of this season just got even higher.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 8: Tyrese Maxey #0 and VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game during Round Two Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2026 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
We’ve reached the doldrums of the NBA calendar. The only excitement currently is the investigation into the Kawhi Leonard-Clippers possible cap circumvention and whatever the hell is going on with the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers.
But now that the schedule is out and you’ve had time to process and digest things, how are you feeling about the Sixers? What’s on your mind as we sit here in mid-August?
Hit me with your thoughts and questions below and I’ll do my best to respond to as many as possible!
USA- 2000: Kevin Garnett #21 of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs pose for a 2000 photo. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges 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 2000 NBAE (Photo by Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s August, free agency is all but done, the schedule has been released, and therefore we are in the official doldrums of the NBA offseason. At Pounding the Rock, we often like to find fun projects or series to do to pass the time. We’ve especially enjoyed bracket-style tournaments over the years that have included Manu Ginobili’s best plays, the Spurs’ best playoff plays, and last year, we held a 1-on-1 tournament pitting the top 32 Spurs of all time against each other. (That would be an interesting revisit in a few years when I’m sure some current players will have entered or risen up the rankings a bit.)
This summer, the Spurs returned to the upper echelon of the NBA with a Finals run that officially returned them to that NBA villain role we all enjoyed back in their championship days. With that in mind, we decided a fun project would be to return the favor by pitting people who have been villains to the Spurs over the years up against each other in a bracket-style tournament. Readers will vote for the biggest villain in a poll, and the winner of each match-up will advance to the next round, with the eventual winner crowned as the biggest Spurs villain of all time.
There will be four categories that will consist of eight entries each for a total of 32:
Spurs Killers — players who have specifically given the Spurs the most trouble over the years and/or made devasting shots or plays that will haunt our minds for all eternity.
Former Spurs — players who once played for the Spurs but became villains either because of betrayal, trash talk, they hate on the Spurs, etc.
Dirty Players — players who committed dirty plays against the Spurs, injured (or attempted to injure) a player, altered a playoff match-up, etc., and we will never forgive them.
Spurs Haters — a more open category that can include players as well as coaches, owners, etc. from outside the organization who openly and publicly trashed the Spurs for whatever reason.
We have our own ideas but would also like your input before setting up the bracket. Give us some of your thoughts for each category and include why you have that person. Some may be extremely obvious, but there also may be ones that you specifically remember that many others may not, so include them all. Put your ideas in the comments below, and the most liked or frequently suggested may get used in the final bracket! Hopefully this will be another fun series while we wait for Training Camp to get here at the end of September.
