Xaivian Lee scored 18 points, Alex Condon added 14, and No. 23 Florida got a break from one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country with a 102-61 victory against Saint Francis on Wednesday night. The Gators (7-4) never trailed while dominating every aspect of their first home game in nearly a month. Florida made 15 of its first 20 shots while building a 20-point lead and enjoyed enough of a cushion that coach Todd Golden was able to get his bench extended minutes.
Luka Doncic gifts more than 100 e-bikes to Lakers players, staff
Luka Doncic was back at it again, this time surprising the Lakers and staff members with more than 100 e-bikes for Christmas gifts.
Doncic, who took his teammates to a Porsche Driving Experience in October as a way to bond, gave the gifts away Tuesday after practice.
"I just wanted to give everybody something," he said. "Everybody works hard, even the people you don't see in the back, so I want to do something for them too."
Said teammate Jake LaRavia: “Shout-out to Luka, man. What a guy.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Lakers want Luka Doncic, LeBron James to engage more on defense
They saw how “contagious” it was when playing defense at a high level against the Suns and how Jarred Vanderbilt lit the fuse to ignite things for the Lakers in their last victory over Phoenix.
And for the Lakers to maintain that defensive mindset, stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James also have to be committed to that end of the court.
That was the message from Lakers coach JJ Redick to Doncic and James.
"Yeah, it was good," Doncic said. "We talked about a lot, not just that, but he was right. You got to get a little big more, especially from the star players. So that's on us. That's on me. And we just got to give more, especially at the start of the game. We got to start the game better. But I think in Phoenix, we did a pretty good job. The plan was focused on ourselves and [our] defensive mentality, so I think we did a pretty good job."
The Lakers will be tested again on defense by the Utah Jazz Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz have a developing star in Lauri Markkanen, a difficult matchup at 7-foot-1 who is ninth in the NBA in scoring at 27.8 points per game, and a young talent in guard Keyonte George, who is averaging 23.5 points and 6.8 assists.
Read more:Luka Doncic gifts more than 100 e-bikes to Lakers players, staff
Utah is fourth in the league in pace (102.98), ninth in scoring (119.0), second in assists (29.8). The Jazz are fifth in rebounds (45.7), eighth in offensive rebounds (12.6), and 12th in field-goal percentage.
"The way we play, we got to approach every game the same," Doncic said. "In the NBA, every team is dangerous, so at some point somebody can go for 40. They have Markkanen, and then George. They can go for 40 on any night. So we just got to work on ourselves and approach the game, make everything the same."
The all-out energy and effort by Vanderbilt off the bench was the catalyst for the Lakers against the Suns.
In his 15 minutes of action, he had seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.
Vanderbilt had played only three minutes and eight seconds over a 10-game stretch prior to that point.
“Vando's minutes were huge,” Gabe Vincent said. “He came in and does what we all know he's very capable of doing and being disruptive on the defensive end, crashing the glass, getting extra possessions for us, all of which we desperately needed. You know what I mean? So his spark off the bench was huge for us."
Read more:Lakers blow 20-point lead but survive when Dillon Brooks and Suns go supernova
Now it’s about sustaining that defensive intensity, the Lakers say. And about playing with that physicality, the Lakers say.
“Yeah, when you guys asked me this the last time, it’s effort,” Jake LaRavia said. “If we just go out there and we give that kind of effort every night…We got a lot of guys on the team. Some guys might not be having it and, like you said about that contagious word, that really helps out. [Marcus] Smart does it sometimes. Vando does it sometimes. I would say I do it just being a contagious type of person to help lead the team and just being extra physical.”
The Lakers are ranked near the bottom of the league in some defensive categories, which means there remains room for improvement.
They are ranked 17th in the league in points allowed (116.7), 24th in field-goal percentage (48.1%) allowed and 28th in three-point shooting (38.1%) allowed.
“You just got to go out there and do it,” LaRavia said. “It’s not anything a coach can say. It’s not anything a player can tell another player. Yeah, it’s like the individual player’s job to go out there and give effort on defense and that’s contagious. It just goes around.”
Deandre Ayton wins award
Lakers center Deandre Ayton on Wednesday was named by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Assn. as the winner of the Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for November. Ayton was recognized for his philanthropic work across the Bahamas, which is his home country, Jamaica and Los Angeles through the Ayton Family Foundation. Ayton will miss the game at Utah on Thursday because of left elbow soreness.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
How NBA Cup MVP Jalen Brunson is having career scoring year with Knicks
In a moment that encapsulated how far Jalen Brunson’s development has taken him since joining the Knicks four summers ago, he was named NBA Cup MVP on Tuesday night following the team's thrilling 124-113 title win over the Spurs in Las Vegas.
Brunson scored 25 points and dished eight assists -- an uncharacteristically pedestrian night in what’s been a career year for the star point guard.
Under new head coach Mike Brown, Brunson is having not only the best scoring year of his life, but maybe in the league. He’s averaging a career-high 28.8 points on 54.6 percent shooting from two and 37.6 percent from three -- notching career-best marks in efficiency despite the most volume he’s seen since the injury-riddled 2023-24 season.
This is due in part to Brunson’s growth, but also a diversification in his attack, courtesy of Brown’s offense. His emphasis on motion and pace principles has helped evolve Brunson’s scoring to a new level, and there are signs it’s only getting started.
One thing Brown identified early is that Brunson is one of the NBA's best shooters -- arguably the best on the roster -- yet wasn’t treated as such. Despite consistently converting in the high 30s and low 40s from deep, he hasn’t taken many as a Knick for various reasons over the years, but primarily due to having so much ball-handling responsibility and favor for the mid-range.
In fact, this is the first year Brunson's led the Knicks in three-point attempts per game, and the first he’s cracked seven attempts per night in his career, a number Jaylen Brown eclipsed in 2021. The solution: getting Brunson off the ball and firing more.
Brunson’s taking 10.3 threes per 100 possessions this year, 1.7 more than last season with plenty of room to match the real high-volume guards. He’s generally had a greener light on stepbacks and triple-threat pull-ups, but is thriving off more catch-and-shoot looks in transition and the halfcourt.
Due to his embrace of Brown’s new schemes, Brunson is getting rid of the ball earlier and more often, opening him up as a scoring and screening threat, a la what he did in the back half of 2023-24.
As a result, 40 percent of his three-point tries have come on catch-and-shoots, compared to one-third last season, and he’s knocking down an 46.4 percent of them.
His pull-up shooting started off slow but has picked up in recent games, so expect his numbers to look even better in due time. If he doubles down on shooting more threes, watch out.
Maximizing Brunson as an off-ball threat has been one way of diversifying his looks beyond traditional isolations, pick-and-rolls, and set plays. Brown’s motion schemes have Brunson attacking in the random flow of the offense, whether via high dribble hand-offs, backdoor cuts, or as an off-ball spacer.
As gifted an isolation scorer as Brunson is, endlessly pounding the rock has diminishing returns, individually and to team success. This year, 13.8 percent of his plays are ending in isolations, according got NBA.com play type data, down from 17.3 percent last season, and the lowest portion of his offense since his first campaign as a Knick.
This dynamic approach has lifted his efficiency despite some of the highest volume in his career. This is also due to Brunson getting to his spots and shooting quicker and easier than ever before.
The new offense has the Knicks looking for semi-transition and early shot clock opportunities after every defensive possession, and they’re getting into their halfcourt actions much quicker as well. This has led to more opportunities where the defense isn’t set or gets tripped up in an action, leading to an easy score.
Even when Brunson is breaking down a defender, like he’s done a thousand times before, New York’s new spacing and cutting give him more room to attack than he's ever had. He’s otherwise working far less to get his offense as a result of these changes, with his average seconds and dribbles per touch and shot materially down year over year.
This has led to one of Brunson’s highest usage rates, yet a career-low in turnover rate and a true-shooting clip that would be a new high if he took some more free throws. In some ways, Brown evalted Brunson from James Harden to Stephen Curry, and it has paid early dividends.
As Brunson’s shooting numbers rise, the Knicks will get some healthy pieces back and continue to build on their new system.
There’s no ceiling on the damage he can inflict on the league with his scoring -- we’ve seen it in the playoffs, and now the NBA Cup. If Brunson keeps this up, we’ll see it in the NBA Finals soon enough.
Qatari fund, private equity firm buying stake in Wizards, Mystics, Capitals ownership group: Source
Monumental Sports owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the G League’s Capital City Go-Go and Monumental Sports Network.
Powell Jobs, whose late husband was Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has owned a minority share of Monumental since 2017. She runs the Emerson Collective, which is known for its venture capital investments and philanthropic work.
It is not clear how much of her stake QIA and Arctos will each take. The deal is expected to be announced Wednesday.
Representatives for Monumental did not immediately respond to calls from The Athletic. An email to Emerson Collective, which is owned by Powell Jobs, was not immediately returned.
Sportico first reported the transaction.
QIA bought into Monumental Sports in 2023, taking a 5 percent stake. That deal came just months after the NBA changed its rules to allow sovereign wealth funds to buy into its teams.
Arctos is a leading sports private equity firm. It was one of the first to invest in NBA teams and has taken stakes in dozens of teams across professional sports. In the NBA, it holds ownership stakes in the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers.
Individual sovereign wealth funds and private equity companies can own a maximum of 20 percent of a team, and a team can sell no more than 30 percent to them in total. They can only be passive investors, with no governing ability.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, NHL, NBA, WNBA, Sports Business
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Forsberg: ‘No ceiling' for C's and more takeaways from Stevens' comments
Forsberg: ‘No ceiling' for C's and more takeaways from Stevens' comments originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
On Wednesday, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens addressed a variety of topics during an impromptu press conference.
Stevens touched on Jayson Tatum’s recovery from his Achilles injury, the Celtics’ trade deadline approach, Jordan Walsh’s development, and more. NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg shared his instant reaction to Stevens’ comments during the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast.
Here were Forsberg’s biggest takeaways…
No Disabled Player Exception after Jayson Tatum’s injury
Stevens stated that the Celtics didn’t apply for a DPE after Tatum’s injury. The DPE allows teams to replace a player who is deemed likely to be out for the season with another player via trade or free agency, providing financial flexibility.
“The way that Brad voiced it was to suggest that they never wanted to put a ceiling on what was possible with Jayson Tatum,” Forsberg said. “I thought it was interesting that Brad brought that up unprovoked. …
“But we’ve gone from talking about (Tatum) missing a year, to missing months — we’re almost at the point where Tatum is just gonna be weeks. Maybe it’s six weeks, maybe it’s eight weeks, whatever the number is.”
Will Celtics target a big man to help Neemias Queta?
Stevens said there will be no “ceiling” put on this Celtics team, meaning he’s willing to get aggressive ahead of the trade deadline to upgrade the roster if it makes sense to do so.
“Neemias Queta is the only pure 7-footer on this roster that is playing consistently,” Forsberg said. “It’s only natural as we sit here and look at the trade deadline that we’re laser-focused on that. … There’s gonna be a need at the center spot beyond this season, and the Celtics need to examine all possibilities about what the best path forward is with that. …
“I wonder if the success of the team, the potential return of Tatum, emboldens you a little bit to consider what’s out there and be maybe a little bit more willing.”
Jordan Walsh’s defensive impact
Stevens spoke on Walsh’s development since joining the team as a second-round draft pick in 2023. Forsberg shared his thoughts on Walsh enjoying an unexpectedly outstanding season — particularly on the defensive end.
“Jordan Walsh might be the biggest surprise in the entire NBA with the way that he has elevated not only to a starter, but he has become a player that opposing players like Austin Reaves are saying could be an elite defender in this league,” Forsberg said. “Joe (Mazzulla) has even given him his flowers.
“The big part of the reason the Celtics were able to turn the corner as quickly this season as they did was the way that Walsh infused energy, shored up a lot of what wasn’t working well.
Watch the full episode, which includes Stevens’ full press conference, on YouTube below:
Kings star Zach LaVine out at least one week after MRI clarifies ankle injury
Kings star Zach LaVine out at least one week after MRI clarifies ankle injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Kings will be without sharpshooter Zach LaVine for at least four games, if not more, after the guard sustained an ankle injury in Sacramento’s 117-103 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Target Center.
An MRI showed LaVine suffered a moderate left ankle sprain, the Kings announced Wednesday, and he will be listed as “out” and reevaluated in one week. LaVine rolled his left ankle as he drove toward the basket with 5:20 remaining in the second quarter of the defeat, but still was able to make the shot before limping to the locker room shortly after.
LaVine is averaging 20.2 points on 48.7-percent shooting from the field, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season. He missed Sacramento’s loss to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 11 with right thumb soreness before his short-lived return against Minnesota.
Before LaVine’s reevaluation next Wednesday, the Kings are slated to face the Trail Blazers in Portland this Thursday and then again in Sacramento on Saturday. The Kings then will play the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively, at Golden 1 Center.
With the current timeline provided by the team, LaVine could return for Sacramento’s home game against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 27.
Victor Wembanyama played in NBA Cup championship after learning of grandmother's passing
LAS VEGAS — Victor Wembanyama was tearing up before the first question of his postgame press conference after losing in the NBA Cup.
"Sorry, I just lost somebody today," Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama learned earlier on Tuesday that his grandmother had passed away in France, reports Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
He played through that in the NBA Cup championship game, scoring 18 points with six rebounds and taking over a stretch of the game, scoring 10 straight.
WEMBY REVERSE SLAM ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2025
Never even turned to look at the basket
SAS leads NYK in the 3Q of the @emirates NBA Cup Championship on Prime! Watch here: https://t.co/iOJEBfh901pic.twitter.com/AtCSQDzudd
Wembanyama remains on a minutes limit coming off a strained calf and, for the second consecutive game, came off the bench. Coach Mike Brown also learned from the last time Wembanyama faced New York, when he dropped 42 and 18 with Karl-Anthony Towns as his primary defender. Brown used OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson as the primary matchups with Wemby, and that is part of what kept the French superstar in relative check for the game.
Rookie guard Nique Clifford trying to ‘build the ground up' for Kings
Rookie guard Nique Clifford trying to ‘build the ground up' for Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Kings’ tough start to the 2025-26 NBA season could be a sign of things to come for the foreseeable future.
With a team rebuild looking increasingly likely, young players like rookies Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud’s development will be crucial. The two already have seen some substantial playing time along with compliments from general manager Scott Perry.
Clifford sees himself and Raynaud as players to help Sacramento build toward contention.
“We came in together, so we want to see each other be successful and kind of help build the ground up for Sacramento Kings basketball,” Clifford told reporters Wednesday (h/t Sean Cunningham/KCRA).
Clifford, 23, has played 23 of Sacramento’s 26 games this season. With injuries knocking out their star players, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has started three games.
Raynaud also has seen plenty of action early into his NBA career. He has started in four games, particularly due to star center Domantas Sabonis being out for an extended period with a torn meniscus.
Clifford and Raynaud have bonded through the experience.
“I think it’s good to have a guy with you going through the same process of being a rookie and learning and trying to adjust within the flow of what we’re going through,” Clifford explained.
With the Kings likely to make many of their veteran players available in the trade market, Clifford and Raynaud could see much more playing time in the near future.
Clifford is averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game. His fellow rookie, Raynaud, is averaging 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game.
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Draymond Green details why Warriors haven't found ‘consistency' with rotation
Draymond Green details why Warriors haven't found ‘consistency' with rotation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Approximately one third of the 2025-26 NBA season has passed, yet the Warriors’ 13-14 record leaves much to be desired.
Golden State had been without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in the starting lineup since defeating the Houston Rockets on Nov. 26. The team went 2-0 when both stars were sidelined with injury but officially fell below .500 against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday in their first game back together.
Green explained Wednesday on his self-hosted podcast “The Draymond Green Show” why there have been consistent inconsistencies in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation.
“Everyone needs consistency, but we haven’t consistently been good,” Green told his viewers. “You build consistency with something that’s working, if it’s not working you don’t keep doing the same thing, you try to find what is going to work, find groups that work together and until then you’re tweaking things.”
Green also acknowledged some Warriors fans have expressed their frustration about which players were getting playing time.
“I see people that are like, ‘Aw man Steve [Kerr] needs to build consistency.’ For sure, of course, absolutely, everyone wants consistency, but you don’t want consistent s–t, you want to consistently get better,” he said.
Kerr’s most recent starting lineup is one he plans to stick with for the foreseeable future.
The four-time NBA champion stressed the importance of switching things up when you don’t get a good on-court result.
“And if you’re not, you’re making changes trying to make that happen, you’re not going to keep doing the same thing,” Green said. “You keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to get what you’re getting,” he said.
Green recorded an impressive 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his return but eight turnovers added to the Warriors’ fourth-quarter collapse in Portland.
“So, I understand why there hasn’t been the consistency or continuity that people have been speaking about, because you have to find what works,” he added. “Then once you find something that works, you don’t go away from it, you lean into that.”
Finding what works is easier said than done when it comes to having one of the oldest rosters in the league, but Green reminded everyone that there is still time to tinker with rotation chemistry during the Warriors’ upcoming schedule.
“You have to find what works first, and again we’re still figuring that out, it’s still early, only 27 games in, plenty of time, but you want to make the corrections now rather than later,” he gathered. “You don’t want to put yourself up against the eight-ball, make the corrections now, and we can get through those things.”
The Warriors will face the Phoenix Suns twice in three days beginning Thursday at Chase Center, and it will be interesting to see if Kerr backtracks his commitment to start the same rotation in the second contest on Saturday in Phoenix no matter the result.
2026 NBA All-Star voting opens: Who should make the USA vs. World teams for new format?
The polls have opened.
Voting for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game opens on Dec. 17, and for the next month, fans can now cast one vote a day for the starters in that game — to be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
Fans will vote for the five starters – with no regard to position — and those votes (combined with player and media votes) will pick the starters for the game Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the home of the LA Clippers. This year's game will feature a new three-team format (eight players each), with two USA teams and one World team competing for the title (more on the format below).
#NBAAllStar Voting tips off today! Fans will have the opportunity to vote for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game Starters via the NBA App and https://t.co/RiEezZ9Qpf with their NBA ID. pic.twitter.com/L4ymInNknO
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 17, 2025
Voting, however, remains the same as it has in recent years. Fans with an NBA ID can submit one ballot per day via the NBA App and NBA.com, and certain days — Dec. 21, Dec. 25, Dec. 30, Jan. 7 and Jan. 14 — are designated "3-for-1 days" where votes count triple.
Who should make the All-Star Teams?
Everyone — the fans, the players, the select media — has the same vote, picking the five starters from each conference (a vote of the coaches picks the seven reserves for each conference). But that's no fun, so here are my picks for the starters and reserves — plus some snubs —from each conference.
Eastern Conference
Starters
Jalen Brunson
Cade Cunningham
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Donovan Mitchell
Jaylen Brown
Reserves
Tyrese Maxey
Karl-Anthony Towns
Jalen Duran
Jalen Johnson
Scottie Barnes
Norman Powell
Josh Giddey
Snubs: Evan Mobley, Desmond Bane, Brandon Ingram, Bam Adebayo
Analysis: I went with four guards in the starting five (if you count Brown as a guard), and I feel like Maxey could get a starting spot and it wouldn't be a bad call. Duran, Johnson, Towns and Barnes have to be locks. On the bubble, Powell has earned this in Miami, and the same with the way Giddey has played in Chicago.
Western Conference
Starters
Luka Doncic
Shai Gilgious Alexander
Nikola Jokic
Alperen Sengun
Kevin Durant
Reserves
Victor Wembanyama
Anthony Edwards
Stephen Curry
James Harden
Chet Holmgren
Austin Reaves
Jamal Murray
Adam Silver special designation: LeBron James
Snubs: Deni Adjiva, Devin Booker, Lauri Markkanen, Julius Randle.
Analysis: While this is how I would like to see the vote go, the reality is that there is a 0% chance LeBron won't be voted in as a starter (same with Curry). The problem is there are so many deserving players in the West I was looking for a way to get another player in the mix.
Leaving out Adjiva is painful, he has earned it, but I would say the same things about all the snubs in the West. I can make the case for any of them to be in, but I'd be taking out someone equally deserving. On the margins, what Reaves and Murray have done for winning teams gets them the nod.
World Team
The way my picks shake out, there are eight international players for the World Team:
Luka Doncic
Shai Gilgious Alexander
Nikola Jokic
Alperen Sengun
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Karl-Anthony Towns
Victor Wembanyama
Jamal Murray
Bet against that group at your own risk.
All-Star Game format
The timing could not be better for the NBA All-Star Game to return to NBC and debut on Peacock — the 2026 game lands right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That set up perfectly for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game pitting the best of the USA vs. the NBA's deep international talent pool.
For fans, the voting is essentially the same, they will help select the five starters from each conference, with the one change being votes will be positionless — if you want to vote for five centers to start, you can. From there, the coaches select the seven reserves from each conference, a total of 24 players.
Those 24 All-Star players will be divided into three teams — two USA teams and one world team — that will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the USA or World teams are short on players, the league office will select a player or players to reach the required number).
At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title.
Adam Silver says 'sometime in 2026, we'll make a determination' on expansion
LAS VEGAS — While speaking in Las Vegas, one of the cities that could feel strung along by the NBA's expansion process, Commissioner Adam Silver said a decision was coming next year.
"I think now we're in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams..." Silver said, speaking with the media before the NBA Cup title game. "Then, sometime in 2026, we'll make a determination."
That does set a timeline for what happens next. NBA expansion — almost certainly to Seattle and Las Vegas — has been discussed for years. At first, Silver said he wanted to get a new CBA with the players in place, and then a new television deal in place, before seriously studying expansion. Even when those things happened, it felt like the league was dragging its feet with a slow process, including last summer when Silver said the owners commissioned "doing an in-depth analysis of all the issues around expansion, both economic and non-economic." All of that while the owners seem to want to move full speed ahead with an NBA Europe league that would be separate.
Silver said he was sensitive to the idea of just leaving Seattle and Las Vegas on the hook.
"It's not a secret we're looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle. We've looked at other markets, as well," Silver said. "I'd say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we're somehow teasing these markets, because I know we've been talking about it for a while.
"As I've said before, domestic expansion, as opposed to doing a new league in Europe, is selling equity in this current league. If you own 1/30 of this league, now you own 1/32 if you add two teams. So it's a much more difficult economic analysis. In many ways, it requires predicting the future.
"At the same time, I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities. Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. We've been playing the Summer League here for 20 years. We're playing our Cup games here, so we're very familiar with this market."
It will ultimately come down to whether a supermajority of the existing owners think the one-time massive cash infusion they would receive from expansion fees — hundreds of millions that go straight to the bottom line, not shared with the players — is worth giving up a percentage of the league long term. Not every owner is convinced that it is a good trade-off, even as franchise values rise.
The slow pace of expansion has led to a lot of speculation about NBA team relocation, with a franchise in a smaller market being sold and moved to Seattle or Las Vegas. Silver said he had no control over that.
"The league doesn't have the right to relocate a team..." Silver said. "But relocating a team requires that team's desire to be relocated, specifically the governor; it's a process where you apply to relocate.
"I'd also say just because some markets don't generate the same revenue as others, it doesn't mean they are markets that are not worthy of NBA franchises. If you look in our constitution, the factors that the owners are required to look at in making the determination whether to relocate a team go to support that team has historically had in that community, the operation of that team, the competitive opportunity in that market."
Whatever happens, it looks like a decision will be made next year.
Sources: Knicks will not raise 2025 NBA Cup banner in Madison Square Garden rafters
The Knicks are the newly crowned 2025 NBA Cup champions, but they will not be raising a banner at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks will celebrate the players' accomplishment at Friday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers and give fans a chance to congratulate them, but a source tells SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley that the team has bigger goals in mind and is focused on winning an NBA title in June.
The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 on Tuesday night to take home the NBA Cup championship, with OG Anunoby leading the team with 28 points.
Point guard Jalen Brunson was named 2025 NBA Cup MVP, as he led all scorers with 33.5 points per game while averaging 6.5 assists and shooting 55 percent from the floor during NBA Cup play.
The Knicks' most recent banner celebrates the 2012-13 Atlantic Division championship, with the 1998-99 Eastern Conference champion banner before that. The Knicks' most recent NBA Championship banner, of course, is from the 1973 season.
The two previous winners of the NBA Cup, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, both hung banners to commemorate the tournament win.
Draymond Green identifies reasons behind Warriors' recent late-game struggles
Draymond Green identifies reasons behind Warriors' recent late-game struggles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green believes he knows what’s ailing the Warriors.
With Golden State’s record sitting below .500 after 27 games and frustration mounting, Green took to his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast and explained his view of the Warriors’ problems — and why he thinks they are still fixable.
“Number one, it’s taking care of the ball,” Green said. “And I raise my hand. I am leading that charge in a drastic way [by] turning the ball over … If you’re turning the ball over, teams are swarming and running and shooting threes. If you’re turning the ball over, you can’t get your defense set. If you’re turning the ball over, you’re not getting a shot at the rim, which is not creating chances to get offensive rebounds.”
Green also noted the Warriors’ lack of sustained scoring runs, for which he partially blamed the team’s defense.
“Defensively, when you’re on a run in the NBA, you have to make it hard for people to break that run,” Green said. “When you’re going on a run, you can’t break your run giving up simple baskets. We’re making it too easy to break up our runs. What should be a 12-0 run turns into an 8-0 run. And those four points make a difference in this league.”
The Warriors began the 2025-26 NBA season 4-1 before a vexing road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 30, who were playing without franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Green singled out that game as the beginning of Golden State’s slump, an observation backed by the team’s 9-13 record since.
“It’s just kind of been this trickle-down effect all year,” Green lamented. “It’s just gotten worse and worse. You have these great opportunities—Steph [Curry] going for 39, Steph going for 48—where you need to capitalize on these wins and we’re not doing that.”
Sunday’s 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers was obviously fresh on Green’s mind. Curry made 12 3-pointers and scored those 48 points, but a porous defense and lack of secondary scoring doomed Golden State.
Still, Green remains confident that his squad can turn things around.
“I think we’re more than capable of cleaning it up,” Green said. “We’re right there. A lot of these games are right there and we’re just losing them at the end. We’ve got two guys [Curry and Jimmy Butler] that are closers. We are more than capable of figuring it out, and we will figure it out.”
Kenyon Martin takes issue with ‘underachieved' jab by Warriors' Draymond Green
Kenyon Martin takes issue with ‘underachieved' jab by Warriors' Draymond Green originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A series of back-and-forths between former NBA star Kenyon Martin and Warriors veteran Draymond Green ended with the latter saying the former “underacheived.”
Martin, responding in an appearance on “The Pivot Podcast,” said he took issue with that particular word.
“Underachiever? That’s what got me with the whole statement,” Martin explained.
“So, with all those things that you said – cool. But, that word? Not so much. Like I stated when I [had] my spiel that I gave – if what I got into it for was to play 15 years once I got in, how am I an underachiever? So, once I started really replaying it – my career and how it started and how it went, the injuries, all of that – I’m like, dude, you got me messed up bro.”
Surely, having a lengthy NBA career such as Martin’s is quite an achievement on its own. Green made the point that he was basing the term off the expectations of a No. 1 overall draft pick, but Martin does not see his career as an underachievement.
“Far from underachiever, dog. Didn’t set out to be this. Furthest thing from my imagination as a teenager,” Martin explained.
Accounting for his circumstances during his upbringing, he did not see professional basketball as a possible outcome. But being drafted first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft was momentous.
“My mom never owned anything. My mom never had a car. My mom never had a house. We used to have to go catch the bus to buy groceries. My mom caught the bus to work – so we never owned anything,” Martin explained. “So that moment – draft moment – changed everything. So, overachiever, brother.”
Martin went on to play 15 seasons in the NBA for five different teams. He made the 2000-01 All-Rookie team and earned one All-Star selection.