Category: Basketball

These are the results to the Hawks Reacts survey posted earlier this week.

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The Hawks wheeled and dealt this offseason, offloading former number one pick Zaccharie Risacher, picking up a pair of players of the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder championship team, and adding a group of exciting rookies.

But were all the moves the right moves? That was the question I asked the loyal readers of this here Hawks blog. And once all the votes were tallied, a majority of you picked the same letter grade.

The message is clear: the offseason was a solid double but not a home run.

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This post is sponsored by Fanduel.

As Walker Kessler walked onto UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, he stepped into the biggest spotlight he’s been under recently. 

And as the Lakers’ marquee addition of the summer, the attention on Kessler will only grow as the start of the 2026-27 NBA season nears.

As part of the Dodgers’ “Lakers Night” ahead of their win over the Cardinals, Kessler, who sported a custom No. 14 Dodgers jersey with his last name on the back, threw out the ceremonial first pitch — a pitch that got across home plate. 

Before the night ended, Kessler replied with a familiar acronym on the Dodgers’ Instagram post collaboration with him and the Lakers: “ITFDB” — It’s Time For Dodger Baseball.

A great way to introduce himself to his new home market. 

But for Kessler to further ingratiate himself to Los Angeles fans, he’ll need to live up to the investment the Lakers made to acquire him from the Jazz in a sign-and-trade in July. 

It’s a challenge Kessler is ready for. 

As a reminder, the Lakers not only sent the Jazz two of their unprotected first-round draft picks (2031 and 2033), which were the last two first-rounders they had full control over to trade, along with two first-round pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to secure Kessler, but they also signed the 7-foot-2 big man to a four-year, $130 million contract.

The deal starts with a $30.1 million salary for 2026-27, making him the 10th-highest-paid center in the league (restricted free-agent big man Jalen Duren’s 2026-27 salary from his contract will likely meet or surpass Kessler’s). 

A significant investment for a player who hasn’t made an All-Star, All-NBA or All-Defense team, and is coming off playing five games after having left shoulder surgery in November. 

“It definitely makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you,” Kessler said in July. “And I think what they’ve invested, they’re showing that belief in a monetary value, not just with money, but like you said, assets. And for me, I’m somebody that if I know that they have that belief in me, I’m gonna run through a brick wall for them. That’s just how I’ve been wired my whole life, and it definitely makes it a lot easier to go out there and compete for a team.”

The tasks for Kessler to live up to the hype once the spotlight is back on him and the Lakers on the court starting next month aren’t complicated. 

The first area is staying healthy, especially with minimal traditional big-man depth behind him and Kevon Looney, which should be easier for Kessler after suffering a season-ending torn posterior labrum in his left shoulder that required surgery. 

His shoulder “feels better than it’s ever felt in my life,” with Kessler sharing he originally suffered the injury in college but played through it before it got worse over the previous year. Outside of last season, Kessler played 192 regular-season games (65 games per season) in his first three years with the Jazz — with many absences being the result of Utah’s late-season tanking.

The Lakers will also need Kessler to continue the progress he’s made offensively, which included glimpses of being a 3-point shooting threat last season. He attempted 1.6 3s per game in 2025-26 compared with 0.3 3s per game in his first three seasons.

But ultimately, the Lakers will need Kessler to continue to be one of the league’s best rim protectors — which he has been since being the No. 22 pick in 2022. 

The Lakers’ path to having a respectable — or even above-average — defense rests on Kessler fortifying his squad on that end of the floor with shot-blocking, rim protection and versatility. 

But as for Kessler the human being, the last few months have been significant for him for multiple reasons. 

Not only did he join the Lakers on a big contract but he also got engaged in July to 2025 Miss America Abbie Stockard.

Kessler will remain teammates with fellow Lakers acquisition Collin Sexton after they were on the Jazz together for three seasons (2022-25) and be teammates with Lakers star guard Austin Reaves again after they played for Team USA during the 2023 World Cup.

“He’s a big, goofy dude that just enjoys life and has fun,” Reaves said of Kessler. “Obviously you see what he does basketball-wise and how he impacts the game. He’s good defensively, good in the pocket. Just a smart player. So, I’m happy to have him on the team and get to play with him.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the greatest weapon in the history of basketball: the Skyhook.

When he was young and springy, it was an evolving weapon, but he could really get off the ground. In his prime, it was extremely difficult to deal with, and as an old man, in basketball terms anyway, it was perfected, launched with great efficiency, and very hard to stop.

Yet it did get stopped at times.

We spent a little time looking into it not too long ago and found a handful of guys who blocked it, but the list kept expanding.

And now, someone has put together perhaps the best, most complete list of players who blocked it. It includes Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, Bill Willoughby (though his was ruled goaltending), Bill Walton, Ralph Sampson, Robert Parish, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

That may sound like a lot of guys did it, but the man played for 20 years and had it blocked far less than once a year (on average).

Apparently, Julius Erving got one too, but we can’t find the video.

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The Utah Jazz have made multiple unexpected moves this offseason, including the Cody Williams trade. Immediately when the trade happens, it’s hard to say how much you actually liked the move. With a little time having passed, Jazz fans have been able to digest all the elements of the trade, and here’s how happy they were with it.

It looks like most Jazz fans are happy with the trade, and it makes sense. Every Jazz fan had hopes that Cody Williams would turn into more. The reality was that the development curve wasn’t improving at the rate needed for him to be a contributor this season.

Utah should get some credit for pivoting and getting something for Cody Williams while they still could rather than end up with a sunk cost. Josh Green may not be worth his $14M salary, but it is expiring and is at a very tradable amount. Green is also a career 38.7% three-point shooter and solid from the field at 48%. He’s absolutely a role player worth taking a look at and could play his way into another contract if he plays well.

FanDuel has the Jazz at an over/under of 37.5 wins. With the Jazz making moves like this, it’s hard to see them not getting the over on that pretty easily. We’re not in the losing phase anymore. Every move from here on out is for wins now and in the long term.

Brooklyn finally completed its roster, bringing back Grant Nelson. 

The Nets signed the 24-year-old Nelson to the last of its three two-way spots. 

The 7-footer played last season in both Brooklyn and G-League affiliate Long Island, and rounds out the roster for this upcoming campaign. 

The move was first reported by HoopsHype and confirmed by The Post. 

Nelson joins rookie second-round pick Tyler Bilodeau and second-year pro Chaney Johnson — who excelled in Las Vegas Summer League — as the two-ways. 

The Nets also have 15 players on standard deals. 

Brooklyn can still add players for training camp. 

Nelson logged just four appearances for Brooklyn last season after joining the team on an Exhibit 10 deal.

He’d played 23 times for Long Island, averaging 11.1 points and 5.9 boards on 54.9 percent shooting to earn his call-up. 

His season was eventually cut short by patellar tendinitis, and he did not play in Summer League, though he did accompany the Nets to Las Vegas and continue to rehab.

Undrafted in 2025, the former Alabama Crimson Tide standout averaged nearly 12 points per game while in the SEC and previously earned first team All-Summit League honors while at North Dakota State, where he played his first three college seasons.

Ben Simmons has been through a share of ups and downs throughout his NBA career since entering the league as the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft. He's officially back in the league.

Simmons returns to an NBA roster after signing with the Sacramento Kings filling out their final open spot, a source close to the team confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. Simmons is signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings, according to ESPN, who were first to report the signing.

Simmons has missed time throughout his career due to chronic back problems and a series of leg injuries. He took time off last year, missing the entire 2025-26 season to rehabilitate his body from his lingering injuries. He's battled through physical and mental adversity throughout his career, but now he's ready to get back on the court.

Here's a look back at what Simmons has been through in his NBA career:

LSU standout goes No. 1, misses season

Ben Simmons came into the NBA as a bonafide star, coming out of LSU where he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, two steals and nearly a block per game as a freshman in 2015-2016. He always has been looked at as a guy who can do a little bit of anything and everything on the floor.

Simmons went on to become the No. 1 pick the 2016 NBA Draft, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Simmons missed the entire 2016-17 season after rolling his ankle in his first practice, causing a fracture in his right foot and ankle, which did not heal throughout the season.

Simmons lives up expectations as NBA star ascends

The following seasons, Simmons was healthy and he proved why he was worthy of a top pick. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2018 since he never technically played a game his first year, and the 76ers advanced to the NBA playoffs. He averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks that year. The Sixers lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Simmons earned his first All-Star selection during the 2018-2019 season, and the 76ers made another postseason appearance losing to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in a seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series that ended in a game-winning shot from Kawhi Leonard.

Simmons continued to excel as a playmaker offensively and showcased ability on the defensive end, earning first-team All-Defense honors, along with another All-Star appearance in 2019-20, but the 76ers were swept in the first round by the Celtics.

Simmons continued to show his versatility into the following season in 2020-21, in which he was an All-Star again, an All-Defense first-team selection again and even runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. Philadelphia lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was the infamous game that Simmons passed up a wide open dunk or layup as Philadelphia trailed, 88-86, with 3:30 remaining. It changed his career.

Physical, mental health takes a toll

Simmons asked for a trade during the 2021 offseason and caused a holdout, not appearing for training camp or preseason. He said he was away dealing with his mental health. Simmons ended up missing the entire 2021-22 with a back injury in addition to mental health hurdles from the previous postseason, along with a trade holdout from Philadelphia. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022.

He came back the next season but only for a limited time. Simmons played 43 games in 2022-23 dealing with a series of knee and lingering back issues. His back issues continued into the next season in 2023-24, during which he appeared in 15 games with the Nets before being shut down with continued back pain that required surgery.

Simmons played 33 games with the Nets before he was waived during the 2024-25 season. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2025, but appeared in only 18 games as he struggled with his physical health and athletic mobility. He became a free agent after the season.

Simmons, a free agent, takes break from NBA

Simmons missed the entire 2025-26 season to focus on his return, completely resting to focus on his rehab.

Simmons is back, Kings take a chance

Simmons returns to NBA, fresh and ready to hoop. The Kings believe so, as well.

Simmons gives them an additional ball handler on a roster that heralds Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft,Darius Acuff Jr.

Simmons isn't coming in a stranger. He and LaVine met each other when they were young. Both Sabonis and Simmons were in the same draft class a decade ago.

Simmons is expected to function as a backup point guard to Acuff, but can see minutes alongside him as well, according to a source close to the team.

General manager Scott Perry and head coach Doug Christie have often publicly emphasized a desire to be a team that believes in playing rugged defense. Simmons' signing adds to their pillars. The Kings can benefit from his 6-foot-10, 240-pound frame. A source close to the team said there's belief in his versatility to defend every position on the floor that'll make Sacramento a bigger team.

There's optimism that Simmons' past injuries are behind him and the Kings are taking that chance.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened to Ben Simmons? Complete career timeline

Put another shrimp on the barbie in Sacramento, mates. Ben Simmons is coming to the Sacramento Kings.

Just in: Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons has agreed on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, his agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney tell me and @MarcJSpears. The one-time All-NBA star is back in the NBA for a 10th season after sitting out 2025-26. pic.twitter.com/xj5X7lr3op

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2026

Simmons put down his fishing pole and got back into the gym this summer, joining the Australian national team in a mini-camp this summer and later showcasing for NBA executives in Florida.

Ben Simmons is back on the court hitting jumpers with the Australian men's national team in Melbourne 👀

Simmons is attempting an NBA comeback with several teams reportedly interested 🔥

(Via @courtsidemelbourne) pic.twitter.com/lxMAaCEZMu

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 12, 2026

What Kings general manager Scott Perry saw impressed him enough to offer Simmons a veteran minimum contract for next season. The team was reportedly looking for a veteran mentor and backup for Darius Acuff, Jr., the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft. They chose Simmons, even though they might not want him to advise Acuff on shot selection, free throw shooting, communicating with the front office, three-point shooting, or injury prevention.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Warriors were “in the mix” for Simmons, along with the New York Knicks. The Warriors eventually chose to sign Brandon Williams and Georges Niang to fill out the roster, which could mean they weren’t impressed by Simmons but could also mean Simmons preferred the opportunity in Sacramento to help restart his career.

Simmons was the No. 1 pick in 2016, sitting out his first NBA season with an injury and sitting out another full season in 2021-22 with a holdout and an injury. The Brooklyn Nets dealt for Simmons in 2022 after James Harden demanded a trade, and Simmons suited up for 90 games in three seasons in Brooklyn, eventually getting a buyout and joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Presumably, he got a sponsorship deal with Boingo Wireless for his trouble.

Having been dogged by health problems, specifically a chronically bad back, for years, Simmons stepped away from basketball last year. He bought a fishing team, the South Florida Sails, and spent time working and competing with the team. Leading into the summer, he was reportedly feeling much better and ramping up to return to the NBA.

For years, Simmons has been hesitant to shoot because of his struggles at the foul line, and hesitant in general because his back and legs were in so much pain. If he can actually play regularly and avoid injury, he’s still a 6-foot-10 point guard who can be a monster defensively, even if he’s never going to shoot threes and might not shoot much at all.

However, it’s not the ideal place for Simmons to make a comeback, except he should be able to get plenty of minutes for the Kings. It’s not great for Simmons that head coach Doug Christie seems to be teetering on the brink of getting fired, Domantas Sabonis wants to be traded, Zach LaVine is almost definitely getting traded, and Vivek Ranadive is the owner.

In positive news, there’s a really weird ziggurat in West Sac, there’s two big rivers where he can fish, and the movie “Lady Bird” is a cinema classic.

Once again, the Warriors were mentioned as a team that just fell short of acquiring a player, just days after we learned the Warriors didn’t trade for Jaren Jackson, Jr. It’s a strange trend and almost feels like someone in the Golden State front office has a humiliation fetish when these things get leaked.

It was perfectly reasonable for the Warriors not to reach an agreement with Simmons. Maybe they were worried about adding another injury-prone player to the roster. Maybe Simmons didn’t provide the floor-stretching outside shooting they could get from Niang. Maybe Draymond Green said something offensive about Aussies on a podcast.

It’s just weird that after so many trades and signings, someone makes sure to publicize that the Warriors did not succeed in making that move themselves. As the world of Warriors news is quite slow in early September, we’ll take it, but is Kirk Lacob really that thirsty for clicks?

Here we go again. And maybe for the last time.

Charles Barkley, 63, has put another timeline on the end of his “Inside the NBA” run, but he insists that not only will he be leaving, but Ernie Johnson may be departing with him.

Barkley said during a recent appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he expects the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season to be his last on “Inside the NBA,” adding that Johnson will be joining him in retirement.

“Me and Ernie are a package deal,” Barkley said. “So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent.”

Johnson, 70, has not publicly announced his retirement, making Barkley’s revelation with Simmons particularly notable.

This isn’t the first time Barkley hinted at leaving the show, although it came under different circumstances last time.

As the future felt uncertain for “Inside the NBA,” Barkley indicated that the 2024-25 NBA season would be the end for him. It was also the end of the NBA on TNT, with the channel heading toward missing out on the league’s new media rights deal.

“I told TNT I was going to retire at 60. And they were like, ‘Oh, he’s full of s–t. He’s not gonna retire,’” Barkley recalled to Simmons.

“So we come up, I said, ‘Hey guys, it’s my last year.’ They’re like, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘I told y’all six years ago I was gonna retire at 60.’ They’re like, ‘You were serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I was serious.’ Then they said to me, ‘Do us a favor. Stay two more years, ’til we get the new deal.’ I talked it over with my friends. I said, ‘OK, I’ll tell you what. I’ll stay ’til 62,’ which was last year … little did I know these f–king idiots was gonna lose the NBA,” he added.

ESPN eventually added the show to its lineup, keeping Barkley and Johnson together alongside co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith and the same production crew.

Barkley said Johnson called him after TNT lost its NBA rights and asked him to stay, in part so the show’s longtime behind-the-scenes employees could remain employed.

“The only reason I stayed is so everybody could keep their job behind the scenes,” Barkley told Simmons, explaining that he has worked with many members of the staff for more than 25 years, a point he has made on numerous occasions.

Barkley has also noted that he met with NBC and Amazon after TNT lost the NBA, with NBC offering him more money than he was making at Turner.

Johnson has hosted “Inside the NBA” since 1990, while Barkley joined the program in 2000.

Less than two months after losing his job as the Spurs’ play-by-play announcer following accusations of an affair with a relative of a San Antonio player, Jacob Tobey is back in the booth.

Tobey announced Friday that he is returning to the Spurs’ broadcast, acknowledging that he still has work to do to rebuild trust within the organization and community.

“I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life,” he wrote on X. “I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I have the best job in the world and am thrilled to be able to continue as the team’s play-by-play announcer.”

In July, an Instagram Story was posted on Tobey’s account alleging that he had cheated on his girlfriend with Loren Waters, who is the sister of Spurs guard Lindy Waters III. 

“This is my girlfriend of six years,” the post read. “But I cheated on her with Loren Waters. So feel free to continue following me if you really think I’m a good guy because I’m not. :)”

The account then posted pictures of what appeared to be photo booth prints of Tobey and Loren Waters kissing.

“Me and the new girl,” the photo caption read. 

The firing sparked some backlash, with critics arguing that his personal life should not have cost him his broadcasting job.

Collin Cowherd questioned the decision on his eponymous show after news of his canning emerged. 

“I learned something new today, that you can get fired in America for cheating on your girlfriend. I had no idea that was legal. That literally happened, it was a big story,” Cowherd said. “You can get fired in America for cheating on your — not your wife, a girlfriend. Feels like he should hire an attorney, that is a crazy story. Um, whatever.”

Danny Green, an NBA Finals winner with the Spurs, said Tobey was a “really good dude” and that his private decisions did not merit the team letting him go.

“I love everything the Spurs do and how they operate as an organization,” Green said on his “No Fouls Given” podcast. “They run a tight ship. They don’t deal with no BS, and they don’t like drama, so I understand certain issues. They’re going to be like, ‘No, we can’t allow this.’

“To me, this was not one of those issues.”

We’re less than a month from training camp, and one question from the summer had been lingering: who will be the Spurs’ play-by-play announcer? Well, we have our answer, and it will by the same as the last two seasons: Jacob Tobey. His return comes after rumors swirled in early July that he had either been fired or resigned after someone, presumably his longtime girlfriend at the time, posted on his Instagram account that he had been unfaithful, having an affair with the sister of former Spur Lindy Watters III.

While the rumors of his departure were never confirmed or denied by Tobey or the Spurs, he hadn’t been seen in public with the organization since the introductory press conference for the Spurs’ four rookies and had gone radio silent on social media…until today. He announced his return on X, thanking the Spurs for giving him a chance to sort out his personal life and acknowledging he would have to regain the public’s trust.

“I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life. I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I have the best job in the world and am thrilled to be able to continue as the team’s play-by-play announcer.”

I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life. I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I…

— Jacob Tobey (@JacobRTobey) September 4, 2026

The news of his return was also confirmed to KSAT 12 by the Spurs’ vice president of communications, Tom James, who told the outlet, “Yes, we can confirm that Jacob is our Spurs TV play-by-play announcer.”

The shocking rumors of his alleged departure came soon after he had signed a multi-year contract extension. It turns out they were just that: rumors, but without directly naming any incidents, Tobey’s announcement today seems to acknowledge that something inappropriate occured, and he vows to do better.

Tobey first joined the Spurs broadcast team ahead of the 2024-25 season after longtime announcer Bill Land retired while dealing with blood cancer. He quickly started building a good partnership with Sean Elliot and the Spurs community and was often a part of community events supporting Native American Heritage. Mistakes happen, but the best thing we can all do is learn from them, and it probably won’t take Tobey too long to regain the goodwill of the community again.

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Jeanie Buss remains the Lakers’ governor. 

But that title — as well as many things relating to the Lakers — hangs in the balance after the last month of the Lakers’ ownership saga.

There will be a majority ownership change after Mark Walter agreed to sell his shares of the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a historic valuation of $12.5 billion, less than a year after Walter bought the team from the Buss family. 

As for Jeanie Buss and her family, they’re set for another date in court as Jeanie attempts to block her five siblings (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) from selling the family’s 17.8% share of the Lakers. 

That litigation, with the initial court hearing being pushed back from Nov. 5 to Dec. 8, will have a significant impact on the Lakers’ internal dynamics.

If Jeanie Buss’ siblings are able to sell the ownership stake, then she won’t be able to remain the Lakers’ governor. 

If Buss is successful with blocking her siblings’ attempted sale, she’ll retain the ownership stake in the Lakers (through the Buss family trust) required for her to remain the franchise’s governor (at least 15%, by league rules).

But it doesn’t end there.

A source close to the NBA told The Post’s Charles Gasparino that Kushner will be the Lakers’ governor once he and Iger’s purchase is official.

Which makes sense. 

As The Post reported, Iger is expected to be most actively involved in the Lakers’ day-to-day operations between him and Kushner. 

But with Kushner being the person expected to have the largest shares of the Lakers, as if Iger doesn’t have the minimum 15% ownership stake required to be an NBA franchise’s governor, Kushner being in the role would be appropriate. 

But there’s a conflict: Iger told The Post in the immediate aftermath of the sale that he and Kushner intended to honor the agreement made between Walter and Buss that would have Buss remain the franchise’s governor through at least 2030. 

That comment came with a very important caveat.

“If things change, they’ll change,” Iger told The Post at the time. “But we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who [Buss] is and what she represents in the organization.”

Change appeared to be on the horizon when the Buss siblings announced their wishes to sell their ownership stake of the Lakers. But that change may not happen if Jeanie Buss gets her wish and has the attempted sale legally blocked.

It’s part of the reason the Lakers’ plans under new ownership aren’t known.

Not just because there isn’t precedent of a Kusher/Iger-led regime for an NBA franchise. 

But because what will be the Lakers’ internal hierarchy isn’t clear.  

And with the majority ownership sale not official and still under review from the league, and the Buss family’s court date pushed back a month, those answers will likely take a while to gather.

Kevon Looney knows what NBA championship pedigree looks like and has seen the leadership it takes to reach that level.

Looney (who signed a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Lakers in July) spent the first 10 seasons of his NBA career with the Warriors. He won three NBA championships with Golden State and thrived under the leadership of superstar guard Steph Curry.

This is why it was awesome to hear how highly Looney spoke of Luka Dončić’s leadership after Dončić brought the Lakers’ roster to his home country of Slovenia last month.

“Man, I’ve been in the league for a while, and that [trip to Sloevnia] was my first time doing something like that. Going to somebody’s country, and bringing us out there, and spending that much time together. I never did that before,” Looney said of Dončić during a recent interview with ESPN Radio’s “Mason & Ireland” podcast.

“That just shows his character, shows that he really wants to win. He wants the people to know his background and why he is how he is. And I think he did a good job of that,” Looney added.

“He’s a great player and a great leader. He likes to show what he can do on the court, and then we got to see his personality off the court. So it was great. We’re going to follow him and run through a wall for him,” Looney concluded.

Kevon Looney has praised the leadership he’s seen from Luka Doncic so far

“That (the Slovenia trip) was my first time doing something like that. That shows his character and that he really wants to win. We’re going to follow him and run through a wall for him.” pic.twitter.com/I4etQaL5Gs

— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) September 4, 2026

While the Lakers played a lot of basketball during that Slovenia trip, the focus seemed to be more on building camaraderie off the court.

And based on what Looney said, this appears to be where Dončić made the strongest impression.

This week, time ceased to exist—at least how we know it—allusions abounded, and we put on our beer goggles in anticipation of what’s to come. How bright will that future be? Will Kel’el Ware grab his opportunity with both hands? And if Brayden Burries looks in a mirror, does he see Dwyane Wade?

Conceits aside, we really wanted to see just how highly Bucks fans rate Burries. He received ample praise for his Summer League play, leading to him being ranked by ESPN as the player “who will prove to be the biggest draft steal,” but even in that article the write-up angled on his older age, status as a combo-guard, and the Bucks “sorely needing the injection of backcourt talent” rather than actually considering how good he might become. Author Jeremy Woo even felt the need to include the disclaimer that his vote went to Kingston Flemings. This isn’t new, either. Pre-draft, it seemed every scouting report described Burries as a “high floor” player, with the implication being that his ceiling isn’t all that high—at least in comparison to the top end of his draft class.

As it turns out, Bucks fans think he’ll be pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Clearly, that “high floor” descriptor has made its way into our collective consciousness, with only 4% of fans thinking he’d cap out as a reserve player. Beyond that floor, fans see his ceiling as considerably high, with 41% predicting he’ll become an All-Star:

Nicknackpattywhack: I think he definitely can be at least All Star caliber if not more. This team has a lot of players to sift through and I hope they let him get as many minutes as possible to help move his development along.

While many see Burries as a key piece, a significant portion of fans (33%) think this means he’ll be a starter extraordinaire (or even just starter):

naveed2000s: I don’t think he’ll ever quite get to all-star, but that’s inherently a popularity contest, nice flex for hall of fame votes and a nice feather in the cap, but not everything. I foresee Burries as a guy that can come in and contribute right away, play decent to solid defense, be a 15 ppg career guy and take over games at times, basically a number three option on a good team level player.

Mitchell Maurer: Brayden Burries might not be as flashy as other NBA guards but he strikes me as someone who’s going to be steady, consistent, and reliable. Derrick White developed this reputation in San Antonio, though he never took more than a supporting scoring role. Derrick White is a top-10-percentile outcome for Burries, that would be outstanding!

And while some fans rightfully feel I’m overly optimistic, it turns out I’m not the only one who thinks Burries has “it”—22% see him reaching All-NBA status:

R984: I’m all in on the Burries hype train. All NBA. The crazy point guard class kinda buried him and guys with unusual body types are often overlooked, but I think if Burries was 10lbs lighter with 2 inch larger wingspan, in a normal draft, he would’ve been a top 3 pick.

Knuckles: I am going All-NBA. I could jump into why I think his ceiling is sky high (and will at some point) and why we have reason to be excited to see what he even can do this year, and how his physical profile is something to get excited about alone, and so on and so on, but I actually want to take the All-NBA stance because honestly, as a fan, anything else feels a bit disingenuous.

retired janitor: In the 8 past seasons, as you know, the NBA has had 8 different champions. Of those 8 teams, only two had their best player drafted in the top 6 (LeBron, Tatum). That means 75% of those teams were lead by an alpha that the NBA completely underestimated their future potential. I think Burries has that desire to cross the gap and I can’t wait to see the growth.

Starter, All-Star, or All-NBA, one thing we can all agree on is that the Milwaukee Bucks are lucky to have Burries. And with games around the corner—preseason is just a month away!—we don’t have to wait long to see that potential start to play out. While we do, let’s see just how Burries stacks up against his teammates—our annual Ranking the Roster series returns next week!

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Chris Paul was dumped.

The Clippers released the 40-year-old in what was meant to be his final NBA season. Paul didn’t hold back on the gut-wrenching incident.

“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured,” Paul said on the “Build or Break” podcast.

“I’ve been through a lot of wild stuff in my career, and having older kids and a wife who’s very tapped in, and they know the daily goings on as far as that team and that organization. Obviously I was upset, but my family, my people, everybody…”

“I think just because of the investment we made in the team for as long as we have, and to see the way stuff was handled. What it lets you know is that no matter what you do or what you’ve done, nobody cares.”

Chris Paul says the Clippers’ handling of his exit was one of the most disrespectful things he has endured

“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured”

“I’ve been through a lot of wild stuff in my… pic.twitter.com/XGuTZ9SlHR

— dank (@cptdankkk) September 4, 2026

He spent parts of six seasons with the Clippers, earning five All-Star selections with the organization. But that wasn’t enough for the Clippers to retain Paul for the entire 2025-26 season.

In December, Paul was notified he was cut in the middle of the night during a road trip in Atlanta. Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, said the team parted ways with Paul because of the dismal 5-16 start and overall underperformance from the team.

But there was reportedly friction within the organization regarding Paul’s vocal leadership style and tension with head coach Tyronn Lue. Paul attempted to host events for the team to bond, such as a Halloween party and a suite at the Rams game, but had little turnout.