Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self “experienced some concerning symptoms,” according to a statement from Kansas Athletics. Here's the latest.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has 2 stents inserted to treat blocked arteries
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had two stents inserted into his heart to treat blocked arteries Thursday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital after he "felt unwell and experienced some concerning symptoms.” “The procedure went very well, and he is expected to make a full recovery,” the Kansas athletic department said in a statement. Self has led Kansas to national titles in 2008 and 2022 and is the school's career victory leader with a 609-156 record.
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self undergoes heart procedure after ‘concerning symptoms’
Self is going into his 23rd season as head coach at Kansas, guiding the Jayhawks to four Final Four appearances and two national championships.
Andre Iguodala Quietly Became Full-Time NBPA Boss After 3 Months
Andre Iguodala is now the full-time executive director of the NBPA, having quietly shed his interim tag last year without any formal announcement from the union.
Iguodala became “acting executive director” in late 2023, replacing Tamika Tremaglio following her dismissal from the NBPA. At the time, it appeared Iguodala would hold the role until a permanent successor took over—Sportico’s story on his appointment called it “temporary”—but that changed over the course of his first three months on the job.
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In February 2024, according to someone familiar with the matter, the NBPA’s executive committee and board of player reps, which includes members of all 30 teams, voted to make Iguodala’s position more permanent with a new multiyear contract. There was no formal process that included any outside candidates, said the person, who was granted anonymity because the process was not public.
The union did not publicize Iguodala’s new status or his contract. The word “acting” was removed from Iguodala’s bio on the union website at some point in between Feb. 19 and March 1 of 2024, according to a review of cached pages. The NBPA used the new, shorter title—without the word “acting”—in a press release in August.
Iguodala’s salary is set by the union’s player reps. He was paid $2.8 million in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, 2024, according to the NBPA’s LM-2 filing, with $2.09 million of that in gross salary.
A union rep declined to comment on the specifics of the process or his contract. Iguodala, currently in Spain for a week-long offseason performance retreat for players, also declined to comment.
Iguodala made $185.2 million in salary across his 19-year NBA career, according to Spotrac. He was a four-time NBA champion, and was MVP of the Finals in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. As a player he served for more than a decade on the NBPA’s executive committee, including a four-year term as first vice president from 2019-2023.
He has been an active investor as well, both as a player and after retiring, including venture and early-stage investments in Coinbase, Allbirds, Zoom, DataDog and Dapper Labs, which has partnered with both the union and the league on its Top Shot NFT product. He is co-founder and managing partner of Mosaic, a $200 million venture capital firm; Mosaic’s portfolio includes Athletes First, an agency primarily representing NFL players.
Iguodala is a minority owner in NWSL franchise Bay FC, English soccer club Leeds United and the TGL franchise in San Francisco. He invested in the latter two teams alongside other active NBA players, including Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and T.J. McConnell. Iguodala disclosed all of his necessary investments as part of his transition to becoming executive director, the source said.
Iguodala has kept a low profile since assuming the acting position in 2023—a contrast to Tremaglio. He doesn’t do many formal interviews or speaking events in his capacity with the union, nor does he show up often in union press releases. His official status at the union has continued to create confusion in news reports for more than a year after the “acting” label was removed.
He has, however, reshaped the union’s leadership over the past year. In February the NBPA hired David Kelly, then the chief legal officer of the Golden State Warriors, to be the union’s managing director. It’s common for sports unions to be led by executives with legal experience, and Kelly, who also serves as the union’s general counsel, now heads the union’s legal efforts as a supplement to Iguodala’s leadership.
Kelly is one of a handful of union leaders to have joined under Iguodala’s tenure. Others include chief people officer Michelle Crenshaw, chief financial officer Cameron Jones, EVP for player operations Morgan Cato, and VP of brand communications Jacinda Ortiz.
The NBA’s current CBA, which took effect in 2023, runs through the 2029-30 season.
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Celtics waive JD Davison, get back under second apron
Celtics waive JD Davison, get back under second apron originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
On Thursday, the Boston Celtics announced they have waived 22-year-old guard JD Davison.
Davison spent the first three years of his NBA career as a two-way player for Boston. The Celtics had converted his two-way contract to a standard two-year deal in April and picked up his team option for the 2025-26 campaign in June.
Parting ways with Davison puts the Celtics back under the second apron of the luxury tax. Boston now has an open roster spot, though any addition would put the organization back over the second apron.
The Celtics initially selected Davison in the second round (53rd) of the 2022 NBA Draft. The Alabama product appeared in only 16 games for Boston last season, averaging 2.1 points over 5.8 minutes per game. However, he thrived with the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League, averaging 25.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game to earn G League MVP honors.
Davison earned a championship ring with the Celtics in 2024. After appearing in only 36 games over three years with Boston, he should have a chance to earn more playing time with a new team for next season and beyond.
Luka Doncic made Marcus Smart a believer in joining the Lakers
A call came from Luka Doncic a couple of times, at first making Marcus Smart think it wasn’t true and then eventually making him believe that Doncic was a Lakers salesman and that he wanted Smart to be a part of what they were building here in Los Angeles.
It wasn’t like they had a strong “relationship,” but Smart said he and Doncic have “a mutual understanding and respect for each other” from meeting on the court in past seasons.
So, when the calls came while Smart was training while trying to figure out his next move after he had agreed to a contract buyout from the Washington Wizards, he was swayed by Doncic to join the Lakers after clearing waivers.
Smart, who signed a two-year deal for $11 million with the Lakers, with a player option for the second season, smiled as he told the stories during his introductory news conference Tuesday about talking to Doncic and being persuaded to join him and LeBron James.
“It first came, my agent, I’m working out, and I get a call from my agent saying, you know, ‘Hey Luka reached out.’ And I’m like ‘yeah whatever’ you know?’ Like all right,” Smart said at the Lakers’ practice facility. “And then another day, same thing — Luka reached out again and now it’s real. It’s no longer what-ifs. It’s real and it’s something we need to talk about. And that was a great feeling, like I said, and that’s kind of what kind of got things going for me to be here and I’m excited to be here.”
The Lakers were in need of a point-of-attack perimeter defender such as Smart, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith going to Houston.
Read more:Newest Laker Deandre Ayton is ready to prove the doubters wrong
Smart was the NBA’s defensive player of the year in 2022 when he played for the Boston Celtics and has been on the NBA’s All-Defensive first team three times.
Knowing that Doncic and James are “two greats with [the] greatest basketball IQs that I’ve ever seen in this era” made it easy for Smart to become their teammates.
“And when you get a guy like Luka, calling, referencing, checking on you, trying to see where you at to see if you want to come and join something special that he’s trying to cook up over here,” Smart said. “And for him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot. Played against Luka a lot. Been on a lot of opposing ends of Luka magic. And to be able to come out and be on his side at this time, it means a lot.”
Doncic has a decision to make with the Lakers.
On Aug. 2, Doncic and the Lakers can talk about a contract extension.
He can sign a four-year deal for $224 million or a three-year deal for $161 million with a player option in 2028, which would then allow Doncic to sign a max deal in 2028 that would give him 35% of the salary cap for that season.
Meanwhile, Smart was asked what kind of recruiter is Doncic.
“It’s the same. He’s a competitor. He’s just the same way. He has that competitive nature when he’s talking,” Smart said. “He’s intrigued and that’s it. He didn’t really have to say much. Luka, his name, his ability, what he has done, [speaks] for himself. And for me, like I said, I’ve been on the other end of Luka magic. So to be able to come and join and see it and witness it on the other side is something that I was like, ‘why not give it a shot?’”
Smart, 31, played in only 54 games the last two seasons, injuries costing him time that he spent both with the Memphis Grizzlies and Wizards. In the 34 games he played between both teams, Smart averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 34.8% from three-point range.
“Yeah, I’m very motivated. You know, the last two years, for me, was in my eyes, a disappointment,” Smart said. “Injuries kind of stopped me and held me back. But like I told my wife and my family, you know, everything happens for a reason. And it’s funny that 12 years ago, I could have been here [with the Lakers] and now it’s full circle and I’m here. And like I said, everything happens for a reason. And I just look at those reasons was for me to be here, to not play for people to look at me and say, ‘you know what, maybe he isn’t the same?’ And now that allows me to be in a place where I’m supposed to be.”
Smart was at his best with the Celtics, where he spent nine years and reached the playoffs every year, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2022.
Over the course of his 11 seasons in the NBA, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
The Lakers were 50-32 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.
But he knows the Lakers are about winning championships and the chance to play with Doncic and James in high-stakes basketball games played a part in his decision as well.
“It’s at the top,” Smart said. “I mean, the main goal, the reason you go out and you compete the way you compete is to try to win championships and what better place to be able to do that than here, where the show starts and where the show ends. So, that was definitely a big part of it, being able to get back on that stage, being able to get to a team that definitely could use me and I know I can make an impact and I can help as well and that was a perfect fit here.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Another report that LeBron James trade talk has 'gotten quiet'
LeBron James' future was the hottest topic at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but the conversations often followed the same pattern: A discussion of the tone of agent Rich Paul's statement when LeBron picked up his $52.6 million player option, a discussion of how the Lakers are now focused on a Luka Doncic based future, then things quickly turned to shrugs as soon as trying to figure out a LeBron trade that works for everyone became the topic. There wasn't a good one. And nobody thinks he's giving a bunch of money back in a buyout to become a free agent.
With that, LeBron trade chatter has died down, something Zach Lowe discussed on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
"I've heard it's kind of gotten quiet now after it was the talk of Summer League. There doesn't seem to be like a clean solution either way. Everyone's saying we should expect them to be on the Lakers. That's my expectation.
Then Lowe discusses Simmons' idea of a Miami reunion for LeBron.
"Like on paper there's a Heat trade that is not crazy for either team. Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell for unhappy LeBron in January and maybe some sort of pick swap and maybe that's all it is as crazy as that sounds. I think for the Lakers Kel'el Ware has got to be in it."
Everything may look different by the February trade deadline, but does this trade work for LeBron? He has a no-trade clause and wants to compete for a title in the years he has left in the league. Is Miami one of those teams? Even in a down season in the East, it's hard to see Miami being a championship-caliber team that could beat Cleveland, New York, Orlando, and others, with or without LeBron. Currently, he is on a Lakers team that is not a top-three favorite to emerge from the deep West, but with Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, and the rest of the roster, this should be a strong team. The Lakers are closer to LeBron's goals than the Miami Heat.
All the other fake trades also run into real-world logistical problems. Cleveland can't trade for him because they are over the second apron of the luxury tax and can't aggregate salaries in a trade (it would have to be one-for-one and the Cavs don't have anyone making LeBron-level money). New York would have to gut its roster of depth to make this trade, which would not improve their team.
The most likely scenario remains that LeBron stays with the Lakers this season, then becomes a free agent next summer, and things get very interesting.
Michigan State basketball to play at UConn in exhibition this year, part of two-year series
MSU's men's basketball team will play at UConn in a preseason game on Oct. 28, part of a series, with UConn playing an exhibition at MSU next season.
USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury, will be out 6 to 8 months
USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury and will be out 6 to 8 months
Tyrese Haliburton not mad at Myles Turner for jumping to Bucks: 'At the end of the day it is a business'
With Tyrese Haliburton out for next season and the luxury tax staring them in the face, Pacers ownership and management reportedly low-balled free agent Myles Turner. The Milwaukee Bucks stunned everyone by waiving Damian Lillard to create enough cap space to swoop in and sign Turner to a four-year, $108.9 million contract much more in line with his comparable value around the league.
Haliburton's not mad at Turner for jumping ship, he said in an appearance on the Pat McAfee show, Haliburton's first public comments since his injury.
"Myles Turner did some great things here..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 22, 2025
The NBA is a business and he's gotta do what's best for him..
I wish him the best moving forward" @TyHaliburton22#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/7EtJez2Ukb
"Since I've gotten here and for the last 10 years Myles' name has been synonymous with our organization... At the end of the day it is a business, he's gotta do what's best for him. I wish him the best moving forward. My focus is on the guys here and getting better here, but I wish him the best moving forward."
Professional athletes understand they are in a business and that they have a relatively short window to make money. With that, they rarely criticize another player for grabbing the biggest bag they can — make your money, set up your family. Players' friendships and respect don't change because of those business decisions.
In other Haliburton-related news:
• In that same ESPN interview, Haliburton said it may be more bad luck than anything else that has led to the rise in Achilles injuries in the NBA.
"Everybody thinks we play too many games, we play too many minutes -- all those things could be true, but I don't think that is what's causing these injuries... So I don't think that anybody has necessarily the answer. I think injuries are just bad luck sometimes and that's just what happened. I think that's just what happens in sports sometimes."
• Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said the team has applied for and been granted a disabled injury exception for Haliburton for next season. In this case, that gives the Pacers a $14.1 million exception to sign a player (but does not free up a roster spot). The Pacers currently have 13 players under guaranteed contracts for next season, and Buchanan said on the Setting The Pace podcast that point guard depth is something they are considering.
Warriors star Steph Curry explains loyalty to Drake amid Kendrick Lamar feud
Warriors star Steph Curry explains loyalty to Drake amid Kendrick Lamar feud originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
When Kendrick Lamar’s award-winning “They Not Like Us” song broke out after Team USA’s win over Serbia in the Olympic semifinals last summer, nearly the entire arena sang along to the catchy diss track.
But not Steph Curry.
The Warriors’ superstar was caught in a viral video unenthused by the song choice while his teammates, including NBA megastar LeBron James, said he “loved it” while others jammed out.
“Damn with this song,” Curry said in the video. “It’s not the only song in America.”
Some speculated it had something to do with Curry’s close relationship with hip-hop icon Drake, whom Lamar dissed during a heated music feud last year, or if it was simply just Curry being agitated by how often and overplayed the song had become.
Almost exactly one year later, Curry explained his viral reaction to the song in that moment during a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman.
“It was both,” Curry admitted. “Everywhere we went, that’s all I heard. And the fact that they knew who I was with. You can’t do anything about what the DJ’s playing. But I got sick of it at a certain point.
“It was funny that the cameras caught me because that was from the soul.”
The loyalty goes both ways, too, as Drake has Curry’s No. 30 tattooed on his arm with a halo.
Curry and Drake go way back, supporting each other’s professional careers but also having a real family-type bond as the rapper and Curry’s wife, Ayesha, both are from Toronto.
Well, now the Warriors’ Chase Center in-arena crew knows which song not to play during home games.
Jonathan Kuminga reportedly not accepting Warriors' offers, in no rush for deal
Jonathan Kuminga reportedly not accepting Warriors' offers, in no rush for deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors still haven’t made a move this offseason, and that won’t change until the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.
New reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicates that might not happen anytime soon.
“The Warriors’ entire offseason has been essentially on pause for one player, and that’s restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga,” Charania said Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves. I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami. He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout.
“He did tell me, though, that he is in absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now, and he is not accepting their current offers. He added that he wanted to continue to explore options with his agent, Aaron Turner, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also sign-and-trade options that are available to him in the marketplace.”
Twenty-four days into the offseason, it has been a staring contest between both sides.
Kuminga, who was selected No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, is seeking a situation where he can be a consistent contributor and the future of a franchise that backs and believes in him. That hasn’t been the case for Kuminga in Golden State over the last four years.
The Warriors aren’t moved by the offers they have received thus far, as the Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers to land the athletic young wing.
“I’m told the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that have made concrete offers with the Warriors over the last week or so,” Charania added. “They’re two of the more aggressive teams with Kuminga. They’re also offering him an opportunity for significant minutes and a starting-caliber role in their lineup — and those are two things he wants more than anything.
“The Warriors do not want anything that is being offered to them in sign-and-trades, and on the other hand, with Jonathan Kuminga, he is not ready to move forward with taking any of the Warriors’ current offers. He’s not in a hurry to do a deal there yet.”
The standoff continues.
Niang shares hilariously self-aware take on replacing Porzingis in Boston
Niang shares hilariously self-aware take on replacing Porzingis in Boston originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Georges Niang knows the drill, it appears.
The veteran forward was part of a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Niang to the Boston Celtics in early July. The deal was primarily a cost-cutting move for the Celtics, who saved more than $22 million in cap space by replacing Porzingis’ $30.7 million salary with Niang’s $8.2 million expiring contract.
That’s a positive development in Boston’s quest to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax. But with all due respect to Niang, the trade doesn’t exactly get the Celtics closer to Banner 19. And as a Massachusetts native who grew up in Methuen as a Celtics fan, he’s well aware of how his addition is being received.
“I’m a Boston kid — I then get traded for Porzingis,” Niang told co-hosts Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on The OGs podcast. “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not.
“They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.'”
There’s a reason why Porzingis is nicknamed “The Unicorn” and Niang goes by “The Minivan.” The former is a highly-skilled, 7-foot-2 big man who’s an elite 3-point shooter and rim protector, while the latter is a wider-bodied, 6-foot-7 forward who’s more of a “glue guy” role player than game-changer.
To Niang’s credit, he understands that talent discrepancy and is determined to make an impact however he can on a Celtics team that’s in “reset” mode after losing Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles.
“Now I’m kind of in the mode of like, OK, obviously JT is out, but Boston has done a really good job, if you’ve looked at it when guys miss games, (they still win),” Niang continued. “It’s their culture, it’s who they are.
“So it’s like, ‘OK Georges, now what can you do to maximize what you have to help them win games?’ Because you don’t wanna be in Boston losing, that’s for sure.
“That’s kind of how I’ve transitioned my mindset. It’s like, ‘OK, what can I do this summer? Can I come in in the best shape that I’m in, and also mentor and kind of teach (the younger players), and also learn, because they’ve won championships, and kind of dial that all into one and focus every day on like, ‘How can I win the day, and then win games?'”
Whether Niang actually gets that opportunity is unclear. The Celtics are currently just barely over the second apron and could further cut costs by dealing Niang or Anfernee Simons to another team, either before the 2025-26 season or ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.
If Niang is on the Opening Day roster, however, he’ll be fully prepared for whatever reception C’s fans give him at TD Garden.
Vince Carter talks new role as part-owner of the NFL's Buffalo Bills
Vince Carter: Basketball Hall of Fame player, legendary dunker, NBC Sports analyst for NBA games starting next fall...
And part-owner of the NFL's Buffalo Bills.
Carter was thinking of getting into team ownership, but was thinking more along the lines of the NBA, when Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula let it be known they were looking to add minority stakeholders. Carter jumped at the opportunity and, at Bill's camp, he talked with Chris Vinel of the Daytona Beach News-Journal about it.
"I've sat with the GM, president, owner, the big boss," Carter said. "I've sat with everybody, and we've had conversations, and I just listen and learn. I don't just want to have a name on it. I want to be involved."
"I'm thrilled to be a part of it," he said. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams of being a part of an ownership group in football. Luckily, I played it (until after my freshman year at Mainland High School), so I feel comfortable being in it. But I didn't think this opportunity would come about, and it did."
Carter is not the only minority investor, among the group who bought in is Carter's cousin and fellow basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady (it was McGrady who turned Carter on to the opportunity). They bought into a Buffalo team that is among the Super Bowl favorites — in a tough East with Kansas City and Baltimore — led by MVP quarterback Josh Allen.
"I like what we're doing," he said. "... Feeling good, feeling confident. Nice pieces that we've drafted and got in free agency."
It's fitting to have Carter owning part of a Buffalo team not far from where he made his name as a player in Toronto — expect to see him at a lot of Bills games this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo confirmed to play for Greece in EuroBasket this summer
Giannis Antetokounmpo will play for Greece in FIBA EuroBasket. This is not a surprise — he had said that if he were healthy, he would play — but is now confirmed by the Greek national team.
20 years later, Hellas for the title? #EuroBasket | #MakeYourMarkpic.twitter.com/qjgVoybF3g
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) July 22, 2025
Antetokounmpo is the reason Greece is a threat in the tournament, which begins on Aug. 27 and runs almost up to the start of NBA training camps. Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer at the Paris Olympics last summer, averaging 25.8 points along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists across four games (Greece made it out of group play in the tournament but was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Germany). Antetokounmpo also was the leading scorer at the 2022 EuroBasket averaging 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game.
While Antetokounmpo's name was frequently mentioned in trade speculation all summer, he has said he would "probably" return to the Bucks next season, and most around the league expect that outcome.
Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic of Slovenia headline the NBA players participating in the European championships. Among the other NBA players expected to suit up are Alperen Sengun of Turkiye, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr for France, Franz Wagner for Germany, Kristaps Porzingis for Latvia and Nikola Vukcevic for Montenegro.
Nikola Jokic's status for Serbia remains unknown. While he is on the preliminary 19-man roster the nation had to submit, his plans for the tournament itself are undecided (at least publicly).
Victor Wembanyama is out for France, recovering from a blood clot issue in his shoulder, and Rudy Gobert will also not suit up for a French team that won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics a year ago.