LOS ANGELES (AP) — The latest collection of government files released on Jeffrey Epstein include emails from 2003 between Casey Wasserman, the head of the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, and Epstein's one-time girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Among the exchanges included Wasserman telling Maxwell “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”
There is also an email exchange about massages and one in which Maxwell asks whether it will be foggy enough during an upcoming visit "so that you can float naked down the beach and no one can see you unless they are close up?”
Wasserman responds, “or something like that."
In a statement released Saturday, Wasserman said “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell,” which he said occurred “long before her horrific crimes came to light.”
“I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them,” he said.
The documents were disclosed as mandated by a law passed requiring the government to open its files on the late financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend, Maxwell. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Wasserman built a sports and talent agency that represents top players in football, basketball and baseball, along with big-name actors such as Adam Sandler and Brad Pitt.
He has grabbed more headlines recently as the frontman for the LA Olympic effort; his lobbying played a big role in bringing the Summer Olympics back to the U.S. in 2028. Los Angeles previously hosted in 1984 and this will be the first Summer Games in the United States since Atlanta in 1996.
In 2021, Wasserman divorced his wife of 20 years, Laura Ziffren Wasserman.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 30: De'anthony Melton #8 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket on Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons in the second half at Chase Center on January 30, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/ (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Back in May, I wrote that bringing DeAnthony Melton back was essential for the Warriors’ 2025-26 season. The response was predictable: “He’s coming off an ACL tear,” “He’s 27 and might never be the same,” “The Warriors need to move on.” But here we are in January 2026, and Melton isn’t just back—he’s having a solid year, and the numbers tell a story of perseverance that deserves way more attention than it’s getting.
Let’s rewind to November 2024. Melton was cooking. Nineteen points and 10 rebounds against OKC, drilling five threes and looking like the perfect complement to Steph Curry’s brilliance. Two nights later against Dallas, he dropped 14 points in 26 minutes, helping the Warriors take down a legitimate contender. Steve Kerr had finally cracked the rotation code, calling Melton “really the perfect mix” of shooting and defensive versatility. Then, in that same Dallas game, his knee twisted, his ACL tore, and the season collapsed before it ever really started. Even in his injury absence, it was clear that the Warriors should bring him back over the summer.
De’Anthony Melton fit so well into the Warriors system last year while healthy that you can almost guarantee Golden State’s decision makers will put some thought into potentially bringing him back next year. Melton is an unrestricted free agent and is still only 27 years old.… pic.twitter.com/WvrgAk7N4B
Fast forward to January 2026, and Melton is back and not just surviving his return from major knee surgery. After an up-and-down December, he’s thriving in ways that make February look very appetizing for the Warriors.
In December, Melton shot 32.9% from the field and a ghastly 16.7% from three. His effective field goal percentage sat at .368, the kind of number that gets you benched or buried. He looked like a player still searching for his rhythm, still fighting through the mental hurdles that come with trusting a surgically repaired knee.
Then January happened and his stats were night and day. His field goal percentage jumped to 48.3%, which is a 47% improvement. His three-point accuracy exploded from 16.7% to 37.3%, more than doubling his efficiency. His effective field goal percentage skyrocketed to 56.9%, a leap that signaled he was attacking with confidence. He went from making 6 threes in December to 25 in January. His assists quadrupled from 12 to 44. This wasn’t just regression to the mean; this was a player rediscovering who he is.
“He’s been out basically for the most part in two years, so we're going to keep doing what we're doing, bring him off the bench, keep his minutes climbing.”
By month’s end, Melton had become the Warriors’ third-leading scorer at 14.7 PPG, trailing only Curry and Jimmy Butler. He posted the team’s highest plus-minus for January at +10.3. He was second on the team in paint points with 88—just six behind Butler—and 46% of his scoring came in the restricted area, a higher rate than Gui Santos, Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green, and Quinten Post. He wasn’t just spotting up for threes; he was attacking closeouts, finishing through contact, and playing with the two-way aggression that made him so valuable before the injury.
At 27 years old, Melton is posting career-high numbers (11.7 PPG on the season) and evolving into a legitimate two-way weapon. He’s not a role player filling minutes, instead he’s a core rotation piece that the Warriors can’t afford to lose again. The December struggles? Those were the final stages of a player rebuilding trust in his body. January was him remembering he belongs.
Steve Kerr on De’Anthony Melton emerging as a scoring option off the bench after a season-high 23 points tonight:
“You can see the confidence is rising. He’s a really dynamic player. Explosive athlete and really skilled… the guys have total confidence in him.” pic.twitter.com/Edx5mqMEq0
I said it in May: the Warriors needed to bring Melton back. They did. And now, watching him transform from December’s cautious comeback player to January’s confident two-way force, it’s clear this wasn’t just a good signing. It was essential. The ACL injury in November 2024 derailed what could’ve been a special season. But Melton’s January 2026 performance proves he’s not coming back from injury; he’s arriving as the player the Warriors always needed him to be.
The NBA rumor mill does not stop for the weekend, and plenty of Giannis Antetokounmpo chatter is still going on. Here is the latest on a possible Antetokounmpo trade before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline
Warriors willing to trade Draymond Green?
If Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be traded by next Thursday's NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors — who can offer four first-round picks — are the most likely destination. To make that trade work, it was assumed that Jimmy Butler would be the big matching salary going back to Milwaukee. Because the Warriors wouldn't trade Draymond Green, right?
Wrong. Maybe. It could be the Warriors' defensive icon Green sent out if the trade happens.
Golden State would put Green in the trade if it had to, NBC Sports' Monte Poole said in an interview on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area.
"From what I'm hearing, the only Warrior that's off the table is Steph Curry. That means Draymond Green is also available for the right package. They don't want to, but they're willing to."
Butler, who will be out until the middle of next season recovering from a torn ACL, "is unlikely" to be part of the trade, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.
Does that bother Green? Not in the least, he told Anthony Slater.
Draymond Green as the trade deadline approaches: “I’ve been here for 14 years. I have no reason to sit and worry about leaving. But if I’m traded, that’s part of the business.”
If you're looking for a long shot to trade for Antetokounmpo, look to the Pacific Northwest.
Portland has reached out to Milwaukee and expressed interest in an Antetokounmpo trade, reports Stein and Fischer at The Stein Line. Yes, the Trail Blazers understand it would be an incredible long shot that they could convince Antetokounmpo to re-sign and stay with them, but Portland is expressing some interest anyway.
There has been some speculation that another team might be willing to try with Antetokounmpo what the Toronto Raptors did with Kawhi Leonard — trade for him for one season and take their chances. The difference was that Toronto was a team considered at least a fringe title contender, one that had won 50+ games in the three previous seasons and made the second round of the playoffs each time. Toronto bet that Leonard could take them to the next level — and he did, they won the franchise's lone championship. The Raptors did everything right, and Leonard still left to go home to Southern California and the Clippers.
Portland, even with Antetokounmpo, is not a contender. The Trail Blazers control some of Milwaukee's future picks, which is why they have been mentioned as a potential third team in a trade that would send Antetokounmpo to New York.
But it sounds like Portland would rather trade for Antetokounmpo themselves and try to keep him.
Will Antetokounmpo be traded before deadline?
League sources NBC Sports have spoken to consistently say to expect the Giannis Antetokounmpo drama to drag out past the Feb. 5 trade deadline and into the offseason. The Ringer's Zach Lowe, appearing on NBA on Prime, says it is more of a 50-50 proposition.
Zach Lowe on Giannis:
"I think its a coin flip he gets moved between now or the deadline because these things tend to move when they get out there so publicly. If you see a team like Miami who has two trade and that aint enough, if theres a move they turn some player into a… pic.twitter.com/Dej15cs9Wa
In that same discussion on NBA on Prime, Lowe said the Bucks right now are in "digest mode."
"They're not even really being proactive. They're just waiting for teams to show them on a platter, like here's what we're willing to offer you for Giannis. And teams are trying to figure out, are they listening? Are they going to come back to us and really start negotiating? Or is this something that's actually going to come in the offseason when you guys mentioned that contract extension is going to be offered to him and then more teams might join the fray."
The smart money is still on this being a summer trade — if it happens at all — but these things have a momentum of their own. It's going to be a wild few days.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Mark Mitchell scored 19 points and T.O. Barrett added 16 for Missouri in an 84-79 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night.
The Tigers (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 12-2 run and went into halftime up 42-35. A late 6-0 run for Mississippi State got the Bulldogs within three, 74-71, with less than two minutes left in the game, but they couldn't get any closer. Missouri capitalized on turnovers, turning 14 Bulldog turnovers into 21 points on the board.
Trent Pierce added 13 points and Jayden Stone put up 11 for Missouri, which has won the last three games against Mississippi State.
Jayden Epps scored 23 points for the Bulldogs (11-11, 3-6). Josh Hubbard put up 22, with 20 points in the second half.
Annor Boateng left the game in the second half for the Tigers, after going down with a leg injury. He was stretchered off the court.
Up next
Mississippi State: Hosts No. 15 Arkansas on Saturday.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led a pair of touchdown drives, including a keeper for a score, as the American team beat the National team 17-9 on Saturday in the Senior Bowl.
Nussmeier led a 12-play, 68-yard opening drive that ended with his 3-yard rush on a read-option play.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led the National team to start. After an opening 18-yard completion to NC State tight end Justin Joly, Kentucky running back Seth McGowan fumbled. Mizzouri's Zion Young recovered the ball, handed it to Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who had it punched out by Pavia. The American defense recovered it.
After three runs for 41 yards from Virginia's J'Mari Taylor, Oklahoma's Jayden Ott punched in a 5-yard score. Nussmeier found Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields for a successful two-point conversion.
Nussmeier was 5 of 8 for 57 yards with an interception that went through the hands of Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and into those of Nebraska's Deshon Singleton.
Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson was intercepted similarly later in the quarter. His pass went off the hands of Louisville receiver Caullin Lacy, and Northwestern's Fred Davis II intercepted it for the American team.
BYU's Will Ferrin added a 40-yard field goal with 3:02 left to make it 17-0 at the break for the American team.
Pavia re-entered the game with 6:35 to go in the third and continued into the fourth, using a 29-yard run from McGowan to set up a 52-yard field goal from Iowa's Drew Stevens. Pavia finished 10 of 13 for 78 yards.
Michigan receiver Donaven McCulley, who accepted a late invite to the Senior Bowl on the National team, led all receivers with four catches for 50 yards. He had a 14-yard reception on the National team's final drive to set up a 1-yard score for FAU's Kejon Owens.
Missing Fred VanVleet has been a problem all season, but if they’ve unlocked Kevin Durant, those flaws suddenly become more manageable. Leaning on Durant against the Dallas Mavericks makes a lot of sense.
My Mavericks vs. Rockets predictions and NBA pickswill do just that tonight.
Tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the Toyota Center in Houston, with the game airing on ABC.
Mavericks vs Rockets prediction
Mavericks vs Rockets best bet: Kevin Durant Over 25.5 points (-112)
The Houston Rockets have leaned on Kevin Durant more in the past couple of weeks, with the veteran averaging 20.6 shots per game over his last five outings compared to 17.8 over his previous 39 games.
That has directly led to Durant clearing this prop in four of those five games, averaging 31.2 points per game in this stretch.
For that matter, Durant has scored at least 31 points in four of those games, the exception being a mere 24 points against the Spurs.
San Antonio has the best defender in the league for Durant. That exception can prove this new rule.
Houston is trusting Durant in a way it probably always should have. His increased workload makes the value of this prop clear ahead of tonight's matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks vs Rockets same-game parlay
Durant has cleared this 3-pointers prop in four of his last five games, taking eight attempts per outing. Over his previous 39 games, he averaged 5.5 attempts from beyond the arc.
This aligns with an Under play more than you might expect, given how deliberate Durant’s possessions can be. Houston has also come up short of the total in each of its last four contests.
Mavericks vs Rockets SGP
Kevin Durant Over 25.5 points
Kevin Durant Over 2.5 threes
Under 223
Our "from downtown" SGP: The Need to Reed
Dallas’s backcourt is ripe to be exposed. Klay Thompson is not a defensive presence at this point in his career.
A couple of open looks for Reed Sheppard should keep the Mavs’ defense honest, thus leaving more space open for Durant.
Houston’s last four games have all cashed their Unders, and by an average of 16.25 points. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Rockets.
How to watch Mavericks vs Rockets
Location
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Date
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Mavericks vs Rockets latest injuries
Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Dailyn Swain scored 18 points to go 10 rebounds and six assists, and Texas overcame a 14-point deficit in the first half to beat Oklahoma 79-69 on Saturday.
Texas trailed 23-9 with 9:38 to play before the break but closed on a 10-2 surge to tie it 30-all. Xzayvier Brown made a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to give the Sooners a 33-30 halftime advantage.
Oklahoma pushed its lead to 61-55 on another Brown 3-pointer with 8:37 left in the game. About three minutes later, Simeon Wilcher hit a 3 and Jordan Pope made two more from distance in a 9-3 surge that gave Texas a 73-67 lead with 3:25 remaining.
Nijel Pack then missed a 3 on each of the Sooners' next two possessions. Swain's jumper with 1:32 left made it 75-67 and the Longhorns sealed it at the free-throw line.
Texas (13-9, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) has won nine of the last 10 games in the series including seven straight in Norman.
Matas Vokietaitis scored 14 points and Camden Heide added 13 for the Longhorns. Pope chipped in with 12 points and Wilcher finished with 10.
Pack made three 3-pointers and scored 23 points on 9-of-22 shooting to lead Oklahoma (11-11, 1-8). Brown and Derrion Reid each added 15 points.
MADISON. Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's high-scoring backcourt of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell combined for 43 points, Austin Rapp hit five first-half 3-pointers, and Wisconsin beat Ohio State 92-82 on Saturday.
Blackwell and Boyd, who have combined for over 38 points per game, finished with 22 and 21, respectively, the sixth time they have both been over 20 points. The 6-foot-10 Rapp, the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year at Portland last season, scored all 19 of his points off the bench in the first half. Nolan Winter finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Aleksas Bieliauskas added 10 points for Wisconsin (16-6, 7-3 Big Ten).
Ohio State's own dynamic duo, Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr., averaging over 35 ppg, finished with 18 and nine, respectively. Amare Bynum scored 18 points for the Buckeyes (14-7, 6-5), while Devin Royal added 17 and Taison Chatman 14.
Wisconsin made only two of its first 11 attempts while falling behind 15-4, but Rapp hit three consecutive 3s in bringing back the Badgers to their first lead, 24-23, with eight minutes in the first half. Rapp added two more 3s, and a late run put Wisconsin up 49-43 at the break.
The Buckeyes led throughout the second half with Boyd and Blackwell scoring 11 points apiece. Boyd's bucket with 2:41 to go gave Wisconsin its largest lead at 16.
Wisconsin shot 52%, made 19 of 21 at the line and outscored Ohio State 42-30 in the paint.
ATLANTA (AP) — Caleb Wilson dominated in the return to his hometown, scoring 22 points as No. 16 North Carolina cruised past Georgia Tech for a 91-75 victory on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 Atlanta native set a school record by scoring 20 points for the 15th time as a freshman. He had been tied with Tyler Hansbrough, who had 14 games with 20 points for the Tar Heels in 2005-06.
Wilson set another school record by reaching double-figure points in the first 21 games of his college career. He broke a tie with Rashad McCants, who had at least 10 points in his first 20 games in 2002-03.
With a light snow falling outside McCamish Pavilion, Henri Veesaar gave North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) a devastating 1-2 punch on the inside with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
The Tar Heels won their third in a row, with Wilson adding three more dunks to what was already his nation-leading total of 62.
The game got away from Georgia Tech (11-11, 2-7) in the latter stages of the first half. Wilson had a pair of thunderous slams as well as converting a three-point play, pushing North Carolina to a 52-37 lead at the break.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 21 in the second half, handing the Yellow Jackets their third straight loss and sixth setback in the last seven games as they head toward another disappointing season under third-year coach Damon Stoudamire.
Baye Ndongo led the home team with 27 points, but the rest of the team combined to make only 18 of 48 shots with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, a Georgia Tech graduate, watching the game from a courtside seat wearing a “GT" cap.
Up next
North Carolina: Hosts Syracuse on Tuesday night to begin a big week. The Tar Heels are home against No. 4 Duke next Saturday.
Georgia Tech: Travels to California on Wednesday for the first of two straight West Coast games.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 28: A closeup shot of Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during the game against the Utah Jazz on January 28, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Alex Goodlett/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With the February 5th trade deadline fast-approaching, NBA players around the league are waiting with bated breath to find out if they’ll be sent somewhere new at the end of the week.
Warriors veteran big man Draymond Green is not one of them.
I’ve been here for 14 years,“ Green said to ESPN’s Anthony Slater this morning. ”I have no reason to sit and worry about leaving. But if I’m traded, that’s part of the business.”
As the Warriors might be seeking to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, there may be reason for some Warriors players to worry about being traded. Green, a cornerstone of the Warriors for the past 14 years, may possibly be on the chopping block for the first time in his career.
Green, 35, is averaging 8.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this season. He’s a big man, sure, but he’s a small big man, and Giannis is a better and younger player in comparison.
“I ain’t losing no sleep though,” Green said. “I slept great last night.”
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The West Indies got a consolation win off South Africa after rain reduced their Twenty20 match to a shootout at the Wanderers on Saturday.
South Africa won the series 2-1 and the West Indies won the last match by six runs on the DLS method in a thrilling finish.
Rain delayed the start of the match for nearly two hours and reduced it to 16 overs per side. The West Indies was 66-1 after six overs when an hour-long rain delay reduced the game to 10 overs per side.
West Indies reached 114-3. Captain Shai Hope hit 48 runs off 25 balls and Shimron Hetmyer 48 not out off 22. They hit 10 sixes between them. One by Hetmyer hit a spectator in the head while he was lying on his back. The man quickly stood up and clapped.
South Africa's target was 125 and it fell short at 118-6.
Quinton de Kock took 18 off the first over but captain Aiden Markram was caught off a top-edged pull in the second.
De Kock went for 28 off 14, Ryan Rickelton hit straight to long-on on 15 and Dewald Brevis went two balls later on 17 as spinner Gudakesh Motie took their wickets in eight balls.
Jason Smith hit 20 runs in the eighth over and South Africa arrived at the final over needing 16 runs to win. It was down to nine when Smith was bowled by a Shamar Joseph yorker with two balls left.
South Africa received good news before the game when David Miller was “medically cleared” to play in his sixth T20 World Cup starting next weekend. A groin injury sidelined him from the series with West Indies.
At the World Cup in India, the West Indies will open against Scotland next Saturday in Kolkata. South Africa starts two days later against Canada in Ahmedabad.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Mike Nwoko scored 21 points as LSU outlasted South Carolina 92-87 in overtime on Saturday.
LSU (14-8, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Gamecocks 14-9 in overtime and went 21 of 25 from the free-throw line. Rashad King finished with 18 points for LSU, while Marquel Sutton added 16 points and eight rebounds. Max Mackinnon scored 15 points and recorded a season-high eight assists.
The Tigers struck first after going into halftime up one, but South Carolina answered with a surge midway through the second half. Elijah Strong and Eli Ellis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Gamecocks a 56-52 lead, and South Carolina later built a five-point cushion with just over eight minutes remaining.
LSU responded with King converting a driving layup with 5:54 left and drilling a go-ahead 3-pointer 40 seconds later. After several late lead changes, Nwoko tied the game at 78 with a layup at the 1:39 mark, and neither team scored again before the horn.
LSU took control in overtime at the free-throw line. King and Pablo Tamba combined to go 8 of 8 from the stripe in the extra period, and Mackinnon sealed it with a 23-foot 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining.
Meechie Johnson led South Carolina with 21 points and six assists. Kobe Knox scored 15 points, and Ellis added 14 off the bench.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: Julius Erving speaks at Vince Carter's jersey retirement during half time of the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat's match up at Barclays Center on January 25, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nets won the ABA’s final game. Then they were forced to sell the best player in the world just to survive. Yeah, that qualifies as a justification for a curse.
The Nets and Nuggets were the last two teams to play an ABA game: May 13, 1976.
It’s the 50-year anniversary for the final ABA season and the final championship won by the then New York, then New Jersey, then Brooklyn Nets. .
There are four ABA teams that are still in the NBA: Nuggets, Nets, Pacers, and Spurs, the survivors of a league that once reached 12. The Nets are the outlier in that they’re the only team that has not won a championship since the merger in 1976. You’d think a 50th anniversary would be mentioned this year, in some form. It hasn’t happened.
Perhaps it’s uncelebrated for several reasons.
The 50-year anniversary of the merger is less a celebration than a blemished milestone. The NBA didn’t inherit the ABA… it sort of replaced it. The league kept the stars and the style, but erased the branding, records, and much of the acknowledgment that another league helped build the modern game.
“The ABA still lives within the NBA, no question about it,” Erving said in 2016.
Honoring the ABA means revisiting uncomfortable math. Four teams were allowed in. Two were paid to essentially disappear (Kentucky Colonels & Spirits of St. Louis). The Spirits, owned by Ozzie and Daniel Silna, negotiated a television deal so lucrative that until a decade ago it still made airwaves in today’s NBA TV rights.
They got $2.2 million upfront plus a one-seventh share of television revenue from each ABA team that joined the NBA… forever. As NBA broadcasts exploded in the ’80s and ’90s, that tiny share became massive. The Silnas collected tens of millions a year for decades, eventually totaling hundreds of millions before a 2014 settlement capped it. Forbes called it the “greatest sports deal of all-time.”
Others got rich but ABA contracts got voided or renegotiated. Players had minimal benefits. ABA stats weren’t fully integrated into NBA history, thus the Nets championships technically aren’t even recognized as official.
And one… the Nets
Half a century after joining the NBA, the merger’s costs still cast a shadow over the Nets’ legacy, and Dr. J’s presence looms large.
The New York Nets faced the opposite problem to the Spirits of St. Louis. The Nets were forced to pay the standard $3.2 million expansion fee plus $4.5 million to the New York Knicks for territorial rights. It may not seem onerous now but it was a big deal back then for the Nets owners whose primary asset was not the Nets, but the NHL’s Islanders both of whom played at Nassau Coliseum.
Under the NBA merger rules, each team controlled a 75-mile radius around its arena. No other franchise could relocate, play, or market in that zone without permission, and teams could demand compensation if a newcomer entered their territory. Nassau Coliseum fell squarely inside the Knicks’ protected zone.
Roy Boe, owners of the Nets, paid the $7.7 million in fees (roughly $37-40M today) before salaries, operations, or retaining Julius Erving. The Knicks’ refusal to waive the territorial fee forced the Nets to make the only viable move: sell Erving, native of Roosevelt, Long Island, twisting the knife even further. (Oh yes, the Knicks also refused to accept Dr. J as compensation. They wanted the cash.)
Owner Roy Boe sold Dr. J to the Sixers but it might’ve bought the team a curse. “It killed me to have to think about doing it,” he said in 2002.
Basketball’s sweethearts with Dr. J at the forefront of it all, in the red, white, blue jerseys with the stars on the side. An afro as vibrant and in-your-face as the league. The Boes were simply forced to demolish the culture, the legend.
“There will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Nets, having played on two ABA championship teams for the franchise.” Erving has said.
But Dr. J didn’t necessarily want it to end.
Erving and his agent knew his value. When Boe told him the team couldn’t meet his salary demands, Erving refused to play under those conditions, holding out of camp until a resolution could be found.
In the years that followed, his Philadelphia teams became a perennial contender. The Nets fell into instability, missed the playoffs repeatedly, and Roy Boe sold the team in 1978. He also dealt the Isles and they immediately went on to dominate the NHL with four straight Stanley Cup titles,
Since then…
Relocations:
In 1977, the Nets moved back to New Jersey.
They played at the Rutgers Athletic Center and later the Meadowlands for roughly 30 years.
In 2012, they relocated to Brooklyn, moving into the Barclays Center and rebranding as the Brooklyn Nets.
History:
The Nets reached their first NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 but fell short both times.
Since moving to Brooklyn in 2012, the team has made it past the first round of the playoffs twice.
42.4 win percentage (1,692 wins & 2,303 losses).
Roy Boe purchased the team for $1.1 million in 1969. In 1978, the NYT estimated the Nets valuation at $10 million, but the price of the sale was never made public. The group that purchased the Nets was led by Alan N. Cohen, former Chairman and CEO of the Madison Square Garden Corporation, the parent company of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, the Nets’ primary territorial rivals.
As far as it goes for 54-point losses on MSG hardwood or Nets franchise players demanding trades to the Knicks — there’s a reason why it stings extra for the little brother. By no mistake.
Now, 50 years later, Erving returned to the spotlight specifically for Vince Carter’s jersey retirement. Anniversaries tend to spotlight triumph but this one isn’t. The ABA’s influence is everywhere in today’s NBA, but the cost of getting here doesn’t fit neatly into a highlight reel.
The Nets defeated the Nuggets and claimed basketball glory in 1976. Since then, the franchise has moved, rebranded, and struggled, never fully escaping the consequences of the merger.
The Nuggets now boast the best player in the world, Nikola Jokić, and it’s hard not to see the irony. The Nets once had the best player in the world too — and the merger forced them to give him up. Then sold to the rivals.
The franchise hasn’t erased their history completely, but there’s an opportunity to honor it. Just as Dr. J returned for Vince Carter’s retirement, could he also return to the Nets again. Just this week, the NBA finally announced the day for the NBA Lottery: May 10, just three days before the actual anniversary. It would an ideal way to honor the 1976 team, Erving and can conduct a worthy science experiment: if karma can move ping pong balls.
It’ll be expensive to arrange, difficult too with NBA but the price might be worth paying.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 28: Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors poses for a photo before the game against the Utah Jazz on January 28, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Alex Goodlett/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
At Sundance Film Festival, Steph Curry added another accolade to his already impressive collection.
On Tuesday night, Steph Curry and Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot took home the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for their short film “The Baddest Speechwriter of All.”
The film chronicles the story of Clarence B. Jones, an attorney who was a key speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. It reflects on Jones’ personal experience of the Civil Rights Movement and his perspective on his involvement in shaping the history we all know today.
“Stephen and I are jumping for joy [him a lot higher than I] with this extraordinary recognition,” Proudfoot said, per Deadline.
In 2022, Curry and Proudfoot collaborated on “The Queen of Basketball,” a film about Luisa Harris, the scorer of the first point in Women’s Olympic Basketball history, and the first woman to ever be drafted by an NBA team. Curry served as an executive producer, while Proudfoot directed.
“On a personal note, to share creative duties with Stephen, one of the greatest living athletes and just [a] truly good man, has given me an opportunity to grow as a filmmaker and be part of telling a story I probably never would have learned until Stephen called me,” Proudfoot said about Curry, who wasn’t in attendance at the festival.
The two met up at the Warriors’ game vs the Utah Jazz on January 28th, and planned to celebrate their win after the game.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Rashaun Agee posted 18 points and 15 rebounds as Texas A&M rolled past Georgia 92-77 on Saturday to stay atop the SEC standings.
The Aggies (17-4, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) seized control early behind a 22-0 run while holding Georgia to just two points through nearly five minutes of action. Texas A&M led 51-41 at halftime, shot 45% from the field and went 19 of 20 from the free-throw line.
Georgia cut the deficit to 56-47 early in the second half, but Agee knocked down two 3-pointers after entering the game shooting 18.6% from deep to help Texas A&M rebuild its cushion. The Bulldogs pulled within 69-66 with just over nine minutes remaining, but the Aggies answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Ali Dibba and Jacari Lane to regain control.
Texas A&M closed it out at the line and extended its winning streak against Georgia to seven straight meetings.
Marcus Hill scored 15 points for the Aggies, Rubén Domínguez added 13, and Dibba finished with 15 off the bench. Agee recorded his 10th double-double of the season.
Jeremiah Wilkinson led Georgia (16-6, 4-5) with 17 points and five assists while posting a career high in blocks (2). Kanon Catchings and Blue Cain scored 14 points apiece. Dylan James recorded the first double-double of his career with 13 points and a career high in rebounds (13) off the bench.
The Aggies improved to 10-0 this season when scoring at least 90 points.
