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On Monday evening, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year was announced, the first of many NBA honors beiong revealed this week. Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama is the first unanimous recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. He is also the youngest.

This is his third NBA season and his third season to be the blocks leader.

Wemby was sitting with his mother as well as members of the Spurs coaching staff when Maria Taylor, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Carmelo Anthony of Peacock notifies the Spurs superstar of his first major career award.

Here’s the full interview:

Wembanyama continue to show poise and grace as he expressed how the award reaches beyond one man.

At each point in his career, Wemby has been thoughtful in his answers and careful to share credit with those that are involved with his day to day training and health.

His gratitude was so moving that Carmelo commented how his upbringing has taught him well, crediting his parents, and specifically his dad, for how well Victor handles himself with the media.

The Peacock team was in San Antonio for a nationally televised San Antonio game and had an opportunity to meet Wemby’s parents.

The announcement for Clutch Player of the Year is next, followed by Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday. The Sixth Man involves another member of the Spurs, Keldon Johnson.

Thursday reveals the NBA Sportsman Award, for which Harrison Barnes is a finalist.

Closing out the week on Friday is the NBA Most Improved Player.

Three Spurs could soon be hoisting individual honors.

Go Spurs Go!

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Billy Donovan ‘stepping away' as Chicago Bulls head coach, team announces originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Billy Donovan is “stepping away” as head coach for the Chicago Bulls, the team announced Tuesday.

In a message posted by the team on Instagram, Donovan said the decision came “after a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization” and “to allow the search process to unfold.”

“I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit. My gratitude for this community and this organization is permanent,” he said in a statement. “Thank you Jerry and Michael for giving me this opportunity and more importantly, for the relationship that has been forged. I was so blessed to be able to work with such great owners. I owe so much to my players and staff over the last six years. You all have worked side by side with me, day in and day out to drive the Bulls organization forward. And a huge thank you to Bulls fans, your energy, passion and unwavering support provided a home-court advantage that is generally unmatched around the league.“

Donovan marks the latest to leave the team after a front office shakeup earlier this month that saw executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley both fired.

“I want our fans to know that I hear you and understand the frustration,” Bulls CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf wrote after the earlier firings.

In his letter to fans, Reinsdorf said “these decisions are never easy, especially when they involve people we respect both personally and professionally,” but noted he hopes to build a team that can “ultimately contend for championships.”

It was for that reason, he said, the team and Donovan decided to part ways.

“While we clearly wanted Billy to return as our head coach, we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new Basketball Operations leadership,” Reinsdorf said. “Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved. We are grateful for everything he has given to this team and wish Billy and his family all the best.”

Donovan has led the Bulls since 2020, going 226-256 over six seasons with one playoff appearance in 2022.

Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf called him “one of the finest people and coaches I have had the privilege of knowing and working with” and said the decision followed the earlier front office changes.

“He brought class and genuine care to this organization that made a real impact on people. We wanted Billy to continue as our head coach – that was never in question. But through honest conversations, we all agreed that giving our new Head of Basketball Operations the right to build out his staff was the most important thing for the future of this franchise,” he said. “That is the kind of person Billy is – he put the Bulls first. We are deeply grateful for everything he has given to this organization.”

Just eight players have guaranteed contracts for next season (Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, Matas Buzelis, Rob Dillingham, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Smith, Tre Jones and Noa Essengue), so it should be a busy offseason with new decision-makers in charge.

This video raises a question we’ve seen quite often in recent years: Could Larry Bird still dominate today? Or would be be a role player?

The answer is yes, he could still run the league, and for a few reasons.

First, Bird was, as Joe Dumar once said, a basketball savant. Do you think Charles Barkley could play today? Magic Johnson? Michael Jordan? Isaiah Thomas? James Worthy?

Of course they could – and they all said Bird was the one whom they feared most, who gave them sleepless nights.

The main criticism of Bird is that he was slow and couldn’t jump. Well, neither can Nikola Jokić or Luka Dončić, and both of those guys will be in the Hall of Fame, because they, like Bird, can force the game to adapt to them, rather than vice-versa.

If nothing else, Bird’s passing ability was off the charts, and his hand-eye coordination was superb. So was his ability to keep track of everything happening on the court: he didn’t have to see his teammates to know where they were.

What also really works in Bird’s favor is this: in his heyday, the NBA was far, far more physical than it is today. Go look at some Bill Laimbeer highlights.

The NBA in the 1980s could be brutal. Consider the courage Thomas had to go into the lane the way he did at his size, and consider also the Jordan Rules the Pistons had for #23. They all knew they were going to get a beating every game.

It’s not like that now. The game is far more open, and Bird would either drive, pass, or hit jumpers at will.

Finally, there are some other factors that would work in his favor. The first is personal. Bird’s desire to dominate would propel him in today’s game, too. His mindset is far different from anyone in today’s NBA. He would sneer at 90 percent of the players in the league now.

And second, the advances in training, nutrition, equipment, and medical care would have really helped him. Just for one thing, a back problem ended Bird’s career. The treatment options today are far better.

Note – for some reason, the embed doesn’t want to work, so please hit the link above.

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While today's sports fans may not be able to imagine an American sports scene without basketball, more than 115 years passed between the signing of the "Declaration of Independence" and the first game of hoops in Springfield, Massachusetts.

James Naismith's invention began its spread across the nation in 1891. One year later, colleges began playing. The NBA was founded in 1949, and George Mikan quickly became the first professional basketball superstar. Now, as we near our nation's 250th birthday, we look back at the best U.S. athletes to play this uniquely American sport.

About USA TODAY's '250 for 250' series

Now through July 4, USA TODAY Sports is releasing our "250 for 250" list of America's top homegrown athletes of all time. Each week we'll bring you all-time standouts from across the sports world, and give readers a chance to vote on who should be featured.

Learn more about the series at usatoday.com.

You can also vote in a name that you feel is missing from this list by visiting our interactive poll.

Now, on to the list of our nation's top homegrown men's basketball players:

Michael Jordan, Laney High School (NC)

Jordan first became a national star when he hit the game-winning shot for North Carolina in the 1982 national championship game. He then took the NBA to new global heights as a six-time champion with the Chicago Bulls and member of the original Dream Team. Jordan won five NBA MVP awards and his "Air Jordan" shoe line and Jordan brand transformed Nike and the basketball apparel industry.

LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (OH)

James was a high school sensation who lived up to all the hype to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and the most influential player of his generation. The Akron, Ohio native has won four NBA titles with three different teams, three MVP awards and three Olympic gold medals. He ushered in the league's player empowerment era when he made "The Decision" to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010 and became the first NBA player to earn more than $1 billion in salary during his active career.

Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion High School (PA)

The 5-time NBA champion spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, initially starring alongside Shaquille O'Neal en route to three-straight titles (2000-02) under coach Phil Jackson. Bryant then won two more NBA championships without O'Neal and earned league MVP honors in 2008. He died tragically in a helicopter crash in Southern California in January 2020.

CLEVELAND — Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković was perplexed about Brandon Ingram’s lack of free throws after his team dropped Game 2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers115-105. In the process of that complaint, he admitted something that maybe no other coach has about this era of Cavs basketball.

“Cleveland is playing with a lot of physicality,” Rajaković said. “They’re very prideful of their physicality, and their whole team was very, very physical with Brandon.”

These comments were mostly directed at how the Cavs defended Ingram, but it also speaks to how this Cavaliers team has evolved on both ends of the floor.

Donovan Mitchell had one more thing to say to the media after his postgame press conference ended in the wake of his 30-point performance.

“As much as y’all talk about us three: me, him (James Harden), and Ev (Evan Mobley)… Dean Wade deserves a ton of credit for tonight,” Mitchell said. “I know he only had three points, but his impact is extremely high outside of just scoring. Y’all need to give him his credit. He’s playing at a high level right now for us.”

Playoff basketball often comes down to whether you can take away one of the things your opponent does best. The Cavs have made a concerted effort to make Ingram work — Toronto’s leading scorer — to impact the series with his jump shot. They’ve been physical with him at the point of attack, forcing him to work to get to his patented midrange jumper.

And the one making it difficult for Ingram was Wade, due to his strength advantage.

It’s hard to contest a tough shotmaker like Ingram. At 6’8”, he can usually rise above his defender in the midrange for a clean look. And even if the defender does get a contest, he’s skilled enough to make them anyway.

The best defense for someone like that doesn’t necessarily come from contesting the shot, but by making it challenging for him to get to his spots. This is what Wade did.

Wade was physical and aggressive in denying Ingram the ball wherever he was on the court. The play below is an example of that.

The Raptors had to run a screen for Ingram just to get him the ball. Even though Ingram gets a good look after the screen, the physicality from the denial, combined with the impending threat of Wade trailing the play without fouling, contributes to the missed shot.

Wade’s ability to stay connected with his combination of strength and footspeed means he doesn’t have to sell out to put a good contest on a shot, including one as difficult to do so on as a high-post fadeaway.

Even though Wade deserves a majority of the credit, he wasn’t the only one who was physical with Ingram. Both Harden and Sam Merrill also had instances of forcefully pushing Ingram off his spots when they were switched onto him. It was truly a team effort.

Ingram vowed after Game 1 that he needed to take more than just nine shots. He did so here, but wasn’t efficient, going 3-15 for just seven points.

Cleveland’s physicality on offense showed up in two main ways. First, the Cavs’ star guards weren’t able to be taken out of the game.

Both Harden and Mitchell did a good job of dealing with Toronto’s ball pressure and the extra contact the referees were allowing. They were still able to get to their spots and keep the offense on track. This has been an issue in the past, as Cleveland’s previously undersized guards were susceptible to double teams and pressure in the backcourt.

Second, Mobley punished mismatches. The Raptors played much smaller this game, opting to switch screens as much as possible. Mobley made them pay for doing so as he forcefully attacked his smaller defender whenever getting an opportunity to do so, even off of offensive rebounds. This led to a 25-point outing on 11-13 shooting.

That aggression was much needed on a night the Raptors decided to shift their strategy and play small. Toronto started 6’7” forward Collin Murray-Boyles at center in place of their usual big Jakob Poeltl, to open the second half. Afterward, Rajaković said he wanted to do this so that they could easily switch the pick-and-roll and shut that down.

To Toronto’s credit, the switch shut down the pick-and-roll. The issue is that it made them susceptible to drives to the basket.

The lack of rim protection more or less left every individual defender on an island. The defenders guarding Cleveland’s bigs weren’t in a position to really help off, given the size disadvantage they already had. This resulted in more lanes for Mitchell and Harden to get to the basket. They took full advantage of that as they combined for 58 points.

Jarrett Allen wasn’t able to make the most of Toronto playing small. They were able to hide RJ Barrett on him for long stretches without Allen becoming much of a factor as a scorer or as an offensive rebounder. This led to head coach Kenny Atkinson choosing to leave him out of the closing lineup.

The bench was an issue for the Cavs.

They only provided 19 points, with none of the five reserves tallying more than six. This gave way to the Raptors’ reserves outscoring Cleveland’s by 26.

Max Strus and Merrill seem locked into the rotation. The same might not be said for the other three bench players who received minutes.

Dennis Schroder once again couldn’t find his shot, as he went 1-5 from the field with five points.

There are concerns about Keon Ellis’s defensive impact on this team. He’s likely best used guarding ones and twos, but he won’t often have the luxury to do so given Cleveland’s backcourt. This leaves him defending some of Toronto’s bigger and stronger wings. He’s struggled in that setting, which makes it difficult for him to get minutes when he isn’t providing much offensively.

Jaylon Tyson had some good moments as he seemed to calm down after a difficult playoff debut on Saturday. He handled Toronto’s bigger wings well defensively, but hasn’t found a rhythm yet on the other end.

The Cavs’ offense will go as their core four takes it. That said, the others need to provide much more on that end than they are. The current scoring balance isn’t sustainable over what could be a long postseason run.

The chemistry between Mitchell and Harden looks like it’s been forged over multiple playoff runs. It hasn’t. This was the duo’s 24th game together. That speaks to how well their games fit and how much they’ve invested in making this work.

Harden admitted that because they haven’t had much time together, they needed to find other ways to get on the same page. “I think what speeds that process up is communication and talking,” Harden said.

That includes pointing out when you see something the other could’ve done better, as was the case on at least one occasion on Monday.

“We always communicate what we see,” Mitchell said. “He was telling me what he saw, even though I scored on that possession…there was an easier read that I didn’t see.”

The Cavs made a daring and aggressive move when they traded for Harden as late as they did in the year. Adding someone that important into the mix when they did doesn’t have much of a precedent for resulting in a title or overall playoff success. That just isn’t how basketball is typically played.

But if it ever were to work, it’d be in a setting like this. One that is open to listening to and implementing feedback. Right now, it seems like the Cavs’ top two stars are trying to approach this the right way.

“We’re behind,” Harden said. “I don’t even know how many games we’ve had together, so I think our communication during games, practice days is very, very important. That can get us over the hump. So anytime I gotta say something, or Don say something, we communicate it. We let it be known to the team just so we can all be on the same page.”