From acquiring Derrick White in 2022 to swinging trades for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in 2023, Brad Stevens made a number of masterful moves that helped the Boston Celtics win their 18th championship.
But the Celtics wouldn’t have raised Banner 18 last June without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown have blossomed into superstars in Boston. The former is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team selection who’s one of the top five players in basketball, while the latter is a four-time All-Star who earned MVP honors in both the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
While the Jays have shown steady improvement since entering the league, they both took significant leaps last season — particularly in the playmaking department, where their assists per game shot up from 4.9 to 5.9 for Tatum and 3.6 to 4.6 for Brown.
In an exclusive interview with Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg, Stevens detailed how he’s seen Tatum and Brown evolve, especially over the last few seasons.
“Jayson’s been special from Day 1,” Stevens said. “I think the strength that he’s put on in the last few years has been really beneficial, not only in finishing or holding his spot — he doesn’t get knocked off his spot like he did maybe in his early years — and then also defensively in his ability to play anyone from the point guard to the center.
“A lot of times in this day and age, you’re not getting posted by centers, so you can be a little bit more creative defensively, but you still have to block them out and you still have to engage physically down in the paint, and he does a great job of that.”
That physicality has helped Tatum average 8.7 rebounds per game this season, his fourth consecutive season averaging at least eight rebounds per game after he averaged 5.0 boards per game as a rookie. Stevens also is impressed by how Tatum’s court vision has evolved.
“The experience that you go through being double-teamed, seeing different coverages — you get to the point where you’re 27 years old and you’ve pretty much seen it all,” Stevens said.
“You can see that he plays the game — we always like to say that he plays the game unconsciously competent. He doesn’t need to think about it. He sees it, he makes the right read, and he’s just gotten better and better and better.”
“He’s had great growth all the way through,” Stevens said of Brown. “Again, I go back to, if you would have told me his first year that he would have been guarding the point guard in the Finals and picking up full (court) and being able to navigate and handle all those screens and everything else, I’d say that he’s capable of doing that, but there’s a lot that goes into that. And those are things that you gain from experience, too.”
Tatum and Brown are both very gifted scorers, but earlier in their careers, they’d occasionally struggle to set up their teammates and make the right passes out of defensive pressure. They’ve both made huge strides in that department over the last two seasons, however — aided in part by an excellent supporting cast built by Stevens.
“Offensively, you just continue to see the growth and the ability to, again, when those guys draw two, just make the right play,” Stevens said. “It’s such a critical part of the game, and it’s not as easy as everybody makes it out to be.”
“There’s different ways that they have to get used to reading all this when you’re ‘the guy.’ The amount of coverages that they see and the reads they have to make are different than everyone else sees, because they’re not guarded that way.”
Check out the video above for more from Stevens on Tatum and Brown’s growth.
The Warriors have skyrocketed up the Western Conference standings after acquiring star forward Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster trade on Feb. 5.
With six games remaining in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Golden State (45-31) currently is the West’s No. 5 playoff seed, with a handful of teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies (45-32), Minnesota Timberwolves (45-32) and Los Angeles Clippers (44-32) chasing them in the rearview mirror.
With matchups against Western Conference foes like the Denver Nuggets (47-30), Houston Rockets (50-27), Phoenix Suns (35-41) and the Clippers still remaining on the schedule, the Warriors’ playoff positioning could change drastically in the next nine days, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes Golden State truly is one of the best teams in the West, regardless of where it finishes the regular season.
“The Warriors come out with, I think, their biggest win of the season,” Windhorst said Thursday night on “SportsCenter” after Golden State’s 123-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
“… They are sort of the secret No. 2 seed here, because when Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler play together, they’re now 19-2. The lineup that started tonight, which included Brandin Podziemski, who had one of the games of his career, they’re now 12-0. So when this team gets together, they are an absolute beast.”
It’s no secret who the West’s true No. 1 seed is, as the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-12) have held down the top spot for the entire season and will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
And regardless of where the Warriors finish in the conference standings, Windhorst believes they are capable of beating just about any team.
When the Boston Bruins turned up at the Bell Centre to face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, only seven of their dressed players were with the team at the end of the last season. No more Brad Marchand, no Charlie McAvoy (due to injury), and no more Linus Ullmark who was traded to Ottawa last offseason. It’s been a tough season in Boston, but before this final tilt, the Bs had managed to win their first two games against the Canadiens this year.
The actors of past memorable battles may not be there, but as long as those two teams face each other, there will be extracurricular activities after the whistle, as sure as the sky is blue. In the first frame, 23 hits were thrown, 13 by Boston and 10 by Montreal.
Juraj Slafkovsky had some words with David Pastrnak, and it looked like the Czech was asking him to dance, but nothing came of it. Still, shortly after that, the former first-overall pick had to handle a punishing hit from Nikita Zadorov. As the Canadiens led 2-0 in the middle frame, the youngster was enjoying poking fun at several Bruins, the Slovak isn’t scared to poke the sleeping bear apparently.
As for Josh Anderson, he was his usual wrecking ball self, throwing three hits, second only to Emil Heineman, who had four in the first frame. He was tied with Zadorov for the most hits across both teams. Anderson and Heineman finished the game with five hits each while Michael Pezzetta, who played 7:47 recorded seven hits.
By the end of the game, the Canadiens had 33 hits and the Bruins 29, which was the only aspect in which the Bruins weren’t manhandled.
A Dominant Second
In the first frame, the Canadiens didn’t look like they were playing a team that had lost its last six games in regulation and nine in a row; they looked like they were playing down to the competition. They looked nervous, and couldn't execute properly in the offensive zone. Someone must have said something during the break because the Habs dominated the middle frame.
Boston struggled to get out of its own end and could only muster three shots on net in that frame—full marks to Samuel Montembeault for not falling asleep out there.
The Tricolore had complete control of the puck in Boston’s territory and took 18 shots on goal. Had it not been for Swayman, it could have been 5-0 for the Canadiens after 40 minutes. We’ve seen this team dominate in the past but struggle to separate itself from the opponent, but on Thursday night, the goals were there.
The Veteran Line
While some may not have noticed, the third line formed by Brendan Gallagher, Christian Dvorak, and Anderson has a goal in nine of the last 10 games, including five goals for the pivot. Asked for his thoughts about that line, Martin St-Louis said:
I think those are three vets who understand how we want to play, the moments of the game, and the momentum; they’re all on the same page. They are dedicated; they shoot, shoot, and shoot again. It’s a line that’s a good example of how direct they are in their play. They don’t take too many risks in the neutral zone and are efficient on the forecheck.
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Gallagher was named the game's first star thanks to a goal and an assist, and he received a big ovation. There’s no doubt these fans are right there with the Canadiens’ biggest warrior as he navigates through the pain of losing his mother.
The Canadiens won the game 4-1 in the end and remain in the second wild card spot with seven games to go. It was a big night for Nick Suzuki, who reached the 80-point mark, the first Canadiens player to do so since Alex Kovalev. As for Cole Caufield, he recorded his 35th goal of the season. While the 40-goal mark is in sight, it may be out of reach for this season, but it feels like he will get there sooner rather than later.
You can see the excitement in the coach's eye in his post-game pressers, St-Louis the player was a competitor and the coach wants to be as well:
Learning's over at this stage, we have to execute and that's what we did tonight.
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With delays in paying players and an owner who has lost the faith of fans, the Championship club urgently need a plan
It is highly unlikely a statement including the phrase “impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow” can result in anything positive. Sheffield Wednesday announced their latest financial issues on Monday after failing to pay their players on time at the end of March, putting the Championship side under a dark cloud.
This is the latest cause for concern among Owls supporters who have become increasingly frustrated by the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, and the longer the players are not remunerated the greater the risk of punishment. An English Football League charge could come next week if the players remain unpaid. A fine, transfer ban or points deduction would then be among the options open to the league, which is in dialogue with Wednesday, if the matter is not resolved quickly, which the club is confident it will be.
Fans line up outside Angel Stadium for opening day in 2016. Only three MLB ballparks — Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field — are older than Angel Stadium. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Angels play their home opener Friday, the dawn of their 60th season in Angel Stadium.
Only three major league ballparks are older: Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, all of which have been refreshed and revitalized for new generations of fans.
Angel Stadium remains in limbo, with an increasingly uncertain future.
For the better part of two decades, the Angels and the city of Anaheim have discussed, debated and twice agreed upon plans to enhance the stadium and secure the team’s future there. The city walked away from both deals, and for now, Angels owner Arte Moreno has little interest in trying again.
Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken still plans to pursue a new deal.
“It will be an issue to, hopefully, sooner rather than later, bring to resolution,” she told me.
Among the city’s options: selling the stadium and surrounding property to a third party, then letting that party deal with Moreno.
That option appears unlikely, but the possibility could give the city a bit of leverage at a time Moreno has the upper hand.
A more likely option appears to be the course of least resistance: The Angels exercise the final two options on their stadium lease, giving them control over development on the stadium site through 2038, with the city continuing to get no stadium rent from the Angels and no tax revenue from the parking lots it has failed to develop for 60 years.
Any sale would be subject to the Surplus Land Act, a state law that prioritizes the sale of public land for affordable housing. In January, Anaheim invited Angels president John Carpino to a meeting in which three city attorneys, the city manager, five other city officials and the city’s real estate consultant briefed Carpino on how the law could be applied to a potential new deal with the Angels.
The Angels shrugged. Two weeks later they told the city they would exercise their initial option to extend their stadium lease through 2032. Two weeks after that Moreno told the team website: “Maybe we’ll get a new mayor and council that want us to stay.”
One month after that Aitken told me she could not respond to that remark because she had not heard about it.
“Of course we want to keep baseball in the city of Anaheim,” Aitken said at a park dedication. “But it is going to be something that is going to inure to the benefit of both of us, so we can build more parks like this, we can build bigger libraries, and we can make sure that our fire and public safety have all the assets they need.”
"Of course we want to keep baseball in the city of Anaheim," Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken, above at an Angels game in 2023, said recently. "But it is going to be something that is going to inure to the benefit of both of us." (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
That was the promise behind the two previous versions of a deal: The Angels would pay to renovate the stadium and build a village around it, and the city would reap the tax dollars from development.
In 2013, then-mayor Tom Tait essentially torpedoed the deal that city staff and consultants had negotiated with Moreno, arguing that leasing the property to the Angels for $1 per year made no sense when the land was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
In 2022, three years after the city council approved selling the land to Moreno at a cash value announced at $325 million and later disclosed to be $150 million, the council killed the deal. In the interim, an FBI affidavit revealed then-mayor Harry Sidhu, under investigation for public corruption, had passed confidential property appraisal information to the Angels as the city negotiated with them.
Last month before Sidhu was sentenced to two months in federal prison, prosecutors said a city document shared with the Angels outlined how the team could complete the deal and then “flip the land for millions more than they paid for it.”
Under the two proposals that collapsed, the city negotiated only with the Angels rather than put the property up for bid and see what developers might offer, with or without a stadium included. The city could take bids this time.
However, the Angels’ ability to veto development on the land through 2038 likely means a bidder would heavily discount an offer, to account for the cost of buying now and possibly not building for another decade.
“The number would be so low that the city would be better off waiting,” said Louis Tomaselli, the Irvine-based executive managing director of JLL, a real estate and investment management firm.
The Angels play rent-free under the current lease because, under Disney ownership in 1996, they paid $97 million toward a stadium renovation that cost $117 million.
The city planned to make back its $20 million and much more — “a slam dunk,” the city manager said then — by putting up restaurants, shops, hotels, offices and sports and entertainment venues on a 45-acre slice of the 150-acre Angel Stadium property.
These days teams routinely demand the right to develop the land around their stadium — and cash in. The Atlanta Braves, for instance, generated $67 million in revenue last year from the Battery, a neighborhood next to the ballpark where fans eat, shop, play, work and live.
In Anaheim, for three decades, the city has done nothing with the stadium-adjacent land it has the right to develop.
The city could build atop that land today. Perhaps Moreno would not care. Or perhaps he would consider a new bid for all the stadium land, rather than risk the rise of a half-built parking lot from which he would generate no revenue.
However, one expert downplayed the prospect of the city developing just that section of the land, suggesting Anaheim would be wary of opening the door for a patchwork village to sprout atop the sea of pavement.
“You don’t want 10 different developers owning that site with different visions,” said Kurt Strasmann, executive managing director at the Newport Beach office of real estate giant CBRE. “You need one central plan.”
The most logical man with the plan would be Moreno, likely in partnership with a real estate developer. The city could strike a deal with him that not only could secure the team in Anaheim but also eliminate the very real prospect of litigation over who should have been paying what to keep up the stadium in recent years.
The city could demand Moreno drop the Los Angeles name from his team and revert to the Anaheim name, but he rejected that request during the 2019 negotiations and almost certainly would do so again.
“That will be a fair part of the discussions,” Aitken said. “I have always been an advocate that the Angels should have the city’s name at the forefront, especially considering that [property] is our largest asset. That is something that is a high, high priority for me.”
That could leave the city with the option to put the land up for bid, then let the winning bidder negotiate with Moreno about the stadium. In the meantime, Anaheim could cash in on a nine-figure land sale, then generate property taxes and sales taxes from the stadium site. City staffers warned the council last week Anaheim faces a projected $41-million deficit in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Oakland sold its stadium last year and used the money to avoid cuts in its police and fire departments.
It is improbable that a developer would buy the land without some understanding with Moreno about the long-term future of the Angels, but it is not impossible.
It also is improbable, but not impossible, that a developer would buy the land, start building around the stadium while the Angels' lease runs its course, then demolish the stadium and build out the rest of the site. Moreno is 78. If the city wants out and a developer wants in, there may not be an assurance the team stays in Anaheim beyond the current lease.
In any bid scenario — for part of the property or all of it, with a stadium or without one — the city would not be obligated to accept a bid.
The city says there are no negotiations underway with the Angels, and the state housing agency — the one that administers the Surplus Land Act — says it has not worked with the city on any new stadium plan. Council members, however, have received individual briefings on the act.
The Angels have called Anaheim home since 1966. The last 10 seasons have been losing ones, and attendance has fallen 32% from its peak. Tomaselli, the commercial real estate executive from Irvine, said the city could maximize the land value without a stadium on the property.
Shohei Ohtani, center right, joins fellow Dodgers to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day before a game against the Washington Nationals at Dodgers Stadium on April 15, 2024. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
Calls immediately came for the Dodgers to follow the lead of champions like the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia Eagles, who boycotted the White House during Trump’s first term as a rebuke of everything he stands for.
One of those voices was my fellow Times columnista Dylan Hernández, who wrote last week that if the Dodgers follow through on the invite, they will be “bending the knee to hateful forces similar to the ones they challenged when breaking their sport’s color barrier.”
But showing up doesn’t necessarily have to mean bowing down.
Boycotts are a time-honored tradition in sports. In 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play to protest the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, leading to similar actions by teams across the NBA, Major League Soccer, baseball and the WNBA. College athletes have walked out of practices to protest racism on campuses. Countries forgo the Olympics for political reasons all the time.
But the most powerful and best-remembered political protests by athletes are when they take their actions to, well, where the action is. Think Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing in silence, shoeless, gloved fists raised in a Black Power salute, during the 200-meter medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the 2016 season while the national anthem played — a move that may have ultimately cost him his career. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali criticizing the Vietnam War and anti-Black racism in the prime of his career.
Those sportsmen brought dissent where it needed to be heard: in the face of power, during their brightest moments, at risk to their livelihoods. And history has absolved them all.
Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow gives President Trump a team jersey as they take part in an event honoring the 2019 College Football National Champions, the Louisiana State University Tigers, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., in 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
White House visits by championship teams are a silly affair, quickly forgotten. But they're now a tradition of American sports, so I get why Dodgers president Stan Kasten tried to justify the decision to Hernández by saying, “It’s what [the players] all come to associate with being world champions. Everyone wanted to go, and so we did.”
But for him to insist, as he did to Hernández, that there's nothing political about it is as laughable as the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola. That’s why the team should not only swing by the White House on Monday, they should do it with the weight of L.A. on their minds.
I don’t expect the Dodgers to lash out at Trump and his policies, which have been one giant middle finger to California and everything it stands for. But just being there can be a powerful rebuke, if they own it.
Have Shohei Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP and the greatest baseball player in the world, shake Trump's hand to allow headlines to bloom about Trump's 24% tariffs on Japan. What, will the president next crack down on foreign athletes in the name of fostering American talent?
Everyone should wear No. 42 jerseys in honor of Robinson, who famously broke baseball’s color line and also fought segregation in the military. The Department of Defense initially took down an article on its website about Robinson's military service — and his refusal to move to the back of an Army bus — until facing furious pushback from everyone with a sense of decency.
All of those gestures are simple and doable and speak volumes. Sometimes, merely showing up and not hiding who you are is how to fight back best.
Opponents of Trump can’t scream into the void, or among themselves, and think that’s resistance enough. They shouldn’t cede the traditions of this country, like the flag, the White House and democracy, to a tyrant like Trump just because he has wrapped himself in them.
Going to the White House does not normalize Trump — it’s a reminder that the place is ours, not his.
Besides, L.A. shouldn’t shut out Trump from our lives, especially while he’s in power. He needs to be dealt with in any way possible — and that includes meeting him in person.
The Dodgers can't possibly think that just posing for photos and handing Trump a commemorative jersey qualifies as time well spent. Or maybe it's all wishful thinking on my part. For all the hype about being there for fans and reflecting L.A. at all times, the Dodgers have historically cared only about one thing: the Dodgers.
So my last argument for the team to do something significant with their visit makes it all about them.
Guys: Y'all pioneered the type of globalism and multiculturalism that Trump loathes, that L.A. now exemplifies and that continues to power the best franchise in baseball. It's time to stand tall for the Dodger Way at the moment it matters the most.
SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants return home Friday, they will unveil upgrades to their famous Coca-Cola bottle and the concessions at the field level. Fans can try new items like an elote hot dog, miso ramen and bacon ranch buffalo pretzel. The light shows have been sharpened in year two with that technology, and on Tuesday, the Giants will wear their new City Connect jerseys for the first time.
The most eye-popping change, though, will come in an area that most in the public will never have access to.
The organization is putting the finishing touches on the entryway to the home clubhouse, which now includes a case for the three World Series trophies. When players walk through the front door every day, they will get a reminder of the best stretch in franchise history, and eventually the wall will be covered with photos of past Giants stars and notable moments.
“I just want them to understand the history of the Giants, and even beyond those three World Series trophies, just the type of players that have come through and what the San Francisco Giants mean to the city of San Francisco,” new president of baseball operations Buster Posey said last week. “We’re planning to have some pictures behind the trophies of parade celebrations or what have you. I just think it’s important. This is a storied franchise and those were obviously a big part of it.”
The addition of the trophies was first brought up by Brad Grems, the organization’s senior manager for the home clubhouse and Major League equipment. Last year, that wall was home to a mural and a television that showed still photos from games, but as the new regime thought about changes in the offseason, Grems couldn’t help but think about what it’s like to walk into the clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.
When Dodgers get out of their elevator, they stroll down a long hallway filled not only with World Series trophies, but also Cy Young Awards, MVP trophies, Rookie of the Year trophies, Gold Gloves and more. That’s common in a lot of MLB ballparks. Nobody spends more time around the actual Giants jerseys than Grems, and he wanted players to know what it has always meant to wear orange and black.
“There needs to be a sense of pride when these guys walk from the parking lot through that hallway,” he said. “It’s setting an expectation of what it means to be a Giant and what it means to put that uniform on. It brings back that allure and legacy.”
When the previous regime was in charge, many in the organization noticed that there seemed to almost be a targeted effort to shy away from anything that had to do with the dynasty. This spring, the Giants made subtle changes to return to their roots, putting up some new photos at Scottsdale Stadium and inviting a huge crowd of former Giants standouts to come to camp as guest instructors.
Grems mentioned the trophies in a meeting about two weeks after Posey was hired and the new boss was immediately on board. Players haven’t seen the full remodel yet, but they were excited by the presence of the trophies — the Giants have two sets, and still will keep the other one on the concourse for fan photos — when they hosted a two-game exhibition series at the end of the spring.
“I think it’s awesome. You should celebrate winning and your history,” Matt Chapman said. “When I was with the Blue Jays they had the two World Series trophies right in the entrance to the clubhouse and I thought it was cool, so I’m glad we’re doing it. That’s Giants baseball right there. I think it just sets the tone.”
The Giants also plan to spend all season celebrating 25 years at Oracle Park, starting today, with a ceremony that will include Barry Bonds, Rich Aurilia and other members of the 2000 team. Posey didn’t hesitate when asked which moment stands out from his own career. In 2012, he caught Matt Cain’s perfect game, the only one in franchise history.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Arias make that last play at third and I still get nervous when he falls backwards,” he said, smiling. “That’s just the epitome of a team game to me. A seemingly meaningless game, I don’t know what the score was, but the electricity in the stands was like nothing else other than a playoff game and that was in June.”
Cain’s massive fist pump after the 27th out surely will be represented on that wall of photos in the clubhouse, and you can bet there will be a Gregor Blanco reference, too. It’s the first phase in a remodel that so far has also included new lighting to make the entrance to the clubhouse feel cooler in general. Grems was especially proud that the lighting includes the words “Mike Murphy’s clubhouse.”
Murph’s office used to be the first thing anyone saw when they walked into the clubhouse, but for the past half decade that space was used by analysts, who now have been moved elsewhere. The room at the front of the clubhouse now will belong to members of the front office. The real stars of that hallway, though, are the three trophies.
“I didn’t know that was happening, but I absolutely loved it,” Logan Webb said. “The first time I saw it I was walking by with someone and we were like, ‘Let’s make sure there’s space for another one.'”
SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants return home Friday, they will unveil upgrades to their famous Coca-Cola bottle and the concessions at the field level. Fans can try new items like an elote hot dog, miso ramen and bacon ranch buffalo pretzel. The light shows have been sharpened in year two with that technology, and on Tuesday, the Giants will wear their new City Connect jerseys for the first time.
The most eye-popping change, though, will come in an area that most in the public will never have access to.
The organization is putting the finishing touches on the entryway to the home clubhouse, which now includes a case for the three World Series trophies. When players walk through the front door every day, they will get a reminder of the best stretch in franchise history, and eventually the wall will be covered with photos of past Giants stars and notable moments.
“I just want them to understand the history of the Giants, and even beyond those three World Series trophies, just the type of players that have come through and what the San Francisco Giants mean to the city of San Francisco,” new president of baseball operations Buster Posey said last week. “We’re planning to have some pictures behind the trophies of parade celebrations or what have you. I just think it’s important. This is a storied franchise and those were obviously a big part of it.”
The addition of the trophies was first brought up by Brad Grems, the organization’s senior manager for the home clubhouse and Major League equipment. Last year, that wall was home to a mural and a television that showed still photos from games, but as the new regime thought about changes in the offseason, Grems couldn’t help but think about what it’s like to walk into the clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.
When Dodgers get out of their elevator, they stroll down a long hallway filled not only with World Series trophies, but also Cy Young Awards, MVP trophies, Rookie of the Year trophies, Gold Gloves and more. That’s common in a lot of MLB ballparks. Nobody spends more time around the actual Giants jerseys than Grems, and he wanted players to know what it has always meant to wear orange and black.
“There needs to be a sense of pride when these guys walk from the parking lot through that hallway,” he said. “It’s setting an expectation of what it means to be a Giant and what it means to put that uniform on. It brings back that allure and legacy.”
When the previous regime was in charge, many in the organization noticed that there seemed to almost be a targeted effort to shy away from anything that had to do with the dynasty. This spring, the Giants made subtle changes to return to their roots, putting up some new photos at Scottsdale Stadium and inviting a huge crowd of former Giants standouts to come to camp as guest instructors.
Grems mentioned the trophies in a meeting about two weeks after Posey was hired and the new boss was immediately on board. Players haven’t seen the full remodel yet, but they were excited by the presence of the trophies — the Giants have two sets, and still will keep the other one on the concourse for fan photos — when they hosted a two-game exhibition series at the end of the spring.
“I think it’s awesome. You should celebrate winning and your history,” Matt Chapman said. “When I was with the Blue Jays they had the two World Series trophies right in the entrance to the clubhouse and I thought it was cool, so I’m glad we’re doing it. That’s Giants baseball right there. I think it just sets the tone.”
The Giants also plan to spend all season celebrating 25 years at Oracle Park, starting today, with a ceremony that will include Barry Bonds, Rich Aurilia and other members of the 2000 team. Posey didn’t hesitate when asked which moment stands out from his own career. In 2012, he caught Matt Cain’s perfect game, the only one in franchise history.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Arias make that last play at third and I still get nervous when he falls backwards,” he said, smiling. “That’s just the epitome of a team game to me. A seemingly meaningless game, I don’t know what the score was, but the electricity in the stands was like nothing else other than a playoff game and that was in June.”
Cain’s massive fist pump after the 27th out surely will be represented on that wall of photos in the clubhouse, and you can bet there will be a Gregor Blanco reference, too. It’s the first phase in a remodel that so far has also included new lighting to make the entrance to the clubhouse feel cooler in general. Grems was especially proud that the lighting includes the words “Mike Murphy’s clubhouse.”
Murph’s office used to be the first thing anyone saw when they walked into the clubhouse, but for the past half decade that space was used by analysts, who now have been moved elsewhere. The room at the front of the clubhouse now will belong to members of the front office. The real stars of that hallway, though, are the three trophies.
“I didn’t know that was happening, but I absolutely loved it,” Logan Webb said. “The first time I saw it I was walking by with someone and we were like, ‘Let’s make sure there’s space for another one.'”
SACRAMENTO – Before he was in the NBA with the Kings, Isaac Jones worked at Puget Sound Pipe & Supply in Kent, Wash., where he packaged and sold bathroom and water pipes.
Jones had no college offers after graduating from high school and figured he’d use his free time to help his mom with the bills. So, Monday through Friday – and sometimes Saturdays – his life became routine.
“I had nothing better to do, so I said I might as well go get money to help my mom out,” Jones told NBC Sports California. “Nine to 5 every day, sometimes weekends for extra money.
“You never know where your story is going. I think it made me grow up a little fast. I was paying the bills at that age while a lot of kids were just in college doing whatever.”
Another key component of his weekly routine consisted of spending Friday nights at the YMCA, where he played pick-up basketball. That’s where Jones met Joseph Lowe, a Seattle native who hooped at West Coast Baptist College in Southern California but was looking for a new school to play at.
Lowe was interested in Wenatchee Valley College, a public community college about 150 miles east of Seattle, but joining the Knights basketball program came with a catch. WVC coach Jeramy Harden told Lowe he could join the team as a walk-on if he knew someone 6-foot-7 or taller and brought them with him.
So Lowe called Jones, who stands 6-foot-9.
The two became Knights together, and Jones spent three seasons at Wenatchee Valley College. In his final year at WVC, Jones was named the Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 25.3 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
Despite all the success he would find over his next two collegiate stops with big-name schools, Jones forever will be grateful for his time at Wenatchee Valley College.
“JuCo really tested how tough you are as a person,” Jones said. “A lot of nights we didn’t have money, no food. We used to split sandwiches on the road. It was tough. I fell in love with the game there. It taught me that I actually did love basketball.
“I always had said I liked basketball growing up, but I didn’t find love for it until I got there.”
Jones then transferred to the University of Idaho, where in one season with the Vandals, he posted averages of 19.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, leading to him being named the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year and second-team All-Big Sky. He then entered the NCAA transfer portal and returned close to home at Washington State.
He averaged 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game with the Cougars and was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference.
Even after standing out at Washington State, Jones went unselected in the 2024 NBA Draft. He signed a two-way contract with the Kings in July and bounced back and forth from the G League in Stockton to the NBA with Sacramento.
Jones constantly shares posts on social media about him going undrafted or reminders of how his journey began. The disrespect fuels him, but he’s grateful for how things turned out.
“Yeah, I definitely feel like I should have been [drafted],” Jones said, “but there’s a lot of people who say the same. It all worked out in God’s plan.”
Most of that love came from Jones’ coach at WVC, Jeremy Harden, who also coached him at Idaho and Washington State. Harden pushed Jones harder than anyone while instilling a new level of confidence in him that he didn’t always have.
It wasn’t until Harden told Jones he belonged in the NBA that he truly began to believe it.
“That’s where I just bought all in,” Jones said.
Harden now is an assistant coach at Stanford, about 120 miles southwest of Sacramento, and comes to as many Kings games as possible. The two talk every day.
Jones had several big games down in Stockton, including eye-popping plays that had people questioning why this large, athletic man wasn’t in the NBA full-time. In January, he had a hot stretch where he averaged 36 points on 66.2-percent shooting with 8.3 rebounds over three games.
His chemistry with players such as Kings rookie Devin Carter also was on display in the G League and gave Kings fans something to look forward to in the future, with Jones stating he’s excited to showcase that double-threat in the NBA with more reps.
After averaging 20.9 points on 55.5 percent shooting, with 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.2 minutes through 11 games with Stockton, Sacramento converted his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal.
Everything – from Puget Sound Pipe & Supply to three different colleges to the G League – finally paid off for Jones.
“It was a lot of fun,” Jones said of his G League tenure. “I learned that a lot of people were really good and don’t have the opportunity. And I was blessed to have my opportunity, so I didn’t want to take it for granted.
“I feel like I grew a lot. My skillset changed up a little bit, and I knew I could compete at this level.”
So did his teammates.
Kings guard Keon Ellis, who had a similar NBA rise last season, was the perfect motivation for Jones. Ellis advised Jones to stay patient and eventually his time would come.
He was right.
“He’s definitely my best friend on the team,” Jones said. “We play games, we do whatever together, go to the mall. But I definitely try to follow in his footsteps, because he did it the right way. So I wanted to do it like him.”
Now Jones has the opportunity to do what he’s long wanted: prove he belongs in the NBA.
Jones said he realized he could have an impact on an NBA team during his first or second year at WVC, again, after Harden injected that belief in him. But he knew he could fit in specifically with the Kings as soon as he arrived in the organization last summer.
During training camp, he realized he was better than he had thought and understood he could compete with the best guys on the team.
“I thought I was, like, a normal athlete,” Jones said. “But then they’re telling me I’m one of the more athletic guys. I had that one put-back against the [San Antonio] Spurs and I was like, ‘Man, maybe they’re right.’
“And I just realized, I think I’m pretty good at using my athleticism, and a lot of people don’t do that.”
Off the hardwood last summer, Jones married his longtime girlfriend, Melia Jones, who has been his rock through an adverse road to the top.
When NBC Sports California asked what Melia’s support means to him, Jones shared a heartfelt response as he tried to find the right words.
“Everything,” Jones said. “As I said, when we were struggling for meals and stuff, she would help me out.”
Jones paused for a moment, fighting back his emotions, before he continued.
“She would take care of me a lot,” he said. “Her grandparents would help, too. She just made my time easier. So I’m glad I can repay and just take care of her for the rest of her life.”
Malia has eased Jones’ transition to professional basketball. So have Kings fans. Even 700 miles away from where he grew up in Washington, Kings fans have helped Jones make Sacramento feel like home.
He described the passionate fanbase as “amazing” and shared that he feels the love wherever he goes in Sacramento, a city he quickly has grown to love.
As far as what’s next for Jones?
“Just keep building,” Jones said. “I’m keeping the mindset that I haven’t done nothing yet. I got more to prove so I’m just going to keep you my head down and act like I don’t got it and keep going.”
