Worldwide Sports News

Luka Dončić has already had a Hall of Fame-caliber career, with this season being his best yet.

He averaged a league-leading 33.5 points per game and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month in January and March.

But despite the scoring prowess, dominance, and being the best player on a 53-win team, he wasn’t even a finalist for Most Valuable Player.

He was ruled eligible after his Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge appeal was approved, but the voters didn’t seem to care. The top three MVP candidates for them were Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.

Before Game 2 against the Rockets, Lakers head coach JJ Redick shared his thoughts on Luka not being named a finalist.

“I’m disappointed,” Redick said. “I mean, I think he deserved to be there and I think all three guys that did end up being finalists have a strong case. A lot of this, unfortunately, is media momentum and sometimes a team, I guess we underperformed even though we didn’t have any expectations coming into the year. But I guess we underperformed for a couple of months despite him playing and getting Player of the Month one of those months and the media momentum never got built.”

What’s wild is that Luka is the only Western Conference player to win Player of the Month twice this season, but he’s not an MVP candidate and his peers from the West are.

Look, all three players are elite and worthy of this award, but Luka has to be a candidate. There are big holes you can poke in all of their games.

For example, Wemby might be the best two-way player, but can he do it on a heavy workload? He averaged just 29.2 minutes per game compared to Luka’s 35.8. What’s more valuable, the guy who plays more or the one who plays less?

Luka has to play that much to get the Lakers wins, and he can do so. Wemby can probably do it as well, but we haven’t seen it. He plays fewer minutes and isn’t as good offensively as Luka.

But hey, he is a media darling playing in a smaller market and doesn’t yell at refs, so I guess he’s a better MVP candidate.

NBA media voters often mention Luka’s defense as why he can’t be an MVP right now, but Joker is standing right there being considered.

When was the last time Joker had a defensive highlight going viral? I’m guessing it would be the first time. But hey, his offense is so good people ignore this, I guess.

SGA is a great candidate, but not perfect either. His team is so good and often wins without him playing much in the fourth quarter. So, how valuable is he? Do they just need him for shifts here and there and for games where things get tight to bring them the win? Dončić is at the center of everything the Lakers do, and that’s by design.

If Luka’s not great, the odds of winning plummet. However, he often is, and it’s why the franchise had back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time in over a decade.

It’s a shame Luka isn’t even in the running for MVP, given how well he’s played, but perhaps it’s a Lakers tax he has to pay.

Kobe Bryant was only an MVP once, despite many saying he is one of the greatest players ever. Anthony Davis wasn’t a Defensive Player of the Year finalist back in 2024 even though he was fantastic defensively.

Not winning the award would’ve been fair given all the great options, but to not even be a finalist is absurd. The day will come when Luka gets his proper respect and admiration, but clearly it won’t be this season.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

PHILADELPHIA — Derrick White started getting ‘congratulations’ texts on Thursday afternoon. At first, he didn’t know what for.

Then, he realized he had won the NBA’s annual Sportsmanship Award, which is bestowed upon the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.

“It’s pretty cool,” White said at Celtics shootaround on Friday morning. “I think I’m doing things the right way out there, and I think it’s a pretty cool honor.”

The selection was no surprise to White’s Celtics teammates.

Payton Pritchard smiled when asked about White earning the honor.

“Derrick is just a good human being, good teammate,” Pritchard said. “I don’t think anybody really talks crap to Derrick, so he don’t talk to anybody. But you can just tell by looking at him: he’s a good person.”

During games, White is oftentimes very chatty with opposing team’s players during dead-ball situations. At the free-throw line, he shares a laugh with whoever he’s guarding.

“We have respect for each other,” White said. “But, at the end of the day, you’re competing, you want to win. So that’s kind of when I’m at my best, is when I’m kind of doing different stuff, like that. And for other people, that doesn’t work, but I feel like it works for me.”

After the final buzzer sounds, he usually chats with his competitors longer than any of his Celtics teammates. From an onlooker’s perspective, it appears that White is friends with almost everyone in the NBA.

Each team nominated one of its players for the Sportsmanship Award. Then, from the 30 nominees, a panel of league executives selected six finalists (one per division). The five other finalists were T.J McConnell (Indiana Pacers), Harrison Barnes (San Antonio Spurs), Al Horford (Golden State Warriors), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder).

NBA players then ranked those six players, and White came away with the most total points (though McConnell actually finished with the most first-place votes).

“I don’t know if guys take those votes too seriously or not,” White said. “But, man, it was just cool to be nominated and go out there and do the right thing.”

Last year, Jrue Holiday won the award as a Celtic.

“I just learned a lot from Jrue,” White said. “So, shoutout Jrue.”

The Celtics and the 76ers will face off for Game 3 on Friday night. White said immediately after a playoff loss, it feels like the world is ending. But the team then reviews films and gets back to the drawing board of how to get better for the next game.

“That’s the playoffs,” White said. “I don’t think anybody’s ever not lost a game, so you kind of have to reset, figure out what you did wrong, figure out what you can do well, and make the adjustments. And that’s the cool thing about the playoffs — anything can change in one game. So it’s a big game tonight, and we’ve got to be ready to go.”

After a day of absorbing and analyzing Game 2, the focus shifts to Game 3 between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Phoenix returns home for its first postseason game in nearly three years, and the challenge in front of them is real. The Thunder, through two games, look like a machine.

It feels like riding in a Tesla when someone flips it into sport mode and you are gripping the door as it launches down the highway. Your head sinks into the headrest as electricity drives you forward. That is what playing Oklahoma City feels like. It’s fast, efficient, and relentless. For some, that rush is the appeal. It is not for everyone.

So, how do you beat a team like this? What gives you a chance to take one back on your home floor? As we turn to Game 3, here are three things the Suns need to accomplish.

Push the Pace

I liked the idea from head coach Jordan Ott to lean into pace against Oklahoma City in Game 2. It tracks. If you let them sit in the half-court and load up defensively, they will eat. This is the best defense in the NBA. Any chance to push them back, get them on their heels, and keep them from getting set works in your favor.

It is not a natural style for Phoenix. They finished 24th in pace, so playing faster introduces some discomfort, reads you do not make as often, and decisions that come quicker than you are used to. Still, you are searching for edges wherever you can find them, and pace can be one.

After every rebound, after every make by Oklahoma City, get the ball out and get up the floor. Quickly. Force them to react instead of dictate. Oklahoma City will counter. Expect full-court pressure, expect them to try to slow you before you cross half-court. That adjustment is coming.

Game 2 showed a glimpse. Phoenix won the fast break points 14-11. It is something to build on and something to test again.

Hold on to the Rock

One of the byproducts of playing with pace, especially when it is not your natural rhythm, is mistakes. Against Oklahoma City, mistakes turn into points in a hurry. They finished third in the NBA in steals at 9.7 per night. Phoenix was right there at 9.5, fourth in the league, and still, the margin shows up in a different place.

Turnovers.

The Suns were 15th in the NBA at 14.5 per game, and that number has climbed through two postseason games. Oklahoma City has turned it over 18 times total, the fewest of any team in the playoffs. Phoenix has 41. That gap is as loud as the fans in Loud City. Did you know that’s what they call OKC? Loud City? Now you do.

The points off those mistakes are louder. The Suns have allowed 54 points off turnovers and scored 11. Loose handles, rushed passes, decisions made a beat too late; it all feeds into what the Thunder want to do. It fuels their runs, it creates separation, it turns competitive stretches into uphill climbs. If Phoenix wants a chance in this series, it starts here.

Protect the ball.

Threes, Anyone?

The path to a Suns win in this series is narrow, and it runs through the three-point line. There is a version of this where Phoenix catches fire and flips a game. That is the version you are chasing.

This is a Suns team that already leans on the three. They attempted the 5th most in the NBA and made the most by a Suns team in team history. Against Oklahoma City, it becomes essential. Phoenix hit 20 or more threes 10 times this season and went 9-1 in those games. They hit 18 or more 17 times and went 14-3. The math is clear. You have to shoot them, and you have to make them.

The looks are there. In this series, the Suns are shooting 34.3% from deep, 24-of-70, and half of those attempts are classified as “wide open”. They are hitting 37.1% on those. One out of every two threes is wide open, and those have to fall at a higher rate. Right now, that 37.1% on wide open threes ranks ninth among playoff teams still playing. That is not enough in this matchup. The process is working. The opportunities are there. Now you have to cash them in.

It is possible to beat Oklahoma City. We have seen it. The Suns did it in the regular season. It took a Devin Booker buzzer beater and came in a game with lineups that looked more G League than playoff rotation, but it still counts. It shows a path.

This season has already pushed past expectations. This team has overachieved. If they want to reach a little further, they grab one at home. Game 3 or Game 4. Extend this to five. That is progress. That is growth.

And it would be fun.

It was reported on Friday that North Carolina center Henri Veesaar is departing the program and intends to stay in the NBA Draft. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander had the report.

Shortly after, Norlander reported a bombshell. Prior to Veesaar’s decision to enter the NBA Draft, multiple schools tried to lure the Second Team All-ACC selection into the Transfer Portal. He was offered at least $6 million, although Carolina’s NIL negotiations never came close to that number. North Carolina‘s brass could have offered Veesaar in the ballpark of $4 million to stay, but he instead wishes to begin his professional basketball journey.

This news comes after Norlander reported that Florida star forward Thomas Haugh, who spurned the NBA Draft lottery to return to college, could make more than $10 million in NIL for the 2026-27 season. College basketball is bigger than ever, and programs are dishing out more money than ever.

More on Henri Veesaar’s decision to enter, stay in 2026 NBA Draft

Following the firing of Hubert Davis and shocking hire of former Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, it remained unclear in the immediate aftermath what Veesaar planned on doing. If he returned to Carolina, there’s no doubt he’d be the Preseason ACC Player of the Year. If he entered the Portal, he likely would have been the No. 1 player available.

However, he is heading to the NBA, and will surpass a massive NIL payday from a potential National Championship contender. Veesaar is projected to be the No. 29 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (Cleveland), in Yahoo Sports‘ Kevin O’Connor‘s latest Mock Draft.

In his lone season at North Carolina, Veesaar emerged as one of the most dominant players in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tallin, Estonia native averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 31 games for the Tar Heels.

His career began at Arizona, where he averaged 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 66 games. Veesaar’s best game at North Carolina came in an 80-79 loss to Clemson on March 12, in which he scored a career-high 28 points. He also grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in the game.

The prized center heads to the NBA as North Carolina basketball heads into a new era. After five seasons at the helm, head coach Hubert Davis and the program parted ways after the Tar Heels fell in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. Carolina hired former Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone to fill the opening, although that was not enough to entice the 7’0″ center to return to Chapel Hill.