Category : Basketball

For a week, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving disappeared. Many, confused at the sudden absence, began to formulate theories. Some even speculated that he would even retire from professional basketball. On Jan 6, the day after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, Irving sat out a game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to “personal reasons,” leading some to believe that he wanted a break after recent events.

With three minutes and fifty-six seconds left in the second quarter, San Antonio Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich, was ejected from the Spurs-Lakers game for arguing with a referee. Subsequently, Becky Hammon, the assistant coach, filled in for a livid Popovich, took charge of the Spurs and became the first woman to serve as a head coach in NBA history.

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving hates the media. In a recent Instagram story, Irving called media members “pawns” while sharing a Malcolm X quote that said, “I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda.” Irving shared these comments shortly after the NBA fined him $25,000 for refusing to speak to media members, which is a contractual obligation, during training camp for the 2020-21 season.

How many NBA players can say that they have been ejected with under three minutes of playing time? Probably not many, but Houston Rockets center and former all-star DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins certainly can. This season, Boogie has been ejected twice while only playing in 8 games. In his second ejection, three games after the three-minute one, he played just over 8 minutes. In past years, injuries have plagued Cousins; due to his nearly consecutive three leg injuries, Cousins has played few games in the last three seasons.

At 34 years old, late NBA legend Kobe Bryant had a championship ring for each finger on his right hand. Despite his achievements, Kobe was never satisfied, and on April 12, 2013, he again proved why he was one of the hardest-working athletes ever. While driving to the basket during a playoff-clinching game against the Golden State Warriors, Kobe was fouled and fell to the floor, rupturing his Achilles.

Receiving the ball from Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons confidently shot and made a three-pointer in the first four minutes of last Thursday’s game against the Orlando Magic. Though three-pointers are fairly common in the NBA, his teammates—all-smiles and arms raised—celebrated the shot as if Simmons had knocked down a game-winning shot, even giving him a standing ovation.

As TNT announced the all-star reserves on February 23, LeBron James—in the middle of the broadcast—tweeted, “Devin Booker is the most disrespectful in our league!!!” after the Phoenix Suns guard failed to make the All-Star Game. James’ frustration was understandable, given that Booker is averaging 25 PPG while the Suns currently stand as the 2nd seed in the Western Conference.

How is a player’s value measured? Is it based on the player’s success throughout the season? Their team’s success? Perhaps both. Because of the ambiguity of the term “valuable”, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is often the most controversial award that the NBA gives out each season.

This season, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has dominated the league offensively, averaging 32.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field and 33.3% from three. Although the superstar has posted career highs this season, his team has achieved little success.

This year’s college basketball tournament will be unlike any other. For starters, there have been leagues that haven’t played this season due to COVID risk, and many teams that have recently dropped out. Furthermore, there aren’t nearly as many games to judge teams on. So wherever the games are played – NCAA has indicated a bubble of some sort but it is yet to be finalized – there will be the heartbreak, underdogs, and great basketball that fans anxiously await every March.

This season, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has dominated the league offensively, averaging 32.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field and 33.3% from three. Although the superstar has posted career highs this season, his team has achieved little success. The Washington Wizards are 14-20 and hold the 12th seed as of the all-star break.

This year’s college basketball tournament will be unlike any other. For starters, there have been leagues that haven’t played this season due to COVID risk, and many teams that have recently dropped out. Furthermore, there aren’t nearly as many games to judge teams on. So wherever the games are played – NCAA has indicated a bubble of some sort but it is yet to be finalized – there will be the heartbreak, underdogs, and great basketball that fans anxiously await every March.