Sports enterprise reporter for
@washingtonpost
. Kansas City, Mo. native. Florida A&M grad. KAΨ. Former ATLien. Covered NBA for 19 seasons. Used to love hip-hop
Made it back to my old Atlanta stomping grounds for the first time in years. Even better, I spoke with some cool people about Henry Aaron. Wrote about what breaking Babe Ruth's HR record means after 50 years & the power in his power. Here's my story on 715
Brian Flores was the most accomplished & experienced NFL coaching candidate in this hiring cycle. He was coming off consecutive winning seasons, a seemingly unjust firing & here come the Giants, viewing him as a Rooney rule quota-filler to check off. He has a right to be hostile.
It can’t be overstated that Milwaukee Bucks are the franchise closest to Kenosha, where Jacob Blake was paralyzed after being shot seven times by an officer, or that guard Sterling Brown was a victim of police brutality. A powerful statement from the team lead by the likely 2xMVP
Looooooou Will, munching on nachos & checking social media mentions after serving up buckets & leading his squad to the largest playoff comeback in NBA history, against the two-time defending champs, in their own building (📸 via
@LAClippers
)
Ime Udoka solved Kevin Durant & Giannis Antetokounmpo in his first postseason as a NBA head coach. I don't care what happens in the conference finals, give that man his props - & a raise - off that...Just have to figure out why he wears a mask on his chin all game
You might not like him, or his mouth, or how he did it, but this man got two sons drafted in the top 3 in the NBA draft. All while wearing BBB slides everywhere.
Can't tell a dude he's a Clipper for life, then trade him to Detroit six months later & expect a handshake. Business is business. Blake Griffin ignored him, ran off & gave Steve Ballmer & the Clippers the business with 44 pts
GSW isn't bad for the NBA. You know what is? SAC being in the lottery 12 years & trading away its lone all-star...ORL being rudderless since dealing Dwight...PHX stumbling over itself once Nash got old...BKN trading its future to BOS...CHA passionately hugging mediocrity...
RIP to the man who made Omar Little one of the greatest characters in television history. Anyone who watched Michael K. Williams act was better for the experience.
Marc Gasol, drenched in champagne, is FaceTiming his buddy Mike Conley. Just shouted, “Woooo” into his phone. Conley was smiling on the other end.
#GritNGrindForever
I'm not saying Ryan Saunders was going to be the coach to lead Minnesota anywhere, but for him to get canned & the Wolves to hire a coach from outside the organization to a multi-year deal the same night he coached a game is shadier than standing under a tree.
This is a cool photo for 76ers fans. One thing you can say is Dr. J is never caught slipping. Every time he makes a public appearance, he is the smoothest cat in the building.
You know what folks aren't talking about enough? Toronto lost Kawhi Leonard in free agency & didn't replace him with anyone of significance yet the Raps currently have the 3rd-best record in the NBA - 1 game better than LA Clippers - & Nick Nurse will coach in the All-Star Game
And right there, in mid air, LeBron James remembered who injured Kevin Love in 2015, making his task of winning a title impossible in his first season back in Cleveland
With Blake Griffin's days with the Pistons nearing the end, I'm reminded how the Clippers raised his jersey in a mock retirement ceremony, signed him to a max extension & 7 months later, traded him to Detroit. A year later, Steve Ballmer wanted a handshake
Reporter to Jimmy Butler: "What do you say when they say you need a team of two to three stars and this team has just one star?"
Jimmy: "This is a team of one star? Who is that? Bam [Adebayo]?
Derrick Rose has been looked over, left for dead, buried, forgotten. Most who've reached his heights & bottomed out would've given up in shame. He contemplated it but persisted. Now has the most unexpected, unlikely but hard-earned 50 we've probably ever seen. Don't quit, kiddos
David Fizdale firing was so stunning I had to check, double-check & triple-check Woj's Twitter account to make sure it was legit. I then made sure it was a legit blue check, went over to Woj's Twitter page & scrolled down again because I didn't want to be duped by a fake account
What’s amazing about LeBron being at the Big3 championship is he battled against most of these guys, is older than a few, but remains among the top of his game in the NBA.
Appreciate Rudy Gobert for his sincere show of emotion following his All-Star snub. Nothing’s wrong with crying or letting out the pain/disappointment. He was hurt, his mom was hurt. Anyone who has worked hard for something & been denied should understand. He’s big but he’s human
The love DC had for John Wall far exceeded any that he received on a national NBA level Not many stars embrace a place, connect with it & represent it the way he did. He didn't win a championship in his 10 years but he won over hearts. This breakup will be hard for many to accept
Trae Young is so good now that his taunts (apparently) warrant ejections. Look, if the kid can pull up from 28 & drain a 3 in some dude's face, he's earned the right to do whatever he wants afterward. This tech is weak sauce
Bob Myers still with the realest commentary for why players with regular season success don't always thrive in the postseason. Failures are less confounding when you hear it. I go back to these words when some of best appear at their worst in the playoffs.
Strike up another victory for Big Baller Brand. The more hype, the merrier. A Donald Trump vs LaVar Ball beef truly defines America in 2017. Can't believe it took this long.
Giannis Antetokounmpo completed a regular season in which he recorded the greatest player efficiency rating in NBA history on the team with the league's best record. There are years when the MVP choice is difficult & controversial. This one wasn't it.
This brother inspired so many people...while fighting cancer. You never know what anyone is going through. Just know that we all have something. Chadwick Boseman is forever a legend because of his ability to rise above his circumstances until he couldn't.
Story at
@TheAthleticNBA
: Cavaliers' Kevin Love had an emotional outburst directed toward GM Koby Altman on Saturday expressing displeasure and disgust with the organization -- after team issued fine for bench tantrum.
Sam Presti collected five first-round draft picks, two protected first-round picks, two pick swaps & two protected pick swaps to go out one round earlier than Houston & the LA Clippers.
They really don't call traveling in the NBA. Bradley Beal basically walked to Flint, then skipped to Ann Arbor & the refs were like, "Keep it moving." Blake Griffin's face, though...
Ben Simmons sank the 76ers' championship hopes by refusing to shoot & has now tanked his trade value by refusing to show up. He has some legit gripes about being thrown under the bus after his flop but Philly won't forgive him for running from accountability for his own failings.
Powerful scene outside the 76ers locker room. Joel Embiid's girlfriend Anne de Paula was waiting outside. A weeping Embiid stepped out. They kissed. Cried. She gave him some encouraging words & wiped his tears. Embiid returned to the locker room, looking toward sky, like, 'Why?'
I don't think his record triple-double run puts him in the MVP conversation but Russell Westbrook has done something even more impressive this season: he's dialed things down a bit to let Paul George be the best Paul George we've ever seen. We now see why PG chose to stay in OKC
All this guy ever wanted was to prove that he could contribute to winning situation. He didn't care about perception or anybody's opinion of him. He wanted to win because that was at the core of his crazy. He was getting there. This ain't fair.
Michael Jordan went Full Disappointed Dad Mode on Malik Monk, smacking him upside the head after Monk picked up a silly tech for running on the court too soon to celebrate Jeremy Lamb's game-winner.
Seeing this picture made me think about how many days these guys trained together & pushed each other to be special. Two of the most explosive athletes to ever play PG, both owning MVP hardware.
How many trades can you recall where both of primary players involved are furious with the move? Kawhi Leonard asked to go home. Not out of the country. DeMar DeRozan has never wanted to leave Toronto.
I don't know if this will be Udonis Haslem's last regular season appearance for Miami but I doubt he'll be able to top 2 buckets, 2 techs & an ejection in 2 minutes. That's basically his version of Kobe dropping 60 in his last game
#HeatCulture
#40at40
Tracy McGrady was on verge of something special, skipped to ORL. Vince Carter hurdled 7-fters, forced his way to NJN. Chris Bosh let his dreads bounce in the post, then chased rings in MIA. DeMar DeRozan embraced everything about being a Raptor; TOR about to drop-kick him to SAS
It's hilarious how every time a NBA player does something that invokes the name Wilt Chamberlain, all you do is gain more appreciation for Wilt. Steph Curry just became the Warriors' all-time leading scorer in his 745th game for the franchise....Wilt set the old mark in 429 games
To me, the only upsetting thing about these kids accepting "illegal" benefits is that they are made to look bad for getting crumbs of what they should already receive while the NCAA & the college coaches walk off with the whole bag & no shame
Powerful image of
@daldridgetnt
today at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. He's been to balcony of the Lorraine Motel before but anyone who has visited the place where Martin Luther King was assassinated knows it's impossible not to be moved (via Jim Weber)
If LeBron & AD are healthy & LeBron keeps fending off Father Time, we're just moving furniture around in free agency. Even if you think your team has a player better than LeBron or AD, the 2nd-best player isn't better than AD or LeBron. Stars matter. Lakers still faves to repeat.
Seeing KD weep as he discussed his mom & praised every teammate; LeBron bring teammates to college gym he sold out in high school; even Dirk uncomfortably receiving MVP after losing in first round. Those are the moments we lose with awards show 2 months after regular season ended
I respect any decision players make about their jersey numbers, as it relates to Kobe Bryant's death. But I truly believe that the best way to honor him is to continue wearing Nos. 8 & 24. Every time we see them, we'll know who inspired them & what it means. We'll think about Kob
Cramming to understand how Nets fans are supposed to be excited about Kyrie Irving's possible return when the organization decided the best time to toss aside its principles & bring back an unvaccinated player as a part-timer is during the biggest covid outbreak to hit the NBA
After reading this, all I can say is the Warriors have built an attractive program & Draymond Green is the greatest recruiter this side of John Calipari. Be mad if you want. Just know this is what every sports fan wants from their team. Draft. Develop. Attract stars. Never settle