nba
Page: 9
Source: Christian Petersen / Getty / Draymond Green / Jordan Poole
Draymond Green is not one to bite his tongue on his podcast or social media, but his penchant for clapping back at “haters’ had him looking like quite the fool.
Even though the Golden State Warriors ultimately chose a side by sending Jordan Poole to the wall to join the Night’s Watch, aka the Washington Wizards, and sticking with the current loudest voice in the NBA, Draymond Green, there still seems to be tension between the former teammates.
In a recent episode of Patrick Beverley’s The Pat Bev Podcast with Rome, one of the topics the two players touched on was the incident involving Green punching Poole in the face during a Warriors’ training camp last season, which set the tone for the at the time defending champs shaky 2023-24 season.
Green admitted to Beverley that the incident resulted from things building up, leading to him punching socking Poole, and not just something that happened at the moment.
“I don’t just hit people. Dialogue, of course, happens over time, and you usually ain’t just triggered by something that fast, to that degree. This is a team, ain’t nobody on my team triggering me in an instant,” Green said to Beverley. “We know stuff that you don’t say amongst men. We know things that you have to stand on.”
Anthony Poole Had Time For Draymond Green
The clip quickly went viral, and it wasn’t Poole who responded to it, but his father, Anthony Poole, who had time for Greene.
“I’m stand on this that’s is some bs,” Anthony Poole tweeted. “Jp was his guy and he avoid me all last yr. He is a soft as b-tch and I’m standing on this and he didn’t apologize to me and my wife. So he lame and me and him can meet anytime he want.”
Green, of course, responded by saying, “That’s so cute… it’s impossible to avoid you an arena for a year champ. I got get my family from that family room every game. And stop using those words, they usually don’t go over well amongst men.”
Draymond Green’s Twitter Fingers Were Not Done
After his online spat with Poole, Green focused on Basketball Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett. Green couldn’t help himself responding to a fake tweet from TheNBACentral troll account, TheNBACentel, that claimed Garnett issued a challenge to him regarding the Poole incident.
“Draymond punching JP is like a senior punching a freshman who’s half his size and than walks around talking himself up as if he’s like that. Come try me Dray,”
“I tried you when I was a rookie KG, and you started talking to yourself like I wasn’t talking to you. What’s that like? The freshman picking on a senior citizen that’s double his size?” Green said in response to the fugazi tweet.
Instead of keeping it going, Garnett jokingly responded by pointing out the tweet was fake and telling Elon Musk to “do something.”
Twitter wasn’t as forgiving and hit Green with all the jokes.
You can see the reactions in the gallery below.
—
Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
LeBron James thrilled his legion of fans and put haters on notice when he announced at the ESPY Awards last week that he will return to the Los Angeles Lakers for his 21st NBA season. LeBron James has worn the number 6 but with the league retiring the number after the passing of NBA legend Bill Russell, King James will switch back to 23 out of respect.
News of the jersey number switch for LeBron James came via a report from ESPN that over the weekend, Rich Paul, James’ agent, and member of his inner circle, shared that his client will be donning the new number on the back of his jersey this coming season.
“It’s LeBron’s decision,” Paul told ESPN. “He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.”
Russell, who brought championship glory to the Boston Celtics many times over, died last year at 88. The NBA decided to retire Russell’s No. 6 jersey number league-wide, which was the first that that has ever happened. If a current NBA player donned the No. 6, they could keep the number if they so choose.
As the outlet suggests, jersey sales with James’ number will be in high demand as his No. 6 replica jersey was a hot seller last year. Fans can expect to be on a long list of potential owners of a No. 23 LeBron James jersey when the season launches this fall.
—
Photo: Gilbert Flores / Getty
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
LeBron James, in the eyes of many, will go down as one of the best basketball players to ever lace them up and the accolades are numerous. Still, King James cast doubt if he’d return to the court for his 21st NBA season but that chatter was silenced at this year’s ESPYS Award ceremony.
LeBron James, 38, received the Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY award Wednesday night (July 12) but before he went to deliver his moving acceptance speech, James’ wife, Savannah James introduced her husband to the Dolby Theatre crowd in Los Angeles in humorous fashion. Mrs. James was flanked by their three children, sons Bronny and Bryce, and daughter Zhuri.
James showed all of the poise of a veteran as he took the stage and thanked his supporters while taking note of his long list of detractors. In his speech, James told the crowd that his devotion to the game is still strong as it ever was and despite his advanced age, he still has a lot left to give. And it was in this speech that the kid from Akron, Ohio let the world know that he was running it back.
“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said. “The real question for me is, ‘Can I play without cheating this game?’ The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”
Among the attendees were some of James’ former teammates such as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and others. James’ speech was met with approving nods and applause from the crowd, and the news certainly delighted Lakers Nation who all assumed that after the team was swept by the Denver Nuggets in this year’s Western Conference playoffs, James would retire.
On Twitter, LeBron James saw his name trending with people celebrating the news along with some requisite hate, something James mentioned in his speech. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Gilbert Flores / Getty
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
2K is celebrating its 25th anniversary by unveiling its latest edition of the popular NBA gaming series — and it’s officially available for preorder. The new NBA 2K24 will not only feature a slam dunk-worthy lineup of players to choose from, but comes in multiple covers, including two with the legendary Kobe Bryant on front, which you can collect.
Four editions of the game were made for consoles including PS5, PS4, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC. You can collect or choose between the Black Mamba version or Kobe Bryant edition of the game, which will feature past and current-gen versions of the game.
Pricing will defer depending on the console and version of the game you choose.
Keep reading to preorder the game and ensure you have a copy by the time it’s released.
GameStop
NBA 2K24 – Kobe Bryant Edition
$From $59.99
The Kobe Bryant edition will have you go back to the athlete’s early career days and work your way up to stardom level. Card-collecting mode has returned, which comes with hours of customizable options. The Kobe Bryant edition only comes with the base game with the option to purchase the past-gen or current-gen version of the game.
GameStop
NBA 2K24 – Black Mamba Edition
$99.99
The Black Mamba version comes with the same base game as the Kobe Bryant edition, but will have additional bonuses including 100K VC, 15K MyTEAM points, 2K24 starting five draft box with three option packs, 10 box MyTEAM promo packs, a cover star sapphire card, on diamond shoe, 2-hour double XP coin and more.
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom merch, tech deals from Walmart and over-ear headphones.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Shaquille O’Neal often refers to himself as the quote, “most dominant big man ever” and it’s hard to debate his stance. However, a meme stating that Joel Embiid would give The Big Aristotle the business on defense has Shaquille O’Neal himself egging on the contest of elite NBA centers.
O’Neal, 51, reshared a meme that’s been floating around posing a scenario that the Philadelphia 76ers superstar would lock Shaq up on defense. Like O’Neal, Embiid, 29, is swift on his feet despite his massive frame and even takes up ball-handling duties in certain play schemes. O’Neal was a bulldozer on the court in his prime, commanding automatic double-teams and even getting triple-teamed.
The NBA game of today is now a game of speed, and finesse, with elite shooting and passing taking over from the slow grind of pick and roll and other fundamental staples. Shaq, one of the most knowledgeable analysts in the game, wrote in the caption of the tweet, “i like these conversations. give me your thoughts. you already know mine. #barbecuechickenalert.”
In so many words, Shaq believes Embiid would have a hard time with him. There are also clips floating around with O’Neal dunking powerfully on the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and others.
With a career average of 23.7 points per game along with 10 boards, O’Neal’s numbers were exceptional for his era. Embiid, who is averaging 27 and 11, might have better numbers but still has a long way to go in matching Shaq’s laundry list of achievements, including being a four-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP.
On Twitter, the debate is going strong. Check out the reactions below.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Marcus Smart was the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics and one of the team’s better players in its last playoff rum but will now suit up for a new team in the upcoming season. Smart was moved in a three-way trade that sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis guard Tyus Jones to the Washington Wizards, and the Wizards shipping Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.
Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of The Year and three-time NBA Hustle Award winner delivered his best assist total at 6.3 per game this past season for the Celtics and elevated his scoring during the playoffs. However, he was sent to Memphis with Boston getting the Grizzlies’ 25th pick in exchange along with Golden State Warriors’ protected first-round pick in 2024.
Tyus Jones joins a new-look Wizards team who recently traded star guard Bradley Beal for Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, part of a rebuild for the Washington squad that welcomes a new front office looking to spark a long-discussed rebuild. The Celtics are sending its 35th pick in tonight’s draft to Washington. Much of the details of the trade between the details can be found in his report from ESPN.
As the outlet noted, the Celtics were in talks with the Los Angeles Clippers in hopes of sending guard Malcolm Brogdon, the 30th pick in tonight’s draft to the Wizards, and Porzingis to the Celtics. When the deal didn’t materialize, Memphis came into play.
On Twitter, the discussion of the Marcus Smart trade was largely celebrating the Texas native’s time in Boston and we’ve got some of the reactions below.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Michael Jordan was an inspiration to many as the only Black majority stake owner of an NBA franchise but now he’s relinquishing that title for a potentially huge payout. According to swirling reports, Michael Jordan will offload his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a reported $3 billion dollars.
News of the sale went wide last Friday (June 16) after the Charlotte Hornets issued a statement leaguewide that Michael Jordan will sell off his ownership stake to The Buyer Group consisting of Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall.
More from the Hornets’ PR team via NBA.com:
Plotkin, who acquired a minority stake in the Hornets in 2019, has been an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors since 2019 and is the founder and chief investment officer of Tallwoods Capital LLC. Schnall is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, where he has worked for 27 years, and has been a significant minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks and an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors since 2015. Schnall is in the process of selling his investment in the Hawks, which is expected to be completed in the next several weeks.
The Buyer Group will also include Chris Shumway, Dan Sundheim, Ian Loring, Dyal HomeCourt Partners, North Carolina natives recording artist J. Cole and country music singer-songwriter Eric Church, and several local Charlotte investors, including Amy Levine Dawson and Damian Mills.
Jordan, 60, will retain a minority stake in the Hornets and will reportedly still work with the team’s front-facing actions in some capacity. A report from CNBC states that Jordan, who initially purchased his stake for $275 million, will net 10 times as much if the sale is approved by the NBA Board of Governors.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Moriah Mills is continuing her on-again, off-again Twitter assault against Zion Williamson, which has included her airing out dirty laundry while simply declaring her love and devotion to the young NBA star. Moriah Mills, who has been tweeting nonstop for days, saw her name trending once more after she apparently threatened to post private sex tapes over Williamson not providing a wire transfer.
On Monday (June 19), Moriah Mills, reportedly 32, fired off a series of tweets threatening to leak a series of sex tapes that she alleges Williamson recorded on what she referred to as his “trap phone” along with other thoughts.
“You about to be a bounce around just like KD and all the hoes you fucked behind my back [peace sign emoji] no one gets away with betraying me I promise you,” Mills tweeted, coming after she promoted her OnlyFans page and shared images of her wearing Williamson’s jersey number when he played at Duke University.
Mills added, “Even if he doesn’t get traded he will not be the star franchise player anymore all trust is gone I know he mad !!! Should of stop lying to everyone you claim you care about. Your not a priority anymore your just a bust your not my king anymore either @Zionwilliamson I’m tired of giving you chances.”
Things went decidedly left when Mills began messaging the New Orleans Pelicans and NBA Twitter handles threatening to release the videos and urging the Pelicans to trade their star player.
“NBA I have sex tapes of me and @Zionwilliamson and he also has them on his trap phone @NBA @PelicansNBAtrade him now he doesn’t deserve to be in New Orleans !!! Sex tapes dropping soon,” Mills tweeted.
After missing a supposed wire transfer, Mills had this to say.
“Where is my wire transfer @Zionwilliamson you a liar and cheat where the f*ck is my money @PelicansNBA @nba trade this fraud he doesn’t deserve to be in Nola. Does your bm know you still trying to fly me out,” Mills wrote.
On Twitter, the reactions to Moriah Mills continuing to air out Zion Williamson are coming in and we’ve got some of them below.
—
Photo: Moriah Mills / @thisismoriahmills
Michael Jordan is finalizing a deal to sell the majority share of the Charlotte Hornets, the franchise announced Friday, leaving the 30-team NBA without any Black majority ownership.
Jordan is selling to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, the Hornets said. Plotkin has been a minority stakeholder in the Hornets since 2019. Schnall has been a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks since 2015 and is in the process of selling his investment in that team.
It’s not clear how long the process of selling will take to be finalized by the NBA’s Board of Governors. Jordan plans to keep a minority stake in the Hornets, the team he bought in 2010 for about $275 million.
Jordan’s decision to sell ends his unsuccessful 13-year run overseeing the organization.
“In the same way that it’s wonderful that one of our greatest, Michael Jordan, could become the principal governor of a team, he has the absolute right to sell at the same time,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month at the NBA Finals. “Values have gone up a lot since he bought that team, so that is his decision.”
In that same news conference at the finals, Silver said the Board of Governors are focused on diversity in ownership groups.
“I would love to have better representation in terms of principal governors,” Silver said. “It’s a marketplace. It’s something that if we were expanding that the league would be in a position to focus directly on that, but in individual team transactions, the market takes us where we are.”
The sale price was not immediately announced; ESPN, citing sources, said the franchise was being valued at $3 billion. The most recent sale of an NBA team came when Mat Ishbia bought the Phoenix Suns, a deal that when struck in December valued that franchise at $4 billion.
Jordan declined comment on the sale through his spokesperson, Estee Portnoy.
For as great as Jordan was on the court — national champion at North Carolina, two-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time NBA champion and in the never-ending conversation for best player ever — the Hornets never reached a championship level during his time as the owner.
Charlotte went 423-600 in his 13 seasons in charge, the 26th-best record over that span. It never won a playoff series in that time and hasn’t even been to the postseason in the last seven seasons.
Other members of the new potential Hornets ownership group — pending the approval — are recording artist J. Cole, Dan Sundheim, Ian Loring, country music singer-songwriter Eric Church, Chris Shumway and several local Charlotte investors, including Amy Levine Dawson and Damian Mills.
Along with the Hornets, HSE ownership includes the NBA G League’s Greensboro Swarm and NBA 2K League’s Hornets Venom GT, as well as managing and operating the Spectrum Center, each of which is included as part of the sale.
When Jordan, who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, purchased majority ownership in the team, it created a great amount of buzz.
But the Hornets’ struggles and inability to turn things around bothered Jordan. The first inclination that he was looking to get out of the NBA ownership business came in 2020, when he sold a minority stake to Plotkin and Sundheim.
The Hornets are coming off an injury-plagued 27-55 season and hold the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. Victor Wembanyana is expected to go first overall on Thursday night, leaving Charlotte with the choice of either G League star guard Scoot Henderson or Alabama’s Brandon Miller.
Charlotte’s biggest star is LaMelo Ball, and the team still has some decent foundational parts to build around including Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, P.J. Washington and Mark Williams, the team’s starting center who played well last year as a rookie.
Jordan was often criticized as an owner for not spending enough in free agency to make the Hornets competitive.
He took over a team in 2010 that had won 44 games the year before but had been swept by the Orlando Magic in the first round.
It went downhill from there.
Charlotte — still the Bobcats at the time — was 34-48 in its first year under Jordan and then an NBA-worst 7-59 the following year. But despite the abysmal record, Charlotte failed to land the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery and Anthony Davis.
Charlotte got back to the playoffs in 2013-14 but was swept by the Miami Heat. Two years later, the Hornets won 48 games but lost again to the Heat in the first round, this time in seven games.
In the seven years since, Jordan’s Hornets have had only one winning season and have twice exited early in the play-in tournament as the 10 seed.
Charlotte has not won a playoff series since the 2001-02 season and has never won an NBA championship
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games by the NBA thanks to his love of waving firearms on social media. The vibe on Twitter is that the high-flying point guard got off light.
ESPN reports that on Friday (June 16), the NBA announced that the Memphis Grizzlies point guard had been suspended 25 games for “conduct detrimental to the league” at the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season. The formal suspension comes after a second incident in which Morant was seen brandishing a gun on social media, this time in May.
Back in March, the NBA suspended Morant for 8 games for a similar incident where he showed off a firearm on Instagram Live while in a club in Denver. In response to that situation, Morant reportedly enrolled in counseling.
After the second incident, NBA Twitter fully expected NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to drop the hammer on Morant, with many speculating at least a half a season on ice for the talented player. Now it’s a question of Morant staying on the straight and narrow after his second strike.
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver n a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
Silver added, “For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty
In response, Morant issued his own statement which address his assigned homework.
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” said Morant in a statement he released on Friday. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman and Robert Pera — who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me — I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”
Peep Twitter’s reactions to Ja Morant’s punishment in the gallery.