Bobby Manning: Asked Brad Stevens about Jaylen Brown being left off #TeamUSA: “Jaylen’s a great player. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Jaylen could be on any team, any Olympic team in any year. But at the end of the day, his approach, he talked about how he called Derrick, he talked about his own feelings … whether he has success, or he gets all the accolades, like Finals MVP or eastern conference finals MVP, or he feels like he got left off the team. He’s going to be motivated and hungry regardless. That’s what I’ve always loved about him. He always goes back to work.”
September 5, 2024 | 5:15 pm EDT Update
Lowe: Rumblings Michael Malone and front office are not seeing eye to eye
Calvin Booth has prioritized the development of Denver’s draft picks with the goal of building a sustainable contender, but that could come at the expense of their short-term success managed by Michael Malone. “There are rumblings,” said Zach Lowe on his podcast this week. “Rumblings! That the coaching staff and front office, or at least the head coach and the front office, aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye in Denver. To a degree even unusual for the NBA.”
Ira Winderman: The Heat have picked up the fourth-year option on the rookie-scale contract of forward Nikola Jovic and the third-year option on the rookie-scale contract of Jaime Jaquez Jr. Both moves are for the 2025-26 season.
The Hornets have signed free agent forward Keyontae Johnson, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions. The news of Johnson landing with Charlotte was announced last month by his agency. At the time, it was unclear what type of contract he would be signing. By process of elimination, it appears the 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 9 contract, likely with Exhibit 10 language.
StatMuse: Active players with 5+ All-NBA 1st Team selections: LeBron James Kevin Durant Giannis Antetokounmpo James Harden Luka Doncic Luka is only 25 years old. pic.x.com/jg2ir7cxr9
Similar to what happened in Ljubljana a few weeks ago to honor Goran Dragic’s retirement from basketball, Zagreb hosted some legendary basketball names tonight. The reason was remarkable: honoring the legacy of a true icon like Drazen Petrovic. Luka Doncic and his father Sasa, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Aleksandar Dzikic, Jorge Garbajosa, Ergin Ataman, and a lot more accepted the invite of Drazen’s brother and current Brazilian national team’s head coach Aleksandar Petrovic to attend the show.
September 5, 2024 | 3:50 pm EDT Update
Rudy Gobert responds to Shaquille O'Neal: I get the entertainment part, but you don't need that stuff to stay relevant
Rudy Gobert: It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @Shaquille O’Neal both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments. I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant.
A source confirmed that the Bulls will bring Simeon High product Talen Horton-Tucker to training camp on an exhibit 10 deal.
Hawaii is paying the Los Angeles Clippers $750,000 as part of a partnership that would bring the basketball team to the Islands for training camp and a preseason game in Honolulu against the Golden State Warriors in October.
The contract also says the Clippers are scheduled to do several community events in Hawaii during their training camp, which includes youth basketball clinics, school computer lab renovations and VIP meet and greets with players or staff. HTA says it has a pre-existing relationship with the Clippers dating back to the 2019 training camp. Due to NBA geographic market restrictions, only the Clippers and L.A. Lakers could host training camps in Hawaii.
September 5, 2024 | 2:34 pm EDT Update
Amazon Prime closing deal to livestream Bally Sports broadcasts of 13 NBA franchises
Amazon is in talks to become a major player in regional sports broadcasting for the NBA, MLB and NHL — with a surprise deal that could shake up the way fans have watched their local teams for decades, The Post has learned. The Seattle-based e-tailing giant headed by Jeff Bezos is in late-stage talks for a contract to livestream on Amazon Prime this coming season all the Bally Sports broadcasts of 13 NBA franchises, as well as five MLB teams and nine NHL teams, sources close to the situation said.
With the new streaming service — which could launch next month with the start of the NHL and NBA seasons — sources said fans will pay about $20 a month for access to their home team’s local games through Prime. Crucially, fans with the Amazon Prime service would no longer need a cable subscription to watch local games.