Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson will get statue outside of Crypto.com Arena in 2027
Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson share a few words during Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Western Conference semifinals in Dallas. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Phil Jackson will be the next member of the Lakers to receive a statue outside Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers announced on Tuesday that they have commissioned a statue of the coach who led them to five NBA championships — with help from Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol and others — that will be unveiled April 9 when the Minnesota Timberwolves are in Los Angeles for the next-to-last game of the 2026-27 season.
The statue will be designed and created by Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Studio.
Jackson had already led Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles during the 1990s when then-Lakers owner Jerry Buss hired him before the 1999-2000 season. He ended up coaching the team in two stints — winning three championships with Bryant and O’Neal as his stars from 1999-2004 and two more with Bryant and Gasol leading the way from 2005-11.
Jackson’s 11 championships are the most for any NBA coach, a record he claimed from former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach (nine).
“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement released by the team. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.
“After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”
Jackson will join Bryant, O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Pat Riley and Jerry West as former Lakers with statues at Star Plaza.
Lakers to honor Phil Jackson — who led team to five championships — with statue outside stadium
Outside the Los Angeles Lakers’ stadium, there’s a statue of legendary guard Kobe Bryant. In 2027, the man who helped lead Bryant to five NBA championships will get his own statue outside the arena.
The Lakers will honor Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson with a statue of his own outside Crypto.com Arena during the upcoming season, the team announced.
Phil Jackson, who won five of his record 11 NBA coaching championships with the Lakers, will be honored with a statue outside https://t.co/zIICYNuCoG Arena this season, the team announced. The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027 before L.A. hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027, before the team takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jackson’s resume as a coach is unmatched. Over his 20 seasons in the role, Jackson won 11 times — six with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Los Angeles Lakers. When he retired after the 2010-11 NBA season, Jackson owned the highest winning percentage of any coach, coming in at .704. That figure has since been passed by Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who has a .726 winning percentage over five seasons. Jackson, however, maintained a 70 percent winning percentage over a much longer period.
Jackson also won two championships as a player, was the 1996 NBA coach of the year and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Jackson and Bryant are far from the only members of the Lakers to get their own statue outside Crypto.com Arena. Magic Johnson, Chick Hearn, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor and Pat Riley are all honored at the arena. Additional Los Angeles athletes such as Wayne Gretzky and Oscar De La Hoya also have statues outside Crypto.com Arena. The team also put up a memorial dedicated to Bryant and his daughter Gianna following their deaths in 2020.
MAC wants Michigan’s win overturned after reversing course on end of game controversy
Michigan wide receiver JJ Buchanan (6) catches a 47-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary against Western Michigan to win, 13-12, as time expires in the fourth quarter at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Just one full week of college football action is in the books, and one thing has become abundantly clear. This season, there will be lawyers.
In a statement from Mid-American Conference commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, citing “further study and investigation,” the MAC has submitted “formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff.”
Specifically, the MAC asserts the following:
After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game.
The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded.
This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation. Had the protocol been properly followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded, and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12–7.
Previously, the Big Ten released a statement supporting the decision to put one second back on the game clock, referencing “a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium” that was used in reaching that decision to put one second back on the clock, allowing Michigan one last chance at converting a Hail Mary.
Rather than relying upon the designated game clock displayed on the program feed, the Big Ten replay crew relied upon a separate clock embedded within its replay system. The two clock feeds were not synchronized.
The game clock displayed on the program feed showed that the clock had expired. The clock embedded within the replay system, however, showed time remaining. Despite the protocol expressly requiring replay officials to rely solely upon the game clock displayed on the program feed, the replay crew utilized the unsynchronized replay-system clock and restored time to the game clock.
That decision resulted in Michigan being awarded one additional play. On that play, Michigan scored a touchdown, changing the outcome of the game from a 12–7 Western Michigan victory to a 13–12 Michigan victory.
This is not simply a disagreement over the proper amount of time to place on the clock, nor is it a judgment concerning an officiating call. It is a failure to follow an established and specific replay protocol designed expressly to govern end-of-half timing situations.
The MAC Commissioner then asks that the Committee recognize Western Michigan as the “actual winner” of the game, 12-7, and that further action be taken to reflect that determination in “NCAA records, rankings, postseason consideration, and any other appropriate NCAA purposes.”
A similar letter was sent to General Rich Clark, the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff.
Over the weekend, Western Michigan President Russ Kavalhuna and head coach Lance Taylor appeared to accept the decision at a press conference. Kavalhuna stated that he did not “discern anything unfair or untoward” during the process, citing his background as a prosecutor.
“I will say I’ve looked into this pretty closely, and I used to be a federal prosecutor. I don’t discern anything unfair or untoward in this process. Can the process be improved by having what the viewing public sees as the same as what the reviewing officials see? Maybe. Frankly, that’s not for me to decide.
“Our students and our coach and our university live in a world where we don’t always get what we want. That’s an opportunity for us to show that, unlike what we see a lot in our society, where we point fingers at someone else and we say that what happened to us was bad because of someone else, even if it was, we know that those people exist in our lives, and we also know that the people we want on our teams and we want in our houses of worship and in our neighborhoods, they’re the kind of people who say, ‘Man, that really hurt, but we’re stronger together. We’re going to move forward. We can take this pain and use it to galvanize strength.”
“Some have read our actions as weak. However, supporting student-athletes and their growth during a time of adversity is strength. Being bitter doesn’t make you better and this should not be mistaken for weakness or agreement. We can show respect for the game while also asking serious questions; I’ve done both, and I’ll keep doing both.”
Will this appeal be successful? While college football history is filled with controversial endings, changing the outcome of a game would be an “extraordinary” act, as noted by Dr. Steinbrecher:
I recognize that the Oversight Committee does not ordinarily alter results recorded on the field. Nevertheless, the circumstances of this game are extraordinary. The final outcome was directly affected by a replay officiating error resulting from the failure to follow an established and specific protocol governing precisely this type of end-of-half timing situation.
Spurs Villain Tournament, Sweet 16: Former Spurs and Haters
Dec 14, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Richard Jefferson (24) drives in front of San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As you can see below, all the top seeds advanced to Round 2. The only semi-competitive matchup was Stephen Jackson vs Dennis Rodman, the latter of whom was surprisingly ranked 7th. I’m disappointed that Rodman is gone so soon, as I personally think he has an argument as the most disliked player who’s ever played for the Spurs, though Jackson’s up there too. Other than that matchup, everything else was chalk, so let’s now continue previewing Round 2 of our tournament.
Round 2: Former Spurs
1. Kawhi Leonard vs. 4. Richard Jefferson
The Nephew is back in the news, and Spurs fans are rejoicing once more. It’s a shame since he was supposed to be the heir to the dynasty, and Kawhi used to be a fan favorite. Then his true colors were revealed during the 2017-18 season when he abandoned the team and rehabbed a nagging knee injury privately, which he used as an excuse to ask for a trade. It seemed like a death knell for the team at that point, but I think everything eventually worked out in the Spurs’ favor.
Kawhi should win this in a landslide, especially since Jefferson has a surprisingly high seed in the bracket. Sure, he had three disappointing seasons in San Antonio and jokingly called the city a dump, but he’s had more positive things to say about the organization than negative ones. I’ve never had any ill will towards RJ, and all the “insults” he’s levied against the Spurs are in jest, though sometimes it does get old — especially when you hear him calling games 24/7. Plus, if RJ never flamed out in San Antonio, then we wouldn’t have witnessed one of the greatest shoves ever.
2. Stephen Jackson vs. 3. Robert Horry
Stephen Jackson’s one of the most unlikeable players I can think of, and that’s before factoring in my Spurs fandom. He’s called out Pop more times than every other NBA player in history combined, constantly bringing up a story where his ego got in the way of the betterment of the team. He also hates Tony Parker with a passion, calling the latter selfish and claiming that the Spurs would’ve won more titles had TP sacrificed more. I actually agree with the selfish claim to a certain extent, but for it to come from Jackson of all people is just ironic.
Horry, meanwhile, has a true love/hate relationship with the franchise and its fans. He played a crucial role in both the 2005 and 2007 title runs, but has gone on to call the organization “boring” since the locker room lacked drama. Horry also said that Hakeem was “20 times better than Tim Duncan,” which is an absurd statement for two of the 10 greatest players ever. I’d never ridicule anyone for believing Hakeem’s in the same tier of greats as Timmy, but to say he’s 20 times better is one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever heard.
Round 2: Spurs Haters
1. Phil Jackson vs. 4. Uncle Dennis Robertson
For someone so accomplished, Phil Jackson sure does seem insecure about the success of others. He infamously claimed that the Spurs’ 1999 title deserves an asterisk because it came during the 50-game lockout-shortened season, which led to The Admiral purposefully leaving him hanging at the 2000 All-Star Game.
Jackson’s opponent is none other than our favorite uncle, who was recently handed a five-year ban from conducting any business with the NBA following the Aspiration scandal involving Kawhi. He seemed to be the mastermind behind both the Kawhi trade out of San Antonio and the shady deals that have now come to light with the Clippers. Spurs fans were the first victims of Uncle Dennis’ shenanigans, but the extent of his illegal dealings surprised even me.
2. David Stern vs. 3. Mark Cuban
It seems strange to have a former commissioner on such a list, but Stern fining the Spurs $250,000 for resting players back in 2012 was more a message to the entire league than him singling out San Antonio specifically. To be fair, the Spurs popularized the load management that fans all love today, and that was exactly the type of thing Stern wanted to prevent when he was still in charge. I honestly believe that both Stern and the Spurs did what was in their best interests, so I’m fairly surprised that he was a higher seed than Mr. Shark Tank himself.
Unsurprisingly, Cuban was delighted to see San Antonio punished for sitting its players. By that point, he had developed a fierce hatred for a Spurs team that routinely clashed with his Mavs in the playoffs during the 2000s and early 2010s. Cuban even made it personal by insulting the Riverwalk and felt that the Spurs’ success was largely due to lottery luck, and it certainly didn’t help that the rival teams are from the same state but in two cities with distinct cultural differences.
The Minnesota Lynx just signed a potential game-changer
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 5: Aari McDonald #2 of the Indiana Fever smiles during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on August 5, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE(Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Minnesota Lynx have signed guard Aari McDonald, a 28-year-old guard who took the Indiana Fever by storm last year before going down with an injury. McDonald averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in 20 contests last year, including 13 starts.
But she missed the last 13 games of the season with a broken foot, and also missed the subsequent Unrivaled season. If healthy, McDonald provides a big boost to an already-stacked Lynx roster.
She was originally selected third overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2021 WNBA Draft after an illustrious career at the University of Arizona. She spent three seasons with the Dream before joining the Los Angeles Sparks. Across her 5-year WNBA career, she averaged 8.8 points, 3.1 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal per game. McDonald was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team in 2021 and helped the Dream advance to the postseason in 2023.
To clear space for McDonald, the Lynx have waived guard Eliška Joklová, who averaged 1.7 points in 5.3 minutes per game this season.
Now, Aari McDonald joins a 31-9 Lynx squad eager to win a title.
Minnesota won’t need significant contributions from McDonald; they already have rookie Olivia Miles running the show at point guard, and Courtney Williams sharing the backcourt, fresh off her third All-Star appearance.
Miles is in the MVP race, averaging 19.7 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game, while Williams is tallying 14.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
Behind them, Maya Caldwell has played significant minutes off the bench; the 27-year-old guard is averaging 4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.8 minutes a night.
McDonald likely won’t have a massive opportunity, but she may have the chance to battle for meaningful backup minutes at the guard position. And, while she’s been out of the league this season, the last time she laced up for a WNBA team, she was hugely impactful.
Ultimately, the Lynx will go as Miles, Williams, Kayla McBride, Napheesa Collier, and Natasha Howard go. But, bench players win games in the postseason, and McDonald just might be the kind of player who could move the needle come October.
Basketball: NBA Playoffs: Brooklyn Nets fans in stands holding up letters that spell BROOKLYN during game vs Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center. Game 7. Brooklyn, NY 6/19/2021 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X163667 TK1)
With the signing of 7-footer Grant Nelson to a two-way deal on Friday, the Brooklyn Nets roster seems set, barring some huge surprise. They now have the full complement of 15 players on standard NBA deals and three on two-way contracts. They will invite players to training camp which starts September 29, ultimately sending four of them to Long Island for G League duty. That should be it.
The roster is very young, no doubt the youngest in the league for the second straight year with eight of the 15 on rookie contracts, and five of them unable to legally drink in New York because they’re under 21. Two of the 20-year-olds — Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. — will be the highest drafted rookies in back-to-back years since 1995 and 1996. Only one player will be over 30 — Julius Randle who will turn 32 . They will also reflect the team’s new mantras of positional height and versatility — no more small ball. Ten of the 18 are 6’9” or taller, topped by Nelson at an official 7’0” in bare feet.
Will they win some games? They think so. Jordi Fernandez eschews gloom and doom, thinking his team will win a lot more than any pundits think (and we’re not going to dwell on what they think. No we are not.) Julius Randle told Mikel Brown Jr. they “will shock the world.” And Ben Saraf in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, published Thursday laid out the players’ goal.
“I think this year we want to win as many games as possible. Last season, there were more opportunities for the younger players, and I think that really helped all of us. But this year it’s about winning. Whoever helps the team win is going to play,” he said. “Making the playoffs is definitely a dream. I think this year our team has been built well, and I really believe we can do it. That’s our goal.”
Not the “play-in,” not the more amorphous “post-season” but the playoffs which would require around 40 wins. Optimism reigns.
Of course, optimism always reigns this time of year. Most teams by now, as Bobby Marks (no relation) has said, in love with their rosters. Not every team thinks it can contend, but they generally will like how their rosters fit their plan. It takes until around mid-December, conveniently when free agents signed over the summer can first be traded, for ownership and management to realize the plan has holes.
As for Nelson, his signing is yet another sign the organization likes him. Despite some physical setbacks, Brooklyn has remained positive about his development. They signed him to an Exhibit 10 after he went undrafted, waited through seven weeks of rehab, then played him in Long Island with minutes restrictions till he got healthy enough and gave him a 10-day with the big club. After his patella tendinitis, aka jumpers’ knee, re-emerged and he wasn’t given a second 10-day, they kept him around on. Following a non-surgical treatment after the season, they gave him a spot on the Summer League roster, even travelled him to Sacramento and Las Vegas knowing he still needed recovery time wouldn’t plan. Finally, he got a two-way which will have an opportunity for minutes. That’s commitment.
Next up will be signing players to those Exhibit 10 contracts, some of which will mean camp invites, some of which will simply be a way to fill out Long Island’s roster. They can bring 20 players into camp.
So knowing all that, should we play the rotation game? Who we might see vs. the Charlotte Hornets on Opening Night, October 21. At the moment, barring those surprises, we are likely to see the Aura Bros — Egor Demin and Michael Brown Jr., both aged 20, starting in the backcourt along with the two high scoring veterans, Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle at the 3 and 4 and Day’Ron Sharpe at the 5.
That’s the easy part. Also likely to see minutes in Fernandez’s typically deep rotation are guards Terance Mann, Nolan Traore and Keon Brown as well as bigs Josh Minott, Noah Clowney and Moe Wagner. Saraf and Danny Wolf may be getting niche minutes. Defense is likely to play a big role in who plays.
Do we expect big improvements from some of the eight players on rookie deals, aged 22 to 20?
One player who needs a big season is Clowney. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of 2026-27 so this is his time. He didn’t have a bad year in year three, averaging 12.4 points on 40/33/80 splits to go along with 4.1 rebounds in 27 minutes per in 66 games. But he started 60 of those games and that’s unlikely this time around, not with the addition of Randle. As every Nets fan knows, he’s had some highly promising games over his short career — a week with games of seven and four blocks in the last week of 2023-24 and four games with four or more 3-pointers just last season. They’d just like to see more of it.
Overall, decisions are likely to be driven first by developmental priorities … but unlike the last two seasons, Fernandez will not have worry about the lottery. Brooklyn may have to (okay, will likely to) swap firsts with the Houston Rockets. They also control the New York Knicks unprotected first. Both will likely to be low in a reportedly mediocre and top heavy draft. No the prior it was the last two drafts, both seen as “generational.”
We shouldn’t be tied to the tyranny of positions 1-through-5, either. Fernandez and others in the organization talk about position-less basketball, positional height and versatility going to be crucial. How many times will we see Demin, Brown Jr. and Traore together? How often late in games with Randle be pounding the ball down at the 5? Will Clowney get time at the 5 in certain situations? Minott at the 4? Will they find time for Joshua Jefferson who they liked a lot in the draft? What about the three two-ways? The Nets have used two-ways more than most teams the last two seasons as part of their development scheme.
It should be interesting.
What about MPJ and Julius Randle?
Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron and Capsheets.com had Erik Slater and Brian Lewis on last week and the headline out of the podcast was speculation about whether Michael Porter Jr. or Julius Randle, two proven NBA scorers aged 28 and soon-to-be 32, will be with the team past the trade deadline in early February…
The suggestion is that contending teams looking to improve their chances will offer Brooklyn assets that are more in line with their time line, whether younger players or draft picks … although the Nets already have a clear league lead in first (13) and second (19) round picks. In addition, the Nets and MPJ seems to be at an impasse about an extension beyond his $40.8 million expiring deal. So, if that doesn’t work out, Sean Marks & co. would be in danger of losing MPJ without any compensation (although the Nets can extend him at any time up till July 6 next year.)
However, Randle thinks he an MPJ will work well together, telling a fan in Brazil (where he was on a Skechers promotional tour with O.G. Anunoby of tip-in fame) he thinks the two bigs play different games and can complement each other…
Como vai ser o encaixe entre Julius Randle e Michael Porter Jr. no Brooklyn Nets?
“It’s gonna be great. Two completely different type of players as far of style of play. I think we actually complement each other very well,” the three-time NBA All-Star said. “I can do a lot with the ball, with the dribble, you know creating and he’s a great catch-and-shoot guy, can really space the floor. We’ll complement each other very well.”
FYI, Randle has a player option of $35.8 million come July.
Ben Saraf takes stock
Of all Brooklyn’s first rounders last year, Ben Saraf was the subject of the most fan skepticism and that’s being kind. He was seen, at No. 26, as an NBA lemon by a loft of fans, and/or an indication of how the Flatbush 5 was filled with bad choices … despite the fact that a 26th pick doesn’t produce a lot of stars and that he was the eighth youngest player out of the 600 or so who donned NBA uniforms last year. And please don’t mention to those fans that Hugo Gonzales was taken at No. 28!
Saraf remains optimistic about his NBA journey. In that same interview with the J-Post where he spoke about the team’s optimism, he spoke about his belief in himself.
While at a community event in Rishon LeZion in Israel last month, he spoke with Joshua Hallickman he expressed confidence that his second year will give him a push.
“During my workouts over the past few months, the Summer League and our team practices, I already feel like the game has slowed down for me a bit. You have to get used to the pace and understand better what’s expected of you,” he said. “This summer, I’m focusing a lot on improving my shooting, getting stronger physically, learning how to take care of my body and how to prepare for games. Those are all things you learn during your first NBA season, and I’m happy about that.”
As a combo guard, he’ll need to shoot better to get minutes in a backcourt that includes four other 20-year-olds in Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr., Nolan Traore and Drake Powell, a 22-year-old rookie in Joshua Jefferson plus Keon Ellis and Terance Mann.
He admits as well, that there were some tough times.
“It was really important for me to prove to myself that I was capable, even if I had to take a step back. I wanted to stay mentally strong, and I think by the end of the season I was playing much better and had some good games. But the goal now is to start next season already playing a meaningful role with the team.”
Indeed, at Hallickman points out, there were some bright spots particularly late.
After spending part of the year in the G League, the 20-year-old responded with arguably the strongest stretch of basketball of his young NBA career. Over Brooklyn’s final four games, he averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists while logging more than 32 minutes per contest. The highlight of that run came when he scored 19 points in back-to-back games against Milwaukee and Indiana, showing the poise, confidence and playmaking ability that made him one of Europe’s most highly regarded prospects.
His shooting still wasn’t that respectable — 46/19/88 — in that stretch but in one of the two 19-point outings, he went to the line 10 times in 36 minutes, hitting nine of them. Also, his head coach often praised his defense and he averaged close to a steal a game in 21 minutes last season.
Saraf told Hallickman that the high point of the season was not a high score but the game the Nets played vs. the Portland Trailblazers in Brooklyn on March 6. It was the first time three players with Israeli passports had taken the court together in the NBA. He, Danny Wolf and Deni Advija spent a total of 66 minutes running up and down the court at Barclays in front of a lot of Israeli flags.
“I think the most exciting and emotional moment was the game where there were three Israelis playing together on the same court with all the Jewish fans in attendance. It was so much bigger than basketball. That was definitely the most powerful moment of my season.”
Saraf didn’t mention any of the protests related to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Iran but instead noted how well he was treated and his connections with Israeli and Jewish communities in the U.S.
“It’s amazing. There are endless Friday night dinners. Even when I travel to other places, I meet many Israelis and Jews doing gap-year programs or volunteering, and I’m always invited over,” he told Hallickman. “That’s also true when it comes to Chabad houses (Jewish community centers) across the country. I try to go whenever I can. I also visited a Jewish school in Cleveland to talk with the kids. It’s great. I really appreciate all that support.”
Although he didn’t play for the Israeli national team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers this summer, he expressed the hope he’ll be able to in the future.
“It’s a huge dream. Honestly, whenever I play for the national team, that’s when I enjoy basketball the most. Those tournaments are the most fun for me, and it’s always an incredible experience. I’m also really excited to watch the youth national teams. They’re doing an amazing job. I think we have a lot of talented prospects and that we can become a really strong national team in the future. I’m very excited about that.”
Long Island Nets busy, too.
Just as Sean Marks has been filling out the Brooklyn roster, Long Island’s GM, Matt MacDonald, has been doing the same, making small trades to acquire G League rights to players, drafting a French guard in the G League international draft and working with Brooklyn on both Exhibit 10 and two-way signings.
One transaction this week in particular caught our eye, a trade for rights to Isaiah Wong, a 6’3” combo guard who grew up in Piscataway, N.J. and attended the University of Miami. The 25-year-old has experience in the G League, NBA and the Spanish League, generally conceded to be the best pro league outside North America.
Overall, Wong has played 21 NBA games having been taken by the Pacers at No. 55 in the 2023 NBA Draft after he’d been named ACC Player of the Year, a third team All-American and helped Miami reach their first-ever Final Four.
What can he do? Here’s his Miami highlights:
Wong played a single game with the Pacers in 2023-24, then he got 20 games of action the next year in Charlotte…
After Charlotte didn’t renew his deal, he went overseas, playing first in Lithuania with Zalgiris, a Euroleague team, then in Spain with Gran Canaria. Wong averaged 14.6 points a game along with two assists and two rebounds.
Personally, he has an interesting distinction. His paternal great-grandfather was Chinese, meaning he can play for the Chinese national team. Can’t hurt. Will he choose Long Island over the Canary Islands? No word yet, but unless he gets signed to an Exhibit 10 contract and gets the customary bonus of $85,000, he’ll be limited to the standard G League deal, which tops out at $49,000, less than what he can get overseas.
Final Note
Meanwhile in L.A., the city’s two teams are in turmoil. The Lakers former owners, the Buss family, are feuding as Jeannie Buss tries to preserve her role as NBA governor. With her siblings undercutting her to sell their final 17.8% of the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, she wouldn’t control enough stock in the operating company to qualify for a seat on the NBA Board of Governors. She’s going to court it appears.
Meanwhile, across the great expanse of the city, Steve Ballmer is also considering suing the league after Adam Silver put the hammer down on his ownership of the Clippers. ICYMI, the Clippers have to give up their first rounders from 2029 through 2033 and pay a $30 million fine. Ballmer and his CEO, Gillian Zucker, are suspended for a year while Lawrence Frank faces six month unpaid leave. And it an under reported and under appreciated part of the ruling, “the Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.” That appears to mean that the league office will now play a role in Clippers’ basketball operations. How’s that going to work?
All of it, of course, is the penalty for circumventing the NBA’s salary cap rules. In the year after Pablo Torre first uncovered the scandal that involved Kawhi Leonard’s lucrative no-show deal with a team partner, the league’s high-powered law firm, Wachtell Lipton not only confirmed what Pablo found out, but found three more suspect agreements … and announced there may be more to come.
The general belief is that neither law suit will succeed and Josh Kushner, Jared’s brother, will take Jeannie Buss seat and Ballmer will have to find another hobby for a year. However, the lasting effect of all these West Coast machinations, including the circumstances that led Laker owner Mark Walter to sell in the first place, may very well be that Adam Silver’s new theme song is “No more Mr. Nice Guy” across the board.
Silver has long been seen as a conciliator compared to his predecessor, David Stern who was more of a hanging judge. That was fine as long as team valuations soared into the stratosphere and scandals could be brushed aside. Now, though, there’s a sense of crisis because the game’s integrity is at the center of the league’s success. Without it, more fans will be even more cynical and cynics make for lousy fans.
Cheating on the cap, a failure to fully vet new owners’ net worth and the gambling scandal are all part of that integrity problem. Gambling could indeed by the worst blow. The budding investigation has already nabbed four former NBA players including a Hall of Famer and will likely explode in the next few months. Two former players, including MPJ’s brother Jontay, have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with authorities in the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office. Gamblers are too. Will other, big names be tarred?
While the Clippers’ scandal has taken up a lot of Pablo Torre’s time of late, he also tackled the gambling scandal back in February and a close reading of what he found out then should have sent tremors through the NBA offices on Fifth Avenue. There were some bad actors out there. No word on when things will get laid out publicly but watch for news about sentencings of those who have pleaded guilty. Often at those sentencing hearings, defendants must “allocute,” that is, reveal what they have told the feds and prosecutors put it in the larger context. That could be painful for the league.
Anything that could harm the Nets going forward? It seem unlikely. MPJ has explained he had nothing to do with his brother’s gambling, mostly on G League games (!), and we have no reason not to believe him. As for cap circumvention, that’s certainly not been a problem. Brooklyn hasn’t crossed the cap since the Mikal Bridges trade and no one is suggesting the Tsais aren’t among the wealthiest people in the world.
As one insider noted to us, “we’re boring.” Let’s keep it that way!
The Portland Trail Blazers are signing Hyunjung Lee to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, according to multiple reports out of Korea, and confirmed by Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. That means he is almost certain to spend much of the coming season with the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
Nicknamed the “Ace of South Korea,” the 6’7″ forward played for Portland at Summer League in 2024, spent last season playing in Japan’s B League. With a smooth jump shot, 3-point range and just playing hard when he got the chance, Lee made an impression at Summer League this year with San Antonio, averaging 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in eight games (across the California Classic and Las Vegas). He started slow but near the end of Summer League, he dropped 22 on Utah.
Lee wants to play in the NBA and is taking his shot through the G League. It feels appropriate that the team that drafted and is trying to develop Yang Hansen is taking a shot on him.
Sexton talks Lakers
He’ll be coming off the bench, but Collin Sexton chose to come to the Lakers as a free agent because of the opportunity. He is going to have a big role, sparking offense with the second unit on a team that’s going to play fast and be critical to their success. Sexton appeared on ESPN LA Radio and talked about what drew him to Los Angeles as a free agent (hat tip Real GM).
“I would say just opportunity to win, being on a big stage and being in the situation where I can try to come in and impact winning. I feel like I’ve been on different teams where it’s just been a lot tougher. Of course, the want to win, it’s always been there.”
He also talked about most of the team heading to Slovenia on Luka Doncic’s dime to work out this summer.
“I would say it was one of those trips where it was more like team building for us. It was for us to gel and work out, not just in the States, but away. And also, just the culture, for Luka to do that, it just shows a true leader, and that’s the role that he wants to fall into this season and be the one to lead us.”
Madison Square Garden tops Ant’s favorites list
Anthony Edwards and young F1 star Kimi Antonelli filmed a commercial together and did a behind-the-scenes video for YouTube, one where Antonelli asked Ant his favorite buildings to play in (hat tip Hoopshype).
“Well, of course home or Madison Square. Madison Square, TD Garden, New York, Boston, Philly, and Atlanta at home. But it’s hard to play in Madison Square Garden too. Great place. It’s hard to play there. You got to be ready for that. Boston is the same way New York is.”
Barkley says he’s retiring
We’ve seen this movie before, but maybe this time he means it.
Appearing on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” last week, Barkley said this coming season of “Inside the NBA” would be the last one for both him and host Ernie Johnson. Barkley said when the iconic NBA pre/postgame show jumped from TNT to ESPN last year, Johnson asked Barkley to stay on for two more years.
“I said: ‘I love you, man. You’re the best. I’ll stay.’ So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100%.”
Take it all with a grain of salt, we’ve heard this a couple of times now from Barkley. But one of these times it’s going to be real.
Sixers To Keep First-Round Pick Swap With Clippers In 2029
The Philadelphia 76ers will hold onto their first-round pick swap from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2029, sources confirmed to Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
As part of the NBA’s punishment for violating salary cap circumvention rules, the Clippers will forfeit five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033.
The NBA will instead take away the 2029 first-round pick owed by the Pacers from the Ivica Zubac trade.
The Sixers initially received the pick swap from the Clippers as part of the James Harden deal from 2023.
Chris Paul calls last season with Clippers 'one of the most disrespectful things that I've endured'
It seemed like a heartwarming ending. Chris Paul, the man who helped turn around the Clippers’ culture and the transition from Donald Sterling to Steve Ballmer as an owner during the Lob City era, came back to the Clippers for his final season before retiring.
Instead, Paul’s strong leadership style clashed with coach Tyronn Lue and management — CP3 would say he was holding them accountable — and 21 games into the season they sent him away from the team (but still on the roster). Then at the deadline he was traded to Toronto in what was purely a financial move.
“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured…
“I think just because of the investment we made in the team for as long as we have, and to see the way stuff was handled. What it lets you know is that no matter what you do or what you’ve done, nobody cares.”
Paul played 16 games with the Clippers last season, his final ones in his Hall of Fame career.
In his first stint with the franchise, from 2011-2017, he became a Clippers legend, part of the core of Lob City with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Those seasons saw Paul making three NBA First-Teams, five First-Team All-Defensive teams, and two top-five MVP finishes. For a variety of reasons, those teams never had the playoff runs to match their regular-season success.
Paul was in a limited role with the Clippers last season at age 40, playing 14 minutes a night and averaging 2.9 points per game while shooting 32.1% from the field. However, the Clippers knew what they were getting when they brought him in: A strong leader in the locker room who would call out teammates but also coaches and management. When Los Angeles got off to a 5-16 start, there was a lot of finger-pointing, and things got so bad between Paul and Lue that they were not talking. That led to the Clippers separating him from the team — the news coming down on the road in Atlanta in the middle of the night (news leaked at 2:40 AM Eastern). That was poorly handled and caught the rest of the players off guard.
CP3 talking almost seems like piling on after the week the Clippers had, where the league stripped them of five first-round picks, suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year, suspended head of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months and fined the team $30 million for salary cap circumvention in the Kawhi Leonard case. Although, is it piling on when the Clippers brought all of this on themselves?
Stephon Castle’s rise from intriguing prospect to winner
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JUNE 13: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a free throw during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After the big-time star player, what matters most in the modern NBA? Billy Crystal might say that “is a question for the ages,” yet the picture gets clearer when reviewing some of the proven teams or the ones that have ascended at rapid speed.
The San Antonio Spurs’ build fits the latter category because of their talent, plus they’ve had someone committed to doing the hardest jobs: Stephon Castle. Anyone who watched him at UConn in 2023-24 probably knew he was bound to have a great pro career because of his skills and the special something beating in his chest. And they are correct so far.
Castle wasn’t setting the league on fire out of the gate, being an ineffective 3-point shooter and being unsure of when to assert himself offensively at times. Yet his value illuminated like the lights coming out of Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase in Pulp Fiction 10 games into his career when he dropped 10 points in the fourth quarter of a one-point loss at home against the Utah Jazz.
That was his first time scoring in double figures late and it felt like a glimpse of the future. Then within a handful weeks, it felt like he should have been starting despite being green, but the Spurs don’t usually hand things over quickly. On some nights, it may have been difficult to see his full value when he scored in single digits or missed easy ones at the rim, but this is why one must be entrenched in their basketball philosophy.
He came into the league with grown-man strength, so it was easy to tell, even then, that offensive shortcomings would be corrected with added reps and improved mechanics. On top of that, he had Chris Paul’s approval and the future Hall-of-Famer had said they share the same competitive nature. Notably, Castle inherited some of Paul’s best qualities the next year, showing them early as the team waited for De’Aaron Fox to rehab from his hamstring injury.
Part of the reason I thought so highly of Castle as a rookie was that he found a way to make the rest of the Spurs’ season fun by taking on a bigger role after Victor Wembanyama went down with a blood clot. Thank goodness Castle did because there’s only so many years fans can take of not being competitive. His late-season push secured his Rookie of the Year award, too.
At that time, one of the signs that he was improving quickly was that his usage was higher and so was his effective field goal percentage (slightly) than when Wemby was playing. Additionally, lots of unfinished business was left on the table in 2024-25 as they had both assisted each other 60 times. When fans look back on it, they saw the rise of Area 51, which hit the ground running the next season as both players increased their pass frequency to each other. Each of them started scoring more easily with help.
Castle, particularly, as a rookie was not very efficient when scoring on passes from Wemby because he would rush some shots, boldly try to maneuver through traffic and he hadn’t gotten completely comfortable against faster coverages. None of that is abnormal for a youngster.
Still, I didn’t think he’d be that good the next year and that’s part of what made the 2025-26 season so special. His points-per-game average increased by two, his EFG percentage went up by 4.5 points, and he recorded 80 percent extra assists. One of the ways he was able to raise his deep-shooting percentage was by taking more shots off the catch but it still needs more work.
In the playoffs, he was seen guarding up against Julius Randle in round two as well as being on the perimeter. His versatility makes him a mobile sentry.
The average committed NBA fan is generally sharp. Outside of San Antonio, it’s hard to say how he is viewed by them, but I took the liberty of ranking him. The process included reviewing the rosters of every team and writing down the names of the players I would take before him. Consider how every championship team needs someone like him to defend the other team’s best perimeter player and that there aren’t 20 ballers in the NBA who will do that and score 15 points nightly. Castle is one of those guys, and there were only 25 names before his on the list (see at the bottom).
It matters little that 39 players scored more per game (minimum of 65 games) in 2025-26 and that he’s still a below-average 3-point shooter (33.2). Winning requires having an all-round game and that’s what the Spurs are molding.
My basketball philosophy states that defense and rebounding are the most important ingredients to winning a championship, and that’s why I’d pick Jrue Holiday before Damian Lillard. That’s also the same reason why Castle, who is sort of like an upgraded version of Holiday, is more of a winning player than a lot of popular guys. Keep in mind that he was four points shy of being on second team All-Defense in 2025-26.
Despite his game’s imperfections, he’s not far off from being an All-NBA-level player. When coach Mitch Johnson praised him as a rookie, saying he “embraced everything we’ve thrown at him,” it reminded me of the times fight promoters, proclaimed their prospect would be champion, and I believed them.
