NBA 101

NBA Board Of Governors Approve Anti-Tanking Lottery Rules

The NBA’s Board of Governors have voted to approve new anti-tanking rules that will take effect next season for the 2027 draft.

The draft lottery will expand from 14 to 16 teams along with flattened odds, and a relegation zone where the bottom three teams get penalized with decreased odds to land the No. 1 overall pick.

Adam Silver prioritized taking significant measures after the NBA received widespread criticism for the number of teams who were blatantly attempting to lose games to improve their lottery position ahead of the anticipated 2026 draft.

The actual drawing of the 2027 draft order is expected to be televised live as it was in the 1980s before the pingpong format.

The new rules are only assured to be in place for 2027, 2028 and 2029, as the league may move to a draft credit system as early as 2030. Under the concept, each franchise would receive an equal allotment of draft credits, 100 for simplicity’s sake, rather than traditional first- and second-round picks. Teams would then bid those credits in an auction format, starting with the No. 1 overall selection and proceeding down the board.

St. John’s massive NIL payment revealed after Tounde Yessoufou chooses transfer portal over NBA Draft

St. John’s men’s basketball has been reborn since hiring head coach Rick Pitino, but the college legend doesn’t have many years left leading the program. Pitino will turn 74 years old before the 2026-27 regular season, making him the oldest power conference coach in America by a couple years over Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.

Pitino led St. John’s to a No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA tournament, but the team lost in the round of 32. This past season, St. John’s repeated as the Big East tournament champions, but their March Madness run ended in the Sweet 16 as a No. 5 seed. Pitino is going all out to put a Final Four caliber team together before he eventually retires, and on Wednesday night the Red Storm landed the final piece of what should be another elite roster.

Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou was thought to be a lock to enter the 2026 NBA Draft for most of his freshman year. Questions about his three-point shooting and playmaking eventually pushed him down the board, and when he entered his name in the transfer portal, many started to wonder if a college program would out-bid the NBA for his services. That’s exactly what happened: Yessoufou withdrew from the NBA and transferred to St. John’s at the college withdrawal deadline this week, and he reportedly got a huge sum of money to do it.

Yessoufou will reportedly make “upwards of $7 million” playing for St. John’s next season, according to reporter Aaron Heisen. It’s a shocking figure, but that’s what talent goes for in today’s era of college hoops.

The Florida Gators reportedly paid Thomas Haugh at least $8 million to bypass the 2026 NBA Draft for a return to college. Haugh was a projected lottery pick, while Yessoufou was likely going in the late 20s or even the early second-round if he kept his name in. This deal immediately makes him one of the highest paid players in college basketball history.

St. John’s needed a gritty defender with scoring punch to round out its lineup, and Yessoufou is a perfect fit. He’s built more like a linebacker than a basketball player with a hulking frame that has drawn comparisons to Oklahoma City Thunder wing Lu Dort in the past. Yessoufou still averaged nearly 18 points per game as a freshman even with obvious holes in his skill set mostly because he finished well at the rim (68.5 percent), showed off a nice mid-range game, and attacked the offensive glass. His floor spacing is a question mark with a 29 percent stroke from three-point range, but if he shows any improvement there, he’s probably a first-round pick in a weaker 2027 NBA Draft.

Yessoufou isn’t much a ball handler or passer, but St. John’s has other players to handle those duties. Point guard Quinn Ellis comes over from Olimpia Milano, where he was one of the better young guards in EuroLeague. Ellis’ transition to college basketball will be fascinating as a 22-year-old, and it’s possible he’s one of the better guards in the sport. Ian Jackson is also returning to the Red Storm next season, and like Yessoufou, he was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school.

Add in Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman to the front court, and St. John’s has playmaking, shooting, and perimeter defense in its projected lineup.

The center spot will be the question mark for the Johnnies, but they have plenty of bodies to soak up minutes there. Ruben Prey has always intrigued me as a 6’11 stretch big man out of Spain, and he could be in for a big leap as a junior.

The money running through college basketball is mind-blowing right now. The Johnnies came up with the cash, and they landed one of the best available players in the country over the NBA.

Joe Theismann is grateful for what golf provides

The sport of golf offers different things to different people.

For some it represents an opportunity to be physically active. Golf is, after all, a sport.

For others golf is an opportunity to network and get to know people. When you are out on course for 4-5 hours you want to ensure that you are with people you care about.

For legendary quarterback Joe Theismann… golf is all of these things. Joe recently sat down with SB Nation to discuss his preparation for the American Century Championship and he noted that golf gives him opportunities to do all of the above. He has basically been a part of every ACC and is incredibly excited for this year’s edition.

Tournament prize money for the ACC is up to $750,000 total with a $150,000 first prize, but importantly the tournament has at the same time raised over $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates fundraising at tournament to drive direct donations to Stowers each year. Fans can watch the ACC on NBC or Peacock from July 10th through 12.

Best of luck to Joe out in Tahoe!

President Trump Says He Plans To Attend NBA Finals Game At Madison Square Garden

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he intends to attend at least one NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden, which would mark the first time a sitting U.S. president has attended an NBA Finals game.

“I think I’ll be going to one of the games,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that he had received invitations from “numerous people,” including Knicks owner and MSG Entertainment CEO James Dolan, a past donor to Trump’s campaigns.

“We don’t know if President Trump is coming to the finals, but the president of the United States – no matter who is in office – is always welcome at all our venues,” a MSG spokesperson said.

Trump had originally planned to attend what would have been Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday before the Knicks swept Cleveland in four games. New York will face either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals.

A sitting president has never attended the NBA Finals, though Trump has made attending major sporting events a regular practice during his second term, including the college football national championship, a Yankees game on September 11, and the U.S. Open men’s singles final.

No NBA champion has visited the White House during Trump’s current term. Last year’s champion Oklahoma City Thunder cited a “timing issue” for not making the trip. In an anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic in April, 53.4 percent of NBA players said they would accept a White House invitation while 46.6 percent said they would not.

Former President Barack Obama attended Game 2 of the 2019 Finals in Toronto, but that was several years after leaving office.

Kenny Atkinson Retained By Cavaliers As Head Coach

Kenny Atkinson will be retained as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers next season, sources tell ESPN. Atkinson was hired by the Cavaliers in the 2024 offseason to replace J.B. Bickerstaff.

Atkinson had retained the support of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to remain as head coach.

The Cavaliers’ front office hasn’t always been in sync with Atkinson. Some members of the front office had preferred James Borrego when they instead hired Atkinson.

While the Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals, they were swept by the New York Knicks.

The Cavaliers are expected to be “opportunistic” during the offseason when looking at upgrades to the roster.

RealGM Radio: How The Knicks Escaped Their Old Mistakes; Big Offseason Questions For Cavs, Giannis, Kawhi & More

Indy 500: Katherine Legge’s ‘Double’ dream comes to an early end

Katherine Legge’s dream of completing “The Double” came to an early end at the 110th Indianapolis 500.

The British driver was attempting one of the toughest feats in motorsports, trying to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. But her Indianapolis 500 came to an end on Lap 18, as she swerved to avoid a spin from Ryan Hunter-Reay in front of her, and found the inside wall:

Here is another angle of the incident:

Both drivers were taken to the infield care center and checked out before being released. Legge spoke with FOX Sports following the incident:

Legge will now head to Charlotte for the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600, where she is set to start 37th. Weather conditions washed out Saturday’s qualifying session, and rain is also expected to be a factor this evening.

Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 is also sure to be a somber event, with the unexpected passing of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch earlier this week.

Another WNBA guard has been waived, but this time is different

The New York Liberty have waived guard Julie Vanloo, who was on a hardship contract with the club. But, Vanloo turned to social media to express her gratitude for the tenure.

“I’m totally okay with it,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “I knew from the start it would likely be short, and New York was amazing with their communication throughout the entire process. Very respectful.”

Through five games, Vanloo averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 assists per game.

Vanloo, 33, has played for the Washington Mystics, Golden State Valkyries, and Los Angeles Sparks over the past two years. Last year, she was waived by the Valkyries midseason, before joining the Sparks for the rest of the year. Vanloo was with the Sparks for training camp, but was cut before the regular season roster was finalized.

But, she signed with the Liberty, and poured in 12 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds in the season opener, a 106-75 victory over the Connecticut Sun.

“It was a tough week,” Vanloo said after that game, per The Associated Press’s Doug Feinberg. “I’m a little bit overwhelmed, and I’m just trying to take it all in. Just being waived, trying to stay positive, trying to stay confident. I had a lot of conversations with my family and my close people, and I really wanted to give up and go home because I was exhausted from a long season overseas and from giving everything I had in training camp.”

Her tenure ending likely means that Sabrina Ionescu, who has yet to play this season with a left foot injury, will soon make her debut. The team has otherwise leaned on rookie Pauline Astier at the point guard position, with Ionescu and Rebecca Allen (left leg injury) both sidelined.

Whether Vanloo will get picked up by another WNBA team remains to be seen. But during her brief Liberty tenure, Vanloo made her mark, finishing with the league’s 10th-most assists per game (5.4) and the 8th-best three-point percentage (50%).

Still, she joins a long list of players whose future is uncertain.

Taylor Jenkins Adds Darvin Ham, Patrick St. Andrews, Joe Boylan To Bucks’ Coaching Staff

Darvin Ham, Patrick St. Andrews and Joe Boylan are all expected to join new Milwaukee Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins’ staff for the 2026-27 season.

Ham brings head coaching experience to the role, having compiled a 90-74 record across two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, including a Western Conference finals run in 2023. Ham interviewed for the New Orleans vacancy this spring before the Pelicans hired Jamahl Mosley.

The appointment reunites Ham with Jenkins, who first worked together on Mike Budenholzer’s Atlanta Hawks staff. Both later moved to Milwaukee with Budenholzer for the 2018-19 season before Jenkins departed for Memphis and Ham remained with the Bucks through 2022.

St. Andrews, a nine-year NBA assistant, also traces his coaching roots to Budenholzer’s Atlanta staff. He followed the same path to Milwaukee and later joined Jenkins in Memphis in 2023 before moving to Portland, where he has worked under interim Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter.

Jenkins addressed the bonds formed during that 2018-19 Milwaukee staff at his introductory news conference.

“They’re definitely brothers to me, for sure,” said Jenkins. “The staff that was here when I was here in Milwaukee, I remain unbelievably close friends and brothers with, supporting each other.

“They’ve made a tremendous impact on me, both personally and professionally, basketball-wise. The intimate nature of our job, we’re around each other all the time. You’re having great debates in coaches’ meetings, in the locker room, on the plane rides. You’re doing things out in your communities, road cities, wherever it is. You’re sharing a lot of time together, and how we pour into each other, those connections were immediate.”

Boylan rounds out the trio, having joined Jenkins’ Grizzlies staff in 2024-25. He previously served three seasons under Chris Finch in Minnesota and spent over a decade in player development with several NBA organizations. Boylan is a noted practitioner of the Constraints-Led Approach to player development.

Dunc’d On: The NBA Media Landscape with Andrew Marchand