Category: News

Jason Kidd impressed by what Sam Presti has built with the Thunder

Jason Kidd impressed by what Sam Presti has built with the Thunder.

Social media recently uncovered a gem — a 16-year-old Sam Presti vouching for the Boston Celtics to draft Jason Kidd in 1994.

Presti campaigned via the Boston Globe why the Celtics should draft Kidd. He mentioned his playmaking and basketball IQ as reasons why they should add him to their roster.

The Celtics didn’t have a chance to prove Presti right or wrong. Kidd was taken with the No. 2 pick by the Dallas Mavericks and the Celtics settled with Eric Montross with the No. 9 selection.

Before the Thunder’s Game 1 win over the Mavericks, Kidd — who is now the Dallas head coach — agreed with Presti’s assessment from 30 years ago.

“He was right,” Kidd joked.

The 10-time All-Star enjoyed a successful career as one of the best point guards of his era. A second stint with the Mavericks as a player was awarded with a championship in 2011.

Kidd now hopes to bring Dallas another ring but as the head coach. In his third season, this might be his best shot yet to materialize this ambition.

Kidd coaches arguably the best star duo in the league. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had a monster postseason debut in their Round 1 win over the LA Clippers. They each averaged 25-plus points.

They’ll need to continue to do that against the Thunder, who Kidd has had his fair share of postseason battles as a former player. The Mavericks defeated OKC in the 2011 Western Conference Finals en route to a championship. The next year, OKC avenged the loss by sweeping Dallas in the first round.

The one constant from those 2011 and 2012 Thunder squads and this season’s is Presti. He’s one of the longest-tenured GMs in the league and is widely considered one of the best in his business.

Kidd praised the Thunder’s general manager, saying he’s done an incredible job at cracking open another championship window with this second iteration of OKC.

“It’s amazing what he has built here,” Kidd said. “Not just this team, but the teams that have come before this. He has an eye for talent and has done it at a very high level.”

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Jan Blachowicz campaigns for rematch with UFC champ Alex Pereira: ‘He knocked out everybody – not me’

Jan Blachowicz thinks he’s the toughest matchup for UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] thinks he’s the toughest matchup available for UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Blachowicz welcomed Pereira to the 205-pound division in July 2023 at UFC 291 but was on the wrong end of a split decision. Pereira went on to finish Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant light heavyweight belt, then achieved his first defense when he knocked out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 this past month.

Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) is still adamant he won the initial encounter and would love to run things back with Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) to prove he’s superior.

“He is not a better fighter than me, and I believe that I deserve the rematch,” Blachowicz said in an interview with Fanatics View. “When he fight against me, I still believe that I won this fight.

“(Judges) see different scores, but I believe that I won this fight against him, and I believe that I deserve the rematch. He knocked out everybody – not me. When I come back, I believe that I can fight against him one more time.”

Blachowicz, No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, hasn’t fought since the defeat to Pereira due to injuries. The Polish fighter underwent a second shoulder surgery in March, and is targeting a return within the calendar year.

“Everyday is a little bit better but still I need more time to recover and to fix correctly,” Blachowicz said. “So I think my next fight will be at the end of the year, not earlier.”

In the meantime, Blachowicz would like to see Magomed Ankalaev get the next title shot – not Prochazka, who Pereira recently stated is likely next in line.

“I want to see Pereira against Ankalaev because this is the hardest opponent for him right now,” Blachowicz said. “Because I’m not in the division because I’m out for a couple more months. He is the most dangerous fighter for him.”

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Chiefs WR Rashee Rice under investigation in alleged nightclub assault in Dallas

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is under investigation for possible involvement in a nightclub assault

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice’s legal issues continue to build up.

Dallas TV station WFAA has reported that Rice is under investigation for allegedly hitting a photographer at a nightclub in Dallas early Monday.

Dallas police confirmed the report, according to USA TODAY Sports’ Cydney Henderson. An investigation was opened after officers responded to a call about an assault at 2:30 a.m. Monday.

“The preliminary investigation determined a victim reported being assaulted by a suspect in the 600 block of North Harwood Street,” the department said in a statement. “The victim self-transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. This is an ongoing investigation.”

Rice was charged with eight felony counts after a high-speed, multi-car crash on a Dallas expressway in March. Commissioner Roger Goodell and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid have said they will let the judicial process play out before making further comments.

Rice could face a suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy. League protocol for criminal cases is to let court proceedings finish before handing down punishment.

2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves

The MMA world already has said goodbye to a number of retiring fighters in 2024, with more surely to come for the rest of the year.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2024 has already seen a number of notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

Sean Strickland’s coach: UFC considered Khamzat Chimaev matchup before Paulo Costa booking

Sean Strickland’s inability to travel to Saudi Arabia may have cost him a UFC main event with Khamzat Chimaev, says coach Eric Nicksick.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] had options after losing the UFC middleweight title but wound up with [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) takes on Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the UFC 302 co-main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. But before the Costa match became official, Strickland’s head coach, [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag] of Xtreme Couture, revealed the UFC brass mentioned the possibility of a showdown with [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) before he was booked against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6.

“I know they were hoping for maybe Khamzat, but I don’t think Sean can travel to Saudi Arabia or something – I’m not 100 percent sure,” Nicksick said in an interview with Sportskeeda. “But I know Khamzat’s name was possibly kicked around. Khamzat is going to be a big draw in Saudi, and that fight is more about location than it was about the opponent, in my opinion.”

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Strickland was campaigning for a rematch with middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who took his belt by split decision at UFC 297 in January.

Nicksick praised Du Plessis, and said the South African actually reciprocated interest in running it back immediately, but the UFC had other plans.

“I ran into Dricus, man. I talked to Dricus,” Nicksick said. “Dricus is a class act, man. I really enjoy having conversations with him. We talked about the fight, we talked about life, whatever, and they said that they were asking for the rematch for Sean.

“They were trying to get the rematch, and they wanted to go a different direction that’s probably going to be Izzy (Adesanya), which is no problem. I understand what the UFC is trying to do, but we need to focus on Paulo Costa, we need to get that win, and I think it puts us right back into title contention.”

As for the clash with Costa, coach Nicksick predicts a late finish by Strickland in what will be a five-round fight.

“I think Sean can get him out there by Round 4 or Round 5,” Nicksick said.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Aspen Ladd excited with switch from PFL to Bellator, still aims to become champion

Aspen Ladd is looking forward to fighting for Bellator now that the PFL closed the women’s featherweight season this year.

The landscape in [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag]’s fighting career has changed drastically and abruptly in recent months. Yet, despite all the differences, her main goal remains: to become a champion wherever she’s fighting.

The former UFC contender was fighting under the PFL banner after leaving the UFC in late 2022. However, that all changed out of nowhere when PFL disbanded the women’s featherweight season for 2024, only hosting 125 pounds for women after purchasing rival promotion Bellator in late 2023.

Ladd (11-5) has yet to make her Bellator debut but does have a fight scheduled. She’s expected to meet Ekaterina Shakalova at the Bellator Championship Series event in Paris on May 17. Although things may seem new and uncertain, Ladd’s focus remains unchanged.

“I’m very curious to see what the belt situation is with what’s going on,” Ladd told MMA Junkie Radio. “I don’t know if it’s going to be a unified belt, or they’re going to keep one for Bellator, one for PFL. I don’t know.

“And yes, that is the ultimate goal (become world champion), but at the moment because it’s so up in the air, it’s like, ‘Meh.’ I just take every fight as they come, and that is the singular battle. We’ll see where this goes in a year and year and a half with what they’re going to do.”

Bellator Championship Series is mostly going to be held outside the U.S., at least for the near future. This excites Ladd because she will have the opportunity to travel the world, as she has only fought outside the U.S. once in her entire professional MMA career.

“Honestly, I’m very excited about it,” Ladd said about the switch from PFL to Bellator. It’s going to be the year of travel because after this fight, if you look at where all the fights are going to be this year, there’s a slim chance I’m fighting in the U.S. It’s the year of travel, and that’s pretty darn exciting.”

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Colby Covington now open to Belal Muhammad matchup, ‘super intrigued’ by Khamzat Chimaev

If Ian Machado Garry isn’t next, Colby Covington is looking up in the UFC welterweight rankings.

If Ian Machado Garry isn’t next, [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] is looking up in the UFC welterweight rankings.

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) denied Garry’s claims that he was offered a matchup with the Irishman and insists that he’s the one concerned that Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) won’t show up.

When asked whom he’d ideally like to fight, three-time former title challenger Covington pointed to top contender [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC), who is expected to be welterweight champion Leon Edwards’ next title challenger.

“Maybe this kid (Belal) Muhammad, who’s been talking a lot,” Covington said on “The Rush” podcast. “He’s up there in the rankings above me. So, I think if I beat that guy, it gets me right back to a title fight.

“I don’t know, anybody. I could fight Joe Schmo off the street, and I’m going to get the same paycheck. It’s going to be a high-level fight. Every time I get on the mic you know I’m going to sell that sh*t to the moon.”

Another name that interests Covington is [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who’s currently focused on making a middleweight title run. Chimaev is coming off a narrow decision win over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and is slated to face Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22 in Saudi Arabia.

“In a five-round fight, I would be super intrigued by that fight,” Covington said of Chimaev. “I always told them I want this guy in a main event. I don’t think he can last. His cardio doesn’t look that good. His last fight he fought Usman at 185 on one weeks’ notice, and I thought Usman won the fight.

“He landed more strikes. He came out the first round, he wrestled him, and he didn’t do any damage. The second and third rounds, he was just coasting to a victory. I think he’s going to get exposed soon. He doesn’t have good cardio, and he’s not as good as everybody thinks he is.”

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Sean O’Malley thinks Conor McGregor is jealous of him, open to ‘legendary’ fight at lightweight

Sean O’Malley thinks Conor McGregor is getting “pushed out” and is threatened by his growing UFC star power.

UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] could be threatened by his growing star power.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is undeniably the biggest name in MMA history, and O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) has never been hesitant to acknowledge that reality. In fact, O’Malley has repeatedly stated finding ways to try to follow in the Irishman’s lofty footsteps.

That’s why O’Malley was caught off guard when McGregor decided to include him in a social media rant asking for a lifetime ban on Ryan Garcia, who tested positive for traces of ostarine in his win over Devin Haney. O’Malley tested positive for the same banned substance in 2019, resulting in a six-month suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

“To be honest, I kind of want to hate him,” O’Malley said on Bradley Martyn’s ‘Raw Talk.’ “I want to be like, ‘F*ck you,’ and I’ve tried to. I’ve said it. I even messaged him on Twitter. I said, ‘F*ck you,’ just to make me feel a little bit better. Cocaine’s a hell of a drug. He was probably shadow boxing in the bathroom at a club. And I get you say sh*t.

“I do think there was a lot of jealousy. People like that, that big of an ego, he sees what’s happening. He sees like – he’s starting to get pushed out. I’m starting to come up. It’s like, there’s no other reason for him to talk sh*t about me. I’ve never said anything but praised him. You know, I’ve looked up to him, so I want to try to hate him, but it’s hard. Conor, he is the man. He really is, but I don’t know. I really don’t feel any way about it. When I first saw it, I was like, ‘What the f*ck? Like, that’s crazy.’ But then I’m like, ‘God, I know he’s probably geeked out.’ You know, jealous. So, he wanted me to sign with their management company; I didn’t want to. So, he sees me blowing up. He deleted it real quick after. I’m sure either his team did or he’s like, ‘God, why did I do that?’ But I don’t know.”

McGregor returns after a nearly three-year layoff against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in the UFC 303 headliner on June 29 in Las Vegas, and O’Malley now said he hopes Chandler knocks him out.

If McGregor does win, though, O’Malley isn’t ruling out a future encounter – even if he has to move up two weight classes.

“He’s big nowadays,” O’Malley said. “I’m pretty realistic when it comes to big guys. I’m like, ‘OK, I’m a ‘35er. I stay in my lane, and I do my thing. I could go up to ‘45. I’d fight (Alexander Volkanovski), I’d fight Max (Holloway), I’d fight Ilia (Topuria), but I stay in my lane.

“Conor’s one of the only guys I would fight that I’m like, ‘That motherf*cker’s big.’ I would just fight him at ‘55. First of all, it’s a huge payday. Second of all, it’s Conor. That would be legendary. He’s one of the rare guys I would fight way out of my weight class.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Ryan Garcia still denies PED use but says he fought Devin Haney while ‘high as f*ck’

Ryan Garcia still denies PED use after he teste positive, but he says he fought Devin Haney while “high as f*ck” on April 20.

[autotag]Ryan Garcia[/autotag] continues to serve up drama.

The 140-pound contender, who tested positive for a banned substance before his victory over Devin Haney on April 20, said on the Fully Tilted Podcast with Bob Menery that he was high during the fight.

And he again denied taking PEDs.

“If I were on steroids, I would’ve been in way better shape,” said Garcia, who confirmed that he has asked for his B samples to be tested. “I was literally drinking every day, smoking weed – every single day.

“I didn’t stop, not even until the f*cking day of the fight. And I got in there high as f*ck and I beat his ass.”

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) created drama before, during and after the fight with Haney, a junior welterweight titleholder.

He came in three-plus pounds overweight, which meant he was ineligible to win the belt. He shocked Haney and the boxing world by putting the champion down three times and winning the decision.

Then came news of the positive drug test, which leaves the result of the fight and Garcia’s career in limbo.

If authorities confirm that he had the banned drug Ostarine in his system and his lawyers can’t clear him, he almost certainly will lose the victory and be both suspended and fined.

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Nets’ Nic Claxton receives zero votes for NBA’s 2023-24 DPOY award

The NBA announced Tuesday that Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton received zero votes for the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the summer portion of their operations as they look for ways to improve the team enough to make it back to the playoffs next season. As they progress through their offseason, one of Brooklyn’s best players did not receive a single vote for one of the most prestigious awards in the NBA.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced that Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert won the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award, the fourth time that he won the accolade in his career. Along with the announcement, the league also posted the voting results for the award and Nets center Nic Claxton did not receive a single vote.

While the award was expected to come down to Gobert and San Antonio Spurs Center Victor Wembanyama, it was somewhat surprising to see Claxton not get a single vote despite his defensive numbers not changing much. Claxton, 25, averaged 2.1 blocks per game (eighth in the NBA) and was 23rd in the league in Defensive Win Shares (3.2).

In the 2022-23 season, Claxton averaged 2.5 blocks per game (tied for second) and as a result, received the seventh-most votes for that year’s Defensive Player of the Year award. One possible reason for this is because of the Nets finishing with a 32-50 record and ending this season 20th in defensive rating (116.1).

Claxton has spoken about the award numerous times over the past couple years in terms of how he feels that he’s one of the better defensive centers in the league even if he doesn’t win the award. New Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez recently said that he believes that Claxton will be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate again soon enough.

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