Real recognize real. Last year, former …

Real recognize real. Last year, former NBA superstar Allen Iverson stated that current Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is in his top five players of all time, adding that Curry would be the starting point guard if he were to assemble an all-time starting five. Since then, Iverson’s comments have stuck with Curry. The two-time MVP admitted in an episode of Showtime’s “All the Smoke” that he has Iverson’s remark saved on his phone. “I ain’t never had a big head. That dude who I picked up a lot of game and inspiration from — he’s now looking at my game … Some OGs, they don’t want to relinquish the praise. Same way we respect the OGs, we want it both ways. So when you do hear that, that means something,” Curry said in the show’s latest episode that is set to premiere this Thursday.

Jusuf Nurkic out until after All-Star break

According to a source familiar with the situation, who spoke to the USA TODAY Sports Media Group on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, Nurkic will be out until after the All-Star break. Nurkic suffered a gruesome broken leg injury in which he fractured his fibula and tibia, on March 25, 2019, and the Blazers are currently in the midst of a difficult season at 19-26, two games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe …

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said he believes that there are three WNBA players who could play in the NBA right now. “I think there are a couple of players who could play in the NBA right now, honestly,” Bryant told CNN when asked whether there might be a day when his daughter could play in the same league in which he was a five-time champion and 18-time All-Star selection during his 20 seasons with the Lakers. “There’s a lot of players with a lot of skill that could do it. “Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne. There’s a lot of great players out there, so they could certainly keep up with them.”

He returned home to take a job in the …

He returned home to take a job in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, becoming, Tsai says, the chief drafter of a 1960 law that opened Taiwan to foreign investment and helped usher in an export-driven economic boom that lasted decades. In 1965, the year after Joe was born as the first of four children, his grandfather and father established Tsar & Tsai, a law firm that became a go-to shop for international clients looking to do business in Taiwan. “I’m Chinese,” Tsai says. “I grew up in a very culturally Chinese environment.” He spoke Mandarin as a child, and his parents talked about returning to visit the mainland. At the time, the KMT saw itself as China’s rightful ruler, a status then recognized by most of the West. “My upbringing is always that there is one China,” he says.

Notre Dame’s Troy Pride, Jr.’s Stock Soaring at Senior Bowl

Playing well has sort of been his thing for a good amount of time now.

Love it or hate it the practices at the annual Senior Bowl are always eye-catching to NFL scouts and draft analysts.

Perform well and your draft position can fly up. Perform poorly and risk your name falling significantly on draft weekend.

Former Notre Dame Troy Pride, Jr. appears to be in that first group after an impressive couple of days in Mobile.

Pride checked in at 5-11.3″ and 193 pounds Tuesday while having 31 3/8″ arms, 8 3/8″ hands and a 73 3/4″ wingspan. Since then he’s impressed on the practice field.

Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus shared this thought on Wednesday night:

I’m not sure anyone has risen their draft stock more with their performance this week than the Notre Dame cornerback. In a fairly weak cornerback group here in Mobile, Pride has been the clear cream of the crop. He’s locked down Michael Pittman Jr., James Proche and Quartney Davis on highly impressive reps through the first couple days. His elite speed and smooth hips have him completely unafraid of getting beaten deep. With question marks about his press technique and ability to play the catch point heading into the week, Pride has been fantastic in both.

Although a bit surprising how well he’s performed its really not shocking to me that Pride has turned heads quite like this. After all as Notre Dame fans know, Pride was playing at a level near that of All-American Julian Love by the end of 2018 and was an incredibly valuable piece of a great secondary this season. Playing well has sort of been his thing for a good amount of time now.

How high might Pride go? I have no idea but him performing this well against an extremely talented draft class of receivers certainly doesn’t hurt his cause, either.

Draymond Green picks up league-leading 12th technical foul vs. Jazz

Draymond Green is now only four technical fouls away from a mandatory suspension.

Draymond Green may have missed 13 games for the Warriors this season, but in the games he’s played, he’s certainly made his time count…

In the realm of technical fouls, that is.

Green played just 25 minutes during Wednesday night’s 129-96 loss to the Utah Jazz, but he still had enough time to pick up his 12th technical foul of the season. The incident occurred with 5:28 remaining in the game’s third quarter. Frustrated, Green slammed the ball to the ground and drew the whistle.

Entering play on January 22, Russell Westbrook ranked second in the league with 10 technical fouls, while Kyle Lowry, Marcus Morris and Trae Young were each tied for third place with nine.

By rule, once a player receives his 16th technical foul, he is suspended for one game. From that point forth, he will be suspended one game for every other technical called against him. In other words, a player who finishes the season with 20 technical fouls will have been suspended for three games — one each for having received a 16th, 18th and 20th technical foul.

Green is currently on pace to be whistled for 21 technical fouls on the season. Fortunately for him, he’s nowhere near the pace set by Rasheed Wallace during the 2000-01 season. The former Portland Trail Blazers ended the season with a whopping 41 technical fouls.

Afterward, head coach Steve Kerr provided a little insight as to Green’s feelings and noted that the team is very frustrated as a result of its losing 12 of its last 13 games.

The Warriors will next be in action on Friday night when they host the Indiana Pacers. Golden State will have their hands full, as similar to the Jazz, the Pacers will enter the contest somewhat hot. Indiana has won six of its last seven games.

WATCH: Lafleur calls Packers’ effort vs. 49ers in NFC Championship ‘troublesome’

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is still wondering what went wrong in his team’s season-ending loss to the 49ers Sunday.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is still wondering what went wrong in his team’s season-ending loss to the 49ers Sunday. During his final press conference of the season Wednesday, LaFleur reflected on the fact that he’s still trying to figure out why his team looked flat in the NFC Championship.

LaFleur admitted that the San Francisco staff, “definitely out-coached,” him and his own staff. He added, “I just don’t feel like we played with the same intensity,” as the team did throughout the rest of the 2019 season.

“It’s extremely… It’s bothersome,” he said.

The 49ers led 27-0 after the first half before finishing with a 37-20 final score to earn the trip to the Super Bowl over the Packers. In particular, the Packers struggled to stop San Francisco’s running game.

More than what happened on the field, it sounds like LaFleur is trying to diagnose what happened in his team’s mental preparation that resulted in him saying, “Our players [weren’t] playing with their hair on fire.”