Tag: Jordan Nwora

NBA champion Jordan Nwora stops by Bills training camp

NBA champion Jordan Nwora stops by #Bills training camp:

The Buffalo Bills had a guest from the hardwood at training camp.

On Tuesday, Jordan Nwora from the NBA’s Indiana Pacers stopped by to check out the sixth day of the team’s training camp.

Nwora, who attended Amherst and Park in high school, is a Nigerian-American player who was born in Buffalo. He was drafted in the second round out of Louisville by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 and went on to win the 2021 NBA title with the team.

Check out the photos Nwora snapped with Bills general manager Brandon Beane and offensive lineman Dion Dawkins below:

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Why on Earth would LaMelo Ball ever need anything at all from Michael Jordan, who hasn’t won a title in two decades?

According to LaVar, his youngest child asks Jordan for advice as often as Big Baller Brand has lost: Never.

We haven’t heard as much from world-famous basketball dad LaVar Ball recently, but it’s certainly not because he has stopped talking about his sons.

Eldest son Lonzo Ball is finally starting to realize his endless potential on the Chicago Bulls. Meanwhile, youngest son LaMelo Ball has rapidly ascended into becoming arguably one of the greatest players in the world for the Charlotte Hornets.

LaVar is assuredly as proud of his children as ever and with good reason.

But as Lonzo and LaMelo continue to play well, we simply don’t need the same carnival-barker antics we’ve come to expect from LaVar in order to convince us that his sons are talented. We see it on the court every time we tune in to watch the Bulls or the Hornets.

However, that doesn’t mean that LaVar has faded into the night. In fact, this week, he may have delivered his best one-liner of all time.

LaMelo plays for the Hornets, which is a team principally owned by basketball Hall of Famer and GOAT runner-up — I’m more of a LeBron guy, sorry — Michael Jordan. When asked how often LaMelo asks MJ for advice, LaVar hit us with the knock-out punch.

According to LaVar, his youngest child asks Jordan for advice as often as Big Baller Brand has lost: Never.

LaVar continued to compare Jordan to expired milk, which he feels should be thrown away. He then said the quiet part loud, wondering what Jordan could offer because, well, when is the last time that MJ won a championship?!

I think that LaVar hit the nail exactly on the head with this one. Could you imagine how weird it would be if LaMelo — who is currently averaging 20.0 points per game — asked anything of MJ — who is currently averaging 0.0 ppg and hasn’t scored an NBA basket since 2003? LaMelo is all good as it is, baby.

I don’t care how many rings Jordan won during his time in the NBA. If you sort all the title winners by the date that they won the Larry O’Brien trophy, Jordan doesn’t rank all that well.

If — and that’s a big if! — LaMelo ever needs to ask anyone for advice, he can go to Milwaukee and ask Jordan Nwora. The wing was on the floor for a minute during the NBA Finals this past season and he didn’t miss a single basket! He was perfect from the floor!

Why on Earth would LaMelo ever need anything at all from MJ, who hasn’t won a title in two decades?

Michael Jordan has gone 8,581 days and counting since he last won a title. Do you want to know how long it has been since Jordan Nwora won a title? 183 days. Step aside, Michael Jordan. There is a new Jordan in town. And he has a thing or two that he can teach to LaMelo.

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Nets Summer League: Cameron Thomas hits clutch three in win over Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets won their first Summer League game, and Cam Thomas hit a huge shot in the closing minutes.

After falling short of a rally on Monday, the Nets needed to bounce back against the Milwaukee Bucks. Another loss would mean that their chances of advancing to the Summer League championship game would be over.

Right out the gates, Brooklyn showed that much-needed desperation on the defensive end, holding the Bucks to 0-of-6 from three at the end of the first period. This marked the end of a 16-point quarter for Milwaukee. In the second quarter though, the Bucks’ Summer League squad found new life.

They scored 27 points in the period with Jordan Nwora (14 PTS, 3 REBS) leading the way. It wasn’t enough to secure the lead though, as they trailed the Nets 43-48. Reggie Perry (11 PTS, 5 REBS) was the story heading into the half for Brooklyn.

The second half came down to who wanted it more. Every time when it seemed like the Bucks would get the lead, the Nets would answer right back. When the closing minutes finally approached, it took a clutch Cameron Thomas three to create breathing room for Brooklyn to close out the game, 97-91.

Although Thomas (22 PTS, 6-14 FG) will be remembered in this game for his high scoring output, Day’Ron Sharpe (11 PTS, 8 REBS) and David Duke Jr. (10 PTS, 9 REBS) will be remembered for their contributions in other aspects of the game. Rebounding in particular for Sharpe and orchestrating the pick and roll effectively for Duke.

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2020 ACC Tournament Completion: Notre Dame knocks off Louisville

The Irish are going to the championship game!

Well. Notre Dame has put itself on the cusp of an unlikely ACC Tournament championship. It wasn’t all easy as the seventh-seeded Irish had to survive a scare from third-seeded Louisville in an 81-78 semifinal victory. Still, they will have a chance to avenge their 2017 title game loss to Duke when they face the Blue Devils for the 2020 title.

Notre Dame went on a 9-0 run beginning around the midway point of the first half and rode the momentum to a 17-point halftime lead. It held a double-digit lead as late as the 14:37 mark of the second half and an eight-point lead with 44 seconds left. Louisville then made 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions, but the Irish made enough free throws to stay in front as the time ticked away. The Cardinals had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds, only for David Johnson to clank a 3 from straight away and give the Irish their second straight upset of the tournament.

T.J. Gibbs shot 6 of 15 from the field to lead Notre Dame with 17 points. John Mooney had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Dane Goodwin came just short of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards, and Prentiss Hubb scored 12 to go with a game-high six assists. The Irish shot 90.9 percent from the free-throw line, which it needed to counter an abysmal 7-of-25 showing from beyond the arc.

For the Cardinals, Jordan Nwora missed a double-double by one rebound while leading all scorers with 22 points. Johnson had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five assists off the bench. Malik Williams also shined for Louisville’s second unit with a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards. Steven Enoch fouled out with eight points in the final seconds, giving Rex Pflueger the opportunity to go up four, but Pflueger split his free throws, giving the Cardinals the aforementioned opportunity to tie.

Anthony Edwards, Onyeka Okongwu among rookies to sign with Adidas

The No. 1 overall pick headlines the group of rookies from the 2020 NBA draft class to sign endorsement deals with Adidas.

No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards headlines the group of rookies from the 2020 NBA draft class to sign endorsement contracts with Adidas, according to Nick DePaula of ESPN.

In addition to Edwards, Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu, Milwaukee Bucks forward Jordan Nwora, Chicago Bulls guard Devon Dotson and Brooklyn Nets forward Reggie Perry will also join Adidas this season.

Edwards was seen at one point during the preseason wearing Nike, but eventually made the switch over to Adidas while the rest of the rookies have each been seen wearing the three stripes throughout the season.

The group of rookies join a talented roster of players at Adidas, featuring the likes of James Harden, Damian Lillard, Derrick Rose and Donovan Mitchell among others.

The news of signings come amidst a slow period for endorsement deals this year, especially among the rookie class. Apparel companies are said to be scaling things back a bit this year due to a variety of factors, most notably because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Outside of Edwards and Okongwu signing with Adidas, LaMelo Ball is the only other top-five pick to have inked an endorsement deal. Ball signed with PUMA over the offseason, joining the likes of Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Kyle Kuzma among others.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Giannis Antetokounmpo texted Jordan Nwora after Bucks drafted him

The two-time NBA MVP immediately texted and welcomed Nwora to the Bucks last week during the draft.

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Once the Milwaukee Bucks selected Jordan Nwora with the 45th overall pick in the NBA draft, the former Louisville Cardinals forward received text messages from two of his new teammates: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

Nwora earned All-American Third Team honors last season after averaging 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He was perhaps one of the best shooters in the draft this year after converting on 39.4% from 3-point range in three seasons at Louisville.

The 6-foot-7 forward told reporters on Tuesday that the two Bucks mainstays immediately welcomed him to the team upon his selection last week. The message from Antetokounmpo and Middleton was direct and straightforward, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.

Milwaukee announced on Tuesday that they signed Nwora, a deal that is reportedly guaranteed for two years and likely worth the minimum. With the Bucks cleaning house a bit this offseason, in order to acquire Jrue Holiday, the team will need to shore up its bench depth and they certainly believe Nwora can help contribute next season.

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2020 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final update ranking Top 100 prospects

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

Originally scheduled for June, the ongoing pandemic pushed the big night back by five months. While this may cause some teams to overthink their decisions, it gave analysts plenty of time to study all of the top prospects eligible in this class.

This year, players had to participate in a mostly virtual pre-draft process. On the bright side, this meant that teams had the opportunity to interview more candidates than ever before.

However, the number of in-person visits were incredibly limited due to the restrictive parameters set by the league. Similarly, the NBA draft combine was conducted without the typical scrimmages where players can separate themselves from the others with impressive on-court performances.

Overall, the players that stood out in this pre-draft process had a different path to recognition than any other year. College basketball players did not have the opportunity to showcase themselves during March Madness. The nation’s top seniors did not get to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

As such, executives will rely mostly on the existing game footage as well as the intel they gathered during their conversations with the prospects. We also depended on similar strategies, getting access to one-on-one interviews with more than three dozen prospects and exchanging our thoughts with various scouts across the league.

This helped us put together our final big board, looking at the Top 100 players ranked on their potential to make a difference for teams in the NBA.

Relevant statistics were pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik, KenPom, Open Look Analytics and RealGM. Note that the age listed for each player references how old they will be on the night of the draft.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

Finding 3 Warriors backup options for Draymond Green in the NBA Draft

Who could the Warriors find in the NBA draft to fill their depth chart behind Draymond Green?

The end of May has usually signaled the start of another NBA Finals run for the Golden State Warriors. Yet in 2020, the three-time champs are on a different path. Prior to the NBA season getting put on pause due to the coronavirus, the Warriors were the first and only team in the league to be officially eliminated from the playoff picture.

For the first time in years, Golden State’s 15-50 record has set the team up to land a top prospect in the 2020 edition of the NBA draft.

With their championship core still in place, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers can go in a bevy of different directions with their top pick. Instead of drafting the best player available, Golden State could look for a player to complement Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Behind their veteran All-Star trio, the Warriors depth chart is rather thin. With three selections in the 2020 draft, Golden State could address multiple areas — including a backup for the former Defensive Player of the Year.

After an impressive rookie campaign, Eric Paschall could slide in behind Green on paper. Though, the Warriors could view him as something more than just a backup off the bench. The Villanova product has shown versatility and could be in line for a featured role in year two.

Even if Paschall sticks as the lead option behind Green, the Warriors could still address the frontcourt in the draft. With Green’s ability to contribute in a bevy of ways, Golden State could tap multiple players at different positions to fill his role when the three-time All-Star is off the floor.

Warriors Wire looked at three different draft prospects the Warriors could bring into back up Green in 2020.

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