Tag: Kevin Durant

Aaron Donald says Magic Johnson, Warren Sapp were among stars who reached out after he retired

Aaron Donald was flattered by the number of people who reached out after he retired, including LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Warren Sapp

There was an incredible amount of praise and support for Aaron Donald after he announced his retirement from the NFL, from fans to analysts to former and current players. It was overwhelming for Donald, who put together a Hall of Fame career in just 10 seasons in the league.

Donald was blown away by the amount of love he received from everyone after he hung up his cleats, with several big stars reaching out to him and recognizing what a terrific career he had in the NFL.

During an appearance on Chris Long’s “Green Light Podcast” this week, Donald revealed some of the legends who reached out to him.

“A lot of people reached out. I know a lot of people on social media reached out,” Donald said. “There was so much stuff when it came out, like, you want to see everything but it was so overwhelming, it was so much that you couldn’t even see it. So a lot of things that my brother showed me or my wife had to show me as far as, like, LeBron reaching out. Magic Johnson reached out. (Kevin) Durant reached out. A lot of people that are great players and great in their era and did a lot of great things reached out just to congratulate me on my career. It’s pretty special, bro, when you think about how many people reached out. Warren Sapp reached out. A bunch of guys.”

Like Donald, Sapp is one of the best defensive tackles in NFL history so to get some recognition from him must’ve felt pretty special for Donald – even if Sapp did doubt his greatness a few years ago when he called out the Rams star for his run defense.

Donald deserves all of the recognition and praise he’s received throughout his career and it’ll continue to pour in when he eventually gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years from now.

Amar’e Stoudemire on if LeBron James’ scoring record can be broken

Does former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire think LeBron James’ NBA points record can be broken, and if so, which active player could do it?

For many years, it was thought Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s all-time NBA record of 38,387 career points would never be broken. He became the league’s all-time leading scorer in 1984 when he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain, and his record stood for decades.

But LeBron James’ incredible longevity allowed him to get past Abdul-Jabbar in that category, and he now has 40,352 career regular season points — and counting.

Now the question is whether anyone will surpass him in career points someday, especially given that he’s expected to play at least another year or two and is still performing at an elite or near-elite level.

Former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire was asked that question by Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, and he said Luka Doncic and possibly Kevin Durant could challenge James’ mark.

Doncic has averaged over 27 points a game in each of the last five seasons, and this year, he’s leading the NBA with 33.9 points per game. He turned 25 years of age just over a month ago, yet he already has over 11,000 points to his name.

Durant, who is 35, is closing in on 29,000 career points. However, he will likely have to play into his early 40s to have a shot at surpassing James.

Perhaps the one who will break James’ career scoring record is either playing basketball on some elementary school playground these days, wearing diapers or hasn’t even been born yet.

Kendrick Perkins: If players are involved in betting, then Adam Silver needs to be over-the-top harsh

With March Madness in full swing, you may have seen a funny AT&T commercial that showcases Kendrick Perkins, Carmelo Anthony, and TJ Ford, players from the 2003 NBA Draft. In partnership with AT&T, Perk took some time out of his hectic schedule to …

With March Madness in full swing, you may have seen a funny AT&T commercial that showcases Kendrick Perkins, Carmelo Anthony, and TJ Ford, players from the 2003 NBA Draft. In partnership with AT&T, Perk took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk with HoopsHype about a wide range of topics including the brewing sport betting scandals, Draymond Green, Boston Celtics, and more.

Gregg Popovich credits Jeremy Sochan for defense on Kevin Durant

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Gregg Popovich credit Jeremy Sochan for his defense on Kevin Durant.

The San Antonio Spurs got completely blown out on Saturday night by the Phoenix Suns. Led by their Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, the Suns stomped the Spurs by a score of 131-106. The game wasn’t even close. But in their rematch on Monday night, it was a totally different story.

San Antonio jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but by the third, the Suns were up by nine points. The Spurs got another solid lead of their own, but in the final minutes of the game, things were back and forth. In the end, it was San Antonio who ended the night on top, even though Victor Wembanyama didn’t play in the game.

Durant played well, but head coach Gregg Popovich still gave Jeremy Sochan a ton of credit for the defense he played on the Suns star. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“[Durant] is such a difficult matchup for everybody,” Popovich said postgame. “He’s one of the greatest ever, and Jeremy [Sochan] never stopped working his butt off. He’s very physical and did everything he could to guard a great player. He deserves a lot of credit. He also hit the boards for us. … He was very special.”

Durant ended the game with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from distance.

As for Sochan, he put up 26 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 10-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-7 from deep.

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Gregg Popovich gifted Kevin Durant, Devin Booker wine after Spurs-Suns

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gifted bottles of wine to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

The San Antonio Spurs hosted the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night for the two team’s third meeting of the season. The Spurs got the best of the Suns twice in a row early on in the year, but since then, the two sides have had very different seasons. Phoenix got the best of San Antonio on Saturday, winning in blowout fashion by a score of 131-106.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich had some high praise for the Suns’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. He said that it’s tough to stop them when they’re all rolling. But that’s not the only thing he gave to two of them.

Popovich also gifted Durant and Booker, both of whom he coached on Team USA, bottles of wine after the game, per a post from Duane Rankin of AZ Central. (H/t Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report)

“We talked after the game. He left me a nice bottle of wine,” Booker said. “I know we drank one together after we won gold. We have some incredible memories even though it was a short amount of time in Japan.”

Popovich’s impact on the NBA stretches far beyond the Spurs organization.

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Gregg Popovish praises Suns star trio after Spurs loss

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Phoenix Suns, Gregg Popovich praised Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

The San Antonio Spurs welcomed the Phoenix Suns to town on Saturday night for their sixth home game in a row in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They were hoping to snap a two-game losing streak against a Suns squad whom they had already beaten twice this year – in back-to-back games at the very start of the season.

Unfortunately, this time around didn’t yield the same results. The Spurs lost to the Suns by a score of 131-106, as the Suns’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal showed out. They were too much for the Spurs to handle.

After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich showed love to the trio of stars. (H/t ESPN)

“I thought we had a little more contact and physicality in the second half, but you’re not going to stop Book and K.D. from doing what they’re doing and Bradley’s healthy now,” Popovich said. “That’s a pretty tough trio. Our guys did everything they could, and you move on.”

Booker finished the game with 32 points, Durant had 25, and Beal had 13.

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Kevin Durant, Grayson Allen on why the Boston Celtics are so hard to beat

“They just know the numbers and just beat us at math,” said Durant.

The Phoenix Suns know excellence when they see it, and they were not shy about admitting why it was so tough to play the Boston Celtics after their 127-112 loss to Boston at TD Garden this past Thursday night. “You’ve got a center making 5 to 6 3s, that’s tough to stop,” suggested star forward Kevin Durant postgame via AZ Central’s Duane Rankin.

“They just know the numbers and just beat us at math,” added Durant. Teammate Grayson Allen did not disagree, saying, “They hit some tough, off the dribble ones, and they force you to press up in their (isolation) situations and their drive situations.”

“When you press up, they get to their drive and kick, and they have got 5 shooters out there,” he added.

The victory sealed a season sweep of the Suns for Boston, who actually beat Phoenix worse once star guard Devin Booker was back in the fold.

With the win, the Celtics became the first team in the league to guarantee a berth on the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders breaks Thunder record for most 30-point games in single season

Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders breaks Thunder record for most 30-point games in single season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made history in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s loss to the Indiana Pacers when he broke the franchise record for most 30-plus point games in a season.

Against the Pacers, he finished with 30 points on 12-of-27 shooting, 10 rebounds and five assists. The final basket came in the final seconds of the contest.

It was his 48th contest with 30-plus points this season, surpassing Kevin Durant’s mark of 47 games from the 2009-10 and 2013-14 campaigns.

Gilgeous-Alexander has played like an MVP candidate this season. He’s averaged 31.1 points on 54.6% shooting, 6.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 63 games. He’s shot 38.5% from 3 on 3.5 attempts.

The 25-year-old has headlined the Thunder’s 45-20 campaign that has them in sole possession of first place.

Considering the rich history of the Thunder with individual excellence, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point performance record might be his best feat yet. OKC had future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Paul George during some of the best seasons of their respective careers.

“It’s cool. It’s an honor,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the feat. “Obviously, Kev’s done amazing things here and in his career. To be in those type of conversations is an honor and blessing.”

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Kevin Durant has praise for the Boston Celtics’ strategy under pressure

“They have got a solid strategy over there,” said Durant.

Resilience under pressure has not been the Boston Celtics‘ calling card in their current era of contention before now, so to hear opposing stars credit the Celtics for their perseverance while struggling is no minor praise. And such was the response of Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant towards the team that beat his Suns, despite him putting up a 45-point explosion.

“They have got a solid strategy over there,” said Durant via CLNS Media. “And it’s one of those strategies where they might be playing a bad game early on, but as the course of the game goes on, it’ll come back around for them, and I think that’s what happened.”

Boston fended off a pair of late pushes from the Suns in the game’s third and fourth quarters, with star forward Jayson Tatum waking up in the fourth quarter to help put Phoenix away despite a relatively quiet start to the game.

“Late in the game, they were able to make some shots,” explained Durant, who noted how Phoenix, in comparison, struggled to get up their shots vs. Boston Saturday night, especially Grayson Allen.

“They made six more 3s than us, and outrebounded us … I think the 3-point line is really what beat us.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses comparisons to former Thunder trio

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses comparisons to former Thunder trio.

Slowly building one of the association’s best cores over the last few years, the Oklahoma City Thunder have burst onto the scene as a title contender despite their young roster this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into an MVP candidate while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren round out one of the best trios in the league.

The numbers the Thunder have put up — top five in net rating, offensive rating and defensive rating — have been mostly unprecedented due to their youth and inexperience.

Barring the unforeseen, this is likely the beginning of a lengthy competitive window for the Thunder as they return to contention following a short stay in a rebuild.

Ironically enough, the only real comparison with similar circumstances involved the first iteration of the Thunder. A youthful trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden led OKC to an NBA Finals appearance in 2012. All three were 23 years old and younger.

Following that, the Thunder were title contenders for several years and reached four Western Conference finals in six years.

When asked about the comparison between the two trios, Gilgeous-Alexander said their version is trying to achieve similar success the first iteration had in their time with the Thunder.

“There’s three of them and there’s three of us that are obviously a talented group of guys. But I don’t really think our game compares to theirs,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Those guys are obviously three amazing basketball players and have done amazing things with this game and have changed the game forever.”

While it’s unlikely Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams each win an MVP in their careers, there’s a real possibility they enjoy collective success in OKC as Durant, Westbrook and Harden did.

“Me, Chet and Dub are three kids just trying to get better. Trying to chase some of the things that they achieved and try to ultimately win an NBA championship,” Gilgeous-Alexander continued. “There’s three guys that are the head of the snake just like how it was before.”

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