Spencer Dinwiddie keeps giving fans things to talk about in the infancy of the NBA’s hiatus. But how long can the Nets guard keep this up?
Spencer Dinwiddie is always straightforward and honest with his opinions, and he shares them as much as any player in the NBA. But with no games going on, Dinwiddie has been much more active than usual on social media.
He came up with a modified playoff format for the NBA, should the league try to finish the season at a later date. Dinwiddie also started a conversation on Twitter that revealed just how many players are looking at their own highlight reels.
On Monday, the Brooklyn Nets point guard got in on another conversation. He weighed in on a tweet sent out by ESPN, which offered two starting lineups:
Team A: Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shaquille O’Neal.
Team B: Kyrie Irving, Michael Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan.
Dinwiddie picked Team A and explained:
Team A. And it ain’t close, for one reason and one reason alone.@SHAQ … he’s forcing the double every time! https://t.co/SddtSXtjKg
Chris Childs put on quite the performance against Michael Jordan and the Bulls on March 16, 1996. But the New Jersey Nets took the loss.
With the NBA going on hiatus — which NBA commissioner Adam Silver set as at least 30 days on Thursday — and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, placing a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, no Brooklyn Nets games will be played for the time being.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight major individual performances and key developments throughout Nets history:
Even though the New Jersey Nets lost 97-93 to the Chicago Bulls (full box score), March 16, 1996 was a big day for Chris Childs. The second-year point logged his first NBA triple-double, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-17 shooting (2-for-5 from deep), 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
Shawn Bradley had a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds) and Armen Gilliam led the Nets with 21 points.
But Michael Jordan was too much for the Nets to handle — on both ends of the floor. The legend scored 37 points and had 16 rebounds. Jordan also dished out five assists, blocked three shots and had one steal.
Among the other Bulls players to finish in double-figures was Steve Kerr (10 points), who went on to coach Kevin Durant while the now-Brooklyn Nets forward was with the Golden State Warriors.
Last year, Kawhi Leonard finished the playoffs with the third-best scoring mark in NBA postseason history: 732 points. That was largely due to his amazing play, but also the many games Toronto had to play in order to win the championship. The only …
Last year, Kawhi Leonard finished the playoffs with the third-best scoring mark in NBA postseason history: 732 points. That was largely due to his amazing play, but also the many games Toronto had to play in order to win the championship.
The only two players ahead of Leonard are the ones with the best claim to GOAT.
While we had to wait a bit for him to make his debut, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson has already taken the league the storm.
While we had to wait a bit for him to make his debut, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson has already taken the league by storm.
He is currently averaging 23.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field for the Pelicans. The only rookie who had ever put up 23 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent or better from the field, per Action Network, was Shaquille O’Neal.
When adjusting per second on the court, after the game against the Lakers, Williamson is now averaging 29.5 points per 36 minutes. For comparison, though a smaller sample size, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic put up 23.7 points per 36 during his first NBA season last year.
In fact, while he has only played 13 games during the regular season for the Pelicans, that mark currently ranks as the best among any NBA rookie of all-time. To put his season into perspective, we’ve included some of the other top-scoring campaigns (per 36 minutes) in league history.
All statistics are pulled from Basketball-Reference and are accurate as of February 25, 2020.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN (1959-60): 29.2 points
(Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
The big man led the NBA in scoring each year for seven consecutive seasons… including his rookie year. Chamberlain was also an 11-time rebounding champion during his professional career.
JOEL EMBIID (2016-17): 28.7 points
(Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images)
Embiid, who was drafted No. 3 overall in 2014, was not able to play during his first two professional seasons due to a myriad of injury concerns. While the big man only averaged 25.4 minutes over 31 games during his first active campaign, he still managed to make the All-Rookie team.
WALTER DAVIS (1977-78): 27.2 points
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
North Carolina star wing Walter Davis, who was selected No. 5 overall by the Phoenix Suns, was named the Rookie of the Year in 1978. He played a decade for the franchise and was named to six All-Star teams during his time with the team.
WALT BELLAMY (1961-62): 26.9 points
(Photo by NBA Photos Library/NBAE via Getty Images)
The big man was the starting center for the United States basketball team in the 1960 Olympics. The team went on to win gold and he was then picked No. 1 overall by the Chicago Packers. He was also named Rookie of the Year in 1962.
MICHAEL JORDAN (1984-85): 26.5 points
(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
There are a million things to say about Michael Jordan but one of the first things worth mentioning is how dominant he was out of the gate. He put up 28.2 points per game, shooting 51.5 percent from the field. Jordan became the leading scorer in the NBA by his third season and was a 10-time scoring champion.
OSCAR ROBERTSON (1960-61): 25.7 points
(Photo by The Stevenson Collection/NBAE via Getty Images)
MVP and NBA champion Oscar Robertson was the first pick in the draft and then named Rookie of the Year for the Cincinnati Royals. He ranks Top 10 in career points per game, averaging 25.7 points over the course of his 14 seasons.
RICKY BARRY (1965-66): 24.8 points
(Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
Rick Barry, who was the second pick in the 1965 draft for the San Francisco Warriors, was named Rookie of the Year. Then by the following year, he was the league’s leading scorer.
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR (1969-70): 24.1 points
(Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images)
The big man, then Lew Alcindor, was the No. 1 overall pick and then won Rookie of the Year for the Milwaukee Bucks. The superstar led the league in scoring during his second and third professional seasons.
GEOFF PETRIE (1970-71): 24.1 points
(Photo by NBA Photo Library/NBAE via Getty Images)
Combo guard Geoff Petrie, who was selected at No. 8 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, was named co-Rookie of the Year with Dave Cowens in 1971. It was one of just three times in league history that players shared the award.
DAVID ROBINSON (1989-90): 23.9 points
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Two-time NBA champion and former MVP David Robinson is one of just five players (Ralph Sampson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns) to ever win NBA Rookie of the Year with a unanimous decision.
EARL MONROE (1967-68): 23.8 points
(Photo by Ken Regan/NBAE via Getty Images)
The longtime point guard was picked second overall by the Baltimore Bullets in 1967. He was a remarkable scorer even in the beginning, scoring 56 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was one of six games he put up at least 40 points during his first professional season, eventually winning Rookie of the Year.
But on Monday, he had the Staples Center crowd laughing hysterically about the Crying Jordan meme.
The NBA legend spoke at the public memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. As he reminisced about all the time he spent with Kobe on and off the court, Jordan understandably became emotional. As tears streamed down his face, Jordan delivered the punchline everyone needed at that moment.
He jokingly blamed Kobe for forcing him to look at another Crying Jordan meme for the next few years.
“Now, he’s got me — I’ll have to look at another crying meme for the next — I told my wife I wasn’t gonna do this because I didn’t wanna see that for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me.”
The crowd and NBA fans particularly loved the joke.
MJ stands for Meta Jordan. Him making a Crying Jordan meme joke was hilarious.
Jordan Brand golf shoes sell out fast, but here is what you need to know about the newest offering.
There are plenty of cult followings in golf, with fans of some products forming clubs, swapping things and buying rare gear online.
For example, Scotty Cameron fans pages are everywhere on Instagram, while other people covet vintage-style golf bags or headcovers. Lots of golfers wear Nike golf shoes, there is a sub-brand, the Jordan Brand, that has also developed a cult following over the years.
Pat Perez and Keegan Bradley have been wearing Jordan basketball shoes that have been converted into golf shoes for years, and Harold Varner is another PGA Tour player who wears Jordans on the course and is sponsored by the division of Nike.
Just like the basketball shoes, the Jordan golf shoes typically sell out quickly when they are released, with golf lovers and sneakerheads snapping up the shoes in a flash. If you are looking for Jordan 3, Jordan XI Concords or the Jordan 13s, happy hunting. But your chance to get a pair of Jordan golf shoes comes again on Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. Eastern when Nike releases the Jordan 5 Low golf shoes. They will be $220 a pair on Nike’s website.
According to Nike, the look of the original Jordan 5 Low basketball shoe was inspired by fighter jets. The new golf version keeps the same look, with a translucent outsole and the mid-sole has fang-like shapes that harken back to vintage planes.
Thousands were in attendance at Staples Center on Monday for the public memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. NBA greats, players, celebrities and fans were among the people in the crowd showing their respects.
They all rose to their feet as Vanessa Bryant was announced as a speaker to deliver a eulogy for her husband and 13-year-old daughter.
Vanessa, showing incredible strength, spoke for around 20 minutes about Kobe and Gianna. She spoke about the heartbreak of never getting to see her daughter walk down the aisle or achieve her WNBA dreams. She spoke about losing her best friend, husband and father of their daughters in Kobe.
"Gigi would have easily become the best player in the WNBA."
It was the kind of moment that showed just how far-reaching Kobe’s loss was with the NBA community. It went beyond basketball. And it was a beautiful assist from Jordan.
The Notre Dame men’s golf team went on a golf trip of a lifetime to several high-profile courses, including Augusta National.
Being a college golfer has its perks, especially at a high-profile Division I school.
The experience afforded to those who are good enough to compete at the highest level leaves the average golfer living vicariously through teenagers and 20-somethings alike.
For example, the Notre Dame men’s golf team.
It’s not uncommon for college teams to play some of the best courses in the country. It becomes uncommon when those courses are Augusta National, Michael Jordan’s exclusive Grove XXIII and Jack Nickalus’ Bears Club, to name a few.
“We take a lot of practice trips down south to get ready for this first event,” said head coach John Handrigan before the Fighting Irish’s first event of the spring in Puerto Rico. “We’re lucky to have such a great alumni base and network. People have some great memberships at nice places across the country and they’re huge in supporting our program, so we’re fortunate to be able to play some of these great courses for practice trips to prepare for the spring.”
Practice trips to Augusta National, Seminole, MJ’s XXIII, Bears Club, McArthur, Old Palm…We are ready to start the spring season in Puerto Rico! Go Irish! pic.twitter.com/X0QV1EZnJ8
“It never gets old,” Handigran said of the team’s trip to Augusta National. “To me, it’s the elite place to play so I love it every time I get to go, and it’s really fun to take the guys and especially the freshmen that saw it for first time. There’s no better place in the world.”
“I played Augusta with the guys because I couldn’t let that one slip. All the other courses I’m just out there with the guys trying to help out a little bit and get them ready for the spring,” added Handigran, who shot even-par on the last day.
The other course that stood out from the pre-spring swing was Michael Jordan’s exclusive Grove XXIII in South Florida.
“It’s not a course you typically see in Florida and to get out there, I think there’s 75 members and Mr. Jordan was helpful,” Handigran said of the trip, noting the course had the best practice facility he’s ever seen.
While the practice trip wasn’t anything new, this spring will be different than most for the Notre Dame men. After a historic fall that featured four wins in five events, all eyes will be on the Irish in 2020.
That’s quite alright with them.
“We’ve been building up for the last two and a half years and you can see the trajectory the team was going on,” explained Handigran. “Obviously winning four out of five is spectacular and I’m not sure we expected that, but we expected to perform at the highest level.”
Perform at the highest level, they did. The Irish lineup features upper-classmen leaders Hunter Ostrom, Davis Lamb and Davis Chattfield alongside sophomore Andrew O’Leary and star freshman Palmer Jackson. Ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2019 by Golfweek, Jackson is Notre Dame’s lone individual champion this season, claiming the individual title at their fall finale, the Quail Valley Collegiate.
What does it say about the Irish’s depth that they were able to win four events and only have one individual winner? Bad news for the rest of the nation.
“One of our concerns was if there was going to be anybody content with what we did in the fall,” said a candid Handigran, “but I have a great team of guys that are hungry and they’re dedicated to continue improving and to win more tournaments.”
“We strive to win everything we play in. These guys aren’t content with what they did in the fall,” he added. “They’re really hungry to get back after it this spring and I could tell during these practice trips it just wasn’t like they’re playing fun golf. It was extremely competitive and they’re hungry for more.
