During his playing career, Kevin Garnett was known across the NBA as one of the game’s most notorious trash talkers. He had an uncanny ability to get into his opponent’s head, but that trash-talking prowess had its limits.
That limit was Michael Jordan.
Separate podcast and radio interviews with J.R. Rider and Garnett from All-Star weekend made rounds on social media this week. And both players described the same Jordan trash-talking story with stunning consistency (so you know it’s probably true). Basically, Rider was going into the fourth quarter against the Bulls having already scored 24 points on Jordan. A young Garnett wanted to get under Jordan’s skin and said that MJ couldn’t guard Rider.
Big mistake, Kevin. (NSFW language)
JR Rider & Kevin Garnett talk about the time a young KG made the mistake of talking trash in front of MJ đ pic.twitter.com/VfL57upGhB
Garnett described Rider trying to apologize to Jordan ahead of time, saying that Garnett was young and didn’t know any better. Jordan didn’t care.
A two-point game ballooned to a 25-point Bulls lead with Jordan shutting down Rider, and a gassed Garnett apologized to Rider for the mishap. Rider told Garnett to keep his mouth shut next time.
The Los Angeles Lakers star was asked about his reading habits as a youngster and he cited reading newspapers and Sports Illustrated.
You never know what might get asked at All-Star Media Day. The topics, more than at any other time in NBA media settings, can vary wildly. But sometimes that unpredictability can lead to poignant or even educational moments that can have a greater impact than your typical questions at this juncture of the season. One of those great, unexpected moments came during LeBron James’ media session on Saturday.
James was asked about some of his reading habits as a kid and he told the gathered media that he truly loved reading the sports section and Sports Illustrated, “not just the pictures,” when he was young.
Lakersâ LeBron James on his childhood reading habits: âI would read Sports Illustrated all the way through. I would read all the articles, I wouldnât just look at the photos.â @SInow@TheCrossoverpic.twitter.com/lVUupo9fPJ
Among the many things that James is known for, his constant state of curiosity about the world is one that rarely gets as much attention as the others. Perhaps it’s that state of curiosity is also why Anthony Davis recently likened LeBron, who recently turned 35, to “a big kid.”Â
Zion Williamson joined an elite club on Thursday night.
NBA fans had to wait for what seemed like an eternity to finally see No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson on the floor with the New Orleans Pelicans, but the former Duke superstar is now making a late run at the Rookie of the Year trophy with his new team.
Williamson posted a new career high of 32 points on Thursday night in a loss to the Thunder, and as we head to the All-Star break, Williamson’s Pelicans aren’t entirely out of the playoff race in the Western Conference. New Orleans is 5.5 games behind current 8-seed Memphis in the West, with the Trail Blazers and the Spurs sitting between the Pelicans and the Grizzlies in the standings. If Williamson continues to produce at the level he has, though, the Pelicans could be a dangerous team in the second half.
Zion’s new career high comes two nights after he dropped 31 points on the Trail Blazers. In the month of February, Williamson is averaging 25 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, along with 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals in 0.6 blocks per game.
Since making his debut on January 22nd, Williamson has now played in 10 career games, and he’s scored at least 20 points in eight of those starts. He’s the first rookie to score 20+ in eight of his first career 10 games since Michael Jordan during the 1984-85 NBA season.
LeBron James? Only scored 20+ in four of his first 10 games, and was held to single-figures in two. Kevin Durant? Broke the 20-point mark in 5 of his first 10. It’s looking like Zion Williamson is pretty good at this whole basketball thing.
Denny Hamlin spent time at Michael Jordan’s exclusive new golf course after playing a round with Rickie Fowler.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. â The good news for NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is he didnât lose any money playing golf against Rickie Fowler this week.
The bad news for him is he didnât win any, either.
Hamlin, Fowler and former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip visited Michael Jordanâs new exclusive golf course, Grove XXIII, in Hobe Sound, Florida (near Jupiter), and the defending Daytona 500 champion said he bet Fowler âa lot and ended up with nothing.â
âI tied Rickie on the final hole,â Hamlin said Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. âThank goodness that got me back square, so that was a lot of fun. But itâs just amazing to see how good pros are. You think youâve seen people that are good at their craft; go see a professional athlete do his craft. And itâs just amazing to watch.â
âUnfortunately, he uses the same clubs, and he has the same body type,â Hamlin said comparing his own game and Fowlerâs. âSo thereâs really no excuses other than heâs got talent and I donât.â
Still, Hamlin â who underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in November, right after the 2019 NASCAR season ended â said he had a great time at Jordanâs private course.
Unlike many drivers who like to use NASCARâs short, three-month offseason to race in other series, Hamlin said he needs that break from the track to âamped up and better preparedâ when he returns for the season-opening Daytona 500, which is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET. He said he figured Fowler would be the same way and wouldnât want to play golf in his free time â but found that the opposite was true.
Denny Hamlin during the Tournament of Champions LPGA golf tournament Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Gary McCullough/AP)
âFor me, itâs my way of unwinding,â Hamlin said about golfing. âEach driver is so different, and I actually talked to Rickie Fowler a little bit, and I said, âWhy are you out here? Like, youâre not golfing in competition, so what is it? Are you out here practicing, or are you just bored and donât want to be home?â He said, âI love golf.â
âHe actually mentioned itâs similar to what Kyle Larson [does], right? Or any of the other guys that just continue to race, race, race. For me, Iâm a little different. If Iâm a pro golfer, and Iâm not golfing that week, Iâm not golfing that week. But each person finds their own way to motivate them to keep doing this because this is not an easy thing to do, week in and week out.â
âThe course was unbelievable,â he said. âThereâs only 75 members. Hopefully to be 76 here in the next few weeks, so it was really an honor to be invited and be a member at such an exclusive place. Itâs really new, just a few months old. Itâs going to be fun to do for the next 20 to 30 years, as long as Iâm able to play.â
Golf is a hard sport to play, even for the professionals. That said, if you’ve ever seen events like the Pebble Beach Pro-Am or the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship out in Lake Tahoe, chances are you were surprised at the celebrity …
Golf is a hard sport to play, even for the professionals.
That said, if you’ve ever seen events like the Pebble Beach Pro-Am or the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship out in Lake Tahoe, chances are you were surprised at the celebrity talent level. But just how good are they?
Thanks to the USGA’s Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN), we were able to compile the handicaps of some of your favorite celebrities and athletes.
Here’s how they hit ’em.
Bill Murray: 7.2
(Chris Trotman, Getty)
His character in Caddyshack looped for the Dalai Lama himself, so it’s no wonder he boasts a 7 handicap.
LeBron James passes Michael Jordan on another list of NBA all-time leaders during Los Angeles Lakers win over the Phoenix Suns.
LeBron James knocked down a pair of free throws while finishing with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds during the Los Angeles Lakers 125-100 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday. In doing so, LeBron moved past Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time list for most free throws made. James has now connected on 7,328 shots from the charity strip throughout his career compared to the 7,327 made by Jordan.
While LeBron has struggled at times from the line, he’s a respectable 74% shooter overall for his career. Jordan, meanwhile, was an 84% free-thrower during his legendary run through the NBA. This season, James ranks in the top-30 in the NBA in terms of free throws attempted and free throws made. Houston Rockets star, James Harden, leads the league in both categories this year by a considerable margin.
More than being a marksman from the foul line, this milestone speaks to LeBron’s longevity along with his ability to consistently get to the basket and put the defense in a compromising position. James has gotten to the line an average of 5.9 times per game throughout his career. While that number is slightly down this season, he’s still shooting roughly four free throws per contest in his 17th year as a pro. At his current pace, he could pass Oscar Robertson for fourth on this list by the end of next season.
As a sneaker head, it’s extremely hard to envision a world without Nike’s Jordan Brand. Michael Jordan is the king of signature sneakers in basketball. None of this exists without the partnership between him and Nike.
Those two go together like peanut butter and jelly or ketchup on a burger or whatever other dumb food analogies I’m missing here. They just mesh. They’re not as big without each other.
Even today, after 35 years, Jordan’s sneakers are still somehow considered fly.Yet, somehow, that almost all went to the wayside.
In the latest episode of Kevin Durant’s series “The Boardroom,” his former agent David Falk explained that Jordan didn’t actually like Nike. It all happens at the 17:20 mark of the video.
“He didn’t want to go. Didn’t know anything about [Nike]. Didn’t like the shoes. Didn’t want to go. The shoe wasn’t that great at the time and Converse was the dominant brand…Adidas had everybody else that mattered.”
35 years later, Jordan and Nike are worth billions of dollars together and the company is re-releasing Jordan’s first two shoes together â the Air Ship and the first Air Jordan 1.
Houston Rockets star James Harden now has the most 40-10-5 games in the past 50 seasons.
Houston Rockets star James Harden keeps on putting himself among the greats in the record books.
Harden scored a game-high 40 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished nine assists in the Rockets’ 117-109 win Sunday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Harden now has the most games of scoring at least 40 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and tallying five assists of the past 50 seasons. He leads the NBA with 26 such games, with Russell Westbrook in second place with 25 games.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan round out the rest of the top six.
This season Harden has six games where he’s posted the stat line. He is averaging 35.7 points per game on 43.6% shooting from the field. Harden is also shooting 36.0% from the 3-point line.
Most games with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the last 50 seasons:
26 – James Harden* 25 – Russell Westbrook 23 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 – LeBron James 22 – Larry Bird 18 – Michael Jordan
With Harden staking his spot at first in this group, it shows how he is one of the most complete playmakers of the modern era. During the 2016-17 season, Harden led the league in assists per game. Harden is seventh in assists among active players. According to NBA.com, Harden ranks ninth among guards for rebounds per game.
Harden and the Rockets will play the Charlotte Hornets in Houston on Tuesday.
Kyrie Irving took the Chicago Bulls to school during the Brooklyn Nets’ sizeable win on Friday.
In 19 games with Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving has already accomplished multiple scoring feats no other Nets player has previously. Friday was another big night for him — his biggest of the season — as the point guard scored 54 points in the 133-118 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Irving finished three points shy of tying the franchise’s single-game scoring record (Deron Williams, 57), but he achieved the following with his performance:
Fastest Nets player to 500 points (19 games)
Only Nets players to score 45 or more three times in a season
Only Nets player to score 50 points or more twice in a season
But Irving’s performance wasn’t just an all-timer for the Nets franchise. By finishing 19-for-23 from the floor, Irving logged the third-highest field goal percentage in a 50-point game in NBA history.
The only two players who have higher field goal percentages in a 50-point game are Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
I’m grateful to be on the list. Those guys are amazing. But, I really see the talent rising offensively in our league. I know everyone’s paying attention, but there are 50-point games, 45 — this has to be the most in a week of NBA history or a four-day span, five-day span of people scoring bookoo numbers. I’m just happy that I could be up there in NBA history, but guys in the league are doing great things, as well. And the focus is on their teams and the focus is on my team. As long as we come out with the win, and we play well and stick together.
It was an extremely sad day for many when they learned that Kobe Bryant and his daughter, along with seven others, perished in a helicopter crash in California. But we still feel it’s important to revisit where he ranks among the all-time greats in …
It was an extremely sad day for many when they learned that Kobe Bryant and his daughter, along with seven others, perished in a helicopter crash in California.
But we still feel it’s important to revisit where he ranks among the all-time greats in NBA scoring. And hopefully, these pics show the pride and passion and intensity these 10 men proved over their careers.
