Tag: newsletter

ROSE ON THE MOVE? To this point, 2019-20 had brought a shockingly low amount of Derrick Rose trade scuttle, considering how well he’s performing for the Pistons, how poorly Detroit’s season has gone so far and how team-friendly his contract is. That changed on Monday with a report that a few of the league’s top contenders – the Lakers, Sixers and Clippers – had expressed interest in the former league MVP.

Averaging 18.3 points and 5.9 assists per game this season while shooting over 50 percent from the floor and, most importantly, staying relatively healthy, Rose makes the perfect trade candidate for playoff-caliber teams who feel they need additional scoring and playmaking off their respective benches. Rose’s contract situation, which has him earning $7.3 million this season and $7.7 million next season before hitting free agency in 2021, also makes the 31-year-old extremely appealing on the trade market.

As far as potential deals the two main rumored teams, L.A. and Philadelphia, can put together, the former could offer a package centered around their 2020 first-round pick plus Quinn Cook and DeMarcus Cousins as filler, while the latter can package a future protected first-round pick plus Trey Burke and Jonah Bolden to entice the Pistons.

Regardless of where he ends up, Rose belongs on a contender this year; his level of play more than warrants it.

YESTERDAY IN THE ASSOCIATION: Damian Lillard absolutely exploded for the Blazers last night, dropping a career-high and MLK Day record 61 points while sinking 11 three-pointers (including this insane overtime-forcing bucket) in a 129-124 Portland win against Golden State. Meanwhile, in Boston, Kemba Walker scored a victory over LeBron James for the first time in his career when the Celtics blew out Los Angeles 139-107.

LOOKING AHEAD: We have ranked the Top 60 free agents for 2020, including Anthony Davis, Montrezl Harrell and Brandon Ingram.

FRESH POD: Our own Alex Kennedy is joined by 11-year NBA veteran Jared Jeffries, who discussed what it was like to play with Michael Jordan, experiencing Linsanity first hand and much more.

CAREER IN JEOPARDY: The car wreck Chandler Parsons got into last week was even worse than it originally sounded like, as it seems now like the future of Parsons’ career legitimately could be in trouble. Parsons suffered multiple major injuries in the accident, and is filing a lawsuit against the driver, who admitted to being drunk while driving, that struck his vehicle.

RESPECT AMONG GOATS: LeBron James is 65 points away from passing Kobe Bryant on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Bryant is happy for LeBron, telling The Athletic that the accomplishment is both “great” and “awesome.”

A NEW JAYLEN: After an admittedly rough third season, Jaylen Brown has bounced back in a big way this year. He opened up about what’s different this time, and what this past summer, which included him signing a huge extension with Boston and failing as a member of Team USA, was like.

CONFIDENCE IS HIGH: Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks the Bucks can beat anyone in the league, and is making sure to keep things light while he’s on the floor so he can enjoy the moment.

CANADIAN CONUNDRUM: As has been the case many times in the past, Andrew Wiggins is unsure of whether he wants to suit up for the Canadian national team this summer when they’ll be taking part in a crucial Olympic-qualifying tournament. Canada’s poor luck with getting NBA players to suit up for their country continues.

STILL GROWING: Although he’s averaging career-high marks across the board, Terry Rozier believes he still hasn’t proven anything.

WORTHWHILE CAUSE: Joe Harris, Kyle Lowry, Malcolm Brogdon and a few other NBA players are raising a ton of money to provide underprivileged areas in Africa with water. Awesome cause, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars already.

DON’T COUNT THE RINGS: Robert Horry says fans who use the number of titles a player won to judge their greatness are idiots. If the guy who won seven rings in his career is saying that, he might have a point.

QUALITY BONDING: Brandon Clarke and his father Steven, who lives in Sweden, did some serious bonding when they visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis back in December.

THE POWER OF TITLES: In the NBA, there’s this growing trend where different organizations have completely unique job titles and hierarchies that don’t match anyone else’s, like the Thunder having a vice president of insight and foresight and the Clippers having an executive director of research and identity. It’s all very Silicon Valley.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

Feel super free to forward this newsletter to your friends. Subscribe here.

TRADE MARKET LATEST: This weekend was a busy one on the trade market in the NBA, as on Saturday, the Kings and Blazers agreed on a deal that will send Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two second-round picks (2024 and 2025) to Sacramento in exchange for veteran 3-and-D wing Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan. It wasn’t an Earth-shattering deal by any means, but it was one that could indicate the market is about to heat up as we approach the Feb. 6 deadline. The deal can’t be made official until Tuesday, when a restriction on Gabriel’s deal becomes lifted, by the way.

Official or not, talks around the Association seemed to be hot and heavy over the weekend, as a flurry of other rumors regarding the trade market came out over the past two days.

🏀 The Heat are looking around for a trade, and are interested in Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, as well as in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan if, for whatever reason, San Antonio decides to blow things up.

🏀 Sacramento is still looking for a way to unload disgruntled big man Dewayne Dedmon, who is on Year-1 of a relatively pricey three-year deal.

🏀 NBA executives are intrigued by the potential of Myles Turner or Spencer Dinwiddie getting traded, both of which would be pretty big shockers.

🏀 The Clippers have their eye on Suns center Aron Baynes.

SPEAKING OF WHICH: We ranked the five players who have appeared most in trade rumors over the past week. Usually a pretty good indicator of who is trending on the market.

CATCHING UP: We talked to Gary Payton recently, who told us that among the NBA’s current crop of elite defenders, the ones that reminds him most of himself are Marcus Smart and Patrick Beverley. The NBA Hall-of-Famer spoke to us about a bunch of other stuff, too; his openness in the interview was refreshing.

SAVVY DEAL: The Jazz and 3-and-D swingman Royce O’Neale agreed to a four-year, $36 million extension over the weekend, a deal that could prove worthwhile for Utah as it ages over the next four seasons. O’Neale isn’t just a top-notch defender, he’s also shooting a career-high 44.3 percent from three this year.

🏦 Prior to this season, O’Neale had made a total of $2.1 million in his NBA career, and he was the 389th highest-paid player in the league in 2019-20.

POTENTIAL RETURN: Kevin Durant raised some eyebrows this weekend by getting in a workout on the Nets’ main court, which some thought could mean a return might still take place this season. However, Kenny Atkinson essentially shut that down when asked about it yesterday. The idea was fun while it lasted, at least.

AND ANOTHER: One player who reportedly is sure to return this season, apparently, is Stephen Curry, whose return date is tentatively set for March 1. Curry has been seen working out at practice without much (if any) limitation to his injured hand recently.

COMPLETE COMEBACK: Another star point guard, in this case John Wall, has also been ramping up workouts recently. The Wizards are reportedly confident Wall will make a complete recovery from his brutal series of injuries.

CLEARING THE AIR: Karl-Anthony Towns completely disputed reports about his potential unhappiness with the Timberwolves, basically referring to those rumblings as fake news. For now, Towns says he’s happy in Minnesota. They probably need to start winning for things to remain that way, though.

DELAY ON CHANGES: The NBA will reportedly no longer hold a vote regarding potential schedule changes at April’s Board of Governors meeting, as the league continues to decide how to approach these potentially major shifts in scheduling.

UGLY PETTINESS: Back when he was still Kings head coach, Dave Joerger reportedly texted Vlade Divac, Sacramento’s president of basketball operations, informing his boss that he had negotiated an in-season trade for then-rookie phenom Luka Doncic. Divac responded by asking if the Kings could get Dallas’ head coach as part of the deal, too.

With ugliness like that going on behind the scenes, it’s not surprising Sacramento continues to be a mess. Oh, and by the way, the Luke Walton hiring hasn’t exactly been a home run there, Vlade.

VET OPENS UP: Tyson Chandler talks about a variety of intense topics, from experiencing homelessness while growing up to thinking about the potential of his retirement coming up.

BACK HOME: Jeff Teague says his time in Minnesota was up, as he envisioned his entire stint there would have involved him suiting up for a playoff contender, since no one expected Jimmy Butler to leave so quickly. It’s all right though, because Teague loves Atlanta and is thrilled to be back.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

Feel super free to forward this newsletter to your friends. Subscribe here.

TRADE SZN PICKING UP: Yesterday, we got our second trade of the 2019-20 season when the Hawks announced they were acquiring Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham from Minnesota in exchange for Allen Crabbe. It wasn’t a major move by any means, but it will give Atlanta a more-than-serviceable backup point guard for Trae Young, a spot in which they were sorely lacking. On the year, Teague is averaging 13.2 points and 6.1 assists per game; those marks will provide a huge upgrade to the Hawks’ weak reserve unit.

On the other side of things, Minnesota will receive a decent shooter on an expiring contract in Allen Crabbe, as well as roster flexibility, which Timberwolves GM Gersson Rosas says could help position his team better to acquire a high-level player. Judging by his comments, Minnesota isn’t done being active on the trade market.

And we know that to be true because, besides Rosas’ comments, Shams reported that the Timberwolves are about to intensify their hunt for Warriors All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, who the team has coveted for a long time. Russell would give Minnesota the star power at point guard they haven’t had since Sam Cassell, and help quiet the whispers about Karl-Anthony Towns potentially not being too thrilled with the organization right now.

AND THERE’S MORE: There was much more trade scuttle yesterday, too.

🏀 The Rockets, Mavs and Sixers have expressed interest in Wolves wing Robert Covington, but he won’t come cheap, as his skill set, that of a 3-and-D wing, is extremely valuable in the modern NBA.

🏀 The Hawks and Pistons have shut down Andre Drummond trade talks, at least for now. As part of the rumored talks, Atlanta was reportedly willing to send Detroit a first-round pick for the All-Star center, so it’s a little surprising the Pistons didn’t take that offer and run.

🏀 Atlanta could pivot to Steven Adams as their big man trade target, who might not be as productive as Drummond, but would be a huge addition to the Hawks rotation anyway.

🏀 One veteran Cleveland reporter believes the Cavs have set the price tag on Tristan Thompson at one first-round pick.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Brandon Ingram and Donovan Mitchell put on an absolute show last night, with the Pelicans swingman coming out on top, dropping 49 points on 25 field-goal attempts along with eight rebounds and six assists in what was a 138-132 New Orleans win. Mitchell was fantastic as well, pouring in 46 points and six rebounds, and helping keep Utah afloat all night. The future of the NBA is in good hands with these two guys.

DJ SHAQTUS: We spoke to Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal about what life as a DJ is like. He compares coming out to a hot crowd to suiting up for a Game 7 in the playoffs.

FRESH POD: Our own Alex Kennedy is joined by NBA player development specialist Haseeb Fasihi to talk about his career, including being hired by the Magic.

EMBIID OPENS UP: Sixers star Joel Embiid penned a beautiful piece for The Players’ Tribune, where he discusses nearly retiring from the NBA before playing a minute after tragically losing his 14-year-old brother, among other more NBA-centric topics. A must-read.

WRESTLING IN MILWAUKEE: Before every Bucks home game, Giannis, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez perform WWE-style routines, with storylines and everything. They talked to ESPN about why they do that, not that anyone was complaining, since it makes for very entertaining video content.

NOT SO SUBTLE: After the Nets lost their most recent game to the Sixers, Kyrie Irving went off to the media, stating that it’s glaring the team has more work to do with their roster for them to become championship contenders. He then listed off the exact Nets players, himself and Kevin Durant included, who need help.

FINDING HAPPINESS: Retirement was rough for Brandon Roy, and it only got worse when he saw how well the Blazers were doing without him, as well as when he got divorced from his high-school sweetheart. He’s on the path to happiness now, though, as The Athletic details in this great piece.

A TRUE FREAK: 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson is a physical specimen to the point that Pelicans GM David Griffin says he’s fascinated by his young star, and that New Orleans has learned more from Williamson than they’ve taught him.

STEP BY STEP: It’s been an up-and-down season for Nuggets forward Michael Porter, but he’s taking it day by day and expressing gratitude for the progress he’s made since recovering from injury.

DRAFT WATCH: Elite draft prospect LaMelo Ball won’t play again this season, as he deals with a bone bruise in his foot. Ball, who averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists in the NBL this year, likely did enough to earn a high draft position, even in spite of the injury.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

Feel super free to forward this newsletter to your friends. Subscribe here.

ZION BACK: Yesterday, Pelicans GM David Griffin announced that 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson is, barring an unexpected setback, slated to return on Jan. 22 for New Orleans’ game against San Antonio. Griffin added that Williamson’s injury was a blessing in disguise, because it allowed the supersized forward to become an even healthier version of his previous self. If you remember, that “less healthy” version of Williamson tore it up in the preseason, averaging 23.3 points over four games while chipping in 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Oh, and he made over 71 percent of his shot attempts.

Just like that, the Pelicans have become appointment viewing as many expected prior to the season, including the league schedule-makers, who gave New Orleans 30 national television games this year, the most the franchise has ever received. League execs are excited about the news, with one telling Yahoo that Williamson may not be a max player right now, but even as a rookie, he’s already a max entertainer.

Williamson’s return is huge for the NBA, not just because he’s going to put up enormous numbers and throw down highlight dunks every night, but because it will allow the league to start marketing and branding one of the main players that will be among their next generation of superstars. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic have already started that process, but Williamson will be just as important for the future popularity of the league.

From a more near-sighted standpoint, it’s just going to be fun watching Zion do stuff like this in games. Jan. 22 can’t get here soon enough.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: The most important storyline from last night came out of Los Angeles, where the Magic pulled off a pretty huge upset against the Lakers, winning the contest 119-118. Even more noteworthy than the big win was the fact that Orlando was led by Markelle Fultz, who dropped 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, including this clutch bucket over LeBron James. Good for Markelle, who has slowly but steadily started to shed the ugly bust label this season.

In Houston, the Rockets lost the third game in their last four tries, dropping a 117-107 result against a pretty average Blazers team. James Harden attempted just 12 shots and dropped a season-low 13 points, while Carmelo Anthony, facing his former team, had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Houston is in a rut right now.

Oh, also: Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard faced off in that game, too, and still don’t care much for each other.

PHILLY NEEDS SHOOTING: We preview the 2020 trade deadline from a Philadelphia perspective, including their team needs, potential targets and the main trade candidates from the Sixers’ roster.

LOVE TRADE VALUE: Kevin Love trade scuttle has come to a halt over the last week, but one Western Conference executive says he doesn’t think the five-time All-Star has much value right now, which could explain the lack of progress on that front.

GIANNIS UPDATE: League sources tell The Athletic that the Bucks remain confident they’ll be able to retain Giannis Antetokounmpo when he hits free agency in 2021, but they’re aware the outcome of this season will play a huge part in the reigning MVP’s decision. Nervy times ahead in Milwaukee.

THE MAKING OF A SUPER TEAM: ESPN goes super behind-the-scenes on how Paul George and Kawhi Leonard ended up becoming teammates on the Clippers. A lot of crazy details in that piece, including George and Leonard having meetings at Drake’s L.A. home this offseason.

SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ: This shouldn’t be too surprising, but small-market teams get hosed when it comes to Twitter buzz, both by top NBA Twitter influencers and the NBA’s official Twitter page itself. This hurts those smaller teams severely from a marketing perspective, which is way more important than you may think.

OH, KNICKS: Usually, when a fan hits a halfcourt shot during a break in the action at NBA games, they win a boatload of money or other awesome prizes. The Knicks, on the other hand, gave a fan who hit a halfcourt shot at one of their recent games… $1,000 worth of scratch-off tickets. That almost sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.

🤦 The fan talks about the moment here.

BUILDING A WINNER: Trae Young talks about the Luka Doncic trade, wanting to win now and a variety of other topics. Interesting tidbit from that piece: Some agents think the Hawks could be a free-agent destination this summer.

KEEPING HIS FOOT ON THE GAS: Despite the poor luck with his most recent injury, Anthony Davis plans to stay aggressive when he returns. That’s probably a good idea.

RARE GM INTERVIEW: Timberwolves general manager Gersson Rosas discusses Minnesota’s disappointing season, the team’s roster construction, and, most interestingly, reports about Karl-Anthony Towns’ unhappiness with the franchise.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

Feel super free to forward this newsletter to your friends. Subscribe here.

DON’T SLEEP: For those that hadn’t noticed, and there may be a few people who fall under that category, considering they play in one of the league’s smallest markets, the Grizzlies have now won six games in a row, a streak that started with a 26 point-win over one contender, the Clippers, and that continued last night with a 121-110 victory over another contender in Houston. This hot run of form has head coach Taylor Jenkins’ team at 19-22 overall and sitting eighth in the West, doing so in a season where many expected them to compete for a high lottery pick, not the playoffs.

Over the past week and change, Memphis ranks third league-wide in net rating with an impressive +13.3 mark, a clip that outpaces the likes of Milwaukee, Denver and Boston. And they’re doing it by playing an extremely appealing style of basketball, one that features them ranking fourth in the NBA in pace and sixth in transition efficiency, per Synergy Sports.

The most impressive part of Memphis’ run has been the play of rookie lead guard Ja Morant, who isn’t just the heavy favorite for Rookie of the Year right now, but has the makings of a future superstar ball-handler. Not only is he a maestro handling the rock and finding teammates for easy buckets, he also possesses an otherworldly level of bounce, which allows him to throw down dunks that don’t make sense physically.

The stud point guard isn’t lacking in confidence, either. Make it a point to watch the Grizzlies play sometime; at the very least, you’ll be very entertained.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo needed just 21 minutes and 17 shot attempts to drop 37 points on the Knicks, in what was a 128-102 for Milwaukee. Elsewhere, Trae Young had 36 points and 10 assists to lead the way for the Hawks in a 123-110 win over the Suns, while Kawhi Leonard exploded for 43 points in a lopsided Clippers win over Cleveland.

FREE-AGENT ADDITIONS: A few teams made end-of-rotation signings yesterday.

🏀 The Warriors are planning to re-sign Marquese Chriss to a two-way contract, one week after releasing the blossoming big man.

🏀 The Magic signed former Rockets forward Gary Clark to a 10-day contract. Clark shot 35.3 percent from three over 18 games in Houston this year.

🏀 Miami signed G League forward Kyle Alexander to a two-way contract. The team reportedly has no plans to bring him up to the main roster anytime soon.

🏀 Phoenix is planning to make a two-way addition of their own; they’re reportedly preparing to sign G Leaguer Tariq Owens.

BIG PLANS ON SOUTH BEACH: The Heat made a huge statement landing Jimmy Butler last summer despite having negative cap space. And they’re not done yet, says Brian Windhorst, who writes Pat Riley has a chance to create one more super team in Miami.

SPEAKING OF MIAMI: We spoke to Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who talked to us about how he prepared for the breakout season he’s currently enjoying. Robinson ranks sixth in three-point accuracy (43.4 percent) among players with over 150 attempts from deep this year.

FRESH POD: Our own Alex Kennedy is joined by fellow HoopsHype scribe Bryan Kalbrosky to discuss the five players who are appearing most in trade rumors recently.

TY LUE SPEAKS: Former Cavs head coach and current Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue granted the first interview since being let go by Cleveland. In it, he says he wishes he still coached the Cavaliers, and that he doesn’t think he should have been fired. Considering how poorly the John Beilein era has started off, Lue might be right.

AN EXPENSIVE FRIEND: This past summer, the Nets signed DeAndre Jordan to a lucrative contract, one worth $40 million over four years. They did so partly for his basketball abilities, and partly for his soothing locker-room presence. Of course, Jordan being close with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving probably didn’t hurt, either.

THE X-FACTOR: Steve Clifford thinks 24-year-old forward Aaron Gordon is the Magic’s most important player, and that Orlando will only reach their full potential if the talented swingman reaches his first.

A NEEDED BOOST: Nets guard Caris LeVert is giving the Nets a much-needed boost since returning from injury, and they’re going to need it, because their schedule is about to get brutal.

BRUTAL HONESTY: Austin Rivers is confused as to why the Rockets haven’t been better to this point in the season. For what it’s worth, James Harden, who points out the team hasn’t been very healthy yet this year, isn’t worried.

OLYMPIC PREP: The Serbian Basketball Federation announced the hire of Nuggets head coach Mike Malone as a top aide and consultant to Igor Kokoskov. Pretty decent pick up there for Serbia ahead of the crucial Olympic qualifying tournament this summer.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

Feel super free to forward this newsletter to your friends. Subscribe here.

FIGHT! Midway through the third quarter of Wednesday night’s game between the Pacers and Heat, with Miami up 23 and the contest looking one-sided, Jimmy Butler and TJ Warren got tangled up on a random play and seemingly nearly came to blows before being separated by teammates and the officials.

On the next play, Butler threw a shoulder into Warren, drawing an offensive foul call and leading to Warren clapping at Butler as he the four-time All-Star walked away. That action got Warren ejected, and as he walked off the court, he made an obscene gesture at Butler who was blowing him kisses in return. After the game, Butler hopped on Instagram and posted a lovely message for Warren, basically telling him he can’t wait for the two teams to match up again in March. He also told local media what he thinks of Warren’s defensive prowess. (Spoiler alert: not much.)

In the process of this petty scuffle between the two talented players, Butler and Warren actually sort of taught us a lesson: That mid-season NBA games, usually known for low effort, particularly the outings that come just ahead of the All-Star break, can still be exciting! On a night with so many games yet with so little actually at stake, Butler and Warren became the talk of the basketball collective, and will likely lead every sports talk show this morning.

Maybe giving something players something to fight for (not literally) at this point in the season could prove to be good business by the NBA. And maybe, just maybe, that mid-season tournament could give the league a little excitement for what are typically those quiet nights in January. It’d be better than waiting on players to fight to spice things up at this point in the season, at least.

THE DRAGON: Goran Dragic missed a lot of last season due to knee troubles, but has bounced back this year to average 15.9 points off the bench for the Heat, turning himself into an early Sixth Man of the Year candidate in the process. Dragic says he feels great, and thinks his newfound health will allow him to play for at least another three or four seasons.

KUZMA WATCH: Although previous reports stated that the Lakers were open to hear offers for Kyle Kuzma and not initiating anything themselves, the latest scuttle says Lakers GM Rob Pelinka actually called the Kings himself to gauge their interest in the third-year forward. It certainly does not seem like Kuzma is long for L.A.

SWAGGY P BACK? Nick Young says he hopes to return to the NBA this season. He also said D’Angelo Russell is not invited to his upcoming wedding for… obvious reasons.

IMPORTANT RETURN SET: Victor Oladipo told Shams he’s targeting Jan. 29 as his return date. Oladipo’s comeback could be a game-changer in the East, as the Pacers are already a good team without their All-Star guard; his addition will only make them better.

UNFORTUNATE MISSPEAK: It’s been a rough go so far for first-year Cavs head coach John Beilein. And things only appear to be getting worse for the 66-year-old, who reportedly accidentally called his players ‘thugs’ instead of ‘slugs’ in a meeting, and had to apologize to his team individually yesterday. Yikes.

NO HARD FEELINGS: In his first appearance since being fired from the Knicks’ head coaching job and hired by ESPN, David Fizdale said he has no ill will towards his former employer, and said he misses his old team.

BANG! Mike Breen discusses some of his favorite three-point calls from his career, including the Kyrie Irving game-sealing triple over Steph Curry in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.

BULLOCK’S BURDEN: Reggie Bullock talks about his comeback, not from surgery but from losing two sisters in a five-year span. He says his pink hair is a tribute he’s dedicating to his sister this season.

FROM PLAYER TO ANALYST: Jalen Rose played in the NBA for 13 seasons, and has now spent 12 working for ESPN, turning himself into one of the most entertaining voices in sports media. He discusses what that transition was like, how he’s been so successful and his political aspirations. 

TRASH-TALKING THREES: Often, when a player spots up for a corner three, you can see the opposing bench players and even some assistant coaches yelling in the shooter’s ear to get him to miss. Here are some stories from players who have been on both sides of that phenomenon. 

SUPER CARUSO: Alex Caruso explains why he wears a headband now. He says it’s because the headband has superpowers. It seems Caruso’s been spending a lot of time with JaVale McGee, clearly.

PHILANTHROPY: Trae Young is helping clear up over $1 million in medical debts for struggling families in Atlanta by donating $10,000 through his foundation. Amazing gesture by the future All-Star point guard.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

Feel super free to forward this newsletter to your friends. Subscribe here.