Tag: Serge Ibaka

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpasses Serge Ibaka for Thunder’s 3rd all-time leading scorer

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpasses Serge Ibaka for Thunder’s 3rd all-time leading scorer.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s game against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday featured a historic moment early on in the contest.

Less than four minutes into the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s second bucket helped him surpass longtime starting forward Serge Ibaka on the all-time Thunder scoring list. It’s important to note Seattle Supersonics history isn’t included in this.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s career total in OKC is at 6,056 points and counting. In his seven seasons with the Thunder, Ibaka tallied 6,054 points. The top two leading scorers are Russell Westbrook (18,859 points) and Kevin Durant (17,566 points).

This is a pretty impressive feat for Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s only in his fifth season with the Thunder. Averaging 31.1 points over the last two seasons will help you quickly climb the list.

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Adam Silver’s longest NBA on-court suspensions, including Draymond Green

Adam Silver has only issued a handful of multi-game suspensions for on-court incidents.

Since taking over for David Stern, commissioner Adam Silver has not issued suspensions as often or for as long. But some still stand out.

Even though Silver does not have much reputation as a disciplinarian as the NBA’s commissioner, there are a few moments that have required him to be a bit more strict than usual.

While there are unfortunately several off-court incidents that have needed attention from Silver, it is rare that something that has happened during an actual game has led to a player receiving forced time away from the team.

But the recent suspension of Golden State’s Draymond Green for his violent chokehold of Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert led us to wonder how this compares to other on-court suspensions Silver has issued.

According to research from For The Win, per Spotrac, the NBA has now issued 15 multi-game suspensions for on-court incidents since Silver took over as league commissioner in 2014.

Based on what we found, here is what caused each of the suspensions:

Ranking the top 5 draft picks made in OKC Thunder history

Ranking the top 5 draft picks in Thunder history:

The 2023 NBA draft is less than two weeks away, and with the Oklahoma City Thunder owning another lottery selection at No. 12, let’s look back on the short draft history of the franchise since they relocated.

Since 2008, the Thunder have seldom been in the lottery because they enjoyed a decade of being a constant title/playoff contender. That has obviously changed. They endured a rebuild in 2020 that looks like it’s nearing its end.

In this exercise, we look at the best five draft picks in Thunder history. This also includes draft picks Thunder general manager Sam Presti made during the last couple of years the franchise was known as the Seattle Supersonics, since those players spent most — if not their entire — tenure with the Thunder.

Five best players on buyout market Lakers should look at

Will the Lakers sign someone from the buyout market? If so, one of these five men could fit the bill.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster looks a lot better, or at least a lot more balanced and cohesive, after the three deals they made in the final hours before last Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

At least on paper, they have more outside shooting, forward depth, a legitimate two-way center other than Anthony Davis and a point guard, D’Angelo Russell, who is a much better fit than Russell Westbrook.

But by no means do the Lakers have a complete roster.

They could use another legitimate 3-and-D wing, as well as one more center who can defend and rebound.

Now that the trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, teams are waiving players they deem superfluous, creating a buyout market that has some interesting bit players.

Los Angeles has one open roster spot available, and it could fill the spot with a player on the buyout market.

These five players could help the Lakers a little if they want to sign with the Purple and Gold.

4 backup big men Sixers should take a look at on the buyout market

Here are four backup big man options the Philadelphia 76ers should take a look at on the buyout market.

The Philadelphia 76ers made their move at the deadline when they moved Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-team deal that netted them Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets in a deal that also brought Philadelphia below the luxury tax line.

The move gives the Sixers another able perimeter defender, but it also doesn’t fix their issue of a backup center.

At the moment, Philadelphia is relying on their duo of Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed who are both serviceable, but they aren’t necessarily solutions. Harrell is very good on the offensive end and he brings a ton of energy, but he struggles rebounding and defending against bigger centers while Reed is a solid defender, but he fouls a ton and doesn’t offer much in the way of offense.

Therefore, it’s time for the Sixers to turn to the buyout market, which president Daryl Morey says they’ll be active in. There are four possible options for Philadelphia and they are:

2023 NBA buyout season: Who are the candidates?

The NBA trade deadline has passed and now we enter buyout season. Over the next few weeks, we will see several big-name players, usually on expiring contracts, potentially negotiate an early release. Once these players clear waivers, they will …

The NBA trade deadline has passed and now we enter buyout season. Over the next few weeks, we will see several big-name players, usually on expiring contracts, potentially negotiate an early release. Once these players clear waivers, they will likely be pursued by the best teams in the league in hopes of adding extra juice for a playoff run. The deadline for players to get waived and retain playoff eligibility is March 1.

Ranking the 20 most interesting NBA players who could get traded and where each may go

A look at the players who could be dealt by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

The NBA trade deadline is one week from Thursday, and while it might seem quieter than normal, there could still be a lot of activity.

Even if there isn’t a looming blockbuster move like when the Nets and Sixers swapped James Harden and Ben Simmons last season, there are teams around the league that could have an entirely different roster before the beginning of the All-Star break.

While there are some obvious sellers (e.g. Pistons, Hornets, Spurs, Rockets), others (e.g. Raptors, Pacers, Jazz) have slightly less clear intentions.

Based on the latest rumors and intel provided by insiders around the NBA, these are the players considered most likely to get traded — and where each player is rumored to go.

But remember: The trade deadline is always full of surprises. No one in the league predicted the Kings would have traded Tyrese Haliburton last season! So in addition to these players, expect the unexpected.

4 backup center options Sixers should look into before trade deadline

Here are four backup center options the Philadelphia 76ers should look into before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

The Feb. 9 trade deadline is right around the corner in the NBA. Now is the time for every team to figure out how it wants to handle the deadline and how they are going to move forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers, led by stars Joel Embiid and James Harden, have their eyes set on a title. Their starting lineup is one of the best in the league, and they have some really good role players in the supporting cast.

However, that pesky backup center spot continues to be an issue. Montrezl Harrell has been great offensively but not so great defensively. It’s obvious Paul Reed hasn’t earned the trust of the coaching staff.

Therefore, the Sixers should probably make a move at the deadline. Here are four options that make sense for the Sixers:

Brooklyn Nets are monitoring Bucks big man Serge Ibaka per HoopsHype

The Brooklyn Nets could be interested in the services of Milwaukee Bucks forward Serge Ibaka.

The Brooklyn Nets are monitoring Milwaukee Bucks big man Serge Ibaka, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. This news comes after Shams Charania reported that the Bucks and Ibaka have agreed to work together to find the forward a new home.

According to HoopsHype, NBA executives believe that Milwaukee would be willing to part with Ibaka for a second-round pick. It’s no secret that Brooklyn has one of the thinnest frontcourts in the league as Nic Claxton is the team’s only true big in the rotation.

Kevin Durant (who is currently out with a sprained right MCL) and Ben Simmons have been filling in as bigs for the team to help out Claxton on the glass and defending the paint. The Nets have been linked to big men considered to be on the market such as Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins and San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl. Ibaka is averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game this season.

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Former Thunder teammates Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka beef over inappropriate joke

Serge Ibaka was not a fan of Kendrick Perkins questioning his age.

Not even the Christmas spirit could stop two former teammates from hashing out their differences on Twitter.

After a (now deleted) clip made the rounds on the social media app in which  ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins joked about the legitimacy of Serge Ibaka’s age, the latter responded with well-thought-out criticisms of the joke.

Perkins said in the clip that Ibaka was likely 30 years old while with the Thunder during the early years of the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook era. Ibaka has previously faced allegations concerning his true age, but nothing legitimate has ever surfaced to force people to treat them as anything more than subtle xenophobia.

Ibaka responded and said the false accusations are both disrespectful to him and to fellow Africans who face stereotypes of them lying about their age with hopes of entering the league.

 

Perkins initially shrugged off the criticisms from Ibaka, saying he was  fooling around before quickly issuing a half-hearted apology and then immediately blackmailing him by threatening to air out his dirty laundry.

One of the greatest strengths about Twitter is it serves as essentially a virtual town hall, making it easy to take the temperature of the room and figure out where public opinion is.

From everything that’s been seen on the app, it appears public opinion backs Ibaka in this situation and commends him for his valid criticisms of baseless stereotypes international players face when entering the league. Meanwhile, Perkins faced heavy backlash for his refusal to see his wrongdoings and his eventual half-measured apology.

This isn’t the first time Perkins has butted heads with former Thunder teammates either. It has been a disturbing trend in recent years during Perkins’ transition from NBA player to ESPN media personality.

Perkins and Ibaka were teammates from 2011 to 2015 in Oklahoma City. Perkins, 38, is an ESPN analyst while Ibaka, 33, is on the Milwaukee Bucks.

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