All of these players did the Irish proud before making the jump.
Nobody on Notre Dame’s veteran-laden team from this past season will be selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. In fact, given the inexperience across the board on the upcoming season’s roster and under a new coach no less, it could be quite a while before we see another Notre Dame player drafted. On the bright side, that means no early departures except via the transfer portal. Then again, it sure would be nice to have NBA-ready talent in South Bend.
The only way to deal with a challenging present and short-term future is to look to the past. In this case, the way to go about that is to look at former players who heard their names called on draft night over the past several years. Of the 62 former Notre Dame players who have suited up in the NBA or ABA, 41 have entered professional basketball via the draft. Here are the most recent ones:
Steph Curry was recently asked who he would give one of his rings to for a player that never won a championship in the NBA.
In a recent interview with radio legend “Big Boy,” Steph Curry was asked an interesting question. The four-time NBA champ with the Golden State Warriors was asked who he would give one of his rings to for a player from NBA history that never won a championship.
Before revealing the two, Curry took a jab at NBA Hall of Famer turned host on NBA on TNT, Charles Barkley. Following his shot at Barkley, the two-time Most Valuable Player landed on Steve Nash and Reggie Miller.
That’s a great question; I’ve never answered this question before. It would not be Charles Barkley.
Can I pick two people?
I would pick Steve Nash, and I would pick Reggie Miller. That list is pretty insane.
Both fellow sharpshooters, Miller played 18 seasons in the association, all with the Indiana Pacers. On his way to the Hall of Fame, Miller was a five-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA team three times. Miller ranks No. 4 all time in made 3-pointers (2,560).
Miller led the Pacers to the postseason 15 times in his 18-year career. Miller made six appearances in the Eastern Conference finals. However, he only made one trip to the NBA Finals and came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nash, also a Hall of Famer, played 18 seasons in the NBA, appearing in the postseason 12 times with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. The two-time MVP helped push his team to four appearances in the Western Conference finals, but he never advanced to the NBA Finals in his career.
The 1996 draft class is one of the best in NBA history: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson… Its draftees combined for four MVP awards, 42 All-NBA selections and a whopping 68 All-Star appearances.
The 1996 draft class is often mentioned as one of the best in NBA history – and rightfully so. Its draftees combined for four MVP awards (two for Steve Nash, one apiece for Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson), 42 All-NBA selections and a whopping 68 All-Star appearances.
Former Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has discussed the Toronto Raptors’ HC position, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Former Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has met with the Toronto Raptors to discuss their vacant head-coaching position, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Nash was hired by the Nets in September of 2020 to be the head coach for Brooklyn after reportedly being preferred by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Nash coached the Nets from the 2020-21 season to the 2022-23 season, but was fired seven games into his third season after guiding Brooklyn to a 2-5 start despite being considered title contenders prior to the season starting. Before the 2022-23 season began, Durant requested to be traded in part because of how Nash conducted practices.
Nash coached the Nets for 161 games and in that span, he amassed a 94-67 record (58.4%), including a 7-13 mark (35%) in the playoffs. During Nash’s tenure in Brooklyn, he won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in February of the 2020-21 season and received the sixth-most votes for Coach of the Year that season.
The Toronto Raptors met with Steve Nash to discuss their head coaching job, sources tell me and @joevardon. Nash, a Canadian basketball legend, had a .584 record (94-67) in two-plus seasons coaching the Nets. Toronto has had a wide-ranging coaching search.
Replying to Sportsnets’ Michael Grange’sarticle questioning whether Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can become the greatest basketball player from Canada, Steve Nash thinks it’s a possibility.
Nash, who many view as the greatest Canadian basketball player, is a fan of Gilgeous-Alexander and believes he can surpass him for the title.
It’s a tall task for Gilgeous-Alexander because Nash’s resume speaks for itself. The Hall-of-Famer was a two-time MVP and was ranked among the Top 75 players in history. Nash was also an eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA player and five-time assist king.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander is entering his prime and is enjoying the best season of his young career, averaging a career-high 31.3 points on a ridiculous 62.5 TS%.
If Gilgeous-Alexander can enjoy a run of seasons similar to his current one as a high-efficient 25-plus points per game scorer, he’ll certainly make a run for Nash’s title as the greatest Canadian basketball player of all time.
The Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday after two straight disappointing seasons as the full-time head coach and named Joe Prunty as the interim. McMillan helped lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in the interim role back in 2021, was named head coach and has since clashed with his biggest star, Trae Young, and hovered around .500 with a talented roster.
A change was expected.
Well, it sure looks like Young has a name in mind to be the next Hawks head coach.
On Wednesday, Young posted a series of photos on Instagram with the caption, “One thing we can never get back, Time! ~Don’t waste it~” It seemed to be a veiled message to the Hawks, and interestingly enough, Young was wearing a Phoenix Suns Steve Nash jersey in a few of the photos.
The image of Young wearing a Suns jersey was a bit jarring at first glance. After all, there had been rumblings earlier this season about a potential Trae Young trade.
But this really appeared to be about Nash more than anything else. Nash was Young’s favorite player growing up. And despite Nash’s shaky tenure in Brooklyn and critical comments about Young’s foul-hunting moves, he would be a head coach who would immediately have Trae’s respect.
NBA fans certainly read into the post as Young lobbying for a Nash hire.
LeBron is going to shatter the scoring record. He just moved into fourth all-time in assists.
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LeBron James is going to break the all-time scoring record. At this point, it’s not a matter of if, but when? The answer is likely sometime late next week.
This week, however, James climbed up another all-time list. He recorded 11 assists in the Lakers’ win over the Knicks on Tuesday to pass Steve Nash for fourth all-time. He now trails buddy Chris Paul for third, Jason Kidd for second and John Stockton for first.
So is it possible James finishes his career as the all-time scoring and assist leader? Let’s dive into it.
Stockton’s record is 15,806 assists, which is 5,468 ahead of James. So it would take James roughly 771 games at his current pace of 7.1 assists per game to break the record. That would require James to play 82 games every year for another decade until he’s about 48 years old. And that pretty much answers the question. It ain’t happening.
According to HoopsHype, if James averaged a slightly more realistic six assists while playing 70 games a year, he wouldn’t reach the record until 2036, when he’s 51.
Even catching Kidd, whose 12,091 assists are 1,753 ahead of James, is unlikely. Moving into third will be a challenge too depending on how long James and Paul each decide to play. So fourth place may be where James finishes his career. It’s still quite the accomplishment considering all the players ahead of him are point guards and he’s not.
“That’s just what I love to do, getting my guys involved,” James said about moving up the list. “Try to put the ball on time and on target with my guys throughout the course of my career.”
— Prince J. Grimes
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
(AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky had a chance to catch up with Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. The two discussed Butler’s Michelob Super Bowl commercial, what sports outside of basketball he enjoys and more.
“I don’t think it’s right. I think I should be able to wear my hair however I want to wear my hair. You’re supposed to be using my media day picture. Put my hair back the way that it was because I love that hairdo on me. I’m going to change it because when I come back after the All-Star break, I’m going to have dreads and everybody is going to have to use that picture again.”
Orlando Magic (+325) at Philadelphia 76ers (-9.5, -400), O/U 230.5, 7 PM ET
What we have between the Magic and Sixers is one of the worst road teams in the NBA playing one of the best home teams. And that home team has a little more incentive to get up for an otherwise nothing game thanks to a butt-kicking it took from the feet of the same road team just two days ago. The Magic beat the Sixers by 10 on Monday, so I’ll roll with Philly to return the favor with an equal butt-kicking tonight.
LeBron James added yet another statistical achievement on Tuesday when the Lakers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
For the first time since the 2019-20 season, LeBron James suited up for a Los Angeles Lakers game at Madison Square Garden versus the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
He didn’t have a super-efficient offensive outing, but he achieved his first triple-double of the season: 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Lakers survived in overtime, 129-123. It was a victory they simply had to have after losing their previous two contests.
With that triple-double, he surpassed two people on the NBA’s list of most career assists — Marc Jackson and Steve Nash — to move into the fourth spot on that list with 10,336.
BREAKING: LeBron James has passed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for 4th on the NBA's all-time assists list 🪙👑 pic.twitter.com/rfnjtNcGIC
Next on the list is the Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul, who has 11,246 assists, and after that is Jason Kidd, who retired with 12,091.
No one can safely predict if James will surpass Paul, especially since the Suns’ leader is averaging 8.7 assists a game this season. But many are learning to not count out the four-time MVP when it comes to anything that has to do with his longevity.
In a recent analysis of the second-best shooters ever after Stephen Curry, two Boston Celtics made the cut.
In a recent analysis of the second-best shooters ever after Stephen Curry put together by Hoops Hype’s Frank Urbina, two Boston Celtics made the cut from a fairly broad field of historical sharpshooters.
Urbina drew from a veritable “who’s who” of the best long-distance marksmen to see who wins the silver behind the Hoops Hype analysts’ greatest of all shooters in league history in Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. Other names besides Larry Bird and Ray Allen included Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Reggie Miller, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Kyle Korver, Predrag Stojakovic, Drazen Petrovic, and Oscar Schmidt.
Let’s take a look at some of what Urbina had to say about the Celtics on that list — as well as who he believes is No. 2 on the list of the greatest shooters of all time.
The NCAA tourney has long had ties to the NBA, but none more special than this. https://t.co/NpF3lrSJQw
Durant told Spears that he loves the people in Brooklyn and his trade request allowed him to have “honest conversations” with the team. Apparently, one of those conversations was about the way the team used to practice under the Nash-led regime.
“I went to them and was like, ‘Yo, I don’t like how we are preparing. I don’t like shootarounds. I like practices. I need more. I want to work on more s–t. Hold me accountable. Get on my ass in film if that’s going to help you get on everybody else’s head. I want to do more closeouts. I want to work on more shell drills at practice.’
Durant added that nobody was on the “same vibe” when it came to that desire. Nash’s successor, Jacque Vaughn, is apparently more aligned with Durant.
Durant continued, noting he has enjoyed “grinding” with Vaughn and his Brooklyn teammates so far this season.
“I just like good practices, I like a good preparation, I like good energy, and we’ve been showing that, to be honest,” Durant told B/R. “Coaches have been doing a great job, regardless of this loss tonight and last game. I think we’ve been preparing ourselves well. Guys want to win. We’re out there playing as hard as we can. That’s really what I need.
“That’s what I said last summer. I didn’t feel like we had those things last year like good preparation, great energy to start real team chemistry, and I feel like we’re building that right now. We got some guys in and out the lineup, but I think guys have been figuring out their roles within that. And it’s been fun, regardless of games like tonight.”
According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving would sometimes host his own practice immediately after the conclusion of Nash’s practices.
During his conversations with Spears and Haynes, however, Durant remained adamant that he is much happier than people realize. He told Spears that he needs to smile in photographs more often so people understand that he isn’t Mr. Miserable, as he was described by TNT analyst Charles Barkley.
“What’s not to love about this life? I’m a great player. I get up to go hoop every day, work on my game. I make a s— ton of money. I buy a lot of cool s—. I don’t understand why there’s even a question on whether I’m happy or not. I just look at the big picture of things. Obviously, basketball, I want to do well, win every game and I want s— to be perfect. But that doesn’t mean my whole life is f—ed up.”
He told Haynes something similar, adding that if he were mic’d up in games more often, fans would notice how much he actually enjoys getting to play basketball.
“I’m really having a good time. I wish y’all could hear me talk during the game. If I got mic’d up more, people would stop asking me if I’m happy or not. I’m enjoying every moment I get to step on this f–king court, and part of it is because I tore my Achilles. And the pandemic, I didn’t know if we were going to play again. I didn’t know if I was going to play again.
“I was just like, ‘This can’t be it for me.’ I have to really enjoy every single moment I’m out here. That’s part of being a pro. I have to be coachable, I have to knock down shots, I have to be aggressive, and I have to talk to my teammates the right way. That’s the journey and the battle.”
I’m just glad to see Durant is feeling honest and happy. That’s wonderful.
