Smith worked for NBA TV and wrote for NBA.com since 2009.
“We are all heartbroken over Sekou’s tragic passing,” Turner Sports, which broadcasts and operates NBA TV ad NBA.com, said in a statement. “His commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will miss his warm, engaging personality.”
Smith covered the NBA for more than twenty years, including 11 years with Turner Sports, which, like CNN, is owned by WarnerMedia.
“The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family. Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“Sekou’s love of basketball was clear to everyone who knew him and it always shined through in his work. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Heather, and their children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron,” Silver said.
Smith started his career in journalism as a sports reporter at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1994, according to his LinkedIn profile. He then worked four years each at The Indianapolis Star and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before joining Turner Sports.
Beloved in the basketball community, Smith’s death — on the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s passing just one year ago — received numerous tributes from players and coaches alike.
Stan Van Gundy, head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, had known Smith since his time at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He called him a “great man” in a message posted to Twitter.
“While I’ve known him since he was with the AJC but was lucky to work with him at NBA TV,” Van Gundy wrote. “I got to know him well enough to know 3 things — I was lucky to spend time with him, I wanted to know him better and he was a good man.”
Dwyane Wade, retired Miami Heat legend, echoed those sentiments.
“I’ve never had anything but positive interactions and conversations with Sekou Smith,” he said. “Our prayers go out to the Smith family. We lost a good one. Rest In Heaven.”
And in Smith’s adopted hometown of Atlanta, the Hawks shared a few words on his passing, as Smith covered the team for five years.
“The Hawks organization is heartbroken by the passing of Sekou Smith. The Hawks’ beat writer for the AJC from 05-09, Sekou provided our fans with honest & fair coverage, sharing incredible insight on the team while establishing himself as one of the NBA’s top personalities,” the team said.
Lloyd Pierce, head coach of the Hawks, said in a post game interview on Tuesday that it had been a tough day, with both Bryant’s anniversary and the news about Smith, calling him “about as genuine a person as there is in the industry.”
Smith is survived by his wife Heather and their three children Gabriel, Reilly and Cameron.
Beloved NBA reporter and television analyst Sekou Smith died Tuesday, the league announced. He was 48.
Smith covered the NBA for roughly two decades. He got his start working for the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., before covering the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks during his time with the Indianapolis Star and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
He joined Turner Sports in 2009, working as a reporter and an analyst for NBA.com and NBA TV. Smith also hosted the Hang Time Podcast, with his last appearance on Jan. 11.
SPORTS WORLD REMEMBERS KOBE BRYANT ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
“We are all heartbroken over Sekou’s tragic passing,” Turner Sports said in a statement. “His commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will miss his warm, engaging personality. He was beloved by his Turner Sports and NBA friends and colleagues. Our deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones.”
Smith was described as a kind person and an important figure in the NBA community, leading to a wave of tributes from former colleagues, players, coaches, and league officials.
“The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league.”
“Sekou’s love of basketball was clear to everyone who knew him and it always shined through in his work. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Heather, and their children, Gabriel, Rielly, and Cameron,” Silver continued.
Smith had been battling the coronavirus, according to reports. His cause of death was not officially revealed on Tuesday.
New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said that he’d last heard about Smith’s condition on Monday night from longtime NBA writer Marc Spears and believed things were getting better.
After learning of his passing he said the news “just hit hard.”
“I think for all of us, this COVID thing has been painful, to say the least,” said Van Gundy who worked with Smith at Turner Sports before taking the Pelicans job. “But when you lose somebody that you know, and that you admire and respect and who is young. I mean, he might not be young by some of your guys’ definitions, but young by my standards.”
HARTHORNE WINGO, 73, FAN FAVORITE ON KNICKS TITLE TEAM, DIES
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who also spent time working with Smith at Turner Sports, said he was “just devastated.”
“Crushing news,” Kerr said, according to The Athletic reporter Anthony Slater. “Sekou has been part of the NBA family for a long time…Just another awful day and we’re all so saddened.”
Others from within the NBA community and around the sports world reacted to the news on social media.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Smith went to college at Jackson State in Mississippi before entering the sports world.
The 2021 NBA trade deadline is now less than two months away, although a blockbuster four-team James Harden trade has already caused ripples throughout the league.
Harden joining the Brooklyn Nets means other title contenders may now be pressured to upgrade their rosters while the Nets themselves look to build back some depth.
Bradley Beal has become the name to watch as the league’s leading scorer is being wasted on the 3-9 Washington Wizards. He’s far from the only big name who could be moved, however.
With activity already underway, here are some more transactions to look out for as the deadline draws closer.
1 of 5
Tony Dejak/Associated Press
Pairing James Harden with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving seems like a cheat code on offense, although stripping the team of Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince and Caris LeVert has severely hurt Brooklyn’s defense and depth.
Since trading for Harden, the Nets have a defensive rating of 119.2, which ranks next-to-last in the NBA over that span.
While one of those meetings was against a strong Milwaukee Bucks team, the Nets dropped two games to the Cleveland Cavaliers (who were missing Kevin Love), gave up 124 points to a Miami Heat squad without Jimmy Butler or Tyler Herro and allowed Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic to light them up for 34 points on 63.6 percent shooting.
Starting center DeAndre Jordan (5.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game) hasn’t been this ineffective in nearly a decade and will get destroyed if he’s asked to defend Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo or Giannis Antetokounmpo in a playoff series.
The Nets can’t trade a first-round pick for the next eight drafts, which means they’re limited on upgrade opportunities.
But JaVale McGee is one option. The 33-year-old is averaging 8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just 16.8 minutes per game for the Cavaliers but has fallen out of the rotation behind Andre Drummond and Allen.
The Nets were granted a $5.7 million disabled player exception from Spencer Dinwiddie’s season-ending ACL tear, and they could use it to absorb McGee’s $4.2 million salary. Sam Amico of FortyEightMinutes reported that the Nets and Cavs have already met twice to discuss a trade for the big man.
Brooklyn could also use its exception to trade for fellow veteran centers like Ed Davis, Nerlens Noel or Bismack Biyombo.
2 of 5
Eric Gay/Associated Press
With the Houston Rockets in the middle of a complete makeover, P.J. Tucker is likely the next veteran out the door.
Houston hasn’t been in any hurry to trade the 35-year-old, however, even offering him a contract extension, per The Athletic’s Kelly Iko and Sam Amick. They also noted that “teams have already made a number of phone calls to Houston about potentially acquiring Tucker.”
The three-and-D power forward with an expiring $8 million contract should be one of the league’s easiest veterans to move. He’s played a key role on playoff teams in Houston and Toronto the past five years, able to start as a floor-stretching big or serve as a primary reserve.
Since Tucker has refused to sign any extension Houston has offered, a trade seems inevitable.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have “maintained contact” with the Rockets about Tucker, per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. While they have a need at power forward, they’re also dead last in the West with a 4-11 record. Giving up anything of value for Tucker with the season slipping away seems questionable.
Expect a contender to end up winning the Tucker sweepstakes instead.
The Boston Celtics have needed a true power forward for years. The Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets all need defensive help, as well.
With Russell Westbrook and James Harden both out of Houston, expect Tucker to be next.
3 of 5
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
The Dallas Mavericks are good enough to make a deep playoff run now but should also be closely monitoring the 2021 free-agent class.
With Kristaps Porzingis on a max deal and Luka Doncic eligible to sign his own extension this offseason, the Mavs’ last chance to make a big splash in free agency may be this summer.
While some of the top potential free agents have already inked extensions that have taken them off the table, plenty of talent will still be available. Victor Oladipo, DeMar DeRozan, John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Lowry and Andre Drummond will all be free agents, and each could help create a Big Three in Dallas.
The Mavericks aren’t guaranteed to have space for a max salary yet, however.
Josh Richardson carries an $11.6 million player option, and the Mavericks can choose whether they want to pay Willie Cauley-Stein $4.1 million next season.
Dallas should be looking for roster upgrades now while getting some extra salary off the books for 2021-22.
Drummond is on an expiring $28.8 million deal and should be available after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Jarrett Allen. The Mavs could build a deal around James Johnson and Dwight Powell, thereby removing the latter’s remaining two years and $22.8 million. Dallas is just 24th in rebounding this season (48.4 rebound percentage), while Drummond is nearly leading the NBA in glass-cleaning for the fourth consecutive season.
Otto Porter Jr. ($28.5 million) and LaMarcus Aldridge ($24.0 million) could also work as pieces on expiring deals who are capable of helping now.
4 of 5
Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press
While a handful of young players (Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, OG Anunoby, etc.) avoided free agency by signing extensions before the season, other young stars failed to come to an agreement with their current clubs.
John Collins, Lauri Markkanen and Lonzo Ball will now become restricted free agents over the summer, leaving their futures with their current teams in doubt.
Jarrett Allen was another player from the 2017 class who wasn’t extended. By not signing any additional contract with the Brooklyn Nets, he was eligible to be traded as part of the James Harden deal and will almost certainly re-up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets are already deep into the luxury tax, so a new deal for Allen would have put even more financial pressure on the franchise.
A difference in money is likely the reason Collins, Markkanen and Ball aren’t under long-term deals, as well. It could also be the reason at least one of them gets traded before the deadline.
John Collins wanted max money from the Atlanta Hawks but only got an offer in excess of $90 million, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The Chicago Bulls and Markkanen were about $4 million apart in starting salary numbers, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Ball probably should have taken whatever reasonable offer the New Orleans Pelicans presented to him given his huge dip in play from last season.
While Ball and Markkanen could still be moved, Collins seems like the most likely candidate.
As a combo big, Collins is facing a crowded Hawks frontcourt with Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Onyeka Okongwu and De’Andre Hunter, who’s passed Collins as the team’s second-leading scorer behind Trae Young.
Since the Hawks might need to give the 23-year-old a max deal or lose him for nothing this offseason, expect him to be traded—and possibly Markkanen or Ball, as well.
5 of 5
Andy Clayton-King/Associated Press
A 6-9 record to start the season has the Miami Heat near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, in large part because of injuries and players missing games due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19.
While it’s still relatively early, the East is becoming far tougher than the version Miami finished on top of last campaign.
The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a 12-5 start to lead the conference, the Brooklyn Nets could now have the NBA’s top offense with James Harden, and the Milwaukee Bucks should be better suited for the postseason with Jrue Holiday aboard.
Miami should certainly feel pressure to do something, and a trade for Bradley Beal would be the ultimate response.
The Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson noted the Heat have a “high” interest level in trading for Beal should the 3-9 Washington Wizards make him available.
While Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would be off the table, a deal centered around Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 should be enough to get Washington’s interest. Miami should be going all-in to win a title, especially since the 31-year-old Butler racked up a lot of early-career mileage while playing under Tom Thibodeau on the Chicago Bulls.
The Wizards won’t want to trade Beal, but the 27-year-old could certainly ask his way out. With a 21-year-old star in the making likely on the table in Herro, they could get a nice return for their established star.
It had been more than two years since LeBron James played a game in Cleveland, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles Lakers star certainly made up for lost time on Monday, turning in perhaps his greatest performance against his former team.
James scored a season-high 46 points in the Lakers’ 115-108 win over the Cavaliers, extending L.A.’s road winning streak to 10-0 to start the season, a franchise record, and he did it in style back in his home state of Ohio.
“Home cooking,” he said afterward on a videoconference with reporters. “It just felt good to be back in my haven, my rest haven, and that’s being home.”
For much of the trip, it was all warm and fuzzy feelings for the 18-year veteran. He spent time with his mother and uncle. He greeted former teammate Cedi Osman with a big hug during warm-ups, skirting the league’s health and safety protocols to show some love. He shouted out longtime Cavs employee Mark “Cobra” Cashman, dubbing him “the greatest equipment guy in the world.”
But heading into the fourth quarter trailing the Cavs 89-87 after he missed a turnaround shot at the buzzer that would have tied things up, James found a reason to quit the nice-guy routine and bury his former team.
After his 14-footer over Taurean Prince bounced twice on the rim and out, James noticed Jason Hillman, the Cavs’ basketball chief of staff, sitting in a group by the baseline with the rest of the Cavs’ front office and clapping to celebrate the errant shot, sources told ESPN.
“I felt like he was just a little bit too excited about seeing me miss,” James said afterward, declining to name Hillman when asked who caught his attention. “He was really excited about me missing that shot. A little bit more extra than I would have liked. But he’s got to root for his team, obviously. And he was, he showcased that.
“So I knew I had another quarter, and the fourth quarter’s my favorite.”
And what a fourth quarter it was. James single-handedly outscored his opponent — the team he once helped deliver its lone championship in 2016, mind you — 21-19 in the fourth to push the Lakers past a plucky Cavs squad that beat the Brooklyn Nets twice on their home floor just last week.
After the carnage was over, with James going 9-for-10 from the field, hitting a 3 from the Cleveland “C” logo at center court and a couple more daggers from the outside while adding two assists, two steals and two blocks, all his former team could do was acknowledge James’ greatness.
“Doesn’t take much to get Bron going,” one Cavs source told ESPN of the brief exchange James had with Hillman, with the four-time MVP shooting an icy stare in Hillman’s direction before making his way to the Lakers’ bench. “He was unreal tonight.”
Added Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, “You take your hat off to him. There’s a reason why he is who he is and he’s accomplished all the things that he’s accomplished. If he’s making shots like that you pat him on the butt.”
It was the most points James has ever scored against Cleveland as he ran his career record to 15-1 in games played against the team he suited up for over 11 seasons. And he was as accurate as he has ever been by one measure — his 73.1% from the field on 19-for-26 shooting was tied for the best he has ever shot out of the 240 career games in which he attempted at least 25 shots (regular season and playoffs combined). The only other time he went 19-for-26? Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals in Boston, which many point to as the most important win of his career.
James, at 36 years and 26 days old, became the oldest Lakers player with a 40-point game since Kobe Bryant scored 60 at the age of 37 years, 234 days old in the final game of his career.
“I’ve just never put a ceiling on my potential,” James said. “I always wanted to continue to get better and better and better to a point where I also now can dictate [what] the defense can do. And the defense can’t dictate what I’m supposed to do.”
James finished 7-for-11 from 3, upping his shooting mark to 41.2% from the outside this season, which would be the best percentage of his career should he keep it up.
“The shot-making,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said, “was just ridiculous, and just one of those nights for the ages for him.”
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of holding an All-Star Game in early March — with Atlanta emerging as the likely site, sources tell ESPN.
The traditional All-Star Weekend — previously scheduled for Indianapolis in February — was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but sources tell ESPN there are ongoing talks with the league and union about a March 7 game in Atlanta that would be a far-scaled-down version of the typical All-Star Weekend festivities, sources said.
The NBA has a midseason break set for March 5-10.
NBPA president Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns has been a proponent of the idea, which would include the showcasing and benefiting of historically Black colleges and universities and COVID-19 relief funds, sources said. Both the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena and Atlanta-based HBCU campus gyms are under consideration to house a potential game, sources said.
Atlanta is the home of Turner Sports, which could televise the game without its crew having to travel outside the city. Even a game without fans — or with sparse, socially distanced attendance — would still require significant travel for players, support staff and league officials in the teeth of the pandemic. The typical hosting of corporate sponsors, a significant financial component of normal All-Star Weekends, wouldn’t be possible.
Talks are centered on a stripped-down All-Star Game scenario that would largely be focused on the game — with little in the way of fan-related experiences, if any, surrounding it, sources said.
The NBA has postponed 21 regular-season games that will need to be made up this season. The NBA awarded Indianapolis the 2024 All-Star Weekend to replace the loss of the event in 2021.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addresses the media prior to the game of the Miami Heat against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game one of the 2020 NBA Finals as part of the NBA Restart 2020 on September 30, 2020 at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Garrett Ellwood | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
Ownership accoutrements.
It’s the phrase National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver used in 2019 to help frame the attraction of becoming a sports owner. And Silver suggested the NBA could incentivize those looking to join its club, even on a minority level.
The NBA’s plan to lure private equity money is in motion, and it’s betting on the allure of owning limited partnerships in its clubs will pay off.
With valuations in clubs rising to astronomical levels, the NBA joined the private equity chase when owners approved a plan to allow investment firms to own stakes in teams. NBA executive J.B. Lockhart is one the individuals who oversees this strategy and the league picked Dyal Capital as its partner.
They way it works: The NBA rounds up stakes in clubs and sells them to private equity firms like Dyal, who can then technically sell the limited partnerships (LPs) to private investors. Last May, Barron’s reported Dyal was seeking to raise $2 billion to purchase the LPs.
Some in the private equity space praise the NBA’s move, and even attempt to connect it to a more global play down the line.
The pros and cons of PE
By turning to private equity, the NBA solicits more capital for its league, can strike quicker deals to assist with liquidity and finance its future endeavors.
Also, NBA valuations are skyrocketing. The average price of a club is now over $2 billion, and its last two franchises (Brooklyn and Utah) sold for an average of $2.45 billion when considering Nets owner Joseph Tsai paid $1 billion for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a separate deal.
Hence, the league needed to expend its investor base as even minority stakes are getting expensive.
“This provides the NBA, its member teams, its entire infrastructure with financial optionality,” said Chris Lencheski, the chairman of private equity consulting company Phoenicia and adjunct professor at Columbia University.
Allowing private equity investments will also help minority owners looking to sell and exit ownership groups. On the majority side, owners who want to recover from Covid-19 losses by can sell shares and benefit, too.
Lencheski, who also serves as CEO of Granite Bridge Partners’ Winning Streak Sports, sees the NBA’s global “economic moat” as a draw for investors as there’s unlikely to be any viable competition for high-level professional basketball. Plus the league is backed by global licensing, merchandise, sponsorship and approximately $2.5 billion in annual media rights income, which runs through the 2024-25 season.
But the move is not risk-free.
Addressing the NBA’s ratings slide at the 2019 Sports Business Journal Dealmakers conference, Silver described cable television model as “broken” and added league’s young viewers “are tuning out traditional cable.”
So should its media rights drop in price as cable subscribers continue to cut the cord, valuations could drop and investors can lose money on LPs. One sports banker pointed to 2009 when valuations dropped due to a bad economy as proof the NBA isn’t immune to a decline due to economic turmoil, either.
And few foreseen the abrupt stop to its estimated 40% in revenue due to the pandemic.
But it could have help from the public’s allure.
Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball against the Miami Heat during Game Four of the NBA Finals on October 6, 2020 at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida.
Nathaniel S. Butler | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
The SPAC play
Dyal and investment firm Owl Rock merged with Altimar Acquisition Corporation, a $275 million special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) currently trading on the New York Stock Exchange, allowing the combined firms to go public. The new firm is called Blue Owl, and public investors will soon be able to invest in it under the ticker symbol “OWL” on the NYSE later this year.
And one of its attractions will be its NBA fund.
Dyal did not respond to a CNBC request for comment, but managing partner Michael Rees spoke about the firm’s NBA strategy on a Dec. 23 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission call announcing the plan to launch Blue Owl.
“We’re proud to be a partner, an exclusive partner, with the NBA, the National Basketball Association, where we’re the only approved buyer of a portfolio of minority equity stakes in the 30 teams in the NBA,” said Rees, according to the call’s transcript. “That business is just being launched, and we’re hoping to have our first closing in the not-too-distant future.”
“We think we can grow certainly a very attractive basketball strategy off of this platform, but also possibly expand to a broader sports business that could have tremendous upside,” added Rees, who will also serve as one of the co-presidents of Blue Owl.
It’s not clear what Blue Owl’s overall sports strategy is, nor how it expects to make a return on NBA LPs. A person close to their planning told CNBC it would purchase stakes in some clubs, not all 30 teams.
When discussing the NBA’s private equity play, a Wall Street CEO said the firms make no money on fiduciary capital until it sells something. The person requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of discussing the matter publicly.
The CEO, who has an extensive history in private equity, also questioned how private firms would make any return on $2 billion. A long-time sports executive, who also requested anonymity, noted NBA teams can redistribute annual profits to new investors.
So, if a private firm is betting on sports teams as a long-term play, it could earn on clubs revenue while holding on to the LPs through dividends. Then, it could sell the LPs at a higher price.
And with the NBA such a global product, billionaires around world looking for an entry point into U.S. sports could be potential consumers of NBA accoutrements.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi arrives for a training session at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on August 22, 2020 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League final football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
Miguel A. Lopes | AFP | Getty Images
Foreign investment an option?
Private firms can purchase the LPs and then sell them on the secondary market. If the NBA goes the private equity route, there will be guidelines in place, but it will lose some control on who the LPs are sold to.
Foreign investors could be a way for firms to make money on the LPs.
There is chatter that points to Middle East investors as future buyers of the minority shares. The NBA prohibits sovereign state investment in its teams, but investors from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar have been linked to the league before. In 2010, it was rumored investors were interested in purchasing the Detroit Pistons.
Lencheski added the NBA could also use the private equity investment vehicle to examine individuals who could look to buy majority positions in teams at a later date. The sports executive used Tsai’s entry as an example. He paid Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov $1 billion for a 49% stake in the Brooklyn Nets in 2018 before taking full control.
Lencheski pointed to David Tepper’s entry into the National Football League as another example.
“One of the many factors that certainly helped Charlotte’s ownership in the NFL was the minority interest initially in the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he said. “If David Tepper doesn’t see the way the Steelers organization operates, understands what a best-in-class organization looks like when he goes to his NFL colleagues and says, ‘I want to buy a team,’ he has the funds, but more importantly for the NFL, he understands the culture of a winning community-focused sports organization.”
The NBA appears bullish on its product. Live sports still keeps the cable model from shattering. The league continues to produce international superstars to protect its economic moat — $8.3 billion in revenue. And the NBA’s credit is in good standing.
The NBA’s new focus is expanding the list of those seeking ownership accoutrements via private equity.
“You get some of the benefits of being a team owner,” Silver told SBJ, according to SportsPro. “So it’s not just a pure, ‘What’s my return financial investment?’ Not that that’s not important, but try to come closer to some of the same reasons that traditional franchise owners buy into teams.
“Part of it is financial,” Silver said, “but part of it is the amenities, and the cachet, and the desire to be directly involved with these leagues.”
With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to COVID-19, the Boston Celtics had a tough week that included back-to-back losses to their Eastern Conference rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers. But on Sunday, they bounced back in a major way, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 141-103 to get back in the win column.
They did so in large part thanks to Jaylen Brown, who continued his breakout season with a game-high 33 points on a highly efficient 13-of-20 from the field. It’s impressive any time you score that many points, but even more so when you do it in just 19 minutes.
With the Celtics in complete control pretty much right from the opening tip, head coach Brad Stevens took advantage of an opportunity to get his starters some extra rest, so Brown didn’t even check in for the fourth quarter. As a result, he set a new record for the most points scored in fewer than 20 minutes in an NBA game since the start of the shot clock era began back in 1954.
Brown, who also set a new personal best with his fourth straight game of at least 25 points, is now averaging career-highs in both scoring and assists, and is putting up 27.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 53.2 percent shooting. He’s made huge strides in multiple aspects of his game, and his efforts are being recognized.
After Sunday’s game, he earned a shoutout from one of Boston’s all-time legends: Bill Russell. The 11-time champion took to Twitter — which he’s surprisingly active on for an 86 year old — to write, “Great playing tonight @FCHWPO keep it going.”
A win, a record and a message from a Hall of Famer. It doesn’t get better than that.
Three-hundred and sixty-three days following Kobe Bryant’s death and 104 days after winning an NBA championship in his honor, the Los Angeles Lakers’ co-captains, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, reflected on the time that has passed since the world lost Bryant.
“Man, it’s a saying that time heals all,” James said after a win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at the United Center, where Bryant’s idol, Michael Jordan, used to play. “And as devastating and as tragic as it was and still is to all of us involved with it, only time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process.”
Many among the Lakers and in Bryant’s family and close circle of friends are still in mourning, nearly a year after a helicopter crash killed 41-year-old Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
“As we approach his one-year anniversary, it saddens our hearts to actually come to the realization that he’s gone,” Davis said. “I know I still have trouble with it, you still just can’t believe it.”
With emotions still raw, the Lakers organization has no plans to make this Tuesday, Jan. 26, any more difficult than it already will be by placing any further emphasis on the anniversary, sources told ESPN. There will be no Black Mamba uniforms worn Monday in Cleveland, the day before the anniversary, or Wednesday in Philadelphia, the day after. There will be no formal tribute, which could potentially draw more attention to the harrowing details of the accident and cause more trauma than healing.
The Lakers’ team will continue to pay homage to Bryant in the subtle ways many of its players have since last season: with pairs of Bryant’s signature sneakers on their feet, with a No. 24 finger sleeve on James’ hand, with Bryant’s nickname unifying the group in every huddle.
“To this day, it’s, ‘Mamba on three!’ anytime we bring it in because we still want to recognize that he’s a part of our organization,” Davis said. “And ever since the tragedy happened, we had a mindset that this is bigger than, you know, ourselves.”
James was asked about Bryant during several postgame news conferences this week and invited conversation about the Lakers luminary’s life, but he was reticent to dwell on the circumstances surrounding Bryant’s death.
“I try not to put myself back in that headspace, because it’s just too dark,” James said, “for not only myself but for our organization and for everyone that’s involved in it.”
Lakers center Marc Gasol, whose older brother, Pau, teamed with Bryant to win two championships, was also not ready to share his thoughts publicly.
“I’m not comfortable talking about it,” Gasol said. “I’m sorry. Still to this day, I have never really talked about it.”
But bring up how Bryant’s game mirrored Jordan’s? That was something James readily weighed in on, if only for the sake of Bryant’s basketball legacy.
“I only looked at Kobe for him,” James said. “And obviously you’ve seen a lot of the similarities between him and Mike, but I appreciated Kobe’s game for Kobe’s game. The way he played the game, the finesse that he played with, the ballhandling capabilities, the shooting, everything that he possessed on the floor — I respected him for who he was as a player and what he was able to bring onto the floor.
“The fact that he was able to take some things from MJ and look at some of MJ’s DNA and actually be able to do it — a lot of people try to do that, a lot of people wish they could take things from some of the greats, implement them into their game and then be successful, they just can’t. They don’t have the ability to do it. They don’t have the drive to do it, the mindset to do it. But he actually did it and did it at a high level for a long, long, long time. And you can respect that.”
And Davis marveled at the magnitude of Bryant’s lasting impact, an influence so omnipresent that the Lakers’ star big man never fully comprehended it while Bryant was still alive.
“I didn’t know, and I know he was very, very known and popular, but I didn’t know he impacted so many people’s lives outside of basketball,” Davis said. “From soccer, to football, to players overseas, to people who don’t even play sports, they’re always talking about the ‘Mamba Mentality.’ I didn’t know how impactful he was worldwide. … I just didn’t realize how many people he impacted worldwide that’s outside the basketball community.”
This season’s Lakers team is in pursuit of a repeat title to pair with the one it dedicated to Bryant’s memory.
“When the tragedy happened, it was more so, you know, ‘Let’s do it for him,'” Davis said. “And that’s what we ended up doing all last year. … We know we fought to the end for a purpose, and it wasn’t just for ourselves. It was for the Bryant family. And we were able to get that accomplished.”
While Bryant remains on the Lakers’ minds and in their hearts, James said that Bryant will be remembered because he’s not just being carried by his former franchise, but by the people all over the planet he once thrived in.
“There’s a lot of things that die in this world, but legends never die, and he’s exactly that,” James said. “So it’s all about representing that.”
As Friday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers wore on, Ben Simmons was nowhere to be seen. Through three quarters, Simmons had eight assists but only four points on just three shots, and he appeared well on his way to a fifth straight game with single-digit shot attempts in a continuation of what has been a quiet start to this season.
But then, as Boston cut Philadelphia’s lead to four midway through the fourth quarter, and threatened to potentially steal the second half of this two-game series between these rivals, Simmons burst onto the scene.
He fought on the offensive glass to score off his own miss. He stormed down the lane for an and-1 bucket. He picked off a pass in the open court, one he took the other way for a dunk — and that was immediately followed by a timeout from Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
In the span of 36 seconds, the game went from being a toss-up to one that was clearly going to end with a Sixers victory. That stretch, the key segment in Philadelphia’s 122-110 victory, was a reminder of just how impactful Simmons can be — and that those types of moments haven’t come along all that often to start this season.
“It’s been good,” Simmons said after finishing with 15 points — 11 in the fourth quarter — and 11 assists, when asked how he has felt about this season, and if he has heard the criticisms of his start to it. “It’s a new season. I’m just focusing on winning, and doing what I can to win with this team. I think it’s been good.
“I don’t go on Instagram, I don’t go on Twitter, so I can’t really answer the questions in terms of what people are saying, because I don’t give a f—, honestly. But unless [head coach] Doc [Rivers] is saying something, or [assistant coach] Sam [Cassell], or people are coming to me, it’s a different story.
“But I’m trying to win games, and that’s why we’re all here, to win.”
It’s been a strange start to the season for the Sixers. They have the Eastern Conference’s best record, at 11-5, but feasted on a soft schedule early before the past two weeks have been consumed by first the Sixers having several players missing due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, followed by them playing four games against Miami Heat and Celtics squads that were depleted for the same reason.
Joel Embiid has arguably been the NBA’s MVP through the first month of the season, and he followed up his 42-point performance Wednesday with a 38-point outburst Friday night, one punctuated by his taking another shot at the Celtics’ Marcus Smart for being frustrated by his foul drawing in Wednesday night’s game.
“I knew coming into the game, after they complained, I knew the officiating was going to be, you know, a little tight for us, and I guess better for them,” Embiid said after getting 15 free throws Friday night, compared to 21 in Wednesday’s win.
play
0:31
Ben Simmons anticipates the pass to get the steal, then hurries down the court to flush a two-handed dunk.
Tobias Harris, meanwhile, has looked again like the player he was when playing for Rivers with the LA Clippers — the one the Sixers paid a hefty price to trade for two years ago, and then paid $180 million over five years to retain as a free agent. Harris shot 10-for-12 and scored 23 points Friday, after scoring 22 points Wednesday. And the moves the Sixers have made to better balance the roster, swapping Al Horford and Josh Richardson for Danny Green and Seth Curry, respectively, have worked out as well as they could’ve hoped.
But for this team to be the championship contender it aspires to be, the Sixers need the version of Simmons that took over for that 36-second stretch in the fourth quarter — a version that those watching the Sixers have been waiting to see emerge more often than it has.
Much has been made of Simmons’ shooting — or lack thereof — from 3-point range. But what stood out about the plays he made in the fourth quarter was his aggression. In nine of his 14 games this season, Simmons hasn’t taken 10 shots, and his points per game, shots per game, field goal percentage and usage rate have all dipped this season.
Still, he said he’s quite happy with his role.
“Yeah, [I am],” he said. “It’s unique and different. There’s not too many guys who are able to do what I do. I’m getting to the rim, scoring, rebounding and facilitating, then defensively getting stops. There’s not too many players in the NBA who do that. It’s rare.
“So I’m going to continue to grow my game and get better for my team. But, ultimately, I just want to win. And however I need to do that, whether it’s getting 10 steals and no points, no rebounds and 50 assists, whatever it is, I’m going to do.”
No one would argue that Simmons’ skill set is a rare one. He’s listed at 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, yet is often the fastest player, and best passer, on the court — not to mention being capable of guarding virtually anyone, as he did Friday in switching between the small and shifty Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown, one of the most athletic wing players in the league.
But it is precisely because he has so many skills at his disposal that causes so much attention to be drawn to his play when he doesn’t make the type of impact he did in the fourth quarter Friday night. Simmons’ quiet nights offensively this season have been noticed by opposing scouts, and have happened enough that it has been a regular topic of discussion that Rivers has had to address on several occasions this season — particularly as the potential of Simmons being the centerpiece of a James Harden trade hung over the franchise.
“He didn’t do it until the end of the game tonight, but he was already playing great,” Rivers said. “And that’s the point I’m trying to make to everybody. He’s doing so many things for this team. His winning formula is amazing in all the things. Last night, he got like no credit.
“He was so important to why we won that game with all the things he’s doing, the little cuts, the little back picks, the rolls and passes. Ben does a lot, and so he can’t focus on one thing. Like focusing him on just scoring, he’s too good for that to me. It would be a waste if that’s all we focused on for him.”
For the Sixers to get out of the Eastern Conference, though, they’re going to need it. The Celtics came up short in both games this week but were competitive with Jayson Tatum sitting out because of the health and safety protocols, and with Kemba Walker still playing on a minutes limit. The Milwaukee Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league’s two-time reigning MVP, along with All-Stars Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. The Miami Heat have almost their entire team back from the group that won the East last year.
Oh, and then there’s that team up Interstate 95 in Brooklyn that happened to trade for Harden last week, and already had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at its disposal.
Still, there’s plenty of time to gel for these Sixers, and there are reasons for optimism. Embiid and Simmons both talked Friday about their growing relationship on the court. The fact Harden has been traded, and the potential for him coming to Philadelphia has gone away, removes another distraction. And now that they finally have their full complement of players again, after getting Curry back Friday night, Embiid spoke after the game about the desire for the Sixers to go on a winning streak.
The chances of that happening, though, will only grow if Simmons can string together a series of games full of stretches like that 36-second span that cemented the outcome of Friday’s game.
“I love playing with him,” Embiid said. “That fourth quarter starts on the defensive end, and he was a monster. He got a lot of steals, and then in the half court off the pick and roll he was attacking, he was aggressive and he made plays, he scored a couple baskets.
Anthony Davis might have performed better as a facilitator in crunch time than he ever has before in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but the All-Star big man was still hypercritical of his play.
“Right now, to be hard on myself, man, I think I suck right now,” Davis said after finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. “I’m not making shots. I’m not making free throws. But I think tonight my aggressiveness, just being a [post-up threat] and getting to the paint, allowed guys to get open.”
He did miss 10 of the 18 shots he attempted — shooting just 44.4% compared to the 53.2% clip he came into the night connecting on this season. And he went just 2-for-5 from the foul line, which made the career 80.1% free throw shooter just 14-for-22 (63.6%) in his past three games.
His passing, however, proved to be a difference-maker. The Lakers went 3-for-3 off Davis’ feeds in the final three minutes, allowing visiting L.A. to turn a one-possession game into a relatively comfortable win.
It was the most assists he has ever had in clutch time in a game in his career.
He laced a dish to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to boost L.A.’s lead from two to five with 2 minutes, 42 seconds remaining; he found Alex Caruso in the corner for another 3 to put the Lakers up by seven a minute later; and he set up LeBron James for a 3 with 1:04 remaining to give his team an eight-point cushion. The final flurry sealed the win and allowed the Lakers to extend their road winning streak to 8-0 to begin the season.
“I trust my teammates. AC hit one for me. Bron hit one and Kenny hit one, and they’re in the right spots where I want guys when I have the ball in the post,” Davis explained. “And just [am] able to make the read with their guys doubling or collapsing to the paint when I get there, and was able to kick it out and those guys made shots.”
While Davis finished with fewer than 20 points for the fifth straight game — his longest sub-20 streak last season was limited to just three games during the seeding games in the bubble when L.A. had already locked up the No. 1 seed — his assists have been on an uptick.
Five of Davis’ six assists against the Bucks led to a 3-pointer for L.A. — tied for the most 3s he has ever assisted on in a single game in his career — and his 13 assists over the past two games are the most he has ever had in a two-game span since joining the Lakers.
James explained that he knew Davis had this passing ability in him all along but he rarely got to display it in New Orleans because teams would play him one-on-one, figuring he can’t beat them all by himself.
“But I felt like since he’s been here, he’s so damn good that I know eventually he’s going to see a lot of double-teams,” James said.
Once those doubles come, James said, Davis has been coached to spot the lanes he can target to find open teammates.
“He’s continuing to grow every single game. Every single film session, we kind of break those things down — what he sees on the floor,” James said. “Tonight was another example of him just seeing the other side of the floor and putting the ball on time, on target and guys knocking it down.”
Much like Davis, Lakers coach Frank Vogel left the win unsatisfied, even though the Bucks came into the night ranked No. 2 in offensive efficiency and averaging 120.4 points per game and the Lakers held them far below that output.
“Well, we have to be better,” Vogel said. “We didn’t play our best basketball game tonight.”
It’s the tone of a team seeking something far more substantial than a regular-season win in January.
“My aggressiveness tonight,” Davis said, “that’s the only way I feel like I’m gonna get out of this funk or whatever that I’m in.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a better basketball player every game, and that’s what I’m gonna continue to do.”
