Category: Basketball

The NBA has revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2021-22 regular-season campaign.

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2021-22 NBA All-Rookie teams:

First team: Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Franz Wagner

Second team: Ayo Dosunmu, Chris Duarte, Josh Giddey, Bones Hyland, Herbert Jones

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 19, 2022

The First Team is highlighted by Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. Barnes finished his rookie season with 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Cunningham averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game during the regular season.

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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!!! Shoutout to Scottie Barnes!! 📸: @_kishanmistry pic.twitter.com/SvMjZaNW2K

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 23, 2022

The Second Team is highlighted by Ayo Dosunmo and Josh Giddey. Dosunmo averaged 8.8 points, 2.8 boards, and 3.3 dimes per game while Giddey put up 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game in his firs season in the League.

The NBA announced All-Rookie teams. Thunder’s rookie Josh Giddey was named to the second team alongside Ayo Dosunmu, Chris Duarte, Bones Hyland and Herbert Jones

It appears that the 19-year-old shooting guard thought that him being snubbed from the first team was wrong as he tweeted two laughing emojis in response to the two All-Rookie teams.

This past season, which was cut short for Giddey by a hip injury, the rookie averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 31.5 minutes per game for Oklahoma City.

The Golden State Warriors are up 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals after blowing the Mavs out 112-87 on Wednesday night.

The win was partly due to Andrew Wiggins doing a solid job of defending and ultimately slowing Luka Doncic down. Wiggins thrived on guarding Doncic the full 94 feet at times while also using a box-and-one and mixing up zone looks to hold the three-time All-Star to 20 points on 6-18 shooting from the field, including shooting 3-10 from deep. Wiggins also forced Doncic to turn the ball over three times.

Wiggins’ efforts to shadow Doncic all 94 feet up the court did the job of wearing Doncic down and frustrating him.

“It’s a tactic obviously in terms of just making guys work,” Stephen Curry said per ESPN. “It’s just one more thing to think about. I wouldn’t say it bothers you, but something you can’t try to overcome. Wiggs is going to keep doing it, but it’s just one more thing to think about, and that’s good playoff basketball.”

For many players, guarding a superstar like Doncic with max effort would take away from their offensive production. Not Wiggins, who told reporters that the matchup didn’t make him tired after the final buzzer.

“I feel like I’m still young. I don’t really get too tired,” Wiggins said. “I’m locked in. I’m motivated, and when you see it work or I feel like it’s helping us play better, it just motivates me to do it more. I’m not tired or nothing. You know, it’s adrenaline. I just feel good.”

Holding Luka Legend below his average of 31.5 points in the playoffs is a confidence boost for the former No. 1 overall draft pick. Since arriving in Golden State, Maple Jordan had transformed into the two-way monster so many were expecting to see when Minnesota first drafted him, earning his first All-Star nod after averaging 17.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field.

”I thought Wiggs was fantastic,” Coach Steve Kerr said. ”Doncic is as difficult a cover as there is in this League. — It’s important to make him work. He’s so good. Any great player in the League, you’re trying to limit the damage that they do.”

Wiggins scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half and finished Game 1 with five rebounds and three dimes. All five Warriors starters scored in double-digits, including Jordan Poole (19 points) and Otto Porter Jr. (10 points, six rebounds).

The Dubs were able to outscore the Mavs, 58-42, in the second half. For the game, the Warriors held the Mavericks to 36.0 percent shooting from the field, 22.9 from distance. Golden State also scored 18 points off of 13 turnovers.

With Friday’s Game 2 looming, expect Dallas to make the necessary adjustments to tie the WCF at 1-1. Stealing home-court advantage as the series shifts to Dallas will be pivotal for a Mavericks team essentially playing with house money this deep into the playoffs.

Stephen Curry finished Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with a game-high 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, leading the way for the Warriors to blow out the Mavericks 112-87 on Wednesday.

In the first half, the Splash Bros couldn’t throw a penny in the ocean, combining to hit 1-9 three-pointers in the first half. Klay Thompson himself didn’t score until early in the second half. Only Curry could get something going, scoring 10 points in the first, including the Splash Bro’s one made triple through the first 24 minutes of Game 1.

“A little ugly in the first quarter, but our defense, our focus, our multiple efforts made it tough on them. We got momentum, and our offense clicked. We got a lot of separation, so we did what we’re supposed to do.” Curry said during his on-tv interview after the final buzzer.

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A whole mood: (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/5EE7VqXZDb

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 19, 2022

From there, Curry and Thompson turned in vintage performances during the second half. After Luka Doncic (20 points, seven rebounds, four assists) hit back-to-back triples late in the first half to cut Golden State’s lead to 54-45 at the break, Curry then responded, sparking a 10-2 run with two quick three-pointers to begin the third quarter while Thompson scored all 15 of his points in the second half.

Five of the Warriors scored in double digits on the more glamorous side, including Jordan Poole (19 points) and Otto Porter Jr. (10 points, six rebounds).

The Warriors will look to get a 2-0 lead in the WCF when they face Dallas on Thursday in San Francisco.

The Sacramento Kings are making plenty of moves to put an end to their ongoing notorious dry spell while establishing themselves in the long-term picture. 

The franchise announced on Wednesday that they hired Jordi Fernandez as their associate head coach. 

Fernandez, 39, is set to be reunited with the new Kings head coach Mike Brown in the NBA field. The Spanish native had an early stint as a player development coach under Brown in the Cleveland Cavaliers, having a great experience working around LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal and Tristan Thompson. 

As an assistant, Fernandez also helped Brown in its national basketball duties for Nigeria in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

With this, Fernandez will leave Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets coaching huddle. He is a well-respected strategic mind in the sidelines of the said ball club. 

Both Brown and Fernandez will take the daunting lead coaching role of Sacramento. The team hasn’t tasted any postseason appearance yet since 2006 — the longest playoff drought in league history. 

Luka Doncic has evolved into perhaps the most dangerous player in the playoffs this postseason. Through 10 games, Doncic has averaged 31.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 34.7 percent shooting from deep.

Luka Magic had led the Mavs to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2011, when Dallas won their first NBA title. Following their first conference finals practice on Tuesday, Doncic and the Mavs have loved life and enjoyed getting to work the greatest job in the world, playing basketball. When Dallas faces off against the Golden State Warriors, they’ll be playing with house money and less pressure than the Dubs.

“I’m living my best life – a dream,” Doncic said. “Before Game 7, I said this might be my last game of the NBA season, but I was ready. I wanted to play basketball.

“Tomorrow is another basketball game that I’ll enjoy. I get to play at least four (more games). You never know, so I’m just happy to be playing basketball. It’s incredible.”

Doncic has been deep in his bag through the Mavericks playoff run, as un-guardable as he’s ever been. Honestly, Doncic getting a bucket is as inevitable as Thanos is. In their seven-game series win against Phoenix Suns, Luka Legend averaged 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, scoring 30+ three times, starting the series off with some fireworks after dropping 45 points in 44 minutes.

When the Mavs take on the Dubs, Doncic will have to figure out to solve a defense headlined by Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins. The Mavs will surely attempt to force a Doncic-Stephen Curry matchup off a switch to counteract those potentially tough matchups. When the Mavs and Warriors played on March 3, Doncic finished the 122-113 win with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and nine dimes.

Will double-teams work in slowing down Doncic? Luka Magic won’t tell.

“Then, everybody would play that defense,” he said. “For me, I’ll probably see a couple more double team this series, and that’s fine. We faced double teams the whole season. I think we play the best when they double team – four-on-three basketball in the NBA. We have a lot of great players.”

When Doncic finally faces the playoff defense of the Warriors, Coach Jason Kidd is confident the three-time All-Star will find a way to figure out the different looks Coach Steve Kerr will throw at Doncic to slow down the superstar point guard. Because Doncic has faced so many different coverages since playing in Europe and the NBA, he’s not worried about what Luka Legend will do because “The bigger it gets, the better he plays. So hopefully, that’s what happens for us.”

Doncic is most looking forward to being defended by Green, who has a DPOY in his name and has embraced the challenge of slowing down superstars like Doncic throughout this career. It will be interesting to see how Green, Thompson, and Wiggins counteract Luka Legends’ isolation prowess, Doncic being great at playing at his own speed, and his ability to throw passes out of the post to his snipers around the perimeter.

“I have so much respect for Draymond,” Doncic said. “Obviously, Klay and Steph are incredible, but I think the key to the Warriors’ team is Draymond.

“He’s just unbelievable, and I really respect him. He impacts the game in every other category.”

Game 1 of the WCF between the Mavs and Warriors will undoubtedly be primetime viewing on Tuesday night. Especially with Dallas being able to lose and freely fresh off their Game 7 blowout over the Suns. All the pressure will be on the Warriors, who are likely the favorite to win the series and advance to their fifth NBA Finals since 2015.

The Omni Elite Classic is BACK! Powered by ACES and Northeast Basketball Club, the annual high school basketball showcase will make its return to New York City next week with a star-studded roster that features the top-ranked girls and boys prospects from around the country. Media Day will be held at Rucker Park on May 23, followed by the All-American games that’ll take place on May 24 at the Gauchos Gym in the Bronx. 

The girl’s national game starts at 6pm ET, while the boys play at 8pm. Here’s the tentative roster for this year’s event: 

Girls National Roster 

**rosters subject to change**

Kymora Johnson (USA Trials ‘23) 

Zoe Brooks (USA Trials ‘23) 

Angelica Velez (ESPN top 50 ‘23) 

Aalyah De Rosario (ESPN Top 20) 

Paris Clark (NY Gatorade POY + Arizona ‘22) 

Ayanna Patterson (MAC + UConn ‘22) 

Paulina Paris (UNC commit ‘22 & Jordan Classic) 

Kate Koval (Ukraine JR National team ‘24)

Caroline Lau (‘22 Northwestern)

Mackenzie Nelson (‘23 Connecticut Gatorade POY)

Carys Baker (‘23 ESPN #60) 

Grace Sundback (‘23)

Zhara King(‘24)

Kaylene Smikle (‘22 Rutgers Espn #64)

Sahnya Jah (ESPN top 25) 

Kiki Rice (ESPN #1 ‘22) ** 

Tameka Dudley (‘24) ** 

Ariel Little (‘24)

Talayah Walker (‘24)

Qadence Samuels(‘23)

Boys National Rosters 

**rosters subject to change**

Tahaad Pettiford (ESPN #34 ‘24)

Elliot Cadeau (ESPN #10 ‘24)

Chance Westry (Auburn ESPN #33)

Darryn Peterson (Cuyahoga ESPN #4)

Ian Jackson (ESPN #3 ‘24)

Jaquan Sanders (Seton Hall Commit)

Jerry Easter II (Emmanuel Christian)

Quadir Copeland (Syracuse Commit) 

Elmarko Jackson (ESPN #66 ‘23)

Rowan Brumbaugh (Texas ESPN #90) 

Christian Watson (Miami ESPN #92)

Malik Bowman (OTE)

Akil Watson (ESPN #24 ‘23)

Tarik Watson (Rivals 41 ‘24)

Ryan Bewley (OTE) 

Elijah Jones (East Carolina Commit) 

Aaaron Bradshaw (ESPN #20 ‘23)

Kyle Filipowski (Duke Commit ESPM #2 ‘22) ** 

Tobe Awaka (Tennessee Commit ‘23) ** 

Justin Edwards (ESPN #13 ‘23) ** 

Keith Mency (Kent School ‘22) ** 

Isaiah Miranda (ESPN #26 ‘23)** 

Darren Buchanan (Virginia Tech Commit) **

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ACES is a cultural lifestyle brand platform that’s focused on storytelling through collaborations, products, and unique event activations. Founded by former pro hooper turned CEO Brian Kortovich (who joined the ranks of Kevin Durant and Dr. J, Joe “The Destroyer” Hammond when he won a scoring title at Rucker Park in the summer of 2012) the brand has always been tapped into the culture. That impact continues this year as they spotlight the elite talent that hails not only from the five boroughs, but nationally.    

“Grassroots basketball has always been a part of the Brand ACES ethos,” says founder and CEO Brian Kortovich. “The Omni Elite Classic (OEC) is unique because of its organic inception, relevance to hoop culture and how it rallies the local community together. The OEC platform consistently attracts some of the top ranked HS players in the country to NYC, the Mecca of Basketball. We will continue to impact and empower these student athletes by giving them a stage to shine on a national level and organically giving them an outlet to tell their stories.

Special shoutout to the OEC Team. Trevor Harris & Jess Villaplana, Dwight Shaw, Mark Westman, Eric Jones & Dayon Floyd for all of their hard work and efforts.”

Last year, the showcase featured standouts including UConn and SLAM 235 co-cover star Azzi Fudd and NCAA national champion, Kansas’ Kyle Cuffe Jr. In the past, New York’s very own Jahvon “JQ” Quinerly, who just graduated from Alabama, Minnesota Timberwolves’ center Naz Reid, Orlando Magic’s Cole Anthony and Mo Bamba and Pelicans’ PG Jose Alvarado have suited up in the OEC as well.

“Omni Elite Classic is a great platform to allow student athletes to come out and compete at the highest level, in the Mecca of basketball,” says the program’s Boys Director, Trevor Harris. “While the focus is on putting together a roster of high caliber athletes, we also focus on rewarding those that equally excel in the classroom.”

“I am excited for this year’s Omni Elite Classic showcase. It’s the last exclusive HS basketball event of the year where we bring some of the top players in the country from different classes to compete against each other in NYC,” adds Girl’s Director Jess Villaplana.

Read here for more information on the Omni Elite Classic. 

For live coverage of the event, and all things high school hoops, follow @slam_hs.

The Boston Celtics were outscored 39-14 in the third quarter, leading to their inevitable 118-107 Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat.

The disappointing, shocking third quarter led to Marcus Smart laying into his teammates. Smart missed Game 1 due to a right mid-foot sprain he suffered during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy used the break going into the fourth quarter to ignite the fire within his teammates, reportedly pounding his chest and challenging his teammates to give more.

“Just have heart,” Smart said, according to Payton Pritchard.

“He was just telling us to compete, get after it,” Pritchard added. “We were kind of playing soft there for a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Boston has suffered similar losses due to disastrous quarters. The Celtics lost the ECF to the Heat in the Orlando Bubble because they weren’t physical enough, poised enough, or together enough to work through what Miami was putting the Celtics through. The 25-point deficit Miami created ranks as the second-worst quarter in Celtics playoff history.

According to Coach Ime Udoka, Boston spoke about how Miami would look to ramp up their physicality to impose their will after the break. Despite knowing that Boston still failed to meet the moment and matched Miami’s intensity. One play illustrates just how much more intense and powerful Miami was in Game 1.

On the first possession of the second half, Jimmy Butler (41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals, three blocks) caught the ball in the paint, spun through four Celtics defenders, and drew a foul. The next time the Heat touched the ball, P.J. Tucker missed a corner 3-pointer, but Bam Adebayo (10 points, four boards, four blocks) crashed the glass hard enough to force Grant Williams to foul him.

Had Williams not fouled Adebayon, the play could’ve resulted in a Butler bucket after he beat Jaylen Brown to a rebound anyway.

“Got out-toughed, out-physicaled,” Udoka said. “They looked like they came out in the second half and wanted to up their physicality and aggression on both ends, and they did that. I don’t think we obviously responded well on either end of the floor. We had eight of our 16 turnovers in that quarter, played in the crowd on offense, and got sped up. And then defensively, offensive rebounds, getting muscled around in the post. Some poor fouls got them to the free-throw line. (The game) flipped very quickly, and (we) just lost our composure.”

The destructive third-quarter outing was punctuated by the Celtics not scoring a field goal for the first seven minutes of the second half. Not to mention Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for all eight of Boston’s third-quarter turnovers. In fact, Boston finished the third frame with as many turnovers (eight) as buckets (two).

The moment is here now for Boston to learn from the failures of the 2020 ECF and Game 1 of the 2022 ECF. Boston lost in six games two seasons ago despite outscoring Miami by one point. However, they lost because they didn’t respond when it mattered the most, allowing the Heat to go on big runs during the fourth quarter.

“Throughout the course of the playoffs, we’ve done a great job of responding to runs after calling timeout, things like that,” Tatum said. “But for whatever reason, we didn’t today. I’ll be the first one to say I’ll take the blame for that. I’ve got to lead better. I’ve got to play better, especially in those moments.”

Maybe Boston’s Game 1 was due to coming off an emotionally challenging seven-game series against the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics had just one day off between ending their second-round series and beginning the Eastern Conference Finals. Missing Smart and Al Horford (virus protocols) certainly didn’t help either. Regardless, Boston can’t afford to repeat the same mistakes of 2020.

The revenge tour Boston has been on since the 2022 playoffs began has gone well so far; in order for that to happen, the Celtics will have to respond to the Heat’s intensity and physicality and play with a next-man-up mentality until Smart and Horford return., Tatum and Brown need to cut down on turnovers and to respond better to the rough play of the Heat when the two stars have the ball in their hands.

Everything that Kobe Bryant did on the court—the five rings, the 33,643 points, the dunks, the game-winners—he did with an important pair of sneakers on his feet. He started with adidas, mixed in a handful of other brands and he ended with Nike, making his sneaker legacy just as noteworthy as his basketball legacy.

With that in mind, we decided to show just how meaningful Kobe’s relationship to his footwear really was. These pages cover all of that history, in great detail and with great respect for one of the greatest to ever do it.

SLAM Presents KOBE: The Kicks Issue is out now.

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This special issue is also available in an exclusive purple metal edition. Shop now.

After knocking out the top-seeded Phoenix Suns, the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2011.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks swingman and co-founder of venture firm Eonxi, Spencer Dinwiddie, has a $1 bonus in his contract if Dallas wins the championship. Not a million. One dollar.

He originally signed the contract with the Washington Wizards not thinking his team would ever get this far. And he said he wants his $1 paid out in pennies.

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He originally signed the contract with the Wizards not thinking his team would ever get this far.

And he said he wants his $1 paid out in pennies. 😂😭

— Slam Studios (@slamstudios) May 17, 2022