Sports 5 Omar Cook Sports 5 Omar Cook

USA Basketball Announces Star Studded Olympic roster

USA Basketball unveils a star-studded Men’s National Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, featuring icons like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. We discuss it here!

 

Team USA celebrates after winning the gold medal game during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Saitama Super Arena.

Photo cred: Kyle Terada/ USA TODAY Sports

By: Joshua Martin

Exactly 100 days before the Olympic Opening Ceremony, USA Basketball officially announced their Men’s National Team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The most successful nation in Olympic basketball history is seeking its fifth consecutive and 17th total gold medal. This year’s roster features NBA & Olympic champions, multi-time All-Stars, and MVPS, headlined by future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. Invoking thoughts of the hallowed ‘Dream Team.’  

Fresh off of a NBA Play-In Tournament victory against the Pelicans, the team will be anchored by Lakers forward and four time NBA MVP Lebron James. James makes his return to Olympic competition eight years after capturing the gold at Rio in 2016. The four time NBA champion also won gold with the squad at London in 2012. 

Durant returns after setting the record for most points scored in men’s Olympic history at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, surpassing the previous mark held by Carmelo Anthony. Now at age 35, the Suns forward could pass up Anthony again. Breaking their tie for the most gold medals(4) won by a male basketball player at the Olympic Games. 

The undisputed greatest shooter of all time will make his Olympic debut when he steps on the court at Paris 2024. Curry, a four time champion and two time MVP, previously won gold while representing the USA in international competition at the FIBA World Cup and was expected to play at the Rio games but withdrew due to ankle injuries. 

The team will be coached by Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr. Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Tyron Lue, Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga coach Mark Few will serve as his assistants. 

The USA team will hold a training camp and exhibition games in Las Vegas in early July, before traveling to Paris. The Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place on July 26th with men’s basketball play beginning the following day.

The official roster is listed below.  

LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)

Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)

Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)

Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics)

Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)

Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

SHARE TO SOCIAL MEDIA

 
Read More
Sports 4 Adonis Armstrong Sports 4 Adonis Armstrong

First Week of NBA Playoff Basketball Recap

The NBA Playoffs kicked off with a bang we take a closer look at the highlights and lowlights of the first week, from unexpected upsets to standout players and controversial moments. We discuss it here!

 

By: Joshua Martin

A week’s worth of NBA Playoff basketball is officially in the books and well… This might be the most compelling first round we've ever seen. 

From marquee players suffering untimely injuries, to blowouts of the 20 plus point variety, stompings and suspensions, this year’s playoffs have featured a little bit of everything so far. 

We all know things can change quickly and so will our opinions on each of these remaining teams. But that's the beauty of postseason basketball: one game, one series can change the narrative around any organization.

Here are some of my observations…

The Knicks are legit and have their sights on a ECF berth.

It's amazing what great point guard play can do for a once moribund franchise. Jalen Bronsun might be the greatest off season acquisition of the past few years. He, along with Josh Hart, Julius Randle, Mitch Robinson and R.J. Barrett has revitalized the New York Knicks and has them in position to pull off the upset in this 4 versus 5 seed matchup. A suffocating New York Knicks defense forced Donavon Mitchell to have one of the worst performances of his playoff career in game 4, going 5 for 18 from the floor, with his teammates also turning in lackluster performances.

“The way we lost sucks. We can’t hang our heads and ultimately give up. We’re not that type of group. Like I said, we’ll be ready for Game 5.” - Donavan Mitchell, Yahoo Sports

“Spida” Mitchell deserves our collective benefit of the doubt but the way the Knicks are playing, it's hard to envision the Cavaliers climbing out of a 3-1 hole. 

The Best Series of The first round has been the Warriors vs the Kings.

The Kings are maturing right before our eyes. The coach of the Year Mike Brown and the league’s most clutch player De'aaron Fox are going toe to toe with the defending champs and don't seem to be phased by the bright lights of the postseason at all.  Draymond’s stomp on the chest of Kings big man Domantas Sabonis, forced the dubs emotional leader to sit in game 3 but the Warriors protected their home court and head back to Sac-town tied 2-2. Albeit with controversy, with Steph Curry inadvertently calling a timeout without realizing they were out of them after a challenge call didn't go in the Warriors favor moments earlier. Kings Forward Harrison Barnes eventually missed the game winning 3 point shot but the events leading up to the potential buzzer beater left many wondering who was to blame for such a crucial gaffe in such a pivotal moment.

Dub-Nation can collectively take a deep breath as the mishap is only a footnote in what has been an excellent series. The Kings have home court advantage with 2 of the next 3 games in Sacramento and the Warriors have been notoriously awful on the road this season. In order for them to advance they will have to win at least one game on the road.

The Bucks aren’t going anywhere without a healthy Giannis.

A back contusion has forced Giannis Antekounmpo to miss the last two games for the Milwaukee Bucks and they are in serious trouble. “Playoff Jimmy” is a real thing and the resilient with yesterday he scored a Miami Heat playoff record by scoring 56, the battle tested Miami Heat are showing the league how important it is to have your Superstars available during the final stretch of the season. Two blowout victories have the Heat in position to pull off the ultra rare feat of a 8 seed upsetting a 1 seed. The Greek Freak did return for Game 4 but it wasn’t much the Bucks could do to contain Jimmy, but it’s still not over anything is possible.

Are the 76ers for real?

The Philadelphia 76ers were undoubtedly the most impressive team during the first week of games. Not only did they sweep their opponent, the Brooklyn Nets, but they did so without Joel Embiid in game 4 because of injuries. James Harden and Tyrese Maxey blitzed the Nets by constantly attacking the interior and setting up teammates for easy shots. We even got a Tobias Harris sighting, as he is often the forgotten man on a team filled with talent and trustworthy vets. After trading away KD and Kyrie, no one expected the Nets to truly contend with the East’s elite but give the 6ixers credit, they took care of business and now one of the title favorites gets a much needed break as they await the winner of the Hawks versus Celtics series. 

RusselL Westbrook quiets critics with impressive play, momentarily.

Russ may be having the greatest stretch ever in his hall of fame career. He has shot 54% from the floor and is currently 8 of 16 from three in this first round series against the Suns. We can expect those numbers to taper off a little but one thing is for sure, Russ never cheats us on effort. The L.A. Clippers have once again been devastatingly hit with the injury bug and all in all honesty should be getting blown out by this Phoenix Suns team littered with allstars and future hall of famers. Currently, as the lone “star” on a team filled with championship aspirations, Russ’s amazing play has the Clippers competitive.

Strong words from his former teammate Kevin Durant and longtime friend Chris Paul.

Lebron and AD leading Lakers resurgence.

Despite lackluster play from a few of their mid season acquisitions, the Lakers are enjoying a 3-1 series lead after last night thrilling overtime heading in game 4. LeBron had a game for the ages with his 20 point 20 rebound performance last night. Behind the magnificent play of Anthony Davis and the consistency of Lebron James, the Lakers may be the scariest team in the western conference. The on court antics of Dillon Brooks has dominated headlines but no one can deny the legitimacy of their title hopes, especially since the team made drastic changes to their roster a few months ago acquiring the likes of D’Angelo Russel, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasly. The Grizzlies have been snake bitten with major injuries to their frontcourt with Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke not being able to suit up and recently Ja Morant injured his hand after a hard fall in game 1. The basketball gods seem to be favoring the Lakers as much as any team in recent memory. Inconsistent play from the Grizzlies and injuries have the Lakers super confident and they should be. I hope “Dillon the Villain” realizes it's never a good idea to come at the King.   

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

SHARE TO SOCIAL MEDIA

 
Read More
Sports 3 Omar Cook Sports 3 Omar Cook

Lebron James Closes in on All Time NBA Scoring Record | Is He the Greatest?

Lebron James is now trailing only NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for the NBA’s all time leading scorer title. His resume gives him a strong claim to be called the greatest ever. We discuss it here!

 

Lebron James Closes in on All Time NBA Scoring Record

Credit: Tinseltown via Shutterstock

By: Joshua Martin

As of January 17th, Lebron James has amassed 38,072 points over his illustrious 19 year NBA career. He is now trailing only NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is currently the league’s all time leading scorer. Lebron passing Kareem is almost inevitable at this point but there are still many who are unsure where to place Lebron amongst the all time greats.

Let’s see…18x NBA All Star, 4x NBA MVP, 4x NBA Champion, Lebron’s has a literal laundry list of accolades that stretches as far as the Mississippi river. As his accomplishments continue to amass, some would say there is no debate. 

However, sports fans love a debate and nothing stirs the emotions more than the never ending question… “Who is the greatest of all time?” With updated resumes here are a few that have a legit claim of G.O.A.T. alongside “King James”

Steph Curry

Wardell Stephen Curry II, a.k.a. the greatest shooter of all time, has single handedly changed the game of basketball forever. Currently playing in his 13th NBA, Steph has 4 Championships, 2 MVPs with one unanimous, and at this moment has amassed 3264 three pointers made and counting. The all time leader in 3 pointers made has impacted the game no like no other. If he continues to add to his already gaudy numbers, his case for GOAT will be even stronger. Wouldn't be surprising if Steph ages gracefully in the league due to shooting prowess, which has him in line to post even more insane statistics.  

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan! Michael Jeffrey Jordan! From the iconic Jordan sneaker line, to his relentless approach to the game, MJ terrorized opponents during his career. The 6 rings along with 6 Finals MVPs. The last shot, that may or may not have been a slight push off. So many iconic moments that anyone with a pulse has heard of “Air” Jordan. 5x MVP, 10x Scoring Champion, 9x All Defensive Team. It's almost blasphemy to compare anyone to him. As time goes on however and resumes start to fill out, maybe MJ’s reign as the GOAT may have some legitimate competition. For the sake of this article maybe.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the current NBA all time leading scorer, simply dominated during his 20 year NBA career. He finished as the all time leader in blocks, games played and minutes as well. Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., Cap accumulated 6 NBA Championships, A league record 6 MVPs, while also appearing in 19 all star games. Awarded the Presidential medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in 2016, the actor, best selling author and coach has a resume that makes his argument for the greatest of all time legit and will probably stand the test of time. Not to mention his amazing collegiate career.

O yeah, Magic Johnson, the Late Great Bill Russell… 

*Sighs*, The debate continues…

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

SHARE TO SOCIAL MEDIA

 
Read More