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Terry Lyons

Knicks Randle Named Most Improved

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NEW YORK – (Source: Official News Release) – New York Knicks forward Julius Randle was named the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, the NBA announced.

A first-time NBA All-Star selection in his seventh season, Randle becomes the first player to win the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award with New York. The annual award, which was first presented in the 1985-86 season, is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.

Randle received 98 first-place votes and earned 493 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant received the other two first-place votes and finished in second place with 140 points. Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. finished in third place with 138 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

In his second season with the Knicks, Randle averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in an NBA-high 37.6 minutes in 71 games. He set career highs for averages in points and assists and matched his career high in rebounds, ranking in the top 20 in the NBA in all three categories. The 6-9 Randle is the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a season, joining Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić (who also did it this season), Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Randle made a career-high 160 three-pointers in 2020-21, eight fewer than his total for the previous five seasons combined (168). He shot 40.1 percent from three-point range, well above his career mark of 29.5 percent entering the season. Randle also shot a career-high 81.1 percent from the free throw line.

Selected as a reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, Randle tied for eighth in the league in double-doubles with 41 and tied for seventh in triple-doubles with six. Randle was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for April and the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 17.

Behind Randle, the Knicks (41-31) finish tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. New York made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Randle, 26, signed with the Knicks as a free agent on July 9, 2019. Before joining New York, he played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and one season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Randle entered this season with career averages of 16.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

The voting results for the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award are below. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.

VOTING RESULTS: 2020-21 KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD
 
Player (Team) 1st Place Votes(5 Points) 2nd Place Votes(3 Points) 3rd Place Votes(1 Point) Total Points
Julius Randle (New York) 98 1 0 493
Jerami Grant (Detroit) 2 33 31 140
Michael Porter Jr. (Denver) 0 40 18 138
Christian Wood (Houston) 0 10 14 44
Zach LaVine (Chicago) 0 5 5 20
Jaylen Brown (Boston) 0 1 7 10
Chris Boucher (Toronto) 0 3 1 10
Mikal Bridges (Phoenix) 0 0 8 8
Zion Williamson (New Orleans) 0 2 0 6
Nikola Vučević (Chicago) 0 1 0 3
Clint Capela (Atlanta) 0 1 0 3
Jordan Poole (Golden State) 0 1 0 3
Jordan Clarkson (Utah) 0 1 0 3
Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City) 0 1 0 3
Darius Garland (Cleveland) 0 0 3 3
Kyle Anderson (Memphis)

RJ Barrett (New York)

Miles Bridges (Charlotte)

Lonzo Ball (New Orleans)

T.J. McConnell (Indiana)

Andrew Wiggins (Golden State)

Richaun Holmes (Sacramento)

Bojan Bogdanović (Utah)

Terry Rozier (Charlotte)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)

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Below is the all-time list of winners of the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award.

KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD WINNERS

1985-86 – Alvin Robertson, San Antonio
1986-87 – Dale Ellis, Seattle
1987-88 – Kevin Duckworth, Portland
1988-89 – Kevin Johnson, Phoenix
1989-90 – Rony Seikaly, Miami
1990-91 – Scott Skiles, Orlando
1991-92 – Pervis Ellison, Washington
1992-93 – Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Denver
1993-94 – Don MacLean, Washington
1994-95 – Dana Barros, Philadelphia
1995-96 – Gheorghe Muresan, Washington
1996-97 – Isaac Austin, Miami

1997-98 – Alan Henderson, Atlanta
1998-99 – Darrell Armstrong, Orlando
1999-00 – Jalen Rose, Indiana
2000-01 – Tracy McGrady, Orlando
2001-02 – Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana
2002-03 – Gilbert Arenas, Golden State
2003-04 – Zach Randolph, Portland
2004-05 – Bobby Simmons, LA Clippers
2005-06 – Boris Diaw, Phoenix
2006-07 – Monta Ellis, Golden State
2007-08 – Hedo Türkoğlu, Orlando
2008-09 – Danny Granger, Indiana

2009-10 – Aaron Brooks, Houston
2010-11 – Kevin Love, Minnesota
2011-12 – Ryan Anderson, Orlando
2012-13 – Paul George, Indiana
2013-14 – Goran Dragić, Phoenix
2014-15 – Jimmy Butler, Chicago
2015-16 – CJ McCollum, Portland
2016-17 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee
2017-18 – Victor Oladipo, Indiana
2018-19 – Pascal Siakam, Toronto
2019-20 – Brandon Ingram, New Orleans
2020-21 – Julius Randle, New York

Utah’s Clarkson Named NBA Sixth Man

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NEW YORK – (Source: Official News Release) – Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson won the 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award for his contributions in a reserve role, the NBA announced. This is the first Sixth Man honor for Clarkson, who becomes the first player to win the annual award with the Jazz.

Clarkson received 65 first-place votes and earned 407 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Utah forward Joe Ingles finished in second place with 272 points (34 first-place votes), making this the first time that teammates hold the top two spots in voting for the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award. New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose finished in third place with 77 points (one first-place vote).

Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. To be eligible for the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started.

Clarkson averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.7 minutes in 68 games (one start). His scoring average of 18.3 points as a reserve was the highest in the NBA. Clarkson made a career-high 208 three-pointers overall (seventh in the NBA among all players) and a league-high 203 as a reserve. The 203 three-pointers are the fourth-highest single-season total off the bench in NBA history. He also ranked ninth in the NBA in free throw percentage this season (89.6).

Playing his first full season with Utah and seventh in the NBA, Clarkson recorded two games with at least 40 points, five games with at least 30 points and 23 games with at least 20 points off the bench. He scored 40 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 15 and 41 points against the Golden State Warriors on May 10, giving him two of the five 40-point games off the bench in Jazz history.

Clarkson joined Ingles in helping Utah finish with an NBA-best 52-20 record and the fifth-highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history (.722). The Jazz earned the top seed in the Western Conference for the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Clarkson, 28, was acquired by Utah in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 24, 2019. He re-signed with the Jazz on Nov. 23, 2020. Clarkson, the 46th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, has career averages of 15.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 521 games. He played with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cavaliers before joining the Jazz.

The voting results for the 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award are below. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.

Player (Team) 1st Place Votes(5 Points) 2nd Place Votes(3 Points) 3rd Place Votes(1 Point) Total Points
Jordan Clarkson (Utah) 65 26 4 407
Joe Ingles (Utah) 34 31 9 272
Derrick Rose (New York) 1 15 27 77
Jalen Brunson (Dallas) 0 14 25 67
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Dallas) 0 5 9 24
Montrezl Harrell (L.A. Lakers) 0 3 5 14
Carmelo Anthony (Portland) 0 1 5 8
Chris Boucher (Toronto) 0 1 4 7
Bobby Portis (Milwaukee) 0 0 6 6
Enes Kanter (Portland) 0 1 2 5
T.J. McConnell (Indiana) 0 1 1 4
Miles Bridges (Charlotte) 0 1 0 3
Shake Milton (Philadelphia) 0 1 0 3
Thaddeus Young (Chicago) 0 0 2 2
Facundo Campazzo (Denver) 0

KIA NBA SIXTH MAN AWARD WINNERS

1982-83 – Bobby Jones, Philadelphia
1983-84 – Kevin McHale, Boston
1984-85 – Kevin McHale, Boston
1985-86 – Bill Walton, Boston
1986-87 – Ricky Pierce, Milwaukee
1987-88 – Roy Tarpley, Dallas
1988-89 – Eddie Johnson, Phoenix
1989-90 – Ricky Pierce, Milwaukee
1990-91 – Detlef Schrempf, Indiana
1991-92 – Detlef Schrempf, Indiana
1992-93 – Clifford Robinson, Portland
1993-94 – Dell Curry, Charlotte
1994-95 – Anthony Mason, New York

1995-96 – Toni Kukoc, Chicago
1996-97 – John Starks, New York
1997-98 – Danny Manning, Phoenix
1998-99 – Darrell Armstrong, Orlando
1999-00 – Rodney Rogers, Phoenix
2000-01 – Aaron McKie, Philadelphia
2001-02 – Corliss Williamson, Detroit
2002-03 – Bobby Jackson, Sacramento
2003-04 – Antawn Jamison, Dallas
2004-05 – Ben Gordon, Chicago
2005-06 – Mike Miller, Memphis
2006-07 – Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix
2007-08 – Manu Ginóbili, San Antonio

2008-09 – Jason Terry, Dallas
2009-10 – Jamal Crawford, Atlanta
2010-11 – Lamar Odom, L.A. Lakers
2011-12 – James Harden, Oklahoma City
2012-13 – J.R. Smith, New York
2013-14 – Jamal Crawford, LA Clippers
2014-15 – Lou Williams, Toronto
2015-16 – Jamal Crawford, LA Clippers
2016-17 – Eric Gordon, Houston
2017-18 – Lou Williams, LA Clippers
2018-19 – Lou Williams, LA Clippers
2019-20 – Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
2020-21 – Jordan Clarkson, Utah

While We’re Young (Ideas) – May 23

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Oh Nate!

Say it ain’t so. Say you didn’t say it, but don’t say it was “taken out of context.”

Say whatever you want, Nate McMillan, because you walked right into it, and by doing so, you switched “the narrative” from dozens of great pre-NBA Playoffs storylines into one that is as old as time on a 1946 Grandfather Clock that’s only right twice a day.

The league was forced to do what it had to do and that was to dock McMillan $25,000 for “detrimental public comments asserting bias by the NBA relating to the 2020-21 Playoffs.”

In case you missed the story and the subsequent fine – which came on a week that the NBA was staging its first “Play-In” tournament and enjoying a number of entertaining games supplied to fans via extra coverage by TNT and ESPN – McMillan was asked a question about the fact many of the “national media” were picking the New York Knicks to defeat McMillan’s Atlanta Hawks team.

It’s a game played every year by the media. Their bosses ask everyone who covered a minute of NBA basketball to put forth their predictions for each series, leading all the way to their GUESS for the teams that will make it to the NBA Finals and one club that will be the NBA champion.

Here’s how Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote it:

<<On Wednesday, McMillan was asked about if he thought his players were aware that a lot of national media members were picking the Knicks to win the series (a panel of 16 experts at ESPN recently made predictions, and only two picked the Hawks to win). McMillan said he had discussed that with the team, and added that the Knicks are a franchise the league wants to see in the playoffs, which he was using as a motivating factor for the team.>>

The original quote: (which McMillan now claims was taken out of context, by the way)

“I’ve gone as far as saying the league wants this, they need this,” McMillan said. “… New York, you know, this is a big market,” McMillan said. “It’s a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years. And this is a team that our league, they want to see. There’s a huge fan base. They want to see New York in the playoffs. They want to see the Lakers in the playoffs. Teams like that, the Boston Celtics, they want to see these teams in the playoffs, and I put New York in that category, that the league wants to see it, everybody wants to see this.

“Even to the fact that, our game was moved to Sunday. They want to see this. So yes, we have talked about that. We have talked about the advantages of this situation and some things that we’re going to have to face going into the game with kind of everyone picking New York to win. And a lot of folks wanting to see New York in the playoffs.

“So it’s a battle, it’s a challenge, that just being New York, all of that comes with playing in New York. And they’ve had a really good season. So I think the NBA is excited about them being back in the playoffs.”

There you have it. Nate McMillan – wonderful person, great player, incredible teammate for those great Seattle Sonics teams, trusted assistant coach for USA Basketball and worthy head coach in the NBA – undermines the whole damn league at the most important time of the year.

McMillan was using the media snub to motivate his players with an “us against the world” mentality. It’s a coaching technique older than the clock you just read about. In fact, it’s a technique perfected by Coach Pat Riley, mainly when he was coaching the stacked Los Angeles Lakers roster to championships, but also utilized when he was coaching the very New York Knickerbockers 29 other teams were claiming had an advantage. Riley motivated half his roster full of players with CBA resumes to believe “the league” was out to get them, and that because of their proximity to the NBA league office (645 Fifth Avenue to 33rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues) the refs called it tighter against the physical – call it hand-to-hand/lockdown/combat Knicks.

Remember? Then-Knicks guard Derek Harper would lock onto his opponent’s hip with a hand-check that could keep a Boeing 747 from taking off, all the while John Starks and Anthony Mason were accosting opponents and never “letting up an easy basket,” to say the least.

Riley came clean when he spoke (at length) at the funeral services for David Stern in January 2020. Paraphrasing here, Riley told a story of being called on the carpet by then Executive VP, Business and Legal Affairs Stern, along with out-going Commissioner Larry O’Brien and being read the proverbial riot-act by Stern, with warnings of what was to come if Riley continued to plant conspiracy-theory stories about getting jobbed by the refs.

Deeper thoughts about “integrity of the game,” “the trust of the fans,” and “no one person being bigger than the whole of the league” were discussed. A young Lakers coach was only seeing the myopic ways of one series, one title and doing whatever he could do to influence the outcome of one, next game. Stern was seeing the future, five or maybe 10 or 20 years down the road from that NBA Championship Series in the early 1980s.

But, fast-forward to 2002 and Riley was back at it again!

While coaching-up the Miami Heat, Riley spoke of referees’ “dislike for me over the years,” detailed “inequality” and “inconsistency” in the officiating process, and offered a viewpoint of “real bias” in the calling of games.

For his theatrics, Riley was docked a cool $50,000 by the NBA, indicating McMillan might’ve gotten off easy with his misguided comments worth $25G.

To sum it all up is quite easy. Here are the key points:

  1. Integrity of the game, the integrity of its game officials and the trust in those by fans from every corner of the globe is the single most important thing the NBA has to offer. When you boil it all down, there’s nothing more important than a fair, entertaining and hopefully well-officiated game. It’s all about every single game.
  2. “The NBA” is not influencing the outcome of games, by staff or anyone sitting in executive offices. The players decide the outcome of the game with their talent and abilities. To say otherwise, is to cut the very roots of what the NBA offers which is the best athletes in the world competing against each other in a basketball game.
  3. It is damn near impossible to officiate an NBA game. Those very players are faster, stronger, quicker, and everything else you can imagine from being prepared, well-coached, incredible defenders, amazing shooters, in top-notch physical condition and being ultra-competitive. Good coaches KNOW the calls even out over the course of a season. They also know that if their team is standing on the perimeter, hoisting up ill-advised three-pointers, they are not going to get to the line as much as an opponent taking the ball to the basket.
  4. At this time of year, more than any other, the integrity of the league is even more important as more people are watching games and the NBA Playoff games intensify as each series progresses. The focus should be on the great games and the great performances of the athletes.
  5. Making statements, however intentioned, guided or mis-guided, takes the focus off the game and places it 180-degrees away from where a healthy sports organization needs its TV-watching, ticket-buying fans focused. It also plants the seed, once again, and as the games unfold, every questionable call comes under a microscope of criticism and mistrust that is undeserving. But, because of one coach, the thoughts travel like electric current right through to the minds of fans in every NBA city and around the world.
  6. When you really drill down, a coach’s comments – like McMillan’s – are really accusing the NBA and its officials of committing felony fraud. In my mind, that’s a crime in itself and the coaches should be disciplined for such accusations. In addition to the league office, the NBA Coaches Association should also administer stiff fines to its members for crossing such a line.
  7. To that end, the league needs to fine (both the team and the coach) and suspend the coach for at least a game going forward for comments which undermine the very credibility of the game.

Finalists for 2020-21 NBA Awards

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NEW YORK – The NBA announced the finalists for six awards that honor top performers for the 2020-21 regular season: NBA Coach of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Most Improved Player, Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year and Kia NBA Sixth Man.


The three finalists for each annual award, based on voting results from a global panel of sports media and sports/game broadcasters, are listed in alphabetical order below:

NBA Coach of the Year

Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns

Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

Kia NBA Most Improved Player

Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons
Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Julius Randle, New York Knicks

Kia NBA Most Valuable Player

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Kia NBA Rookie of the Year

LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings

Kia NBA Sixth Man

Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
Derrick Rose, New York Knicks

The NBA on TNT studio and game crew will announce the winner of each award during coverage of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Basketball Hall Elects 16 New Members

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SPRINGFIELD – A day after its COVID-19 delayed 2020 induction ceremony, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 16 honorees for the Class of 2021 which will be enshrined on Saturday, September 11, 2021 in ceremonies at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun resort hotel and arena.

The 2021 honorees class includes nine voted in from the North American and Women’s committees, including the ninth-winningest coach in NBA history Rick Adelman, two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh, NBA Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce, the first Black NBA head coach Bill Russell, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Champion Ben Wallace, five-time NBA All-Star and NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Webber, two-time NCAA national champion Villanova Wildcats coach Jay Wright, seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith and seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson of Australia.

Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected seven direct-elect enshrinees, including the first President of the WNBA and current BIG East Commissioner Val Ackerman, NBA coach Cotton Fitzsimmons and basketball guru Howard Garfinkel from the Contributor Committee, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Croatia’s Toni Kukoc from the International Committee, Bob Dandridge from the Veterans Committee and Pearl Moore from the Women’s Veterans Committee.

“For the first time in our history, we’ll enshrine two Classes in one calendar year,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2021 Enshrinement festivities will begin at Mohegan Sun on Friday, September 10 with the Enshrinement Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala. The Class of 2021 and returning Hall of Famers will then journey to Springfield, Mass. for the annual celebratory events taking place at the newly renovated Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and MassMutual Center on September 11

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Notebook

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Whether the sport in being celebrated two hours to the south at Mohegan Sun, an hour and a half to the west in Springfield, Mass, being played at WNBA and NBA arenas nationwide or destinations around the globe, the game of basketball is in the news in a big way this weekend and for many months to come.

The Basketball Hall of Fame is utilizing the Mohegan Sun (Uncasville, Connecticut) as headquarters for the 2020 Enshrinement ceremony this weekend, then packing up the circus tents and heading to the newly renovated Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame museum in Springfield – the birthplace of basketball – to announce the 2021 class of inductees. (The names of Celtics star Paul Pierce and Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons’ Bad Boy era have already leaked out as ‘21 inductees).

First! The 2020 class is among the most elite in history, with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and the late Kobe Bryant headlining the group. The 2020 class induction, forever to be known as a memorial tribute to Bryant, has been delayed – for what seems to be forever and a day – because of the global pandemic. While Bryant deserved top billing, for sure, the class of ‘20 represents a wide-ranging group, spanning the globe from FIBA HQ in Europe (to honor the late Patrick Baumann) to Bentley College, only 11 miles down the road where Bentley Coach Barbara Stevens calls home.

The 2020 class represents every aspect of the sport of basketball quite well. Stevens and Baylor/LSU women’s coach Kim Mulkey are inducted as top notch and deserved women’s team college coaches while Tamika Catchings (NCAA: Tennessee, WNBA: Indiana Fever, USA: Multiple Gold) represents the very best the sport has to offer, both on and off-court.

Just as you would expect with such a glorious cast, the coaches on the men’s side are among the very best with the late Eddie Sutton memorialized for his work via the college game and the great Rudy “Rudy T” Tomjanovich honored for his work with the Houston Rockets. Credited for his longtime, loyal assistant coaching efforts for Bill Fitch and as the two-time NBA championship head coach of the Rockets, Rudy T knew the game from the inside out. He was also an NBA All-Star forward (San Diego/Houston Rockets), never mind his impressive work for USA Basketball as head coach at the 1998 Worlds (Bronze during NBA labor dispute) and 2000 Sydney Olympics (Gold medal). … Remember: “Don’t EVER underestimate the heart of a champion.”

Even the media awards pay tribute to the best of the best with ABC/ESPN/MSG Network’s Mike Breen being honored for his play-by-play work and Mike Wilbon honored for print journalism. Wilbon, the Washington Post sports columnist for decades, turned Pardon the Interruption television personality extraordinaire and Breen, the voice of the NBA on ABC and ESPN, are both being honored as the Curt Gowdy Media Award winners for 2020.

Yes, with the 2020 honors, the Basketball Hall of Fame took a page from its counterpart in Cooperstown and “touched all bases” with a class for the ages. But the BHofF enshrinement for 2020 and this week’s announcement for 2021 are merely the dessert being served before the main course of hoops mania over the next few months. How? Let us count the ways:

  1. The 25th Anniversary season for the WNBA tipped-off Friday night with four exciting games, including the return of 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu, who had her rookie season cut short with a season-ending ankle injury in just her third pro game. Ionescu put an exclamation point on her return, hitting the game-winning three-pointer from the wing with less than a second remaining to give the New York Liberty a 90-87 victory over the Indiana Fever in the WNBA’s season opener. … As part of the WNBA’s 25th season and its focus on innovation, the league will launch the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup in-season competition during the 2021 season. Conference rivalry bragging rights, a new WNBA Commissioner’s Cup trophy and a prize pool of $500,000 will all be at stake when the inaugural WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game is played on Thursday, Aug. 12, at Phoenix Suns Arena. … Regular season WNBA action will take on an added level of importance as 60 select, intra-conference “Cup games” will determine the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams that will advance to the first ever Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game. … The “Cup Games” will be the first home game and first road game each team plays against its five conference rivals, all set to take place in the first half of the season between May 14 and July 11, prior to the in-season scheduling break due to the Olympic Games.
  2. The Basketball Africa League, a newly formed but one-year delayed organized pro league spanning the continent of Africa, will debut May 16. Both the International Basketball Federation and the NBA are providing full support to the endeavor which features 12 pro teams.
  3. Not to be forgotten, the BAL’s and WNBA’s big brother, the National Basketball Association, will begin its 2021 NBA Playoffs with a “Play-In” tournament, a new and unproven concept to field the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each of the two NBA conferences. Gone is the NBA Bubble in Orlando and the 2021 playoffs will take place with a limited number of fans in each home arena, depending mostly on State and local government rules and authorities.
  4. A couple weeks down the road, the European “EuroLeague” Basketball Final Four will be staged in Cologne, Germany on Friday, May 28 and Sunday, May 30. The competing four teams include CSKA Moscow vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and AX Armani Exchange Milano vs. FC Barcelona
  5. As summer approaches, the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Men and Women will be staged to determine the final national teams to compete in Tokyo. Those qualifiers will be played from June 29 to July 4th, a few weeks before the Tokyo Olympics begin (July 25th) with Iran facing a qualifier to be determined later. The delayed Olympic tournament will run through the gold medal game scheduled for Saturday, August 7 at the Saitama Super Arena, the “Brooklyn” to Tokyo’s “NYC.”

Patriots Open at Home vs Dolphins

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FOXBORO – The NFL trickled out just a few of their 2021 schedule and among the items released were each team’s season opening games. Just as they did a year ago, the New England Patriots will play the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro for each team’s first game of the 2021 NFL regular season.

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Kickoff for the Patriots vs Miami game at Gillette Stadium is scheduled or 4:25 EDT on Sunday, September 12 and will be broadcast by CBS. The game marks the fourth time in the past 10 years that the division rival Patriots-Dolphins will meet in the regular season opener.  A year ago, New England opened their season with a 21-11 victory over Miami at Gillette Stadium.

A-Rod Still Working on T-Wolves

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MINNEAPOLIS – Former Major League Baseball MVP and World Champion Alex Rodriguez and his billionaire financial backer Marc Lore have yet to complete their deal to purchase the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves following a 30-day exclusive negotiating window. The potential ownership group has reportedly continued to negotiate with Timberwolves’ current owner Glen Taylor.

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The Athletic originally reported an agreement was reached on a $1.5 billion price and that the team would remain in Minneapolis — a requirement from Taylor, who has owned the team for almost 30 years.

Rodriguez and Lore would first become minority owners, according to The Athletic, and in 2023, would gain full control. The deal would also include the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Our Sunday Sports Notebook on the IVY League

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The IVY League led the way back in March 2020. Hopefully, the Presidents of the IVY League schools knew something back then and know something once again. Something more than the rest of us because the IVY League is coming back for Fall Football.

“Given the current steady decline of Covid-19 infections in this country, and the broad availability and uptake of vaccinations, we are optimistic that our campuses will be back to something close to normal by this fall, including in-person learning with students in residence,” the Council of presidents said in their statement. “And this includes our expectation for the resumption of regular competitive schedules for Ivy League athletics across all sports beginning in fall 2021.

 

Here in the Greater Boston area, Harvard announced its plans in March to have invite all undergraduates back to campus to live and attend in-person classes for the 2021 fall semester. University President Lawrence S. Bacowalso wrote to affiliates this week that Harvard will require all undergraduates living on campus in the fall to get inoculated against the coronavirus.

While most major football conferences returned to some on-field activity last fall, the schools in the IVY League sat on the sidelines. As time passed, most Division I conferences permitted conference play for the Winter 2020-21 and Spring 2021 seasons. A handful of Ivy League schools permitted teams to hold local scrimmages this spring, but Ivy League teams were unable to compete against one another.

Specifics for various school graduations and other large gatherings are being scrutinized at campuses all across America, and pro sports are gradually increasing the percentage of capacity allowing fans to watch their favorite teams. The Ivy League decision, for some reason or another, forecasts better times ahead.

Here’s hoping Harvard visits Yale for “The Game,” this coming November and a significant crowd assembles at the 64,000+ capacity Yale Bowl. One thing is for sure, whatever the percentage of capacity is allowed to watch the football game inside, there will be an equal or larger number of alum assembled in the parking lots, tailgating away and reminiscing about “Glory Days” of the past.

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PGA Tour: Final Round Preview from Wells Fargo

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THIS WEEK on the PGA TOUR: Wells Fargo Championship

COURSE: Quail Hollow Country Club (Charlotte, NC)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @WellsFargoGolf

OFFICIAL SITE: (Wells Fargo Championship) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: Today, May 9 – Golf Channel’s TV coverage will air from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over coverage from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

STREAMING: PGA Tour Live will offer streaming coverage of Featured Groups today from 8:00am to 3:00pm (EDT) with Featured Holes streaming from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: Streaming Radio coverage today, 1:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com.

How to Watch: (PGATourCom)

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Wells Fargo Championship Notes:

Keith Mitchell holds a two-stroke lead in search of only his second PGA Tour title and a win today would mark 798 days since his first Tour title at the 2019 Honda Classic.

Mitchell leads the field by in birdies with (18) through 54 holes trailed by Jason Dufner and Harris English (15).

Rory McIlroy is seeking his third win at the Wells Fargo Championship (others were 2010, 2015).

Gary Woodland is back atop the leaderboard and seeks his fifth career PGA Tour victory and first since the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Luke List is seeking his first PGA Tour win in his 188th start as this tournament marks his sixth start at the Wells Fargo Championship. List’s best finish was T-9 (2018).

After opening rounds of (69-67), 36-hole co-leader Matt Wallace fell to T-7 after posting a third-round 2-over (73).

Since 2003, only five players have earned their first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo Championship.

After making the cut by one stroke, Bryson DeChambeau (T-23) made a six-stroke improvement in round three with a 3-under 68, capped by a double bogey on the par-4 18th hole. On Friday evening, figuring he had missed the cut, DeChambeau headed back to Dallas but was informed mid-flight that the wind had kicked-up at Quail Hollow and the cut-line was changing. Needing to re-fuel anyways, DeChambeau’s charter landed in Dallas, took on jet fuel and took a few hours break, and returned to Charlotte.

Wells Fargo Championship Leaderboard After 54-Holes

Keith Mitchell 67-71-66 —204 (-9)

Rory McIlroy 72-66-68 —206 (-7)

Gary Woodland 67-69-70—206 (-7)

Luke List 67-72-68 —207 (-6)