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Jayson Tatum Sets Cs Milestone

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BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jayson Tatum scored 32 points on Saturday night as the Boston Celtics pulled away midway through the fourth quarter to remain unbeaten with a 124-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York.\

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The Celtics did not lead by more than 14 and appeared sluggish at times before improving to 5-0 for the first time since starting the 2009-10 campaign with six straight victories.

Tatum reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and also reached 10,000 career points by converting a three-point play in the second quarter. At 25 years, 246 days old, Tatum became the youngest player in Celtics history to reach the 10K milestone.

Tatum made 10 of 20 shots, hit six of Boston’s 15 3-pointers and collected 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 23 points while Kristaps Porzingis had his way inside against Brooklyn’s smaller lineup and contributed 22 to help the Celtics get 52 points in the paint.

Jrue Holiday added 18 points and 10 assists as the Celtics shot 47.8 percent and improved to 11-1 in the past 12 meetings with the Nets, including playoffs.

Playing the second night of their first back-to-back, the Nets shot 43 percent and saw a three-game winning streak end. Brooklyn also shot 32.7 percent (17 of 52) from 3-point range.

Cam Thomas led the Nets with 27 points while Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges added 19 apiece. The Nets played without Nic Claxton (ankle) and also rested Ben Simmons for the first time.

Brooklyn briefly moved ahead in the second, but the Celtics scored the last eight points of the quarter and took a 70-58 halftime lead on Tatum’s trey at the horn.

Dinwiddie scored 12 points in the third quarter as Brooklyn erased nearly all of its halftime deficit and rallied from an eight-point hole to get within 91-88 going into the fourth quarter.

Boston let the lead slip to 96-95 when Dennis Smith Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 7:47 remaining, but Tatum hit two threes in a 14-4 spurt that extended the lead to 110-99 with about five minutes left to effectively seal the victory.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Oct 29

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on the Sports Equinox

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – When the NBA tipped-off the 2023-24 regular season earlier this week while MLB’s Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks became unlikely World Series foes and the Boston Bruins began their NHL season at 6-0 before falling to the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 in overtime, and the NFL hit “Week 8” of a promising season to come, we all looked forward to Sunday, October 29th when all four major sports will be in action of the same day. It’s come to be known as “Sports Equinox.”

If you’d like, you can toss-in the English Premier League and the MLS for a five sport equinox with a tip of the cap to the PGA Tour which is smartly taking a weekend off before returning with the World Wide Technology championship in Los Cabos, Mexico from November 2-5.

Add-in some weekly college football and you have what many believe is the best week of the year for sports fans.

Great? Only great if you prefer a World Series between such unlikely participants Arizona and Texas instead of a Fall Classic with 100-win teams like Atlanta Braves and LA Dodgers vs upstart and extremely likable Baltimore Orioles.

The NFL and NHL are knee-deep in highly competitive and unpredictable seasons ahead. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francesco 49ers look good in the NFC while the Kansas City Chiefs look like the team to beat in the AFC. But, don’t be surprised if you’re watching the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jags or Baltimore Ravens rep the AFC this February.

Similarly, the NBA of 2023-24 will be rush to the finish for talented teams that can stay healthy and peak on the 1st of May. In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are getting the most favorable look by Las Vegas oddsmakers while the West is still in the hands of the Denver Nuggets for most observers.

And, they’ll run the first ever “In-Season” tournament to get the ball rolling. It should be interesting as it makes early season game count even more than usual. This columnist likes the idea a lot and loves the NBA promo just as much. If you haven’t seen the spot, it’s entitled, “The Heist” and it’s a take-off of a Sopranos episode meeting Ocean’s 11. I only wish they’d have put some of the players in team uniform and had a cameo by team mascots Rocky or The Coyote. The theme will repeat in additional spots as the In-Season Tournament progresses. Give it a look, knowing the tournament’s finale will be in Sin City:

The full cast of “The Heist” includes:

  • The Mastermind: Michael Imperioli (“Goodfellas,” “The Sopranos”)
  • The Heavy: Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
  • The Sly Guy: DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
  • The Ice Man: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
  • The Lookouts: Julius Randle (New York Knicks) and Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers)
  • The Vet: Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
  • The Inside Man: Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)

WWYI will do a more in-depth look at the NBA in the next week or two. Preseason predictions are often quite inaccurate, so this columnist will await the 10-game mark of the regular season to make some enlightened observations and predictions.

For the others?

  • MLB World Series: Texas is up 1-0 as of column creation, so Texas 4-games-to-1
  • NFL: KC Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers – 27-21.
  • NHL: Las Vegas Knights over the Boston Bruins – 4-games-to-2

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: With the start of each pro season, WWYI usually runs Team Valuations calculated by our friends at Sportico, but since my company subscription ran-out a few weeks back, we’ll look to the old standard of Forbes for NBA Team Valuations of 2023-24.

Team, State, Current Value, 1-year change in value (%), debt/value (%), revenue, income

1. Golden State Warriors CA $7.7b 10 14 $765 M $79 M

2. New York Knicks, NY $6.6b 8 4 $504 M $169 M

3. Los Angeles Lakers, CA $6.4b 8 1 $516 M $159 M

4. Boston Celtics, MA $4.7b 18 4 $443 M $88 M

5. Los Angeles Clippers, CA $4.65b 19 2 $425 M $-12 M

6. Chicago Bulls, IL $4.6b 12 4 $372 M $115 M

7. Dallas Mavericks, TX $4.5b 36 3 $429 M $83 M

8. Houston Rockets, TX $4.4b 38 5 $381 M $125 M

9. Philadelphia 76ers, PA $4.3b 37 3 $371 M $120 M

10. Toronto Raptors, 🇨🇦 $4.1b 32 5 $305 M $75 M

NFL FUTURE FANS: A new kids’ game, Future Fans, was born when one of those iconic sports moments happened but for a young Dad watching the game with his young child, there was no one there to really share it with. The specific game was the 2022 AFC Championship game and the Cincinnati Bengals were about to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl in 33 years. Mike Schroder, a lifelong Bengals fan, watched nervously alone, wishing his then five-year-old daughter would watch with him.

Mike had spent countless hours trying to teach her about football and she knew the players and the fight song, but he couldn’t get her to watch the game. In that moment, he wondered whether there was a better way to get her engaged as a fan, and what that might mean for their future relationship together.

Mike (Schroder) sought out his friend Michael (Gold) and a small business was built on the belief that shared experiences in sports creates and sustains lifelong bonds. Michael (Gold) saw the power of his friend’s idea, reflecting on the central role of sports in the relationships in his life – going to Cincinnati Reds games as a kid with his grandmother, Ohio State college football games with his dad, and now Columbus Crew soccer games with his own kids.

Together, Michael and Mike set out to teach kids the rules of sports in ways they could understand – through stories, games and toys. They built Future Fans with the knowledge that life for parents of youngsters is quite busy – but win or lose, participation as a player or viewer in sports provides an opportunity to spend time together, and maybe, all week long talk about the next big game. Sports adds a bond between people over a shared passion – the experience of life as a true fan. Future Fans exists so everyone can experience a lifetime of great moments with their favorite teams, and enjoy the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat – together.

To get a Future Fans game for yourself or a friend or family member, visit: AMAZON

TIDBITS: The NBA on TNT and its emmy award winning wrap-around show enjoyed its debut this week, and was certainly beyond “mid-season form.” … Amongst the revelry and chaos, Charles Barkley made his viewpoint known when he commented, “Golden State is the fourth-best team in California,” placing the Warriors behind an unnamed order of the Los Angeles Clippers, LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings.

Later on as the “Inside the NBA” stars were enjoying local cuisine, the producers had a little surprise – especially for Shaquille O’Neal and Barkley.

Shaq: “Chuck, if you put him around your neck, I’ll give you 100,000 dollars.”

The BIG NOON (Big 12) game on FOX on Saturday ended at 4:30 (ET). Good game, but a rain (and some lightning) delay from 1:08pm (ET) to 2:02pm (ET). Kansas upset OK, 38-33, to snap an 18-game losing streak. … Saturday, in the FOX studio show before the Clemson vs N.C. State, Steve Smith Jr. said that “N.C. State was a basketball school.” After N.C. State upset Clemson, 24-17, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren told the game announcers of CW Network, to tell Steve Smith “he can kiss my ass.” … On Friday night, with the Miami Heat in town to take on the Celtics in Boston’s home opener Celtics all-stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown told guard Derrick White that he had to be more aggressive this season. White responded and was trending on “X,” the artist formerly known as Twitter, all day Saturday after posting a 28 points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and five 3-pointers made line vs the Heat. Celtics opponents can expect – at least – four players to score in double figures, maybe six players. Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and toss in Jrue Holiday and Al Horford for the six-some.

WEMBY & WILT: Much was said this week over San Antonio Spurs rookie first overall selection Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut when he finished with 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting (0-for-6 from deep), 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Spurs’ 126-122 overtime victory. … Without any doubt, he’ll be fabulous. … But consider this, Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA rookie debut on October 29, 1959 showed a final (hand-written) boxscore of 43 points, 28 rebounds. … Keep in mind, the NBA didn’t track blocked shot until the 1973-74 season. Can you imagine?

While We’re Young (Ideas) continues to grow and is enjoying a whopping, grand, incredible 73% “open rate,” as of last Sunday. FYI (for those not in the business of PR or e-Newsletters, the norm of 27.9% is considered quite good.

LPGA – BOSTON: While the PGA Tour has taken a pass on the Boston market the last few years, the LPGA and Fenway Sports Group are planning a tournament at TPC Boston for 2024.

In a formal announcement this week, which included Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy on the dais, the LPGA Tour and FM Global named TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., as host golf course for the 2024 FM Global Championship. From Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, the newly created tournament will feature a field of 144 players competing for a $3.5 million purse, the largest prize fund on the LPGA Tour outside of the majors and Tour Championship.

The last time the LPGA played in Greater Boston/Mass was 20 years ago and the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open, held at Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass. It was won by Meg Mallon.

NBA Looking Into 76ers’ Mess

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NBA’s new player-participation regulations are being put to the test right from the start of the season, as the league is investigating James Harden’s absence from the Philadelphia 76ers’ opener on Thursday in Milwaukee, multiple media outlets reported.

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During the offseason, Harden requested a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, but the sides have been unable to reach an agreement. As Harden feuded with the Philadelphia front office, he was in and out of the team’s preseason training camp, and then he didn’t make the trip to Milwaukee.

The new league rules require star players to be available for nationally televised games (the 76ers-Bucks contest aired on TNT) and for games in the inaugural In-Season Tournament.

“We are looking into the facts around James Harden’s availability tonight to determine whether an approved reason exists for his lack of participation,” league spokesperson Michael Bass said in a statement.

The team stated on its injury report that Harden was sidelined because of “return to competition reconditioning.”

The NBA can fine teams $100,000 for the first offense of the participation policy, barring “rare and unusual circumstances,” with penalties rising thereafter.

Harden, 34, was an All-Star for 14 consecutive seasons until the streak ended in the 2022-23 campaign. He averaged 21 points, a league-high 10.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 58 games, all starts, for Philadelphia last season.

–Field Level Media

Porzingis Leads Celtics Over Knicks

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire service Report) – Boston’s newly acquired center Kristaps Porzingis scored nine of his 30 points in the final 2:34 on Wednesday night for the visiting Celtics as they overcame a late six-point deficit to beat the New York Knicks, 108-104, in the season opener for both teams.

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Porzingis drained all six of his free throws down the stretch and hit a key three-pointer with 1:29 left that put Boston ahead for good at 104-101. His perfect performance from the foul line highlighted a fourth quarter in which the Celtics made 14 of 15 free throws. They finished the game 22-for-26 from the line.

Porzingis’ 30 points are the most ever by a Celtics player in his first game for the team. The 7-foot-3 center, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Knicks, was acquired from the Washington Wizards on June 23.

Boston all-star Jayson Tatum (34 points, 11 rebounds) had a double-double for the Celtics, who led by as many as 12 in the third quarter and opened the fourth with a nine-point lead before the Knicks stormed back, rocking Madison Square Garden as though it was 1969-70.

New York’s RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley each had 24 points for the Knicks, who were 18 of 41 from 3-point land but just 14 of 26 from the free-throw line, including 5 of 9 in the fourth quarter.

Knicks’ center Julius Randle (14 points. 11 rebounds) had a double-double while point guard Jalen Brunson scored 15 points but shot just 6-for-21 from the field. NY’s Quentin Grimes added 11 points.

Barrett scored the first seven points of the fourth to begin a 13-2 run for the Knicks, who took their first lead at 86-84 on Josh Hart’s 3-pointer with 8:56 left. New York twice opened up a six-point lead, the last time at 101-95 on Brunson’s floater with 3:39 left, before Jrue Holiday’s layup began the Celtics’ game-ending run.

The Knicks missed their next six shots from the field, a span in which Porzingis scored nine unanswered points. Isaiah Hartenstein converted a putback with 18 seconds left to cut the Celtics’ lead to 106-104, but Payton Pritchard hit a pair of free throws and Brunson missed two 3-point attempts in the waning seconds.

Boston led 51-46 at the break behind 19 points from Tatum. Barrett paced New York with 14.

NBA All-Star ’24: Back to Basics

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official Press Release) – The 2024 NBA All-Star Game is returning to its classic format of Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference as well as traditional four-quarter scoring.

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The game will be played Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.

“While the NBA All-Star Game will no longer have an untimed fourth quarter or conclude when one team reaches or surpasses the Final Target Score, the teams will continue to compete to win each quarter for a charitable organization of their choosing,” the league said in its announcement Wednesday.

Team captains will be the starters who receive the most fan votes in their respective conference.

The league began tinkering with the ASG format in 2018, having captains draft their teams from a pool of 24 players.

–Field Level Media

NBA: Celtics Sign Knight, Waive Scrubb

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Celtics announced signed forward/center Nathan Knight to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Knight (6-10, 253) played in 108 games with the Atlanta Hawks (2020-21) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2022-23). He owns NBA career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field.

The Syracuse native was a three-time Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American (2018, 2019, 2020) during his four-year colligate career at William & Mary, where he averaged 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 125 games. During his senior year, Knight was named the Lou Henson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com, which is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I mid-major player. He was also selected as the Basketball Times National Mid-Major Player of the Year and 2020 CAA Player of the Year.

Knight attended Nottingham High School in Syracuse, New York and finished his high school career at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire.

In a corresponding roster move the Celtics have waived guard Jay Scrubb.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | October 15

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While We’re Young (Ideas) – Basket-Fy Yourself

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief for Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There’s a saying, maybe call it words of advice: “Stick with what you know best.” Or, in the immortal words of Ignaz Bernstwin (1836-1909), “Do what you know best, if you’re a runner – run. If you’re a bell – ring.

That’s what we’ll do today as this reporter knows the sport of basketball the best and we’ll look at it in three segments.

First, the WNBA: The league has enjoyed, perhaps, its best season since former WNBA President Val Ackerman tossed-up a ceremonial tip-off between Lisa Leslie of the LA Sparks and Kim Hampton of the NY Liberty to start in the inaugural season in the Summer of 1997.

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How quickly those 26 years flew past sports fans, proving the league is here to stay.

The season began with the return of All-Star Brittney Griner who was unlawfully detained in Russia and eventually released in a prisoner exchanged in a State Department led effort to bring Griner home after an airport search uncovered vaping cartridges with less than a gram of hash oil, purchased legally in Arizona but illegal in Russia where she was traveling from playing overseas at her UMMC Ekaterinburg club located in Russia’s fourth largest city situated in Perm Provence. Griner was exchanged for an arms dealer, Viktor Bout, who had served 10 years of a 25-year Federal sentence in the USA.

Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm won the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game MVP after an impressive 31-point performance.

Game 3 of the WNBA Finals will tiup-off at 3pm (ET) today in New York with the Las Vegas Aces leading the New York Liberty 2-games-to-0 in their best-of-five series. The WNBA Finals feature a match-up of two super teams in league history. Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum have proven too much for the Liberty during their stay in Vegas as Hall of Famer Becky Hammon guides her Aces. No team has ever come back to win a series from an 0-2 deficit.

While overall WNBA viewership is up 27% over last season, the Sunday games in this series are going up against NFL regular season and MLB Postseason telecasts. An uphill climb for a league that concluded its season on Labor Day weekend back when Val Ackerman tossed the ball.

Next Up, the Collegians: Yes, it’s been written in these pages before, but each year, a favorite day for all College Basketball fans is the day their Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook arrives in the mailbox. It happened just last week, and this column was teased with a quick look at the great Chris Dortch’s predictions for the 2023-24 BIG EAST Conference.

This week, we’ll take a good look at the Blue Ribbon predictions for the Top 25 in College ball and maybe – just maybe – the patented preseason NCAA bracket will be back for the most ridiculous attempt at a preview.

The College Basketball Blue Ribbon Preseason Top 25:

  1. Kansas
  2. Purdue’
  3. UConn
  4. Marquette
  5. Michigan State
  6. Tennessee
  7. Duke
  8. Arkansas
  9. Creighton
  10. Baylor
  11. Kentucky
  12. Houston
  13. Gonzaga
  14. Florida Atlantic
  15. Arizona
  16. North Carolina
  17. Texas A&M
  18. Texas
  19. Alabama
  20. Mississippi State
  21. USC
  22. Miami
  23. Colorado
  24. Villanova
  25. San Diego State

No major surprises were installed in those selections, except for the fact of an ever-increasing shift of dominance from the former East Coast powerhouses, like Syracuse, Georgetown, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Providence, and St. John’s, to the Midwest and South.

Blue Ribbon named Purdue’s 7-4 Senior center Zach Edey the preseason Player of the Year and Kansas senior center – 7-1 Hunter Dickinson Newcomer of the Year. Dickinson is not exactly a “newcomer,” as he played three years at Michigan but entered the college basketball transfer portal for his senior season and chose Kansas over Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland and Georgetown.

Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard (r) and The Freak

Saving the best for last, here’s a little look at the pros:

NBA SEASON OF 2023-24: Training camps for the NBA began on September 27 (for teams traveling outside of North America) and October 3 (for the entire league) and the NBA Preseason began October 5 in Abu Dhabi with a pair of Minnesota Timberwolves’ wins over the Dallas Mavericks. (BTW, Dallas went on to lose another game as they stayed in Europe and fell victim to Real Madrid, 127-123 on October 10).

The big change in the NBA schedule of 2023-24 is the incorporation of an “In-Season” tournament which tips-off November 3 and concludes with a December 7 & 9 semis and championship in Las Vegas.

Looking towards the regular season, the talk of the league is Damian Lillard’s summertime trade from Portland to the Milwaukee Bucks and how he’ll fit in with All-Star bigman Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the talented Bucks roster. Keep in mind, Bucks NBA Finals champion coach Mike Budenholzer was fired May 4 of this year and replaced by Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin.

Milwaukee is the team to beat in the East while Denver remains the front runner out West. Next week, we’ll look at the individual divisional ladders and make some predictions for the 2024 NBA Playoffs. While contemplating the NBA, this columnist will take a crack at the impossible —> predicting the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff contenders and winners.

TID-BIT: Keeping up with the Basketball Jones theme, please examine the ESPN list of Top 100 players in the NBA. For a limitation of space on this missive, here’s the ESPN Top 10, in descending order:

No. 10: Anthony Davis, LA Lakers

No. 9: LeBron James, LA Lakers

No. 8: Shea Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder

No. 7: Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

No. 6: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

No. 5: Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors

No. 4: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

No. 3: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (last year’s MVP)

No. 2: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

No. 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Thoughts: Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns is missing from the Top 10, although to ESPN’s credit, he clocks in at No. 11. Personally, with Kevin Durant’s lack of lateral defensive ability (and lack of desire to play any D), the obvious move is to switch Booker with Durant. … At the top of heap, there’s no reason not to list Denver’s Nikola Jokic at No. 1 and The Greek Freak at No. 2. Jokic and the Nuggets are defending champions and he was the MVP of The NBA Finals. That deserves a No. 1 position. … NBA fans and fans of the 76ers might be wary of Joel Embiid’s progress and conditioning for the 2023-24 NBA season. Just sayin’ … New 76ers coach Nick Nursestressed running and conditioning in his first training camp with his club. Undoubtedly Embiid will be a focal point to examine as Nurse plays an up tempo, move-the-ball, FAST game. … Meanwhile, Sixers 10-time all-star guard James Hardenremains at odds with Philadelphia GM Daryl Morey. Harden is on the Sixers’ books for a cool $35.6m this year and – although he is trying to force a trade – there aren’t any takers at that inflated number. The 76ers are also paying Embiid ($47.6m) and Tobias Harris a cool $39.2m per year. There’s a have and have not on the team payroll in Philly.

Celtics Hire Van Gundy

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BOSTON – The Boston Celtics hired former longtime NBA head coach and recently fired ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy as a senior consultant in their basketball operations group.

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Van Gundy, 61, was let go by ESPN in a cost-cutting move in late June after 16 years with the network. He coached 11 seasons in the NBA, going 430-318 with the New York Knicks (1995-2002) and Houston Rockets (2003-07).

His teams went 44-44 in the playoffs, and he led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference championship in 1999. The San Antonio Spurs defeated New York in five games to win the NBA title.

Celtic coach Joe Mazzulla called the hire “awesome.”

“Any time you get to add like high-character, high-level, professional people, I think it’s a no-brainer and so fortunate enough that he’s here, not just for the coaching staff, but for everybody,” Mazzulla told reporters before practice Saturday.

Van Gundy will split his time between Boston and Maine, home to the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, MassLive reported.

–Field Level Media

USA Basketball Pursuing Holiday

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COLORADO SPRINGS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Point guard Jrue Holiday was highly coveted by the Boston Celtics, who traded for the All-Star in late September. As it turns out, he’s still being pursued — by Team USA.

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Officials with USA Basketball are attempting to convince Holiday to return for a second straight Olympics for the 2024 Paris Games, it was reported by ESPN this Sunday.. Holiday, 33, helped lead the Americans to a gold medal in 2021, a much more desirous outcome than Team USA’s recent fourth-place finish at the FIBA World Cup.

Overall, the Americans have won four straight golds at the Olympics, but that has been largely achieved via stronger defensive performance, an approach U.S. coach Steve Kerr and men’s managing director Grant Hill continue to favor.

Holiday is one of the better on-ball defenders in the NBA.

Multiple NBA superstars are expected to participate in 2024, per ESPN, including such players as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid.

A five-time All-Defensive selection in the NBA, Holiday was traded to Boston by the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for center Robert Williams, guard Malcolm Brogdon and multiple draft picks.

Portland acquired Holiday as part of the three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Holiday helped lead the Bucks to their second-ever NBA championship in 2021 following his acquisition from the New Orleans Pelicans. Over 14 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans and Milwaukee, he has averaged 16.4 points and 6.5 assists.

He averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and a career-best 5.1 rebounds in 67 games (65 starts) last season with the Bucks.

–Field Level Media

NBA Finals Rivals Enter Hall Together

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SPRINGFIELD –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After going head-to-head in the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki found themselves on the same side for once on Saturday night.

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Wade and Nowitzki were among those enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., part of a loaded 2023 class that featured a total of 12 new inductees.

Wade led the Heat to a title in 2006, being named Finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as Miami toppled the Mavericks in six games.

Dallas got its revenge five years later, though, beating the Heat in six games for its only championship in franchise history. This time it was Nowitzki’s turn to secure Finals MVP honors, as he went for 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Twelve years removed from their latest clash on the NBA’s biggest stage, the two have gotten to know each other as people as opposed to competitors.

“For Dirk and me, it’s been therapy,” Wade said about his post-career journey with Nowitzki and some of the other inductees. “Who would have thought that we would be on the same team after all of our battles, but here we are, and it’s one of the greatest teams I’ve ever been on.”

Wade, 41, went on to win two more titles by the time his 16-year NBA career was all said and done. He was a 13-time All-Star and posted career averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists, spending most of his time with Miami, where he spent 15 seasons.

After coming up short in the Finals in 2006, Nowitzki, 45, was named league MVP following the 2006-07 campaign. A 14-time All-Star, Nowitzki was a beacon of loyalty for over two decades, spending his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks. He averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 1,522 games (1,460 starts).

If Wade and Nowitzki weren’t battling each other, they were often trying to fend off the Spurs. San Antonio was well-represented on Saturday night, as guard Tony Parker and longtime coach Gregg Popovich were also part of the Class of 2023.

Parker, 41, won four titles during his 17 seasons with the Spurs. Popovich, 74, was at the helm for all four of those championships, plus a fifth in 1999. Next season will be his 29th as San Antonio’s coach, and he heads into it with 1,366 regular-season wins along with 170 in the playoffs.

One of Popovich’s disciples, Becky Hammon, was also inducted to the Hall of Fame on Saturday. Following a successful playing career in the WNBA and overseas, the 46-year-old Hammon worked as an assistant on the Spurs’ staff from 2014-22. She is now head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, who currently own the best record in the WNBA at 26-3.

In her first season as coach of the Aces, Hammon led Las Vegas to its first title in franchise history.

“You’re a man of principle and excellence,” Hammon said to Popovich. “I know you weren’t trying to be courageous when you hired me, but you did do something nobody else in professional sports has ever done.