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NBA

Thunder Rode to Championship

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points, Jalen Williams added 20, and the OKC Thunder became NBA champions by wearing down the Indiana Pacers with a withering defense to pull off a 103-91 win on Sunday night in Game 7.

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The NBA championship is the franchise’s first since moving to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season and first since winning the 1979 title as the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Thunder forced 23 Pacers turnovers while committing just eight and outscored Indiana 32-10 off turnovers.

The Pacers, who remain without an NBA title, lost star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to a right leg injury in the first quarter, when he scored nine points.

After turning the ball over eight times in a Game 6 blowout loss on the road in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, point guard Gilgeous-Alexander was much better on Sunday night.

The NBA Most Valuable Player this season, Gilgeous-Alexander finished just 8 of 27 from the floor and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc but had 12 assists and just one turnover.

Indiana trailed by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter but cut the deficit to 12 with less than five minutes left and 10 with just more than two minutes remaining.

But the Pacers couldn’t get any closer.

Chet Holmgren added 18 points for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder took over in the third quarter, using the same suffocating defense that helped them earn the NBA’s best record at 68-14 and pushed them through their playoff run as the favorite to win the crown.

Oklahoma City scored 18 points off eight Indiana turnovers as it outscored the Pacers 34-20 in the third.

The Thunder, whose offense looked out of sort through much of the first half after struggling in a Game 6 loss, also thrived at the other end of the floor.

Oklahoma City didn’t commit a turnover in the third, and Williams scored nine points in the quarter, including hitting a critical 3-pointer during the stretch that put the Thunder ahead for good.

Gilgeous-Alexander spun in the lane, drawing an “oooh” from the home crowd.

But instead of flipping up a shot, as he has done countless times during his MVP season, Gilgeous-Alexander instead flipped to Williams in the corner.

Oklahoma City’s other All-Star quickly fired up a 3-pointer, which bounced high off the rim before draining through, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the Thunder’s lead stretched to nine after back-to-back-to-back Thunder 3-pointers broke a tie.

It could’ve been worse for the Pacers if not for point guard T.J. McConnell, who scored 12 points in the third, hitting six of Indiana’s eight field goals in the frame.

Indiana’s Haliburton started off hot, hitting three 3-pointers in a little more than five minutes to start the game.

But two minutes later, as the Pacers’ point guard was starting to drive outside of the top of the arc, he came crashing to the court and screamed.

The ball popped out to Alex Caruso, who quickly fired to Gilgeous-Alexander, who found Williams streaking up court for a dunk as Haliburton remained crumpled on the ground with a non-contact injury.

After the play, Haliburton was helped off the court. The Indiana star, who suffered a right calf strain in Game 5 but had been playing through it, couldn’t put weight on his right leg as he was helped to the locker room.

Haliburton did not return with what the Pacers classified as a “right lower leg injury.”

On the ABC broadcast, it was reported Haliburton had suffered a torn Achilles.

Even without Haliburton, though, the Pacers kept the game tight, leading by one at halftime and tying the game early in the third before the Thunder began their onslaught.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and McConnell added 16 each.

The Thunder became the first team to score 100 or more points in an NBA Finals Game 7 since 1988, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 108-105.

–Field Level Media

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-MVP

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Wire Service Report) – Named NBA Finals MVP following Oklahoma City’s 103-91 Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the crown jewel of one of the NBA’s most decorated seasons at only 26 years old.

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Gilgeous-Alexander won the regular-season MVP and Finals MVP this season, becoming the ninth player in league history to accomplish that feat and the first since LeBron James in 2012-13 with the Miami Heat.

“It’s hard to believe that I’m part of that group. It’s hard to even fathom that I’m that type of basketball player sometimes,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 7. ” … I’m just glad and happy that my dreams have been able to come true.”

The 6-foot-6 guard was the clear favorite to win the award if the Thunder captured the championship, averaging 30.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game in the seven-game series.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a tough shooting night (8 for 27 from the field) to close out the series in Game 7, but as he’s done all season, he produced from the free-throw line. The league leader in drives made 11 of 12 attempts from the stripe and had his best playmaking performance of the Finals, notching a playoff-career-high 12 assists.

“Coming off of Game 6, I obviously had a lot more turnovers than assists. That’s not a recipe for a win, and I wanted to do whatever it took tonight to get a win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Whether that was me playing in space, or it was … some of my teammates open and just trying to make the right basketball play.”

With a record 72 points over his first two career Finals games, Gilgeous-Alexander started hot and never looked back. His 34-point performance in Game 2 to prevent a 2-0 Thunder deficit and 35 in Game 4 to avoid falling down 3-1 kept Oklahoma City step-for-step with a relentless Indiana Pacers team.

The Thunder proved to be equally as tough. They lost consecutive games only twice in the regular season and never lost back-to-back games this postseason.

“We have a team full of competitors, we did what it took this year to be champions, and we deserve this,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We rose to the moment, here we are.”

The Toronto native won regular-season MVP by leading a 68-win Thunder team — the highest regular-season win total since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors — and pacing the league in scoring at 32.7 points per game.

Alexander had among the most efficient volume scoring seasons of any guard in NBA history, posting 51.9/37.5/89.8 shooting splits, and was a solid defensive piece on one of the stingiest defenses in recent league history.

The No. 11 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 draft, Gilgeous-Alexander was traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Clippers. After his rookie season, the Clippers shipped the Kentucky product to Oklahoma City in a package for Paul George, tipping the first domino in what would become one of the league’s most successful rebuilds.

Gilgeous-Alexander was a fringe All-Star caliber player for three seasons, in two of which the Thunder won fewer than 30 games, until he burst into the forefront of the NBA in the 2022-23 season, averaging 31.4 ppg.

Last season, he was the runner-up for MVP while Oklahoma City fell short of a title in a second-round exit.

A year later, Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the first Larry O’Brien and Finals MVP trophies that Oklahoma City has ever seen.

— Field Level Media

Yes, ‘Cers

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s Obi Toppin scored 20 off the bench to lead a balanced offensive effort as the Indiana Pacers evened the NBA Finals with a 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday in the heartland.

The Finals will go to a winner-take-all seventh game for the first time since 2016.

Game 7 is Sunday in Oklahoma City.

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There was little drama Thursday, as Indiana jumped ahead in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead.

Andrew Nembhard added 17 points while Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds to move the Pacers within one win of their first NBA title. Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a calf injury, had 14 points and five assists, and T.J. McConnell contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Indiana forced 21 turnovers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but had a playoff career-worst eight turnovers and just two assists. Jalen Williams, who scored 40 points in Game 5, finished with just 16 points.

Trailing by 30 entering the final quarter, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters, opting to save them for Game 7.

Oklahoma City shot just 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc — 1-for-11 in the first half.

The Pacers took control in the second quarter, turning the tables on the Thunder.

Oklahoma City won Games 4 and 5 the same way it had plenty of others this season — by turning up the pressure on defense and using that to fuel its offense.

Over the final eight-minutes plus before halftime, Indiana’s defense led the way on a 30-9 run to go into halftime with a 64-42 lead.

The Pacers scored 11 of their 36 second-quarter points off the Thunder’s seven turnovers.

Haliburton, who had struggled early in games for much of the series even before straining his right calf early in Game 5, helped set the defensive tone for Indiana.

In the final minute of the half, Haliburton elevated near the sideline for a steal off a Williams’ pass, then quickly fired to Siakam as he was falling out of bounds.

Siakam finished off the play with an emphatic dunk to stretch the lead to 20, then grabbed a rebound off a Chet Holmgren miss on the other end and buried an 18-footer just before the buzzer to send the Pacers into the locker room with a commanding lead.

Indiana, which committed 23 turnovers in Game 5, had just two first-half turnovers on Thursday.

The Pacers were slow-to-get-started on offense, going nearly four minutes into the game without a field goal and missing their first eight field goals while falling behind 10-2.

But it didn’t take long for Indiana to close the gap, scoring eight consecutive points to tie the game less than a minute after hitting its first field goal.

Moments later, the Pacers took the lead for the first time and what proved to be for good.

After going without a field goal in Game 5, Haliburton missed his first four shots Thursday before taking a quick feed from Myles Turner off an offensive rebound and burying a 3-pointer with just more than four minutes remaining in the first quarter to put Indiana up 24-17.

The Pacers continued to stretch their lead in the third, holding Oklahoma City to just 18 points.

Indiana’s James Johnson was ejected in the final minute after an altercation with Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe.

–Field Level Media

Lakers for Sale: Pricetag = $10B

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – For the first time since 1979, the Los Angeles Lakers will not have the Buss family as a majority owner. According to ESPN, the Buss family has entered into an agreement to sell majority ownership of the franchise to Mark Walter, CEO of diversified holding company TWG Global. The Lakers’ sale will be for a reported $10 billion.

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While Walter, who has been a stakeholder in the Lakers in 2021, will own the majority stake, Jeanie Buss will reportedly continue to serve in her role as the team’s governor.

One of the franchise’s all-time greats, Magic Johnson, said the team’s fans should be thrilled by the sale.

“Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark — he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike – they are competitive people, have big hearts, love to give back, and both prefer to be behind the scenes. This makes all the sense in the world. I am so so SO happy and excited for @Lakers fans all over the world!”

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Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, a deal that also included the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Forum. At the time, the Lakers were valued at $67.5 million. The Lakers won 11 of their 17 NBA championships under Buss family ownership.

The team’s ownership was passed on to Buss’ children when he died in 2013, with Jeanie taking over the responsibilities as team governor.

Walter will now step in as majority owner, although exact details of the agreement were not yet reported. That said, ESPN and The Athletic reported that the valuation of the deal is in the neighborhood of $10 billion — which would be the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world.

The Boston Celtics were sold for $6.1 billion earlier this year, the previous high for an NBA franchise.

Walter has investments in several other professional sports organizations, including the Los Angeles Dodgers of MLB, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and professional soccer.

–Field Level Media

Jalen Rose Wins Impact Award

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SPRINGFIELD – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and popular rap star, film producer and actor, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the BIG3 basketball league, Ice Cube, have announced that former player, TV analyst, and philanthropist Jalen Rose will be honored with the 2025 Ice Cube Impact Award.

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with the Ice Cube Impact Award,” said Jalen Rose. “Cube is family, and we share an unwavering dedication to giving back to the communities that raised us. Basketball created opportunities for us in different ways and has allowed both of us to make a lasting impact beyond the court. I’m grateful for this recognition and proud to be celebrated in the Hall’s museum.”

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Rose’s impact extends well beyond the basketball court through his unwavering commitment to education and community development in his hometown of Detroit. In 2011, he founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA), an open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school focused on academic excellence and family. JRLA prides itself on being a 9-16 model, to and through college, and offers AP courses, college tours, summer programs, and dual enrollment opportunities. Rose remains hands-on as the president of the Board of Directors and is actively fundraising to bridge the funding gap, raise dollars for college scholarships, and support a $20 million capital campaign to expand the school. Jalen also has a scholarship endowment at the University of Michigan.

Beyond education, Jalen serves as a volunteer Board Member for the National Basketball Players Association Foundation and partners with New Era Detroit, a community organization that focuses on community engagement, resource distribution, and safety initiatives. His dedication to Detroit and beyond is reflected in the time, resources, and leadership he continues to invest in the city where he was raised.

“Throughout his entire career, Jalen has consistently been a force for good,” said Ice Cube, who was recognized last year with the inaugural award. “Not only does he give back to his communities through fundraising, education, and, most importantly, through basketball, but he leads by example, championing the exact values this award was created to celebrate. His impact can be felt deeply in Detroit, and his commitment to building up the next generation is inspiring. I could not be more honored that we have named Jalen Rose this year’s Ice Cube Impact Award recipient and thank him for his tireless dedication to lifting up communities through the beautiful game of basketball.”

The Ice Cube Impact Award was created in 2024 to recognize individuals making substantial contributions to their communities through basketball. As the eponymous recipient, Ice Cube was honored with the inaugural award for his creation of the BIG3 basketball league alongside Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017. The league plays the premier global version of professionalized 3-on-3 basketball and is committed to increasing the opportunity, entertainment, diversity, and growth of the 3-on-3 game. The Ice Cube Impact Award is permanently housed in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s museum and recognizes honorees through a dedicated exhibit and in-depth storytelling.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see Ice Cube and the Hall of Fame come together for something this impactful,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Ice Cube’s influence goes way beyond entertainment—he’s a cultural icon who’s using his platform to uplift communities through education and philanthropy. This partnership represents a modern, meaningful opportunity for the Hall to celebrate not just basketball excellence, but the power of the game to drive real change. Jalen Rose is a remarkable selection for the Ice Cube Impact Award, embodying the values this honor was created to recognize.”

The Ice Cube Impact Award will be presented to Jalen Rose at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame during Enshrinement Weekend festivities on Saturday, September 6, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

OKC Takes Control of NBA Finals

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – OKC’s Jalen Williams scored 40 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

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The Thunder lead the series 3-2, moving themselves within a game of the franchise’s first NBA title since the team moved to Oklahoma City.

The series resumes Thursday in Indianapolis.

Even without much offensive production from Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers cut what was an 18-point first-half deficit to two on Pascal Siakam’s 3-pointer from the wing with 8:30 remaining.

The Thunder immediately responded, though, with Cason Wallace grabbing the rebound on Williams’ missed layup and flipping it to Lu Dort, who found Williams for a 3-pointer.

NBA Finals: OKC Thunder Will Attack

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Physical and fast was the Pacers’ defensive approach in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and more of the same is coming until MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proves he and the Thunder can handle it.

“You got to suck it up. There’s a maximum four games left in the season,” Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday of the hands-on defense from Indiana in Game 3. “It’s what you worked the whole season for. It’s what you worked all summer for. To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.”

Game 4 on Friday is vital to Oklahoma City after falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals. Indiana appeared to be the better conditioned team on Wednesday night, closing out Game 3 with a finishing kick and riding the adrenaline of a locked-in home crowd. Pacers’ coach Rick Carlisle gave additional credit to Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard and Aaron Nesmith for their collective defensive effort and the role it played in limiting Gilgeous-Alexander’s contributions.

“I wouldn’t say it surprised me,” Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said of the Pacers’ stamina in Game 3. “That’s kind of been I guess you could say their identity leading up to this series. It’s what’s showed up in the games up to this point. We have to figure out a way to counteract that and kind of change that and swing it in our favor because it’s not a winning formula to not be better than the other team in the fourth quarter.”

Gilgeous-Alexander had only four free throw attempts in the second half of Game 3 and appeared to wear down late in the game. He only took three shots in the final 12 minutes.

“We were a little out of character in a lot of ways yesterday,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think that happens in a playoff series. Four games, five games, six games, seven games is a long time. You’re going to get a range of games and experiences in that. We have to get it course corrected pretty quickly if we want to give ourselves a better chance in Game 4.”

– Field Level Media

Filed Under: NBA

NBA Finals: Thunder Benched

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INDIANAPOLIS – Backup guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana’s bench break out with 49 points as the Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday to claim a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

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Thanks to 27 points from Mathurin and the kind of pyrotechnics the Pacers have grown to adore from reserve point guard McConnell, Indiana has the advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Tyrese Haliburton provided heroics with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds while Pascal Siakam added 21 points for the Pacers, who haven’t lost back-to-back games since December.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points. Chet Holmgren compiled 20 points and 10 rebounds but shot 0-for-6 from 3-point range.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday in Indianapolis.

The Thunder trailed 110-102 with three minutes to go, but Alex Caruso tried to keep the Pacers from a premature celebration with a steal and breakaway into the open court. Two steps into the paint, Aaron Nesmith closed and forcefully brought both arms down on Caruso to prevent the shot attempt and take him to the floor. Following a review, no flagrant foul was called.

Caruso made both free throws and Indiana’s Myles Turner subsequently lost the ball out of bounds. However, Turner, who missed eight of his first 10 shots, came up with two blocks of Holmgren on the same possession to keep the lead at six.

Indiana got another stop, and Siakam lit up the stadium for good with an easy basket that gave the Pacers a 112-104 lead with 69 seconds left.

McConnell was seemingly everywhere, and he came up with massive defensive plays all game.

He ripped off Caruso’s bullet inbounds pass with two hands at point-blank range under the basket and pumped in a layup to tie the game at 95 early in the fourth quarter.

Mathurin cashed a trey off a McConnell assist, putting the Pacers up 98-96.

Haliburton re-entered the game in the fourth quarter, took a handoff at the top of the key, stopped, squared and splashed his fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 101-98 lead with 6:42 remaining.

Indiana’s Aaron Nembhard made a 12-foot jumper from the left elbow and the Pacers got it back after a missed 3-point attempt, taking a touchdown lead (107-100) on Obi Toppin’s two-hand dunk off of a miss with 4:23 to go.

Nesmith caught a skip pass on the right wing and drained a trey on Indiana’s next possession for an eight-point lead.

McConnell hit a running right-handed layup between two clutch buckets by Mathurin as the Pacers stayed close, down 93-91, with 10 minutes to play.

Oklahoma City had surged ahead for its biggest lead of the second half — 89-84 — to end of the third. Williams hit a long 3-pointer came after an and-1 baseline dunk by Holmgren, who moved through the swiping hands of McConnell to finish.

Williams played a large portion of the game with the ball in his hands as the Pacers worked to keep Gilgeous-Alexander in check.

McConnell leads NBA reserves in assists per game in playoffs (4.1).

– Field Level Media

Filed Under: NBA

Can Indiana Steal Another One?

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OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder have been in this position before.

So, have the Indiana Pacers.

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The teams meet in Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight in Oklahoma City after the Pacers pulled off a stunner in Game 1.

Indiana opened the series with a 111-110 victory Thursday, when Tyrese Haliburton’s last-second shot put the Pacers ahead for the first time in the game.

The average margin of victory in those rebound victories is 20.5 points per game, though one was decided by two points and another by five.

Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games just twice during the regular season.

“The playoffs take you to the limit,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They put your back against the wall — in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on. The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game’s a new game. The most important of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome.”

The Pacers have won their first game in each round.

The average margin of victory in those rebound victories is 20.5 points per game, though one was decided by two points and another by five.

Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games just twice during the regular season.

“The playoffs take you to the limit,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They put your back against the wall — in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on. The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game’s a new game. The most important of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome.”

The Pacers have won their first game in each round.

In the last two rounds, the Pacers won the first two games of their series on the road as they have become accustomed to thriving in the underdog role.

“That’s been our thing the whole year, even at the beginning of the playoffs,” Indiana’s Obi Toppin said. “Everybody got the other team winning every single game. We just go out there and always do what we do.”

Haliburton said the Pacers have drawn motivation from last season’s playoff run, where they beat the Bucks and Knicks in the first two rounds before they were swept by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

“You come into the year with all the talk around how it was a fluke,” Haliburton said. “You have an unsuccessful first couple months and now it’s easy to for everyone to clown you and talk about you in a negative way, and I think as a group we take everything personal. … I feel like that’s the DNA of this group.”

Oklahoma City forced 25 turnovers in Game 1 — 20 in the first half — but scored just 11 points off those turnovers, helping open the door for Indiana’s comeback from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.

“We can’t turn the ball over that much,” Haliburton said. “We have to do a better job of being in gaps, rebounding, all over the floor.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 8

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – While your favorite columnist was not able to pack the bags and attend the 2025 NBA Finals, his eyes and all eyes will be on the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in a series that is bound to go six or seven games.

The Pacers did exactly what they needed to do and that was steal a game at OKC, and they did so in grand fashion. Tyrese Haliburton’s jump shot with only 0.3 seconds remaining was the only time the Pacers led the game as they marked the final score of 111-110.

OKC’s amazing (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 38 points in defeat.

Now, for some juice: The New York Times published a well written, well-illustrated and well-timed article on one of the NBA’s all-time greats. No, not an all-time great player but a photographer of all-time great players, in Nathaniel S Butler, aka “Nat.”

Recalling a photograph taken after Boston won the 2024 NBA title, Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum said, “He puts the time and the work in. He’s been doing this longer than some of us have been alive, and he’s captured some of the most iconic photos that we all grew up seeing in magazines and online.”

Putting the time and work in might be the understatement of Tatum’s incredible career. The east coast based Butler, along with west coast based Andrew D. Bernstein, became the founding tent poles of a division of the league’s headquarters office – NBA Photos – back in 1985-86.

It was then, under the guidance of NBA Commissioner David Stern, head of NBA Properties, Rick Welts and head of NBA Communications Brian McIntyre, that NBA Photos got the green light. WWYI knows because it was on my watch that we baked the idea for basketball and launched the stock photo agency which was eventually run by NBA Entertainment and then sold to Getty Images, Inc. at a serious profit for the league and its team owners.

Butler’s back story is almost as interesting as his career as a top notch sports (not just basketball) photographer. As a senior at St. John’s University in New York, he became the league’s “Second-ever Intern,” working out of the 645 Fifth Avenue/Olympic Tower HQ in New York City. While his daytime duties included compiling vast amounts of news articles and information for circulation to the NBA execs, the teams and media, his interest in photography quickly surfaced and he was assigned to cover important press conferences and a small but then growing number of games in New York and New Jersey.

While Bernstein was shooting with color strobes on 35mm film at the two venues in Los Angeles (The Fabulous Forum – LA Lakers) and (The LA Sports Arena – LA Clippers), Butler was shooting mostly Black & White action photography to stock the non-existent league archives while supplying NBA Today and hoop with great photography. As the demand grew and NBA Photos was launched, Butler was able to gain more and more access and equipment (better Nikon cameras/lenses and sets of strobes for Madison Square Garden and The Meadowlands). While he assisted Sports Illustrated greats like Walter Iooss Jr., Manny Milan, and John Iacono, and continued to help his father run “Lazy Bones,” a fishing boat business based in Montauk Point, Long Island, Butler photographed more and more NBA basketball.

By 1986, we were able to go full speed ahead with NBA Photos and Butler came on board fulltime. This year now marks 39 straight NBA Finals for the man everyone simply calls “Nat.”

His new “coffee table” book entitled, “Courtside: Forty Years of NBA Photography,” is a must buy.

On it’s landing page on Amazon books, the description reads: “Forty years of stunning basketball photography—both on the court and off—from one of the sport’s greatest chroniclers. This handsome coffee table book is the perfect gift for the basketball fan in your life.

“As one of the NBA’s premier photographers, Nathaniel S Butler has shot it all. From iconic moments like Ray Allen’s corner three for Miami to intimate portraits of Bill Russell of the Celtics and the NBA@50 and NBA@75 teams to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry clinching championships, if it was a history-making basketball moment, Butler was there.”

At a later date, we’ll all do a deeper dive into the details of NBA Photos becoming a major wing of the NBA, NBA Entertainment and as a service to all 30 NBA teams. By the time the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend comes around, we’ll be approaching 40 years for the crew.

NHL Commissioner Gary B. Bettman and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov just last year (Getty Images)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: If Games 1 and 2 are any indication, the 2025 Stanley Cup Final (note the NHL states Final) (as in a singular event) just might go seven games. The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are tied at 1-game apiece as the series makes the short trip (3,014 miles by car) from Edmonton to South Florida for Game 3. Both of the opening games in Edmonton went into OT, with the Oilers winning Game 1, 4-3, while the Panthers evened it up at 1-1 in games with a 5-4, Double OT thriller on Friday. No matter which teams wins Game 3 (Monday), the fourth game (Thursday, June 12th) will be quite a war. Stay tuned and 2025 will prove the pundits wrong as sports fans head to their TVs to watch great competition in both the NHL and NBA, no matter the size of market nor the origination of the country (Canada).

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: A whole lotta news coming from off days at the NBA Finals. Commissioner Adam Silver was quoted as saying the NBA is considering an international themed NBA All-Star Game for the 2026 game. The serious consideration comes from another couple years of ho-hum competition at the annual starcast while the NHL enjoyed a bump in interest with its 4 Nations event at this past winter’s event. Silver also noted the NBA ASG will be aired by NBC Sports next year and the schedule has the game on a Sunday when morning coverage of the Winter Olympic Games might lead to an open window midday and primetime Olympics viewing that Sunday night. Not a bad idea.

By the way, Silver took some blowback on social media and general coverage with the fact the NBA did not decorate the OKC Thunder basketball floor with NBA Finals decals and other festive, event-markings.

Maybe letting the home team decide what goes where and placing the Thunder and Pacers at centerstage and letting the game of basketball provide the entertainment is actually a great idea by the NBA. Many media members and fans were clamoring over the need for the bigger market teams to play in the NBA Finals, but as Indiana and OKC progressed, the more educated basketball fans eagerly awaited the match-up. The Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton came through in a big way.

THIS JEST IN: Multiple media reports from New York are stating that New York Knickerbockers player exit interviews were at the root of the club’s firing of head coach Tom Thibideau. Seems the season-long rumors of Thibs playing his starters/veterans too many minutes came back to bite him. NY Knicks team owner/governor Jim Dolan and team GM Leon Rose conducted the exit interviews, according to Yahoo. Although Jason Kidd has been rumored for the job, logic points to Mike Malone who was fired by Denver as the 2025 season came to a close. Kidd is currently un der contract with Dallas and has the draft rights to Cooper Flagg in his mitts.

CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Former NFL defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones is in trouble once again. Pacman was arrested early Saturday morning in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jones, 41, was booked just before 2:00am by a Kenton County, Ohio jail, according to the court records. He was arrested by the Covington Police Department and charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place, disorderly conduct, and assault of a police officer. Jones posted a $10,000 bond and was released around 11:30am Saturday.

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Saturday’s arrest in Covington, which is across the river from Cincinnati, marked the fourth time since 2021 that Jones was arrested. He has now been booked on a public intoxication charge three years in a row.

The recent charges pale in comparison to a 2007 incident during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.

In that incident (in which many tried to blame on the NBA gathering), Arvin Kenti Edwards, (then) 32, of Renton, Washington entered a no-contest plea in the case, and was been sentenced by Clark County District Judge Valorie Vega to serve 24 to 60 months for one count of attempted murder and a consecutive term of 24 to 60 months for the use of a deadly weapon. Edwards could have faced as many as 186 years in prison if convicted of all seven felony charges initially filed against him after the shooting.

The charges included three counts of attempted murder, three counts of battery with a deadly weapon causing substantial bodily harm and one count of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. According to police, Jones, then a cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, instigated a melee that led to shootings Feb. 19, 2007, outside the Minxx Gentlemen’s Club and Lounge.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Jones was “making it rain,” or throwing wads of dollar bills from a large plastic trash bag onto a stage. He then became angry when the strippers picked up the money, and a brawl broke out, police said.