While We’re Young (Ideas) Covers the Notes
By TERRY LYONS
BOSTON – In recent weeks, the readers have been the recipients of some breaking sports news (SlamBall!) and some motion picture musings (Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford). WWYI ran some music insights, from Billy Joel to The Beatles and Stones to Bruce Springsteen and his introspective thoughts through the “Last Man Standing.” The Notes always finish with a closing musical memory in the popular section tagged, “Parting Words & Music.”
Throughout, reader and writer have shared laughs and tears (for fears), talked sports, chatted-up trends in society while trying very hard to avoid politics and the terrible news of the day/week/month.
Today?
We have Notes. Just Notes.
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Did you catch this news item? Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady lost millions in the collapse of cryptocurrency company FTX, for which he served as an ambassador, The New York Times reported Friday. Under an agreement the retired NFL quarterback made with FTX in 2021, he received $30 million in now-worthless stock for his work pitching the company in television ads and at its conference. In step with him at the time was his then-wife, Gisele Bundchen, who received $18 million in stock, per the report.
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DRIBBLED IT OUT: USA Basketball tried to slip one by us on Thursday at 5pm (ET). New USA head-honcho Grant Hill named the players on the 2023 USA World Cup senior national team scheduled to compete in the 2023 FIBA World Cup tournament August 25-September 10, (a.k.a) The Thriller in Manila.
The 2023 USA Men’s National Team will include Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Josh Hart (Knicks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans),Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Cam Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks) and Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers).
In past years, Nike has spent beaucoup de bucks on glitzy announcements with day-long twitter feeds, NYC/Statue of Liberty photo shoots, team clinics for kids and global media days. This year, it was a simple news release (5pm ET) on Thursday with a follow-up with new USA national team managing director Grant Hill.
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PERTH: The NBA G League Ignite will once again host a premiere international program for a pair of preseason games with the inaugural NBA G League Fall Invitational featuring the Perth Wildcats of Australia. The Ignite will welcomes the Wildcats to the Dollar Loan Center on Wednesday, Sept. 6 and Friday, Sept. 8 when the matchup spotlights top 2024+ NBA Draft prospects among both teams. McDonald’s All-Americans Matas Buzelis andRon Holland, who are projected as Top 10 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft highlight Ignite’s 2023-24 roster, while the Wildcats feature top international talent including National Basketball League (NBL) Next Stars participant Alexandre Sarr, a projected Top 20 selection in next year’s NBA Draft. … Remember! If there’s a logo, it must be important.
NIKKI – RIP: Amongst the saddest news item to report, former USA Basketball women’s team gold medalist and proud Olympian Nikki McCray-Penson, also a former WNBA star and immortal member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, died at the age of 51.
McCray-Penson, who spent nine years in the WNBA and led the U.S. Olympic Team to a gold medal in 1996, spent this past basketball season as an assistant coach at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Rutgers confirmed the report of Ms. McCray’s passing on Friday.
“Today is deeply sad and emotional day for everyone who knew and loved Nikki,” Rutgets head coach of the women’s team Coquese Washington said in a prepared statement. “Nikki had a big smile and an even bigger heart. She was full of life, energy, and was so much fun to be around. Nikki touched the lives of many because she made it her mission to uplift others and help them achieve whatever dreams and goals they expressed.”
McCray-Penson had been diagnosed with breast cancer years ago (2013), but the initial reports of her passing did not state a cause of death, but Nikki’s friend, South Carolina head coach and former USAB Olympic Games teammate Dawn Staley did.
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$AUDI MONEY: Mucho controversy was made of the Private Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia paying the freight for LIV Golf in the summers of 2022 and 2023. The Saudi fund -valued at $650 billion – will branch-out with new fund-holders to arrange a new, multibillion-dollar entity, dedicated solely to sports, according to the Financial Times.
Accused by many – especially the families of 9/11 United – as using the funds to “Sportswash” in an attempt to cover-up human rights violations and murder committed by Saudi nationals. As time passes, the concept now calls for mainstream investments into leagues, teams, new franchises, start-ups in addition to LIV Golf. … Meanwhile, the rival to the PGA Tour, makes its way through St. Albans, England and London LIV where the LIV players will soon meet-up with their PGA Tour brethren to participate in The Open.
Current Saudi sports investments include:
- At least $2 billion of funding to back LIV Golf
- Purchased majority ownership of Newcastle United ($409 million purchase)
- Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix
- Purchased 16.7% stake in Aston Martin F1 team
- Saudi Pro League (Soccer) ($75 million annual contract for Cristiano Ronaldo)
- The PIF made news in sports all year, most notably the massive but cryptic announcment with the PGA Tour to stake a place in men’s professional golf.
- Tennis was also a target for the PIF, which has reportedly had talks with the ATP Tour and WTA Tour.
- It’s been previously reported, the PIF and other Middle East minority investments are being made in USA/North American-based professional teams. That’s clearly a part of the strategy for the new Saudi sports company.
- The Qatar Investment Authority purchased a roughly 5% stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Wash DC) and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly stated the league has not ruled out accepting investments from the PIF and other entities.
- The NBA will be playing preseason games in UAE this fall and USA Basketball (repped by the NBA) will play exhibition games in Abu Dhabi on August 18-20.
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IT’S OFFICIAL: Although there were plenty of leaks a week or two ago, the NBA formally announced the addition of the long-awaited “In-Season Tournament.” The NBA In-Season Tournament, a new annual competition for all 30 teams that will debut in the 2023-24 regular season, will tip off on Friday, Nov. 3 in NBA team markets and culminate with the playing of the Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“The NBA In-Season Tournament is an opportunity to further enhance and innovate around our season structure,” said Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President, and the Head of Basketball Operations. “With the addition of this new marquee event on the NBA calendar, we are focused on providing players and teams with another competition to win, engaging fans in a different way and driving further interest in the early portion of the regular-season schedule,” added Dumars.
The In-Season Tournament will consist of two stages: Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
- Group Play: All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2022-23 regular season. Each team will play four designated Group Play games – one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road – on “Tournament Nights,” which will take place every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28 (with the exception of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, when no games will be played). The only NBA games played on Tournament Nights will be Group Play games.
- Knockout Rounds: Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: The team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group). The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5) and Semifinals and Championship (played in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9, respectively). The Knockout teams will compete for a prize pool and the new In-Season Tournament trophy, the NBA Cup.
The 67 games played in both stages of the In-Season Tournament will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship. Each team will continue to play 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, including those games that are part of Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
TOURNAMENT GROUPS:
West Group A
Memphis Phoenix L.A. Lakers Utah Portland
West Group B
Denver LA Clippers New Orleans Dallas Houston
West Group C
Sacramento Golden State Minnesota Oklahoma City San Antonio
East Group A
Philadelphia Cleveland Atlanta Indiana Detroit
Eastern Conference
East Group B
Milwaukee New York Miami Washington Charlotte
East Group C
Boston Brooklyn Toronto Chicago Orlando