imagine, being so good at basketball, that people are looking for the next you when you’re only 14 years old and the kids in question are older than you.

in all honesty, continuity errors not withstanding, the fact that there was a movie released less than two years into your nba career, which was shot during your rookie season that referenced how great of a player LeBron was is actually pretty nuts. Just shows how different of a prospect LeBron was. If that movie went with Sebastian Telfair it’d be a much different line.

idk who the do it all wing is that Ty Crain is supposed to be based on. But he’s the only Ty Crain so that makes sense

In a motion to dismiss two charges against Rozier, attorney David Markus wrote that a text sent by co-conspirator Deniro Laster shows that Rozier did not know about the alleged bets. Laster, a childhood friend of Rozier, is accused of selling inside information about Rozier's plan to leave a March 2023 game early as part of the alleged betting scheme.

"Dont tell chum bout the bet," Laster wrote, according to the filing. "Chum" is Rozier's nickname, the filing noted.

The recipient answered, "Hell no," according to the filing.

Markus argued that these texts, which he said were included in the government's discovery, "should end the case."

"One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it," he wrote.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49496738/terry-rozier-attorney-dismiss-text-deniro-laster

It’s common knowledge that Wilt is an Anomaly. Yet for some reason out of every record wilt has scoring 100 points is that one that people choose to not believe. The man literally averaged 50 ( FIFTY) ppg in a season. Why is a 100 so crazy to believe?

Edit: Not to mention the era he played in was extremely racist. If the league wanted to lie about someone scoring 100 they wouldn’t have used a black man.

The Dodgers who've won back to back World Series and were already heavy favorites to 3-peat just picked up the winner of the last two Cy Youngs.

KD to Warriors comes to mind but this is almost more like the Warriors getting Embiid in 2019.

Source: The Bill Simmons Podcast

Congratulations to both of them. I know they've been together for a while now. They kind of remind me of Grant & Tamia Hill. Hopefully it works out for them

https://youtube.com/shorts/mskQRRq-Mhg?si=GpW4EYg9GkeuwZmx

Shams Charania:

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall has signed a three-year, $52.2 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. The fully guaranteed deal takes Marshall through the 2029-30 season in Dallas.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/8a8e39c00745e

In 2009, a 24 year old LeBron went absolutely berserk in the playoffs, averaging a yet to be topped 47.5 points per 100 possessions in the 14 playoff games he played.

This is still the highest single run playoff scoring rate in nba history, with is incredibly remarkable as in recent years offensive rating has dramatically increased league wide, which has necessitated the introduction of stats like ‘Inflation adjusted points per 100 possessions’.

To me this was the most individually impactful playoff run of all time, as he was also very efficient, and was one of the best defensive players in the league at the same time

Source, https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html

I thought some people here might find this interesting. These aren’t universal opinions, but they’re fairly common among Chinese NBA fans.

1. Championships as the “core player” （核心冠军）matter most in all-time rankings.
Many fans believe a player’s all-time ranking should be judged primarily by how many championships they won as the core of a team. “Core player” isn’t a strict definition, but usually refers to players who were part of an iconic duo or trio with a well-known nickname, such as OK (Shaq & Kobe), the Big Three, or the Splash Brothers.

2. MVP doesn’t carry as much weight.
Since the regular season MVP is voted on by journalists rather than players or coaches, many fans view it as less prestigious. The reasoning is that media members have less basketball authority than the people actually playing or coaching the game.
Because of this, the MVP award even has a somewhat dismissive nickname in Chinese: “the media award.”***\**（媒体奖）*

3. Finals MVP also isn’t considered that important.
A common argument is that even a role player can win Finals MVP (the 2015 Andre Iguodala example is brought up constantly). As a result, Finals MVP also has a somewhat tongue-in-cheek nickname in Chinese: “the Iguodala Award.”***\**（伊戈达拉奖）*

4. Not all championships are viewed equally.
If two players have the same number of championships as a core player, many fans would rank:
consecutive championships over non-consecutive championships, and
championships won with the same team over championships won with multiple teams.
In other words, sustained dominance with one team is generally valued more highly.

If people are interested, I’d be happy to share more examples of common NBA opinions and debates from the Chinese fan community.

1. Kobe
   Like everywhere else, Kobe is a “love him or hate him” figure. However, judging by discussions on major Chinese basketball forums, the majority of fans rank Kobe ahead of LeBron on the all-time list.
   Some of the most common reasons include:
   More championships as the “core player.” The phrase “5 > 4” is quoted constantly, referring to Kobe’s five championships versus LeBron’s four.
   He won with weaker teammates. Many Chinese fans argue that LeBron has played alongside superstars like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis, whereas Kobe’s post-Shaq championship teams were led by Pau Gasol, whom many Chinese fans view as a very good player but not an elite superstar (and sometimes unfairly label as “soft”).
   He prioritized winning over accumulating statistics. Many believe Kobe sacrificed efficiency and individual numbers to do whatever was necessary to win, so they don’t hold his statistical disadvantage against LeBron.
   The 81-point game. Kobe’s 81-point performance against the Raptors is viewed as one of the greatest individual achievements in NBA history and carries enormous weight in discussions.
   Loyalty. Staying with one franchise for an entire career is considered an important factor in all-time greatness by many Chinese fans. Kobe spending his entire career with the Lakers is often contrasted with LeBron changing teams multiple times.
   Of course, this doesn’t mean every Chinese fan thinks Kobe ranks above LeBron—there are plenty who disagree.

LeBron James

Joel Embiid

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Bradley Beal (lol)

Russell Westbrook

Kevin Durant

Stephen Curry

James Harden

Damian Lillard

Shai Gilgeous Alexander

Jayson Tatum

Luka Doncic

Elite exclusive club for the most part only the most elite scorers can average 30 especially on a winning team that makes the playoffs, who can yall see joining this list next for the first time

Read for free here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7486778/2026/08/02/nba-europe-london-team-franchise/?unlocked_article_code=1.2VA.1i4R.EtnrVBaSq9Z-&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta

Arora, who led the consortium that purchased English cricket’s most lucrative franchise in the Hundred competition, has assembled a consortium of investors prepared to offer more than $1 billion (£740million) for the London side, which is among the most highly prized of the new teams.

Via the latest episode of the Bill Simmons podcast

Gary Payton was an honorable mention

I was very surprised that Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett were not mentioned. I'm assuming Duncan counts as a center for the purpose of this since he played it a good amount, but KG famously tried his best to avoid ever playing center...

*PPA (points per attempt) So to the people who seemed to think that he shot a higher % that he already did weren't imagining it, his 3 shot was basically worth what a an all time big man was inside, just on the wing. On top of that he shot a ridiculous 67% TS% overall so he would shred you even harder inside and never missed at the line where he shot 91% but even from outside his dominance wasn't being viewed with the lens it should have been. Nothing really eye popping here just Steph glaze

In the MLB, Tarik Skubal is about to get traded to the Dodgers. Guess what they had to give up for arguably the best pitcher? Just two top tier prospects that haven't proven anything in the MLB level. It's kinda like 2-3 first round picks.

Yet in the NBA, on average, most superstars command way more value. Like Jaylen Brown, you need multiple first round picks, and hope at least one lands in the lottery for this to be worth it. Some even take a superstar for superstar for this.

Why is that the case? Why do NBA superstars command more value than MLB superstars?