sports news update

It has been nearly three weeks since the NBA suspended its season indefinitely. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of withholding up to 25% of players' remaining salaries in a league escrow if regular season games are eventually canceled and not made up, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.  Players will be paid on full checks on Wednesday, but they have not been assured further payments,  according to The New York Times Marc Stein . Per ESPN, the NBA continues to be optimistic that the season will resume at some point, but the NBA's financial future was seemingly made more complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. The league  could exercise the Force Majeure clause in the collective bargaining agreement , which covers for catastrophic circumstances. Per ESPN, once there is a cancellation of games, the clause is automatically triggered. The use of the clause protects against a dramatic drop in the salary cap an...

Smart has been cleared from the coronavirus since Friday, the sixth-year guard announced over the weekend. Celtics guard Marcus Smart plans on donating his blood plasma to National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project for research on the blood of those recovered from the coronavirus, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Smart has been cleared from the coronavirus since Friday, the sixth-year guard announced over the weekend.  Head coach Brad Stevens said Friday that Smart was in "great spirits" and "joking as always." Two weeks ago, Smart said in a video posted to social media that he tested positive for the coronavirus , but was asymptomatic. At the time of his public announcement, he had been in isolation for "several days," according to the Celtics' statement on the situation. "I'm O.K. I feel fine," Smart said in his video announcement. "I don't feel any of the symptoms, but I can't stress enough practic...

Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle's death. Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle's death. He was gunned down on March 31, 2019, near his clothing store in Los Angeles.  He was 33.  At the time of Hussle's death, dozens of members of the sports world paid their respects to the late rapper.  On Tuesday, many paid continued respects to Hussle:

Carmelo Anthony discussed how his career could be different if the Pistons drafted him with the No. 2 pick in 2003. Carmelo Anthony still thinks about how his career would be different if it started with the Pistons. During an Instagram Live video, Anthony and Dwyane Wade discussed their NBA careers and what could have happened if the Pistons drafted Anthony with the No. 2 pick in 2003. "Everything all played out the way it was supposed to play out," Anthony said. "No matter how much we look at the way the draft was or who went where. ...Everything that we've done or we went through has all played out for us in some way, shape or form throughout our lives, especially now.  "I don't know what I would've been if I went to Detroit. I know I would have two or three rings. I don't know how everything else would have played out after that." In 2003, the Cavaliers selected LeBron James with the top overall pick, and the Pistons had plenty of...

ESPN has set a new release date for the Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' Last Dance documentary. Here is what we are looking forward to the most. ESPN has moved up the release date of the 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ 1998 NBA Finals run. The Last Dance will air on ESPN on Sunday nights over five weeks from April 19 through May 17. With the sports world on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic , NBA Twitter made a huge push to ESPN to #ReleasetheTapes! Here is the summary of the documentary by ESPN: In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and head coach Phil Jackson agreed to let an NBA Entertainment film crew follow the team all season long. The result would be a remarkable portrait of an iconic player and a celebrated team – a portrait only now being revealed, more than two decades later, in “The Last Dance.” As the series weaves its way through the tumultuous 1997-98 season, viewers will be transported b...

Not all heroes wear capes, but for Carmelo Anthony’s sake, he’s glad the hero that saved him is apparently an excellent swimmer. Anthony and close friend Dwyane Wade were conversing on Instagram Live when Wade’s wife Gabrielle Union asked Carmelo to tell the story, “when we were in the Bahamas and it didn’t look like you were going to make it.” Anthony hesitantly obliged detailed a trip to the Bahamas with Wade and fellow friend LeBron James. The group was in the water and as the others went back to the boat, Anthony stayed for awhile longer. He felt the current pulling him to the middle of the ocean. That’s when LeBron jumped into action. “Then I look up at the boat, and I see Bron jumped off the boat like he’s MacGyver,” Anthony said. “He jumped off the boat into the water. He was bringing me back with one arm. He’s swimming with the other arm.” Anthony continues, “He saved my life. I can’t hold you. He saved my life, he saved my life.” Way to go, LeBron.

The high school football coach disarmed a student who brought a gun to Parkrose High School. Keanon Lowe, the former Oregon wide receiver who disarmed a student that brought a gun to Parkrose High School in Portland, has been awarded the Citizen Honor Award by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Lowe is one of six recipients of the award for 2020, which is given to those who "exemplify the values embodied in the Medal of Honor: courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship, and patriotism." It is the highest civilian honor in the nation. The recipients will be honored at a later date. In May 2019, Lowe was working as a football coach and security guard when he approached a student who arrived with a shotgun. Lowe disarmed him and hugged him. The coach helped prevent a possible tragedy and no one ended up being hurt. The encounter was detailed in a story by Greg Bishop in the Aug. 26-Sep. 2, 2019, issue of Sports Illustrated . Lowe is currently the head fo...

Where do prospects like Anthony Edwards, Isaac Okoro and Cole Anthony project after the NCAA tournament was canceled? NBA draft expert Jeremy Woo makes projections for both rounds. With the college season coming to an unceremonious end and the NBA on hiatus until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak , teams are taking advantage of the additional time and shifting their full focus to the draft. While that doesn’t mean there’s a whole lot of clarity at this stage, given the murkiness surrounding the pre-draft process and a fully unclear calendar timeline, the fact that college and international seasons now have a definite endpoint at least solidifies players’ bodies of work. So consider this the unofficial start of draft season, even though there’s still a strong possibility the draft gets moved back. As has been widely reported, the NBA continues to hold out hope that the season might resume in the summer. If that’s the case, then logically, the draft lottery will have ...

SI's Jeremy Woo details which players helped their draft stock during the regular season and whether or not the coronavirus pandemic will have any impact on the upcoming event. Despite the unexpected end to the NCAA college basketball season, all signs now point to the upcoming NBA draft. SI's Jeremy Woo details which players helped their draft stock during the regular season and whether or not the coronavirus pandemic will have any impact on the upcoming event. 

The Chinese government issued an order delaying the return of team sports including the Chinese Basketball Association. The Chinese government has issued an order restricting the return of team sports to competition as the spread of the coronavirus slows in the country, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. He adds that the decision is a "heavy blow" for professional basketball there and other leagues around the world were closely monitoring China's decision-making. No timetable was shared for the restriction to be lifted, according to ESPN The main concern would be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 that could pass on the disease to others who are more at-risk.  On March 11 the Chinese Basketball Association had informed American players to plan on returning to China for a possible return to competition in early April. Players had been sent home over the Lunar New Year Holiday in late January. Approximately 40 American players are currently under contract with t...

Sports networks should cater to non-streamers, focus on '80s, '90s programming 1 . Dear ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports Network, CBS Sports Network and any other sports network I may have missed: I know I've already provided you with a list of 10 shows/events I'd love to see you re-air , but since I have so much time on my hands these days, I have another request.  I know you are in a very tough spot right now trying to fill hours and hours of programming, and I sympathize with the fact you that no live sports has left you in a difficult bind, so I'm not here to criticize. I'm here to help with some free advice.  When re-airing games, please stick to the '80s and '90s as much as possible. I'm sure this isn't easy because of rights fees and contractual issues, but I beg you to do what you can. Don't listen to young people who complain that—GASP!—we may have to air these games standard definition. Beggars can't be choosers right now. Do t...

How college football programs and prospects are making the most of an unusual recruiting season High school football players across the country face daunting new obstacles in figuring out their prospects for the college game, and whether their first choice of college feels the same way about them. Sports Illustrated Director of Football Recruitment and college football recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr explains how technology is allowing recruiter and recruit to get creative amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance being moved up should lead to the release of all streams. LeBron James asked and he received. According to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand ESPN and ABC will move the ten part Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance from June to April . And while this is cause for celebration amongst sports fans amidst a world currently without sports, it shouldn’t stop there with His Airness. If Jordan and LeBron can be brought together in harmony amongst the people then there is a bigger movement at play here...one that calls for everyone to #ReleasetheStreams . If you’re sitting on it, put it out. Immediately. I understand there are financial ramifications and things haven’t exactly gone as planned. But let’s be honest. Things suck right now. And we all need some entertainment relief. Look what happened with the damn Tiger King . Disney is rich. What’s to stop them from dropping Black Widow now? Then perhaps the trend could continue with...

“He was bringing me back with one arm.” LeBron to the rescue Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony did an Instagram Live chat over the weekend and Melo gave us a story of a different kind of heroism from LeBron.  Wade’s wife Gabrielle Union asked Melo to tell the story of “when we were in the Bahamas and it didn’t look like you were going to make it.” Melo was taken aback and said just thinking of the incident made him sweat, but he did end up recounting the harrowing ordeal.  LeBron, Melo and D-Wade were vacationing in the Bahamas and had taken a boat out to snorkel and swim to a cave. When the rest of the crew returned to the boat, Melo lingered in the water for a bit. Then he felt himself being pulled by the current ”in the middle of the ocean, opposite from the boat.” That’s when LeBron leapt into action. “Then I look up at the boat, and I see Bron jumped off the boat like he’s MacGyver,” Anthony said. “He jumped off the boat into the water. He was bringing me back with ...

According to Yahoo Sports Chris Haynes, the NBA plans to have a “players-only NBA-2K tournament” broadcast on ESPN. According to Yahoo Sports Chris Haynes, the NBA plans to have a “players-only NBA-2K tournament” broadcast on ESPN. Per Haynes "The league hopes to launch the event Friday, with the tournament including some big-name players. It will be a 16-player NBA 2K tournament lasting 10 days. 4-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins among the participants.” NBA 2K is the most popular basketball video game franchise of all-time. With the league on pause due to the coronavirus, the hope is that this tournament could help fans get through the drought of watching professional basketball. There is no timetable when the league will return to normalcy. 

We crunched 10 years’ worth of data to determine—based solely on the numbers—which college programs have the right to brand themselves the modern ‘U.’ Part II: Linebacker U. We determined each “Position U.” by measuring what every college should strive to do, in sports and beyond: Prepare students for professional careers. For the full explanation of our scoring system, scroll to the bottom of this article. Penn State has long been known as Linebacker U., but Sean Lee, now a rotational player in Dallas, is the program’s last “great” linebacker still active in the NFL. In fact, aside from Lee and NaVorro Bowman, no Nittany Lions linebacker who entered the league since 2010 has been a starter for any NFL team for more than a season. That leaves the Linebacker U. competition to two SEC powerhouses: Alabama and LSU , who have each put a dozen linebackers into the NFL since 2010. For our project, we considered linebackers to be off-the-ball (aka “stack”) LBs, as opposed to stand-up ed...

The network previously planned to air the 10-part documentary 'The Last Dance' in June. ESPN and ABC will move the release of the 10-part Michael Jordan documentary "The Last Dance" from June to April, according to the New York Post's Andrew Marchand.  The documentary detailing Jordan's final season with the Bulls in 1997-98 will debut its first installment on Sunday, April 19. The schedule for when each episode will air has yet to be announced. The highly-anticipated documentary will hopefully help fill the void left by the suspension of all live games across the NBA, NHL , MLB and college sports . The NBA suspended play indefinitely on March 12, and no return date has been targeted.  Numerous NBA players have tested positive for the coronavirus, including Jazz All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell , two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant , and Celtics guard Marcus Smart.  There are more than 729,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus globally acr...

O'Neal clarified his appearance on the Netflix show with 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic. Shaquille O'Neal defended his appearance on the Netflix Show Tiger King  on Monday, saying he "had no idea" about the events occurring at the Oklahoma ranch owned by featured character Joseph Maldonado-Passage. Maldonado-Passage, who goes by "Joe Exotic," was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January after being found guilty in a murder-for-hire plot. He was also found guilty of illegally selling tiger cubs. "So we go in there, and it's a beautiful place, and the character that was there was Exotic Joe," O'Neal said on  The Big Podcast With Shaq . "We're there and I dropped some donations for the tigers' foods and all that. We take pictures with [the] tigers. We went back a couple times. Then we go back another time and we found out that he's involved with all the stuff, and then, actually, I stopped going." O'Neal ...

The NBA hopes to have the event launch on Friday, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. The NBA is planning a "players-only NBA-2K tournament" to be broadcast on ESPN, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes .  "The league hopes to launch the event Friday, with the tournament including some big-name players," per Haynes. The NBA suspended play indefinitely on March 12 after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive, as did Pistons forward Christian Wood , Celtics guard Marcus Smart and four members of the Brooklyn Nets , including Kevin Durant.  No return date has been set for the NBA, and there remains the possibility that the remainder of the 2019-20 season is canceled entirely. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban remains optimistic the NBA will resume , citing late May as a potential timeframe.  There are more than 729,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus globally across at least 171 countries...

SI's Rohan Nadkarni shares the report that Ice Cube's Big3 3-on-3 basketball league has partnered with producers from 'Big Brother' to create a new reality show. The prospect of a reality show where former NBA players (and current Big3 players) could be exactly what fans need to supplement their b-ball drama needs.

James Dolan has contracted COVID-19, but "he has been in self-isolation and is experiencing little to no symptoms ... He continues to oversee business operations," read a statement from the Knicks. Knicks team reporter Howard Megdal outlines how the pandemic has affected the Knicks and Dolan and also discusses the $1 million MSG relief fund and Dolan's committment to paying qualified venue employees through May 3.

Louisville? Oklahoma? Auburn? An analytic look at what college program can rightfully brand itself the 'U.' Welcome to Position U., where we set out to determine which colleges have the right to brand themselves the "U" at eight different positions. And we decided to do it by measuring what every college should strive to do, in sports and beyond: Prepare students for professional careers. In order to make it modern, we used a 10-year data set. Dipping further back would mean going across different coaching eras at the college level, as well as including a lot of players who are no longer active in the NFL. (We did run an unofficial 20-year data set for the quarterback position, which you can read about at the bottom of this article.) We came up with a scoring system that balanced not just the quantity of players programs put into the NFL, but the quality of those players' careers. One measure we used is draft position—an inexact but still relevant measure of a...