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The 2026 NBA Draft was a memorable one for the Wolverines. Now, Michigan basketball fans will get a chance to relive it through Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade's new YouTube documentary series, "The Call: Hoopers," that will include Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara.
Episodes will be released weekly, and Johnson's episode is directed by Jess Speight, a former Michigan defensive lineman. The other four basketball players who will be profiled are Iowa's Bennett Stirtz, Texas Tech's Christian Anderson Jr., St. John's Zuby Ejiofor and Baylor's Cameron Carr.
Oh No He Didn't: Shams on rookie extensions for the rest of the 2023 draft class: "I'm told there is optimism with an Ausar Thompson extension in Detroit. And then I would also keep an eye on Cason Wallace, Brandin Podziemski, Jaime Jaquez...and Anthony Black who's also a high draft pick in that class. But I would look at both Brandon Miller and Ausar Thompson to have more and more conversations with their respective teams, the Hornets and the Pistons, in the upcoming days and weeks"
Barstool Sports is bolstering its NBA coverage. Sam Vecenie, a senior NBA writer at “The Athletic” since 2017, is taking his “Game Theory Podcast” to Barstool Sports. Vecenie is moving to Barstool to partner with Ryen Russillo. He joined The Ryen Russillo Show on Friday morning to announce the move. Vecenie will continue to release “Game Theory” two days a week during the offseason. Once the NBA season begins it will move to a Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday schedule. He will also make regular appearances on the Russillo show. Steve Ceruti will be heavily involved in “Game Theory” in addition to his usual role producing and appearing on Russillo’s show.
Sam Vecenie: A few notes here from some questions already. Probably would have done this as a video but it's almost midnight here and I'm wiped. -Yes, I left The Athletic last Friday. Really appreciate my nine years there. I was one of the first 50 employees at the company. But I decided it was time to do something different. -No, I'm not planning on writing for now. Honestly, I feel like I need a break from it. I might feel differently in six months. What that means for a draft guide? IDK yet. I haven't made any decisions on that. We'll definitely be talking about the draft and prospects a lot on the show. -It's the same feed, same show as always. Nothing new there. Just three times a week in-season instead of two times per week like before. -Yes, Bryce will still be on the show, especially on Sundays. -No, Andrew is not coming with. Andrew told me post-Finals that he was stretched too thin and needed to move on. I am BEYOND grateful to him that he stayed on through the summer to produce the show. Again, can't emphasize enough: would recommend him to literally anyone. -Why team up with Ryen at Barstool? First and foremost, I've known Ryen for a while and trust him. Ceruti and Kyle are terrific producers. I also have friends at Barstool, all of whom speak highly of working there. I've been a fan for a while and really love how they empower and help their talent grow. -Now that this is announced, we move on to the most important thing this weekend, which is @OhioTate hopefully not dying from bed bugs while following around Mintzy in Oxford.
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Enes Kanter Freedom: 🚨 BREAKING! U.S. Congress demanding answers from the @WNBA . If the league has no clear definition of “woman,” on what basis was @EnesFreedom deemed ineligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft? The question is simple. The rules should be too. Rules Are Rules.
Darko Rajaković to Kawhi Leonard: "I want to tell you a funny story. I was working with San Antonio. I was coaching in Europe and I was their international scout. So the day you got drafted, I was with San Antonio in the draft room. I was part of the trade. I was like seven people. There was Lindsey, RC, coach Pop, I was there with like a couple of scouts. And when we traded George Hill and we got your draft rights, I was there when you got drafted."
German 7-footer Felix Kiehlneker has committed to Indiana for the 2027 recruiting class, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The 18-year-old, 7-foot-1 (216 cm) center is a product of German team ratiopharm Ulm and started for Germany at this summer's FIBA U18 EuroBasket.
The Nuggets, I'm told, have emerged as a team to watch in pursuit of Cam Whitmore. Whitmore, selected 20th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, was recently waived by Cleveland after the Cavaliers acquired him as part of the five-team megatrade that landed Peyton Watson in Northeast Ohio.
Igor Milicic Jr. went undrafted in last year's NBA Draft. After the Philadelphia 76ers brought him in on a 2025 training camp deal but ultimately opted not to sign him, Milicic Jr. joined their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He averaged 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 13 games played last season for Delaware. A homegrown sensation for the Polish men's national team, the 24-year-old played for Virginia, Charlotte, and Tennessee in his college career.
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Bamba has now gone from interested spectator to collector to card shop owner. Mo Bamba Sports Cards & Collectibles will open Friday in north Austin, near the University of Texas, where Bamba played for one year before becoming the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. After years of professional athletes’ involvement in the sports card space being limited to posing for the pictures on the cards, signing autographs and making convention appearances after retirement, many are now taking a far greater interest in it. For a growing number, that interest is leading to investment in brick-and-mortar operations. As Bamba will open his own trading card shop Friday, hobby darling Cooper Flagg, last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, will crack the doors to a trading card shop called Flagg Trading Co. in his hometown of Bangor, Maine, on Saturday.
Matt George: This is not true or accurate. The Sacramento Kings have not spoken with the Charlotte Hornets since weeks before the NBA Draft per a league source.
From a culture perspective, having someone like Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark, and Derek Rose be the cover athletes for you guys this year, just talk to me about why they kind of embodied what you guys wanted in cover athletes. Ronnie 2K: Yeah, three very prominent names in their sport, obviously three number one draft picks. Three players that speak loud on the court very bold and they mean a lot to their particular eras. It just seemed like the perfect time to kind of put that trio together. Having Caitlin as part of the introduction to Co-Ed City is really exciting and she was so overwhelmed to hear that we were doing it now. Wemby is, how he's changed the game, how he is just really at the start of the trajectory of his development and still so overwhelmingly such a force in the league has been really great. And I've gotten to know Wemby a lot more during this campaign, the mental game surrounded by the physical game and how he values 2K in that has just been really cool to see. We were out in Paris a couple weeks ago and we did the Hoop Gambit Foundations event and we partnered chess and mindfulness and being centered around 2K. And one of the things he said was, “when you're centered, you think 12 steps ahead, which is what speaks so well to how you play 2K.” And I was like, “yeah, that's exactly right.” So I think putting those, it's just a great trio. Obviously, Derrick Rose speaks for himself, the career he had and his love for the game and how he's invested into youth sports now. It's very, very cool to have those three involved.