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The woman alleges that in 2020, a little over a year after Williamson left the Blue Devils to join the New Orleans Pelicans, the basketball player raped and assaulted her in Southern California. According to the suit, the violent incident took place on Sept. 23, 2020 ... after the woman had gone to Williamson's Beverly Hills home. The accuser says she told Williamson she was tired and wanted to go to sleep ... but he called her "stuck up" and a "bitch," and told her "she could not go to sleep without having sex with him."
The preparation for next month’s NBA Draft this week took Heat president Pat Riley and several team officials to Southern California, where they checked out several players expected to go in Miami’s draft range at No. 20. Riley, vice president/basketball operations Adam Simon, director of college/pro scouting Keith Askins and team executive Eric Amsler were in Los Angeles for Pro Day workouts. One of those workouts, which is coordinated by Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group, included at least three players projected to go in the late teens or 20s — Illinois forward Will Riley, Florida point guard Walter Clayton Jr. and St. Joseph’s power forward Rasheer Fleming.
FYI, Stokes, the top player in the class of 2026, plays for Notre Dame HS in SoCal. P's hoops star son, Mercy, also played at ND. Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Kansas, and others have also offered scholarships. "Look at Stephen Curry (Davidson), look at Damian Lillard (Weber State), you wanna go somewhere you can play, and people are gonna see you, the NBA is gonna find you, and New Orleans is a great place, it's a great city." "We got a great alumni, we got a coach, and so you know what, sky's the limit for us."
Luka Doncic's foundation donates $500,000 to Los Angeles wildfire recovery efforts
Luka Doncic hasn't even suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers yet (that changes Monday night), but he's already giving back to the Southern California community. Doncic through his namesake foundation Monday morning announced that the foundation will be donating $500,000 "to immediate recovery efforts." Doncic also committed to helping rebuild courts, playgrounds and fields that were destroyed by the fires, which raged across the Los Angeles metro area in early January.
When Butler sprained an ankle Nov. 8 at Denver, he asked to rehab at his home in Southern California, where he had a whole facility and team in place. He didn't want to rehab in hotels for the long road trip in Minnesota, Detroit and Indianapolis. It was not an unusual request by Butler, and the Heat had previously granted him such leeway. Spoelstra initially agreed to it, but this time, team sources said Riley declined the request, insisting that it was important that he stay connected to the team while he rehabilitated. Butler did not take it well. But he continued his strong play for the Heat once he returned -- even putting up a monstrous 35-point, 19-rebound, 10-assist game against Detroit on Dec. 16.
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“We’ve talked a little bit, but he’s got a lot of stuff on the go,” Kopitar said. “So we’re going to let the dust settle and then get an acclimated and all that stuff and connect.” Kopitar said his 8-year-old son Jakob is a big fan of Doncic so he expects he’ll be pressured into attending a few more Lakers games now. As for sharing housing tips on Southern California, where he’s lived for 18 years, Kopitar said he’s sure Doncic has all the help he needs. “He’s old enough. He’s going to want to pick wherever he wants to be,” he said. “But if he wants advice, I’ll be there to help.”
Speaking for the first time since the Southern California wildfires forced him and his family to evacuate their home last week, LeBron James acknowledged Wednesday that the fires -- which have burned through 60 square miles and killed at least 25 people -- have taken a mental toll. "I have a couple of dear friends that have lost their homes in the Palisades," James said after the Los Angeles Lakers' 117-108 win over the Miami Heat. "Obviously, my heart goes out to all of the families, all across not only the Palisades, but all across L.A. County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire. ... It's been a lot of emotions. Kind of been off. Personally, I've been off. "I've just been completely off for obvious reasons, but hopefully things are contained or continue to be contained. And hopefully, at some point, we can start to push forward and move forward and put it behind us and rebuild our city, rebuild this beautiful city."
As Southern California deals with the wildfires ripping through the L.A. area, ESPN’s Malika Andrews returned to the network’s L.A. studios to host “NBA Today.” Today’s show, from 3-4pm ET, came as both the Lakers and Clippers resume their respective NBA seasons, with the Lakers preparing to host the Spurs tonight at Crypto.com Arena.
Mike Trudell: In the wake of the SoCal fires, JJ Redick said there's real strength in the way that everybody has rallied around him and his family, and it's meant a ton. He said now it's the Lakers job to rally that strength and, hopefully, provide some joy to the fans and the community.
Arash Markazi: The Lakers announce tonight’s game against the Spurs is “dedicated to the Los Angeles community and Southern California’s first responders. The game will honor the strength and spirit of LA as relief and recovery efforts begin for those impacted by the recent wildfires.” pic.x.com/g5UXFheYUx
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Khobi Price: The Lakers will host donation drives starting tomorrow at Crypto.com Arena and Tuesday at their UCLA Health Training Center to support the Los Angeles community and relief efforts for the Southern California wildfires:
The NBA has postponed Saturday’s home games for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers as part of the league’s response to the wildfires that are ravaging Southern California. The Lakers were to play host to San Antonio. The Clippers were to play host to Charlotte. No makeup dates have been announced, and the league didn’t say if more games — both the Lakers and Clippers are scheduled to be home Monday and Wednesday as well — will be affected. “The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local officials in Los Angeles and Inglewood about the ongoing situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts,” the league said.
Shams Charania: The NBA is postponing Lakers-Spurs and Clippers-Hornets games on Saturday in Los Angeles due to ongoing wildfires in Southern California, sources tell me and @malika_andrews .
LeBron James: Praying for everyone in Southern California!! ! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
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