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Despite Dennis Rodman’s appearances, the Bears folded at the end of the season. In his book, Nurse writes about struggling to keep the team afloat, of “sleepless nights” as he struggled to pay staff. He wrote that he felt guilty until he saw the support he gained from British fans after winning the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, writing, “It gave me hope that they would remember the good times and forget about how it ended.” “Rodmania” proved British basketball could attract an audience. “It goes to show that with marketing and exposure, you can draw attention to the game,” Hildreth said. “I think some people thought it made a mockery of the league, but I look at it and say no publicity is bad publicity. For me personally, it was awesome because I played with Dennis Rodman.”
7-foot center James Nnaji has committed to Baylor and will play the second half of the season with the Bears, a source told On3. He’s been granted four years of eligibility by the NCAA. The 21-year-old Nigerian big man was selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, but his rights were moved to Charlotte. Despite being drafted, he never signed a standard NBA contract. In 2024, his rights were moved once again, this time to the New York Knicks, as part of the three-team Karl-Anthony Towns trade. After not appearing in an NBA regular-season game, Nnaiji continued his professional career overseas, most recently playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague before mutually parting ways with the team in August. Earlier this year, Nnaji appeared in NBA Summer League with the Knicks, averaging 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds across five games.
Josh Robbins: The Wizards and Kyle Kuzma have identified Monday’s game as Kuzma’s potential return to action, team sources told @TheAthleticNBA. Kuzma has missed Washington’s last 12 games because of sprained rib cartilage — an injury similar to the injury Darrell Green suffered during the NFC playoffs in early 1988, when Green hurdled the Chicago Bears’ Cap Boso for a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown at Soldier Field. Kuzma suffered his injury on Nov. 27. A determination on Kuzma’s playing status is expected in the hours leading up to Monday night’s game against the Knicks at Capital One Arena.
New York still hates Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback was loudly booed when shown from celebrity row during the Knicks’ game against the Nets on the jumbotron at the Garden. Brady also signed a football and tossed it to a fan in attendance for what will undoubtedly be a very expensive souvenir. Brady is scheduled to be on the call for a game between the Packers and Bears this week for Fox.
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“CD,” as he was known in the basketball world, was universally loved. His funeral service drew a significant Mavericks’ connection, including Del Harris, who worked for the organization for two decades and helped lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 with Dawson as his assistant. Former Mavs’ general manager Donnie Nelson was there, too. Everybody knew CD, who was born in Alba, was a standout player in the 1950s at Baylor, coached the Bears, worked for the Dallas Cowboys, then became a fixture with the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach, general manager and guiding light for that franchise since 1980.
Julia Poe: Coby White hanging with Kim Mulkey at last week’s Chicago Bears game, what a crossover
Coby White hanging with Kim Mulkey at last week’s Chicago Bears game, what a crossover pic.twitter.com/M9smOY0pHN
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) September 15, 2024
Yves’ path was similar, at least initially. He relocated to the United States in 2021, first attending West Nottingham Academy in Maryland before transferring to Prolific Prep in California. Yves decided to play college ball at Baylor. When he arrived on campus, there was a belief that he might redshirt his freshman year. Instead, Yves wound up starting 32 games for the Bears and flashed so much promise, the New Orleans Pelicans took him with the 21st pick in last month’s draft. “It’s just amazing,” Steve said. “When he started playing, nobody could tell how he was really going to turn out. It was only when I was saw him play at Nottingham, I thought, 'There is something there.' I could see him going really far. It happened really fast. In nearly four years, he went from leaving his home to getting drafted.”
Jon Rothstein: Sources: Norchad Omier and Jeremy Roach have both officially withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft and will play for Baylor next season. The Bears will enter 2024-25 as a Final Four contender under Scott Drew.
Following a fantastic freshman season at Baylor, guard Ja’Kobe Walter declared for the 2024 NBA Draft on Monday morning. During his lone season in Waco, Walter led the Bears in scoring with 14.5 points per game, while also finishing third on the team in rebounding.
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Baylor center Yves Missi is entering the NBA Draft after a standout freshman season in Waco, Texas, he announced on Wednesday. Missi reclassified up last summer to join the Bears for the 2023-24 season and found a consistent role in the starting lineup immediately.
Baylor men's basketball director of operations Aditya Malhotra announced that he's leaving Scott Drew's staff for a position with the NBA's Phoenix Suns. Malhotra has been with the Bears for the past nine seasons, including the last three as director of basketball operations.
Jeremy Sochan | 6-9 forward | 18 years old | Baylor Sochan has seen the biggest spike up the board over the last month of the season. He proved himself to be among the most versatile chess pieces in college basketball, capable of handling the ball for stretches and creating offense, as well as playing as Baylor’s anchor at the center position with the Bears’ big depth compromised because Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua missed the latter portion of the year. The idea here is he’s a “positionless” 6-foot-9 wing who can attack bigs off the bounce with some hesitation, a guy who can be the screener or the ballhandler out of ball screens. Over his last eight games of the season, he averaged 12.3 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal per game while filling gaps and playing every role. NBA teams are very interested in his versatility, and I’d slot his draft range right now anywhere from around here down to No. 18.
