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Jose Calderon: LeBron James is the best player I've played with, and I think he's probably one of the most complete players out there because of the things he does, how long he's been at the top level, and maybe he's not the best shooter or the best playmaker, but overall I think he's the player there is. Q. Current best player? Calderon: Current and all-time. Yes, I think he is (the GOAT). You might like other players more, and I think Michael Jordan and others are always there. If someone says Michael Jordan is the best, I can't argue with that. But I think the thing about LeBron, for me, is that he's been in the NBA for 21 years, he's still one of the best players in the NBA, it's very difficult to stay at that level for so long. So I think he's a more complete player, and I think Jordan was incredible. I love him too, it's true I haven't seen him play as much, but well, I think either of them can be in that conversation, and it's difficult to enter that conversation because of what Michael Jordan meant, but I think either of them are at that level.
Jose Calderon on Spain winning the 2006 World Championship: I think it was the most special moment because of what it meant for Spanish basketball, but also for Spanish sport. I think we made it so that many people realized what's important in a team, right? Often it's not just talent, but everything around it. I always say that going to the national team shouldn't be a punishment that makes you miss your vacation. And for us it was always a special moment to be able to get together again, to represent your country and also to be able to compete for titles.
Did I read correctly that you’re on the NBPA’s board and you’re trying to do some foundation stuff for Spain? Aldama: “Yeah, I’m on the foundation board, but it’s not necessarily for Spain. We helped because there was a natural disaster last year. I was with the board at that time. But they helped a lot with [Jose] Calderon. He was a huge driver of that. We were able to contribute a bunch of resources to the people that suffered. The NBPA helped big time. That was one of the things that motivated me to be on the board with the foundation. We can help when the fires occurred and Jamaica now [with Hurricane Melissa]. We’re trying to help anybody and everybody. Then whatever ventures the players have or anything that’s passionate to them, we can match and help. I think that’s important because we’re more than basketball players. We’re lucky enough to be in a privileged financial situation and social situation. We can donate a lot and also make people aware of things that drive us.”
Every player since tracking to score or assist on 25+ straight team points in the postseason: LeBron James (5 times) Tracy McGrady (2 times) Kobe Bryant Tony Parker Jason Kidd Jimmy Butler Damian Lillard Donovan Mitchell Ja Morant Jose Calderon And now... Ty Jerome! (via AutomaticNBA)
RJ Barrett grew up a Raptors fan. At his introductory news conference, he not only name-checked franchise icon DeMar DeRozan, but Spanish point guard Jose Calderon, and the 2012 trade for Kyle Lowry. In a later interview, he casually referenced Sonny Weems, who started 28 games for a Raptors team that went 22-60 in 2010-11. His father, Rowan Barrett, now the GM of Canada’s senior men’s national team, used to bring RJ to games, introducing him to players and familiarizing him with the league he’d been focussed on making since he put it at the top of the vision board he had framed as 12-year-old. “It was a blessing,” Barrett says of being traded home. But still a question nagged at him, one to do with timing rather than process or destination. It’s rare for big moves to go down in December, more than two months before the February trade deadline. “That’s what surprised me the most,” he says almost a year later. “I’m the first trade of the year. Like, why are we getting traded right now?”
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Almost two decades after first moving Stateside, Jose Manuel Calderon explained why he has resisted the lure of returning to his home country. “My life is very normal," said the 42-year-old. "When I came here in 2005, I never once thought about the future because there’s always the option to go home. Life happened and I ended up staying. It’s an opportunity for my family and my kids. We are a normal family, living in New York. Daily life consists of the kids being at school, after-school sports activities and the usual day-to-day errands.”
Calderon has travelled extensively throughout his time in North America and has seen football become one of the most popular sports on the continent. “It’s grown a lot since I first arrived. I remember my first few years in Toronto. I used to go to watch Toronto FC and the stadium was distinctly smaller than it is today. Over time, they started expanding the stadiums and they improved them in every way possible. The league also benefited hugely from these changes."
Beneath the 19-foot likeness of Bryant pointing triumphantly to heaven — a re-creation of a gesture he made in an 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 — is a reproduction of the game’s box score. In it, two other players’ names were misspelled along with the word “decision.” On Tuesday, the Lakers fixed those errors before the team’s final regular-season game at home. L.A. wound up suffering a 134-120 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The names of Raptors guard Jose Calderon and Lakers guard Von Wafer are now spelled correctly — as is “decision” — on the base of the statue.
Restoration on the Kobe Bryant statue outside of Crypto.com Arena was completed on Tuesday morning just in time for the Los Angeles Lakers' final regular season home game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The 19-foot bronze statue, which was unveiled in February, needed several errors on the marble base corrected. The names of Jose Calderon and Von Wafer were initially misspelled on the replica box score from Bryant's 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors.
Kobe Bryant's statue was unveiled in February 2023 in Los Angeles near the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center. However, the statue itself contains multiple errors. Besides Bryant's figure, the statue also includes five championship titles placed around the figure. The figure is placed on a triangle base, paying homage to head coach Phil Jackson's famous triangle offense.
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Additionally, it has a QR code to watch Kobe's highlights, an inscription of all Bryant's accolades. The boxscore of his famous 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 is engraved as well. That's where the errors come. Namely, names of two players are misspelled: Jose Calderon is spelled as Jose Calderson, while Von Wafer's name is engraved as Vom Wafer. Also, the term DNP - Coach's Decision is misspelled in one line as DNP - Coach's Decicion.
3. Juan Nuñez (Ulm): After Raul Lopez, Jose Calderon and Ricky Rubio, the tradition of Spanish pass-first point guards remains alive and well with Nuñez. The 19-year-old playmaker passed on the last draft, and his value has since increased. After a solid World Cup debut, Nuñez is ranked fourth in assists in the German League and the EuroCup while vastly improving his shooting consistency. Mature beyong his age and already adapted to play outside home after a couple of seasons in Germany, he looks more than ready to make the jump to the NBA.
Josh Lewenberg: Fred VanVleet has a career-high 18 assists through 3 quarters and is 1 away from matching the Raptors franchise record of 19, initially set by Damon Stoudamire in the team's inaugural season. Jose Calderon (x2) and Kyle Lowry also recorded 19.