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Players such as Chet Holmgren, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and NBPA president Fred VanVleet all provided feedback that helped bring the renovated space together. “I’m excited to be a part of shaping the PLYRS UNTD Performance Center to meet the unique demands of the brotherhood,” said Holmgren, a forward/center for the Oklahoma City Thunder. “As professional athletes, there is so much work and preparation that goes on behind the scenes to perform at our best. Our new LA facility is equipped with the wellness, recovery, and training resources we need in the offseason and beyond.”
On his "Byron Scott's Fast Break" podcast, the Los Angeles Lakers legend claimed that while the 76ers look good on paper with James' addition, expectations must be tempered about Philly easily winning it all. Using the ill-fated 2003-04 Lakers as an example, Scott said the new-look 76ers with James are still not assured of claiming an NBA title. ‘I mean we can go all the way back to the early parts in the 2000s. You got Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Shaq [O'Neal], and you still got [Derek Fisher], you know, you still got an unbelievable starting lineup. And on paper, everybody said, 'Oh, they going to win a championship.' What happened? They played Detroit Pistons, who was a team, much better team, a much better cohesive group of guys who wanted nothing more than to win. And you had friction on that Laker team with Gary Payton and some of the other guys. And then you had the Peacemaker Karl Malone. And then Karl got hurt which really killed their chances of winning the championship and Detroit went through them four games to one. Right? So talent on paper don’t mean a whole lot.’
Legion Hoops: Neon really asked SGA’s dad how to draw fouls 😅 “We don’t try to draw fouls… We beat our man and they foul us… So let’s not get into this try to draw foul sh*t.”
Heat Central: Davion Mitchell lists his all time starting 5: PG: Gary Payton SG: Kobe Bryant SF: LeBron James PF: Kevin Garnett C: Shaq (Via miamiheat TT) 🤔
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Chet Holmgren, an All-Star big man set to enter his fourth season with the Thunder, offered best wishes to Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, who left Oklahoma City in separate offseason trades. Dort, a perimeter stopper and longtime starter, and Wiggins, a reserve wing, will join the Atlanta Hawks. Joe, a backup shooting specialist, was sent to the Detroit Pistons. "That's how the business of this game goes," Holmgren said at a USA Basketball Foundation charity event in Southern California. "No team, all 17 guys, sticks together forever. But it doesn't make it hurt less when you see guys go. At the same time, I'm excited for [Dort and Wiggins] and the opportunity they're going to have in Atlanta. I'm happy for whatever major milestones they reach over there."
"I have complete trust in our team and the moves they make," Holmgren said. "I trust what they're doing is to get it right. It's my job to be in the gym all summer to get my stuff right."
Holmgren, 24, averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks to earn his first All-Star selection last season, but he struggled against the Spurs in the playoffs and finished with just four points and four rebounds in the Game 7 loss. "We learned the same lesson [in 2026] as the year that we won it: It was almost more of a reminder of just how hard it is to accomplish, and how much goes into it," Holmgren said. "There is no guarantee. You can put in all the work and still come up short. At the end of the day, you have to be okay with putting in the work with no guaranteed outcome. We came up short this year. That doesn't change the process."
Jonathan Abrams: What if OKC had kept Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden? Excited to announce my next book, WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND FEARLESS, coming 11/3—a deep dive into the trio that reshaped the NBA. Pre-order link: harpercollins.com/products/when-
The last two former Main Street NBA franchises -- the Thunder and Clippers -- are likely headed a different route. Sources said the Thunder -- who control their ad sales -- will finalize local OTA and DTC deals that do not involve DAZN. Other sources said the Clippers are likely to choose an OTA station, perhaps The CW’s KTLA in L.A., or launch their own network similarly to what baseball’s Angels have done. They could also reprise the ClipperVision DTC platform for streaming.
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People close to James believed the Lakers were ready to move on from the 22-time All-Star and were never serious about re-signing him despite president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka stating the contrary during an end-of-season news conference after L.A. was swept in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Multiple sources within the Sixers and close to James who spoke to ESPN since the decision were agreed on one thing: Philadelphia was a bold choice.
Tommy Beer: Most points in the clutch in the playoffs over the past three years combined: 1. Jalen Brunson: 143 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 84 3. Tyrese Haliburton: 48 4. Anthony Edwards: 43 5. Nikola Jokic: 36 6. Cade Cunningham: 35
Mike Vorkunov: The 2nd round pick the 76ers sent to the Clippers in the Johni Broome trade: The second most favorable between (1) the most favorable of Houston/Indiana/Miami/Oklahoma City, (2) the most favorable of Golden State/Phoenix, or (3) Philadelphia’s own 2027 second-round pick.
Yossi Gozlan: The Thunder can't trade for Spencer Jones for one calendar year. They're $6.9 million under the second apron & regain their $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level exception. They could use it to sign another player. They could also use their TPEs to trade for a player under contract.
