Advertisement - scroll for more content
Mamukelashvili didn't play in the third quarter. But in the final frame, he lit up the Knicks for 21 points on 8-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range to go with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Mamukelashvili heated up so much that teammate Chris Paul started calling actions down the stretch to get his teammate more looks. "Luckily, I've played for a while and sort of know the art of getting guys shots," Paul said. "Mamu is an amazing teammate. He comes in and works hard every day, cheers guys on, always in a good mood, good attitude. When he's shooting the ball like that, you just try to find the guy." Mamukelashvili became the fourth player in NBA history to shoot 90% from the field, 100% on 3-pointers and 100% on free throws in a game, joining Tyrese Haliburton (2022), Gary Payton (1995) and Charles Barkley. He also ranks as the third Spur to knock down 7-of-7 or better on 3-pointers, joining Matt Bonner (2010) and Steve Smith (2001).
With the NHL and NBA seasons set to get underway in the coming weeks, Sportsnet 590 The Fan announced a few changes to its afternoon radio look this week. One of the biggest changes comes via the network’s hour-long daily NBA show, with former Raptors cult hero Matt Bonner joining the fold to join previously existing host Blake Murphy.
The first shot you officially took in the NBA was blocked. Do you remember who blocked it? Jerami Grant: Nah, I don’t. Let me know, let me know. It was Matt Bonner. Jerami Grant: F****** Matt Bonner? Damn! What the f*** was I on?
Veteran broadcaster Bill Land returns for his 19th season of calling Spurs basketball as the lead play-by-play announcer and former Spur Sean Elliott is in his 21st year as the lead analyst. Former Spur Matt Bonner is back for his fourth season at the studio desk alongside primary host Dan Weiss. Fans will notice two new additions during select broadcasts this season – former sports reporter Michelle Beadle as a special correspondent and former Spurs center Fabricio Oberto as a studio analyst.
There must be something about Fralo's Pizza that has a few San Antonio Spurs greats clamoring to get a hold of a pie. Spurs great Manu Ginobili, Matt Bonner and Tony Parker have stopped by the San Antonio pizzeria not only to fill their bellies, but to also do their part in supporting local San Antonio businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.
Gracias @manuginobili for always supporting Fralo’s! pic.twitter.com/zy9OLyY37t
— Fralo's Pizza 🍕 (@Fralos) March 30, 2020
Advertisement
Retired San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner didn’t do any research when he and his 8-year-old daughter sat down to pick some stocks. “I wanted her to invest in something she’s interested in,” Bonner said during halftime of the Spurs’ contest against the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Toys were easy enough. Bonner bought stock in Mattel for E.V.’s E-Trade custodial account. Flowers were a trickier industry to pin down, but a quick search turned up 1-800-Flowers, which is publicly traded and has done quite well for her portfolio. Its shares are up 30% over the last 12 months and 57.3% since E.V. invested about two years ago, he said. “That’s a pretty good return on investment,” said Bonner, who retired from the NBA in 2017 and now works as a sports analyst on the San Antonio Spurs TV Broadcast.
Bonner, 39, so far owns shares Amazon, Apple and Coca-Cola. “J.P. Morgan is killing it,” he said. “Tesla is killing it.” Another stock he likes that’s performed well for him over the years is Waste Management.
Matt Bonner, Manu Ginobili and Beno Udrih had an "alumni meeting" with Coach Gregg Popovich at the Spurs practice facility this week. Udrih, a 2005 and 2007 Spurs Champion, shared an Instagram photo showing a huddle including the most recent induction to the Silver & Black retirees, Ginobili, with the hashtag "#PutMeInCoach."
Michael Wright: Pop on Mani Ginobili’s retirement continued: “We’d be talking on buses and airplanes. So you know that’s going to be gone. Once I realized he wasn’t going to play anymore, we’ve been talking with him about hanging around and being at practices every now and then like Timmy. We actually took him on our coaches retreat this past week. He spent time with us, trying to develop strategies for the season. So we want to keep him around as much as we can, just like Timmy. And Matt Bonner. But we don’t listen to Matt. We just tell him to do his jokes.”
Advertisement
Among this group, Becky Bonner is the one best positioned to smash the front office glass ceiling, say countless team and league officials who have worked with her. Her pedigree sets her apart—as a former high school star and Division I player, as a former college assistant coach, as a six-year veteran of the league office who's worked with LeBron James and played scout team defender against Kevin Durant and, perhaps most significantly, as the middle child of New Hampshire's first family of hoops. Older brother Matt Bonner played 12 seasons in the NBA after starring at Concord High. Younger brother Luke Bonner played four years in Division I and three years overseas. Becky was dribbling by kindergarten, playing on boys teams by fifth grade and battling her brothers just about every day of her youth. Being Matt's sister exposed Becky to the inner workings of an NBA franchise. Her six-year tenure in league operations revealed her as a savvy administrator and relationship-builder. Her deep ties to the game lead straight back to Concord. She is, at heart, a gym rat. "I speak player," she says.
Matt Bonner: Now, as someone who played for Coach Pop for the last 10 years … let me put that into a little perspective. The Spurs’ system is predicated on one of Pop’s favorite sayings: “Good to great.” Translation: Always pass up a merely good shot, or a merely good play, for a great one. Basically — move the ball, make the extra pass, and be unselfish. And since there’s so little ball domination in that system … it makes it pretty impossible for any one player to put up a huge scoring average. Even Tim Duncan — arguably the greatest power forward to ever play the game — never had a season in which he averaged 25.7. And that’s really all you need to know. To me, 25.7 points per game in the Spurs system … that’s like 30 plus on almost any other team.
Matt Bonner: As any sandwich lover knows, a great sandwich lives or dies by its bread. And as any NBA fan knows, defense wins championships. And Kawhi is the best defender in the NBA. This year, to be honest, it’s not even really that close. Kawhi has it all. He’s got the physical attributes — long arms, big hands, strength and quickness. He’s got the mental attributes — an off-the-charts basketball IQ, a next-level understanding of angles, the best sense of anticipation I’ve ever seen. He’s got the work ethic — the drive to absolutely work his butt off, night in and night out, to lock down his man. And he’s got the clutch gene — he quite literally wins games in the fourth quarter on the defensive end.
“One of the best pieces of advice I got at Sportscaster U. from one of the ESPN execs was, when you start out all your hear is ‘you’re doing a great job, you’re doing a great job, you’re doing a great job — you’re fired,’” Bonner said. “So take compliments with a grain of salt and be your harshest critic. Just like in basketball we watch film. I record every one of my broadcasts and go home and watch with my wife, too. She’s good at being honest with how I do. I kind of dissect it, and see where I can improve mistakes I made, things I can do better.” Bonner has noticed little things in his studies — subtly wavering in his seat, not looking directly into the camera — and, like any good pro, has worked to correct those flaws. He has a long way to go to catch Elliott, but those within the organization are encouraged by his early work.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement