Rumors

Presti finished high school, played Division III basketball at Emerson College and dedicated his life to the sport, first as a whiz-kid front-office staffer for the San Antonio Spurs, then as the mastermind general manager behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then one day in 2023, he reread a book called “Values of the Game” by Bill Bradley, the former New York Knicks forward and United States senator. It was about the through lines that exist in sports, the pieces of shared wisdom that shape our lives, the ideals that get passed down. “Leadership,” Bradley wrote, “means getting people to think, believe, see and do what they might not have without you.”

New York Times

OKC Thunder: Long-time Thunder scout Hank Smith was honored today by Emerson College during a ceremony to celebrate the dedication and naming of the Hank Smith Court. Over the course of 16 seasons as coach, Smith's legacy left a permanent impact on the college, and all of the players who represented the school under his guidance as coach.

x.com

“I've been in this league a long time now and I know when it's a passing of the guard,” Durant said after Wednesday’s practice at Emerson College. “I know when the young dudes are going to come in and do the same thing the older guys are doing. He’s one of those guys that’s likely going to control the league for the next 10, 12 years and be a staple in our game and the history of our game.”

Arizona Republic

Emerson issued the following statement on the incident: “This afternoon, an elevator at 150 Boylston Street owned by Emerson College stopped between two floors and delayed members of the Portland Trail Blazers from reaching the street level for about 15 minutes. No one was injured in the incident. The College apologizes for the disruption and hopes the team takes it easy on the Boston Celtics tomorrow night.”

Boston Globe

The Portland Trail Blazers, in Boston for Tuesday night's game against the Celtics, were stuck in an elevator for about 30 minutes at a practice facility at Emerson College.

ESPN

After the Grizzlies’ practice Tuesday at Emerson College in advance of Wednesday night’s game vs. the Celtics at TD Garden, Green said he had no hard feelings about being traded from Boston and has embraced his new role with a new and improved team. “It’s a business, it happens,” Green said of the Jan. 12 trade. “I had speculation. I just went upon each day like I’m still a Celtic, like I gotta play hard every game.”

Boston Globe

All three of those picks worked better than expected. Durant and Westbrook are perennial All-Stars, and Ibaka is one of the best defenders in the NBA. Presti was astute, but he admits luck played its part. “We’ll be the first to say that we’ve had a tremendous amount of good fortune. Nobody in our organization is taking credit for the development of Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook,” said Presti, a Concord native and former Emerson College player. “Our focus was on building a team that was capable of sustainable competitive success. We felt like building through the draft and building an identity for a team over a period of years was the best approach for us. It’s really so much about the individual team and organization and how they see their envisioned future.”

Boston Globe

The Pacers normally stay near the Copley Square area, where the explosions took place, because it is conveniently located to Emerson College, where they practice, and the TD Garden. But their first hotel option was under construction and their second sold out, so they stayed out by the water.

Indianapolis Star

As the team made its way off the practice court at Emerson College, Bynum joked with Lamar Odom, and Kobe Bryant bristled when asked if he had to comfort Bynum. "If he can't deal with that, forget about a Game 7," Bryant said of the trade talk that was first reported by ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard on Tuesday. "I don't need to talk to him about that. He's a big boy, he can handle himself."

ESPN.com

While so many have lined up to take their shots at Garnett, don’t expect Lakers forward Pau Gasol to join the chorus. Gasol and Garnett have battled throughout their careers, including two Finals matchups. Gasol, who is in town for tomorrow night’s game at the Garden, has been surprised by all of the negative talk directed at Garnett recently. “I don’t know why he’s being so openly discussed,” Gasol said after today’s practice at Emerson College. “He’s been playing this way his whole career. Is it shocking? No, it’s what he brings to the table. I think he’s gotten what he’s gotten thanks to this style of play and his attitude about it. I have no complaints whatsoever.”

Boston Herald

Bet you didn’t know Dwight Howard can speak a foreign language. Well, it appears that he can speak at least a few words of Mandarin Chinese (or at least what I’m guessing is Mandarin Chinese), thanks to his trips to China and Taiwan these past few summers and thanks to some help from a native speaker. A correspondent for Sina, an online media company that caters to China, asked the all-star center to read a promotional announcement after the Orlando Magic completed their shootaround today at Emerson College. Howard found great humor in the correspondent’s use of a sheet of paper as a substitute for a teleprompter.

Orlando Sentinel

He made the maximum commitment to his organization and the city, personifying the togetherness culture Presti — a Concord native and former Emerson College player — has stressed since taking over the club at age 31. “We understand how fortunate we are that he not only approaches his profession with tremendous grace and focus, but also that he understands that part of leading others is being part of them,’’ Presti said. “And that expectation is something that comes from within him. “But we also, as an organization, know he still has a long way to go and we’re going to support him as he goes through some ups and downs.’’

Boston Globe