Lakers’ LeBron James calls his mother to celebrate fourth title
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Magic’s Aaron Gordon after controversial Slam Dunk Contest loss to Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr.: “We’re here to do four dunks. It should be the best out of four dunks. I did four straight 50s — five straight 50s. It’s over. It’s a wrap. Let’s go home.”
Toronto gives an extended standing ovation to 44th US President Barack Obama
Blazers' CJ McCollum: "We got swept last year. It was on TV every day. They talked about me getting traded, how we can't win together. I was able to fly to Europe to see my brother play because the season ended so early. I told him this year, I ain't going to be able to make it."
Chet Holmgren to Luka Doncic: “I’ll see you out there next year.”
Victor Wembanyama meets Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis
Replying to
Suga on the Jumbotron during Lakers vs. Mavericks
LeBron James, Stephen Curry & Giannis Antetokounmpo cracking up back stage during NBA All-Star Game introductions
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard goes full monotone to describe blow-by-blow his poster dunk on Daniel Theis and game-sealing block: “What do you want me to say? Patrick threw me the ball, I took two dribbles into the paint and tried to jump high and dunk the basketball.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on Breonna Taylor: “We want the cops arrested.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on NBA’s China controversy: “I don’t want to get into a ... feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.”
Mavericks’ Luka Doncic on meeting w/ Lakers legend Kobe Bryant: “He was talking Slovenian. He was talking my language. I was really surprised.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game makes him feel he was “overcoached” as a child.
“You get the rebound, you better not try to take it down to the other end of the court as a frontline player. That was gospel when I played. Giannis has blown through all that.”
Blazers' Enes Kanter after advancing to second round: "First, I would definitely like to thank the Knicks for waiving me."
Kings asked about Russell Westbrook joining Clippers
De’Aaron Fox: “I don’t give a f—- who’s over there.”
Malik Monk: “We ain’t worried about them. … We here.”
Lakers’ LeBron James to Rockets’ Robert Covington: “Y’all grabbing the whole f—-ing game. As soon as someone touches you, y’all got something to say. Y’all grabbing the whole game. Play ball.”
Grizzlies dance crew singing “Whoop that trick!” in Stephen Curry’s face during Game 5 timeout
This is what it looks like to be sprayed with champagne by Lakers’ LeBron James after he wins a title
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard in a hoodie that said “Clip gang or don’t bang” on the front with a picture of Paul George and Marcus Morris flexing after Leonard’s playoff dunk on Mavericks’ Maxi Kleber on the back
Lakers’ LeBron James on what he missed most during quarantine: “My mother. It’s the first time in my life that I went that long without seeing my mom.”
Reporter: "What happened early in the fourth quarter?"
LeBron James: (Initiates photographic memory)
Ja Morant: “I love negative energy, it motivates me. My dad was my first hater.”
Nike founder Phil Knight congratulates Lakers’ LeBron James.
LeBron James: “I’m so happy you were here.”
Phil Knight: “I wouldn’t have missed it.”
Warriors’ Klay Thompson: “The ocean has healing properties… You just feel closer to God… I’m an Aquarius.”
Gregg Popovich on USA's sacrifices at Tokyo Olympics: "Khris Middleton’s wife gave birth & he came the next day, after the Finals. Those were pretty big sacrifices. More for his wife than for him, now that I think about it. Take the credit away from him & give it to his wife."
Lakers’ LeBron James after loss to Grizzlies (via ): “If you’re still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just come in and be like, ‘Listen, I can’t do this.’”
Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on learning about race in America as a rookie: “Over here is different. You’ve got to be careful. Caron Butler told me when you walk down the street, take off your hoodie. I was like, ‘Why?’I didn’t understand it then. I understand it now.”
Celtics' Isaiah Thomas on his 53 points: "Today is my sister's birthday. She would have been 23 today. The least I could do is play for her"
Lakers’ LeBron James celebrates fourth title with a cigar & FaceTime
Lakers’ LeBron James on Thunder GM Sam Presti: “The MVP over there is Sam Presti… I don’t understand this guy’s eye for talent. He drafted KD, Russ, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey. … This guy is pretty damn good.”
LeBron James enters w/ Lakers shorts to a standing ovation from Lakers fans at Las Vegas Summer League
Thunder's Kevin Durant responds to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban saying Russell Westbrook isn't a "superstar"
La Clippers owner Steve Ballmer fired up about one of the Intuit Dome’s signature features: “Toilets! 1,160 toilets and urinals! Three times the NBA average! … We do not want people waiting around. We want them back to their d—- seats.”
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo: “How much does it cost if I say something, a comment about the refs? Is it $20,000? It’s a lot of money. So, I should not do it. I’ll save my money. I’ve got to pay for diapers.”
Warriors' Stephen Curry is the NBA's all-time leader in games with...
5+ threes: 185
6+ threes: 106
7+ threes: 61
8+ threes: 38
9+ threes: 17
10+ threes: 10
11+ threes: 6
12+ threes: 2
13+ threes: 1.
LeBron James: "Let's not let someone uninviting you from their house take away from their championship... Winning a championship is way bigger than getting invited to the White House, especially with him in it."
LeBron James on Lakers’ poor shooting in loss to Warriors: “We’re getting great looks, but it could also be teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team constructed of great shooting… It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.”
Draymond Green w/ a thoughtful tribute to Gregg Popovich: "When somebody passes away, we tend to think we're there for one or two days and then we float away and think their problem goes away... That problem don't leave for him. Much love, Pop. I send my prayers & best wishes."
Michael Malone: "The national narrative [after Game 1] was that the Lakers were fine. No one talked about Nikola having a historic performance. The narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn’t about Nikola. … You put that in your pipe and smoke it. You go up 2-0."
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on rookie Tyler Herro (37 points in ECF Game 4 win over Celtics): “Everybody overestimates what you can do in a day and they underestimate what you can do in months of work, sweat and grind when nobody is watching.”
Mavericks’ Luka Doncic greets Lakers legend Kobe Bryant & his daughter Gigi
Grizzlies’ Ja Morant stays late to sign every autograph after the final Las Vegas Summer League game of the night
Celtics' Jayson Tatum on loss to Warriors: "Tonight was more meaningful to you [media] guys than it was to us. It was one game ... It's not going to dictate our season."
Lakers’ LeBron James ejected for this blow to face of Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart
Wearing a “Spiritual Gangster” t-shirt, Warriors coach Steve Kerr quips at Anthony Davis’s expense: “I was going to wear my ‘That’s all, folks,’ shirt. I don’t pick out any of my own clothes.”
Kobe Bryant fans as far as the eye can see outside Staples Center three hours before Lakers tip off
Sixers' Jimmy Butler immediately exits podium after Joel Embiid cracks joke about series lead over Nets: "It feels great to be up 3-1. We don't want to be in the situation like the Warriors two years ago. I was kidding, man."
Lakers’ JaVale McGee answering questions in full custom-made Grinch costume
PEAK BOOGIE: DeMarcus Cousins scores 54th point, spits mouthguard, gets ejected, sprints to locker room, gets un-ejected! (full sequence)
Blazers' Damian Lillard on trash talk w/ Thunder & waving after winner: "I was just waving goodbye to them. Dennis Schroder was out there pointing at his wrist. After one win, that's what they wanted to do. When we win four games, there's not going to be anything to talk about."
Riding Zion Williamson excitement, Las Vegas Summer League has sold out 17,500 seats for Friday's Pelicans vs. Knicks.
- General admission day passes are being scalped for $80.
- Lower bowl tickets re-selling for $400+.
- 1,000 media credentials have been issued, a new record.
France's Evan Fournier after beating USA Basketball in Tokyo Olympic opener: "They are better individually but they can be beaten as a team."
As Lakers close in on 17th championship in franchise history, Los Angeles landmarks lit up purple & gold (via )
Rockets’ James Harden on the attention he’s seeing: “The whole season they’re running doubles teams at me. I’ve never seen that in an NBA game where you’ve got really good defenders & someone else running at the top of the key. Y’all let me know the last time you’ve seen that.”
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson on his meeting with President Barack Obama: “He said I was playing great. I kind of zoned out after that. That’s all I needed to hear, to be honest.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on Alex Caruso: “Every time he’s in the game, he’s a plus guy. He can do so much. He can defend at a high level. He’s very smart. He’s very tough. To have him on this ball club is a luxury.”
Clippers pay tribute to longtime broadcaster Ralph Lawler, who staved off retirement with Game 5 win over Warriors
Lou Williams: "Bingo!"
Montrezl Harrell: Bingo!!!
Patrick Beverley: "Oh me, oh my!"
The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft lottery and the right to select Victor Wembanyama with the ping pong ball combo 14, 5, 8, 2.
The Portland Trail Blazers held the combination 14, 5, 8, 3. They missed by just one number on the final ball.
Nets’ James Harden trolls Lakers’ Dwight Howard into a technical foul during a review of a Howard flagrant foul.
Thunder's Russell Westbrook on posting NBA's first postseason 50-point triple-double: "I don't give a f--- about the line. We lost."
Lakers' LeBron James on Jazz as last two all-star picks: "There’s no slander to the Utah Jazz. You’ve got to understand, just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah. As great as Karl Malone and John Stockton was, we would never pick those guys in video games."
If Kerr had just called timeout...
-- No Draymond TO
-- No bench dispute between Draymond & KD
-- KD probably takes the game-winner
-- If KD makes, all good
-- If KD misses, loss on him
-- No locker room argument, suspension or lost $120K
-- "Coach, can I get a reimbursement?"
Klay Thompson: "I was not always like this. I used to be so hard on myself earlier in my career. I remember losing one game to the Nuggets and leaving the arena in my uniform. I've learned that if I play with passion and play as hard as I can, you can live with the result."
Giannis Antetokounmpo crashes Kevin Durant’s press conference 🤣
Warriors' Draymond Green after Finals Game 2 win over Celtics: "It all starts with Steph. When KD was here, our offense still started with Steph."
The 2019 NBA MVP is, officially, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- East all-star captain, unanimous all-nba first team, all-defensive first team
- First Bucks winner since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo shadow boxes w/ boxer Ryan Garcia after Lakers win
Pelicans' Jose Alvarado on late elbow from Suns' Chris Paul: "He's a Hall of Famer. I respect that. But you can't do s--- like that. ... I chipped my tooth. What can you do right now? I'll go home, wake up, go to the dentist and get new teeth so I can smile for the summer."
Teams that won West 3 straight years:
Warriors: 15-17
Lakers: 08-10
Lakers: 00-02
Lakers: 87-89
Lakers: 82-85
Lakers: 68-70
Lakers: 52-54
Warriors' Kevin Durant calls for ball on crucial late possession, Stephen Curry relents, Draymond Green reacts w/ frustration
TNT’s Charles Barkley: “Y’all baby these dudes so much today. They don’t want to play back-to-back games. Every time a fan says something, they get them tossed. If they’re not happy, they want to get traded. It’s going to come to a head in the next CBA.”
Reporter: Can we be Big Ballers if we don't play basketball?
Lonzo Ball: "Yeah, it's a mindset."
Barack Obama on Mavericks’ Luka Doncic: “He’s doing fantastic.”
Lakers’ LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard arrive at playoffs between &
LeBron James: "Kyrie is my little brother... If he decides the earth is flat, that's ok."
LeBron James on improvement since 2011 Finals: "I wasn't that good of a player... I wasn't a complete basketball player. Dwane Casey drew up a gameplan to take away things I was good at & make me do things I wasn't very good at. He's part of the reason why I am who I am today."
Lakers’ LeBron James on Mavericks’ Luka Doncic: “The way he plays the game reminds me of the way I play the game. We’re triple threats. We rebound, we pass, which is the number one thing on our mind. … and we’ll put 40 on you too if you disrespect us.”
Clippers’ Paul George said he talked to psychiatrist after slump before Game 5 breakthrough: “I underestimated mental health, honestly. I had anxiety and a little bit of depression. Being locked in here (in the bubble), I just wasn’t there. I checked out.”
Draymond Green: "I can't forget the Ultimate Warrior shirt from LeBron. The 3-1 tombstone cookies. I was waiting on this moment. I'm petty."
Nikola Jokic hopped up early so that he wouldn’t be the last starter picked in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game draft, surprising Lauri Markkanen
Reporter: “Is there any reason why you’re wearing No. 6?”
Lakers’ LeBron James: “I’ve worn 6 in practice for a long time. I’m starting to figure out a lot of you guys just not recognizing who I am, huh?”
Russell Westbrook after Game 5 vs. Russell Westbrook after Game 6...
Thunder's Russell Westbrook drills referee in the head with the ball
After Game 1 win over Blazers, Nuggets' Nikola Jokic on : "Someone is typing really fast. Is that you? Good job, brother."
