Digital Entertainment

SOURCE SPORTS: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Still Concerned About Star Players Missing Games

by
Adam Silver on NYC Mandate Keeping Kyrie Irving Out of Home Games

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is still not a fan of star players sitting out games, especially with the playoffs. During a Wednesday press conference, Silver said he and the league plan to look into “a trend of star players not participating in a full complement of games.”

Silver brought up this issue when asked about the Ben Simmons and the 76ers’ ongoing arbitration. He said he would instead focus on the trend above of various star players missing big chunks of games.

“I’m not standing here saying I have a great solution,” Silver said via ESPN. “Part of the issue is injuries. One of the things we have focused on at the league office and we’re spending—we had begun to spend a lot of time on pre-pandemic—are there things we can do in terms of sharing information, resources around the league to improve best practices, rehabilitation?”

Silver also mentions that the play-in tournament is here to stay. Silver noted that the play in tournaments was also meant for players to want to have more incentive not to miss many games throughout the season.

“The other way we can get at it, in terms of player participation, is creating other incentives,” Silver said. “The Play-In Tournament, I thought, was a beginning of creating renewed incentives for teams to remain competitive and be fighting for playoff position. It may be through in-season tournaments and changes in format where we can get at it.”

While the NBA has seen its share of stars miss significant time this season, Silver and the league may need to look at better ways to limit back-to-back games and space out long road trips for teams.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Still Concerned About Star Players Missing Games appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Kevin Durant Believes the Thunder and Warriors Should Retire His Jersey Number

by
Kevin Durant Enters Seven-Day Quarantine After COVID Exposure

Only thirteen NBA players have had their number retired from multiple teams. Kevin Durant believes he should be number fourteen.

In an interview with The Ringer, the 12-time All-Star said he thinks his jersey should be retired in Oklahoma City and San Francisco. 

“OKC has to retire my jersey,” Durant said. “It wouldn’t even be good for the game of basketball if they didn’t. The same with Golden State. I’m still doing what I’m doing here in Brooklyn, but if I continue on what I’m doing four or five years, then I’ll feel the same way about this program. I better have a home. Because I feel like I am basketball. I breathe it. This is my DNA. I put in the time and respect and love for each one of these programs on and off the floor to get that type of recognition. If I don’t do it, then it’s personal.”

Durant is an all-time great talent on the court. He is entitled to have his opinion and could be on to something here. The Golden State Warriors have already gone on record stating they will eventually retire his number. The Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t gone on records about retiring Durant’s number but should consider it. Durant won his first league MVP while with the Thunder. He helped lead the team to its last NBA Finals appearance in 2012. Will the Thunder eventually retire Durant’s number? Who knows, but the case for doing it is a solid one.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Kevin Durant Believes the Thunder and Warriors Should Retire His Jersey Number appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks Win Their 2nd Women’s Basketball National Championship

by
FPdyS68WQAU2SoL

South Carolina Gamecocks, led by head coach Dawn Staley and their solid defensive pressure, won their second national championship, stifling UConn for a 64-49 victory Sunday night that ended the Huskies’ undefeated streak in title games.

South Carolina guard Destanni Henderson and forward Aliyah Boston were the stars of Sunday’s game. Henderson ended the game with 26 points and Boston with 11. 

“I’ve been thinking about it since last season, everyone had a picture of me crying. But today we’re national champions and I’m in tears,” Boston said, referring to last year’s Final Four loss to Stanford.

It was South Carolina’s night from the start. The Gamecocks (35-2) jumped out to an 11-2 lead, grabbing nearly every rebound on both ends of the court. They led to 22-8 after one quarter, much to the delight of their faithful fans, who made the trip to Minneapolis to be part of the sellout crowd.

This was UConn’s first trip to the championship game since 2016 when the Huskies won the last of four straight titles. Since then, the team has suffered heartbreaking defeats in the national semifinals, losing twice in overtime before holding off Stanford on Friday night. 

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks Win Their 2nd Women’s Basketball National Championship appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Kansas Jayhawks Pull Off Epic Comeback Against North Carolina To Win National Championship

by
Kansas Jayhawks Pull Off Epic Comeback Against North Carolina To Win National Championship

The Kansas Jayhawks pulled off the largest come from behind deficit in a national championship game to beat the North Carolina Tarheels 72-69 to win the school’s fourth national championship.

The Jayhawks played like the best team in the tournament until the first half against the Tar Heels. The Jayhawks were down by as many as 16 points and eventually down 40-25 at halftime.

The Jayhawks came out firing after the half, eventually erasing the Tar Heels’ lead with less than 11 minutes to play. A back-and-forth battle ensued, with the game tied 65-65 with 3 minutes remaining. After that, the Jayhawks closed the game on a 7-4 run to a national championship.

David McCormack finished with 15 points and ten rebounds, dueling in the paint all night with ailing Carolina big man Armando Bacot. Martin poured in 11 of his 14 points after the break, while Jalen Wilson had 15 points.

This was the 10th appearance in the title game for Kansas and the third under head coach Bill Self. This is his second title, the other coming in 2008.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Kansas Jayhawks Pull Off Epic Comeback Against North Carolina To Win National Championship appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Throws Some Criticism Towards LeBron James

by
kareem a minority of one

Things aren’t good in Los Angeles concerning the Lakers, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar isn’t happy about it.

Speaking before the Lakers hosted Denver on Sunday afternoon at the unveiling of a social justice trophy bearing his name, Abdul-Jabbar again criticized LeBron James for actions he said “were beneath” James. He said the Lakers star should be “embarrassed” by some of his actions.

“Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see,” Abdul-Jabbar said via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Some of the great things that he’s done, he’s standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept that when he’s committed himself to a different take on everything. It’s hard to figure out where he’s standing. You’ve got to check him out every time.”

These comments come just a few months after Abdul-Jabbar criticized James’ on-court celebrations, especially his vaccine hesitancy, calling it “a blow” to LeBron’s “worthy legacy.”

James is the second NBA all-time leader in scoring, only behind Abdul-Jabbar. It seems like Abdul-Jabbar is giving his take of James’ antics on and off the court. James is usually a buttoned-up individual. Hopefully, the two parts can talk things out rather than air each other out publicly.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Throws Some Criticism Towards LeBron James appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: North Carolina Advance to the Championship Game, Ending Coach K’s Career in the Process

by
FPY4ap9WUAMhiUw

Duke’s coach Mike Krzyzewski’s first game was a loss to North Carolina. It only fits his last game would be just like his first one. The North Carolina Tar Heels advance to the NCAA championship game beating the Duke Blue Devils 81-77 in another instant classic.

An 8-seed, the Tar Heels are tied for the lowest-seeded team to reach the final since seeding began in 1979.

“Our belief all year was strong that we can get to this point,” junior center Armando Bacot said. “I don’t know if it was belief or if it was just us being delusional. I mean, at every point of the season, we knew if we came together as a team that we could get to the championship. And that’s what we did.”

The Tar Heels will play the only number 1 seed to make it to the Final Four this weekend in the Kansas Jayhawks.

After 1,202 wins, 13 Final Fours, and a career that redefined the bounds of coaching success in college basketball, Krzyzewski’s career. While this loss will sting Duke for a while, Krzyzewski built a powerhouse program like no other. While the Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry will carry on, it will seem odd next year without Coach K on the sidelines after 40 years.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: North Carolina Advance to the Championship Game, Ending Coach K’s Career in the Process appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: All-Pro Bobby Wagner Signs a 5 Year Deal With the Rams

by
1362472987

It appears the Los Angles Rams have great accountants on staff. The defending Super Bowl Champs are adding former All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner to the team on a five-year deal worth $50 million.

His former quarterback Russell Wilson, now in Denver, sent some love towards Wagner and his new situation. Wagner has rattled off a career-high 170 tackles. In Seattle, a six-time All-Pro, Wagner has produced ten consecutive 100-plus-tackle seasons and has twice led the league.

The Rams were identified as a possible landing spot for Wagner shortly after his release from the Seahawks.

Wagner will step into a leading role in the Rams’ defense, and the hope is that he’ll join Aaron Donald as a playmaker in the middle of the field. It’s not a spot where the Rams got primary production on their way to the Super Bowl LVI title, so Wagner’s arrival will bring a different look to their defense as they try to double up on championships.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: All-Pro Bobby Wagner Signs a 5 Year Deal With the Rams appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Shaheen Holloway Named Seton Hall’s New Head Coach After Historic Run With St. Peters

by
After St. Peters's historic run in the NCAA Tournament, Shaheen Holloway returns to his alma mater, Seton Hall University.

After St. Peters’s historic run in the NCAA Tournament, Shaheen Holloway returns to his alma mater, Seton Hall University. Holloway was a standout player for Seton Hall back from 1996 to 2000. Seton Hall is banking on Holloway to bring his intensity and leadership on the bench to lead the program back to relevancy.

At Seton Hall, Holloway replaces Kevin Willard, who left for Maryland after 12 seasons coaching the Pirates. Holloway was an assistant under Willard from 2007-18, first at Iona and then at Seton Hall from 2010-18.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Shaheen Holloway and his family home to Seton Hall,” Seton Hall athletic director Bryan Felt said. “Shaheen is a winner in every sense of the word, and he is not only an incredible coach, but also an incredible educator of young men. He works tirelessly to put his student-athletes in a position to succeed, and he makes them believe that they can achieve anything with hard work and determination. That is evidenced by his historic NCAA Tournament run this month. Shaheen made an unforgettable impact here at Seton Hall, first as a student-athlete and then again as an assistant coach, and now we’re ready to watch him take over our men’s basketball program as head coach and lead our Pirates to further greatness.”

Seton Hall hasn’t made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since Holloway was their point guard in 2000. Holloway will now be coaching in the Big East Conference, where Seton Hall hasn’t won the conference outright in over twenty years.

The last four years at St. Peters have been nothing but success for Holloway. St. Peters became the first 15th seed ever to reach the elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Shaheen Holloway Named Seton Hall’s New Head Coach After Historic Run With St. Peters appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Colin Kaepernick To Be Honorary Captain for Michigan’s Spring Game

by
TMZ reports that the production team for Colin Kaepernick's Netflix series had to enforce extra security measures after being threatened by the Proud Boys.

Collin Kaepernick was back on the football field this week. While it wasn’t an NFL field, Kaepernick visited his former San Francisco 49ers’ head coach John Harbaugh.

The Michigan Wolverines announced Wednesday that Kaepernick has been with the team this week and will serve as honorary captain for Saturday’s spring game.

Harbaugh has named Kaepernick an honorary captain for Michigan’s upcoming Maize and Blue spring game. Harbaugh brought Kaepernick to Michigan’s practice yesterday and had him address the team.

Harbaugh was the 49ers’ head coach when they drafted him in 2011, and after Harbaugh benched Alex Smith for Kaepernick in 2012, the 49ers went to the Super Bowl. Kaepernick played his best football for Harbaugh in the four years they were together, and Kaepernick didn’t have as much success with the 49ers the next two years.

Harbaugh has always been a loud supporter of Kaepernick. He has always expressed to the media how Kaepernick is a great leader on and off the football field. While NFL teams haven’t shown much interest in Kaepernick, he is still putting in that work.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Colin Kaepernick To Be Honorary Captain for Michigan’s Spring Game appeared first on The Source.

Sony Announces New “Playstation Plus” Subscription Service to Rival XBOX Gammer Pass

by
Sony Announces New “Playstation Plus” Subscription Service to Rival XBOX Gammer Pass

Sony has finally announced its competitor for Xbox’s Game Pass. It is introducing the all-new “Playstation Plus.”

Starting in June, Sony will offer three tiers of PlayStation Plus: Essential, Extra, and Premium. The Essential version will effectively be the PlayStation Plus that subscribers know today, offering two monthly downloadable games, cloud storage, and access to online multiplayer. PlayStation Plus Essential will cost $59.99 per year, the service’s existing price. The current Playstation Network system will shut down, and all existing memberships will migrate towards the Playstation Plus Essential tier.

PlayStation Plus Extra ($99.99 annually) and Premium ($119.99 annually) will offer subscribers “a library that will be regularly refreshed,” according to Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. At launch, that library will include Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal.

For years, Playstation fans have begged for a service like this, similar to what Xbox fans have already had. No word to when in June the new service will officially go live.

The post Sony Announces New “Playstation Plus” Subscription Service to Rival XBOX Gammer Pass appeared first on The Source.