Phoenix Suns Monty Williams has been named 2022 NBA coach of the year. A season after coaching the Suns to the NBA Finals, Williams led Phoenix to the NBA’s best record in 2021-22.
The honor is a first for Williams, who’s in his eighth season as an NBA head coach. He spent five seasons as the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans head coach before joining the Suns in 2019.
Williams won the award over Taylor Jenkins of the Memphis Grizzlies and Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. Williams is the third Suns’ coach to win the award. Mike D’Antoni was the last Suns coach to win the award in 2005.
Williams coached through some brutal injuries to star players. The Suns went 18-6 without Deandre Ayton, 11-6 without Chris Paul, and 8-6 without Devin Booker.
The suns still manage to have the best record in the league and third rank defense in the league.
Charles Barkley had some interesting comments on TNT’s Inside The NBA when it comes to dealing with out of line fans.
The conversation came as a response to Chris Paul getting upset that a fan allegedly got physical with his mother. Paul said to the fan, “I’ll see you later.”
Paul shared his frustration by asking the question. “Want to fine players for saying stuff to the fans but the fans can put their hands on our families?”
Barkley explained on his show exactly how he would resolve this situation.
Charles Barkley offered a solution to when a fan at a game can’t control themselves. pic.twitter.com/DEw45eV7Kj
“I’ve always said we could put an end to all this stuff. Some of this stuff these fans say, let’s take it right down to center court for five minutes,” Barkley said. “I’ve always said that. Some of the crap they’ve said to you — just give me five minutes at center court with them and say, ‘You ain’t gonna press no charges, ain’t nobody gonna be sued civilly. Say what you just said to me right here to my face for these five minutes. I’m gonna beat your a– and beat the hell out of you.’”
Fans say the most obnoxious stings because they know nothing physically would happened to them. Maybe Barkley’s plan of action would make the loud one to be quiet and watch the game.
“I’m sorry I ruined your plans [for a fall trilogy fight against] Gennadiy Golovkin, maybe,” Bivol said. “Congrats to [Alvarez], he’s a great champion and I respect him. But if you don’t believe in yourself, what do you do? You won’t achieve anything. I believe and my team believes.”
Bivol’s jab kept Alvarez in check all fight long. Alvarez tried to get inside and work on Bivol’s body, but with the jab being so effective he couldn’t get inside and didn’t seem to have a backup plan for Bivol.
“I felt his power. As you can see from my arm, he beat my arm up but not my head,” Bivol said. “It’s better. He had a good speed and power. Maybe his mistake was he threw only hard punches. After hard punches, he relaxed and tired.
“He’s a great champion. Sometimes in boxing, you win or lose. I lost today and he won,” Alvarez said. “He’s a really good fighter. He’s a fighter who comes in and goes out. I also felt his power. It was a good victory for him.”
After the fight, Alvarez expressed his desire to wanting a rematch to which Bivol is down for that.
“A rematch? No problem. Let’s talk about a rematch,” Bivol said. “I took this fight because I just wanted the opportunity and I appreciate the opportunity. I am ready for the rematch, I just want to make sure I win and am treated like a champion now.”
Snoop Dogg continues to update his business portfolio. The west coast icon, along with PayPal co-founder Ken Howery, spent over $600,000 to purchase an ownership stake in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league. The pair now have a 40-percent ownership stake in the Bivouac team in the league.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Snoop, Ken, and their communities on board with the BIG3,” said BIG3 co-founder, Ice Cube. “Having someone with Ken’s knowledge and experience wanting to be a part of our league demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction. Snoop is an undisputed legend who has jumped headfirst into the Web3 space and clearly understands the importance and the value of what we are trying to create. Together, I know they will take Bivouac to new heights and we can’t wait to get started.”
Snoop and Howery purchased 25 Fire-Tier editions of Bivouac priced at $25,000 each. Meaning, the team’s stock was divided into blockchains for sale.
“The BIG3 is on the leading edge of enabling blockchain technology as utility,” said PayPal co-founder Ken Howery. “The league’s embrace of NFTs as ownership rights is both visionary and practical; key features of every smart investment.”
Howery and Snoop have some work to put in on The BIG3 as the Bivouac squad went winless last season due to injuries.
BIG3 is the official creator of the new global sport, FIREBALL3, the league is returning for its fifth season on June 18 with coverage live across CBS and Paramount+.
Snoop is buying 2 teams in the BIG3. Better get in where you fit in and join the BIG3 Ownership Discord. pic.twitter.com/RvXABl3XXh
Basketball legend Magic Johnson is joining a bid to become an owner of the Denver Broncos. He’ll join the group being led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris.
According to Sportico, the NFL has faced increased pressure over the lack of diversity in its ownership ranks. It is speculated that every Broncos bid group is expected to have minority investors included.
It wasn’t made clear how much Johnson would be investing in the bid. He’s already a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Broncos are predicted to sell for the highest price ever for a sports team. They recently valued near three-point-eight-billion-dollars.
EXCLUSIVE: Earvin @MagicJohnson is entering the bidding for the Denver Broncos
He has joined the bid group being led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris pic.twitter.com/SPCVFyrKjY
The WNBA is planning to honor Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner with a floor decal this season.
Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February after customs officials say they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. She has a hearing set for May 19. The charges Griner faces could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The decal will feature Griner’s initials along with her number 42 and will appear on the home court of all 12 WNBA teams. Griner is coming off a season in which she led the Mercury to the WNBA Finals where they lost to the Chicago Sky.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert shared with the Associated Press,
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community. We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
The Mercury opens their season at home Friday night against the Las Vegas Aces. The center will still receive her full salary at almost $228,000.
Newark’s own Shakur Stevenson is quickly moving up the ranks and being considered one of the best pound for pound in the sport. Stevenson put on a clinic on Oscar Valdez to retain his WBC super featherweight title and capture Valdez’s WBO title.
“I’m a superstar in this sport,” said Stevenson, 24. “I want to collect all the belts at 130 and become undisputed. I deserve to be a superstar, so that’s what I gotta do.”
Stevenson did it all in the ring and even found time to pop the question to his long-time girlfriend. No doubt she was going to say yes in the ring.
Stevenson put down Valdez in the sixth and neutralized Valdez’s vaunted power. Valdez came into the bout 30-0 with 23 knockouts, but he rarely touched Stevenson in the fight clean.
“He’s a great fighter,” Valdez said of Stevenson. “His speed is there. Power is there. He was just the better fighter tonight. Overall, a great fighter.”
Skill is the limit for Stevenson, who looks to dominate the 135 division and fight all challenges that await him. One of those challengers who could be next was Devin Haney, who just happened to sign a deal with Top Rank Boxing, the same promotion that Stevenson and Valdez are part of.
“Devin is definitely a huge fight for me; Devin is a helluva fighter. We can line it up in the future,” said Stevenson
AJ Brown shocked the NFL and NFL Draft by getting traded from the Tennessee Titians to the Philadelphia Eagles. After the Eagles moved up in the draft to select Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis with the 13th pick, the Eagles shocked the NFL by landing the All-Pro Brown via a trade with the Titans.
Not only that, but the Eagles have already signed the Pro Bowl wideout to a four-year, $100 million extension with $57 million guaranteed, per NFL Media, as they secured a new top target for the long term.
Source: New #Eagles WR AJ Brown gets a 4 Yr ext for $100M 57M Guaranteed
In exchange for Brown, the Titans received the No. 18 overall pick, which they used on potential Brown successor Treylon Burks from Arkansas, and the Eagles’ No. 101 pick, a third-rounder.
The Titians were the number 1 seed in the AFC last season with the help of Brown. Ultimately, the Titians didn’t want to give Brown a huge payday, so they traded him and, for all-purpose, drafted his replacement in a draft loaded with wide receivers.
The Eagles now have a go-to receiver that quarterback Jalen Hurst can rely on. Both Hurts and Brown are close friends who work out together regularly, so the Eagles stuck gold here, especially if they plan on building around Hurts long term. Brown is that big receiver the Eagles’ offense needed, and alongside DeVonta Smith, it will pose a big problem for defenses this season.
Undefeated WBO junior lightweight titlist Shakur Stevenson (17-0), one of the best pound-4-pound boxers in the world and self-proclaimed “smartest boxer in the sport,” faces his biggest challenge yet this Saturday night (April 30) when he fights WBC champ Oscar Valdez (30-0) to unify the super featherweight titles in Madison Square Garden.
After capturing the WBO title following a dominating TKO victory over former champ Jamel Herring last October. Stevenson, 24, not only puts his title on the line but also his undefeated streak against Valdez – who is also undefeated and eager to erase his past cheating allegations behind him. The unification bout is a career-defining fight for both fighters.
The Source’s Bryson “Boom” Paul spoke with the Newark, New Jersey native during fight week, discussing training for Oscar Valdez, who he’s listening to right now, being a new first-time father, the importance of trailblazing a path in boxing that the future will follow, women’s boxing, and so much more.
Watch the full interview above.
Stevenson, the two-weight world champion, welcomed a daughter last December with girlfriend Michelle Ragston, also known as recording artist Young Lyric. The Top Rank boxer has been identified as the future pound-4-pound by various co-signs, which includes Terrence “Bud” Crawford – who is currently ranked #4 overall in boxing. Shakur Stevenson is a Southpaw and heads into Saturday night a 5 to 1 favorite over Valdez.
Stevenson-Valdez, plus a full supporting undercard, will be broadcast on ESPN, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT. The show will also air on Sky Sports in the U.K.
Watch the full interview above and check out the Stevenson-Valdez preview “Blood, Sweat and Tears: Valdez vs. Stevenson” below.
The Philadelphia 76ers seemed to be a lock for the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after being up 3-0 in their best of seven series with the Toronto Raptors.
Things are tight for the 76ers, who are now only up 3-2 in the series, heading back to Toronto for a game 6. James Harden has been struggling in the last few games of the series, and someone has a theory as to why.
On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith suggested that Harden maybe throw this series to get D’Antoni in there:
Smith believes Harden may throw the series to get Doc Rivers fired and Mike D’Antoni hired. Suppose the 76ers can’t recover and win either Game 6 and Game 7 and become the first team to blow a 3-0 series lead. In that case, there is a big chance that Rivers loses his job, and a guy like D’Antoni could step in, considering his relationship with the 76ers general manager Daryl Morey and Harden.
Harden hasn’t been the same player since his MVP season a few years ago. In that same First Take segment, JJ Redick suggested that Harden has many miles on him and maybe be past his prime. If that is the case, an argument can be made that both can be true.
Waddup World 