Latest news with #KobeBryant
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Oregon lands top prep safety, nephew of Kobe Bryant
June 20 - Oregon landed a commitment from five-star safety Jett Washington, a nephew of the late NBA great Kobe Bryant. Washington ranks as the No. 2 safety and No. 18 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class by 247 Sports. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect posted five interceptions and 38 tackles as a junior at Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman in 2024. Washington chose coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks after also paying visits to Southern California and Alabama. "I loved the way they treated me out there," Washington told ESPN. "My relationship with them has been going the right way ever since I started talking to them." Like his famous uncle, Washington also plays basketball and helped Bishop Gorman win the Nevada Class 5A state title this season. --Field Level Media
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Recent NFL projection may have gifted every Eagles rookie with extra motivation
Recent NFL projection may have gifted every Eagles rookie with extra motivation An NFL rookie projection speaks loudly, but the Eagles will speak even louder. Five years after Kobe Bryant's untimely passing, his 'Mamba Mentality' still provides quite the intriguing study. It has shifted from attitude to philosophy, a theory shared by Philadelphia Eagles, NBA stars, and even the hardworking men or women at the office. Most of the general public won't ever drop 81 points in a single professional basketball game. Heck, most NBA stars won't do that. They'll have to find contentment in the building blocks, an unquenchable thirst to be the best at something. What does that have to do with football, you ask? Well, thank you for asking the question. Though they're young, there may be some baby 'mambas' growing at the NovaCare Complex, and if they're anything like Kobe, they'll do anything to find some added motivation. They won't have to look too hard. just gifted them with a heavy dosage. An NFL All-Rookie Team projection is embarrassingly void of any Eagles Gennaro Filice is a deputy editor at He doesn't pick up the pen or pluck keys on the keyboard very often, but when he does, what he offers isn't to be missed. Recently, he tried his hand at projecting the members of the 2025 NFL All-Rookie Team. Not a single Eagle was mentioned. Call it an embarrassment. Call it an oversight. Whatever you call it, if this draft class is what we think it is, it can certainly be viewed as motivation. Now, everyone could play the devil's advocate. Maybe the theory is that Jihaad Campbell won't be healthy early. Maybe he'll miss too many important snaps. Then again, the thinking could be something else. How about another theory while the wheels are turning? This is Zack Baun, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Cooper DeJean, Reed Blankenship, and Quinyon Mitchell's defense. They'll be the young leaders Vic Fangio relies upon. Maybe the theory is that Andrew Mukuba and Ty Robinson will be part of a heavy rotation at their respective positions. That being said, there may not be enough snaps for them to make a case to be placed ahead of early favorites to make the all-rookie team. The argument makes sense. Still, that isn't exciting enough. Most would prefer the more emotion-filled response to projection. This list is disrespectful. It should be viewed as fuel for the rookie's fire, and this entire season should be treated like a revenge tour. Perhaps, it's off-base, but that's how Mamba Mentality works. Find motivation in everything, even if you have to make up your own. After all, that's exactly the strategy Kobe used sometimes.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former NBA Players Think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is The Next Kobe Bryant
Former NBA Players Think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is The Next Kobe Bryant originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012, where they are now tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 against the Pacers. Gilgeous-Alexander came into the spotlight as he won the MVP Award for the regular season as well as the Western Conference Finals in the Thunder's historic Playoff run. Advertisement Several NBA players and analysts have lauded his mid-range prowess and ability to carry the team's offensive load on his shoulders. Some even compared him to the great late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and also claimed that he saved NBA basketball. Among them were former NBA players Paul Pierce and Louis Williams. 'I was having a conversation with one of my friends, and he was asking me about SGA and I said, 'This is going to sound crazy.' I said, 'But we're looking at a Kobe Bryant being created, we're looking at like that next generation of Kobes and this and that.' And he was like 'SGA?' And I said 'Absolutely.' Through the first two games, he's put 72 points on the board," said Louis Williams on FanDuel's 'Run It Back' Show 'The thing, to me, the closest thing to Kobe, I'm going to say Shai Gilgeous, like without the athleticism. I mean when you talk about just downhill, footwork, mid-range, mentality, I mean the kid is trying to.. I mean, Game 1, he shot 30 shots, that's Kobe-ish,' said Paul Pierce on Fox Sports' 'The Speak' Show. Kobe Bryant was widely credited for popularizing the mid-range shot. His influence on the sport was so highly regarded that at one point, almost every child or young adult who shot even a rolled tissue ball into the bin and made it, yelled "Kobe!" Advertisement Similarly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has brought back the importance of mid-range jump shots in a generation that was moving further behind the three-point line to shoot. In an era of Stephen Curry, Trae Young, and Jayson Tatum-type players who shoot high volumes from beyond the arc, Gilgeous-Alexander is proving that mid-range scoring is just as effective and may even be more effective. According to the statistics present on the NBA's official website, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 56.2% from within five feet of the basket (59 of 105) in the Thunder's current Playoff run. He shot 51.56% from mid-range, i.e, five feet to 20 feet from the basket (99 of 192) and only 30.6% from beyond the arc (30 of 98). Despite scoring the majority of his points from the mid-range, he leads the league in scoring. He also broke Allen Iverson's record of most points in the first two games played in the NBA Finals with 72 points in the first two games (Iverson had 71). Advertisement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 30.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 18 games played so far in the 2025 playoffs, headed into Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He won the Michael Jordan MVP Award for the regular season as well as the Magic Johnson MVP Award in the Western Conference Finals. He was widely considered the betting favorite to be the Finals MVP in this series if the Thunder wins against the Pacers. Do you think he is this generation's Kobe Bryant? Let us know what you think in the comments section. Related: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Joins Elite List With Michael Jordan, LeBron James After Game 5 Win In West Finals This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Kobe [Bryant] Didn't Play Well": Dwyane Wade Discredits Lakers Legend; Says Pau Gasol Deserved 2010 NBA Finals MVP
"Kobe [Bryant] Didn't Play Well": Dwyane Wade Discredits Lakers Legend; Says Pau Gasol Deserved 2010 NBA Finals MVP originally appeared on Fadeaway World. One of the few achievements that Kobe Bryant was yet to conquer after the 2008 season, when he won the regular season MVP award, was the NBA Finals MVP Award. Bryant appeared in the Finals seven times with the Lakers in his career and only won the award twice, in 2009 and 2010. Advertisement During the 2008 Finals, the Celtics won the championship and Paul Pierce took the Finals MVP award home, but in the 2009 appearance, Bryant finally got the award for the first time in his career. However, the second time he won the award, many people felt that he did not deserve to win the award. And instead, his teammate Pau Gasol should have won it. Among those people is the Heat legend Dwyane Wade. On the latest episode of his podcast, Wade was explaining what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs to learn from Kobe Bryant when he recalled his last run in the NBA Finals. While he was trying to teach Gilgeous-Alexander a lesson, he inadvertently discredited the Lakers legend. 'A lot of people don't know that, in that Finals, the last Finals that they won, Kobe didn't play well. Kobe didn't shoot the ball well; actually, everybody thought Pau Gasol should have been the MVP. That's how well Pau was playing, and Kobe was playing awful." "But you never could tell when you turned the TV on that he was struggling. Because his leadership is always there, his intensity is always- that fire is always there. So, because he's 8 for 24 from the field or something like that, you could never tell with a player like Kobe.' Advertisement While Wade was trying to give Gilgeous-Alexander a lesson, he reminded the NBA fans that, essentially, Bryant's impact on his team won him the Finals MVP in 2010. Did Kobe Bryant Deserve The 2010 NBA Finals MVP? Pau Gasol averaged 18.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.8% from the floor, averaging 12.9 attempts in seven games of the 2010 NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant averaged 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in that series. He shot 40.5% from the floor while averaging 23.3 attempts per game, nearly twice as many as Pau Gasol. And while on paper, these numbers don't seem all that bad, Bryant struggled in three of the seven games. Advertisement In Game 2, he shot 40% from the floor (8 for 20) and struggled mainly from beyond the arc, where he went two of seven (28.6%) in that game. In Game 3, he shot 34.5% from the floor (10 of 29) and went one of seven from beyond the arc (14.3%). And in the close-out game, Game 7, Bryant also did not have a particularly memorable performance. He went 6 of 24 in the field (25%) and did not make a single one of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Looking at the facts as shown above, do you agree with Wade that Pau Gasol, not Kobe Bryant, deserved to win the 2010 Finals MVP? In my personal opinion, Bryant still deserved the Finals MVP. The Celtics focused their entire defensive attention on Bryant, which can lead to the argument that his teammates would not get the open looks they did if he did not draw as much attention as he did. He showed up for the team in crucial moments on multiple occasions, including three 30-point games in this series. While he may not have been as efficient as Gasol, he still deserved the award since I can conclusively say the Lakers would not have won the 2010 Finals without Kobe Bryant, but they may have won it with another big instead of Pau Gasol. Related: Former NBA Players Think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is The Next Kobe Bryant This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hawks' Larry Nance Jr. reveals Top 5 NBA moments on Father's Day
The post Hawks' Larry Nance Jr. reveals Top 5 NBA moments on Father's Day appeared first on ClutchPoints. Sharing touching moments is something everyone can appreciate; hearing a handful from a hoops family is a blessing. Well, highly valued Atlanta Hawks veteran Larry Nance Jr. marked Father's Day 2025 with a poignant tribute to his NBA journey, sharing his top five career moments with ClutchPoints on social media. Each memory (except one) reflects his deep ties to family and the enduring influence of his father, Larry Nance Sr., the 1984 Slam Dunk Contest champion and Cleveland Cavaliers legend. Advertisement Blending family, legacy, and career highlights in a touching tribute, the 32-year-old Hawks veteran insisted these were in no particular order. However, Larry Nance Jr. mentioned Kobe Bryant's 60-point farewell game first. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Nance Jr. was a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers during Kobe Bryant's final NBA game on April 13, 2016, when the Lakers legend dropped 60 points against the Utah Jazz. 'Being on the court for that and being able to share moments with him before and after that game,' Nance Jr. told ClutchPoints. 'Even during (the game), those are just things I'll never forget.' In 2018, Nance Jr. returned to Cleveland via trade and played a key role in their NBA Finals run alongside LeBron James. Though the Cavaliers were swept by Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors, Nance Jr. cherished the experience with his childhood team nonetheless. He has since had stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans before landing with the Hawks. Advertisement A 'dunk contest with dad' was next on the list. Now, that could be a long-running family feud or something more public. Young Larry was not alive for Larry Sr.'s sensational 1984 performance. This more than likely was a nod to the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where Nance Jr. paid homage to his father by wearing a retro Phoenix Suns No. 22 jersey and performing the Nance family's signature cradle dunk. Though the homegrown dunker did not win, the father-son connection created a memorable spectacle. The same goes for when the NBA and Cavaliers cleared Nance Jr. to wear Larry Sr.'s number 22 in an actual game. After being traded to Cleveland, Nance Jr. switched to No. 22, honoring his father's retired number. His debut in that jersey marked a personal milestone, symbolizing family legacy and adding a layer of motivation. Not that Nance Jr. needed much motivation in a 10-year career that has led to the Hawks. Some nights were a bit more amped up than others, though. The first brother (Larry) versus brother (Pete Nance) NBA ballgame was last on the list. Related: Hawks rumors: What Atlanta seeks in draft amid trade buzz, expected free agent loss
