Arsenal caught in second-place syndrome – can Arteta take them any further?
IF you are a fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the biggest news last week wasn't the Finals match-up between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers—but rather the firing of New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
This is the same coach who brought basketball relevance back to New York City, taking the team to their first Conference Final in 25 years.
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Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
NBA Draft 2025: Dallas Mavericks takes 18-year-old Cooper Flagg first overall, Chinese star Yang Hansen shocks at No. 16
NEW YORK, June 26 — Versatile US college teen star Cooper Flagg was selected first overall in the NBA draft on Wednesday by the Dallas Mavericks, where he'll join a star-laden team already touted as a playoff threat next season. Flagg, 18, a consensus pick as the top US college player as a freshman at Duke University last season, is the second-youngest player taken first overall. Superstar LeBron James was eight days younger when he was taken first overall in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. 'It feels surreal,' Flagg said after his name was called at the Brooklyn Nets' Barclays Center arena, where his family was by his side. 'I'm just playing the moments back in my head, standing up, hearing my name, and it went so fast. It feels like a blur, but I just feel really blessed and honoured to be here.' The Mavericks beat the odds to land the top pick in the draft lottery and as expected grabbed Flagg, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game for the Blue Devils, who lost to Houston in the semi-finals of the NCAA collegiate tournament. The 2.06m player from Maine is a two-way playmaker and could be just the player Mavericks fans need to put aside the outrage triggered by the trade of star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in February. That move broke up a squad that had reached the NBA Finals in 2024 and the Mavericks were eliminated in the play-in tournament this year. But with Flagg now the third number one pick on the Mavs' roster, alongside Davis and Kyrie Irving, Dallas will be eyeing another deep playoff run. Ready to learn 'I'm looking forward to being successful and winning a lot of games for sure,' Flagg said. 'I keep saying I'm excited to be a sponge, to get down there and just learn, be surrounded by Hall of Fame-caliber guys and just to be able to learn from them.' The San Antonio Spurs took Rutgers University guard Dylan Harper with the second overall selection — the third straight year the Spurs have had a top-four pick. In 2023, the Spurs made French star Victor Wembanyama the No. 1 overall selection and last year they took Stephon Castle with the fourth overall pick — both going on to earn Rookie of the Year honours. Harper, the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, averaged 19/4 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting — astonishing numbers for a freshman. The Philadelphia 76ers, whose litany of injuries this past season included Joe Embiid's protracted knee trouble that saw his season end in February and groin and knee injuries that cut short Paul George's season, selected VJ Edgecomb, a native of the Bahamas who played for Baylor University. Flagg's Duke teammate Kon Knueppel went to the Charlotte Hornets as the fourth overall pick and Ace Bailey of Rutgers went to Utah at number five. Khaman Maluach, who played for his native South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the Paris olympics and played for Duke, is headed to the Phoenix Suns after being selected 10th. Chinese big man Yang Hansen, tipped to go in the second round, was the surprise 16th pick and is headed to the Portland Trail Blazers after a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. Yang is the ninth player from China to be drafted into the NBA and the first since 2016. Yang averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in the Chinese Basketball Association last season. When his name was called the 7-foot-1 centre made his way to the stage from the stands, having not been put in the waiting room with likely first-round prospects. — AFP
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
Seven Achilles injuries in one season: NBA launches probe against spike of cases, says AI may help spot hidden patterns
NEW YORK, June 26 — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said yesterday the league is studying a rash of recent Achilles tendon injuries, days after Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton became the latest player to be hobbled by such an injury in game seven of the NBA Finals. Silver, speaking to ESPN before the start of the NBA draft at the Brooklyn Nets' Barclays Center arena, said that there was no convincing evidence that the length of the NBA season was a factor, but that a range of causes are being studied. 'We are looking at it,' Silver said, 'and in fact, we had already convened a panel of experts before Tyrese's most recent Achilles rupture. 'So we had seven this year,' he added. 'We had zero last year under the exact same circumstances.' He said the NFL had had a rash of Achilles injuries as well, and the purpose of convening the panel of experts 'is to try to figure out what's going on.' Haliburton was already playing with a sore calf when he was stricken in the title-deciding game seven against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who claimed their first title since moving to Oklahoma in 2008. The 25-year-old had surgery on Monday and is at risk of missing the entire 2025-26 campaign. Haliburton was the third player to suffer a torn Achilles in this post-season, after Boston's Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee's Damian Lillard. Critics point to the gruelling 82-game regular season, but Silver said the most important thing was to try to find a pattern. 'It's interesting, when we look back at the last 10 years the majority of the Achilles injuries have happened before the All-Star break, so it's not clear it's the number of games,' he said. Silver said training players undertake in the off-season, and even stress on their bodies playing youth basketball — before they ever even start their pro careers — could be a factor. He suggested that Artificial Intelligence could eventually be a useful tool in pinpointing what needs to change. 'This is one area where AI people are taking about how that's going to transform so many areas — the ability with AI to ingest all video — of every game a player has played in to see if you can detect there's some pattern that we didn't realise that leads to Achilles injury. 'Whether it's associated with calf injuries we don't really know,' he added. 'But, look, we're taking it very seriously.' — AFP
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
US$10b sales of iconic NBA franchise Lakers to billionaire Mark Walter set to close later this year
LOS ANGELES, June 26 — The sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to billionaire Mark Walter is expected to close later this year in a deal that will see Jeanie Buss remain governor of the club 'for the foreseeable future,' Walter and Buss announced yesterday. The official confirmation comes a week after US media reported that the Buss family would sell controlling interest in the iconic NBA franchise in a record-breaking US$10 billion (RM42 billion) deal that makes the Lakers the highest-valued team in US sports history. 'Businessman and philanthropist Mark Walter has reached an agreement with the Buss Family Trust to acquire a majority stake in the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers,' a statement on the deal issued by the interested parties said. 'Jeanie Buss will remain governor of the franchise and continue to oversee all team operations on a day-to-day basis for the foreseeable future.' 'From the day our father purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning — relentlessly — and to doing so with passion and with style,' Jeanie Buss said in the statement. 'I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values,' Buss added. 'For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers' extraordinary legacy.' Walter is the chief executive of holding company TWG Global which has built an impressive portfolio of professional sports teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Sparks. He is also part of the ownership group of English Premier League side Chelsea. TWG also owns the Billie Jean King Cup tennis tournament and the Cadillac Formula One team and Walter was already a minority owner of the Lakers. His acquisition of the Lakers will mark the end of an era in the NBA, whose modern popularity owes much to the franchise's 1980s heyday. The Lakers were bought in 1979 by charismatic tycoon Jerry Buss, who quickly helped turn the franchise into a sporting powerhouse as well as a globally recognised brand. The Buss era brought the Lakers 11 NBA championships — more than any other team over the same period — and encompassed golden ages which included the 'Showtime' Lakers of Magic Johnson as well as a hat-trick of championships between 2000 and 2002 when the team was spearheaded by Kobe Bryant. More recently the team recruited superstar LeBron James, who led the Lakers to a 17th championship in 2020, and stunned the league earlier this after swooping for Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. 'The Lakers have long been one of the most iconic franchises in sports,' Walter said in the statement. 'Since Dr. Jerry Buss first purchased the team in 1979, they have truly set the standard for basketball in one era after another, which is why you can find people anywhere in the world wearing Lakers shirts and jerseys.' — AFP
