Latest news with #LarryO'BrienTrophy
Ottawa Citizen
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Canada's NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checks in as bull of the week
Bulls of the week Article content It's been quite the week for the US$1.4 billion Florida Panthers of the NHL and the US$3.65 billion Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA; the respective Stanley Cup and Larry O'Brien Trophy winners as champions of pro hockey and pro basketball after the two leagues went shoulder-to-shoulder for 10 weeks of playoffs. Article content Article content Yet no one has had a bigger week — or a bigger year — than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton. He's NBA MVP, NBA scoring leader, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP. He's one of only four NBA stars to have ever accomplished that feat. Article content Article content And he's certainly the first Canadian to pull off two or more of those milestones and he's done it in a year that will go down as one of the most dominant and consistent in NBA history. Article content Article content Most impressive of all, he's done it as the smiling leader of his Thunder, a thoughtful and articulate spokesman for the game and as a poster child for sportsmanship. Article content He's the bull of the week because, at age 26, he's only getting started on a journey that is on a trajectory to make him one of the most influential athletes in all of pro sport. Article content The downside to such shoulder-to-shoulder playoffs in the NHL and the NBA is the stark withdrawal symptoms experienced by fans when both leagues end their post-season showcases within a week of each other. Article content We go from game action almost every night — with two best-of-seven series going six and seven games in the case of this year — to a glut in the prime-time TV landscape. Article content Article content It's a shock to the systems of fans, broadcasters, sports-talk radio hosts, sports anchors and industry stakeholders ranging from merchandisers and licensees to sports bars and betting houses. Article content Article content On that note, in terms of sheer TV content and audience reach, the power of fantasy and football wagering makes for one heck of a hangover the day after the Super Bowl. Article content And yes, it's hard to describe the impact of a pause on a US$20 million business and its related industries in the hours after more than 120 million people have watched the big game. Article content Yet in terms of scope of membership — in this case making up the community of 62 sport franchises in the NHL and the NBA — there's no greater drop off in volume of game action than this week.
Edmonton Journal
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Canada's NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checks in as bull of the week
Article content Bulls of the week It's been quite the week for the US$1.4 billion Florida Panthers of the NHL and the US$3.65 billion Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA; the respective Stanley Cup and Larry O'Brien Trophy winners as champions of pro hockey and pro basketball after the two leagues went shoulder-to-shoulder for 10 weeks of playoffs. Article content Yet no one has had a bigger week — or a bigger year — than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton. He's NBA MVP, NBA scoring leader, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP. He's one of only four NBA stars to have ever accomplished that feat. Article content And he's certainly the first Canadian to pull off two or more of those milestones and he's done it in a year that will go down as one of the most dominant and consistent in NBA history. Most impressive of all, he's done it as the smiling leader of his Thunder, a thoughtful and articulate spokesman for the game and as a poster child for sportsmanship. He's the bull of the week because, at age 26, he's only getting started on a journey that is on a trajectory to make him one of the most influential athletes in all of pro sport. Bears of the week The downside to such shoulder-to-shoulder playoffs in the NHL and the NBA is the stark withdrawal symptoms experienced by fans when both leagues end their post-season showcases within a week of each other. We go from game action almost every night — with two best-of-seven series going six and seven games in the case of this year — to a glut in the prime-time TV landscape. Article content It's a shock to the systems of fans, broadcasters, sports-talk radio hosts, sports anchors and industry stakeholders ranging from merchandisers and licensees to sports bars and betting houses. On that note, in terms of sheer TV content and audience reach, the power of fantasy and football wagering makes for one heck of a hangover the day after the Super Bowl. And yes, it's hard to describe the impact of a pause on a US$20 million business and its related industries in the hours after more than 120 million people have watched the big game. Yet in terms of scope of membership — in this case making up the community of 62 sport franchises in the NHL and the NBA — there's no greater drop off in volume of game action than this week. The good news for hard core fans is that both leagues do the draft thing this week to kick off the hockey and basketball off-seasons. Article content In especially the case of the Association, everyone seems to be an armchair general manager when it comes to the free agency that takes us well into July. There is certainly no substantive decline in social-media attention for the NBA as its fans wait for the next contending team to be created a la Kevin Durant earlier this week. With the NHL and the NBA swinging into their three-month off-seasons this week, only two of the five major North American men's leagues (Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer) are in play alongside two of the four prime women's leagues (WNBA and NWSL, with the Northern Super League now operating in Canada). It'll stay that way until the first Thursday after Labour Day weekend when the juggernaut that is the NFL leaps into regular-season action, with the NHL and the NBA launching their new schedules about one month later. Latest National Stories
Vancouver Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Canada's NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checks in as bull of the week
It's been quite the week for the US$1.4 billion Florida Panthers of the NHL and the US$3.65 billion Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA; the respective Stanley Cup and Larry O'Brien Trophy winners as champions of pro hockey and pro basketball after the two leagues went shoulder-to-shoulder for 10 weeks of playoffs. Yet no one has had a bigger week — or a bigger year — than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton. He's NBA MVP, NBA scoring leader, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP. He's one of only four NBA stars to have ever accomplished that feat. And he's certainly the first Canadian to pull off two or more of those milestones and he's done it in a year that will go down as one of the most dominant and consistent in NBA history. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Most impressive of all, he's done it as the smiling leader of his Thunder, a thoughtful and articulate spokesman for the game and as a poster child for sportsmanship. He's the bull of the week because, at age 26, he's only getting started on a journey that is on a trajectory to make him one of the most influential athletes in all of pro sport. The downside to such shoulder-to-shoulder playoffs in the NHL and the NBA is the stark withdrawal symptoms experienced by fans when both leagues end their post-season showcases within a week of each other. We go from game action almost every night — with two best-of-seven series going six and seven games in the case of this year — to a glut in the prime-time TV landscape. It's a shock to the systems of fans, broadcasters, sports-talk radio hosts, sports anchors and industry stakeholders ranging from merchandisers and licensees to sports bars and betting houses. On that note, in terms of sheer TV content and audience reach, the power of fantasy and football wagering makes for one heck of a hangover the day after the Super Bowl. And yes, it's hard to describe the impact of a pause on a US$20 million business and its related industries in the hours after more than 120 million people have watched the big game. Yet in terms of scope of membership — in this case making up the community of 62 sport franchises in the NHL and the NBA — there's no greater drop off in volume of game action than this week. The good news for hard core fans is that both leagues do the draft thing this week to kick off the hockey and basketball off-seasons. In especially the case of the Association, everyone seems to be an armchair general manager when it comes to the free agency that takes us well into July. There is certainly no substantive decline in social-media attention for the NBA as its fans wait for the next contending team to be created a la Kevin Durant earlier this week. With the NHL and the NBA swinging into their three-month off-seasons this week, only two of the five major North American men's leagues (Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer) are in play alongside two of the four prime women's leagues (WNBA and NWSL, with the Northern Super League now operating in Canada). It'll stay that way until the first Thursday after Labour Day weekend when the juggernaut that is the NFL leaps into regular-season action, with the NHL and the NBA launching their new schedules about one month later. The last two weeks of October are the only two weeks of the year when all five major North American men's leagues are in action simultaneously. Yet make no mistake: The lull you've felt this week in and around the championship parades that celebrated the second consecutive Cup win by the Panthers and the first Oklahoma City championship in the post-Seattle era is real. A total of US$18.6 billion in annual revenue generation — US$12 billion in the NBA and US$6.6 billion in the NHL — came to an end this week, only to see the cycle start again with the drafts and free agency. That will lead to some dog days of summer when it comes to sport programming content. Tom Mayenknecht is the host of The Sport Market on Sportsnet 650 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Vancouver-based sport business commentator and principal in Emblematica Brand Builders provides a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans. Follow Mayenknecht at: .
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Canada's NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checks in as bull of the week
Bulls of the week Article content It's been quite the week for the US$1.4 billion Florida Panthers of the NHL and the US$3.65 billion Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA; the respective Stanley Cup and Larry O'Brien Trophy winners as champions of pro hockey and pro basketball after the two leagues went shoulder-to-shoulder for 10 weeks of playoffs. Article content Article content Yet no one has had a bigger week — or a bigger year — than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton. He's NBA MVP, NBA scoring leader, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP. He's one of only four NBA stars to have ever accomplished that feat. Article content Article content And he's certainly the first Canadian to pull off two or more of those milestones and he's done it in a year that will go down as one of the most dominant and consistent in NBA history. Article content Article content Most impressive of all, he's done it as the smiling leader of his Thunder, a thoughtful and articulate spokesman for the game and as a poster child for sportsmanship. Article content He's the bull of the week because, at age 26, he's only getting started on a journey that is on a trajectory to make him one of the most influential athletes in all of pro sport. Article content Bears of the week Article content The downside to such shoulder-to-shoulder playoffs in the NHL and the NBA is the stark withdrawal symptoms experienced by fans when both leagues end their post-season showcases within a week of each other. Article content We go from game action almost every night — with two best-of-seven series going six and seven games in the case of this year — to a glut in the prime-time TV landscape. Article content Article content It's a shock to the systems of fans, broadcasters, sports-talk radio hosts, sports anchors and industry stakeholders ranging from merchandisers and licensees to sports bars and betting houses. Article content Article content On that note, in terms of sheer TV content and audience reach, the power of fantasy and football wagering makes for one heck of a hangover the day after the Super Bowl. Article content And yes, it's hard to describe the impact of a pause on a US$20 million business and its related industries in the hours after more than 120 million people have watched the big game. Article content Yet in terms of scope of membership — in this case making up the community of 62 sport franchises in the NHL and the NBA — there's no greater drop off in volume of game action than this week.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander letting Thunder fans touch Larry O'Brien Trophy goes viral
The post Shai Gilgeous-Alexander letting Thunder fans touch Larry O'Brien Trophy goes viral appeared first on ClutchPoints. On Sunday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder broke through and won their first NBA championship with a resounding Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won Finals MVP for his efforts in the series, becoming the first player in 25 years to win league MVP, the scoring title, and Finals MVP in the same year. Advertisement On Tuesday, the Thunder got a chance to celebrate the championship victory with their fans as part of the team's parade. At one point during the festivities, Gilgeous-Alexander left his float and took a walk down the street, allowing fans to touch the Larry O'Brien trophy in the process in a moment that quickly went viral on social media (per NBA Latam on X, formerly Twitter). It was just another example of how much Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City community have embraced one another over the last several years, eventually culminating in this year's NBA title. A huge moment for the Thunder Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images While in some respects, Game 7 was overshadowed by the torn Achilles suffered by Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton early in the first quarter, that shouldn't take away from what the Thunder were able to accomplish in 2024-25. Advertisement The Thunder were the best team in the league all season, setting a franchise record with 68 wins and also setting various records during their playoff run. While the series against the Pacers was a bit harder than many anticipated, the young Thunder ultimately got the job done, thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder now find themselves in the rare position of coming off of a championship and still having several clear avenues to get better the following offseason. Oklahoma City has 15 first round draft picks over the next seven years at their disposal, and they also have various trade chip pieces on their bench as well as youngsters like Nikola Topic waiting in the wings. Advertisement Whatever route they choose to go this offseason, the Thunder have now officially etched their names into NBA immortality. Related: Thunder news: OKC mayor crowns Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook Related: Isaiah Hartenstein reveals hilarious story of Thunder's free agency recruitment
