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USA Today
an hour ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Thunder championship parade turnout: 'Best city in the world'
Holding the Larry O'Brien trophy, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had plenty of highlights from the Oklahoma City Thunder's championship parade. Hot summer temperatures didn't scare folks from attending. Half a million packed themselves into downtown to see them celebrate the franchise's first title. Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder teammates showed a side of themselves that hasn't been publicly seen before. A championship will bring that out of you. The usual stoic Aaron Wiggins showed off his charisma on the microphone to kick things off. Jaylin Williams had the Scissortail Park hang onto every one of his words in an epic expletive-filled speech to close the parade off that would've had Stone Cold Steve Austin smile. Usually, NBA champions stay on their buses as they make the rounds. But Gilgeous-Alexander did the opposite. The MVP winner walked the streets. Reaching out the championship trophy over the barricade for fans to touch, Gilgeous-Alexander showed the Thunder faithful his love for their commitment over the years as they went from a rebuild to one of the greatest teams ever. 'Best city in the world, if you guys can't tell already," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Best city in the world.' That's music to Thunder fans' ears. The scary part for the rest of the NBA is that this is only the beginning in OKC. Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren ensure the Thunder will remain in title conversations for the foreseeable future. Heck, they're the favorites to repeat next year. For Gilgeous-Alexander to show Thunder fans love on the biggest day of his career shows the bond built between the team and OKC. He's quickly risen through the ranks as the greatest player in Thunder history. Sorry, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. "Best feeling in the world... Best city in the world."Nothing SGA would rather be than a champion in Oklahoma City 💯🏆
USA Today
an hour ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Watch: Cooper Flagg attends Dallas Wings WNBA game, praises Caitlin Clark
Cooper Flagg is a fan of hoops. Just two days after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 25, Flagg has already made himself part of the Dallas community. The former Duke Blue Devil star was in attendance for the WNBA matchup between the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center on June 27. FEVER VS. WINGS: Indiana battles Paige Bueckers, Dallas without Caitlin Clark "Honestly, it means a lot to me, seeing how far they have come, and I am going to continue to watch," Flagg said in an interview during the game. "I am a big fan, so it's really cool to just be here and be in this environment and get to watch a great game." Cooper Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 overall @NBA Draft pick, is in the building supporting the home team in Dallas 👏IND-DAL | ION Cooper Flagg praised Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson The matchup had plenty of star power with Wings star Paige Bueckers set to go up against Fever star Caitlin Clark. However, Clark missed the matchup due to a left groin injury. But when asked about Clark during an interview, Flagg had high praise for the defending Rookie of the Year and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, placing her in the Mt. Rushmore for the WNBA. "She's changed the game so much, and it's heading in the right direction," Flagg said of Clark. "And I just love what she's been able to do. Caitlin Clark is not playing today, but earlier today Cooper Flagg said she is in his WNBA Mt. Rushmore.'She's changed the game so much, and it's heading in the right direction. And I just love what she's been able to do.' Despite praising Clark, Flagg said his favorite WNBA player is A'ja Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces star and three-time and reigning WNBA MVP
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Sixers to sign undrafted free agent Izan Almansa to Exhibit 10
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to load up on undrafted free agents as they prepare for the offseason. After signing Wake Forest's Hunter Sallis to a two-way deal immediately once the draft ended and then signing Tennessee's Igor Milicic Jr. to an Exhibit 10, the Sixers have reportedly made another undrafted free agent move. Per The Philly Voice, the Sixers will bring in Spain's Izan Almansa on an Exhibit 10 deal. Almansa has played for Overtime Elite, G League Ignite, and most recently the Perth Wildcats in Australia where he averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 52% from the floor and 30.4% from deep in the 2024-25 season. Almansa stands at 6-foot-10 and won the 2023 U19 basketball championship with Spain on his way to winning MVP honors. He was invited to the green room for Round 2 of the draft, but obviously, went undrafted. He will now have an opportunity with the Sixers to earn his next chance in his basketball career.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
WNBA MVP odds for 2025: Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier tops list
As the WNBA season progresses, the WNBA MVP race is intensifying, with Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier currently leading in odds. The competition has seen some surprising developments, as three-time MVP A'ja Wilson, of the Las Vegas Aces, has fallen from the top perch. Wilson was the early favorite to secure her fourth MVP trophy, which would make her the only player in WNBA history to achieve this. However, since the regular season has continued, Wilson has dropped significantly in the current MVP odds. Collier now leads the updated odds with -275, while Indiana Fever's star Caitlin Clark is in clear second place with +200 odds. New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart sits at a distance in third place, with odds at +4000. Here are the top odds to win the 2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player award: CAITLIN CLARK: Injury complicates shooting slump; experts weigh in WNBA MVP Odds 2025 Odds according to BetMGM as of afternoon June 24:
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Warriors face challenges with aging roster against younger West powers
The NBA must have a secret burial ground for hints. They come in waves this time of year, all about shortening the season, relaxing the postseason scheduling and prioritizing the players' health. It all sounds so smart and overdue, only to learn that every suggestion gets buried under the same pile of greed. Consequence for the Golden State Warriors: Good luck holding out hope for an NBA title next season. Nothing's going to change as the majority of owners hoard every last penny and the buttoned-up players' union balks at a widespread salary reduction. Consider how much relief it would bring to Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green if there were no more back-to-backs, a schedule trimmed to 58 games (home-and-home against every team), and at least two off-days for playoff travel. (It was just a single day for the weary and banged-up Warriors for Games 5 and 7 of the first round in Houston, and again before they were eliminated in Game 5 at Minnesota.) Nothing says those decorated stars can't last a full regular season, then find a second gear for the playoffs. But would you bet on that, when you examine what oppressive fatigue has done to the NBA elite? Butler and Curry were forced to miss playoff time when it mattered most, and two of the past four seasons found Green playing just 46 and 55 games. Here's your starting five for the ruptured Achilles, among the worst of all injuries: Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard (all three lost for the coming season), Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Right behind them: Kyrie Irving, out indefinitely in the wake of knee surgery, and Joel Embiid, whose knees always turn to sawdust around playoff time. The list may yet include Luka Doncic, who has a long history of calf injuries, and those can be a prelude to Achilles disaster. Two certainties emerge from the swirl of opinions in the medical community: The Achilles tendon is under constant tension, rendering it vulnerable from overuse, and proper rest is essential to recovery from all lower-body ailments. Armed with that knowledge, the NBA talks a good game but does nothing — so let's move on. In the wake of the draft, and developments through Friday evening, these are the scariest Western Conference teams from the Warriors' standpoint: Oklahoma City: By all measures, from the eye test to the analytics, the Thunder should repeat. They won the conference by 16 games, they're the youngest team (averaging a bit over 24) to win a title since Bill Walton's Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, they have the MVP (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), they play stifling defense without mercy, they have avoided all luxury-tax restrictions (thus free to keep the entire roster intact), they have four first-round draft picks over the next two years, and they are selfless to the core, invariably gathering as a fun-loving group when one of them gets interviewed on television. This is a team that not only survived Chet Holmgren's fractured hip, losing the elite center for 50 games, but made a look-to-the-future selection in Thursday's first round: Georgetown's 6-foot-10 Thomas Sorber, a master of hand-eye coordination and highly capable as a lob-threat dunker, rebounder, passer and shot blocker. Add Isaiah Hartenstein, and this team has it covered around the paint. Houston: It's easy to say 'same old vagabond' about Durant, about to join his fifth NBA team, but things could be very different with the Rockets. For the first time, he will unquestionably be the go-to scorer at all times. He has deep respect through a longtime relationship with coach Ime Udoka, and for heaven's sake, he's Kevin Durant — still one of the greatest shooters of all time. As the Warriors learned in the playoffs, the Rockets were a bit too young and didn't have a clear option for that crucial shot. Now they add Durant to fast-rising rising center Alperen Sangun, rugged backup Steven Adams, heady guard Fred VanVleet, ever-improving forward Jabari Smith and Amen Thompson, said to have a future as the best two-way player in the league. The Warriors most likely believe this Phoenix trade was a steal. Dillon Brooks brings a lot of confidence and energy, but as the playoffs conclude, he's just a guy who talks too much. Jalen Green should be among the league's best players, but he looked painfully young against Golden State (just 48 points total over the last five games) and stamped himself as a clown when he was asked about Draymond Green after Game 3. 'Just talking,' said Jalen. 'He can't really do much of anything else, so talking is his only way.' San Antonio: On his path to taking over the league — that seems to be the consensus opinion — Victor Wembanyama faced a major setback in late February when a blood clot was diagnosed in his right shoulder, forcing him out for the season. As he grinds through the stages of recovery, all seems well — and whenever (if) he returns to full strength, the Spurs will be can't-miss theater. In the crowd of envious teams, the Warriors can only dream of a 7-foot-3 center destined to be a dominant force in every phase of the game. Once painfully limited in the backcourt, San Antonio picked up Chris Paul last season, traded for clutch-time ace De'Aaron Fox and watched the electric Stephon Castle win Rookie of the Year. Now they've added No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, who needs work only on his shot, and another first-round pick in 6-foot-7 wing Carter Bryant, who came off the bench at Arizona but showed huge potential with his defense and 3-point range. Scouts say both are high-character guys, and it all adds up to this: The Spurs are coming. In a hurry. Dallas: If the Mavericks get the timing just right — Irving's midseason return to good health (he recently signed up for three more years) and Cooper Flagg instantly cashing in on his mind-blowing potential — they could be a force at playoff time with Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and frontcourt mainstays Dereck Lively, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. One thing we know about Flagg: With his high-powered endurance, all-around brilliance and a competitive nature that frowns upon complainers, he's the anti-Doncic. We'll discover soon enough what that actually means. Sleepers: The Lakers, if new owner Mark Walter spends as freely as he does with the Dodgers. (This proud franchise has been a bit too thrifty in recent off-seasons.) And Denver, if Nikola Jokic is fully invested in the franchise. He's expected to reject a three-year contract extension in the coming weeks, and he couldn't have been thrilled when Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke took the podium last week. Asked about avoiding the dreaded 'aprons' of the NBA's salary-cap restrictions, Kroenke said, 'The wrong person gets injured and very quickly you're into a scenario that I never want to have to contemplate — and that's trading No. 15 (Jokic). So we're very conscious of that.' Whoa. Perhaps the Nuggets should let others do the talking. Bruce Jenkins writes the 3-Dot Lounge for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jenksurf@ Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1
