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Ottawa Citizen
7 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
7 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
7 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
7 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
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carter Bryant reveals unpopular legend he modeled his game after
The post Carter Bryant reveals unpopular legend he modeled his game after appeared first on ClutchPoints. Most San Antonio Spurs fans were ecstatic when the team picked Carter Bryant with the 14th overall pick of the NBA Draft. Perhaps it's a bit ironic then that the potential steal of the first round invoked Kawhi Leonard when asked which former Spurs his game might most compare to. Advertisement Leonard is undoubtedly the most unpopular former Spur among the proud franchise's fan base. Because it's now been seven years since the six-time All-Star asked out of San Antonio – a summer in which Bryant would've been 12 years old – he may not be aware of the bad blood that still exists. 'Immediately, the first guy I think of is Kawhi,' the former Arizona Wildcat answered. 'Just his defensive versatility, being able to guard multiple positions early on in his career. And, just, as you saw his progression.' It's obvious Bryant has tracked Leonard's career since the current Los Angeles Clipper won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP in leading San Antonio to their fifth championship. Advertisement 'He became one of the best players in the world, arguably a top-three player to be playing basketball at a time where Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and LeBron [James] were pretty much solidified to be the top three. But he was really making a statement that he was one of the best players in the world as well.' Carter Bryant talks fit with the Spurs While Bryant mentioned Leonard, it's his fellow Spurs first round draft pick who'll wear 'The Klaw's' old number. 'Dylan [Harper], for sure, is gonna have two if nobody has two,' Bryant said of the second overall pick. 'I don't know. I gotta look at who has what numbers on the team,' he continued about which jersey number he'll wear. 'That's a great question.' Advertisement Bryant then mentioned Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, who's made an All-Star game, and generational superstar Victor Wembanyama in scrolling through what number he'd settle on. 'I know Steph's got five. That's my dog. I'm not getting that off of him. Does D. Fox wear four? Yep, I can't get four, Fox is four. Four plus five for nine,' Bryant continued with a reference that he can't have nine because it's Tony Parker's retired number. 'Wemby's got the one. I'm gonna have to figure something out. It's all good.' Reports have since indicated Bryant will wear the number 11. In any event, there's little debate that he could have an early impact for a team that's looking to turn the corner and make the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Top analysts see Bryant as a player who can effectively fit the good '3 and D' model so many teams covet. Advertisement 'I see myself being a guy that can bring energy, toughness, physicality. Somebody that's just gonna show up on a consistent basis and just work his a** off. I feel like that's what I bring in.' The Spurs were pleasantly surprised that Bryant was there at 14. Expectations now shift. Don't be surprised if the 19-year-old wing gets some meaningful minutes for a young Spurs team that continues to improve on paper, Related: Sixers, Spurs highlight biggest winners of 2025 NBA Draft Related: Spurs' Dylan Harper shares eye-opening Giannis Antetokounmpo workout story
