Tag: basketball

• Kansas still No. 1 in AP Top 25; Gonzaga, Auburn into top 5

  With their victory over a basketball powerhouse, Kansas maintained their position atop the inaugural Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll of the regular season. Gonzaga and Auburn both made it into the top five with strong performances in the first week of the season, and St. John’s also made its way into the rankings.

  After a 92-89 home victory over North Carolina, in which Kansas blew a 20-point lead but managed to hang on, the Jayhawks garnered 44 of the 62 first-place votes. In an unchanged 1-2-3 sequence in the poll, that maintained them ahead of Alabama and UConn, the Huskies receiving seven first-place votes, and the Crimson Tide receiving six. UConn is a two-time reigning national champion.

  Recommendations from the Editor

  A look back at Week 1 of the AP Men’s Poll: All the info you need to know about the top 25 teams
  staff of 10h ESPN

  Coming off a pair of victories, the Gamecocks have risen to the top of the AP women’s poll.
  After cruising over Arizona State and then destroying then-No. 8 Baylor, Mark Few’s Zags jumped two spots to take up the #4 spot. After that, the Tigers under Bruce Pearl made the largest jump of the week, climbing six spots to No. 5 after defeating Houston, who had been ranked fourth. Fifteen first-place votes were shared between the Zags and the Tigers.

  Duke moved up one spot to No. 6 and topped the following group, while Auburn was the lone newcomer in a significantly rearranged top 10. Prior to North Carolina’s one-spot drop following their loss in KU’s Allen Fieldhouse, Iowa State, Houston, and Arizona were in the following positions.

  November 11, 2024

  basketball, mens-basketball, ncaa, sports

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• Sky’s Angel Reese, Reebok extend deal; signature shoe in ’26

  New York City Sky star Angel Reese has reportedly extended her endorsement deal with Reebok for numerous years, as the company announced to ESPN on Thursday. The agreement calls for the launch of a branded sneaker in the year 2026.

  Currently, Reese is one of six current WNBA players to have signature shoe deals; the others are Sabrina Ionescu of Nike and Breanna Stewart of Puma from New York, A’ja Wilson of Nike and Sydney Colson of Creative Control from Las Vegas, and Caitlin Clark of Nike from Indiana. Reese was selected seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA draft.

  “Reebok and Angel are growing together every day and our visions for the future are aligned,” stated Jide Osifeso, head of basketball for Reebok, in an interview with ESPN. “We’re excited to continue the relationship with a ground-up build of her signature silhouette.”

  Editors’ Pick: Highly Recommended

  Sky star Reese laments that the WNBA does not cover her expenses.
  11dSteele, Patricia

  A Sneakerhead’s Dream: Peruse the Definitive Collection of Signature Sneakers 6d

  The WNBA power rankings were announced far too early, but Liberty and the Lynx start the season in the top eight.Voepel, Michael Reese broke many records during her first season on Sky. She set a new WNBA record for most consecutive games played in a row at fifteen, averaged 13.1 rebounds per game, 13.6 points per game, and 26 double-doubles.

  Furthermore, with 28 games with ten or more rebounds, Reese became the first player in WNBA history to accomplish this feat, and she did it in three consecutive games, setting a new record.

  She finished behind Clark for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, but she did receive a nomination anyway.

  Last week on Instagram Live, Reese disclosed, “The WNBA don’t pay my bills at all.” She went on to say that her annual rent is $96,000, on top of the $73,439 she earned in her inaugural season with the Sky.

  October 28, 2024

  angel-reese, basketball, sports, wnba

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• History for the James family!!

  Before coming off the bench to play for the Lakers, LeBron James mentored his kid, who is twenty years old. As the fans went wild with joy, they walked in unison to the scorer’s table, cementing their place in basketball history.

  The Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener on Tuesday night included LeBron James and Bronny James, the first father-and-son duo to ever play in an NBA game. Bronny had been patiently waiting for LeBron to accomplish this goal he had set out for himself a few years back.

  My memories of LeBron and myself checking in together at the scorer’s table will last a lifetime. “That moment will remain etched in my memory forever, regardless of the passage of time or the deterioration of my memory.”

  When a father and son checked into the Minnesota Vikings game simultaneously with four minutes left in the second quarter, the home crowd, aware of the monumentality of the situation, gave a tremendous applause. Approximately 2.5 minutes into the game, LeBron James—now 39 years old—joined his son—now 20 years old—to continue the winning streak.

  Last summer, the Lakers drafted LeBron James Jr. in the second round. James’s father, the great LeBron James, was a twenty-time All-Star and winner of four NBA championships. Never before has it been possible for a father and son to compete in the top basketball league on the same team.

  “Are you all set?” Is the intensity something you can feel? As they sat on the bench before checking in, a parent told their son to “just play carefree, though” in an exchange captured by TNT’s cameras and microphones. “Errors do not matter. Going out is all that’s required of you.

  They enjoyed a lightning-fast and furious time playing together, just as LeBron had expected.

  To end his 16-point outburst, LeBron made a slam after missing two shots from beyond the arc. Despite grabbing an offensive rebound early on, Bronny was unable to convert the tip-in. His first attempt at a 3-pointer in the NBA came shortly after, and he narrowly missed. He checked out after one possession with 1:19 left in the second quarter, which prompted another round of applause.

  With Bronny sitting out the final stretch, the Lakers cruised to a 110-103 victory over the Timberwolves.

  In an effort to “focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny, a rookie, attempted to tune out his surroundings. “It was great to feel the energy, and I’m grateful to Laker Nation for standing by my dad and me.”

  Along with each other, the father and son walked to the locker room as the final buzzer rang, ending the Lakers’ first opening-night victory in LeBron’s seven seasons with the team. But they stopped to embrace Savannah James, Bronny and LeBron’s wife’s father. In addition to celebrating Zhuri’s tenth birthday, the entire family gathered to see the momentous occasion.

  October 27, 2024

  basketball, bronny-james, lebron-james, nba, sports

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