Drama continued for Jaden Ivey when a flight attendant had to step in to stop the NBA guard from ranting about the Chicago Bulls on Instagram live. Ivey was waived today hours after he made controversial anti-gay posts on social media. Gradually strange behavior from Ivey lately raised some concern, but things escalated today to the point of Chicago placing him on waivers to end his time with the team.
A flight attendant had to step in tonight when Ivey went on Instagram Live during a commercial flight. Ivey was ranting about the Bulls unfairly waiving him for conduct detrimental to the team and went into detail about how he wasn’t even with the team while rehabbing from injury. The social media live stream kept going with Ivey going further in depth about his religious thoughts.
Ivey didn’t combat the flight attendant and ended his stream shortly after to avoid more issues. However, the live stream made it clear he’s ready to fight the league and refuses to apologize for his comments. Ivey’s behavior didn’t come off well on a controversial day that saw him losing his job and doubling down on what caused it.
Jaden Ivey Admits He May Get Blacklisted
The live stream featured Ivey both claiming he should have kept his job and revealing that he wasn’t planning to back down. Ivey has already burnt his bridge with the Bulls and fell out of favor with the Detroit Pistons for failing to develop as fast as their timeline required him to.
Two teams already washing their hands of Ivey makes it harder for other teams to give him a chance. Ivey’s path back to the NBA would require him apologizing for saying negative things about others based on their sexual orientation and moving forward quietly with his career.
Tonight’s reaction proves Ivey is not ready for that and welcomes getting blacklisted from the league to keep speaking his mind. Ivey would have the chance to play internationally, like many other names unofficially kicked out of the league, but a 24-year-old throwing away their NBA opportunity is a shocking scenario.
Chicago Bulls Look Smart For Acting Fast
Any public figure going on a live social media stream on a flight to respond to getting fired is not going to come out looking good for it. Ivey seemed unhinged in his loud rant requiring a flight attendant to step in and put an end to it.
Chicago had to make a big decision after replacing popular guard Coby White with Ivey after the trade deadline. Bulls’ management decided to step up and make a public stance that they stand with fans and employees who feel homophobia from an active player.

It’s been a tumultuous weekend for the Chicago Bulls community, the NBA fans, and Jaden Ivey. Within hours of his online rant disparaging the NBA’s annual Pride Month celebrations, the Bulls waived the guard. This decision, of course, comes at a crucial time for the Bulls who have been struggling with an injury-ridden roster. Ivey had been rehabbing his injury and not had much time with the Bulls but the organization deemed his “conduct detrimental to the team.” The whole situation also puts Billy Donovan in a unique position, now without a backup guard and looking out for his players.
In his first public address since the entire debcle, the Bulls head coach shifted the focus to the well-being of his roster and the importance of mental health resources within a professional sporting environment. He expressed he has always been proactive about ensuring his players holistic health is met along with tactical and physical training.
“I think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things,” Donovan said. He did not criticize Ivey. His view was more about ensuring the wellbeing in house rather than a judgmental stance. “I’m not passing judgment on what Jaden is or is not going through. But I do worry about that, not only for Jaden, but for all of our players,” he said.
Donovan’s concern is for the underlying factors that can influence player behavior in the modern era. He noted that, unlike previous generations, today’s athletes must navigate a complex landscape of physical and mental demands. They depend on trainers, medical staff, and coaches for the physical and basketball development but often lack expertise for their mental wellbeing.
It appears Donovan is seeing the potential for players to spiral if they don’t get the care they need. This situation made him express a broader worry for all players in the league.”Are we providing the resources, which I think we do, to help them in any way we can?” Donovan asked rhetorically. “I think if any player reached out and said I need some help in this, we could help them.”
Jaden Ivey’s physical and mental health struggles went parallel
The decision to waive Jaden Ivey came after a rapid escalation of events. On Monday, March 30, Ivey conducted a series of Instagram Live streams in which he criticized the NBA’s involvement in Pride Month activities, describing the league’s celebration of the LGBTQ+ community as “unrighteousness.” The rants, which also touched on various religious and moral topics, immediately went viral.
Ivey’s downward spiral didn’t come out of nowhere. He went from the Pistons’ failing season to transforming the them into title contenders. A broken fibula in early 2025 ended that run. The Pistons traded him to the Bulls at the 2026 deadline but lingering knee issues left his availability questionable.
Shortly after the trade, he declared on social media, “The old JI is dead,” signalling a mental shift beyond basketball to cope with his injuries. At that time, fans had been supportive of his journey until his comments didn’t sit well for a large part of the fanbase. The team had decided to shut him down for the season to recover.
Until this Monday, Billy Donovan was likely waiting for improvement in Ivey’s status. The pivot from his physical to mental health drew a swift response from the team. In a statement, they claimed Ivey’s conduct didn’t align with the franchise’s core values.
Instead of letting this situation haunt his remaining players, Donovan seems to turn inward. He’s prioritizing an environment where players feel equipped to handle the mental burden of the professional spotlight.

All it took was a series of controversial posts on social media for Jaden Ivey to land under the scanner.
Ivey had previously revealed that he had been dealing with depression. However, things escalated as he began posting lengthy religious rants. Then, during an Instagram Live on March 30, he called out the NBA for celebrating Pride Month. And just hours after that, the Chicago Bulls waived him for conduct detrimental to the team.
“The world proclaims LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month, and the NBA does too. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month, to celebrate unrighteousness,’” he remarked.
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In another broadcast, he made controversial remarks, including calling Catholicism a “false religion,” which sparked immediate backlash online. Earlier this season, he also opened up about his childhood, explaining that he is no longer the same person.
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“The old me is dead,” he said. “I think as a child, I just never felt love before, never felt what true love felt like.”
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On February 19 against the Raptors, the guard did not play because of a coach’s decision, as for the first time in his young career, he had been on a healthy stretch. After the game that night, he noted that he “wasn’t the same player as he used to be,” referencing his religion while talking to reporters in the locker room.
“I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead,” he remarked. “I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”
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Coming back to before the Bulls’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, head coach Billy Donovan explained the decision to waive Ivey.
“Just inside the Bulls, we have people from all different kinds of backgrounds,” Donovan told reporters. “And whether it’s coaches, from the top, it’s always been we’re all going to work well together, we’re going to accept each other. We’re going to be hard-working, we’re going to be respectful, and we’re going to be professional… There are certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day.”
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But that didn’t sit well with the son of Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey.
“They’re liars, bro,” Ivey said on IG Live, according to The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi. “This is lying. They’re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team. That’s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, ‘Was I a good teammate?’ All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ, and they waived me. But they say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho.”
Over the years, the National Basketball Association has consistently fostered inclusivity in various ways to engage different communities. One such approach is through Pride Nights, which are annual, team-hosted events celebrating LGBTQIA+ inclusion, love, and equality, featuring special themes, merchandise, and community partnerships.
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Overall, Jaden Ivey’s calling out the NBA over Pride Month activities could eventually land him in greater trouble, as his behavior may be deemed inappropriate by the league. And all this comes right after Ivey was ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing season.
Jaden Ivey to sit out for the remainder of the season
When Jaden Ivey moved to the Chicago Bulls from the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade, there was a lot of excitement around the young guard starting afresh on a new team. But unfortunately, the 24-year-old could only play four games for the Bulls before sustaining knee soreness. After weeks of struggling to return to full fitness, Ivey was shut down for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Overall, he averaged 8.5 points in 37 games this season, including four for Chicago.
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He was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Pistons and had impressed everyone whenever he was healthy. But injuries have been a major issue for him, and that’s why Detroit let him go.
In his breakout third season with the Pistons, he suffered a broken fibula. He followed that up with minor offseason knee surgery, and on his return for the Pistons this season in the first 33 games, he never looked the same player, with his explosiveness taking a major hit.
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Unfortunately, after getting traded to the Bulls, he looked alright until he suffered from knee soreness. Billy Donovan revealed that the young guard first suffered soreness in his knee around February 19. Initially, he was expected to return in two weeks, and the Bulls were adamant that they had a plan around Ivey’s return. They had upgraded him to questionable a week before ruling him out for the season.
But what exactly happened in a week? Donovan said that Ivey bumped his knees in practice, and the damage was bad enough to rule him out for this season.

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers are playing the Washington Wizards (at home).
LeBron James had 21 points, ten rebounds, ten assists and one block while shooting 8/16 from the field and 1/3 from three-point range in 32 minutes of playing time.
Los Angeles Lakers Star LeBron James Made NBA History
James broke his own record as the oldest player to ever record a triple-double.
Law Murray of The Athletic wrote: “LeBron James extends his own NBA record for oldest triple-double in NBA history”
James still remains one of the elite players in the NBA at 41.
He is currently averaging 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 51.2% from the field and 31.3% from three-point range in 53 games.
Mike Trudell of Spectrum Sportsnet wrote: “LeBron’s 10th assist tonight, finding Hayes near the rim, has him 1 board away from a triple-double. LA’s lead is 101-79 with 8:40 to play.”
James And The Lakers
The Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the All-Star Break.
They are currently the third seed in the Western Conference with a 48-26 record in 74 games.
Over their last ten games, the Lakers have gone 9-1 (and they have won two in a row).
At home, they are 24-12 in 36 games.
Real App wrote: “LeBron James has the 5th most triple-doubles in the NBA in 2026… he’s 41 years old.”
James’ Tenure In Los Angeles
James is in his eighth season playing for the Lakers, which is his longest single stint with one team.
Over his time with the franchise, they have been up and down.
Since winning the title in 2020, the Lakers have only been able to return to the Western Conference finals once.
Last season, they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote: “LeBron James has 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists tonight vs WAS for the 125th triple-double of his career (5th all-time). At 41 years, 90 days old, James is the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, passing his own mark (41 years, 79 days).”
Wizards’ Struggles
The Wizards came into play as the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 17-57 record in 74 games.
They are in the middle of a two-game losing streak (and 1-9 over their last ten).
On the road, the Wizards are 6-31.

Jaden Ivey called the Bulls “liars” after the team waived him on Monday for “conduct detrimental to the team” following an Instagram livestream where he criticized the NBA’s support of Pride Month.
Ivey has hosted several livestreams recently where he has gone on lengthy tangents about religion and has made inflammatory remarks, including calling Catholicism a “false religion.”
He took to the familiar platform on Monday night to address the Bulls’ decision, along with a winding diatribe about religion and calling out other NBA players.
“They’re liars, bro. This is lying,” Ivey said during the Instagram Live, which appeared to be taking place while he was boarding a flight. “They’re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team. That’s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, ‘Was I a good teammate?’ All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ and they waived me. They say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho.”
He added that he was “doing what was required of my job” by being in the gym and rehabbing when the Bulls decided to waive him.
Ivey had his season shut down last Thursday while he deals with left knee pain.
Ivey also questioned why the Bulls didn’t outright say that the organization did not agree with his stance on LGBTQ issues, while continuing to insist that he had been a good teammate.
The former Bulls guard later appeared to question Steph Curry’s Christianity.
“He don’t know Jesus and I pray he comes to the truth,” Ivey said. “All that stuff isn’t going to matter on Judgement Day. All them rings he got. All them rings LeBron [James] got. All them rings Michael Jordan got.”
Word of Ivey’s release broke on Monday afternoon, hours after the latest livestream, his third in roughly a week.
Ivey’s behavior had started to raise some concerns among basketball fans.
Asked about the decision to waive Ivey, Bulls head coach Bill Donovan said that “there’s a certain level of standards and expectations that are here.”
“I mean, we have people from all different walks of life working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right?” he said. “So, the first thing is, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. But one is, we’ve got to all be professional. I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”

Joe Mazzulla is rarely one to accept praise, often deflecting it towards his staff and players. In fact, he famously told Derrick White, “Nobody cares,” after being congratulated on winning Coach of the Month. And what he has said now only reinforces the stance he has long held.
The 37-year-old has done an outstanding job leading Boston to the second seed in the East behind the Detroit Pistons with a 50-25 record. Ahead of tonight’s outing vs. the Atlanta Hawks, the NBA reporters asked him about his thoughts on winning Coach of the Year this campaign. And his response?
“It is a way to make sure that the staff and the players, you know, get the appreciation,” Mazzulla replied. “I don’t need it. I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it.
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“And it’s more about the players, and it’s more about the work that the staff puts in, and it’s just simple like that. I don’t ever want to be asked or talked about it again. It’s just that dumb. So the players play, it’s about them. Staff works their a– off. I’m grateful to have them.”
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His response was swift and concise, ensuring that no one would ask him this question again. It also cements his position across the league and within the Boston Celtics organization, promoting the idea that no single individual is more important than the collective goal. In this case, that goal is an NBA championship.
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The Boston Celtics first elevated Joe Mazzulla from ‘underdog’ assistant to interim head coach in 2022. It was seen as a stopgap move in the wake of sudden organizational turmoil. But the Rhode Island-native has slowly established himself as one of the most iconic figures in modern-day NBA, often compared to New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick.
While Mazzulla didn’t want to discuss his candidacy, what he has done for the Celtics rarely misses the spotlight. He has guided the Celtics to their fifth straight 50-win season despite an offseason overhaul. Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder has nothing but appreciation for the job Mazzulla has done to lead the Celtics to second place in the Eastern Conference, saying he has done “a terrific job identifying where their strengths are — and they play to them.”
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With Jayson Tatum out for a major chunk of the season, not many expected the Boston Celtics to be where they are in the Eastern Conference right now. But Jaylen Brown, Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White have all done their part to make up for his absence. Brown, in particular, has thrived under Joe Mazzulla’s tutelage, putting up career-best averages of 28.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 7.0 RPG across 65 games.
So, while the Coach of the Year winner won’t be announced until after the regular season is over, who are the other candidates that might win it?
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Joe Mazzulla, J.B. Bickerstaff, and other potential COTY candidates
Thrust into the spotlight at just 34, Mazzulla responded by steering Boston to become one of the league’s most feared outfits, quickly shedding the “interim” tag as he proved he could manage stars, scrutiny, and sky‑high expectations. Since then, he’s quietly grown into one of the NBA’s most successful young coaches.
He led Tatum & Co. through deep playoff runs and a maiden NBA championship in 2024 while becoming a consistent fixture in Coach of the Year discussions. But this year, there’s another name that’s in the running for the accolade: Pistons HC J.B. Bickerstaff.
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The 47-year-old has done a commendable job leading Detroit to the number one seed in the East. He’s elevated the game of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, leading the Pistons to a 54-20 record as we approach the playoffs.
Another name doing the rounds is San Antonio Spurs HC Mitch Johnson. At 39, he stepped in to fill the legendary shoes of Gregg Popovich and has done a commendable job thus far. The Spurs are second in the West with a 57-18 record and remain firm contenders to win their first title with Johnson at the helm.
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OKC’s Mark Daigneault and the Los Angeles Lakers’ JJ Redick remain in contention for their outstanding work. Redick, in particular, has managed to revive the likes of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Deandre Ayton, thrusting LA to the third seed in the West against all odds.
With resumes like these, this season’s COTY race is less about finding a standout talent and more about choosing between very different kinds of excellence. Voters will ultimately be weighing narrative versus dominance: who did the most with the least, who transformed their team’s future, and whose fingerprints are clearest on their team’s identity.

The NBA Board of Governors has been busy this week. Right after voting to expand the league to Seattle and Las Vegas, it is now welcoming a new arrival. The board has voted for the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, March 30. According to an official statement from the league, an investor group led by Tom Dundon will soon take over the Blazers. While the official price tag was not disclosed, reports claim that the valuation sits at approximately $4.25 billion, a starkly different figure from the $7 to $10 billion entry fee for the brand new franchises.
The billionaire Tom Dundon is from Mavericks town, Dallas. Some of his co-owners have Oregon ties, including Sheel Tyle, whose wife, Dr. Sejal Hathi is the director of the Oregon Health Authority. With the NBA Board of Governors’ blessing, his ownership group will purchase the Blazers from the estate of Paul Allen.
The official statement read, “The NBA Board of Governors has approved the sale of the controlling interest in the Portland Trail Blazers to an investor group led by Tom Dundon, who will serve as the Trail Blazers’ Governor. The transaction is expected to close this week.”
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Details of the sale though are still a little obscure. Reports state that the sale will go down in a two-part deal. 80.1% is being bought at a $4 billion valuation by March 31. The remaining 19.9% will be bought at a $4.5 billion valuation and will close no later than September 1, 2028.
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The valuation highlights the rising franchise costs in the NBA after a new $72 billion media rights deal. With expansion around the corner, Portland’s sale reflects a changing landscape within the NBA Board of Governors as much as on the court.
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The NBA has approved the sale of the controlling interest. Bert Kolde, the incumbent vice chairman of the Blazers (as well as the Seattle Seahawks), will oversee board meetings but will have no involvement in administrative and governing responsibilities.
Tom Dundon could rescue the Trail Blazers
The Blazers have been under Paul Allen and his sister, Jody’s ownership since 1988. Allen passed away from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2018 and his sister managed the team. In May 2025, she put the team up for sale with the intention to donate all proceeds to charity.
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Tom Dundon had reached a tentative agreement to purchase the team in August 2025. At that time, there was a fear that the Texas resident would relocate the team out of Rose City.
More upheaval came in October. The Blazers head coach, Chauncey Billups was arrested in the FBI’s crackdown on illegal gambling within the NBA. During those uncertain times, Dundon’s group, however, reassured the city that the Blazers will remain in Portland.
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One of the first orders of business for the new owners would likely be the renovation of the Moda Center. The Oregan legislature has already approved $365 million in state-issued bonds to improve the arena. Adam Silver also met with officials to discuss the next steps, further confirming that the team is staying in their original home.
Besides, Dundon doesn’t have a habit of relocating his teams. He also owns the NHL team, Carolina Hurricanes since 2018. He’s also invested in Top Golf and in pickleball teams.
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His ownership style in the other teams has been diverting resources towards players. The Hurricanes have one of the highest payrolls under him. The result has seen multiple playoff appearances for the Hurricanes and turning a small franchise into perennial Stanley Cup contenders. He sold a minority stake in the Hurricanes for $2.66 billion earlier this month, leaving him a sizable fortune to invest in his new basketball venture.

The Detroit Pistons nearly pulled off the most unexpected result of their most successful season in decades Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With a road matchup against the team holding the best record in the NBA, the Pistons were without their top five scorers due to various injuries. No Cade Cunningham, no Jalen Duren, even no Duncan Robinson.
Still, the Pistons found themselves in an overtime game against the reigning NBA champions after trailing by 10 at halftime.
It took a Herculean effort from reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 47 points — going 12-of-19 from the field and sinking 21 foul shots — but the Thunder eventually put away a gutsy Pistons team, 114-110, in overtime at Paycom Center.
The Pistons had six players in double digits led by Paul Reed with 21 alongside 10 rebounds and four blocks, with Javonte Green adding 19 points and Kevin Huerter with another 17 with six assists.
Detroit’s starters kept pace with the Thunder early as Green and Huerter sank threes and they took advantage of second-chance opportunities. The Pistons would finish with 15 offensive rebounds, scoring 16 off those extra chances.
A 10-2 run to start the second quarter gave Oklahoma City some breathing room, but Detroit never quite let them run away as Daniss Jenkins started finding his groove driving to the rim.
After trailing by 10 at the half — while shooting 33% from the field — the Pistons opened up the second half on a 7-0 run as a Green three-pointer from a Jenkins kickout pulled them back within three.
Detroit stayed with the Thunder for the rest of the third quarter, shooting 71% from the field in the period to trail by five.
An early workaround by the Pistons found LeVert in the corner for a three to get two down in the fourth quarter. A few possessions later, Marcus Sasser stripped Chet Holmgren on the defensive end and found Huerter for the lead-taking three-pointer.
Going down as much as seven, Gilegeous-Alexander personally got the Thunder back in striking distance, scoring 11 points without another teammate adding to it until Jaylin Williams tied the game at 99 with a corner three.
Ausar Thompson, the lone typical Detroit starter available for the game, fouled out with just under two minutes to go in regulation after posting eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Even so, the Pistons held on for overtime after a potential game-winning shot from Gilgeous-Alexander was called off for a push-off foul.
The offense dried up in overtime as a Huerter three and a Reed driving dunk were the only real offense they could muster and the Thunder ran to victory behind an Alex Caruso three and more foul shots for Gilgeous-Alexander.
It was still quite the showcase for Detroit taking the top team in the league to overtime, despite all their absent contributors. Thanks to a Boston Celtics loss Monday night, the Pistons now only need three wins to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
BOX SCORE
Up next: The Pistons are right back to work Tuesday night, hosting the Toronto Raptors (42-32).

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey after his strange social media rant. The former Pistons guard criticized the NBA for celebrating Pride Month. Ivey termed it ‘unrighteous’, citing belief as the reason behind his strong thoughts. And it appears the 24-year-old didn’t take well to the league’s reaction. Ivey went on another long rant, dropping his version of the world’s truth.
That included advice to Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan. Jaden Ivey proclaims that competing for a championship isn’t going to help. He instead suggested Curry and others need to discover Jesus Christ.
“That’s why you got Steph Curry, he don’t know Jesus, and I pray he comes to the truth, that him & his family be saved in Jesus name…All them rings he got…all them rings LeBron got, Michael Jordan got, all them people in the HOF who don’t know Jesus Christ, it’s not gonna matter on Judgment Day,” Ivey said in his recent video.
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From the above-mentioned names, Stephen Curry arguably has openly spoken about his strong faith. He has tattoos to celebrate his beliefs and often credits God for his success. However, Ivey doesn’t feel that devoting himself to basketball is going to “do no good”. And that wasn’t the only thing he said.
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The recently waived Chicago Bulls guard is certain the NBA isn’t a path for him anymore. Ivey feels teams will refuse to sign him because of his complete faith. The Pistons guard even asked them to turn to Jesus Christ to atone for the ‘sins’ they have committed. It’s evident that Ivey is choosing to stick with his beliefs over a career in the NBA.
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Billy Donovan hopes Jaden Ivey is okay
The Chicago Bulls may have parted ways with Jaden Ivey. But head coach Billy Donovan is focusing on the bigger issue at hand. Ivey has openly admitted to struggling with his mental health. Comments like “The old J.I. is dead” after returning from a dreadful injury sparked wide concern.
It was also among the first times Ivey mentioned taking the path of Christ. But Donovan isn’t focused on his actions. The Bulls head coach just prayed that the former first-round pick is doing well.
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“I don’t want to get into what he put out there, but I hope he’s okay. I’ve had conversations with Jaden, and he’s been about having his knee and trying to work to play,” said the Bulls head coach.
Jaden Ivey co-signed with these claims. He admitted hearing about the Bulls’ decision while rehabbing from his knee. Ivey hasn’t played a game for the Bulls since February. Likewise, Donovan, having developed a relationship with the player, is hopeful for his mental health. That being said, he didn’t agree with Ivey’s claims. He upheld the Bulls organization’s commitment to setting “certain standards we want to have and try to adapt to each and every day”.
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In addition to his reaction, Donovan also implored players to be open about their difficulties.
“I think in today’s player, they know how to eat, they know how to train, they know how to get in the cold tank, get massage therapy, all the stuff, individual instruction on the court. But how do we help them mentally?.. Are we providing the resources, which I think we do, to help them in any way we can? And I think if any player reached out and said, listen, I need some help in this, we could help them,” said Donovan.
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What do you make of the situation? Let us know your views in the comments below.

Last week, reporters asked San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama in a post-match presser why he deserves to be the MVP this season. ‘The Alien’ responded in a nuanced five-minute speech, carefully detailing why he should win his maiden MVP title this year. Fans and the media praised his conviction, but a few individuals did not like his ‘politicking’.
One of them was former New York Knicks player Quentin Richardson. The 45-year-old featured on the latest segment of Andscape and was asked to give his two cents on Wemby’s post-game comments. Let’s just say, he did not hold back.
“I like everything about Wemby, but I didn’t like that. Big fella, your game is doing all the talking,” Richardson said on the show. “I don’t feel like he should have to go up there and politic to prove why he’s the MVP. Now, I also say he’s not the MVP this year. SGA is… My era wasn’t really like that. We wouldn’t go up there and say, ‘I should be MVP!’ We would be in the locker room, like what is he doing?”
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Victor Wembanyama made a case for himself, highlighting how defense is undervalued in the NBA. He also mentioned that the Spurs dominated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder throughout the season. Lastly, he asserted that his offensive style encompasses more than just scoring, citing rebounding, playmaking, and spacing as his defining traits.
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Despite this comprehensive argument, Richardson does not believe that the 22-year-old is deserving of the award, at least not at this point in his career.
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“I still don’t like that it felt like he’s trying to give his reasons why or persuade somebody why she should be MVP. I don’t think he should have to do that. I think his game is loud enough; everything he does is loud enough…I do believe that at some point, he’s going to be the MVP, but honestly, my opinion is that SGA is the MVP this year,” Richardson concluded.
Even Golden State Warriors vet Draymond Green took a sly dig at Wemby’s post-game statements, saying “I hated it…and I absolutely loved it.” But the injured Tyrese Haliburton sided with the European, adding, “If I was in his shoes, I’d do the same thing, I ain’t gonna lie.”
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Wemby, SGA, The Joker or Luka Doncic – Who will be crowned MVP?
A couple of months ago, the 2025-26 NBA MVP competition seemed like a one-horse race with SGA in prime position. But fast forward to March, and now it seems like we have a hotly-contested battle with multiple superstars gunning for glory. One player that has seen their stock (and odds) rise in recent weeks is Victor ‘The Alien’ Wembanyama. But another man hot on his trail is the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic.
The Lakers superstar is averaging 40+ points this month, catapulting his team to the third seed in the West. The 48-26 Lakers are 9-1 in their last 10 and seem to be quietly generating underdog narratives to upset San Antonio or OKC in the playoffs. As of now, the bookmakers have Doncic in third place behind SGA and Wemby, but this could change as we approach the last phase of the regular season.
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Meanwhile, Victor’s odds seem to be on the rise every week. There’s every sign that this race could go down to the wire as the top-three battle for bragging rights. Time will tell who comes out on top, but for neutral fans, this is a battle for the ages. So sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the fireworks!

Scottie Barnes recorded his second consecutive double-double, going for 23 points and a career-high 15 assists, as the Toronto Raptors destroyed the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday, 139-87.
Already dominating the matchup between Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls thanks to a 31-0 spurt in the first half, Toronto went on a 17-0 run to close the third and extending into the fourth. The burst, lasting a little more than three minutes, extended a 38-point lead to 55. The run also effectively doomed Orlando to its most lopsided loss in franchise history.
The Magic’s previous worst defeat was a 47-point rout against Chicago in 2017. And, for a stretch in the fourth quarter, Orlando appeared poised to avoid the dubious record. A 15-4 run Magic run pulled them to a 45-point differential with 4:26 remaining. The Moritz Wagner 3-pointer at the conclusion of this stretch represented the last points Orlando scored.
RJ Barrett also scored a game-high 24 points and paced eight Raptors scoring in double figures. Jamal Shead finished with 12 points and 10 assists, while Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poetlt each finished with 11 points. Desmond Bane led Orlando with 17 points, Jalen Suggs finished with 13 points and five assists and Tristan da Silva scored 12. Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s leading scorer, finished with just nine points.
Thunder 110, Knicks 100
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead Oklahoma City to a home win over New York.
The Thunder have won 14 of their last 15 and moved 2 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio for the top spot in the Western Conference. Jalen Williams scored 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting in more than 28 minutes, his most minutes since Jan. 15 and most points in the four games since returning from a hamstring injury.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points, while Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges had 15 points each and Towns added 18 rebounds. The Knicks have dropped back-to-back games after winning seven consecutive.
Clippers 127, Bucks 113
Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and John Collins added 22 to lead Los Angeles to a road victory over Milwaukee.
Kawhi Leonard recorded 20 points and eight rebounds and Darius Garland notched a 15-point, 11-assist double-double as the Clippers won their fifth straight game.
The Bucks, in contrast, have now lost four straight contests and 14 times in their last 17 games. Gary Trent Jr. led Milwaukee with a game-high 36 points on 12-for-21 shooting and Taurean Prince added 18 with eight assists and six rebounds, but those efforts weren’t enough without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Harris.
Celtics 114, Hornets 99
Jayson Tatum had 32 points, five rebounds and eight assists to help short-handed Boston extend its winning streak to three games with a road victory over Charlotte.
Payton Pritchard added 28 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Celtics were without both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Neemias Queta also pitched in with 17 points and eight rebounds.
The Hornets shot just 12 of 43 (27.9%) from beyond the arc, with Kon Knueppel especially struggling (1 of 6 from 3-point range). LaMelo Ball scored a team-high 19 points, while Miles Bridges finished with 14.
Pacers 135, Heat 118
Pascal Siakam had 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead Indiana to a victory over visiting Miami.
Micah Potter scored 21 points on five made 3-pointers, Kobe Brown added 18 points and Andrew Nembhard tallied 15 points and 10 assists for the Pacers, who earned their first home win since Jan. 31. T.J. McConnell added 15 points and nine assists and Obi Toppin finished with 12 points.
Miami was led by Tyler Herro’s 31 points, followed by Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 17. Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who dropped their seventh game in eight tries. Andrew Wiggins and Pelle Larsson each had 15 in the loss.
Trail Blazers 123, Wizards 88
Toumani Camara recorded 23 points and seven rebounds and Scoot Henderson added 21 points and seven assists as Portland routed visiting Washington.
Former Wizards player Deni Avdija added 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists as Portland never trailed en route to winning for the sixth time in the past eight games. The Trail Blazers are 1 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference play-in jockeying.
Will Riley scored 14 points off the bench for the Wizards, who lost for the 18th time in 19 games. Bub Carrington scored 11 points but missed the final quarter due to muscle cramping. Alex Sarr (left big toe) sat out. Tristan Vukcevic, Justin Champagnie and Sharife Cooper added 10 points apiece.
Rockets 134, Pelicans 102
Alperen Sengun paired 36 points with 13 rebounds while also notching seven assists, three steals, three blocks and five threes to lead Houston to a victory over host New Orleans.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Durant both dropped 20 points as the Rockets now hold a four-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. Clint Capela left his mark with 14 boards in 16 minutes off the bench.
Dejounte Murray scored 19 for New Orleans (25-51), which suffered its fifth consecutive loss. Saddiq Bey and Zion Williamson contributed 18 points each.
Nets 116, Kings 99
Ochai Agbaji and rookie Drake Powell combined for 17 points in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn stopped a 10-game losing streak with a victory over Sacramento in New York.
The Nets allowed the game’s first basket and never trailed again, taking a 27-point lead midway through the second quarter before getting their first win since March 9. Agbaji scored 18 points and Powell finished with 16. Rookie Nolan Traore added 17 and six assists as Brooklyn sealed just its third win in its last 23 games.
The Kings took their 11th straight road loss to an Eastern Conference team as DeMar DeRozan (hamstring) and Malik Monk (bruised shoulder) were out. Devin Carter led Sacramento with 20 points, rookie Nique Clifford contributed 17 and seven rebounds and Precious Achiuwa chipped in 16 and eight boards.

On Sunday night, the Denver Nuggets played the Golden State Warriors (at home).
The Nuggets won by a score of 116-93.
Nikola Jokic went off for 25 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and one steal while shooting 10/20 from the field and 4/8 from three-point range in 36 minutes of playing time.
Nikola Jokic Made NBA History Against Warriors
Jokic also made NBA history with his performance.
Real App: “Nikola Jokic now has the most games by a center in NBA history with 25+ PTS on 50/40/90%.”
Jokic had come into the night with incredible averages of 27.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest while shooting 57.4% from the field and 38.5% from three-point range in 59 games.
The three-time MVP still remains one of the five best players in the league.
Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints wrote: “We just watched Jokic in his bag carry a 19-5 Nuggets run to end the quarter. Ridiculously top tier hoops from that dude.
Porzingis and Green threw the kitchen sink at him and Jokic solved every puzzle.”
Jokic And The Nuggets
With their win over the Warriors, the Nuggets are now 48-28 in 76 games, which has them as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
They are in the middle of a six-game winning streak (and 8-2 over their last ten).
At home, the Nuggets have gone 24-13 in 37 games.
Following the Warriors, they will play their next game on Wednesday when they visit the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Jokic is in his 11th NBA season (all with the Nuggets).
In 2023, he helped lead the franchise to the NBA Championship over the Miami Heat.

Draymond Green can’t help it. Trouble seems to find the controversial Warriors forward. He feels his reputation contributes to some of the punishment he faces from officials. So, against the Nuggets, Green made a move that stunned many people. There was a major scuffle during the game. But the former DPOY was the one who kept his composure.
Notably, Gary Payton II snatched Zeke Nnaji’s headband, forcing security and players to intervene. Draymond Green was a part of the heat during the buildup. But when it got really spicy, instead of making his presence felt, the Warriors’ defensive anchor took more than a few steps back.
Even the game announcers couldn’t believe the scenes unfolding in front of them. “Draymond Green is completely away from it!” one of the announcers said during the game.
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Green didn’t just stand ideally. Rather than get himself in trouble, he spent time talking to the officials about the chaos. He then calmly walked back to the Warriors’ bench. Draymond Green didn’t show any emotion. It was something a veteran would do. With the game barely entering the second quarter, Green understood the ramifications of picking up an early technical.
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And as mentioned, Green doesn’t have to be the instigator to be penalised. Likewise, he gave officials no reason to punish him. It’s an encouraging sight considering Draymond Green’s struggles throughout the season. He’s the player with the third most technical fouls, with 12 this season. Moreover, Green has also been ejected twice.
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It helped that Draymond Green stayed on the floor for the Warriors. They built a 13-point lead in the second quarter against the Nuggets. The seasoned forward had 10 points and five assists before the break, playing the role of a catalyst behind the Warriors’ brief success.
Sustainability, injuries hurt the Warriors vs Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors have pulled out every player from their roster to manage the injury problems. And they had started to deliver, going on a three-game winning streak. It started off positively against the Nuggets. The ball was moving, and the Warriors defended well. But the second half was a complete contrast.
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The Warriors had just 11 assists and seven turnovers. They managed to score just 40 points, while the Nuggets put 70 on their heads. And Kerr spoke about the repeating pattern of the Warriors failing to remain consistent for 48 minutes.
“It’s kind of been a pattern of ours a little bit. We’re playing a really solid half, and then we just can’t sustain it. That’s where you really feel the injuries. You need more depth, you need more firepower, but we just got to keep fighting,” said Steve Kerr.
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Even the current set of available players has some health troubles. De’Anthony Melton is going through a slump. And Kerr revealed it’s due to a lingering thumb injury that the veteran guard is playing through. The Warriors were also missing Al Horford on top of both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Luckily, Kerr did offer some optimism around Curry returning soon. The Warriors talisman has progressed to on-court workouts and is nearing a return from his knee injury. His participation provides the Warriors with the ‘firepower’ required to maintain leads. With Porzingis also being available, a pairing with Stephen Curry could do wonders for the Warriors.
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Till that happens, the team needs to continue fighting and win as many of their remaining games as possible.

WrestleMania 42 is headed to Las Vegas in April for a two-night spectacle at Allegiant Stadium.
Since its inception, WrestleMania has been WWE’s flagship pay-per-view event, offering some of the industry’s most compelling, awe-inspiring moments.
WrestleMania 42 will be no different, as it features some of the biggest names in the industry. WWE stars Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Jade Cargill and Cody Rhodes, among others, are slated to appear.
Ahead of the action, Indiana Pacers star and wrestling savant Tyrese Haliburton shared his predictions for the main event match.
During an appearance on NBA on Prime, Haliburton weighed in on the main event heavyweight championship match between CM Punk and Roman Reigns.
“Imma go with CM Punk. [Roman Reigns] is my tribal chief and I’m rocking with both of them,” Haliburton said. “But, I’m gonna go with CM Punk on this one.”
Tyrese Haliburton Has Close Ties to WWE
Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, has been vocal about his passion for pro wrestling over the years.
The Pacers guard has attended Smackdown, Fast Lane, NXT, and Summerslam 2025, where he famously gifted a walking crutch to John Cena to use as a weapon.
Haliburton has even made an in-ring appearance.
During an episode of SmackDown in 2024, wrestler Logan Paul made a grand entrance alongside the Olympic gold medalist Haliburton at Madison Square Garden.
As Haliburton made his way to the ring with Paul, he spotted a familiar foe in the audience — Knicks guard Jalen Brunson — and stepped to him.
The NBA stars exchanged words and nearly came to blows.
Haliburton retrieved Paul’s brass knuckles as the match progressed before banging them on the steel stairs, triggering Brunson to take action.
The Eastern Conference rivals continued jawing before WWE officials separated them.
Following their viral altercation on Smackdown, Haliburton and Brunson were added as playable fighters in WWE 2k25.
WrestleMania Returns to Las Vegas in 2026
For the second consecutive year, Vegas will host WWE’s biggest pay-per-view event at Allegiant Stadium.
WWE typically changes locations for the annual show, but there’s a reason why they doubled down on Sin City.
Money.
According to a report from Brandon Thurston at Post Wrestling and Wrestlenomics, WrestleMania 41 from inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in 2025 pulled in $66,074,558 in ticket revenue. That makes the event the most lucrative pro wrestling event in the history of the industry.
Before WrestleMania 41, WrestleMania 40 was the highest ever gate in the wrestling business. If inflation is factored in, per the Thurston report, WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium in Texas was the second-highest gate in history.
In April, WWE looks to cash in again with another two-night WrestleMania event.
Following the March 27 episode of SmackDown, the WrestleMania 42 card is nearing completion.
Two new matches were made official: Drew McIntyre will face Jacob Fatu in an Unsanctioned Match, while newly crowned United States Champion Sami Zayn is set to defend his title against Trick Williams.
WrestleMania 42 features main event matches filled with legends for Night 1 and Night 2.
CM Punk is set to go head-to-head against Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.
Reigns outlasted 29 other fighters to win the 2026 Royal Rumble and earn the opportunity to headline WrestleMania against whichever world champion he wished.
Additionally, Cody Rhodes will defend the WWE Undisputed Championship against his former mentor, Randy Orton.
For Rhodes, this marks his second consecutive WrestleMania main event match.
Orton, a fellow second-generation superstar, will seek his 15th World Championship reign.

Since their nine-game winning streak was snapped by the Detroit Pistons last week, the Los Angeles Lakers have quickly regained momentum.
Back-to-back wins over the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets have lifted Los Angeles to 48-26 on the season, restoring their grip on the No. 3 seed in a tightly packed Western Conference.
The margin remains slim, however, with the Denver Nuggets just one game behind amid a six-game winning streak of their own.
While the focus remains firmly on postseason positioning, there is an increasing sense that the upcoming offseason could prove pivotal in shaping the franchise’s next phase.
Lakers Could Eye Multiple Roster-Building Paths This Offseason
The future of LeBron James remains one of the central storylines heading into the summer.
Should James depart, alongside several expiring contracts, the Lakers could open up league-leading cap space, with ESPN’s Kevin Pelton identifying the frontcourt as a key area in need of reinforcement.
Even so, the NBA Draft presents a controlled and sustainable pathway for Los Angeles to add young, cost-effective talent without compromising long-term flexibility.
The Lakers currently hold their 2026 first-round pick and are projected to select toward the back end of the round.
In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report analyst Zach Buckley projected the Lakers selecting Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Through 37 games this season, Cenac has averaged 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds, while shooting 48.5% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.
“Some clubs might decide Cenac isn’t worth the time it could take to develop him or the risk that the project will never pan out,” Buckley wrote. “The Lakers shouldn’t be one of those teams, since it isn’t hard to imagine some fun pick-and-choose actions between him and Luka Dončić.”
“Cenac should work as both a bouncy finisher and a pop-out shooter, and his effort level makes you want to believe he can maximize his potential.”
Houston Freshman’s Upside Continues to Draw NBA Attention
Cenac played a key role in Houston’s run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.
After recording seven points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a first-round win over Idaho, the 19-year-old followed up with 17 points and nine rebounds in an emphatic 88-57 victory over Texas A&M.
He remained active on the glass in the Sweet Sixteen, adding 10 rebounds in a loss to Illinois to close out his freshman campaign.
Despite being viewed as a modern stretch big with outside shooting potential, the Houston prospect shot just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc during the tournament.
Buckley’s colleague Jonathan Wasserman has also linked Cenac to the Lakers in recent mock drafts, while The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has described him as a “wildly polarizing prospect.”
Vecenie noted that, despite the mixed evaluations, several scouts remain intrigued by Cenac’s long-term upside, reinforcing his first-round projection.
Cenac’s blend of size and versatility would align with a Lakers team looking to strengthen its frontcourt moving forward.
At just 19, he offers both immediate flashes of impact and long-term developmental upside, fitting the profile of a player who can grow alongside an evolving core.
The Lakers are also expected to regain significant trade flexibility this summer, with first-round picks in 2026, 2031, and 2033 projected to become available in potential deals.
Whether Los Angeles opts to package those assets in a blockbuster move or retain them to select an emerging prospect like Cenac, the franchise appears well-positioned to reshape its roster through multiple avenues this offseason.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is on the verge of giving the Portland Trail Blazers a major gift: hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to overhaul the team’s arena in an effort to keep the Blazers’ incoming owner, billionaire Tom Dundon, from moving the NBA franchise to a new city.
The deal came together with little public discussion of how Oregon and other states in 2020 landed a $550 million settlement with the car loan company where Dundon built his wealth. The settlement followed an investigation into lending practices that Oregon’s then-attorney general, in a news release, described as “predatory and harmful.”
Now, Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica have obtained documents that reveal the role Dundon played in pushing some of the key company practices that regulators later presented as problematic.
Specifically, the documents show that Dundon, as the company’s CEO, was behind what regulators called an “aggressive push” at Santander Consumer USA in 2013 to waive requirements that car dealers prove borrowers had enough income to afford loans. The company would then charge more for those loans to ensure profit even in cases where borrowers ultimately failed to keep up with payments, according to internal emails and a slide deck that described findings in the multistate investigation.
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Oregon officials wrote in their 2020 court complaint against Santander Consumer that many customers took out loans under the “false pretense” that they were acquiring a car they’d eventually own, when in fact the terms of the loans were so onerous that they would “almost certainly” result in the loan defaulting and the car getting repossessed.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, when asked about Dundon’s call for waiving proof of income on car loans when he was at Santander Consumer, said in a statement: “Proof of income requirements exist for a reason — they protect borrowers from being sold loans they cannot afford. When those guardrails get waived, dealerships win in the short term, and consumers lose.”
Rayfield, who was elected in 2024, is working with other state attorneys general in a continuing investigation into another auto loan company, Exeter Finance, where Dundon’s website lists him as an investor and where he has served as chairman of its board. Dundon left Santander Consumer in 2015.
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“Working families put a lot on the line when they take out a loan,” Rayfield said, “and they deserve lenders who treat them fairly and follow the law.”
Dundon, whose deal to buy the Trail Blazers is expected to close on March 31, did not answer emails sent to his investment firm from OPB and ProPublica that included a copy of the newly obtained records and a list of questions. When provided separately with an overview of the story via text to his phone, he responded simply: “Can talk after 3/31.”
Exeter has said in regulatory filings that it is cooperating with the current multistate investigation. A spokesperson for Exeter declined to comment.
Asked for comment by OPB and ProPublica, Santander Consumer referred back to the statement it gave the newsrooms for an October story: “Operating in a highly regulated industry, we have robust processes in place that are designed to protect customers and adhere to all regulatory requirements and industry best practices.”
Lawmakers recently approved $365 million in public funding to renovate Portland’s 30-year-old Moda Center, home to the Blazers, one of Oregon’s most prominent businesses. The bill awaits Kotek’s signature. Combined with city and county money, the total proposed public backing has reached $870 million, far exceeding what the team originally asked for.
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Kotek’s office did not respond when asked when she became aware of the investigations into businesses connected to Dundon and whether it affected her position on giving public money to the team. Instead, a spokesperson pointed to public remarks Kotek made in support of public funding for the Blazers arena as the Legislature adjourned.
“This is a great first step,” Kotek told reporters at the time. “We’re going to get the best deal possible for Oregon, and the economic impact of keeping not only the Blazers but all the activity at Moda is really important for the state.”
The chief sponsor of the bill, Senate President Rob Wagner, a Democrat representing the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego, also declined to answer when asked if he was aware of Oregon’s investigations into Dundon’s businesses.
“The Oregon Legislature does not have a role in who owns the Trail Blazers,” Wagner said in a statement. “Our goal all along has been to support the renovation of Oregon’s Arena so it can remain an economic and entertainment hub for the region.”
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But a prominent critic of the deal with the Blazers said Dundon’s history with regulators is troubling.
State Sen. Khanh Pham, a Portland Democrat who cast one of just six no votes in the 30-person chamber, wrote at the time that she supported a public investment in the arena but worried the Legislature wasn’t including enough protections for taxpayers. She tried unsuccessfully to win amendments that would require the state to negotiate a private investment and revenue sharing with the Blazers.
Pham said she wasn’t aware of Dundon’s history in Oregon until OPB and ProPublica asked her about the newly obtained emails.
“This new information affirms that guardrails on public-private partnerships are important in all instances and especially this one,” Pham said in a statement.
“Ignoring This Internal Concern”
Dundon was known as a key player in the rise of subprime lending to car buyers, a niche that supporters say makes car ownership possible for people with poor credit. He sold the subprime company he founded to a Spanish firm in 2006, retaining a 10% stake and becoming CEO of the newly formed company.
In January 2013, he took a step that would keep the company’s lending from being slowed down by people having to prove they could afford the cars they were buying. He set a plan in motion that would let the company advertise to car dealers that Santander Consumer wasn’t going to ask anymore for proof of income, or “POI,” in order to issue a loan.
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“Lets do a test,” Dundon wrote to two of his senior employees, Karthik Chandrasekhar and Steve Zemaitis. “I want to waive poi more often.”
As the plan moved forward, Santander Consumer’s chief risk and compliance officer, Michele Rodgers, sent an email on Jan. 21, 2013, to Zemaitis and various senior executives expressing worry the company’s plan could violate federal law.
Rodgers identified potential concerns surrounding anti-money laundering and identity theft laws. She also noted that federal regulators were less than a year from implementing a new rule for another type of loan — home mortgages — requiring those lenders to “determine the consumer’s ability to repay both the principal and the interest over the long term.”
But the records collected by the attorneys general indicate the plan proceeded.
Two weeks after Dundon’s email, Santander’s marketing and sales teams got involved, records show.
Matt Fitzgerald, Santander Consumer’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, described a conversation with Dundon about “stips,” or statements stipulating the borrower’s income, address and phone number have been verified.
“I just rode up the elevator with TD and he wants us to market (fax, e-mails, sale handout) the waiving of stips to all dealers,” Fitzgerald wrote on Jan. 30, 2013. “And he wants to see these communications by the end of the day.”
He added: “We can serve it up to dealers that due to their good performance of the loans, we have decided to waive these certain stips to make it easier for you to close deals.”
Mark Williams, a former Federal Reserve regulator who teaches finance at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, reviewed the state’s summary of the company’s correspondence and said it was troubling that internal concerns seemed to go unheeded.
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Williams described proof of income as one of the pillars of bank lending.
“To say, ‘Sure, I’ll give you a loan and we don’t even care whether you make income or not,’ or, ‘You don’t even have to state your income,’ that’s counter to just sound banking practices,” he said.
By early February of that year, the company was days away from announcing its new plan to car dealers, including a fax-based marketing plan and promotional flyer, ready for final approval.
“Flyer looks good,” Robert O’Brien, senior vice president at Santander, wrote on Tuesday, Feb. 5, “however the POI change will not be in the system until Thursday.”
He suggested holding off a couple of days. Then Rodgers, the company’s chief risk and compliance officer, chimed in again with a question.
“What is the POI Change?” she asked.
“Tom wants to waive POI as much as possible and build in pricing to cover the incremental risk,” O’Brien wrote back. O’Brien said that their tests showed the stated income was correct on most loans, and that they would continue to require proof of income for dealers with a history of problems. He said they found that requiring proof of income “reduces capture especially in the nearprime segment.”
In other words, the company felt it was limiting its business opportunities by forcing potential customers to prove they could afford to pay back a car loan. Any increase in risk created by the new approach would be made up through fees and interest rates.
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“I am just trying to ensure we aren’t disparately treating any of our customer base,” Rodgers wrote to O’Brien on Feb. 5, 2013. Under fair lending laws, companies are not allowed to enact policies that would have disparate impacts on certain groups of customers, such as people of a particular race or gender.
Dundon is not listed as a recipient on the emails that Rodgers sent, and the degree to which her concerns may have been shared with him is unclear from the company emails obtained by OPB and ProPublica.
However, in the slide presentation regulators gave to Santander Consumer, they said the remarks O’Brien and Fitzgerald described Dundon making showed he continued to push for waiving proof of income even after Rodgers raised red flags on Jan. 21. The slides characterized Dundon as “ignoring this internal concern” from his company’s risk and compliance officer.
Oregon’s subsequent 2020 legal complaint against the company alleged Santander Consumer did not, as O’Brien’s email suggested it would, continue requiring proof of income from dealers with a history of fudging borrowers’ incomes as it launched its new approach.
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“When Santander rolled out this change to its funding requirements, Santander did not bar those dealers identified as ‘problematic’ by Santander from using stated income on loan applications,” Oregon’s attorney general wrote in the 2020 complaint. “Santander’s decision to broadly market its new stated-income policy, even to dealers with a history of misstating income, led to a significant spike in the number of early payment defaults.”
Dundon’s 2015 departure from Santander Consumer came with a separation agreement of more than $700 million, including cash for stock he owned, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Rodgers, Zemaitis and Chandrasekhar all left Santander Consumer and are currently listed as senior executives at Exeter Finance, a subprime car lender where a number of top Santander Consumer employees have landed.
They did not respond when OPB and ProPublica sent copies of the Santander Consumer correspondence in which they are named and requested comment. O’Brien and Fitzgerald are no longer alive.
Santander Consumer did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement it paid to 33 states — including Oregon — and the District of Columbia.
Private Business, Public Money
Six years after the settlement, Dundon and his associates are playing hardball in negotiations with state and city leaders to secure public money to revamp Portland’s Moda Center.
Although sports arena renovations in some cities have been 100% taxpayer-financed, at least 10 — including in Atlanta; Phoenix; Jacksonville, Florida; and Cleveland — have been funded wholly or partially with private money during the past decade. Just north of Portland, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena opened in 2021 after $1.15 billion in renovations that were entirely privately financed.
That same precedent exists in Portland: When the Moda Center opened in 1995 — back then it was Portland’s Rose Garden — Blazers owner Paul Allen got $34.5 million from the city of Portland but financed the rest of the $262 million construction himself.
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Dundon, too, has offered private dollars as part of arena renovations in the past. In 2023, he agreed to a new arena lease in Raleigh, North Carolina, for his professional hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes. Raleigh put $300 million toward the arena while Dundon committed to investing $800 million over 20 years toward developing an entertainment district in the surrounding area.
Portland was a different story.
According to a January chat group message from a city employee whose job is to manage sports venues, a consultant for the team and Dundon’s billionaire ownership group was asking for the public to cover 100% of the cost to renovate the Moda Center.
A phalanx of lobbyists hired by the Blazers, meanwhile, were telling state lawmakers they’d need a total of $600 million, starting this year.
“The assumption that the incoming ownership group can finance an additional $600 million for Moda Center — which is now a publicly-owned community asset is not possible,” lobbying materials from the Blazers stated.
After state and local leaders concluded that the team’s initial ask wasn’t nearly enough to cover rising construction costs, they bumped up the investment to $870 million.
Team representatives wrote in the lobbying material that the Blazers’ future in Portland was at stake — and that a departure would threaten the city’s turnaround from pandemic-era headlines about downtown retail vacancies and crime.
“If the Portland Trail Blazers leave Rip City,” team officials stated, “we are losing far more than the tax revenue the Blazers generate for the General Fund. It would have a devastating impact on the City’s national and international reputation and would feed the ‘doom loop’ narrative we have all been working to refute.”
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The Blazers did not respond to emailed questions. When asked about the lobbying effort in a March 17 interview on OPB’s “Think Out Loud,” the Blazers’ President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins said Dundon’s ownership group never explicitly told the team it would move without a public investment. But he noted that other cities are pushing hard to get an NBA team and said the Blazers had “heard rumblings” of interest.
“You have a team that has very few years left on their lease,” Hankins said of the Blazers. “You have a team that could potentially be portable.”
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson declined to say whether Dundon’s business history would affect the city’s ongoing negotiations with the Blazers after the late Paul Allen’s sister agreed to sell the team. The council plans to take up the issue of arena funding no later than this summer.
“Jody Allen chose to sell the team to the ownership group led by Tom Dundon,” Wilson said in a statement, echoing a point made by Oregon’s Senate president. “The City is not a decision maker in the process of approving franchise ownership changes; that authority lies exclusively with current team ownership and the NBA. The City will work in good faith with whoever owns the Trail Blazers.”
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John Van Alst, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, said state and local officials should use caution in negotiating with someone whose business the state previously accused of violating consumer protection laws.
“If they’re willing to violate those rules, I’d be concerned about doing business with them,” Van Alst said.
Van Alst said leaders in Portland, far more so than people buying a car through a subprime lender like Santander Consumer or Exeter, have options at their disposal as they negotiate for the Blazers’ future.
“They have more resources to make good choices, hopefully, than a lot of folks do who get themselves tangled up in really bad subprime auto financing,” Van Alst said.

Everything seemed to be going right for the New York Knicks as they entered the challenging Oklahoma City Thunder matchup on Sunday, March 29.
The young veteran Miles McBride was officially cleared for action. McBride has been recovering from sports hernia surgery, which initially placed his regular-season status in doubt.
Prior to Sunday’s action, McBride hadn’t suited up since January 27.
The veteran guard returned with a role coming off the bench. He had 11 minutes of action before he checked out with a suspected injury again.
McBride missed the rest of the 111-100 loss against the Thunder.
NBA Fans React to Knicks’ Miles McBride Concern
Here’s a look at some reactions from Knicks fans on Reddit:
“He was playing a lot for 1st game back,” said TeamPizza21.
“This fkn sucks – f*** the thunder (the refs) and Lu dort,” john0_0 wrote.
“Did he come back early? Thought they were saying he’d be out until playoffs when it first happened,” widedog4lyfe said.
“Im depressed about this. Shamet gotta come back 100%,” added jdavisjdkvjdhs23.
“I blame whoever let him play that long. Was clearly not ready, “Chewielee13088 stated.
The Knicks’ Early Reaction
With McBride leaving his first game back early, New York’s head coach, Mike Brown, was faced with questions regarding the situation during his postgame presser.
The initial messaging suggested there was no update on McBride as of Sunday night.
“I haven’t talked to medical yet, so I don’t know how it is, but it’s tough,” Brown said, via Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “He’s worked his tail off to be back… you felt his presence and he made us deeper.”
Considering the circumstances, the Knicks are going to have to move forward with plenty of caution. It’s not typical for a player to return from having such a long stretch of games off to immediately experience another setback.
Before going down with his injury, McBride appeared in 35 games for the Knicks this year. The standout guard was shooting 43.4% from the field and knocking down 42.0% of his threes to average 12.9 points per game.
Along with his scoring, McBride averages 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and nearly 1.0 steals per game.
Ideally, the Knicks would get McBride back and healthy before their playoff run. The setback suffered on Sunday could be a major factor for New York either way.

The NBA’s expansion to 32 looks to be inevitable as the league offices approved the exploration of two new teams. The first team would be in Seattle, which has been without a team since 2008. Seattle would also maintain their team history from 1967 through 2008.
The second team would be in Las Vegas, a city that has been gaining sports teams nonstop, with the Golden Knights joining the NHL in 2017, the Raiders in football moving there in 2020, and the Athletics in the MLB working their way to Vegas in 2028.
How would two new teams in the NBA affect the Cavaliers?
The first way is that the Cavs could have a new conference foe. Both of the new teams land in the western side of the country, and would most likely join the wester conference. That leaves a lopsided 17 to 15 teams, in all likelihood a team would move over to eastern conference from the west.
That team is unclear right now, but the teams that make the most geographical case would be the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Memphis Grizzlies.
The other way Cleveland would be affected by an expansion might have the most affect on the Cavs roster.
When an expansion happens, an expansion draft happens. The draft would be Seattle and Las Vegas picking back in forth until they fill out a roster. In previous drafts, teams are allowed to protect eight players, team’s can’t protect players on expiring deals or restricted free agents, and Seattle and Vegas can only select one player from each team.
So there is a possibility that the expansion teams could “steal” a player from the Cavs roster. The NBA is targeting the 2028-29 season for the expansion, currently the Cavs have just four players under contract during that season. Those players are Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Tyrese Proctor.
Donovan Mitchell’s current deal expires in the 2027-28 season, breakout sophomore Jaylon Tyson currently will be a restricted free agent in the 2028-29 season. James Harden’s current deal expires in the 2026-27 season, and will be 38 years old when the draft takes place.
Cleveland will have to make some tough roster decisions in the next couple seasons if the expansion goes through. Including locking down Mitchell, deciding on Harden’s future, and holding onto Tyson. Some of the fan favorites and key role players could be the way out based on the difference in the league.

Caleb Williams built a reputation last season as one of the league’s most clutch quarterbacks, earning the nickname “Iceman” for his calm-under-pressure style and knack for pulling off unlikely comebacks. Riding that momentum, the former No. 1 overall pick recently filed to trademark the “Iceman” name. However, the move hasn’t gone unchallenged, as an NBA legend, who famously used the same nickname throughout his 14-year career with teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, has pushed back.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for [Williams],” George Gervin told the Sun-Times. “He’s already proved greatness, and his potential upside is great. Like an ‘Iceman.’ But that name is taken… All I’m saying is, ‘Young fella, we’ve already got one ‘Iceman.’”
According to George Gervin, the “Iceman” moniker was first used to address him. He earned the nickname because of his incredibly calm demeanor. Even in the most tense situations, he would stay cool and not break a sweat. There was no trash talk or unnecessary celebration. He let the ball do all the talking.
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His Virginia Squires teammate Fatty Taylor gave him that nickname. Now, after so many decades, when Caleb Williams is trying to trademark, he is not willing to let it go so easily.
Williams filed four trademark applications for the “Iceman” nickname. One was for the name, one for the logo, and two were silhouettes of his outstanding pass to Rome Odunze against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.
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In the fourth quarter of that game, the Chicago Bears were 4th-and-8 with Williams at their own 43-yard line. After the ball was snapped, Isaiah McDuffie almost got him. But the quarterback quickly went past him and threw the ball to Odunze, and the latter caught it. His “Iceman” celebration followed, and the Bears overturned an 18-point deficit to come out victorious.
While the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL draft faces a new challenge, it is not the first time two individuals have had the same moniker.
Many athletes across sports go by the same moniker
The sports world is watching a new kind of situation, featuring a moniker battle. For years, George Gervin never thought of trademarking his moniker, but when Caleb Williams filed for it, he could not let it slide. Trademarking means getting all the profit from the commercial use of the moniker.
So, there is a clear motive for the former San Antonio Spurs shooting guard as well. But when it comes to people having the same moniker, it is nothing new in the sports world. There are tons of examples of two or more players sharing the same moniker.
The “King” moniker can be associated with LeBron James, Henrik Lundqvist, and Felix Hernandez. The former is from the NBA, while the other two played ice hockey and baseball, respectively. Besides them, boxers Ray Robinson and Ray Leonard are nicknamed “Sugar Ray.” Both Lawrence Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson went by their initials, “LT,” for instance.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will handle Williams and Gervin’s case. The organization will review both claims. If one of them gets approved, there will be a 30-day window during which third parties can oppose. If the decision goes in favor of Williams, there will be no issue with him getting called “Iceman.” But if it goes the other way, it could be an issue. There won’t be an issue with fans using the nickname, but the quarterback won’t be able to monetize it.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ attempt to trademark the moniker

Former NBA player Charlie Villanueva claimed that Kevin Durant strongly dislikes teaming with Alperen Sengun on the Houston Rockets. Both men made the All-Star team and are clearly the best players on the Rockets right now. Rumors have circulated about the two not getting along on the court after the alleged Durant burner account insulted Sengun.
Villanueva shared the following about the team dynamic, as transcribed by Fadeaway World:
“The real issue to me is, your two best players don’t get along. I don’t know what the relationship is, but it looks like they don’t f**k with each other. You can see whenever Sengun does some sh*t, KD’s making faces, body language ain’t good, and vice versa.
Whenever your two top stars are not on the same page, you’re gonna see results like this. At a time when you’re supposed to be coming together, I guarantee you that it’s pushing them more apart, games like this.”
Villanueva commented on the body language he sees from Durant whenever Sengun makes a mistake or goes for a risky play. The former player believes he sees the signs of two stars not getting on the same page and knows that usually spells the end of any chance for title contention.
Kevin Durant’s Burner Insulted Alperen Sengun
One of the main reasons for Villanueva’s comments holding relevance focuses on Durant’s alleged leaked burner Twitter account coming out during All-Star Weekend. The account made critical comments towards teammates Sengun and Jabari Smith in a group chat with NBA fans.
Durant allegedly said that Sengun can’t shoot nor defend effectively as a franchise player. Any team banking on a player with one or both of those issues will struggle, and Durant’s burner called that out when making critical comments to Rockets fans in the controversial group chat setting.
Sengun does have his flaws, but he’s emerged as an All-Star player who deserves the most credit for Houston’s rise. The evolution of the Rockets young core led to faster success thanks to Sengun thriving and taking big steps forward. Houston needs both Sengun and Durant firing on all cylinders in the loaded Western Conference.
Kevin Durant Drama Potentially Ruined Rockets Season
The overall point from Villanueva is that Houston looks like they have chemistry issues at the worst possible time. A hot early start for the Rockets had high hopes for home court in the first round and a chance to go deep in the playoffs.
Lackluster results have seen Houston falling behind teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The inconsistent play since the All-Star break sees a lot of criticism towards Durant and the timing of the burner account impacting the team dynamic.
Allegations of Durant keeping a distance from his teammates will not help the situation, and they’ll have to fix this issue before the playoffs. Durant seemingly doesn’t believe in Sengun, but both stars will need to rely on each other in series against dominant duos. Villanueva’s words may be proven correct if the Rockets have a quick elimination.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing five of their top seven players for most of their record-setting overtime rally to beat the Houston Rockets
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
By DAVE CAMPBELL – AP Sports Writer
Updated 17 minutes ago
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing five of their top seven players for most of their record-setting overtime rally to beat the Houston Rockets.
They chose focus over frustration.
With a game-closing 15-0 run, the Timberwolves came back from 13 points down for a 110-108 victory over the Rockets. No other NBA team has overcome an overtime deficit that big since the league began logging play-by-play details with the 1997-98 season.
“They fought through a ton of adversity. We should’ve won that game in regulation. We deserved to win that game. We were the better team all night, and we gave them a chance to steal it from us, but we stole it right back,” coach Chris Finch said.
After frittering away an 11-point lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation and fighting an imbalance in the foul calls all night, the Timberwolves found themselves trailing by 13 points with less than two minutes elapsed in the extra period on Wednesday.
Superstar Anthony Edwards was sidelined for a fifth straight game with knee trouble. Key backup Ayo Dosunmu was out, too, with a sore calf. Jaden McDaniels, who had 25 points and valiant defense on Rockets star Kevin Durant all night, started hobbling down the stretch of the fourth quarter and had to be pulled. Rudy Gobert, who had a steely 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, fouled out.
Then early in overtime, Naz Reid was ejected after voicing his displeasure with official Scott Foster for an offensive foul call. The fans at Target Center were steadily filing out. But after Alperen Sengun’s dunk put the Rockets up 108-95, capping a stunning 26-2 run, the Timberwolves refused to punt on this pivotal game for Western Conference playoff positioning.
“You just got to take it a possession at a time. Biggest thing is be in the moment,” said Julius Randle, who shared the duty of defending Durant with Kyle Anderson after McDaniels departed.
Mike Conley, who got a rare start with Edwards and Dosunmu unavailable, swished a 3-pointer with 2:45 left. Anderson tipped in Randle’s missed layup, drew a foul on Sengun and converted a three-point play. Then the Timberwolves forced an 8-second violation by keeping the Rockets from advancing past halfcourt.
Donte DiVincenzo cut in for a layup off a feed from Anderson to cut the deficit to five points. Randle grabbed Sengun’s miss at the rim before blowing by him for a layup on the other end to bring the Timberwolves within 108-105 with 1:34 left.
DiVincenzo tied it with a 3-pointer. Sengun missed a jumper. Then Randle sank a pullup shot with 8.8 seconds remaining for the lead.
“We’ve got real competitors in here, guys who want the challenge. It’s not the first time we’ve done something like that,” said Randle, who had 24 points, all after halftime. “When it gets tough, we come together as a group. It brings the best out of us.”
The Timberwolves (45-28) with the win stayed a half-game behind Denver (46-28) for fourth place in the Western Conference. They moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Houston (43-29) and, most importantly, evened the season series at one apiece. The Wolves face the Rockets on the road on April 10.
Despite taking 63 shots in the paint and only getting 10 free throws out of it, the Timberwolves found a way to pull out a win, even after Randle was called for a foul on Durant on his drive with 3.3 seconds left, sending the 16-time All-Star to the line with the Rockets 23 for 23 in the game at that point. Durant missed, then bricked the second one intentionally to try to keep possession.
The NBA’s two-minute report on the late-game officiating released on Thursday confirmed six mistakes on calls or noncalls, with each team benefiting from three. The last of those favored the Rockets: The league ruled that Randle maintained verticality as he defended Durant’s shot attempt and should not have been whistled for that foul.
“I’m so proud that we didn’t quit. We had a lot of opportunities to get very frustrated tonight,” Gobert said. “For the most part, we were able to overcome that. That’s the blueprint for us. We want to win a championship, so we know there’s going to be adversity. We know it’s going to come in a lot of ways.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat won the 2026 Slam Dunk contest, but it was Mac McClung who dominated the headlines. The only player to win the contest three times in a row did not participate due to an apparent insecurity by other players. The reasoning even caught veteran broadcaster Dan Patrick by surprise.
“Quite frankly, they didn’t really want me in it this year,” said McClung on the March 26th episode of the Dan Patrick Show. “They wanted me in it, and then some things happened and it kind of just went back and forth, and at the end, they kind of didn’t want me in the contest. So I’d already prepared. That’s why I released those dunks on social media because I’d already prepared.
They told me that it was just a weird situation, man. I think they said a couple of guys didn’t want to do it if I were in it. And I was like, ‘Okay, well, I don’t want to ruin that.’”
Before the Dunk contest, the 27-year-old also secured a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls. He was officially part of the league, and his participation would have boosted the mediocre Dunk contest. Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes missed one, and his attempts didn’t leave any lasting impression. Magic’s Jase Richardson’s fall was more memorable than his dunks. The eventual winner, Johnson, would overtake Spurs rookie Carter Bryant for the win.
It was Mac McClung’s father who wrote in a text message to ESPN before the event, which was cryptic in nature. “Not going to be 4 in a row,” Marcus McClung said. “Not one reason that I could say was the main reason. In my opinion, it is more like a bunch of reasons that just point to him not doing it.” His son just confirmed those reasons.
For the past few years, while the 27-year-old was constantly lighting up the G-League, it was the Slam Dunk contest that put his name on the map. He even defeated Celtics Jaylen Brown in 2024, further boosting the narrative that the players could have been insecure with his appearance.
Former All-Star stated that the NBA blocked Mac McClung’s participation
His absence raised questions, but not for Gilbert Arenas.
“He’s the only player in history to win it three times in a row, right? So Nate Robinson has three, so he and Nate Robinson are tied for one now, and that’s why he’s not in this one, because I think they think it’s gonna look bad that a guy who really never been in the NBA, never really got a shot in the NBA, will hold the title, if he wins the next one,” said Gil on his podcast.
“And he will have four in a row. He’s gonna go down as the best dunker ever.”
The argument from the Warriors star makes complete sense. Mac McClung has had only 10 appearances in the NBA since the 2021-22 season. He has bounced around multiple teams and eventually settled with G-League roles to continue having that dream of consistently playing in the NBA. But if he had won the fourth Slam Dunk contest, he once again would have been the face despite not being really a full-time NBA player.
While the NBA ignored the 27-year-old, the fans cheered him. On social media after the event, Mac McClung uploaded several practice attempts of his dunks, which were miles better than what everyone had seen during the All-Star weekend. But he has not let that setback put him down. In fact, recently, he dropped a career-high 59 points and became the all-time leading scorer in G-League history.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is under criticism for some of his in-game assists being questionable when looking back at the footage. Official NBA game scorers determine stats like assists and rebounds during the game. Stat corrections sometimes happen throughout the game with players gaining or losing stats via the scorer looking back at replays. However, fans are starting to look deeper into Jokic’s assists specifically as a superstar who averages a triple double.
Popular NBA subreddit R/NBA featured a top post today from user OurHorrifyingPlanet putting together nearly a full minute of questionable assists from Jokic solely in the first quarter. The timing is interesting since the scorers seem more favorable to Jokic early in games to help get his stats up quickly.
Jokic finished with 19 assists for the Denver Nuggets in their victory over the Dallas Mavericks, but the fan-made compilation soured some fans on his big night. The current pace of Jokic sees him likely to finish his second consecutive season with a triple double average. Jokic will join Russell Westbrook as the only player in NBA history to accomplish this multiple times. Oscar Robertson is the only other name on the list outside of Jokic and Westbrook.
Why NBA Scorers Inflate Jokic’s Assists
The human element of basketball often comes into play for scenarios like this. Jokic putting up triple doubles with relative ease makes that part of what fans come to see and expect from him. Stat scorers expect the same and likely favor Jokic to get the assist call on difficult plays more than the average player.
Past eras saw accusations made towards John Stockton getting favorable calls for both assists and steals. The legendary Utah Jazz point guard retired with a strong lead in the all-time lists for both steals and assists thanks to getting the benefit of the doubt on questionable plays.
Fans looked into some old Michael Jordan games and saw certain games with high steal numbers inflated with plays that could have gone to other teammates. The Chicago Bulls icon was the face of the league and received favorable steal calls. Jokic is not the first to have this accusation made about his stats, but it comes in the era of social media.
Will The NBA Make Any Changes?
Even evidence like this doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of the NBA. Jokic would still easily get his triple doubles without a handful of controversial assists, but it does factor into other issues involving the game.
The NBA has doubled down on gambling ads, and just about every stat has a wager associated with it. Other players missing out on assists or Jokic going over a certain prop estimate can cause gamblers to lose money and question the NBA ethics.
Teammates making their own plays were shown in the video compilation, but the box scores implies that Jokic set them up for the points via his assistance. The NBA likely won’t crack down on this since only a small minority is upset about it. However, a bigger issue or the story taking off in the playoff could see things getting stricter.

The world of sports branding is facing a sudden deep freeze (pun intended). The original ‘Iceman’ George Gervin has filed to protect his legendary moniker after one NFL star tried to stake a claim on it. Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears quarterback attempted to trademark the ‘Iceman’ nickname for himself. Within days, the NBA legend and his team responded with a stern reminder on who built the Iceman brand.
On March 16, Caleb Williams filed for four trademark applications on the Iceman name, a logo, and two silhouettes of his iconic jump pass to Rome Odunze. Reports claim he intends to build a Jumpman like brand around it. However, a 6’7″ obstacle stands in the way.
Within four days of Williams’ filings, George Gervin filed his own applications to protect the nickname. Gervin, who played in the NBA from 1972 to 1986, mostly with the Spurs, was bestowed the nickname by his teammate in 1973. He’d since been the only Iceman the sports world had known for five decades.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for [Williams],” Gervin told the Chicago Sun Times. “He’s already proved greatness and his potential upside is great. Like an ‘Iceman.’ But that name is taken. . . . All I’m saying is: Young fella, we’ve already got one ‘Iceman.’”
The 73-year-old has applied for trademarks for ‘Iceman’ and ‘Iceman 44,’ an ode to his jersey number. By all intents, he’s throwing ice (pun intended again) on Caleb Williams’ aspirations. And he’s got big backing in that.
Spurs stand on business for George Gervin
The San Antonio Spurs where George Gervin spent the majority of his legendary career was quick to rally behind their icon. They tweeted a picture of the Iceman himself on his icy throne, giving Ice King from Game of Thrones. It accompanied a definitive statement.
“there’s only one Iceman 🥶” declared the Spurs.
Williams earned his nickname only a year ago through a clutch performance in the 2025-26 Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers. Most don’t even know he had the Iceman nickname. The Spurs clearly are pointing that Gervin has held that moniker for a long time.
The nickname is so synonymous with Gervin that his business partner already thought he owned it. Jerald Barisano, president of Gervin Global Management, said he mistakenly believed the trademark was already officially registered. They’re are now relying on the US Patent and Trademark Office to recognize decades of established use.
If the USPTO rules in the senior Iceman’s favor, Caleb Williams will just have to find another ‘icebreaker’ (pun again) into the branding business.

Former MVP Joel Embiid could be one of the names available in the planned 2028 expansion draft for two new teams entering the league. The NBA is expected to bring basketball back to Seattle and debut a new team in Las Vegas to increase the overall league to 32 teams. An expansion draft will see franchises protecting a certain number of players and everyone else will be available to select from.
Sporting News forecasted that Embiid would not be protected from the Philadelphia 76ers due to his contract:
“Embiid will be in a similar situation as (Anthony) Davis. He’ll be making $67.0 million on the last year of his current contract. He’s been pretty good this season when healthy, but he barely plays right now at the age of 32.
By the time he’s 34, his health will have declined even more, and Philadelphia may be eager to get off one of the most overpaid players in the league. Embiid is a big name for Las Vegas that they can put on their marquee. He’ll make them competitive in the 40 games that he manages to suit up for.”
Philadelphia would likely protect younger players and talents on team-friendly deals in an expansion draft. Embiid making $67 million means they’d get free cap space if one of the new teams selects him to make an instant mark.
Why New Teams Would Select Embiid
Expansion drafts usually see the best talent protected, but it will be different in the NBA due to the cap restrictions and importance of financial flexibility. The recent WNBA expansion draft saw teams flat out protecting their best five players since everyone is paid within the same tier.
NBA protections will be far more surprising since each team will look at it through picking their best contracts. Embiid will only have one year left on his contract, and his star power could help a new franchise develop their fan base.
Las Vegas or Seattle would only have to take the risk for one season and hope to get the best version of an older Embiid. It is hard to see him falling under a 20 point per game average, even with the injuries and aging process. Embiid could help a franchise find relevance and convince future free agents to give them a chance.
Other Players Who Could Join Embiid
Sporting News forecasted Anthony Davis as the top overall pick in the 2028 expansion draft and the only name above Embiid. Other stars like Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Zach LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins stand out as other interesting names who could be involved.
All these names are strong talents, but they are aging stars of varying levels each getting paid a lot of money. Every franchise involved here could realistically opt to let them enter the draft and dare another team to pay off their contracts.
A lot can change in two years, so we won’t know the true names in the draft until the 2028 offseason. Las Vegas and Seattle will have some legendary names to choose from when forecasting ages and looking at overpriced contracts.

Joyner Lucas and NBA YoungBoy reconnect on their new single “Deep End,” building on the chemistry they first tapped into on “Cut U Off.” This time around, the energy feels more elevated. They balance an anthemic feel with deeper, more introspective themes. The track touches on how music became a lifeline for both artists, while also diving into the pressures that come with success. They reflect on staying locked in on money, keeping their circle tight, and navigating the isolation that often comes with fame. There are also moments of vulnerability, with references to therapy, mental strain, and questioning whether they can handle everything life throws at them. Still, both artists circle back to resilience, turning their lowest points into motivation. They reference jumping off the