MAY 29, 2022 TEL AVIV (Israel) - Germany took home the first FIBA 3x3 Women's Series Stop of the 2022 season in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 28-29. After losing their opening game against Lithuania, the Women's Series reigning champions won the next four contests, including a revenge game in the final against Lithuania (17-14). All of that... without a substitute! Fatigue didn't stop 25-year-old Alexandra Wilke from catching fire in the final. She had an 8-point, 5-highlight double-five, which included 4 key assists and 3 shots from behind the arc, which changed the course of the game after an early Lithuanian lead. Her teammate and number one 3x3 player in the world Sonja Greinacher was named MVP of the event after topping the charts in points, rebounds, blocks and player value. Kamile Nacickaite was limited to 4 points in the final but she led Lithuania in points and player value and carried her team to its best-ever result on the Women's Series. FINAL STANDINGS
1. Germany
2. Lithuania
3. France
4. Poland
5. Netherlands
6. Israel
7. EXE Wing (JPN)
8. Ulaanbaatar Amazons (MGL)
9. Spain
10. Netherlands U24
11. Mongolia
12. Romania
The Women's Series will be back on June 28-29, with the third edition of the Poitiers Stop. MIAMI HEAT FINED NEW YORK, May 28, 2022 – The Miami Heat organization has been fined $25,000 for violating league rules regarding team bench decorum, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.
On multiple occasions, several players stood for an extended period in Miami’s team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on, encroaching upon or entering the playing court during live game action in the Heat’s 111-103 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 27 at TD Garden.
TUNISIA’S US MONASTIR CROWNED 2022
BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
- US Monastir Guard Michael Dixon Named Hakeem Olajuwon BAL Most Valuable Player -
KIGALI, RWANDA, May 28, 2022 – Tunisia’s US Monastir today defeated Angola’s Petro de Luanda 83-72 to win the 2022 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Finals, which took place at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda and was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories.
Following the game, BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall presented US Monastir with the BAL Finals Trophy and US Monastir guard Michael Dixon with the Hakeem Olajuwon BAL Most Valuable Player award. Dixon recorded per game averages of 16.5 points and 4.1 assists and a team-high 21.3 points per game during the Playoffs.
2022 BAL Champion US Monastir went 7-1 during the Sahara Conference group phase and Playoffs, defeating South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers and Egypt’s Zamalek in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to advance to the Finals. Zamalek defeated Cameroon’s F.A.P 97-74 in the third-place game yesterday.
NBA Global Ambassador and NBA Africa investor Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), BAL Global Ambassador and NBA Africa investor Luol Deng (South Sudan), NBA Africa investors Joakim Noah (U.S.; ties to Cameroon) and Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria) and Charles Smith (U.S.) were among the former NBA players who attended games throughout the Playoffs.
Following the third-place game, the league announced several end-of-season awards, some of which honor pioneering African NBA legends:
2022 BAL Coach of the Year
José Neto (Petro de Luanda) led his team to a 4-1 record in the Nile Conference before defeating Morocco’s AS Salé and Cameroon’s F.A.P to advance to the Finals.
2022 Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year
Ater James Majok (US Monastir) helped lead his team to a 7-1 record and the championship after recording per game averages of 11 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 13.6 points.
2022 Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award
Anas Mahmoud (Zamalek), who last year won the Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year following Zamalek’s win in the inaugural BAL Finals, received the Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award for exemplifying the ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie.
2022 BAL Scoring Champion
Terrel Stoglin (AS Salé) averaged a league-high 30.8 points over the course of the 2022 BAL season (minimum six games).
2022 All-BAL First Team
Position
Player
Team
Guard
Edgar Sosa
Zamalek
Guard
Carlos Morais
Petro de Luanda
Guard/Forward
Terrel Stoglin
AS Salé
Forward
Radhouane Slimane
US Monastir
Forward/Center
Ater James Majok
US Monastir
2022 All-BAL Defensive Team
Position
Player
Team
Guard
Childe Dundão
Petro de Luanda
Guard
Jean Jacques Nshoboswa
REG
Guard/Forward
Brice Bidias
FAP
Forward
Aboubakar Gakou
Petro de Luanda
Forward/Center
Ater James Majok
US Monastir
The voting panels were comprised of coaches, team captains, sportswriters, broadcasters and NBA team scouts in attendance and varied by each award category. The 2022 Ubuntu Award, which is awarded to an individual or organization that has made an impact on the local community during the BAL season, will be announced at a later date.
The 2022 BAL season once again featured the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries and expanded to a total of 38 games that took place in three cities over three months: Dakar, Senegal (March 5-15), Cairo, Egypt (April 9-19) and Kigali, Rwanda (May 21-28). The single-elimination BAL Playoffs in Kigali featured the top eight teams from the group phases hosted in Dakar and Cairo.
National champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia earned their participation in the 2022 BAL season by winning their respective national leagues. The remaining six teams, which came from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mozambique, South Africa and South Sudan, secured their participation through the Road to BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent from October to December 2021.
About the BAL
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a professional league in its second season featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America. Fans can follow the BAL (@theBAL) on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and register their interest in receiving more information at NBA.com/BAL.
NBA on TNT’s Warriors/Mavericks Series Averages 6.7 Million Viewers to Deliver Network’s Most Watched NBA Conference Finals Coverage Since 2018 TNT’s WCF Game 5 Averages 6.8 Million Viewers to Win the Night Across All of Television; Together with Inside the NBA, TNT Nets Cable’s Top Two Programs on Thursday NBA Playoffs Coverage on TNT Averages 4.1 Million Viewers – Network’s Highest Viewership Mark Since 2018 TNT’s exclusive presentation of the 2022 NBA Western Conference Finals – won by the Golden State Warriors over the Dallas Mavericks (4-1) – delivered the network its most watched Conference Finals coverage since 2018, averaging 6.7 million viewers. Viewership for this year’s five-game series finished up 35% over TNT’s 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals coverage (Hawks/Bucks, 5.0 million viewers, six games) and up 23% when compared with last year’s Western Conference Finals (Clippers/Suns, 5.5 million viewers, six games). Thursday’s WCF coverage garnered the top program of the night across all of television (broadcast and cable) for the third straight time during the series, and together with the iconic Inside the NBA post-game show, delivered cable’s top two programs on Thursday. The Warriors’ series-clinching win last night averaged 6.8 million viewers – peaking with an average of 7.7 million viewers from 11-11:15 p.m. ET – to rank as the most-viewed WCF Game 5 since 2018. Overall, the network delivered its most watched NBA Playoffs coverage since 2018, averaging 4.1 million viewers (42 telecasts), up 11% vs. last year, while winning the night on cable in primetime 22 times. Additionally, Inside the NBA’s postgame coverage averaged 1.9 million viewers, up 6% vs. last year (23 telecasts).
Turner Sports’ NBA on TNT and NBA TV social media accounts have garnered a 40% increase in engagements for this year’s series vs. last year.
FIBA Partner TCL set in motion 'Break & Believe' campaign to boost women's basketball |
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MAY 25, 2022MIES (Switzerland) - FIBA Global Partner, TCL, has launched the new 'Break & Believe' campaign to boost women's basketball. The objective of the program, done in partnership with FIBA's 'Her World, Her Rules' project, is to increase the participation of girls in the sport by recruiting more players at school age through various activities. TCL and FIBA want to fuel girls' interest by having them meet and listen to current and former players, and coaches, to hear their stories about how they grew in self-belief by playing basketball, and how they managed to overcome challenges in their careers and break barriers. After hearing from those that have been at a high level in the game, girls will be encouraged to participate in group discussions and a basketball training session. The goal is not only to attract more players to basketball but to help them become better, more confident people. FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said: "We are excited to work alongside our Global Partner TCL and launch this important project with them. We have placed a strong emphasis on Women in Basketball, one of our current strategic priorities for global basketball, with one of the goals to increase female players' participation. Initiatives like this are vital in helping to achieve this." Yuki Wei, Vice President of TCL, personally invited all of FIBA's National Federation members through a video message to join this new initiative and work hand in hand with TCL to empower girls and support them and help build self-confidence and trust in themselves. "TCL started its journey as a FIBA Global Partner in 2018. In 2021 we extended our support to FIBA's 'Her World, Her Rules' program. TCL shares the same values as FIBA and aims to empower more girls and women to reach their full potential," said Yuki Wei. "TCL wants to continue to inspire young girls around the world with this new campaign and encourage them to break through their limitations and believe in themselves, with the support of FIBA and its National Federations. We strongly believe that those we inspire today will inspire us tomorrow." |
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 | Invitation message to all National Federations from the Vice President of TCL,
Yuki Wei. |
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'Her World, Her Rules' (#HWHR), a crucial element of FIBA's Women in Basketball strategy, began in 2018 and is a unique project and social media campaign aimed at promoting women's and girls' basketball across the globe through various activities delivered in partnership with National Federations. Many National Federations around the globe have received funding with #HWHR and the program continues to grow in popularity and success. Additionally, TCL launched its own #TCLforHer global campaign in 2021, which saw TCL commit to empowering girls and women across the world. As part of this project, participating National Federations will be able to enter a competition for the best Break & Believe campaign, with winners claiming various prizes. 
MAVERICKS 119 – WARRIORS 109
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 4
MAY 24, 2022
- The Mavericks connected on 20 3-pointers for the fourth time this postseason and the sixth time in franchise playoff history.
- Dallas handed out 30 assists tonight, which is a single-game high for this postseason. The 30 assists were the most in a playoff game since they had 32 assists on 5/8/11 vs. LAL.
- Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 30 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks tonight. Dončić joins Charles Barkley, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Ralph Sampson as the only players to record this unique stat line in a postseason game since the merger. This was the second time in 18 postseason games (Game 3 vs. PHX) that Dončić has missed a triple-double by one rebound or one assist, but the 21st time of his career (regular or postseason). Dončić recorded his 17th career 30-point game in the postseason, moving him into a tie with Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant for the second-most 30-point efforts by a player 23-or-younger in NBA Playoff history (LeBron James holds the record with 21).
- Dorian Finney-Smith went 9-13 from the field en route to 23 points. Finney-Smith finished 1 point shy of his postseason career-high and added 6 points and 2 assists.
- Reggie Bullock had 18 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. Bullock tied his career-best of 6 3-pointers, when he had a playoff career-best 21 points (Game 2 at GSW).
- Jalen Brunson recorded 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists tonight. This was Brunson’s fourth game with 15-5-5 in the postseason, with all of the instances coming this year.
- Maxi Kleber went 5-6 off the bench for 13 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie added 10 points and a playoff career-best-tying 8 assists off the bench.
- Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists tonight, marking his 100th 20-point game in the postseason. He became the 16th player to record 100-or-more 20-point games in the playoffs.
JASON KIDD
Q. What did you think just about the team's overall poise, focus, intent tonight, knowing their backs were up against the wall like they have been a couple times already this post-season? JASON KIDD: Yeah, I thought the guys came out no different than Game 3 and Game 2 in the sense of executing and playing at a high level, making shots was something that we've done in those games. Then defensively being able to rebound the ball. To have 30 assists, that means we're making shots. Again, being able to score, they're going to play zone for a majority of the game, so that's going to present a problem for them in the sense of giving up threes. We were able to capitalize on that tonight. Q. Reggie and Maxi both struggled so much in Game 3. What did it say to you they were both able to have such strong bounce-back performances? JASON KIDD: That's who they are. That's their DNA. It's not about just one game. It's about the journey. It's about being able to bounce back. That's what they've done. They've helped us as an overall team having that DNA of being able to have a bad game, being able to come back and play at a high level. Again, making shots is something we need those two to do and they did that tonight. Q. What is running through your mind in the fourth quarter as that lead shrinks from 29 to 8 at one point? JASON KIDD: They were going to have to put their starters back in, and they did. We did just fine. We won the game. Their starters had to come back in. They cut the lead. Our group continued to play. But they had to make a decision. They had to put their guys back in. Q. At that point were you hoping their starters came back in? JASON KIDD: It's a game of runs. The third quarter -- the Warriors, they're always going to have a big quarter. We did pretty good in the first three. They went on a run to start the fourth. There's no panic. We had a pretty big lead. They had to make a decision. They brought their group back in and couldn't get it done. Q. Coach, what were your thoughts on that extended halftime? Obviously there was a leak on the floor. Do you say anything to your guys at that point as they were getting back in about carrying over that momentum from the first half? JASON KIDD: We've been there before. We've had the basket tilted. We've had rain delays before. We've been able to execute in both those scenarios. So this wasn't the first rain delay we've had. To be able to stay warm, stay ready. Again, this group doesn't let anything faze them. They went out there in the second half, in the third quarter, as we talked about at halftime, we had to win it. That's what that group did. Q. Typically in these Playoffs, each game is in and of itself. I wonder if you feel like this gives you momentum that you guys have really needed to get in this series? JASON KIDD: Yeah, we've felt all along we're getting great looks. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't in this series so far. It's a matter about making shots. The biggest compliment we've gotten is they got to play zone because they can't play us one on one, right? This is a championship DNA team. They're giving you a compliment that they can't guard you. It's pretty cool. They're winning the series. But we believe if we can continue to we keep getting the shots that we got, if we make them, it puts pressure on them. Q. I heard God Shammgod say to Tim Hardaway before the game, it's the first night of us beginning to rewrite history. I'm not expecting you to repeat that word for word. What is the confidence level for you guys as a team this you're still very much in this? JASON KIDD: We believe it's just one game at a time. We did our part tonight. We found a way to win. The next part is to find a way to win on the road. Again, we can't get ahead of ourselves. It's still 3-1. We know going into Golden State it's a tough place to win, but we've won there before. We just have to continue to take care of the ball, make shots. Q. Luka played like a first-team, all-NBA guy. JASON KIDD: Pretty cool. Q. He was named to it tonight. What are your thoughts on his game tonight and his season? JASON KIDD: I don't think anybody is surprised that he's first team. It's really cool for him to be named first team. It just shows the talent level. The other four are pretty talented, too. So it just shows where he's going, his growth. Again, what he does for this team is incredible, not just points and assists, but being able to rebound the ball. At the end he came up with a nice little block shot to pad his defensive stats. Again, he's our leader. When he goes, we go. He loves that stage. Again, being first team with the other four, it's a great honor for him. Q. What do you got to do to get Dwight Powell to be more active like he was in the regular season? JASON KIDD: Well, I think we didn't see this much zone in the regular season. So for Dwight, he's doing everything we've asked him to do against the zone. In the zone we're getting wide-open looks. For him, we need him to rebound the ball and bring his energy. But when you see zone for a majority of the game, it takes him out of the game for his role in lobs, the things that he does best. But also, you know, for us, we don't judge them on the offensive end. I think he got us off to a really good start tonight. Q. I want you to talk about the mental strength of your team. It's clear it wasn't easy for you guys to win this game. How much are you happy with the mental strength of your team? JASON KIDD: Yeah, I think this group has shown it all season. We got off to a slow start, but we stayed together. We've been through, again, just like everyone else, COVID, injuries. This is a team. I've said this before, it's a special group of young men in that locker room who truly believe that they can win. LUKA DONČIĆ
Q. Luka, you guys were up 29 at one point. What's going through your mind when they cut that thing down to 8 points? LUKA DONCIC: Just got to finish the game. A win is a win. Just had to stay together and finish the game, win the game. Q. How do you take what you were able to do tonight to San Francisco on Thursday night? LUKA DONCIC: We got to believe. I think our defense was way better today. I think we attacked the paint. Those two things are key. That's what we got to bring to San Francisco. Q. How much do you feel kind of pride was on the line, not wanting to be swept? LUKA DONCIC: I mean, I still believe we can win, you know. Swept or not swept. In the end, if you lose you lose. Don't matter how many we win. We have to go game by game. We going to believe until the end. Q. Right before the game they announced you made First Team All NBA again. I'm curious your reaction to that, getting to join that group again. LUKA DONCIC: I mean, it's a blessing, man, you know. Like I say, when I was a kid, I only dream of being in the NBA. Now it's my third All-NBA team. It's really a blessing, you know. I'm really, really happy and thankful for everybody that made it happen. Q. While you were 4 of 14 in the first half, guys like Bullock and Kleber, Ntilikina were making three-pointers. What kind of lift does that give you in particular and the rest of the team when those guys' shots start falling? LUKA DONCIC: It's great. I think we have a lot of weapons. If they make shots, I think it's tough to beat us. But no matter if they make shots or not, you know, I think they impact the game differently without stats, too. I think those guys are the key to our wins. Q. Your numbers in closeout games are in general ridiculous. Tonight 30 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, two blocks, two steals. Is there something you mentally do differently in a situation like this where you know your season is on the line? LUKA DONCIC: No, I don't think so. I don't think nothing differently. I just want to win the game and that's it. Now we won two games, against the wall. We got more to do, you know. This is nothing. We got three more. We have to go game by game and believe. Q. You've done a lot for this franchise. Is there anything you can do to help fix the roof? LUKA DONCIC: I wish (smiling). I'll ask Dirk. Dirk got more memories in this building. He'll know. Q. Do you have favorite rain delay activities at this point? LUKA DONCIC: What? Q. Favorite rain delay activities. LUKA DONCIC: I don't like 'em (smiling). I had to get warm again, so... I didn't like it. Q. Didn't look like you went down the tunnel. Did you go away for a while? LUKA DONCIC: Yeah, I just went to locker room. I play some Rummy. You know Rummy (laughter)? The last time we were here it was like 45 minutes that happened. I thought it was going to be more than that. Q. Do you like rain delays better or broken rim delays better? LUKA DONCIC: Rain because the broken rim was 45 minutes or even an hour. Rain was kind of easier. Q. You were scoring a lot in the third quarter. LUKA DONCIC: Oh, yeah. Maybe was the rain. I don't know. DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH
Q. Dorian, how much I guess motivation or pride did y'all feel tonight knowing that there might be or could be a significant difference between getting swept and getting to extend the series? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Everybody in that locker room feel like we have more basketball to play. We just wanted to get the win by any means necessary, and I feel like we came out desperate that first half. Q. Was there any difference just besides shots falling straighter that you can point to for why there was more flow and ease on offense tonight? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: No, we just made shots. We also was getting stops. We got the chance to play a little faster. We got the open shots early in the shot clock, and not like end of the shot clock, trying to shoot a bomb. Q. Is a night like tonight affirmation that what you were doing offensively was even working the first three games except for the ball actually going through the hoop? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Yeah, I feel like we've been getting great looks. We just got to keep shooting with confidence. We feel like we know when the shot is going to come, going to be at now. We just got to execute the game plan for 48 minutes. Q. What's going through your mind in the fourth quarter as the lead starts to shrink? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Finish the game, just get the win. We got to do a better job of, you know, keeping the lead, making them drive and shoot more tough twos when we got a lead like that. The only way they get back in the game is making threes. We just got to be better. Q. Maxi was 2 of 14 from the field coming into the game. Bullock was coming off an 0 for 10. What kind of lift does it give you the rest of the guys when guys that have been struggling start off hot like tonight? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: I wasn't really worried about Reggie because I knew he was going to bounce back. But Maxi, again, told him to shoot 10 threes (smiling). But I'm just happy he got to see the ball go in. We just keep this thing rolling. Q. You guys have been having problems on the boards. How comforting is it to win the rebounding battle tonight? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Looney and Wiggins been doing a great job of being active. But it takes all five guys. Sometimes it's hard to come back and rebound when you got guys like Steph Curry at halfcourt and Klay at halfcourt. Really don't want to run all the way back in and help rebound, but we got to do it if we want to win. Q. What is it going to take to go there and win a game? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: It's going to take all of us. Even the bench, who have been getting a lot of stagnant. We going to need everybody to play like we did today, the first three quarters. Make 'em miss shots. If we guard how we supposed to guard, I feel like it is going to give us a chance. Q. Frank Ntilikina, what does he add to the team? How would you describe his impact on the team's success? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Frank, he's another great defender. Tall, can guard multiple positions. Also he can knock down the three. He just got to shoot it with confidence. I feel like tonight he played well. But we just got to keep it going. Bertans has been playing good. We going to need everybody because me and Reggie can't play the whole game. We going to get tired, especially chasing them guys around the whole game, you know. It's going to take more than just me and Reggie guarding them guys. Q. About six players have double-digit scores today. For you, what was the key for this offensive improvement that was so important for the team today? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Shoot the ball with confidence. I know if we was going to lose today, I wanted to go out shooting. So that's why I came out and I just wanted to be a little bit more aggressive. I'm just happy we got the win. Q. No team in history has ever came back from an 0-3 deficit. Now it's 1-3. What motivates the team thinking about Game 5? DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH: Just got to take it one play at a time. It's going to be a hard game. I mean, it ain't gonna be nothing easy. We want to do something special. Like you said, be the first team to do something special. It's going to be very hard but we can do it. We just got to stick together. MAXI KLEBER
Q. Maxi, you hadn't attempted a two-pointer this series before tonight. Was getting a two, finding shots within the arc, something that you noticed or was an emphasis? MAXI KLEBER: I didn't really emphasize on it. I just tried to do, like, the right things, get the right spacing. Today when they play zone or when they double-team Luka, it's a short roll that's open. The first one I caught really deep, so it was like a layup, otherwise you try to find guys and kick out. I'm not worried about what shot I get, if it's a two-pointer or three-pointer. I just try to make the right decision. Q. Jason said it was a nice compliment for this team that they had to go to zone a lot. Do you see it that way as well? MAXI KLEBER: Yeah, I mean, I think not just this series but even before we did a great job with Spencer, J.B. and Luka attacking mismatches and all that. It just shows that they just try different things to take that away from them. They force other shots. Last game we didn't really shoot the ball well. Today we shot the ball better. It's one key to win the game then. Q. This late into the season, do you feel like what you're being asked to do is different than what you were asked to do during the regular season? How different would you say your role is if at all? MAXI KLEBER: I don't think it's really that much different. I think everything we do is just a lot more detailed. So on offense, on defense, you have a lot more information. I think that makes it like a little bit easier sometimes to play because you just know what to do because there's certain things that they just want from you because everything is so detailed, we know exactly how to attack that. I think the coaches do a great job analyzing the games, coming in and then, like today in shootaround, we talked about how to attack the zone, make adjustments and all that. I would say it's pretty much the same, everything we do is just like a lot more detailed. Q. I heard God Shammgod said to Tim Hardaway Jr. tonight this was the first night of y'all starting to rewrite history. What is the confidence level here? MAXI KLEBER: I mean, if you don't believe in it, you might as well just stay home, right? We come here to win games. Game 2, we had a big lead, we should have won the game. We gave it away. Game 3, we didn't shoot the ball well. We have the power to beat them. We just stay confident, that was one game. Now we're just focused on the next game, nothing else. Everything else is in the past. We don't have to worry about what's coming after this game, we just focus on that game, prepare again, analyze what we can do better on offense and defense, just go from there. Q. You were in a really good rhythm from three-point in the first two series. Could you put a finger on why you got off to a slower start in this series? Not as many open looks? MAXI KLEBER: I don't know. Like I just keep shooting the ball when I'm open. It's the right decision, I just take the shot. Like I guess everybody else would be open. I had, like, a couple shots where I thought it's going to go in for sure. If you make three more shots, it's a totally different percentage, so we're not talking about a big sample size. Obviously you want to make your shots. I'm going into the game with the same mindset. If you get the shot or you have that pick-and-pop, that's a shot you take, that's the right decision. We going to take it every time. Q. You talk about the confidence you guys have. How much of that derives from Coach Kidd and the way he prepares you guys, what he says to you guys? MAXI KLEBER: It starts obviously with him. But all season long he always believed in us, the way he prepares us for games, especially now in the Playoffs, sometimes he even asks, Do you guys believe? Obviously the answer is yes. He makes sure we do. The way he prepares us, the way he talks to us, we know that he got our back, too. So, you know, obviously if your coach is on your side, you know that gives you a little boost, too. I think he's a big part of why we are so confident as a team, too. Q. Putting things into perspective, what made this game so different compared to the other three? MAXI KLEBER: I think overall after the first game we did a better adjustment on defense, taking like threes away, forcing them to more midrange jumpers. On offense we just made shots, so that's the difference. Q. How confident are you as a team for the next game? What are those things that you take from tonight and would like to repeat in San Francisco? MAXI KLEBER: Yeah, obviously playing there is not easy. They have the crowd on their side again. But like I said in Game 2, we proved that we can play the right way and be up. We just got to do a better job maintaining leads if we have them, same like today. We stay confident, as I said. We have no reason to be shy. With the back against the wall basically, we just go out there and play our best, play hard, come out and compete like today. Q. How much of a pressure is it knowing that you have to win the game? Is there some concern of preparing for the next game about that kind of stuff? MAXI KLEBER: I mean, I don't really like to think about pressure that much. I think the pressure is more on their side to win the games. We have at this point nothing to lose, so we just go out and play free. That's kind of what we did today. But, you know, I would say, like, maybe you have that little bit of pressure feeling before. But as soon as you step on the court, you don't think about stuff like that, you just go out there and play and try to make the right decisions, take the right shots, play the right defensive scheme. I don't know. At the end of the day you just go out there and do your best, everything else, whatever happens, happens. Q. How important is home-court advantage? Will you miss that in the next game? MAXI KLEBER: Obviously. Being or playing at home with your fans is a big difference. Playing there, obviously it's going to make a little change for us, too, because the crowd is going to be loud. When they make a crazy shot or whatever, everybody gets hyped. We have to maintain our cool and just keep playing our game, not get distracted by that.
STEVE KERR
Q. What were the conversations in the fourth quarter when the second unit starts bringing it back, when to bring your main guys in, and why did you decide?
STEVE KERR: Yeah, I mean, with about five minutes left, I think we cut it to 14 or so. And I kind of looked at the other coaches, I looked at Steph, and we just decided if it gets manageable and possible, then let's do it. And felt like we had a shot with, I guess, three and a half minutes left when we put Steph and Wiggs and Klay in. I also felt like the group that had played that great run in the fourth quarter, maybe was getting a little tired there. And so just made the decision to see if we can pull off a miracle. But it wasn't meant to be. Dallas was great tonight. They deserved to win. They executed. They played with more force. And this is the Conference Finals. This is how it's supposed to be, two great teams, and they handled us well tonight. Q. How did you address the team on such an emotional night and get them ready before the game? STEVE KERR: You know, just talked basketball. Sort of an unspoken awareness of what happened today. It was a very quiet locker room beforehand. I feel like as a coach, my job is getting the team ready to play. Difficult to sort of keep perspective on a day like today. But that's -- you know, that's the shock and the grief, the anger, is there from all of our guys and I'm sure from everybody in the building. So you just, you have to kept that and go out and play, and that's what we tried to do. Q. Were there any conversations not to have this game? Were you aware of any discussions? STEVE KERR: No, I did not hear anything about – Q. Would you have supported that? STEVE KERR: I would have supported whatever the league decided. I supported the fact that they decided to play. I mean, you know, we just -- we're just league employees, and if they want us to play, we'll play. Q. You went with Kuminga with Porter out tonight. What did you think about his minutes tonight? STEVE KERR: Yeah, JK did a good job. He was part of that group in the fourth quarter that really battled back and gave us a sliver of a chance. He played with some force and got to the line and did some good things for us. Q. They hit 20 threes. Did you feel like there was more defensive breakdowns for you guys? STEVE KERR: Yeah, especially early. I think they had seven corner threes in the first quarter, maybe the first half. But they had a bunch of corner threes. One, there was a breakdown in transition after a made basket. Shouldn't have been a problem, and Finny-Smith, I think his first three, wide-open corner three. We weren't alert tonight defensively. We weren't sharp. And I thought we let them kind of get into a groove, and once a team like that gets into a three-point groove, it's tough to get them out of it. Q. What do you think those young guys did in the fourth quarter? What did you like about what happened there? STEVE KERR: I liked the ball movement. I thought overall tonight, the ball did not move well enough way too much dribbling, and I thought that group came out and did a better job moving the ball and we got some easy buckets. Q. What did you see, to start of the second quarter? STEVE KERR: Too much dribbling, yeah, and porous defense. So bad combination. Q. Obviously it's not the result of the game, but did you find yourself thinking or drifting at all, knowing what happened today? Was there any, hey, I've got to get focused here, kind of thing? STEVE KERR: Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Especially before the game, before it started. I think we all felt the anger, the frustrating. I know I expressed it to you guys. So I was pretty emotional, and I tried to just, you know, get myself composed and coach the team. So you know, once the game started, I was focused on the game. But tough day for everybody. But you know, that -- that sounds like a very inappropriate thing to say, tough day for everybody. You know, I don't even know how to express the grief that those families are feeling right now. It's too much to fathom, too much to comprehend, and so yeah, we move -- we move on and we hope that someone actually decides to value our citizens' lives more than they value money and power. That's pretty much it. Q. Steph did Tweet before the game that he did Tweet your video and he says he hopes people watch that at least as much as they watch the game. Did the guys tell you that? Did they tell you that? STEVE KERR: Steph just came up and looked me in the eye and you know, gave me -- gave me the head nod and gave me a good handshake. You know, it was unspoken but I knew -- I knew what he was expressing. Q. I was just going to ask you about the rarity of a rain delay in an NBA game. STEVE KERR: Yeah. Q. Did you get an explanation, and was it a continuing issue, the moisture? STEVE KERR: No. Once they got it cleared up, everything was fine. So the only explanation was there was a leak and obviously it was right in that corner in front of our bench. When it was cleared up, it was not an issue.
STEPHEN CURRY
Q. Did it perk you up that if they could do this, we could probably get back in this game?
STEPH CURRY: Probably JK's three in the corner. I don't know what the score was but it was a different feeling. Had kind of nervous energy in the building and our guys were just out there hooping. It was fun to watch. It was fun to watch them just compete, find a little rhythm, a little chemistry and give us some life. That's what they are out there to do. It was just awesome to watch. Q. Steve said that he was talking amongst the coaches and did he ask you, like, hey, do you want to come back in? Do you feel okay coming back in, or did he tell you? What were those conversations like? STEPH CURRY: It wasn't really much of a conversation with us. I'm sure they were having it, as we were climbing into the lead a little bit. I think I mentioned something to Q at one point, that I'd be fine to go in whenever. And when he made that call at the timeout, I was fine physically and all that. It's kind of crazy to think we had an opportunity there and we had even a little bit of life, and it's credit to those five guys out there that made that possible and made Dallas work down the stretch, which hopefully in a playoff series, all that stuff matters over the course of each game. Q. They had 20 threes. What did you think was going on with you guys defensively? STEPH CURRY: A lot of that was just great shots by them. The way they play, we talked about it Game 1, they were heaving from everywhere. They were missing a lot of ones they probably thought they should've made. Game 2 they were hot, we figured out in the second half how to cool them down, climbed back into it and got that one last game was kind of average-type game. Tonight, you're playing, it was almost like an ego win. You come out and you really have nothing to lose, so that confidence started early. We didn't really do nothing to slow it down. And then that's when the avalanche starts. So it's a good lesson learned. You tip your hat to them because they made a lot of shots. We had a couple breakdowns in our zone that gave them easy looks, and they made us pay. We knew to close them out, it's going to be tough. So you've got to strap up on defense. When we go home, Game 5 and figure out how to slow them down, especially in the first quarter. Q. Steve mentioned he didn't think you guys were alert. Were there any specific breakdowns that come to mind on some of the threes? STEPH CURRY: They tried some stuff against our zone, trying to overload one side and force us to rotate and we were just a step slow. They obviously have a lineup where they can put five shooters out there, and then they switched it up, I don't know if it was end of the first half or second half but they put Luka off the ball in the zone, so he was the one catching with a live dribble and making us make a read. Playoffs are fun. It's a game of adjustments, and you've got to figure out, if you can't do it on the fly, and you have a game like you have tonight. These next 48 hours, get prepared and come out with another level of focus on what they did to win the game like they did tonight. Q. After Steve’s pregame press conference, you shared a handshake with him and no words were necessarily exchanged. Did you watch the pregame press conference and what was the unspoken message you were trying to share with him about his emotions after today's shooting? STEPH CURRY: I appreciate his leadership. It was on everybody's mind coming into the game. It's kind of hard to stay focused on going out and playing basketball knowing, you know, what happened in this state. I got kids. Send them to school every day. Drop them off. And you feel for the parents that are going through what they are going through. I can't even imagine the pain for Coach to say what he said, and every word he said was powerful, was meaningful. I accept that challenge of trying to figure out a way to, again, use my voice and platform to hopefully make change, and you can tell what it meant to him, come up in front of y'all and use this microphone to say what he said. Appreciate his leadership on that. He's been doing that since he -- since I've known him. Q. Was it difficult to get your mind right for the game, and how did you do that? STEPH CURRY: In life there's ways to balance. It's hard. You come in, the perspective is, you know, this is what we do. So you know how to kind of use your routine to get you ready, and obviously your mind wanders from time to time. Especially in the moment of silence before the game and all of that. It's tough, but it reminds you how blessed we are to be able to do what we do. We can get lost in a basketball game for two and a half hours, you know, even though it is difficult and know what's going on in our country. Q. For a team obviously still led by veterans with you, Klay, Draymond, how impressive is it to see two 19-year-olds with Moses and Kuminga being part of that rally in the fourth quarter? STEPH CURRY: It was great because they had an opportunity to go out there and make their presence felt, impact the game, build some confidence and some experience in this series and what it feels like to be out there. So with Otto being out, GP being out, there's minutes available, and for us to close this series out, Game 5, I'm sure they are going to be out there playing some minutes. Carry that confidence back home with us and hopefully perform the same way. Q. I know you didn't shoot the ball well as a team from three tonight. Did you like the looks you got or was it just they didn't fall? STEPH CURRY: I think the first three games, I would consider -- I would say we haven't shot it as well as we wanted to based on, you know, the shots that we got and the way that they were defending us. Obviously tonight, I only got up five, which is kind of weird, and I'll figure out exactly what they tried to do to take those looks away. But you know, we can probably create a little bit more volume but I think the looks that we got were pretty solid. Just we were taking the ball out the net or taking it out the free throw line -- or off the free throw line because we were fouling a little too much to start the game, and we couldn't really create a flow like we're used to. MOSES MOODY
Q. Moses, when did it feel like you guys were making headway in the fourth quarter, or did it even feel like that at all?
MOSES MOODY: Yeah, I mean, it did. Our job was to get out there, keep playing the game and tried to fight back and that's what I did. Get it close enough and in striking distance. |
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GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO, LUKA DONČIĆ, NIKOLA JOKIĆ, DEVIN BOOKER AND JAYSON TATUM SELECTED TO 2021-22 KIA ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM – Kia All-NBA Second Team: Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and DeMar DeRozan – – Kia All-NBA Third Team: Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Trae Young and Pascal Siakam – NEW YORK, May 24, 2022 – Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been selected to the 2021-22 Kia All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Antetokounmpo was the only player to receive All-NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots (500 total points), earning his fourth consecutive selection to the First Team and sixth All-NBA Team honor overall (First Team, Second Team and Third Team). This is the third All-NBA First Team selection each for Dončić (476 points) and Jokić (476 points), the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. Booker (460 points) is making his debut on the All-NBA Team. Tatum (390 points) joins Booker as a first-time selection to the All-NBA First Team. With the selection of Antetokounmpo (27 years old), Dončić (23), Jokić (27), Booker (25) and Tatum (24), the Kia All-NBA First Team is made up entirely of players age 27 or younger for the first time in 67 years (1954-55 season). Dončić is the fourth player in NBA history to be named to the All-NBA First Team three or more times before turning 24, joining Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant and Max Zaslofsky. The 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Second Team consists of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (414 points), Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (301 points), Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (276 points), Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (274 points) and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (184 points). Embiid, the 2021-22 NBA scoring champion, has been named to the All-NBA Second Team for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Morant, the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, is an All-NBA Team honoree for the first time. This is the 10th All-NBA Team selection for Durant, the eighth for Curry and the third for DeRozan. The 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Third Team is composed of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (174 points), Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (169 points), Suns guard Chris Paul (114 points), Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (110 points) and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (63 points). This is the second All-NBA Team honor for both Towns and Siakam and the first for Young. James has extended his NBA record for most All-NBA Team selections to 18. Paul has been voted to the All-NBA Team for the 11th time, the second-most selections among active players behind James. The 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Team was selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded five points for each vote to the All-NBA First Team, three points for each vote to the Second Team and one point for each vote to the Third Team. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most voting points. The voting results for the 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Team are below. The “Total Points” category represents voting points that players received at any position, not just the position at which they are listed. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards. 2021-22 KIA ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM | | G | | Position | | Player (Team) | | 1st Team Votes
(5 Points) | | 2nd Team Votes (3 Points) | | 3rd Team Votes
(1 Point) | | Total
Points | | Career
All-NBA Selections | | | | Forward | | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) | | 100 | | 0 | | 0 | | 500 | | 6 (four 1st, two 2nd) | | Guard | | Luka Dončić (Dallas) | | 88 | | 12 | | 0 | | 476 | | 3 (three 1st) | | Center | | Nikola Jokić (Denver) | | 88 | | 12 | | 0 | | 476 | | 4 (three 1st, one 2nd) | | Guard | | Devin Booker (Phoenix) | | 82 | | 16 | | 2 | | 460 | | 1 (one 1st) | | Forward | | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | | 49 | | 47 | | 4 | | 390 | | 2 (one 1st, one 3rd) | |
2021-22 KIA ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM | | | | Position | | Player (Team) | | 1st Team Votes
(5 Points) | | 2nd Team Votes (3 Points) | | 3rd Team Votes
(1 Point) | | Total
Points | | Career
All-NBA Selections | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Center | | Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) | | 57 | | 43 | | 0 | | 414 | | 4 (four 2nd) | | Guard | | Ja Morant (Memphis) | | 13 | | 76 | | 8 | | 301 | | 1 (one 2nd) | | Forward | | Kevin Durant (Brooklyn) | | 10 | | 68 | | 22 | | 276 | | 10 (6 1st, four 2nd) | | Guard | | Stephen Curry (Golden State) | | 9 | | 69 | | 22 | | 274 | | 8 (four 1st, three 2nd, one 3rd) | | Forward | | DeMar DeRozan (Chicago) | | 2 | | 39 | | 57 | | 184 | | 3 (two 2nd, one 3rd) | |
2021-22 KIA ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM | | | | Position | | Player (Team) | | 1st Team Votes
(5 Points) | | 2nd Team Votes (3 Points) | | 3rd Team Votes
(1 Point) | | Total
Points | | Career
All-NBA Selections | | | | Center | | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota) | | 0 | | 38 | | 60 | | 174 | | 2 (two 3rd) | | Forward | | LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) | | 2 | | 35 | | 54 | | 169 | | 18 (13 1st, three 2nd, two 3rd) | | Guard | | Chris Paul (Phoenix) | | 0 | | 16 | | 66 | | 114 | | 11 (four 1st, five 2nd, two 3rd) | | Guard | | Trae Young (Atlanta) | | 0 | | 11 | | 77 | | 110 | | 1 (one 3rd) | | Forward | | Pascal Siakam (Toronto) | | 0 | | 7 | | 42 | | 63 | | 2 (one 2nd, one 3rd) | |
Below are the other players who received votes for the 2021-22 Kia All-NBA Team, listed at the position at which they received the most voting points. The “Total Points” category represents voting points that players received at any position, not just the position at which they are listed. OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES: CENTERS | | | | Player (Team) | | 1st Team Votes
(5 Points) | | 2nd Team Votes (3 Points) | | 3rd Team Votes
(1 Point) | | Total
Points | | | | Rudy Gobert (Utah) | | 0 | | 5 | | 30 | | 45 | | Bam Adebayo (Miami) | | 0 | | 4 | | 16 | | 28 | |
OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES: FORWARDS | | | | Player (Team) | | 1st Team Votes
(5 Points) | | 2nd Team Votes (3 Points) | | 3rd Team Votes
(1 Point) | | Total
Points | | | | Jimmy Butler (Miami) | | 0 | | 2 | | 26 | | 32 | | Jaylen Brown (Boston) | | 0 | | 0 | | 3 | | 3 | | Desmond Bane (Memphis) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | | Khris Middleton (Milwaukee) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | |
OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES: GUARDS | | | | Player (Team) | | 1st Team Votes
(5 Points) | | 2nd Team Votes (3 Points) | | 3rd Team Votes
(1 Point) | | Total
Points | | | | Donovan Mitchell (Utah) | | 0 | | 0 | | 4 | | 4 | | Mikal Bridges (Phoenix) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | | Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | | Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | | Dejounte Murray (San Antonio) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | | Fred VanVleet (Toronto) | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | | 1 | |
About Kia America
Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia America continues to top automotive quality surveys and is recognized as one of the 100 Best Global Brands. Kia serves as the “Official Automotive Partner” of the NBA and offers a range of gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electrified vehicles sold through a network of nearly 750 dealers in the U.S., including several cars and SUVs proudly assembled in America. NBA Western Conference Finals: Mavericks vs. Warriors Tuesday, May 24, 2022 Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr Game 4: Pregame STEVE KERR: I'm not going to talk about basketball. Nothing's happened with our team in the last six hours. We're going to start the same way tonight. Any basketball questions don't matter. Since we left shootaround, 14 children were killed 400 miles from here, and a teacher. In the last 10 days, we've had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we've had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California, now we have children murdered at school. When are we going to do something? I'm tired. I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I'm so tired. Excuse me. I'm sorry. I'm tired of the moments of silence. Enough. There's 50 Senators right now who refuse to vote on HR8, which is a background check rule that the House passed a couple years ago. It's been sitting there for two years. There's a reason they won't vote on it: to hold onto power. I ask you, Mitch McConnell, all of you Senators who refuse to do anything about the violence, school shootings, supermarket shootings, I ask you: Are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and our elderly and our churchgoers? Because that's what it looks like. That's what we do every week. So I'm fed up. I've had enough. We're going to play the game tonight. But I want every person here, every person listening to this, to think about your own child or grandchild, mother or father, sister, brother. How would you feel if this happened to you today? We can't get numb to this. We can't sit here and just read about it and go, well, let's have a moment of silence. Go Dubs. C'mon, Mavs, let's go. That's what we're going to do. We're going to go play a basketball game. Fifty Senators in Washington are going to hold us hostage. Do you realize that 90 percent of Americans, regardless of political party, want background checks, universal background checks? Ninety percent of us. We are being held hostage by 50 Senators in Washington who refuse to even put it to a vote, despite what we the American people want. They won't vote on it because they want to hold onto their own power. It's pathetic. I've had enough. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
NBA Western Conference Finals: Mavericks vs. Warriors Tuesday, May 24, 2022 Dallas Mavericks Jason Kidd Game 4: Pregame JASON KIDD: Before we start discussing basketball, tonight's game, I'd like to say that our hearts go out to the victims and family of the horrific events in Uvalde, Texas. We send our condolences to our fellow Texans and we'll keep them in our hearts. We truly will play with heavy hearts tonight for the community, for the school of Robb Elementary School. Tough. Medical update. Timmy has a meeting with doctors tonight. Assuming that the checkup goes well, he will progress to more non-contact activities tomorrow. Q. How is the team feeling? JASON KIDD: Yeah, that's a good question. I just saw it on the news when I got to the arena. Haven't seen any of the guys yet. But, you know, it's tough, tough. I don't know what else to say. Q. When you came back to the Mavericks the second time around as a role player, what was that journey like for you? JASON KIDD: Yeah, that's a tough question. I can't even think about the second time I've been here. What's going on is a little bit more important than basketball, my journey in the game. So, for me not to be able to answer that question, my thoughts of my career is far away not important at this moment. So I can't answer your question. Q. Going off of what you just said about the difficulty of this moment, how do you prepare your group to try to not necessarily block out the news but to be able to focus on this game tonight, playing with such a heavy heart? JASON KIDD: Yeah, it's tough. You know, as coaches or fathers, we have kids. People in this room have kids. Elementary school. You just think about what could take place with any of your family or friends at a school. This is on-the-run job training. We're going to try to play the game. We have no choice. The game is not going to be canceled. But we have to find a way to be pro, find a way to win, and move forward. But the news of what's happening, not just here in Texas but throughout our country, is sad. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
TNT Continues to Deliver its Most Watched NBA Conference Finals Game Coverage Since 2018 TNT Wins the Night Across All of Television for WCFs Games 2 and 3; Together with Inside the NBA, TNT Nets Cable’s Top Two Programs for Friday and Sunday NBA Playoffs Coverage on TNT Has Propelled the Network to Cable’s Top Spot in Primetime for Fourth Time in Five Weeks TNT’s exclusive presentation of the 2022 NBA Western Conference Finals continues to deliver the network its most watched Conference Finals coverage since 2018, averaging 6.9 million viewers through three games. Viewership for this year’s series – featuring the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors – is up 39% over TNT’s 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals coverage through three games (Hawks/Bucks, 5.0 million viewers) and 34% when compared with last year’s Western Conference Finals (Clippers/Suns, 5.2 million viewers). The network garnered the top program of the night across all of television (broadcast and cable) over the past two WCFs telecasts, and together with the iconic Inside the NBA post-game show, delivered cable’s top two programs on Friday and Sunday. Sunday’s telecast – which saw the Warriors take a 3-0 series lead – averaged 7.4 million viewers to garner the network’s most-watched NBA Conference Finals Game since 2018 and cable’s most-viewed game of the 2021-22 NBA season. The telecast peaked with an average of 8.5 million viewers from 11:15-30 p.m. ET. Locally, Dallas’ 9.8 rating was TNT’s best in that market since 2011, while San Francisco garnered Sunday night’s top local market (19.4 rating). Friday night’s Game 2 telecast averaged 6.8 million total viewers, up 78% vs. last year’s comparable ECFs coverage on TNT and up 27% when compared to 2021 WCFs Game 2. TNT’s 2022 NBA Playoffs coverage has propelled the network to cable’s top spot in primetime four out of the past five weeks, while winning the night on cable in primetime 20 times. Overall, the network continues to deliver its most watched NBA Playoffs coverage since 2018, averaging 4.0 million total viewers (40 telecasts). Turner Sports’ NBA on TNT and NBA TV social media accounts have garnered a 43% increase in engagements for this year’s series vs. last year. TNT will continue its exclusive coverage of this year’s NBA Western Conference Finals presented by AT&T 5G featuring the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic against the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry tonight, Tuesday, May 24, at 9 p.m. ET.
Source: Nielsen Media Research thru Star Trak. Based on Live + Same Day Data. 2022 NBA Playoffs. CrowdTangle, Sprinklr & Instagram Business Insights. NBA on ESPN: Most-Watched Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 Since 2018 - Saturday’s Miami Heat Victory Over the Boston Celtics Averaged 6,805,000 Viewers, Peaking with 8,773,000 Viewers
- Up 19 Percent From 2021; Up 71 Percent From 2020
- Most-Watched Program Across all of Television for May 21
ABC’s coverage of NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 on May 21, in which the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics, was the most-watched Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 since 2018. The ABC broadcast averaged 6,805,000 viewers, up 19 percent from last year’s Eastern Conference Finals Game 3, and up 71 percent from 2020, according to Nielsen. The broadcast peaked with 8,773,000 viewers at 11 p.m. ET. Game 3 was the most-watched program across all of television for May 21 and the most-watched program across all key demos, including P18-34; P18-49; P25-54; M18-34; M18-49 and M25-54. In the Miami market, Game 3 averaged an 8.9 rating, making it the highest-rated Heat game of the 2022 NBA Playoffs thus far. In the Boston market, Game 3 averaged a 12.1 rating. The NBA Countdown pregame show for Game 3 averaged 2,414,000 viewers, making it the second-most watched episode of the show during the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The NBA Eastern Conference Finals continues with Game 5 on Wednesday, May 25, at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. NBA Countdown precedes the game at 8 p.m.
NBA’S REFEREE TRAINING APPLICATION NAMED INNOVATION OF THE YEAR AT THE 2022 SPORTS TECHNOLOGY AWARDS – Application is First of its Kind Across Major Sports Leagues to Utilize Advanced Technology to Instruct, Improve and Impact Referee Performance – NEW YORK, May 24, 2022 – The NBA’s Referee Engagement and Performance System (REPS) application was named the Capgemini Innovation of the Year at the 2022 Sports Technology Awards, presented by the STA Group. The Awards featured 19 categories represented by 110 brands, 37 sports and five continents. The REPS app is designed to aid referees and management in evaluation, collaboration, training and development. It utilizes a centralized performance platform with video integration and social messaging that allows users to watch, analyze, share, save, categorize and comment on plays. The application was designed and developed in collaboration between NBA Referee Operations and NBA Information Technology. REPS provides game officials and referee operations development advisors with a tool that is accessible from a laptop, tablet or mobile device. It turns training and development into a social experience where officials are utilizing technology to better engage and learn and referee management is improving its training and development of the officiating staff. Launched in December 2020, REPS has substantially increased engagement within the officiating community and coaching from referee operations management. The application improved on-court performance, enabled more consistent adjustment across the officiating staff and fostered sustainable enhancement to how management trains, develops and evaluates officials. In its first season of operation, the application increased referee and management engagement 935 percent over the use of email as a form of communication between the two parties. With the creation of playlists, referees and management can quickly curate and organize examples of plays and events to optimize peer-to-peer learning. More than 2,000 playlists were created in REPS in its first season. Through live game video, users can immediately view game events from a variety of angles, add events to a playlist or share clips in real-time for immediate feedback and training. Other features in the application include rule tests with video integration, a referee expense and logistic module, a search to easily find and view past events, notifications for real-time awareness and a resource page for rule books. On the management side, the REPS platform helps the developmental advisors evaluate the officials, utilizing standardized performance criteria and tracking individual and staff-wide trends in real time. It also helps capture and organize qualitive feedback that referees receive daily. The STA Group is a multifaceted sports technology business, operating at the heart of sport globally. The Group’s awards attract hundreds of entries from more than 30 countries and 50 sports, and boast a network including Olympians, Paralympians, World Champions, leading coaches, business figures, tech visionaries and successful entrepreneurs.
CHICAGO BULLS AND DETROIT PISTONS TO PLAY REGULAR-SEASON GAME IN PARIS IN JANUARY 2023 – Fans Can Visit NBAEvents.com/ParisGame to Register Their Interest in Tickets – LONDON AND PARIS, May 24, 2022 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that The NBA Paris Game 2023 will feature the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls and the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons playing a regular-season game at the Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Tickets for The NBA Paris Game 2023 will go on sale at a later date. Fans can register their interest in tickets and gain access to presale information and more by visiting NBAEvents.com/ParisGame. The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the Bulls’ third game in Paris, having played two preseason games in the French capital in 1997. Chicago currently features five-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan, two-time NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk champion Zach LaVine, and two-time NBA All-Star Nikola Vučević (Montenegro). The Bulls won six NBA championships spanning eight years, becoming only the third franchise in league history to win three consecutive titles twice (1991-93 and 1996-98). The Pistons will be playing their first game in France, having previously played regular-season games in London (2013) and Mexico City (2019). Detroit currently features 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant, 2020 No. 7 overall draft pick Killian Hayes (France), and 2021 NBA All-Rookie Team members Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons won NBA titles in 1989, 1990 and 2004 and made six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances from 2003 to 2008. The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the first NBA game in Europe since 2020 and the league’s 12th game in France since 1991. The NBA Paris Game 2020 – the first regular-season NBA game in Paris – took place Jan. 24, 2020, and featured the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks. In addition to The NBA Paris Game 2023, the league and its partners will conduct interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in the French capital. The game and surrounding events will be supported by a roster of marketing partners, including Foot Locker, Française des Jeux, Gatorade, Nike, SAP, Tissot and Yop, with additional partners to be announced in the coming months. The NBA’s presence in France spans more than 35 years. NBA games and programming have aired in France since the 1984-85 season, and the league played its first game in France in 1991. In addition to 12 preseason and regular-season games in France, the league has hosted interactive fan events, appearances by current and former players, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and, in 2007, Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen seven French players drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents, including Hayes. Opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 NBA season featured 12 French players. During the 2021-22 season, live NBA games and programming air in France on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, including 48 weekend games in primetime as part of the league’s “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K22” primetime initiative. The Jr. NBA “Challenges Benjamin(e)s” program in partnership with the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), now in its 12th year, has reached more than 260,000 boys and girls across the country since the 2009-10 season. In addition to FFBB, the NBA has also collaborated with the Union Nationale du Sport Scolaire (UNSS), a government body that oversees the organization and development of sports activities in schools, to operate the 2022 Jr. NBA FFBB UNSS League for boys and girls in Marseille. Fans in France can find more NBA information at NBA.com/France, the league’s official online destination in France hosted on beINSports.com, as well as on Facebook (NBA France), Twitter (@NBAFrance) and Instagram (NBAEurope). Fans in France can also purchase the latest NBA merchandise at NBAStore.eu. Executive Quotes: Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President – Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas: “It is a great honor to bring Chicago Bulls basketball back to Paris for The NBA Paris Game 2023 – an event that illustrates the league’s commitment to amplifying the national and global impact of basketball. Having played several games in Paris during my career, I know how special this will be for our players, our organization, and our international fanbase. We look forward to representing Chicago overseas and are grateful for the opportunity to do so.” Detroit Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver: “The Detroit Pistons organization is excited to take on the Chicago Bulls and play our first-ever game in France. Playing a regular-season game in Paris will be a great experience for our players and coaches and we look forward to showcasing Detroit Basketball to an international audience.” NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director Ralph Rivera: “The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are two of the most historic franchises in the NBA and feature an exciting mix of rising young players and established All-Stars. Welcoming the Bulls and Pistons to Paris for our second regular-season game will be a highlight for fans in France and across Europe, and with Paris hosting the Summer Olympics in 2024, basketball and the NBA are well-positioned for continued growth in France for years to come.” Deputy Mayor in Charge of Sport for the City of Paris Pierre Rabadan: “The City of Paris is extremely proud to host these two iconic teams in the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. This is an exciting match-up that brings to mind the historic showdown between these Eastern Conference franchises. Basketball fans in France have been looking forward to seeing a game of this magnitude again, and I would like to thank our NBA partners for once again choosing Paris for this regular-season game. Paris vibrates with the sport of basketball all year long and this major event will contribute to further developing what is such a dynamic sport, so I have no doubt Parisians will be excited by this news.” Accor Arena CEO Nicolas Dupeux:
“The Accor Arena proudly hosted the first-ever regular-season NBA game in France in 2020, which captivated fans and showcased our world-class facility to a global audience. It is therefore an honor to once again host a regular-season game in 2023, which will provide fans with a great show of sportsmanship and entertainment as boldness and excellence continue to guide our programming.”
NBA DRAFT 2022 PRESENTED BY STATE FARM® TO BE HELD AT BARCLAYS CENTER
- Tickets on sale Tuesday, May 24 - NEW YORK, May 23, 2022 – The NBA announced today the NBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tickets will be available for public sale beginning Tuesday, May 24 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased online at NBAEvents.com.
NBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm will be held on Thursday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. ET. ABC and ESPN will provide coverage for the first round and then ESPN will air the second round. This is the 20th consecutive year the draft will air on ESPN and the ninth year Barclays Center will host the NBA Draft.
trepreneurial Solutions Partners Joins Basketball Africa League as Official Partner | Through the partnership, the BAL and ESP will provide youth and entrepreneurs in Rwanda with learning and development opportunities, basketball training and life skills sessions | Access Multimedia Content | KIGALI, Rwanda, May 23, 2022/ -- The BAL (www.theBAL.com) and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) to Engage Youth and Entrepreneurs During 2022 BAL Playoffs and Finals in Kigali; 2022 BAL Finals on Saturday, May 28 at 6:00 p.m. CAT / 12:00 p.m. ET Will Air in Africa on ESPN, Canal+, VisionView TV and Voice of America (VOA) Radio, and Around the World on American Forces Network (AFN), ESPNews, NBA TV International, Tencent Sports, TSN, the NBA App, NBA.com and NBA.com/BAL .The Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP), an organization investing in entrepreneurs and working towards sustainable transformation through the deployment of scalable and innovative solutions, today announced a partnership that makes ESP an official partner of the BAL and the league’s Country Partner in Rwanda. The announcement was made today by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and ESP CEO Eric Kacou at a launch event at Kigali Arena in conjunction with the 2022 BAL Playoffs and Finals, which tipped off Saturday and will culminate with the second BAL Finals on Saturday, May 28 at 6:00 p.m. CAT / 12:00 p.m. ET. Through the partnership, the BAL and ESP will provide youth and entrepreneurs in Rwanda with learning and development opportunities, basketball training and life skills sessions. As part of the partnership, ESP will bring together 150 graduates and entrepreneurs from Rwanda for the “Sports Business Future Stars Camp,” a weeklong professional development program and immersion into Africa’s sports industry that will be held in Kigali this week. “We are very excited to partner with ESP, who share our commitment to inspiring, empowering and developing the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders in Africa,” said Fall. “Ultimately, our goal is to build the BAL into a world-class professional basketball league that will be an anchor for the robust sport business industry we want in Africa. The BAL’s impact is felt far beyond the court, and the Sports Business Future Stars Camp will be a great platform to use the transformative power of basketball to bring together young leaders from different backgrounds and provide them with the tools to excel.” “Rwanda has made significant strides in launching its sports industry, and this immersive program in sports training will unleash the potential of youth to secure dignified jobs in the industry,” said Kacou. “Our ultimate goal through this groundbreaking partnership with the BAL is to develop a new generation of sports leaders for Africa.”ESP joins the BAL’s roster of world-class marketing partners, which includes Foundational Partners New Fortress Energy (NFE), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson, and official partnerssports Air Senegal, Attorney General Alliance (AGA) – Africa, Destination Senegal, Envol City and Hennessy. The expanded 2022 BAL season features the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a total of 38 games in three cities over three months: Dakar (March 5-15); Cairo, Egypt (April 9-19); and Kigali (May 21-28). In the semi-finals on Wednesday, May 25, Cameroon’s F.A.P. will play Angola’s Petro de Luanda at 6 p.m. CAT / 12 p.m. ET and Egypt’s Zamalek will play Tunisia’s US Monastir at 9:30 p.m. CAT / 3:30 p.m. ET for the chance to advance to the 2022 BAL Finals, which will air in Africa on ESPN, Canal+, VisionView TV and Voice of America (VOA) radio, and around the world on American Forces Network (AFN), ESPNews, NBA TV International, Tencent Sports, TSN, the NBA App, NBA.com and NBA.com/BAL. Tickets are on sale now in several categories, including group tickets, premium tickets and standard tickets. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting BAL.NBA.com/BAL-kigali-ticketing. Basketball Africa League 2022 Playoffs and Finals Spot - https://bit.ly/3lDPsHb (Credit: BAL)Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL). 2022 BAL Playoffs Quarterfinal Results (May 22) | Zamalek with face-off with US Monastir in the BAL semifinals on May 25 | | | KIGALI, Rwanda, May 23, 2022/ -- Tunisia’s U.S. Monastir defeated South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers 106-67; Egypt’s Zamalek defeated Guinea’s SLAC 66-49.Quarterfinal Game 3 Recap: U.S. Monastir vs. Cape Town TigersThe 2022 Basketball Africa League Playoffs continued on Sunday with a quarterfinal matchup between Tunisia’s US Monastir, which advanced to playoffs after going 4-1 during the Sahara Conference group phase, against South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers, which is making its BAL Playoffs debut after advancing to the playoffs with a 2-3 record in the Nile Conference group phase. The game started with each team trading three pointers as U.S. Monastir captain Radhouane Slimane hit the opening shot followed by a three-point answer from former NBA player and Cape Town newcomer Cleanthony Early. Michael Dixon’s three point shot four minutes in put Monastir up 10-5 before a dunk by Billy Preston and a steal turned into a fast break layup by Myck Kabongo brought the Tigers within one point of the lead halfway through the first quarter. The teams traded scores for the remainder of the quarter before Monastir’s Mokhtar Ghayaza hit a layup at the buzzer to give his team a 22-18 lead after one quarter of play. Cape Town’s Early led all scorers with seven first quarter points, while Monastir big men Ghayaza and Slimane chipped in six points each. A 9-2 run by Monastir to start the second quarter, which featured scores from Ater Majok, Dixon, Souleyman Diabate and Ghayaza, put Monastir up 11 to take its largest lead of the game. But an and-1 finish by Billy Preston off the dish from Early followed by a Preston three pointer on the next possession ended Cape Town’s scoring drought and brought the Tigers to within five. Ghayaza found a cutting Firas Lahyani who finished with a dunk to put Monastir up nine points with three minutes to go in the half. Preston’s proficient scoring, which resulted in 12 first half points on 5/8 shooting, kept the Tigers within striking distance but the all-around play of Ghayaza, who recorded 10 points, seven boards and an assist, helped Monastir maintain a comfortable lead throughout the second quarter entering halftime up 44-33. The up-tempo gameplay led to 16 combined turnovers in the half as both teams looked to push the pace early. Cape Town Captain Peter Prinsloo hit two threes to start the half, but Majok answered with a basket and an assist to Lahyani to extend Monastir’s lead to 12 three minutes into the half. A three pointer by Dixon followed by a layup by Slimane pushed Monastir’s lead to 15. Both teams caught fire from deep, making a combined 10 three pointers in the third quarter which was more than the previous two combined. Monastir maintained its double-digit lead heading into the final quarter up 71-59. Dixon’s hot hand carried into the fourth quarter and Monastir didn’t look back as they held the Tigers scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter, extending their lead to 23 en route to a 106-67 victory. Monastir had five players score in double figures led by Dixon who scored a game-high 23 points. Slimane turned in 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, Diabate recorded 13 points and five assists, Ghayaza chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds, and Lahyani recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Preston (17 points; four rebounds), Early (15 points) and Prinsloo (14 points; eight rebounds) led the way for Cape Town. Monastir advances to the BAL Playoff Semifinals on May 25. Full stats can be found here ( https://bit.ly/38Ou3rM). Quarterfinal Game 4 Recap: Zamalek vs. S.L.A.C.The final quarterfinal game of the 2022 BAL Playoffs featured defending BAL Champion Zamalek, which enters the game on an 11-game winning streak in the BAL after winning all five of its games during the Nile Conference group phase, against Guinea’s S.L.A.C, which went 2-3 during the Sahara Conference group phase. Eslam Salem Mohamed got things started with the first bucket of the game and Serigne Saliou Mbaye, a member of the NBA Academy Africa who is playing with SLAC as part of the BAL Elevate program, responded with SLAC’s first bucket. An Edgar Sosa three ignited a 9-0 run to give Zamalek an 11-2 lead halfway through the opening quarter. SLAC’s Oumar Barry answered with seven straight points to bring his team within two before former NBA Academy Africa player Mohab Yasser ended Zamalek’s scoring drought with a two-point basket. Zamalek’s aggressive and active defense was the difference early, forcing five turnovers in the first five minutes, but SLAC responded to finish the quarter down just 11-13 thanks in large part to Mohamed Keita, who recorded three first quarter blocks and anchored a SLAC defense that held Zamalek to just 25% shooting from the field. The strong defense on both sides continued as just four total points were scored in the first four minutes of the second quarter, but two consecutive scores by SLAC brought them within two points of the defending BAL defending champion halfway through the second quarter. Zamalek responded with 14-0 run, including nine points by former NBA player DJ Strawberry Jr. to extend its lead to 30-15. SLAC scored six straight points before Zamalek’s Strawberry hit a running three pointer at the buzzer to go into halftime up 33-21. Moustafa Elmekawi set the pace for Zamalek coming out of the half by scoring six of his team’s first eight points in the third quarter, but SLAC’s Keita responded with six of his own points to cut the deficit back to 12 with four minutes left in the quarter. A put back from Mohab Yasser followed by a three pointer from Ahmed Yasser put Zamalek up 17, marking its largest lead of the game to close the third quarter up 53-36. Zamalek maintained its double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter en route to a 66-49 victory. Moustafa Elmekawi turned in a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Edgar Sosa and DJ Strawberry contributed 13 points and 12 points, respectively. Oumar Barry (13 points; 12 rebounds), Dane Anthony Miller (11 points; 14 rebounds; four assists) and Mohamed Keita (12 points; eight rebounds) led the way for SLAC. Full stats can be found here ( https://bit.ly/3lxRlFe). Zamalek with face-off with US Monastir in the BAL semifinals on May 25. 2022 BAL Playoffs Semifinals Schedule (May 25)- Angola’s Petro de Lunda vs. Cameroon’s F.A.P at 6 p.m. CAT
- Tunisia’s U.S. Monastir vs. Egypt’s Zamalek at 9:30 p.m. CAT
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL). SOURCE
Basketball Africa League (BAL) FIBA announce members of newly created Safeguarding Council |
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MAY 23, 2022MIES (Switzerland) - FIBA has announced the members of its newly created Safeguarding Council, an advisory body on matters related to safeguarding and protection of vulnerable groups of basketball participants. The Safeguarding Council will submit advice on helping to provide a safe environment for FIBA stakeholders and also address other related matters. His Royal Highness, Prince Feisal Al Hussein, was appointed Founding Chairman of the Safeguarding Council at the previous FIBA Central Board meeting held at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball. HRH is an International Olympic Committee member and President of the National Olympic Committee of Jordan. HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein said: "In our ever-evolving world of sport and Olympism, safeguarding principles and standards have become instrumental tools in ensuring that everyone practices, plays and experiences sport in a free and safe way, protected from all types of harm and abuse. "Ensuring that sport is a respectful and equitable environment for everyone involved takes time and effort and demands decision making that answers today's challenges and clears the path for the participation of tomorrow's youth. The proactive steps that FIBA is taking to ensure the sport of basketball is accessible and safe are the right steps forward, at the right moment." |
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 | HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein,
Founding Chairman of the FIBA Safeguarding Council |
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FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said: "FIBA has taken an important step by forming an independent advisory body to address issues related to safeguarding. The safety of the basketball community within the remit of FIBA is a priority for the Central Board. The Safeguarding Council will count on the wealth of experience and know-how of its members as well as on the support of FIBA, in order to play a significant role in the protection of our members, with an emphasis on players." In consultation with the Founding Chairman, six additional members have been appointed to the FIBA Safeguarding Council and are Slovakia's four-time Olympian Danka Bartekova, FIBA Americas President Carol Callan, basketball star Astou Ndour-Fall, Romanian Basketball Federation President Carmen Tocala, award-winning journalist Alan Abrahamson and FIBA Chief Operating Officer Patrick Mariller, with the majority of the Council being independent members. Bartekova excels in the women's skeet event and was the world record holder in 2008 with multiple medals from World and European Championships. She has a PhD in International Relations and Diplomacy and has served as Vice-President of the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee since 2021. Bartekova is a member of various commissions and is an IOC member. She was a member of the IOC Ethics Committee from 2018 to 2022 and was Chair of the Coordination Commission of the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne 2020. Callan served as USA Basketball Women's National Director for numerous years before being confirmed as FIBA Americas President in June 2020. She has been a member of several USA Basketball committees and plays an integral role in FIBA's Women in Basketball strategic priority. Ndour-Fall is a decorated member of Spain's national team. A silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics, Ndour helped Spain finish third at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 and was the following year MVP of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket after leading her country to the top of the podium. Tocala, President of the Romanian Basketball Federation, was a basketball player and then a coach for Romania's national team and has served as a FIBA Europe Board member since 2010. She is currently a FIBA Central Board and Executive Committee member. Abrahamson is a best-selling author and has more than 30 years of experience covering sports, hard news, features, legal affairs, business, politics and doing investigative reporting. With a background in law, he is a member of the IOC Press Committee and an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. DALLAS’ REGGIE BULLOCK NAMED WINNER OF THE 2022 KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPION AWARD – $100,000 to Be Donated on Bullock’s Behalf to the Kinston Teens Organization – NEW YORK, May 22, 2022 – The NBA today announced that Dallas Mavericks guard-forward Reggie Bullock has been named the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion. Bullock was selected from a group of five finalists for his dedication to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged, specifically within the LGBTQ+ community. After his sister, Mia Henderson – a transgender woman – was murdered in 2014, Bullock dedicated his life to honoring her legacy and fighting for increased visibility and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community Upon joining the Mavericks ahead of the 2021-22 season, Bullock immediately connected with organizations in the Dallas area, including Abounding Prosperity, Dallas Southern Pride, House of Rebirth, The Black-Tie Dinner, the Resource Center and the Muhlashia Booker Foundation, to take action in support of their work. “We are all one, and I believe love lies in everybody’s heart,” said Bullock. “It’s incredibly important to me as a cisgender athlete to stand in support of the trans and LGBTQ+ community.” Ahead of National Day of Trans Visibility on March 31, 2022, Bullock participated in a Mavs Take ACTION! initiative conversation titled Voices Unheard, Uplifting Trans Perspectives, alongside leaders from the Muhlashia Booker Foundation. The conversation reflected upon the struggles of losing a trans family member, challenges within the community and how allies can provide protection, partnership, visibility and inclusion. For nearly a decade, Bullock has used his platform to call for acceptance and inclusion of all people through local and national efforts around the LGBTQ+ movement, including participating in the NYC Pride March, pride games with multiple NBA teams, the GLAAD Media Awards and events for LGBTQ+ youth and allies at NBA All-Stars and beyond. Additionally, Bullock created RemarkaBULL, an organization focused on developing revitalized spaces for a stable life in the LGBTQ+ community. He continues to advocate for equal rights and protections for these individuals including by speaking out against legislation that prohibits transgender youth participation in sports and challenging higher education institutions to consider inclusive policies. In an effort to help prevent violence against women he partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice to engage with incarcerated communities and elevate the harmful impacts of mass incarceration. In June 2021, Bullock penned a Players Tribune article titled “I Just Wanna Say My Sisters’ Names” about the murders of Henderson and his younger sister, Keiosha Moore, and advocating for greater awareness around gun violence and crimes against women. His story was published during a year when more than 50 trans and gender non-conforming people were killed in the U.S., the most in a single year. on record according to the Human Rights Campaign. Since 2013, the HRC has documented 256 incidents of fatal violence against trans and gender-nonconforming people, at least 84% of those killed were people of color, 85% were trans women and 66% were Black trans women.
Bullock has selected Kinston Teens, a youth-led organization focused on community development and youth empowerment in his native Kinston, NC, to receive a $100,000 contribution on his behalf. The winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award was determined by a selection committee composed of Abdul-Jabbar, notable social justice leaders, Abdul-Jabbar, Jr. NBA Court of Leaders member Kendall Dudley, Director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport Dr. Richard Lapchick, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía, Rise Founder and CEO Amanda Nguyen, and NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum. The four other finalists for the award were Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns and Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. Each will receive $25,000 donations from the NBA to social justice organizations of their choice.
DALLAS MAVERICKS FINED NEW YORK, May 22, 2022 – The Dallas Mavericks organization has been fined $100,000 for continuing to violate league rules regarding team bench decorum, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations. The amount of Dallas’ fine also reflects prior infractions of team bench decorum rules in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks’ team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action in Dallas’ 126-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on May 20 at Chase Center.
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Limited tickets are available at 
