David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 15

The Philadelphia 76ers have quite a bit of uncertainty coming into the 2025-26 season when it comes to the health of Joel Embiid. But one thing the 76ers can be sure of is the consistency of Tyrese Maxey, who exploded in the first quarter of the team’s preseason game on Friday against the Orlando Magic. […]

The Las Vegas Aces are on the verge of their third championship in franchise history following their thrilling 90-88 Game 3 win against the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals. The Aces faced a little adversity early as the Mercury sliced into a double-digit deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but […]

Wednesday night in the NBA seemed like the dunk contest. Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun threw down a dunk over Jazz veteran Kevin Love while drawing contact and getting the and-one. But that dunk was topped during the Miami Heat’s preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs when Jaime Jaquez Jr. did the unthinkable […]

Emotions flared during a preseason game between the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday when Celtics star Jaylen Brown shoved Grizzlies guard Vince Williams Jr. after a seemingly hard foul. Brown was driving to the basket and came across the lane when Williams grabbed him across the arms and to prevent the play from […]

Athough Turkey did not the 2025 EuroBasket gold medal, the Houston Rockets had to be pleased with the continued development of Alperen Sengun. One of the building blocks of the franchise, Sengun is poised to take another big leap for the 2025-26 season. During recent preseason action between the Rockets and the Utah Jazz, Alperen […]

The Chicago Bulls main order of business this offseason was re-signing restricted free agent Josh Giddey, which they were able to do. Now they head into the 2025-26 season as a team that has some intriguing young players in place, with a firm direction finally in place. As training camp has gotten underway, the Bulls […]

With NBA preseason underway, there are quite a few new faces in new places. On Monday, some of those players, such as new Atlanta Hawks big man Kristaps Porzingis, got their first buckets in a new jersey. New Milwaukee Bucks big man Myles Turner was another one of those players getting his first Bucks’ basket […]

This past offseason, one of the major moves the Atlanta Hawks made was to trade for Kristaps Porzingis. With the Boston Celtics opting to shift focus in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, the Hawks took advantage of the Celtics’ somewhat fire sale and added much-needed strength in the frontcourt. Kristaps Porzingis scored his […]

The father of Hall of Fame point guard and former NBA star Tony Parker Jr, Tony Parker Sr., passed away this week at the age of 70, as per Marca.com. No cause of death has been revealed yet by the family. While Parker Jr. had most of his basketball success in the NBA, Parker Sr. […]

Back during the summer, the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Nate Oats received good news when standout freshman guard Labaron Philon withdrew from the NBA Draft and opted to return to the program for his sophomore year. With Philon back in the fold, Alabama is awaiting word on another big piece of the puzzle […]

The Dallas Mavericks come into the 2025-26 season with a renewed sense of much-needed optimism following the bad taste left behind by the shocking Luka Doncic trade. A big reason for that sense of optimism this season is the arrival of prized rookie Cooper Flagg whom the Mavericks selected with the No. 1 overall pick […]

As the Milwaukee Bucks prepare for Doc Rivers’ second full season as head coach, they are headed to Miami for training camp. Last season, the Bucks went to California and UC Irvine for training camp, and this season is quite the difference. Doc Rivers explained the rationale for hosting training camp in Miami this season […]

When Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier stepped to the microphone for her exit interview this week, she unleashed a scathing rebuke of WNBA front office leadership, a rebuke that has continued to have ripple effect throughout the week. As more and more of Colliers’ peers get wind of her comments, more of them have come […]

While the college basketball transfer portal has garnered much scrutiny and attention over the past couple of years, the ‘unofficial’ coaches transfer portal is just as big. With coaches being fired and hired at the drop of a hat, there are a couple of recognizable names that could potentially be on the hot seat this […]

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier caused quite the stir in the WNBA this week when she ripped into league front office leadership during her exit interview. Collier’s words reverberated around the league with several of her peers coming to her defense and co-signing her statement. One of the latest WNBA stars to stand alongside Collier […]

When Caitlin Clark was lighting up the court, the Iowa Hawkeyes emerged as a powerhouse in college basketball. With Clark’s departure to the WNBA, the Hawkeyes have still managed to remain a formidable team in the Big Ten. Clark helped build the program up to where Iowa has become a recruitment destination for top players, […]

The Sacramento Kings are entering their first training camp and preseason with Doug Christie as the head coach. Christie had his interim tag removed at the end of the 2024-25 season, following his takeover after the Kings fired Mike Brown in late December. With Christie overseeing his first camp, there is one player in particular […]

The Auburn Tigers were hit with shocking news last month when longtime head coach Bruce Pearl announced his abrupt retirement. His son Steven Pearl is set to take the helm as head coach for the Tigers starting with the 2025-26 season. Although questions arouse as to whether or not any of the players would hit […]

The Miami Heat locked up one of their most promising young players this week as they inked Nikola Jovic to a contract extension, as per Shams Charania of ESPN. The move comes as the Heat open training camp and prepare for the 2025-26 regular season. The contract extension that Nikola Jovic signed with the Heat […]

When Al Horford’s signing with the Golden State Warriors in free agency was officially announced over the weekend, it marked the end of his tenure with the Boston Celtics. The veteran big man had played the last four seasons with the Celtics, playing a key role in the team’s 2024 championship run. As Horford gave […]

LOS ANGELES – One of the areas of concern for the Los Angeles Lakers following their early flameout in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs last season was consistent bench production. As the series dragged on, the Lakers reserves were unable to make a major impact. In fact, in Game 4, Lakers head coach […]

LOS ANGELES – Perhaps no player on the Los Angeles Lakers roster last season took as much criticism and heat than Bronny James. The target was placed on his back simply because of who his father is, and it only grew when the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 […]

LOS ANGELES – When the 2025-26 season tips-off, four of the five starters for the Los Angeles Lakers are certain to be LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton. Whom the fifth starter is for the Lakers is a little less certain. Last season, the starting small forward spot was held by Rui […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the 2025 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers only had the No. 55 pick in the second round. However, on draft night the Lakers managed to trade up in the draft, acquiring the No. 36 overall pick. The Lakers used that pick to select Adou Thiero from Arkansas, and as […]

LOS ANGELES – One of the bigger storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers as they enter training camp is that this is Luka Doncic’s first preseason with the team. Right before last season’s trade deadline, the Lakers acquired Doncic in arguably the most shocking trade of all-time. He fit in well with the team, helping […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the offseason, one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ most obvious needs was a starting center. While Jaxson Hayes filled in admirably following the Anthony Davis trade, the playoffs showed he is more suited to being a reserve center. With little to no trade assets to acquire what they needed, the […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the 2025-26 season, the Los Angeles Lakers are stacked with ball-handlers and playmakers. From Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, to new addition Marcus Smart, and even Gabe Vincent and Bronny James, the Lakers’ roster has players who are comfortable with the ball in their hands. Being able to fit in […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have made a series of roster moves leading up to the start of training camp, but most of those moves have had G League implications rather than actual regular season roster moves. The Lakers still had one two-way contract spot open coming into camp, and they filled that slot on Monday […]

The Kansas Jayhawks have long been one of the standard bearers in college basketball, especially under head coach Bill Self. Self has led the Jayhawks to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, including two NCAA national championships. Kansas has always been a program that’s able to attract the top recruits in the country, and they did so […]

The Las Vegas Aces are on the verge of reaching the WNBA Finals for the third time in four years as they hold a 2-1 series lead against the Indiana Fever coming into Game 4. And early in the first quarter, Aces star A’ja Wilson was doing her best to ensure that, that happens as […]

Fever star Caitlin Clark might be injured and unable to play in the WNBA Playoffs, but she still makes time for everyone who wants to meet her, including a baby. Prior to the Fever’s must-win Game 4 against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, Clark stopped courtside to interact with a family and give the […]

Veteran big man Al Horford’s anticipated signing with the Golden State Warriors became official this weekend when news of the deal was announced, ending his tenure with the Boston Celtics. Horford had been linked to the Warriors since the start of free agency, but the Jonathan Kuminga saga had been holding up the team’s expected […]

With NBA training camp just around the corner, most NBA teams will shuffle their rosters over the next couple of weeks as they finalize their regular season roster, and also fill out their G League teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves made a roster move this weekend with the signing of Alize Johnson for training camp, as […]

When Cameron Brink checked into the game for the Los Angeles Sparks back on July 29 with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter, it marked the first time in over a year that she was back on a WNBA court. After a devastating injury that ended her rookie season prematurely, Brink […]

The next couple of days, and weeks, are going to be busy for NBA teams as they finalize their training camp rosters and work towards finalizing their regular season rosters. For the Los Angeles Lakers, media day is on Monday and training camp begins right after. The Lakers have a full 15-man roster and so […]

There is a lot of uncertainty coming into the 2025-26 NBA season for the Philadelphia 76ers when it comes to the availability of Joel Embiid. During the team’s media day this past week, Embiid himself acknowledged there is no set timetable for his return as he continues to rehab from a knee injury. But one […]

Coming into the 2025-26 season, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers. All-Star center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid is currently sidelined due to injury, and there is no concrete timeline for his return to the court. Paul George, the 76ers’ prized 2024 offseason acquisition, is also sidelined due to injury […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on top the NBA world right now after having won their first championship in the Thunder era. With contract extensions given out this offseason to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the Thunder ensured they have their title core together for at least the next few seasons. But with […]

With NBA training camps set to open this coming week, and a few already underway, there are still two major free agency situations yet to resolved. While the Jonathan Kuminga situation with the Golden State Warriors has been well-chronicled, Quentin Grimes’ contract situation with the Philadelphia 76ers has been flying under the radar a bit. […]