David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 31

The Illinois Fighting Illini are fighting for their lives for a possible NCAA Tournament bid, although it’s looking increasingly unlikely barring an unforeseen run through the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois has two games remaining before the conference tournament, and head coach Brad Underwood believes they’ll be getting reinforcements soon. Underwood said that freshman forward Morez […]

It’s no secret that Dallas Mavericks fans are incredibly upset at the blockbuster trade that sent franchise star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Mavericks fans staged a protest outside of the arena. One fan was escorted out of the arena for seemingly mouthing the words, ‘Fire […]

During the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 111-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, All-Star guard Anthony Edwards was ejected after picking up two technical fouls. The second technical foul was Anthony Edwards’ 16th of the season, meaning an automatic suspension was forthcoming unless the NBA decided to rescind one of the technical fouls. Well, the […]

The San Antonio Spurs suffered a massive blow following the All-Star break when it was revealed that Victor Wembanyama would be sidelined for the reminder of the season due to a blood clot. Wembayama’s absence left the Spurs with a hole in the frontcourt which they filled by signing veteran big man Bismack Biyombo. With […]

The announcement that many WNBA fans had been waiting for, finally arrived this week when Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi announced her retirement. Throughout the week, Taurasi’s WNBA peers and NBA players alike have been reflecting on her career. One of the latest NBA players to reflect on Diana Taurasi’s retirement was Dallas Mavericks star […]

The Charlotte Hornets have been hit with major injury woes this season. During their last game against the Dallas Mavericks, seven players were sidelined due to injury including star guard LaMelo Ball. Ball has been dealing with an ankle injury this season. Amid the rising number of injuries, the Hornets made a recent roster move […]

When it comes to the NBA’s All-Time scoring list, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is the far and away leader with over 40,000 career points. He’s the only NBA player to reach that mark, and is a surefire Hall of Famer when he retires. But there are other prolific scoring threats still currently in […]

It was the night of Oct. 11 and social media lit up with posts from Los Angeles Lakers fans. Undrafted guard Quincy Olivari had just led the Lakers to a comeback win against the Milwaukee Bucks in preseason. Against all odds, Quincy Olivari used that performance to secure a two-way contract from the organization, ensuring […]

It’s been a so-so 2024-25 NCAA season for the Kansas Jayhawks. Although they hold a 19-9 overall record, they are only 10-7 in Big 12 Conference play. They are probably a team currently on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, and amid this season, rumors have circulated regarding longtime Kansas head coach Bill Self’s possible […]

The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the top teams in college basketball this season, and they came in, in the current AP men’s basketball poll ranked No. 2 behind only Auburn. But during Duke’s win over Miami this past weekend, starting point guard Tyrese Proctor went down with a knee injury. Following the […]

LOS ANGELES – While the Luka Doncic blockbuster trade has certainly dominated recent headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers, almost lost in the shuffle has been how stifling the Lakers’ defense has been. And at the forefront of the Lakers’ defense is none other than LeBron James, the oldest player in the NBA. In fact, […]

The Charlotte Hornets have an All-Star caliber guard in LaMelo Ball, who was among the top vote getters by fans for the All-Star Game. The one issue the Hornets seem to have though is keeping LaMelo Ball injury free. Ball was recently ruled out for the Hornets’ game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday […]

It’s been just under one month since the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the blockbuster trade involving a Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap. Tuesday marks the first meeting between the Lakers and Mavericks since the trade took place. While Anthony Davis will not play against the Lakers due to injury, a clip of […]

To say the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2024-25 season has been disappointing is a massive understatement. The season has been downright horrendous for a team that was supposed to be an Eastern Conference contender following their free agency acquisition of Paul George. The 76ers have been filling in their on-the-margins roster spots since the trade deadline, and […]

The increasing popularity of social media has certainly changed the way that fans and professional athletes interact with one another. One player who is no stranger to social media is Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. Morant received a 25-game suspension for allegedly flashing a gun while on an Instagram Live feed. Morant recently deactivated his […]

The Sacramento Kings had a busy NBA trade deadline, trading for Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls while trading De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade. The Kings have gone 4-4 since acquiring LaVine, but had their best win of that stretch on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. Zach LaVine made […]

While the Minnesota Timberwolves currently have a winning record at 31-26, and have rebounded slightly from an uneven start to the 2024-25 season, they still aren’t at the level of last year’s squad that made it to the Western Conference Finals. After the shocking trade of Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, the Timberwolves […]

In basketball, whether it’s college or professional, sometimes a simple change of scenery is all a player needs to regain dominant form. That appears to be the case this year for TCU guard Hailey Van Lith. Following TCU’s 71-50 win against West Virginia on Sunday, Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell acknowledged that Hailey Van […]

During the Golden State Warriors game against the Charlotte Hornets this coming week, the Warriors will honor the 2015 championship team. On Sunday during the Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks, they honored a specific member of that team with Andre Iguodala’s jersey retirement ceremony. A fitting honor for the 2015 Finals MVP. During Andre […]

The 2024-25 NCAA season has been a disappointing one for the Arizona State Wildcats and head coach Bobby Hurley. The Sun Devils are 13-14 overall and 4-12 in Big 12 Conference play. To make matters worse for Arizona State, leading scorer BJ Freeman was recently dismissed from the program following a one-game suspension earlier this […]

The Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics pulled off a blockbuster trade on Sunday, with former All-Star guard Ariel Atkins heading to the Sky and the Mystics acquiring the No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, as per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The trade signals a rebuild for the Mystics and a continued move to […]

The Los Angeles Lakers put up one of their most impressive performances on the road against the Denver Nuggets with a 123-100 win. The Lakers also avoided a major catastrophe regarding Rui Hachimura and an apparent injury. Early in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ game against the Nuggets, Rui Hachimura exited the game and […]

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers were two teams that were supposed to be heading in opposite directions. The Nets were heading into a rebuild while the 76ers were supposed to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. But the 76ers have slogged through a disappointing season, and Nic Claxton […]

It’s been an offseason of change for the Chicago Sky. The overhaul began when the Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon at the end of the 2024 WNBA season. The Sky also brought back veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot who was a key member of their 2021 championship team. The Sky’s latest roster signing was […]

It’s not exactly surprising for NBA players to have incredible confidence in themselves when they take the court every game. After all, they are among the absolute best in the world when it comes to basketball. Utah Jazz rookie guard Elijah Harkless might be fresh out of the G League, but include him on the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-2 so far in the games that Luka Doncic has played in, with a big Western Conference game agains the Denver Nuggets coming up. Luka Doncic hasn’t quite played that well since he’s joined the Lakers, and head coach JJ Redick revealed that he issued Doncic a challenge ahead of […]

Although Mac McClung has only appeared in a total of five NBA games since 2022, but he’s already become a household name with his three consecutive NBA Dunk Contest wins during All-Star Weekend. Because of that, fans are certainly tuning in to his exploits even in the G League. On Friday, Mac McClung pulled off […]

It isn’t hyperbole or an over-exaggeration to say that the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks was the most shocking and biggest trade in league history. You might have to go back to when the Lakers traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to find a trade of that magnitude. Mavericks legend […]

The New York Liberty are coming off their first championship in franchise history, and in order to defend their title they’re going to need to keep their roster depth intact. The Liberty made a pretty notable signing in free agency this week with the addition of veteran forward Isabelle Harrison, the team announced. Isabelle Harrison’s […]

When it comes to the WNBA, the list of current players with signature shoes is relatively small. That list included Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese and Breanna Stewart. Only Stewart and Ionescu’s shoes are currently available on the market. A’ja Wilson recently showcased her upcoming shoe release. But now there’s a new […]

This WNBA offseason, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier joined together to launch their Unrivaled league. The league was established as an alternative to WNBA players going overseas. While many notable WNBA players are currently playing in Unrivaled, one player who did not make the trek to Miami was Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson. In […]

Coming into the 2024 WNBA season, the Las Vegas Aces were shooting for a rare three-peat. To this point, the only team that has ever won three straight WNBA championships is the now defunct Houston Comets. The Comets won four title in a row during the league’s initial seasons. The Aces were unsuccessful in their […]

Following the NBA trade deadline, teams are either looking for buyout players to fortify a playoff run, or searching for untapped young talent to evaluate when it comes to roster moves. It’s also a time that NBA teams evaluate their two-way contract players. The Chicago Bulls had an open two-way contract roster spot after waiving […]

With the NBA trade deadline in the rearview, this time of the season is usually when playoff teams scour the buyout market for potential help, and rebuilding teams search for intriguing young players to evaluate during the final months of the regular season. The Utah Jazz are currently in a rebuild, and they made a […]

LOS ANGELES – Down the stretch of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, they were without Austin Reaves who was given an ejection in the third quarter. Following a perceived no-call on a drive to the basket, Austin Reaves was hit with an ejection after apparently having choice words for referee […]

LOS ANGELES – The blockbuster trade for All-Star guard Kelsey Plum may have been the offseason move that garnered the most attention for the Los Angeles Sparks, but the team still had a few other strong moves in free agency. One of the Sparks’ top free agent signings for the 2025 WNBA season was Mercedes […]

LOS ANGELES – While there are many reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers’ season last year can be considered disappointing, one of the biggest was their injury issues. Both Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt, both expected to be key players off the bench, missed the majority of the Lakers’ 2024-25 season due to injury. This […]

The Connecticut Sun roster will look very different when the 2025 WNBA season tips-off. They lost their entire starting lineup from last season as well as their head coach Stephanie White who joined the Indiana Fever. Despite that, the Sun aren’t necessarily looking to hold a fire sale as the team recently denied Marina Mabrey’s […]

When the Golden State Warriors take the court against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 25, fans will be in for a halftime treat. The Warriors are set to honor their 2015 NBA championship team with a special halftime ceremony that evening, the team announced on Tuesday. Members of the Warriors’ 2015 championship team are expected to […]