David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 34

Los Angeles Lakers’ star LeBron James is currently in an unprecedented season in that he is in year 22 of his NBA career. The only other player in NBA history to have played a 22nd season was Vince Carter. When the Lakers tipped-off their opening round playoff series last weekend, James became the first player […]

The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons came into Game 3 of their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs tied at one game apiece. With the series shifting to the Pistons’ home court for Game 3, things got a little fiery to start the game. Knicks’ star Karl-Anthony Towns was involved in a mini-squabble […]

The NBA trade deadline can be a tough time for players, and for Portland Trail Blazers guard Sidy Cissoko, it was more like a whirlwind. Amid his second season with the San Antonio Spurs, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings as part of the De’Aaron Fox blockbuster trade that also involved the Chicago Bulls. […]

Before tip-off of Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, Warriors star Stephen Curry dazzled onlookers by sinking multiple half-court shots with ease. But as the game began, it was another player who took center stage. Draymond Green, who joined the Warriors just three years after Curry, set a team record with […]

During the Golden State Warriors’ Game 1 win against the Houston Rockets in the opening round series of the NBA Playoffs, Warriors star Stephen Curry dazzled viewers with insane shot-making. It’s nothing new for Curry, who has built a career and won multiple championships as arguably the greatest shooter of all-time. His shot-making ability from […]

The Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champions, and by many accounts, are a top favorite to repeat. While the Celtics have star power in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they boast a deep roster with multiple players capable of having big games. One of those players for the Celtics is Payton Pritchard, who is […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ humiliating Game 1 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs, they had plenty to think about. At the forefront was the level of physicality and how the Wolves simply out-toughed them. But in the days leading up to Game 2, […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Los Angeles Lakers were thoroughly outplayed by the Minnesota Timberwolves during their 117-95 Game 1 loss of their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs. Trailing 1-0 in the best of seven series, the Lakers face a must-win situation in Game 2 before the series shifts to Minnesota. Austin […]

The Minnesota Lynx head into the 2025 WNBA season with a lot of confidence and momentum having reached the 2024 WNBA Finals. With a superstar player in Napheesa Collier and a solid core around her, the Lynx appear poised to be a contender again in the upcoming season. With the start of the season only […]

The Tennessee Volunteers were one of the top college basketball teams in the country this past season, earning a No. 2 seed and reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by Houston. And on Sunday, they received huge offseason news. Five-star forward Nate Ament announced his decision to commit to Tennessee, […]

One of the top rising players in the NBA this season was Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, which is why it isn’t too surprising that he’s a candidate for both the DPOY Award and the Most Improved Player Award. Daniels has had a breakout season and it seems like the world has taken notice. The […]

When looking at the candidates for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Austin Reaves seemed like a strong candidate to be named as one of the finalists. But when the NBA released their list of three finalists for the Most Improved Player Award on Sunday, Reaves’ name was not among them. […]

In the final months of the 2024-25 NBA regular season, a new name entered the race for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Golden State Warriors’ veteran forward Draymond Green was not mentioned in the first half of the season as a DPOY candidate. But following the Jimmy Butler trade and the Warriors’ surge […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 1 of their opening round playoff series, 117-95, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Starting guard Austin Reaves, who has formed a sort of ‘Big 3‘ for the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic, didn’t quite have the game fans have come to expect from him. In […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers were favored in Game 1 of their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in the series overall. But after their 117-95 loss to the Wolves, the Lakers have their backs to the wall heading into Game 2. A big factor in the […]

The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies squared off on Friday in their play-in matchup for the right to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. In the early goings of the game, things already got a little chippy with […]

When Caitlin Clark was drafted to the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft, she helped usher in a rise of popularity in the WNBA and women’s basketball in general. Her electric style of play captured the hearts and minds of fans with many tuned in to watch her pro career. With the popularity came […]

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has always seemed like a pretty cool guy, free of any ego and just a fun-loving player to be around. That perception was only exemplified by a recent interaction with a young fan. Following a viral video, the young fan was treated to a Nuggets game where he got to […]

Following the Duke Blue Devils’ elimination in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament by Houston, one of the bigger questions at the end of the season was the future of junior guard Tyrese Proctor. Proctor was coming off an All-ACC season and had been one Duke’s top players. Well the wait is over as […]

The WNBA will a have new team when the 2025 season tips-off next month with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries. When the 2026 WNBA season rolls around, two more expansion teams will begin play in the Toronto Tempo and the yet-to-be-named Portland franchise. The WNBA has already revealed expansion plans to get up […]

Thumb: Seattle Storm players Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl with the Seattle Storm arena in the backgroundThe Seattle Storm pulled off a major offseason move in acquiring the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft which they used to select French sensation Dominique Malonga. Malonga is already drawing plenty of intrigue ahead of […]

LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Lakers first made the trade for Luka Doncic, one of the biggest questions was how Doncic would fit chemistry-wise on the court with LeBron James. With the Lakers securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and making the NBA Playoffs outright, the initial sample size has […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This week, Lakers head coach JJ Redick organized a watch party for the team for the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies play-in game. According to Lakers’ guard Austin Reaves, the watch party […]

The Chicago Sky drafted TCU star Hailey Van Lith with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, reuniting her with one-time college teammate Angel Reese. The duo played together at LSU during the 2023-24 season, a year that Reese immediately recalled after the Sky selected Van Lith. Following the WNBA Draft, Hailey […]

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese might be one of the top rising young players in the WNBA, but she isn’t the only basketball player in her family. Angel Reese’s brother Julian just finished up his college career at Maryland and has his sights set on the upcoming NBA Draft. Julian Reese is currently participating at […]

The Denver Nuggets come into their opening round series of the NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers with homecourt advantage as the No. 4 seed, but some ways they might be getting overlooked a bit when it comes to potential title contenders in the Western Conference. Part of that could be because of the Nuggets’ […]

After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in to earn the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, they got their opening round opponent of the NBA Playoffs in the Houston Rockets. The Rockets and Warriors have had battles in the past in the NBA Playoffs, and things have gotten […]

LOS ANGELES – While the Los Angeles Lakers’ ‘Big 3’ of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have drawn the majority of attention regarding news headlines heading into the NBA Playoffs, Rui Hachimura has quietly been one of the team’s most dependable role players especially after retuning from a knee injury. Rui Hachimura was […]

The Dallas Mavericks front office and ownership have continued to take heat since the shocking Luka Doncic trade back in February. The Mavericks organization certainly did not do themselves any favors following a reported closed door meeting this week with select media members alongside general manager Nico Harrison and CEO Rick Welts. The team has […]

The New York Knicks will begin their opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Detroit Pistons at home. But when the series shifts to Detroit for Games 3-4, the Pistons have already announced that they intend to restrict ticket sales to local fans only, presumably keeping out of state Knicks fans from purchasing tickets. […]

In today’s day and age, many college basketball programs have taken to reloading on the fly by means of the transfer portal rather than recruit high school seniors. For the Kansas Jayhawks, they have a good mixture of incoming freshman recruits and transfer portal commitments. Kansas just landed a solid addition out of the transfer […]

When teams are preparing for the NBA Playoffs, it’s not uncommon for them to have a player on their roster simulate the opposing team’s best player. As the LA Clippers prepare for their opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, they had Ben Simmons take the role of Nikola Jokic during their […]

The Los Angeles Sparks came into the 2025 WNBA Draft with three picks at No. 9, No. 21 and No. 28. They came away with Sarah Ashlee Barker at No. 9, Sania Feagin at No. 21 and Liatu King at No. 28. Looking at the team’s current roster, there are going to be some interesting […]

LOS ANGELES – With the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the NBA Playoffs, much has been made of Austin Reaves forming a ‘Big 3’ alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Since the Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell, Reaves was slotted in as the point guard of the future and has seen his numbers take a huge […]

The Los Angeles Sparks’ 2025 training camp roster became a little more clear following their 2025 WNBA Draft. With a maximum of 18 players allowed in training camp, the Sparks’ draft picks brought them closer to that number. The final piece of the puzzle was brought in on Tuesday with the Sparks re-signing of veteran […]

The Phoenix Suns made a huge decision on Monday with the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer. With Budenholzer’s firing, the Suns will be on their third head coach in as many seasons. Last year they fired Frank Vogel after only one season as well. But it appears as if the Suns top choice to […]

The Portland Trail Blazers had a strong finish to the second half of the season, and it resulted in head coach Chauncey Billups receiving a contract extension. Since January, the Blazers played at a .550 win pace. A big part of the Blazers turnaround was the All-Star level play of Deni Avdija this season. Following […]

The UCLA Bruins came into the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. The season didn’t end as they hoped as they were eliminated by UConn in blowout fashion in the Final Four. Following UCLA’s elimination, they lost several players to the transfer portal. But the Bruins got a major decision from a […]

LOS ANGELES – With the Los Angeles Lakers making the playoffs outright and clinching the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, talk has begun to sprout up about the Lakers’ possible championship chances. One reason why the Lakers are being mentioned such talks is because of their defense. And it’s been the oldest player […]