David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 5

The Los Angeles Lakers potentially grabbed one of the steals of the 2025 NBA Draft when they selected Adou Thiero with the No. 36 overall pick. Using a series of trades, the Lakers moved up in the draft from No. 55 and ended up with a player who could conceivably help them immediately. But the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers initially came into the 2025 NBA Draft with very little fanfare. Without a first round pick, they held only the No. 55 overall pick in the second round. But before the end of the NBA Draft, the Lakers used a series of trades to move up and select an intriguing young […]

Every year there are quality players that fall to the second round of the NBA Draft for various reasons. Sometimes it’s just simply the fact that there are only 30 first round picks and a good number of impact players. One of those players who fell to the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft […]

There were multiple trades that took place during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, and one of those trades involved the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings. The Kings moved into the first round of by acquiring the No. 24 overall pick from the Thunder. The Kings then used their newly acquired first […]

Despite the Los Angeles Sparks’ inconsistent start to the 2025 WNBA season, one of their bright spots has been the All-Star level play of Azurá Stevens. Stevens has been putting up career numbers, and that culminated with a WNBA history-making game during the Sparks’ 97-86 loss to the Chicago Sky on Thursday. During the Sparks’ […]

The Orlando Magic had one first round pick and No. 25 in the 2025 NBA Draft, and they used that pick to select Jase Richardson from Michigan State. The pick is significant not only because of his talent, but because his father Jason played for the Magic during his NBA career. The Magic had actually […]

The Toronto Raptors used their lottery pick at No. 9 to select Collin Murray-Boyles in the 2025 NBA Draft. Coming into draft night, the Raptors reportedly offered the No. 9 pick to the Boston Celtics for Derrick White, but it appears as if those talks did not progress any further. As they held onto their […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ first selection of the 2025 NBA Draft came with the No. 17 overall pick which they used on Joan Beringer from France. With the selection of Beringer, the Timberwolves now have two players of French descent on the roster. Following the news that the Timberwolves had selected Joan Beringer in the first […]

The New Orleans Pelicans moved up to grab another lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft via a draft night trade with the Atlanta Hawks. The Pelicans sent the No. 23 pick in the draft as well as future first round pick to the Hawks in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick. The Pelicans […]

The Charlotte Hornets selected Duke freshman Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA Draft, amid rumors that they might have been looking to trade down. But that No. 4 was significant for another reason as well. Kon Knueppel has four brothers, and he shared a touching moment with all of them […]

With the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks selected Duke star Cooper Flagg, to nobody’s surprise. Flagg has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick for quite some time regardless of who ultimately landed the top overall spot. But with teams obviously unable to speak about the pick prior […]

Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby (5) during the first half at Wintrust Arena.The Los Angeles Sparks’ current losing streak hit four games, and they started off their current road trip at 0-2. One particularly concerning trend in those two road losses in […]

The Atlanta Dream had a two-game win streak snapped on Tuesday following their 68-55 loss on the road against the Dallas Wings. With the loss, the Dream dropped to 10-5 on the season, but remain only one game behind the New York Liberty for the top seed in the Eastern Conference standings. Despite the loss, […]

Just one day after agreeing to a contract extension with Daniel Gafford, the Dallas Mavericks made their second major move of the offseason in agreeing to a new contract with star point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving opted out of his contract and signed a new deal worth $119 million over the next three seasons. Following […]

The Ole Miss Rebels made the NCAA Tournament this past season, their first appearance since 2019 and the first in the Chris Beard era. After upsetting Iowa State in the round of 32, they nearly upset Michigan State in the Sweet 16 before losing narrowly. For the Ole Miss to continue their upward trajectory under […]

The Connecticut Sun are in the midst of a rebuilding season, but they’ve had a solid mix of both young players and veterans this season. But it appears as if they will be without one of those key veterans for the foreseeable future. Sun veteran guard Marina Mabrey received an update this week on the […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder became the second youngest team in NBA history to win a championship following their Game 7 win in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. The only team with a younger average age to win a title was the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. During the Thunder’s championship parade, backup big man […]

Following their 103-91 win in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first championship in the OKC era. The Thunder do not claim the Seattle Sonics’ history, so this is essentially their first championship in franchise history. The question then becomes, when is the Thunder’s championship […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship in the OKC era after their 103-91 win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Helping lead the way for the Thunder in Game 7 was Jalen Williams who proved to be a good complimentary star to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the NBA […]

The collective hearts of the Indiana Pacers dropped in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals after star guard Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury and was ultimately unable to return. While the Pacers managed to keep things close, even leading at halftime, the absence of Haliburton was too much to […]

Early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers’ worst fears were realized when star guard Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury. Haliburton was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of Game 7, and the Pacers then turned to an unlikely hero. Backup guard TJ McConnell came off the bench and did […]

As the Oklahoma City Thunder inch closer to winning an NBA championship, they have Chet Holmgren to thank for that. Chet Holmgren has been a game-changing force on the defensive end in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, and in Game 7 he set a Finals record with blocks, as per StatMuse. With five […]

The 2024-25 season for the Dallas Mavericks was a forgettable one for obvious reasons, but hope springs eternal among the fanbase as the team secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. With Cooper Flagg all but certain to be selected No. 1, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving had a message for fans […]

When the 2025-26 NBA season tips off, Mitch Johnson will begin his role as full-time head coach for the San Antonio Spurs. Johnson took over as interim following Gregg Popovich’s leave of absence, and then was promoted to full-time after Popovich announced he was stepping down. And there will be a new face on the […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers looking to win their first championship in the OKC-era. Early in the first quarter, it was key reserve Alex Caruso who got the Thunder’s Game 7 crowd hyped up with a big throwdown dunk. The Thunder social media team […]

The worst case scenario for the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals came true when Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury. Haliburton was unable to walk off the court on his own power and had to be helped to the locker room. As the NBA world reacts, Los Angeles Lakers star […]

The Los Angeles Sparks didn’t start their current road trip off on the right foot following their 82-66 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. But luckily for them, they have two more games to try and get back in the win column. Having short-term memory is key for the Sparks to bounce back, and that’s a […]

The Dallas Wings are coming into their Sunday matchup with the Washington Mystics a little bit short-handed. The recent injury to Maddy Siegrist, along with the Eurobasket absences of Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder, leave the Wings without key players in their rotation. But it appears as if they dodged another blow. DiJonai Carrington did […]

The Los Angeles Sparks current losing streak reached three games following their 82-66 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday. The loss was disappointing for two reason; the first being that the Sparks held a lead with a little over seven minutes to go, and the second being that the Lynx were without star forward […]

The Indiana Fever came into the 2025 WNBA season with visions of potentially winning a championship. But in the early goings of the regular season, the Fever have sputtered to a .500 record (6-6) amid a few absences including a recent injury to star guard Caitlin Clark. Clark has since returned to the lineup, but […]

The Connecticut Sun are in the midst of a rebuilding season with plenty of young players and a new head coach in Rachid Meziane. To help the young players get acclimated to the WNBA, the Sun have leaned heavily on veteran guard Marina Mabrey. However, it’s possible she might miss time. Marina Mabrey was officially […]

The Atlanta Dream have been one of the best teams in the WNBA this season under new head coach Karl Smesko. The Dream made a few major free agent additions in Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, and the star duo of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard have helped carry them as well. Allisha Gray has […]

The Los Angeles Sparks begin a three-game road trip starting with a matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday. The Lynx have been the best team in the Western Conference this season, but it appears as if the Sparks have help on the horizon. Star guard Kelsey Plum was not listed on the Sparks’ injury […]

The Alabama Crimson Tide are hoping to build on what was a fairly successful 2024-25 season, with the arrival of a few new recruits. The Crimson Tide were busy in the transfer portal this offseason, adding players to help shore up what should be a contending roster in the SEC. Alabama also added to its […]

For the first time in 15 years, the Iowa Hawkeyes will have a new head coach. The start of the 2025-26 season will be Ben McCollum’s first as Iowa head coach. The program hired McCollum shortly after the end of the regular season following the firing of longtime head coach Fran McCaffery. With the upcoming […]

The NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will come down a deciding Game 7 following the Pacers’ 108-91 win in Game 6 to even the series at three games apiece. As the Pacers prepare for Game 7 of the NBA Finals, they’ll take solace in the fact that they have […]

The Indiana Pacers led by double digits and were always in control during Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But even so, things got a little chippy in the third quarter. Pacers backup big man Tony Bradley picked up a technical foul after a minor scuffle with Thunder big man […]

For every player on the Pacers roster, there is perhaps nobody who is savoring this run in the playoffs than Myles Turner. The longest tenured player on the team, Turner has had his name thrown in trade rumors almost every season before signing a contract extension back during the 2022-23 season. Myles Turner certainly has […]

The Indiana Pacers came into Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder facing a sense of urgency and elimination. Hoping to force a Game 7, the Pacers were well on their way to doing so, leading by 20+ points as of publication. But fans noticed something funny with Pacers star Pascal […]