Derick Quinanola Articles - Page 3

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the verge of making history this offseason. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar has been so impressive that he doesn’t even need to win league MVP or an NBA title this season to do it. The announcement of the All-NBA teams last season made Gilgeous-Alexander (along with Luka Doncic) the first player […]

With all the records Nikola Jokic breaks each season, it’s easy to understand why so many people take his talents for granted. In 36 games played this season, he’s averaging career highs in points, assists, steals, minutes, free throw attempts, 3-point attempts, and 3-point percentage. Given how the Denver Nuggets have played this season, the […]

Every NBA fan knows that Nikola Jokic is one of the top players of this generation, and probably of all time. He has three MVPs to his name and, while he has a play style that looks easy to defend on TV, no team has ever figured him out. Everyone knows Jokic was drafted during […]

Despite all the records Caitlin Clark broke during her rookie season, it wasn’t enough for voters to crown her as the league MVP. It would’ve been just the second time in league history that a player would be crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year (ROY) and MVP in the same season. But since A’ja Wilson […]

They say height is might in basketball, but to Abiodun Adegoke, it’s the exact opposite. What most people thought would be his biggest strength turned out to be his weakness. Standing 7-foot-11 and weighing 250 pounds, Adegoke, AKA “Big Naija,” holds the title as the tallest player to play any level of organized basketball, beating […]

The 2024 NFL Draft has been an interesting class to say the least. Given this draft class is just the second time a player from USC has had a quarterback taken number one, let’s rewind to the first time it happened 21 years ago. Let’s revisit how the careers of the first five players taken […]

A new era has entered the NBA. Positionless basketball has become the norm, but one thing that will never change is the significance of height in the game of basketball. Guys like Victor Wembanyama and Kevin Durant are skilled, but their height makes them a cheat code. The Dallas Mavericks had a chance to field […]

DJ Burns took the world by storm when he led the NC State Wolfpack to its first Final Four appearance in 41 years. While his efforts failed to land him a spot on an NBA roster, his efforts did not go in vain. Expectations were high for DJ Burns entering college Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing […]

The Los Angeles Lakers fell short of expectations during the last few seasons of Kobe Bryant’s career. In fact, the best chance they had before Bryant retired in 2016 was in the 2012-13 season.  Then GM Mitch Kupchak assembled a “super team” that included Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, and Pau Gasol. Aside from most of […]

Sustained excellence is one of the hardest things to do in the NBA and being around for one franchise for more than five years these days is even harder. Kemba Walker was able to achieve both during the prime of his career with the Charlotte Hornets before injuries derailed his career. Kemba Walker’s path to […]

With how successful LeBron James has gotten over the years, it comes with a few challenges. While most fans will most likely remember him for what he was able to do on the court, James’ resume off the court isn’t too shabby either. He’s invested in different food chains and sports teams, but one of […]

These days, you won’t find one National Football League player (past or present) that is more accomplished than Tom Brady. However, when you rewind to the 2000 NFL draft, everyone thought 198 players were. While only six of the 198 players picked ahead of him shared a similar position to Brady, you’d still have to […]

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and many expected that his two sons would follow in his footsteps. While both of them tried their luck, in the end, neither pursued a career in professional basketball despite Jordan being an owner of an NBA team. But why? […]

Last year it was the Baltimore Ravens. This year, the Denver Broncos are under the spotlight for having an unhealthy addiction to Uncrustables — yes, the same pre packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you’ll find in a child’s lunch box. According to The Athletic’s Jayson Jenks, NFL players have an even more unhealthy obsession […]

When thinking about NFL players, speed, strength, and agility usually come to mind. However, height is another physical attribute that scouts also consider. While it’s not an essential factor for most positions, that hasn’t stopped teams from taking a chance on players who tower over everyone else.  For context, the average height of an NFL […]

Before LeBron James became a basketball icon, his legacy was first built on St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio. As the face of the team, James helped them become the top team in the country, winning three state championships. Of all the players on their roster, the team’s success revolved around five players, or what […]

With the NBA season underway, everyone is excited to see which players show significant improvement and which of them fall off. As most media experts do during the early stages of the season, they’ll predict who’ll win some of the league’s prestigious individual awards. But to remove any bias and base predictions solely on data, […]

When Dwyane Wade’s 8-foot statue was first revealed outside Kaseya Center in Miami, everyone had mixed feelings. Wade was impressed at how the statue turned out, even calling it ‘one of the best statues ever created.’ However, everyone else felt it looked nothing like him. Some even say it was on the same level as […]

The Los Angeles Clippers new arena has dominated headlines early in the 2024-25 campaign for its innovative design and insane $2 billion price tag. With that kind of money, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer wanted everything to be perfect, especially the popcorn served at the concession stands. Instead of bringing on the same supplier of popped […]

In the world of professional sports, sometimes the unlikeliest heroes can come from the most random sources. During Tom Brady and the New England Patriots‘ Super Bowl run in 2003, that source came from a seventh-grade teacher at Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge named Brian Kinchen. Tom Brady, Patriots needed someone who was familiar […]

Despite playing in a small market city, the Oklahoma City Thunder have managed to create three separate “super teams” in less than a decade. While you can give a lot of credit to their scouts for finding the right talent, Sam Presti’s ability to negotiate trades often goes unnoticed. One of them was how, after […]

“He was like Zion before Zion.”  Those were the six words Paul George had to say when he was asked on his podcast about Deonte Burton, a talented player that first came to his mind that he feels wasn’t given enough chances in the NBA. Comparing a player who has spent most of his career […]

In this era of social media, anyone can be an overnight celebrity. As the face of one of the most popular memes on the internet, Dieunerst Collin made sure he’d make the most of his unexpected fame even if it would come a decade later. Back when he was a nine-year-old minding his own business […]

It’s not every day you see people with one arm shoot and dunk the basketball the way Hansel Enmanuel does. But then again, Enmanuel is a special breed. Born in the Dominican Republic, Enmanuel had a life-altering experience at just six years old. A concrete wall collapsed on him, trapping his left arm for two […]

Julian Newman’s skills were advanced for his age. At 10 years old, he earned a spot on his school’s middle school team as a 4-foot-5 5th grader. Once he finished a game scoring 91 points, he was immediately promoted to Downey Christian School’s varsity team. Despite weighing only 70 lbs. and facing players twice his […]

Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA with crazy expectations as a 7’4″ French phenom, and he immediately delivered in his rookie campaign (21.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 46.5 FG%), proving why he’s one of the most hyped basketball prospects in recent memory. While the San Antonio Spurs finished with just a 22-609 record, it was […]

Like in every professional sport, expectations are always high for a top overall pick. Some expect that player to produce from day one while some expect him to be the franchise savior. For Baker Mayfield, it was both. As the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns expected Mayfield to change […]

People use the phrase “records are meant to be broken” loosely in the world of sports. However, there are always a few that happen to go untouched. Wilt Chamberlain dominates the record books, but John Stockton might have a case with his all-time assist record. Despite the surge of offense in recent years, Stockton’s record […]

Social media can make anyone look like a superstar these days. Thanks to a viral mixtape that was made when he was in 7th grade, Emoni Bates became a household name. By the time he was 15 years old, scouts and analysts were already calling him one of the best high school basketball prospects since […]

Tough guys aren’t hard to find in the NFL. It’s those who play in the most crucial moments of the season despite injuries go on to be remembered as legends. Tom Brady once played in the Super Bowl with a torn MCL. There was the story of Jack Youngblood who played the entire 1979 postseason […]

Anthony Edwards is never shy about voicing his opinion. However, one of his commercials to promote his signature shoe with Adidas caused quite a bit of attention. It happened right after the Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated from the 2024 playoffs and Adidas released a commercial titled “Receipts.” This was a 51-second commercial that featured Edwards shooting […]

In the summer of 2011, Chris Paul was destined to a trade from New Orleans to Hollywood. The only thing nobody knew was whether he’d start the season as the point guard of the LA Lakers or Clippers.  While the Clippers eventually won the CP3 sweepstakes (thanks to former commissioner David Stern’s intervention), it makes […]

Oklahoma City Thunder and former Kentucky basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has asserted himself as one of the top players in the NBA.  However, as his basketball journey was unfolding, only a handful of people actually believed in his potential, let alone be the face of one of the most exciting teams in today’s NBA. His journey […]

When Luka Doncic left Real Madrid in 2018 to pursue a career in the NBA, he left behind a pretty stacked roster filled with European legends and former NBA players. In what turned out to be one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history, whatever happened to the key players on that roster […]

Kevin Garnett has a reputation as one of the most intense and competitive players in NBA history. He talked a lot of trash that even Joakim Noah went from a diehard fan to a foe, and most importantly, he made sure to never back down from confrontation. In fact, as a young 18-year-old playing with […]

Five teams (including the Minnesota Timberwolves twice) thought there were players in the 2009 NBA Draft better than Stephen Curry. Today, he’s widely recognized as the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, a four-time champion, a two-time MVP, and an Olympic gold medalist. While it’s not unusual for future Hall of Famers to slip past […]

The 2007 NBA draft had it all. Future superstars, role players, sleeper second-round picks, and of course, its fair share of busts. While most NBA careers span about 4-and-a-half years, this class showed it was a draft for the ages as four out of the first five players who were drafted are still on an […]

Nobody really batted an eye when the Washington Wizards suddenly waived 21-year-old Ryan Rollins in the middle of the 2023-2024 season. He only played in 10 of the Wizards’ first 30 games and averaged four points. However, once details emerged that the reason for his sudden release was because of a shoplifting incident at Target, […]

Every year, EA Sports makes it a point to tease fans and players with a player’s overall rating in Madden to see who earned the honor of getting the highest overall rating Madden can bestow. Aside from being a cheat code in the game, NFL players rated 99 before the start of the season often […]