Kriel Ibarrola Articles - Page 40

The latest episodes of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” gave viewers yet another too-good-to-be-true moment involving former Chicago Bulls’ eccentric forward Dennis Rodman. In the middle of their grueling NBA Finals series against the Utah Jazz, Rodman decided to skip practice to attend a professional wrestling event. So @dennisrodman missed practice during the NBA Finals to […]

Apart from captivating audiences with the Chicago Bulls’ greatness in the ’90s, “The Last Dance” has also given us plenty of Michael Jordan meme-able moments. The last episodes, which aired on Sunday (May 17), gave us yet another hilarious Jordan reaction. MJ flashed a devilish grin as he re-watched the fight between him and Indiana Pacers […]

The legend that was Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game” continues to be one of the most valiant individual performances by an athlete in any major sport. But if then Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson had his way in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, the now-iconic moment probably wouldn’t have […]

As seen numerous times throughout ESPN’s “The Last Dance” docuseries, Michael Jordan uses apparent slights against him as motivation to perform at his best and prove people wrong. Such was the case in the 1996-97 season when Jordan finished second in the MVP voting behind Utah Jazz superstar Karl Malone. In episode 9 of ESPN’s […]

NBA icon Michael Jordan is a man of many names. Fans acknowledge him as His Airness and the GOAT, while the moniker “Black Jesus” has also been thrown around from time to time. Turns out, that colorful nickname was actually bestowed upon by  Jordan to himself. As seen in the latest episode of ESPN’s 10-part docuseries […]

Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant has indeed been the brightest neophyte of the 2019-20 NBA regular season campaign. The 20-year-old Murray State product seems to be a lock for the Rookie of the Year plum this season after notching remarkable averages of 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists on 49.1 percent shooting from the […]

Trying to defend NBA icon Michael Jordan was indeed a hard puzzle to solve even for the most accomplished defenders to ever suit up in the NBA. Former Sacramento Kings players Mitch Richmond and Doug Christie, who were no slouches on the other end of the floor, recently detailed what it was like trying to hold […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will surely be a sought-after commodity once he becomes a free agent in 2022. However, instead of choosing where he wants to go, the 27-year-old combo guard has opted to let fans decide on his fate. Dinwiddie shared a GoFundMe page on Friday promoting a fundraiser where fans can specifically […]

Retired NBA forward Channing Frye continues to trigger people with his rather controversial views about Michael Jordan on Twitter. With Jordan and the Chicago Bulls currently the talk of the town due to ESPN’s The Last Dance docu-series, Frye offered his unfiltered belief that MJ’s perimeter-oriented game won’t be as effective in today’s style of […]

NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady picked quite a formidable all-time Orlando Magic squad on Thursday. Speaking with Dante Marchitelli on the Orlando Magic Pod Squad, T-Mac picked himself and Penny Hardaway as the team’s all-time best backcourt duo. He then added the likes of Grant Hill, Dwight Howard, and Shaquille O’Neal in the frontcourt. What […]

After proclaiming how easily he’ll dominate Draymond Green had they matched up during the day, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal also bared how his 2000’s Los Angeles Lakers team could have handled the Golden State Warriors’ sharp-shooting superstar Stephen Curry. The retired 7-foot-1 center, who now works as an analyst for TNT, shared a hypothetical […]

The 1991 Gatorade commercial featuring Michael Jordan, mentioned in The Last Dance, continues to be one of the most recognizable ads of all time, mainly due to the popularity of its catchy tune “Be Like Mike.” The song has aged quite nicely. The ad on Michael Jordan was even remastered during Gatorade’s 50th anniversary back […]

There’s no denying that NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman is the most eccentric player to ever step foot in the league. As bizarre as his off-court actions were, he was beloved for his valuable contributions on the hardwood. Rodman was a consummate winner, collecting five NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. […]

To say that the New York Knicks have been unlucky over the years would simply be an understatement. Sure, they struck gold in the 1985 draft when they nabbed Patrick Ewing with the first overall pick, albeit in a rather controversial manner. The basketball gods have frowned upon the Knicks since then, however, as they […]

Retired NBA star Penny Hardaway was a big part of the 1995 Orlando Magic squad that handed Michael Jordan his only playoff series defeat during the Chicago Bulls’ run of dominance in the 1990s. Jordan, who was just coming back from a lengthy hiatus from basketball, was ambushed by the upstart Magic squad led by […]

NBA players usually have something to prove whenever they face their former teams. As for Horace Grant, he loathed the Chicago Bulls, according to his ex-Orlando Magic teammate Penny Hardaway. Along with former Bull Scott Burell, Hardaway appeared on the Uninterrupted podcast on Monday to discuss Episodes 7 and 8 of the The Last Dance […]

It’s safe to say that incumbent United States President Donald Trump is not a popular figure among NBA players these days. Just a few years ago, NBA champions were thrilled to enjoy the perks of getting to go on a courtesy call to the White House. Back then, it meant exchanging pleasantries with former President […]

A debate has been raging on as to who would win between the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls ever since the former broke the latter’s 72-win season record. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who was part of the ’96 Bulls team as a player, finally settled it once and for all. […]

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal believes winning the Larry O’Brien trophy won’t mean as much this year due to the world’s troubling state because of the coronavirus pandemic. Apart from suggesting that the season be scrapped immediately, the 48-year-old current TNT analyst bared that whoever wins the title this 2019-20 will have an “asterisk” […]

Apart from being former teammates with Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr can proudly say that he once traded fists with the Chicago Bulls icon. The infamous story of how the deadshot point guard never backed down to from a physical altercation with the GOAT showed just how intense those ’90s Bulls practices get. In the latest episode […]

Every Michael Jordan memorabilia is selling like hotcakes at the moment due to the popularity of ESPN’s 10-part docu-series The Last Dance. Now, per Darren Rovell of ESPN, a $15,000 signed wire from Jordan to the Trump Casino Indiana has gone to the auction block on Sunday, around the same time Episodes 7 and 8 […]

ESPN’s The Last Dance docu-series has painted a clear picture of both the good and bad sides of Michael Jordan’s highly competitive nature. His former Chicago Bulls teammate Toni Kukoc had witnessed MJ’s fiery attitude, particularly behind closed doors during team practices. As seen in the latest episode of The Last Dance, the retired Croatian […]

Former Chicago Bulls forward Toni Kukoc completed the biggest shot of his NBA career when he drained a 23-foot fadeaway buzzer-beater in Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. However, the entire team was in no celebratory mood afterward, as Scottie Pippen’s decision to voluntarily sit out the final […]

Former Chicago Bulls center Will Perdue wasn’t always fond of how hard Michael Jordan was to him and his teammates. However, upon looking at the bigger picture, the 7-foot-1 retired slotman believes Jordan’s tough love was necessary to propel the Bulls to greatness during their first three-peat from 1991-93. In the latest episode of The […]

Michael Jordan will forever be celebrated for the remarkable feats he achieved during his legendary career. However, his greatness was often accompanied by several controversies, perhaps none bigger than the connection between his supposed gambling problem and the murder of his father, James Jordan Sr. in 1993. Long-time sports journalist Andrea Kremer delved into this […]

It’s not an unusual phenomenon for players from the same team to fight. Disagreements between the closest of teammates are inevitable and it happens across all major sports around the world. Then again, not every disagreement rises to the level of Michael Jordan giving Steve Kerr the five-knuckle-shuffle back in the Chicago Bulls heyday. But […]

The Chicago Bulls’ second successful three-peat from 1996-98 wouldn’t have been possible had Dennis Rodman not apologized to Scottie Pippen prior to joining the squad in 1995. Although the Bulls were desperate for a defensive presence entering the 95-96 season, the squad was not jumping on the idea of bringing in the infamous Rodman to […]

Even while the league is on hiatus, trade rumblings surrounding Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supposed move to the Golden State Warriors continues to fill headlines. At first glance, this just doesn’t make sense at all. Why would the alpha dog of the best team in the league join a broken dynasty who currently has […]

The Dallas Mavericks’ pairing of Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki in the early 2000s was simply a match made in heaven. But as compatible as their play styles were, the Mavs brass opted to let Nash walk away in free agency in the summer of 2004 as he made his return to the Phoenix Suns. […]

The United States Men’s’ Basketball program has sent plenty of formidable squads in international competition over the years. To this day, however, no one still comes close to the greatness and star power of the 1992 ensemble aptly dubbed as the Dream Team. That squad, after all, featured three of the most prominent NBA talents […]

The long NBA hiatus has been a blessing in disguise for the Philadelphia 76ers, as it allowed their star point-forward Ben Simmons time to recuperate from a serious back issue. Per Sixers GM Elton Brand, the 23-year-old Simmons will now be ready when (and if) the 2019-20 season resumes. “I give Ben and our medical […]

As great as Michael Jordan was for the Chicago Bulls, he also played with several amazing teammates over the years. Toni Kukoc may not get the same recognition as Scottie Pippen or Dennis Rodman, but he was vital for the Bulls’ second three-peat from 1996-98. The 6-foot-11 Croatian was indeed a player ahead of his […]

Twenty-eight years have passed, yet there remains to be no clear explanation as to why NBA great Isiah Thomas was infamously excluded from the USA Men’s National Basketball Team that won gold in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. For many years, pundits believed it was Michael Jordan’s call to leave out the leader of the […]

To this day, Michael Jordan’s heroic performance in the “Flu Game” stands as one of the most iconic displays of sheer physical and mental fortitude in all of basketball. But as far as his former Chicago Bulls teammate and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is concerned, instances like that will no longer happen […]

To this day, most NBA fans believe that Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls should have won even more titles had MJ not decided to surprisingly retire following the 1993 season. There are plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding his shock announcement, but Jordan’s recent revelations in episode 6 of “The Last Dance” documentary may have factored […]

Charles Barkley is just one of the many Hall of Famers denied a chance of an NBA title by the ’90s Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan. His best shot at the title came in the 1992-93 season when the 6-foot-6 forward led the Phoenix Suns to the Finals. In an appearance on Episode […]

It’s never wise to add more fuel to Michael Jordan’s already competitive nature. In the latest episode of “The Last Dance” aired on Sunday, His Airness revealed that he made it his point to outclass Phoenix Suns guard Dan Majerle out of spite for then Chicago Bulls’ GM Jerry Krause. Majerle had the unfortunate task […]

Bad luck seems to always follow the Portland Trail Blazers throughout history. Don’t get it wrong, the team enjoyed success and has managed to stay as contenders through the years in the competitive Western Conference. However, looking at the past news about the Blazers, they somehow suffer a cruel fate right when they are primed […]

It is no secret that the playing style of Utah Jazz dynamic guard Donovan Mitchell has often been compared to that of Houston Rockets high-flyer Russell Westbrook. The two, after all, use their athleticism to the fullest and carry the same score-first mentality. In a video interview with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, however, Mitchell admitted that […]