Mike Cruz Articles - Page 68

LaMelo Ball recently made his Drew League debut. He showed out with an outstanding performance. The youngest brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball dropped 25 points in a winning effort in his first game at the renowned pro-am basketball league. LaMelo dropped 2️⃣5️⃣ in a 90-71 win during his @DrewLeague debut. 📊 pic.twitter.com/weT5HgY30t […]

The Toronto Raptors are on the cusp of winning their first ever NBA championship, and superstar Kawhi Leonard is standing front and center of their historic run this year. The silent assassin has done things the right way for Toronto this season and his teammates have followed suit of their superstar’s leadership. An anonymous NBA […]

The Boston Celtics are primed for a huge offseason with the impending free agency of star point guard Kyrie Irving. Al Horford knows it. There have been several reports that Irving is as good as gone in Boston ever since a disappointing second-round exit against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, veteran Celtics big man Al Horford […]

Dirk Nowitzki is hosting his eighth annual celebrity baseball game this Friday, and a lot of his pals are coming to participate. The Dallas Mavericks legend, who recently retired from the NBA after 21 seasons, was humbled by the outpouring of support from his peers for his yearly gig: “It’s humbling that guys make room […]

Jonas Valanciunas has a $17.6 million player option which he can opt into to remain with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2019-20 season. According to Lithuanian basketball journalist Donatas Urbonas, Valanciunas has yet to decide whether he will opt in or not. The 27-year old Lithuanian big man added that the next head coach will […]

Former NBA player Sarunas Jasikevicius stated that he wants to remain as coach of the Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. However, according to John Askounis of Eurohoops, the European legend hasn’t ruled out a future gig in the NBA, which could happen next season. Jasikevicius has gained a lot of interest from several […]

Former NBA Champion Antoine Walker joined First Things First on Fox Sports and chimed in his thoughts on the Finals match-up between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. Walker particularly focused on how Kawhi Leonard needs to play smarter and find ways to get his teammates going in order for the Raptors to […]

Former United States president Barack Obama was in attendance for Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. Obama shared his last experience of attending the Finals: the 1996 edition between his hometown Chicago Bulls against the Seattle Supersonics. In his discussion, Obama gave some high-praises to Sonics […]

The Utah Jazz continue to poke fun at each other in their offseason. This time, All-NBA center Rudy Gobert took his shot at star guard Donovan Mitchell. A local Utah kid’s highlight reel went viral online after he dropped his defender with a nasty spin move during what appears like a local basketball camp for […]

The Detroit Pistons have the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, the first outside of the lottery. With this pick, Detroit is looking to fill in a void that has been a problem for the franchise over the past couple of years, as hinted by big man Andre Drummond. “I think we’re in […]

Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard might have just fallen more in love with his wife Elle, who showcased her very own impressive basketball skills to her professional basketball player husband. Leonard posted a video on Twitter of his wife draining three-point buckets while using both hands at the same time. Okay.. this is insane. […]

Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard has inserted his name into the best player in the world conversation with his spectacular 2019 postseason thus far. Leonard is leading the Raptors in their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. Yet, despite his unreal superstar talent, The Klaw isn’t one to showboat after making a big time […]

The Toronto Raptors are getting some positive news ahead of Game 2 of their NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors. Forward OG Anunoby has been activated and listed as “probable” for Game 2 in the latest NBA Injury Report. This development goes in line with Nick Nurse’s comment ahead of the NBA Finals, […]

Team USA is slowly building its roster for the 2019 FIBA World Cup tournament this August. Marc Stein of The New York Times reports that Team USA expects to tap Houston Rockets superstar James Harden for the final 12-man lineup for the international tournament. Team USA, of course, will be coached by San Antonio's Gregg […]

Marc Stein of the New York Times reports that Charlotte Hornets All-Star guard Kemba Walker has committed to play for Team USA in this year’s FIBA World Cup tournament. Likewise, rumors are circulating that New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis is also interested in participating in the global tournament. USA Basketball has begun assembling its […]

The Toronto Raptors are having quite the Cinderella so far in these 2019 playoffs after advancing to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. Of course, this would not be possible without the ever-so-loving fan-base that has supported them throughout this special run. In the down time before Game 2, Raptors players prepared a special […]

Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace won an NBA championship together with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010. It was truly a special moment for two teammates who had mutual respect with each other. But before they ever got together on the Lakers, World Peace, then known as Ron Artest, and Bryant were very fierce […]

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has blossomed into one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. The Nuggets sure got him on a bargain, drafting him with the 41st pick of the 2014 draft. However, his agent, Misko Raznatovic said recently admitted in an interview with Nedeljnik that, if not for an unfortunate event, Jokic was […]

Thousands of Star Wars geeks made the trip to Disneyland for the opening of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” on May 31. Among those were the NBA’s very own Lopez brothers, Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks and Robin Lopez of the Chicago Bulls. Melissa Stetten spotted the twin towers roaming around at the opening of […]

This is the first time that the NBA Finals is in Canada, with the Toronto Raptors hosting the two-time defending champions Golden State Warriors for Games 1 and 2. With Game 1 already in the books and Game 2 still two days away, Warriors forward Draymond Green took some time to have a pleasant tour […]

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has openly admitted that he tries to pattern his game to Steve Nash’s rather than Stephen Curry’s, whom he got major comparisons to prior to entering the NBA. Now, Young gets his chance to hang out with his idol in Nash, as the two point guards were invited to watch […]

Four years after retirement and Steve Nash still continues to amaze us all. Anyone who followed Nash knows that he is not only a world-class hooper but also a really good soccer player. The Hall of Famer recently showcased his talents at both sports with this amazing trick shot he did while he was in […]

The Golden State Warriors are on a five-year run of dominance in the NBA. The Warriors have been vocal over the years how difficult it is to stay on top, especially with everybody else looking to take them down. However, it seems like they found something meaningful to play for this season. In an interview […]

Ever wondered what former San Antonio Spurs champion Boris Diaw is up to these days? Well, if you follow the now-retired forward on social media, you would see that he’s enjoying his life after basketball. Jabari Young of The Athletic recently caught up with the former NBA champion. During the interview, which took place in […]

Golden State Warriors forward Durant is still currently recovering from a strained right calf and could potentially miss their entire Finals series against the Toronto Raptors. Even without Durant, the two-time defending champs are still heavy favorites to come out victorious. Many think that Durant’s legacy could take a massive hit should the Warriors win […]

The Brooklyn Nets have hired Jeff Peterson as Assistant General Manager, the team announced in a press release, per Bryan Lewis of The New York Post. #Nets name Jeff Peterson assistant GM. #Nba pic.twitter.com/2eC9wi0Zcx — Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) May 25, 2019 In the press release, Nets General Manager Sean Marks lauded Peterson’s “extensive scouting and […]

Golden State Warriors starting center DeMarcus Cousins has been out of commission for the defending champions ever since he blew out his quad in Game 2 of their first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Since then, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has randomly fielded in different guys to be the fifth guy in the starting […]

Everybody is aboard the Kawhi Leonard hype train after he led the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. Well, everybody except well-known San Antonio Spurs fan Skip Bayless. The Fox Sports analyst did not seem too impressed with Kawhi Leonard’s Game 6 performance, as he absurdly aired out his criticisms on […]

After stringing together one of the best regular seasons in NBA history, the Milwaukee Bucks ended their 2019 playoff campaign in disappointing fashion. Surely, no one is more dismayed than their young superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Former player and NBA champion Matt Barnes offered an encouraging message for the Greek Freak when he appeared on Undisputed […]

The people of Toronto are going nuts. But can you blame them, though? Their beloved Raptors are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history after dispatching the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Reserve guard Fred VanVleet caught the wild scene in Jurassic Park as he tried to get through […]

The Toronto Raptors made history on Saturday night after punching their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in their 24 years of existence. Likewise, according to Elias Sports, they did so by becoming the first team in 50 years to make the championship round without a top-10 pick, per Paul Hembekides of […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri called superstar forward Kawhi Leonard the best player in the league after he led the franchise to its first ever NBA Finals appearance, toppling the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, Kawhi Leonard didn’t really soak in the high praise from Ujiri. He wants […]

Fans at the Scotiabank Arena showered Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard with “MVP!” chants as he received the Eastern Conference Finals championship trophy. MVP! MVP! MVP! pic.twitter.com/wQSzr3htfk — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) May 26, 2019 Kawhi deserves all the love from Canada right now after he led their beloved Raptors to the Finals for the first […]

As Tas Melas of the Starters would say: Unclench the butts! Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau surely had his butts unclenched after watching Canada’s beloved Toronto Raptors punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. #Game6 🇨🇦 #Match6#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/OJv7jbp1uR — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 26, 2019 The Finals are […]

As expected, Drake is at it again in Game 6 of the Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks Eastern Conference Finals series. The Raptors global ambassador — and undoubtedly the team’s biggest celebrity fan — is pulling out all the stops to help the team advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise […]

Toronto Raptors fans are pulling off all the stops to help their Raps advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. With international superstar Drake doing his best in heckling the Bucks on the sidelines, Raptors fans decided to use him as well in the form of massive Drake head cutouts. […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The NBA’s greatest star of this generation who has been the centerpiece of the big stage over the past decade did not get to showcase his talents under the brightest lights. And the league is feeling the void. […]

A number of the Houston Rockets coaching staff will reportedly not return with the team next season, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported. Assistant coach Roy Rogers won't return to Rockets https://t.co/LfwuW0G5nk — Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 24, 2019 This series of moves by the Rockets has led to some speculation around the […]

A bunch of NBA coaching changes are about to take place in among Western Conference teams. Marc Stein of The New York Times reports that both the Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns are looking to pry away some of the assistant coaches from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings are reportedly pursuing Bob Beyer, […]