Mike Cruz Articles - Page 83

Dallas Mavericks second-year guard Dennis Smith Jr. has no plans to redeem himself in this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which will be held in Charlotte. The high-flying Mavs guard was asked by Tim MacMahon of ESPN whether he would be returning to this year’s contest, and said this: Dennis Smith Jr. “I’m not doing the […]

Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t letting any labels distract him from focusing on his ultimate goal: winning. In an interview with Jarrel Harris of Sports Illustrated, Antetokounmpo was asked what it means to him that people are now saying that he is the best player in the East. Below was the 6-foot-11 forward’s […]

Newly inducted basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash apparently sees a lot of himself in Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young. Nash was a guest in the most recent episode of The Bill Simmons podcast and said this about the polarizing rookie: “Trae Young can really pass the ball. He can really pass. He has […]

It’s hard to believe that LeBron James, who is regarded as the consensus best player in the world, may actually not be the best shooter in his family. This is exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward feels. According to him, his son, Bryce Maximus James, is the best shooter in the James household. […]

Renowned sports journalist Lee Jenkins is now an NBA executive with the Los Angeles Clippers. Adrian Wojnarowski announced on Twitter that Jenkins would be joining the Los Angeles Clippers front office as Executive Director of Research and Identity. Clippers President Lawrence Frank made the announcement Monday evening. LA #Clippeds make it official, announcing @SI_LeeJenkins as […]

A thorn has been taken out of former NBA superstar Deron Williams’ side. Seven years after their fall out with the Utah Jazz, Williams reached out to his former head coach Jerry Sloan to make amends. Sloan, whose health is now deteriorating due to Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, walked away from coaching in the […]

Stephen Curry of the back-to-back defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors admitted that staying on top of the mountain is a challenge that he and his teammates face year after year. “Human nature is tough to fight sometimes,’ he says in an interview with Charlie Skillen of the Daily Mail Online. “You show up in […]

After seven years, Miami Heat President Pat Riley reveals that now Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James once low-key asked him to replace Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. This bit of information was told by Ian Thomsen in his book “The Soul of Basketball” which offered an in-depth account into the behind-the-scenes happenings of the […]

It’s no secret that Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and team owner Mark Cuban have grown to be very good friends throughout their almost two-decade partnership with the Mavericks. Together, they experienced many heartaches in failed post-season campaigns in the 2000s. Both of them also shared the triumph of finally reaching the mountaintop together in […]

Imagine three-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors shooting one-legged three-pointers, becoming more deadly than he already is from beyond the arc. He recently said at an Under Armour event that he wanted to add that particular shot to his arsenal — that of which is a signature shot of Spanish legend Juan […]

After seemingly spending the summer focusing on his music and enjoying his time off the court, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has finally revealed his workout regimen. The three-time All-Star posted a one-minute video where he was initially seen wearing a cape and a mask. His apparent routine included dribbling one-handed while swatting away […]

Add Shaquille O’Neal to the list of legends who trashed the current era of the NBA. Despite the modern game being heavily reliant on the three-point shot and faster pace-and-space action, the four-time NBA champion believes he would still dominate the league today. In a report by Lloyd Johnson of Express Sport, Shaq certainly had […]

Spending less than half a season with LeBron James in Cleveland has definitely made a believer in Larry Nance, Jr. With the best player on the planet now on the Los Angeles Lakers, Nance Jr. believes LeBron can book his young squad a ticket to June. “They could [get to the Finals].” Nance said in […]

Sacramento Kings third-year man Skal Labissiere is looking to prove that he belongs in the NBA. He is trying to make those strides as is he has reportedly improved on his training methods this past off-season. Basketball trainer Johnny Stephane, also known as Dribble2Much, recently released footage of his workout with former Kentucky Wildcat. Labissiere […]

Three-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry just became an honorary member of the Tottenham Hotspur F.C. The Warriors superstar was spotted at the Wembley Stadium and was presented with his own Spurs jersey right before their Premiere League showdown with Liverpool. Welcome to Wembley, @StephenCurry30! pic.twitter.com/v9Gh1sAKAM — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 15, 2018 However, it seems […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s post-retirement resume includes mentoring and passing on knowledge to some of the NBA’s up-and-coming stars. Bryant’s services are definitely in demand, as the 5-time champion surely has a lot of knowledge and advice to offer these young players on how to be more effective on the basketball court. One […]

Kemba Walker has spent his entire career in Charlotte. But his future with the franchise that selected him with the 9th overall pick back in the 2011 NBA draft seems to be getting cloudier by the day. The former NCAA National Champion was quick to dismiss rumors of him getting ready to suit up for […]

Paul Pierce recently chimed in his thoughts on the current roster construct of the Minnesota Timberwolves – or should we say “TimberBulls” – since Wolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau can’t seem to move on from his 2012 Chicago Bulls that finished atop the Eastern Conference in the regular season. “I […]

Everybody loves nostalgia. Everybody also loves a feel-good story. This is exactly why the basketball world is egging on Kobe Bryant to come out of retirement, lace up his sneakers, and don The Purple and Gold for one last hurrah. Bryant, who just turned 40, retired from the game in 2016. And boy did he […]

NBA netizens have slowly taken notice of the playful friendship between Los Angeles Clippers teammates Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic. Their comical antics on social media have certainly caught the attention of Clippers and NBA fans alike, and they want to see more of it. A fan on Twitter (@Matt_chup) asked the 6-foot-9 swing man […]

It did not take long for Dennis Schroder of the Oklahama City Thunder to give some love to his new teammate. He recently shared in his Instagram story that 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player and new teammate Russell Westbrook has served as an inspiration to him. Aside from Westbrook, he also mentioned future Hall-of-Famer and […]

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and Three-Time NBA Champion Stephen Curry just recently finished the Manila-leg of his Under Armour Asian Tour. This was his second time in the country after his first visit in 2015. Chef Curry shared to the local reporters in Manila that he is getting ready for the grind of the […]

Most NBA enthusiasts would know that recent Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Ray Allen is also famously known as “Jesus.” This is in reference to the role he co-starred with Denzel Washington in the Spike Lee film “He Got Game.” Allen portrayed a high school basketball prodigy named Jesus Shuttlesworth, and eventually adopted […]

Adrian Wojnarowski reported early on Friday that the Houston Rockets traded forward Ryan Anderson and 2nd round pick De’Anthony Melton to the Phoenix Suns for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss. The Rockets have finally found a trade partner for Ryan Anderson. They have converted what seemed to be an untradeable talent into two rotation players, […]

The NBA spotlight shifted once again to the Los Angeles Lakers when LeBron James announced that he would donning the purple and gold this season. In the aftermath of James’ signing, most of the talk has been on how the best player in the world would mesh with the Lakers’ young core, especially with its […]