Preston Byers Articles - Page 20

A surprising figure is reportedly assisting the Los Angeles Lakers in their search for a head coach: former Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski. And that news could possibly be a welcome sign for those who hope longtime NBA player JJ Redick lands the Lakers job this offseason. Krzyzewski, commonly referred to as “Coach K,” […]

A lot of eyes — even more than usual — are on LeBron James right now. The four-time NBA Champion can opt out of the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and become a free agent this offseason, and with the prospect of his son Bronny James being drafted next month […]

Draymond Green has been known to be an antagonist of sorts throughout his NBA career, but one of the newer rivalries for the Golden State Warriors veteran is with Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. While both players’ teams aren’t playing anymore at this point in the season, Green used his platform on TNT’s “Inside the […]

Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft enjoyed an uber-successful quarter-of-a-century together as key figures in the New England Patriots’ dynasty. However, no good thing lasts forever, and it appears there are harsh and awkward feelings left between Belichick and Kraft, if a moment between the two at former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s roast is any indication. […]

On ESPN’s “First Take” yesterday, Stephen A. Smith said Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tweeted an image of the now infamous trade between OKC and Los Angeles Clippers in which SGA, an NBA MVP finalist, and a whole lot more were traded by the Clippers in exchange for Paul George. But Gilgeous-Alexander never tweeted […]

Derrick White has proven his value to the Boston Celtics over and over again, with his play even garnering a push from fans and media members for him to be named an All-Star or All-NBA player this season. And White’s teammate Jaylen Brown gave his efficient and hard-working teammate a shoutout after the Celtics’ dominant […]

During the offseason, Shohei Ohtani signed a historic contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but just as he was making his debut for the Dodgers, he found himself near the center of a gambling scandal that involved his finances and former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. And despite a bizarre set of circumstances involving his new star […]

Throughout his NBA career, Patrick Beverley has built a reputation for being a pesky, competitive, and what some would call a “dirty” player. And Beverley did little to quiet his critics near the end of and after a season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 last week. Beverley, who recorded 6 points, 2 […]

Rudy Gobert missed Game 2 of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-round series against the Denver Nuggets as he flew from Denver to Minneapolis for the birth of his son. While many lauded Gobert for being present for a special moment in his and his family’s lives, others did not agree with it, including Gobert’s longtime rival, […]

After a Game 1 loss that saw the Denver Nuggets fall behind in a series for the first time in two years, Nuggets coach Michael Malone hoped his team would respond with a win in Game 2 to tie the series. Instead, Denver came out flat and was blown out by the overwhelming Minnesota Timberwolves. […]

The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets fell behind 0-2 in their second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a frustrating, lopsided 106-80 Game 2 loss. As the Timberwolves started to pull away, Jamal Murray, amid another rough first half, threw a heat pack from the bench onto the floor as play was going on in […]

The Boston Bruins avoided disaster Saturday night, winning Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 2-1 overtime victory is credited, at least from prominent members of the Bruins, to goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who received extensive praise from head coach Jim Montgomery and right winger David Pastrnak. After […]

Shortly after he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason, Shohei Ohtani gave a Porsche to the wife of new teammate Joe Kelly, who gave up his No. 17 with the Dodgers for Ohtani. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hoped he might get a similar gift from Ohtani, but things did not work out […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers are rolling. After suffering a rough stretch, which included a three-game losing streak in the middle of April, the Dodgers have since won nine of their last 12, including their last three straight. Tyler Glasnow and Max Muncy were big parts of why last night, as the Dodgers crushed the Atlanta […]

Mark Pope, the new Kentucky basketball head coach, is in a tough position following John Calipari. While the end of the Calipari era likely left many Wildcats fans with a bitter taste in their mouths, Calipari’s ability to recruit can make expectations possibly too high for Pope to reach. But it looks like Pope has […]

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has received immense criticism regarding his weight throughout his NBA career, and Charles Barkley, who struggled with his weight during his own time in the league, said he hopes Williamson listens to his advice. On the latest episode of “Club Shay Shay” with Shannon Sharpe, Barkley, while discussing his […]

Over the past few years, the popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA have exploded. Average television viewership for WNBA games jumped about 25% from 2022 to 2023, and with the arrivals of college basketball superstars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Kamilla Cardoso, among others, the W may be about take off to another level […]

With the ousting of Darvin Ham and his entire coaching staff, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the prowl for a head coach, and early reports seem to indicate L.A. wants a coach with championship experience. So it is little surprise that former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has emerged as one of the […]

The Dallas Mavericks may be in the Western Conference, but the organization has some pretty deep connections in the upcoming Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, thanks to former coach Rick Carlisle, now with the Pacers, and former player Jalen Brunson, now the Knicks’ star. The Knicks and Pacers […]

After his Los Angeles Clippers were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue spoke to the media and discussed a potential contract extension. During the post-game press conference, Lue, whose name has been thrown out by reporters as a Los Angeles Lakers head coaching target […]

Although some people may be hesitant to label Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry a point guard considering he’s the greatest shooter in basketball history, he is inarguably one of the best players ever for his size. Despite being just 6 feet 2 inches, Curry has transformed the sport, but if it was up to […]

In a dogfight of a Game 5 with the Orlando Magic, Evan Mobley proved to be the Cleveland Cavaliers’ hero, as his crucial late-game block helped the Cavs take a 3-2 lead back to Orlando. After Donovan Mitchell missed a pull-up jumper at one end, the Magic, down 102-100 with about a dozen seconds left […]

The Orlando Magic had a huge opportunity to steal home-court advantage vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers and head back to Florida with a chance to close their series out at home. Unfortunately for them, the Cavs held on to win Game 5 on Tuesday 104-103, and Game 6 could be a little tougher considering the injury […]

The Chicago Bulls are in an incredibly unfavorable position in the current NBA landscape. While the team has built a roster that is just barely below the luxury tax line, the Bulls are nowhere close to being true contenders, but that could also make it easier to part ways with Zach LaVine in a trade […]

LeBron James is nearing the end of his career (or so we think), which makes James’ free-agency decision this offseason all that more intriguing. The 39-year-old NBA superstar just finished his 21st NBA season and has a $51.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers he must decide to exercise or decline this summer, […]

The New York Knicks are reportedly targeting Devin Booker as a potential Jalen Brunson backcourt partner, but the Phoenix Suns’ star is reportedly quite happy staying with the only team for which he has played. And a source from his camp has now hit back at Stephen A. Smith, who recently claimed that Booker “wants […]

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during Minnesota’s series sweep-clinching 122-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns. And while the team will have several days off before the second-round series opener vs. the Denver Nuggets, Finch’s status is anything but simple. After sustaining the injury due to […]

The Los Angeles Lakers were so close yet so far from beating the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive year, as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Co. completed a ‘gentleman’s’ sweep Monday with a 108-106 victory capped off by another Murray game-winning shot. After the game, Lakers legend Magic Johnson gave his thoughts on the […]

Russell Westbrook earned an ejection from the Los Angeles Clippers’ Game 3 loss to the Dallas Mavericks after being whistled for two technicals and a flagrant foul, concluding an abysmal performance in which he recorded just one point on 0-7 shooting from the field. While the performance was bad enough, Stephen A. Smith said he […]

Shohei Ohtani signed the largest deal in MLB history to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, but at one point, it seemed as if the Japanese superstar was destined to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. That didn’t happen, though, and it seemingly left some hard feelings with Blue Jays fans, evident by the Toronto crowd’s […]

Joel Embiid has endured so many injuries throughout his career, and that has not changed during the Philadelphia 76ers’ ongoing NBA Playoffs series against the New York Knicks. The 76ers big man is on the injury report ahead of Game 4, so is Joel Embiid playing tonight vs. the Knicks? After suffering a torn meniscus […]

The Denver Nuggets lost Game 4 to the Los Angeles Lakers, their first defeat at the hands of the Lakers in 12 games. And while the Lakers’ strong starts have been a trend all series, the Nuggets may have suffered from a bizarre set of pre-game circumstances before their first loss of the NBA Playoffs. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a long, embarrassing streak of losses to the Denver Nuggets last night with a 119-108 victory, the Lakers’ first against Nikola Jokic and Denver since December 2022. But there is another stat from the two teams’ first-round playoff series that could give a bit of hope to L.A. fans. Despite […]

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi proved to be stellar in his latest start against the Cincinnati Reds, as he struck eight batters and allowed just one run in six innings of work. And his strong performance drew praise from teammate Marcus Semien. Semien, the Rangers’ second baseman who hit a solo home run, scoring one […]

Even before Anthony Edwards’ 36-point performance in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 3 victory over the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce likened Edwards’ ferociousness against Kevin Durant to that of LeBron James when he played Pierce early in his career. On the latest episode of “KG Certified,” Garnett and Pierce discussed the dynamic between […]

During a heated Game 3 between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers, Mavericks forward PJ Washington gained even more love and admiration from the Mavs’ faithful after separate altercations with Terance Mann, Russell Westbrook, and other members of the Clippers. Early in the fourth quarter of the game, of which the Mavericks were leading […]

Bill Belichick may be out of an NFL job, but he sure isn’t taking time off. The man who owns eight Super Bowl rings and is widely considered the greatest coach in league history is reportedly set to become a major media star in his first season without a coaching job since 1974. In January, […]

After a surprisingly decisive Game 1 victory over the Indiana Pacers without superstar player Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks fell behind and stayed behind in a 125-108 Game 2 home loss on Tuesday. And toward the end of the game, the Pacers’ Obi Toppin and Bucks’ Chris Livingston were both issued technical fouls for chirping […]

The Phoenix Suns fell behind in their NBA Playoffs series with the Minnesota Timberwolves 2-0 on Tuesday with another abysmal offensive performance. Despite boasting a top-10 offensive rating in the regular season, the Suns have scored 95 and 93 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, and the early series deficit is creating some chatter […]