Virgil Villanueva Articles - Page 62

Chicago Bulls rookie Coby White issued a lighthearted warning to Lauri Markkanen after the latter dunked all over him. Via Twitter, White posted a clip of Markkanen’s spike all over him. As seen in the clip, White’s back was turned and Markkanen took it as an opportunity for some good old rookie hazing. But White, […]

Danny Ainge, General Manager and President of Basketball Operations of the Boston Celtics, heaped tons of praise on Jaylen Brown for how he handled the team’s situation last season. The Celtics were hounded with chemistry issues in the 2018-19 season, with players calling out each other through the media. The players couldn’t hide their frustration, […]

Jonas Jerebko, who spent the past season with the Golden State Warriors, has signed with Russian team BC Khimki. Per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, the 10-year NBA veteran will continue his basketball journey abroad with the Russian ball club. Last season with the Warriors, the Swedish national averaged 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists […]

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans wasn’t even born when Vince Carter of the Atlanta Hawks won the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest — who some say is the greatest dunk performance of all-time. Williamson’s first year in the NBA might be Carter’s last. And the first overall draft pick is looking to get advice […]

Elfrid Payton Sr. believes that the New Orleans Pelicans would’ve qualified for the 2019 playoffs if his son didn’t go down with an injury. Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, Payton Sr. chimed in on his son’s series of injuries last season. To recall, the 25-year-old Payton suffered a sprained ankle and a […]

Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas believes that veteran swingman Vince Carter should be sitting on the bench as a coach or in the office rather than playing for the Atlanta Hawks. Per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Arenas — who now plays in the BIG3 — laid out his arguments on why Carter should just […]

For NBA analyst Max Kellerman, Kyrie Irving’s return to Boston as a member of the Brooklyn Nets will be the most exciting game of the 2019-2020 season. Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Kellerman laid down the details of his argument. Apart from the history between the Celtics and Irving, Kellerman noted how huge a market […]

Elfrid Payton Sr., the father of New York Knicks guard Elfrid Payton, believes that a conflict will arise with his son and Lonzo Ball if the former stayed with the New Orleans Pelicans. Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, Payton Sr. shared that the Pelicans were interested in keeping his son. However, apart […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Demetrius Jackson to fill the final roster spot for training camp. The Lakers announced on Tuesday that they’ll include Jackson — the 45th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft — on their 20-man training camp roster. #Lakers announce they've signed Demetrius Jackson. — Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) August […]

Delon Wright of the Dallas Mavericks is eligible to receive a championship ring but he feels no personal connection to the Toronto Raptors’ 2018-2019 title run. Wright was the 20th overall pick by the Raptors in 2015. He played with them up until February 2019 as he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part […]

For his 60th birthday, NBA icon Magic Johnson put up a Top 60 list. Via Twitter, Johnson a top 60 list of his favorite films, athletes turned entrepreneurs, places to travel, and TV shows. For his favorite film of all-time, Johnson chose The Godfather — the seminal 1972 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola which […]

Center Tacko Fall of the Boston Celtics admitted that he was ‘terrible’ when he first started playing basketball. From those origins, Fall has grown in multiple ways. Per Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports, Fall recalled his high school days when he came to the United States from Senegal — the first time he grabbed a […]

Stephen Curry will enter the 2019-2020 season as the Golden State Warriors’ oldest player. He has welcomed the challenge and hopes that he’s wise beyond his years. Per 95.7 The Game, Curry, 31, shared that people have been reminding him that he’s the oldest player in the Warriors roster. He has no qualms with it […]

Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry reflected on the three years he spent with fellow star Kevin Durant. For the two-time MVP, both of them ‘got better’ in those years they spent together donning the Warriors jersey. Per Eric Ting of SF Gate, Curry believes that the whole process that they went through to […]

The Chicago Bulls will have the easiest month in their 2019-2020 season schedule. Per Yaya Dubin of NBAthlete.com, February will be a relatively easy schedule for the Bulls. Top 5 toughest months of the year: 1. OKC Oct/Nov (.583)1. PHX Feb (.583)3. SAS Apr (.574)4. DET Mar (.570)5. LAL Dec (.564) Top 5 easiest months […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who are in rebuild mode, will have the toughest opening month in the 2019-2020 season. Per Yaya Dubin of nbathlete.com, based on winning percentage, the Thunder are scheduled to face the best teams from last season. Top 5 toughest months of the year: 1. OKC Oct/Nov (.583)1. PHX Feb (.583)3. SAS […]

For Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard, being an NBA player helps him ‘stay creative as an artist.’ Speaking with Eric Diep of Billboard, Lillard spoke about his career as a hip hop artist under the pseudonym Dame D.O.L.L.A. For the four-time All-Star, music is not just an outlet but a serious craft. “I […]

Veteran forward Thaddeus Young, who’s about to embark on his first season with the Chicago Bulls, says he’s ready to take on a leadership role and hopefully push the young team over the hump. Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the 31-year-old Young shared that being the leader of a team is not a […]

Darius Bazley of the Oklahoma City Thunder believes that his physical profile will be an asset in today’s era of position-less basketball. Per Thunder reporter Nick Gallo the 6-foot-9, 200-pound Bazley shared what he can bring to the table given his size and athleticism. For the 19-year-old, he’ll have the advantage even when he’s matched up […]

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Darius Bazley, who famously earned a million dollars for being an intern at New Balance, shared some of the important life lessons he learned during his stint with the company. The 19-year-old forward said that his three-month stint with New Balance helped him mature as a person. He noted that just […]

The Golden State Warriors have promoted Aaron Miles to player development coach. Miles was the head coach of the Dubs’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Miles, 36, served as Santa Cruz head coach for the past two years. This offseason, he had the opportunity to coach Golden State’s Summer League team and work […]

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert trolled Clint Capela for missing a series of mid-range shots during an exhibition game with Sweden. The Houston Rockets big man, however, was quick to retaliate. On Twitter, Gobert posted a clip of Capela showing off his new in-game mid-range jumper. While he did drain some shots, Gobert still made […]

Former NBA player Darvin Ham, who is now one of the assistant coaches of the Milwaukee Bucks, has graduated from Texas Tech 23 years after playing for the Red Raider basketball team. Per the Texas Tech University Athletics, Ham was one of the 13 student-athletes who earned their degrees on Saturday during the university’s summer […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma admits he never thought about seeing his fellow young guns being shipped out. For Kuzma, he was bent on developing with them together and eventually forming a dynasty. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Kuzma said that it never crossed his mind that he’ll be the last one left […]

Tim Duncan has started fulfilling his role as one of the San Antonio Spurs’ assistant coaches. His first task: working out with guard Dejounte Murray. 2 🐐’s pic.twitter.com/tE1Syzk8Bo — /r/spurs (@redditspurs) August 10, 2019 Last month, the Spurs announced the addition of Duncan to Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff. He is expected to be on the […]

After the first practice session of Team USA, head coach Gregg Popovich called Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets as ‘the ultimate teammate.’ Per Alex Labidou of nuggets.com, Popovich praised Plumlee’s play, calling him a ‘utility-type infielder.’ For Popovich, the 6-foot-11 center will do whatever is needed for the team to win.  “He is one […]

For NBA legend Steve Nash, the ‘changing times’ are the main reason why suiting up for the national team is not on the top of the priority list for the players. For the past few weeks, Team USA has seen its players back out from their duties for the upcoming FIBA World Cup. Some of […]

Dallas Mavericks veteran point guard JJ Barea chimed in on the Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic tandem by calling it a ‘great combination.’ In an interview with Dwain Price of mavs.com, Barea shared his thoughts on their two young stars, Porzingis and Doncic. To recall, Porzingis was traded to the Mavericks in January. However, since […]

Amid his advancing age coupled with injuries, JJ Barea of the Dallas Mavericks expressed his readiness for training camp and willingness to play a few more years. The 35-year-old Mavs backup point guard missed the final 40 games of the 2018-2019 season due to a ruptured right Achilles tendon. This quickly raised concerns about the […]

Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder joins good friend LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers for a summer workout. James — via Instagram stories –posted a clip of Paul working out. Peep the clip below via Showtime Forum. https://twitter.com/ShowtimeForum/status/1159570485677453312?s=20 Of course, Paul and James are part of this Banana Boat crew together with […]

Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell is picking up new things from his Team USA teammates — and he’s enjoying every single minute of it. Mitchell shared that he’s learning different things such as playing efficiently, cutting off the ball, and playing better defense. He’s picking up such things from his foes turned Team USA […]

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens believes that Jayson Tatum’s experience with Team USA will help him improve as a player. Per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports, Stevens shared his thoughts after seeing one of Tatum’s practices for Team USA: “I think he’ll benefit greatly from [the Team USA experience] and I saw it today,” […]

After the spate of offseason moves by the Atlanta Hawks, sharpshooting guard Trae Young believes that the team made a ‘home run at every position.’ Per the Washington Post, Young — who’s about the enter his second year in the league — shared his thoughts on the Hawks’ offseason moves particularly in the NBA Draft. […]

New York Knicks forward Bobby Portis got a first look at his NBA 2K20 rating, and it’s safe to say he is not satisfied with it. On Twitter, Portis vowed to get his ratings up after just getting 78. He did appreciate seeing his avatar in the latest installment of the popular video game though. […]

Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers is looking to start a minicamp in Miami ahead of the team’s real training camp in Los Angeles. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the minicamp aims to forge a tighter bond and smoother chemistry among the players. The other team in LA, the Lakers, are also looking to […]

Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce has urged incoming second-year man Trae Young to step up and be the team’s leader. Per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post, Pierce pointed out how critical Young’s tenure with Team USA is. He’s hoping that Young will gain some valuable insight, which would eventually contribute to his leadership […]

NBA legend Steve Nash has admitted that it took him two years to realize that while he can’t play at a high level anymore. Per Chat News Today, the former two-time league MVP looked back on his illustrious career as one of the best point guards in history. While he officially hung his jersey up […]

New Sacramento Kings guard Cory Joseph heaped praise on his former coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors. Joseph — who will be playing under Nurse again, albeit on the Canadian men’s national basketball team — briefly recalled his stint with the Raptors from 2015 to 2017. During that time, Nurse was still an assistant […]

For Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich, the national team doesn’t need to possess the best talents in the whole world to make a mark in the FIBA World Cup in China. Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press via SWX Right Now, Popovich addressed the concerns that Team USA’s roster for the FIBA World […]