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Kevin Garnett on Victor Wembanyama: One thing I want to speak on is just Wemby's development. If I'm him, I’m working on core strength because when… Paul will tell you, I'm not the biggest guy, right? But he'll tell you when I sit down and post up, can you move me? Paul Pierce: No, he's strong. Garnett: I'm probably one of the strongest people you could ever run up on and look like how I look, but when it came down there to setting up on that block and then pitching and getting it off down there, yeah, I was the best at that. I would love to work with Big Fella, but this generation has a preference on how they want to work out. And I have to respect that. But yeah, I'm open to all… Listen, I'm looking for big years from not just Wemby. I'm looking for big years from Chet Holmgren. I'm looking for a big summer from Zion Williamson. I'm looking for a big summer from Kyrie Irving. I'm looking for Jayson Tatum to have a big summer.
Jared McCain on Victor Wembanyama: I was going to ask for Wemby's jersey, but like now that he sent a hit on me, I can’t. Like, I don't know if I… Friend: That's got to be the thumbnail for the video. Wemby sent a hit on me and… McCain: Wemby tried to kill me… Gone wrong.
The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals, claiming their first championship since 1973. Brunson was named Finals MVP after averaging 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in the series. However, because of the time difference in Slovenia, Luka Doncic admitted he did not wake up in the middle of the night to watch the games live. "It's all too early for me, waking up at three in the morning, so I didn't watch," Doncic said with a smile, via Siol.net.
Oh No He Didn't: Josh Hart on watching the Spurs celebrate their series win vs the Thunder to go to the finals: "They beat OKC...that was a mountaintop for them. I look at JB I was like you see that reaction because they think they gonna win it. They think it's over"
San Antonio easily led all local markets for the NBA Finals on ABC/ESPN with a 25.9 local rating across five games. N.Y. was No. 2 with a 17.5 local rating for the games. That’s well above what the N.Y. market delivered for the five-game World Series with the Yankees and Dodgers in 2024 on Fox (12.2 local rating). Rounding out the top markets for the NBA Finals were Austin, Oklahoma City and Richmond-Petersburg, Va.
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San Antonio’s recent thrilling Spurs playoff run delivered an estimated $36.2 million in economic impact from game ticket sales and visitor spending on hotels, food and transportation, according to Visit San Antonio. The tourism agency said the estimate also includes a boost to San Antonio businesses and media exposure from national and international television outlets.
Visit San Antonio broke down the projected impact by playoff round, putting the first two rounds at $3.5 million each, the Western Conference finals at nearly $6.8 million, and the NBA Finals — with the study projected for a seven-game series — at about $22 million. San Antonio hotels and tourism saw a significant surge of business from New York Knicks fans who traveled to watch Game 1, Game 2 and Game 5 at the Frost Bank Center.
Carmelo Anthony: I think De'Aaron Fox as a young veteran, somebody who's been around this game for a while should understand that the pace of the game, understand the momentum of the game, which is why he's there, right? He's there to control the game, make big shots. He's a closer, too. This is what he does. These shots are shots that De'Aaron Fox usually take and make. So, when you have the trust factor is so high in San Antonio that Mitch trusts is De'Aaron Fox to go out there and win him basketball games and be successful in certain moments. Now, it comes a point now where you have to say "What's my end game adjustment right now?" And you have to put Dylan Harper in there a lot faster in that run. Take that away. I’m a Harrison Barnes guy.
Internally, the Spurs remain committed to Fox as their franchise starting point guard. Sources called De’Aaron Fox a calming presence and the team's closer for most of the season, adding that one rough series essentially playing on one leg doesn't change that. The four-year, $229 million contract extension Fox signed last summer kicks in next season, raising his salary from $37.1 million to $49.8 million. He's scheduled to make $61.7 million in the final year of the deal in 2029-30, when he'll be 32 years old. It's expected that calls from Harper's camp for a spot in the starting lineup will grow louder going into next season. But it's not an issue San Antonio needs to address right away. Fox's contract won't become a potential eyesore until after Wembanyama's upcoming rookie extension kicks in, and when the Spurs are looking next summer to extend Castle to what should be a max deal.
San Antonio could use a backup stretch big as it reloads for next season, and a combo stretch big man who can start and possibly play alongside Wembanyama in bigger lineups such as Rui Hachimura. The opportunity to play alongside Wembanyama, the franchise's success, its culture and collective youth make San Antonio a preferred destination, sources said, adding that multiple big men are already trying to get to south Texas.
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NBA Courtside: Paul Pierce says whatever the Lakers do this offseason, they have to get more athletic: “Because you’re looking at OKC and the Spurs, their perimeters, their centers. Like, you have to get more athletic and you have to get faster. Like, you can’t be an old team. You need somebody that can get up and down the court and pick up. Because it’s major guard play in the West. You got to focus on your guard play. Do you see what’s running the league right now? Brunson just won MVP. You got to have major guard play.” (Via @NFGShow)
Coming from a basketball family, and with Victor Wembanyama as your brother, do you feel pressure from the comparisons, or do you tune out the noise? Oscar Wembanyama: I mean, it's definitely not easy. I think every athlete that has a family member that went pro knows what it is. People recognize you without you doing nothing. But I think I just don't care about a lot of things. social media, people knowing you. Like, I don't care about that. I care about the people that are close to me. So I think I do a pretty good job just shutting the noise around me. But it's definitely, it's definitely like I have a big name. my brother's the best player in the world. So I cannot ignore that. And nobody does, I'd say it's a different type of pressure.
Coming from a basketball family, and with Victor Wembanyama as your brother, do you feel pressure from the comparisons, or do you tune out the noise? Oscar Wembanyama: I mean, it's definitely not easy. I think every athlete that has a family member that went pro knows what it is. People recognize you without you doing nothing. But I think I just don't care about a lot of things. social media, people knowing you. Like, I don't care about that. I care about the people that are close to me. So I think I do a pretty good job just shutting the noise around me. But it's definitely, it's definitely like I have a big name. my brother's the best player in the world. So I cannot ignore that. And nobody does, I'd say it's a different type of pressure.
Sean Sweeney landed interviews for more than a few NBA head coaching vacancies over the last few years, and many of them seemed the same. Talking to Orlando, he said, was different. Sweeney was introduced Thursday as the new coach of the Magic, which was the obvious proof that he won them over by his answers during the interview process. Turns out, the Magic won him over with their questions as well. “The Magic were the most thorough and they did the best job of asking questions and asking follow-ups to get to layers underneath the first answer,” Sweeney said. “Some interviews that I’ve had in the past, I did not get that same level of detail. And given how I am and how I want to coach, that stood out.”