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![“The painting of the nails, the TikTok [dances] and …](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/gcdn/content-pipeline-sports-images/sports2/nba/players/1458807.png?format=png8&auto=webp&quality=85,75&width=140)
There is no question Jared McCain is comfortable in his own skin. It was also apparent the 22-year-old was comfortable playing for the Thunder during a 122-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday. “The painting of the nails, the TikTok [dances] and being able to do that, I definitely got hate for it,” McCain told Andscape after Game 2. “But it wasn’t an in-your-face kind of thing because I started it during COVID [the coronavirus pandemic]. It’s something I like doing. But basketball has always been the main thing, and people try to deteriorate that and make it about other things. “I’ve always been comfortable doing it and comfortable in my own skin. I credit my parents and my family for providing me that confidence.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Gonzaga and NBA legend John Stockton in his lawsuit against the Washington Medical Commission and the Washington State Office of the Attorney General regarding doctors who were sanctioned for COVID-19 misinformation. The case is one of dozens the court declined to hear on appeal. The court did not elaborate.
Stockton, a vocal critic of COVID-19 policy and vaccination requirements, first filed a lawsuit in 2024 which claimed the pandemic-era rules restricted doctors from speaking against “the mainstream Covid narrative.” Stockton filed the suit alongside several doctors who faced state sanctions for unprofessional conduct after they published opinion columns and other blog posts downplaying the effectiveness of COVID tests and vaccines and promoting alternative treatments.
Craig Melvin: How could you say that you’re not where you want to be right now? You’re an NBA champion, All-Star, like NBA 75. You’ve got gold medals. Seems like you’ve kind of got it. What’s left? Anthony Davis: It’s a lot. I haven’t got MVP. I haven’t got Defensive Player of the Year. I want the parade for a championship, so I want to be able to do that again. Craig Melvin: That’s right, because when you won, that COVID year— Anthony Davis: Yeah. So, I mean, it’s still things I want to try to get. I want to get 20,000 points. I want to play 20 years. Craig Melvin: So you’ve got a list. Anthony Davis: Yeah, I have a list of things that I still want to do.
Saurabh Rane: To Nate's point, we saw 582 guys log NBA time this year! Second most ever, only to the COVID-plagued 2021-22 season. You can really see the impact of two-way contracts in 17/18
To Nate's point, we saw 582 guys log NBA time this year! Second most ever, only to the COVID-plagued 2021-22 season.
— Saurabh Rane (@SaurabhOnTap) April 13, 2026
You can really see the impact of two-way contracts in 17/18 https://t.co/jUDr4KvwJi pic.twitter.com/Hogad8SeGr
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According to a source, Karnisovas and Eversley’s talent evaluation was questionable right away, going back to the 2020 draft — the duo’s first bite at the apple. Holding No. 4, Karnisovas settled on Patrick Williams. There were multiple scouts and other personnel in the draft room, however, that wanted Tyrese Haliburton. Now, the entire draft process was messed up because of Covid, but Karnisovas specifically was not only fixated on Williams, but didn’t even consider Haliburton a serious prospect. The source indicated that Karnisovas didn’t even feel like Haliburton would be a top four talent on the Bulls roster at the time.
Nicolas Batum: COVID happened, I was stuck in Stockholm for like eight months. And then I like I get a big depression. I want I gained like 45 pounds. That was insane. Q. And when did you get when did you when did you uh snap out of it? Batum: Mid October. I got a call from my agent, like a group call, and there's like six people on it like, ‘We need to talk to you.’ I was like 270 lbs. I was crazy. Like no, it was rock bottom.
Rudy Gobert: “That was one of the hardest moments of my life, that’s for sure. It was a real ordeal. It’s a period that made me grow a lot. Everyone saw that video—yes, where I touched the press microphones—but it was clearly a mistake to do that. At the time, though, my intentions were good. When I made that video, I didn’t know I had COVID. I just knew that everyone was telling us there was a virus, but at the same time we were still playing in arenas filled with tens of thousands of people. The video was just meant as a message, just support for the media members—like, ‘It’s nothing serious, we’re all in this together.’ That was really the intention at first: to try to reassure people. Then a few days later I tested positive for COVID, and it was crazy to see how all the media lined up to use that video as if I had done it on purpose, when actually I hadn’t. It came from a good intention, and it ended up turning against me.”
"He's the man," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Horford. "We had all of these young players and it was during Covid, so the season started in December. We had all of these trades right before the season. It was just a very disruptive environment in a lot of ways. A cynical person could've found a lot of things to complain about, and he was never cynical. Ever. He was always focused on solutions. He's about as respected of a teammate and a person to coach as you could find."
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Michael Scotto: James Harden on his Brooklyn Nets tenure: “Some great memories. We had an opportunity to do something special. Me personally, I was injured. That was like the first time in my entire career that I wasn’t able to stay on the court and be effective like I can be and like I am. In that part, it was a little frustrating, but some great experiences for those two years. Obviously, it was Covid, so the world was in a crisis, but this organization has helped me and I appreciate them.”
James Harden on his Brooklyn Nets tenure: “Some great memories. We had an opportunity to do something special. Me personally, I was injured. That was like the first time in my entire career that I wasn’t able to stay on the court and be effective like I can be and like I am. In… pic.twitter.com/bm7j8Zxg5b
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 10, 2026
Injuries happen, especially when one player crashes into another at high speeds, as Curry did. But injuries right now are happening at an alarming rate—particularly those that involve trauma to muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Last season was one of the most injury-marred seasons in N.B.A. history. According to the athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, who tracks injury data, players missed around sixty-five hundred games with injuries—the highest in nearly twenty years, not counting the COVID seasons. The first month and a half of this season has been just as bad. The difference is that such a high proportion of stars—defined in this case as a player who has made an All-Star or All-N.B.A. team at least once in the past three seasons—have been affected by soft-tissue injuries. Stars have already missed more than two hundred games between them. It is the story of the season so far: on any given night, nearly half the league’s best and most well-known players are sitting on the bench, in street clothes.
Eric Nehm: Updated injury report for tonight vs. New York: Available: Kyle Kuzma Probable: Cole Anthony (non-COVID illness) Gary Trent Jr. (non-COVID illness) Out: Kevin Porter Jr. (left ankle sprain)
