Rumors

Scott Agness: Pacers flew directly from Portland to Tucson today for a very special reason. Bennedict Mathurin is going in the @ArizonaMBB Ring of Honor during their game v UCLA. He was the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2022, leading the Wildcats to a 33-4 record. (IND at PHX on Sunday.)

Twitter

Colin Beazley: Men’s basketball alums Josh Hart ( @joshhart ), Jalen Brunson ( @jalenbrunson1 ) and Saddiq Bey ( @SaddiqBey ) all recognized at halftime of the Villanova-UCLA game. Drew huge cheers from the Villanova faithful.

Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers star  LeBron James absolutely loved Kwazi Gilmer's creative way to announce his commitment to UCLA football. For those who missed it, the four-star wide receiver recreated LeBron's iconic Nike commercial to reveal his decision to go to UCLA football. Of course it quickly went viral, especially since Gilmer did a really great job pulling off the remake of the popular ad. After seeing the video, LeBron himself reacted to it and showed plenty of love to Gilmer. He reposted the clip on his Instagram Story and wrote, “That's so cool and [fire]. [Salute] Kwazi and congrats kid!!!”

Clutch Points

Chris Kirschner: The Hawks will workout the following players tomorrow: (F) Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga, (F) Louis King, Oregon, (G) Jaylen Hands, UCLA, (F) Jalen McDaniels, San Diego St., (F) Eric Paschall, Villanova, (F) Grant Williams, Tennessee

Twitter

Reports in the States, have Rick Pitino possibly going back to the NCAA and coaching the UCLA Bruins. However, he states that his goal is to return to the NBA, but currently his only focus is for Panathinaikos to make the EuroLeague playoffs: “When I left last year, I said I wanted to go back to the NBA, and that’s why I took this job (at Panathinaikos), but right now to be honest, I’m not thinking of anything except trying to make the playoffs with this organisation. It’s not easy for a coach to come in and does not know the offense, defense and out of bounds plays. I have to find new ways, in order to win. I miss my family, but overall I am having a great time here. The owner has been great to me, and I am focused to be the coach here.”

EuroHoops.net

Erik Horne: Paul George on Russell Westbrook Court: “It’s cool other than Under Armour. Other than Under Armour, it’s pretty nice.” George is a Nike guy. UCLA has an apparel deal with Under Armour.

Twitter

Nelson appears to be the most likely of the three players to return. The Bruins' leading scorer intimated he was leaning toward coming back, in part because his younger brother Raymond will be a freshman tight end for the UCLA football team this fall.

Los Angeles Times