Rumors

At a media availability Friday, Mayor Quinton Lucas raised the idea of Kansas City getting back into the NBA conversation, whether through franchise relocation or league expansion. “I think we continue to be, probably, the supportive sports city in America,” Lucas said.

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Lucas pointed to the city’s recent track record as proof. “You saw it with the World Cup, with a lot of people who may not have been soccer fans before. But Kansas City unified, invested,” he said. He said that same energy could translate to the NBA. “I think we could easily support an NBA team, and I think as conversations go on, either for franchises themselves looking for different places or for NBA expansion,” he said.

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Why doesn’t the billionaire pay for his own building? Because he doesn’t have to. Not when he knows that if local governments here fall short, they surely will step up in Nashville or Kansas City or St. Louis or Louisville or Vancouver. “I’m getting Clay Bennett vibes,” one government source told me recently. “I am nervous,” said another official.

Oregonian

Celebrity Pickleball Bash, a pickleball event concept that launched last year, will stage its second event at the PickleCon pickleball conference in K.C. on Aug. 8. Held at the K.C. Convention Center, Kansas City Celebrity Pickleball Bash will feature a celebrity lineup including former NFLer Terrell Owens, former NBAer Tyler Hansbrough and sports content creator Jenna Bandy competing alongside present-day pickleball stars. Tickets will be available free to PickleCon attendees, with VIP experiences (e.g., clinics, celebrity meet-and-greets, floor seats and lounge access) sold separately.

Sports Business Journal

A group led by the NWSL’s Kansas City Current co-owners Angie Long, Chris Long, Brittany Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes submitted a formal bid to bring an expansion team to Kansas City. Current co-owner Chris Long told The Athletic that the group has already signed an agreement with T-Mobile Center to be the downtown stadium’s anchor tenant and that the Kansas City WNBA franchise would build a 60,000-square-foot privately-financed practice facility on land the group already owns in the same area as the Current’s facility.

New York Times

The Chiefs quarterback, who joined the Current’s ownership group in Jan. 2023, has repeatedly been outspoken about his desire to bring a WNBA franchise to Kansas City. This fall he said doing so was a “no-brainer” and cited the Current’s success as a replicable roadmap. “I know if we were able to get a WNBA team to Kansas City, it would be packed every single night,” Mahomes said last week. “That’s just the type of atmosphere that we have. I’m hoping we can get that done and we can continue to push women’s sports forward.”

New York Times

The Kings' guard had 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with a franchise-record 60 points, besting Jack Twyman's 59 points for the Cincinnati Royals in 1960 and DeMarcus Cousins' 56-point performance in 2016, which was the most since the franchise moved from Kansas City, Missouri, to Sacramento in 1985. Twyman's had been the longest standing single-game franchise record in the NBA. With Fox breaking the mark, the new longest standing single-game franchise record for points belongs to Bob Pettit in 1961, who co-holds the Hawks record with Dominique Wilkins and Lou Hudson. "I knew I was nice already, so I wouldn't really say so," Fox said when asked if he learned anything about himself.

ESPN

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a Kansas City native and forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, hosted a basketball camp for third through eighth graders at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City.

kmbc.com

Former NBA player and current Utah Jazz coach Jason Terry brought his basketball experience to Kansas City this week for his Relentless Basketball and Mental Health Camp for boys and girls at Hickman Mills Middle School. "There's no bigger confidence than the confidence you have in yourself," said Terry, who played in the NBA for 20 years for various teams.

kshb.com

Ryan Blackburn: Michael Malone had a long monologue today at the end of his press conference about the shooting in Kansas City today. "People come together to celebrate that, and then you have other people have different plans, ulterior motives, and use that as an opportunity to strike fear." "It gets to a point where you don't want to go to a movie theater. You don't want to celebrate a championship. You don't want to go out to a night club because this just happens time and time again, and then you're not living."

Twitter

Ira Winderman: Cole Swider now out for Heat on Sunday vs. Hornets due to transit issues back from Sioux Falls (which is like Kansas City, but colder).

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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is returning to Kansas City for next week’s Big 12 Tournament. O’Neal will perform was “DJ Diesel” at the Kansas City Live stage on Saturday, March 11, the night of the championship game at the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament.

kmbc.com

Joe Mussatto: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a KC native, said he stayed humble after his Chiefs won the Super Bowl. He knew plenty of Eagles fans from his Villanova days. JRE said the team watched the game at Shai’s house.

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Jusuf Nurkic: Welcome back, KC! 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/ZIFi1hzx4r

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