The AllStar is proud to present The Daily Swish, a digest of what’s shaking and baking in your favorite basketball league. This is the place to help you start your day (or end it) with notable newsy nuggets from around the association.
Only four games in action last night but there was plenty happening around the league as a former All-Star and champion announced his retirement.
Making Headlines
Two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol announced his retirement yesterday. He averaged 17 points and 9.2 rebounds during his 19-year career with five NBA teams. The Los Angeles Lakers will retire his jersey in the near future with president Jeannie Buss saying “it was never a matter of IF we will retire #16 but WHEN”.
An errant sprinkler set off a fire alarm and brought the Bucks vs Grizzlies preseason game to a halt. The spectacle took place at the end of the third quarter with fans evacuated and players sent to the locker rooms. The NBA officially suspended the game an hour later. The delay would have made it dangerous for players to return to the court having already cooled off.
Kyrie Irving ‘s stance against the Covid vaccine appears to be testing the patience of the Brooklyn Nets front office. Head coach Steve Nash confirmed the team would not consider relocating practices outside New York to accommodate the guard. The Nets will have to decide whether or not to allow Irving to travel with the team or simply sideline him all together.
#What’sTrending
Los Angeles Lakers legend Pau Gasol takes top honors from NBA Twitter today.
Former Laker Kyle Kuzma was trending but for all the wrong reasons.
Kyrie Irving’s Covid vaccination status also got some Twitter time.
Best of r/NBA
Paul Gasol’s retirement announcement took center stage today. Calls for Jeanie Buss to retire Gasol’s jersey were quickly made. Many suspect that no other Laker since Gasol has worn 16 for that very reason.
The Phoenix Suns’ refusal to offer Deandre Ayton a max contract extension has split opinions on Reddit. u/avelak believes Ayton deserves to get paid commenting “Well after last postseason he obviously isn’t gonna accept a non-max extension.” u/lupertazzis on the other hand believes Ayton is “good but he’s not a superstar, he’s a second-tier All-Star at best.”
Users were happy to see Giannis Antetokounmpo joking with the Bucks social team. The Finals MVP was caught telling them, “When I make a three, make it look good. Post it from different angles..so it looks like I made four of them.”
Performance of the Night
Ja Morant: 27 points (11-18 FG), 6 rebounds, 4 assists.
The third-year Memphis guard looks ready for an All-Star season. In the pre-season match-up against the Bucks, Morant played with the aggression and intensity of a regular season game, putting up 27 points in 24 minutes. Morant found great driving lanes and made a mockery of the defense on several occasions.
Play of the Day
Zach Lavine and the Chicago Bulls are going to be fun to watch this season. Lavine’s slam and alley-oop got Bulls fans on their feet and gets The Daily Swish Play of the Day.
