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.
Today we feature the Los Angeles Lakers’ annual Media Day, whilst the NBA is close to finalizing Covid-19 vaccine protocols.
Making Headlines
Vaccinations continue to dominate league headlines with the NBA announcing that they are nearing an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association. As part of the agreement, vaccinated players will no longer be subject to daily Covid testing. Unvaccinated players however will not be allowed to dine indoors with others players, must remain in their residence or hotel, and will be prohibited from visiting public venues.
Russell Westbrook and LeBron James spent the offseason bonding in the gym. Both players are confident that their new partnership will lead to an exciting and successful season, if their comments at Lakers Media Day are anything to go by.
That’s despite the team having the oldest roster in the league and being a source for several memes. Memes which haven’t gone unnoticed by LeBron: “The narrative about our age. I kind of laugh at it. I actually do really laugh.”
The Indiana Pacers took a hit with news that Caris Levert has a stress fracture in his back. While it’s unknown how long Levert will be out for, he’s not expected to miss significant game time.
#What’sTrending
Russell Westbrook showed off his new threads ahead of his 14th season in the league.
Austin Rivers got a scare when he saw the Lakers signed Austin Reaves.
An appreciation post for LeBron (on the eve of his 19th season) received plenty of love.
Best of r/NBA
News that Ben Simmons has had enough of “playing with Joel Embiid” got everyone on NBA Reddit talking. With no apparent NBA suitors, u/march19_2005plsquit was quick to comment with the “come to Besiktas” meme. Simmons of course wouldn’t be the first Sixer to play for the Black Eagles: Allen Iverson did a stint back in 2011.
A reporter schooled Dwight Howard after he dodged a question on vaccines by citing HIPAA Law. The reporter responded by telling him “That’s not what HIPAA is, but ok.” For those wondering, HIPAA Law applies to medical personnel who share patient information without consent.
Staying with the Lakers and vaccines, LeBron revealed that he got vaccinated “for my family and my friends”.
The Bet
Two rookies lead the case for Rookie of the Year. First overall draft pick Cade Cunningham is the slight favorite at +249 with Rockets guard Jalen Green close behind at +274. Check out our analysis of the rookie crop here.
