Video shows Kevin Durant having a profane confrontation with a heckler
Kevin Durant is no longer just confronting people over social media.
The Houston Rockets star Durant had a profane incident with a fan in the middle of Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. During a coach’s challenge in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., Durant went over to confront a fan who was sitting courtside.
A clearly irate Durant started cursing at the fan, who was wearing Durant’s Brooklyn Nets jersey. Durant notably played for Brooklyn from 2019-23 but ended up demanding a trade after his relationship with the team soured.
“Who the f–k you talking to, motherf–ker?” Durant appeared to say to the heckler. “You ain’t gonna do s–t! … Watch your f–king mouth.”
After Durant walked away, the video then cut to Durant, with a towel around his neck, returning to the heckler during the video review. The two then had a still-heated but slightly less profane conversation.
The video of the two separate interactions last roughly a minute-and-a-half. You can view the video here (but obviously watch out for the bad language).
The former NBA MVP Durant finished Friday’s contest with 32 points on 11/19 shooting. That helped the Rockets earn an eventual 111-104 victory over the Pistons.
Now 37, Durant is no stranger to going after trolls, both online and in real life. During a Houston game earlier this season, Durant even went in on the father of an opposing player.
Charles Barkley goes off on Colin Cowherd
Charles Barkley has heard enough from Colin Cowherd regarding “Inside the NBA” and its lack of airtime this season.
On Friday, Cowherd had theorized on his radio show that ESPN “shelved” the show at the request of commissioner Adam Silver over their supposed negativity toward the league. Barkley was clearly aware of Cowherd’s comments, because he had some strong words regarding that theory on Saturday’s “Inside.”
“There’s some fools at home or on the internet saying that we were talking bad about the players, so they made us work less. Shut the hell up,” Barkley said. “Man, y’all need to shut the hell up. This was already planned months and months ago.”
"And then you got fools on television…saying that we were talking bad about the players so they made us work less, shut the fu.. hell up!" Charles Barkley appears to respond to Colin Cowherd https://t.co/wAd6yttWWV pic.twitter.com/eL5qdFeZkl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 24, 2026
Barkley narrowly censored himself from using a word stronger than “hell,” as he was clearly fired up.
The whole conversation came from Barkley bemoaning the fact that ESPN has not made much use of the “Inside” crew this season. As he correctly noted, the show was scheduled sporadically for the first three months of the season, but will be on much more often down the stretch run and into the playoffs.
Barkley is never shy about calling people out, especially when he feels like he is being misinterpreted as is the case here. It would be silly of the NBA to shut down a show that draws attention to the league for any reason.
Zion Williamson is losing a notable endorsement line
Zion Williamson is no longer as marketable as he used to be.
Nike’s Jordan Brand is planning to discontinue the signature basketball shoe line of the New Orleans Pelicans star Williamson, Nicholas Vlahos of Sole Retriever reported this week. Vlahos notes that the Jordan Zion 4, which was released in Jan. 2025, will be the final sneaker released for Williamson.
While Williamson will no longer be a signature athlete for Jordan Brand, he will reportedly remain an athlete on the Jordan roster as his contract doesn’t expire until later in 2026. You can read Vlahos’ full report on the situation here.
Williamson, 25, first signed with Jordan Brand on a seven-year, $75 million endorsement deal prior to his NBA debut back in 2019. That marked one of the largest rookie contracts in the footwear world at the time.
But Williamson, now in his seventh year in the league, has failed to live up to expectations as a professional. Though a two-time All-Star in 2021 and 2023, problems with weight, conditioning, and injuries have dogged Williamson throughout his time in the NBA.
While Williamson was able to launch multiple successful signature sneakers for Jordan Brand over the last five years despite those struggles, his stock has continued to sink within the last several months especially. Williamson faced some extremely troubling allegations in a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend last May and has not inspired much confidence with his subsequent work on the court either.
The former No. 1 overall pick Williamson has been limited to just 31 games played this season due to hamstring and adductor issues and is having a down year across the board even when healthy (22.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game). A report last month claimed that the Pelicans were now eager to move on from Williamson, and now Jordan Brand is officially moving on from Williamson as a signature athlete on their own accord.
Nets’ Cam Thomas got benched for stat padding
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas wound up in his coach’s doghouse on Friday for seemingly passing up a shot to preserve his stats.
With roughly three seconds left on the shot clock, Thomas was on the receiving end of a pass while standing on the logo during Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. While the shot obviously was not ideal, Thomas seemed to have no option but to throw up a heave and hope for the best.
Instead, Thomas quickly passed to Ziaire Williams, who was forced to throw up a hopeless shot that was blocked as the shot clock expired.
Thomas was immediately subbed out of the game, and even the Celtics announcers felt it was because he was trying to salvage some semblance of his stats by not taking a shot that was unlikely to fall.
Cam Thom passed up a shot to protect his FG% and got BENCHED immediately 😭
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 24, 2026
Celtics announcers COOKED him. pic.twitter.com/j7kXRVfGZI
Fair or not, Thomas has something of a reputation as a selfish score-first player, which he takes offense to. That reputation is not going to go away with moves like the one he pulled here, though, especially when he has been disrespectful to his coaches before.
Thomas has seen his role reduced this year and is averaging 16.2 points per game, primarily off the bench. He is widely viewed as a trade candidate prior to the Feb. 5 deadline.
Steelers have hired a new head coach
The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a somewhat surprising decision on their next head coach.
The Steelers are finalizing a deal to hire Mike McCarthy as their new coach, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. This will be the third head coaching stop of McCarthy’s career.
Head coaching searches have been rare for the Steelers, and this hire certainly breaks the mold. Pittsburgh previously hired young assistants in the form of Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, but McCarthy is a 62-year-old from outside the organization. That hire somewhat defies expectations based on how the Steelers have handled business previously. Indeed, McCarthy is the first outside head coach hire the Steelers have made since 1965.
Mike McCarthy is the first head coach hired by the Steelers with previous head coaching experience since Mike Nixon got the gig in 1965.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 24, 2026
For McCarthy, this will be a dream job. He is a Pittsburgh native who grew up rooting for the Steelers and will now get to coach them. He will be tasked with keeping an aging Steelers team competitive, and potentially developing a quarterback for the future, whether that is Will Howard or someone from outside of the organization.
McCarthy is 174-112-2 in his career with Green Bay and Dallas. He won a Super Bowl with the Packers and reached the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons as an NFL head coach.
McCarthy’s hiring will also add some intrigue to Aaron Rodgers’ future. Rodgers played under McCarthy in Green Bay, and there has been speculation that McCarthy is the only coach who might be able to convince Rodgers to spend another season in Pittsburgh.
Rex Ryan could land NFL defensive coordinator job
Rex Ryan is suddenly being linked to a return to NFL coaching.
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh was asked during an interview with WFAN this week if Ryan might be an option for the team’s defensive coordinator job. Harbaugh’s response was enthusiastic.
“Why not? Can you imagine Rex coming back in here?” Harbaugh said. “I’m not ruling anything out. A guy like Rex, he’s around the game, he knows the game. He’d have to get updated with some of the schemes and stuff, but nobody calls a better game than Rex Ryan. … Let’s give him a call.”
Harbaugh may well have been being polite in response to the question, but the comment was enough to fuel speculation. Ryan has been working as an ESPN analyst and has become known for his rather blunt takes on the NFL world.
Ryan was Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator in Baltimore in 2008. He has not coached in the NFL since his time in charge of the Buffalo Bills a decade ago, though he has shown interest in coaching again and claimed that he would have taken a defensive coordinator job two years ago if the money had been right.
Bringing Ryan back to New York would certainly be a major story. Harbaugh seems at least open to it, though it remains to be seen if he was completely serious.
Ex-NFL player Kevin Johnson found slain in L.A. homeless camp
Former NFL defensive tackle Kevin Johnson died tragically at age 55 in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled Johnson’s death a homicide, caused by blunt head trauma and stab wounds. He was found unconscious at a homeless encampment where friends said he had been living, following health struggles in later years that may have included chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
A Los Angeles native, Johnson played college football at Texas Southern University alongside Michael Strahan.
Selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft, he appeared in games for the Philadelphia Eagles (1995–1996) and Oakland Raiders (1997). With the Eagles, he recorded seven sacks and returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown.
“The Eagles are saddened to learn of the passing of Kevin Johnson,” the team said in a statement.
The Raiders also mourned his passing.
“The Raiders Family mourns the loss of Kevin Johnson. A defensive lineman out of Texas Southern, Johnson played for the Silver and Black for one season, seeing action in 15 games in 1997. He previously played two years in Philadelphia, totaling seven sacks in 23 games,” they said in a statement. “The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with Kevin’s family at this time.”
Johnson later played in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators, where he won an ArenaBowl title, and the Los Angeles Avengers.
Tennis bad girl mocks Australian Open crowd with sultry dance
Kazakhstani tennis player Yulia Putintseva advanced to the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open with a tense 6-3, 6-7(3-7), 6-3 victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez on Kia Arena on Friday.
The match drew a passionate Turkish contingent waving flags and vocally supporting Sonmez, creating a hostile atmosphere that saw Putintseva repeatedly jeered.
After securing the win — her first time reaching the fourth round at Melbourne — Putintseva leaned into the antagonism. She cupped her ear to amplify the boos, then performed a provocative hip-shaking dance near her bench, drawing louder crowd backlash and comparisons to a pro wrestling “heel” villain.
In post-match remarks, the 31-year-old embraced the intensity.
“Honestly, it was a really crazy atmosphere here. Look at them (Turkish fans). They’re very passionate about what they’re doing,” she said, via the New York Post. “It’s very great to see, especially against me, because I love this kind of battle.
“What can I do? It’s just some people have education of tennis and, unfortunately, some of them not. But I’m very happy that I kept my calm, because Yulia last year would probably throw something at them.”
Known for her fiery on-court persona, Putintseva previously drew criticism for a 2024 US Open incident where she appeared to ignore a ball girl in frustration, later issuing a public apology.
Her latest antics have further solidified her reputation as tennis’s unapologetic “bad girl.”
Olympic snowboarder turned drug kingpin captured
Ryan Wedding, a 44-year-old former Canadian Olympian who competed in snowboarding at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, finishing 24th in parallel giant slalom, has been arrested in Mexico after years as a fugitive.
Once a promising athlete from a middle-class family, Wedding is accused of transforming into a major transnational drug trafficker, allegedly leading a network that shipped over 60 metric tons of cocaine annually from Colombia through Mexico into the United States and Canada, in close partnership with the Sinaloa Cartel.
“To tell you how bad of a guy Ryan Wedding is, he went from an Olympic snowboarder to the largest narco traffickers in modern times,” FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. “He’s a modern-day El Chapo, he is a modern-day Pablo Escobar, and he thought he could evade justice.”
Federal charges include drug trafficking, money laundering, and ordering multiple murders — including the 2023 killings of two Canadian family members over a stolen shipment and the 2025 assassination of a witness in Colombia.
Previously convicted in 2010 of cocaine conspiracy and serving four years in a U.S. prison, Wedding evaded capture since 2015, earning a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in 2025 with a reward reaching $15 million.
He was taken into custody in Mexico City on Thursday, reportedly surrendering, and arrived in California on Friday, escorted off a plane in handcuffs by FBI agents.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Giant Slalom, has resulted in 36 arrests and major asset seizures.
Packers player arrested after loaded gun found in luggage at airport
Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Rasheed Walker was arrested Friday morning at LaGuardia Airport in New York on firearm charges.
While attempting to check a bag, Walker informed an airline employee that it contained a locked box holding a handgun. The employee alerted Port Authority Police, who searched the luggage and discovered a 9mm Glock pistol loaded with 36 rounds of ammunition, reports the New York Post.
Walker was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of criminal possession of a firearm. He appeared in Queens County Criminal Court later that day and was released without bail.
Walker is scheduled to return to court on March 19.
Walker’s attorney told ESPN the firearm was legally licensed in Wisconsin and that Walker was unaware of New York’s stricter laws prohibiting travel with it.
“We are confident the matter will be resolved favorably,” Aidala told ESPN.
Ignorance of New York’s laws does not protect you from them. Ask former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
A 2022 seventh-round draft pick, Walker has started 48 games for the Packers over the past three seasons.
The team has not commented on the incident.
Giannis Antetokounmpo out 4-6 weeks as Bucks drama mounts
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a right calf strain, delivering a crushing setback to a team already in freefall.
The injury struck in the first quarter of Friday’s 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Giannis briefly left for the locker room, returned wearing a wrap, and battled through pain before he could no longer move.
“For me to stop playing? It was extremely painful,” he said, drawing from past soleus issues that sidelined him earlier this season and in the 2024 playoffs.
The Bucks fell to 18-26, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference and 3-11 without their two-time MVP.
Coach Doc Rivers expressed concern over the recurring calf problem, noting Giannis’ defiance in staying on the court.
The timing couldn’t be worse amid mounting frustration. Reports describe Giannis’ dissatisfaction at an all-time high, with a “splintering” locker room and trade speculation swirling before the February deadline.
Recently, he blasted teammates as “selfish” after a blowout loss to Oklahoma City, decrying poor chemistry and individual play.
Still, Giannis remains focused.
“I’m going to work my butt off to come back,” he said, hoping the Bucks can still reach the play-in.
Lakers are now owned by Abu Dhabi money
The Los Angeles Lakers are under new ownership, and the headline is that the team is owned by Dodgers owner Mark Walter. However, a closer look at the situation reveals that the Lakers are (at least partially) indirectly owned by an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund.
In April 2025, TWG Global and Mubadala Capital announced an investment partnership that involved Mubadala Capital investing $10 billion into TWG Global as part of a $15 billion equity raise. Mubadala Capital is the alternative asset branch of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. TWG Global is a holding company of which Walter is the CEO. TWG Global owns multiple sports assets, such as the Dodgers, Lakers, Sparks (WNBA) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
A month and a half later, there was an announcement that the Lakers had sold for $10 billion.
Let’s do some quick math: TWG Global gets an investment of $10 billion from Abu Dhabi’s wealth fund. A month and a half later, TWG Global buys the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation.
The NBA allows has rules governing the type of foreign ownership for teams. Current rules cap ownership from sovereign funds at 20% for any single NBA team. The argument can be made that Abu Dhabi’s fund has ownership in all of TWG Global’s assets, and no more than $2 billion was used for the Lakers. But the $10 billion figure seems striking.
Also consider this — the NBA is collaborating with Abu Dhabi on a global academy, the United Arab Emirates city announced on Thursday.
We’re extending our long-term collaboration with the NBA, launching the NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi and expanding youth and community basketball programmes across the emirate.@NBA pic.twitter.com/lNu8yRfT3z
— Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (@dctabudhabi) January 22, 2026
Hmm, does that seem to be coincidental? It sure seems like the NBA and Abu Dhabi are working together on things.
Here is Brian Windhorst talking about how the Lakers were bought with Middle East money.
Russell Westbrook airballs wide-open dunk
Russell Westbrook has clearly lost a step since his early days with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Westbrook, who now plays for the Sacramento Kings, resembled a demigod dealing with the sudden loss of his powers Friday in his team’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The former league MVP got a pass in the left corner and completely faked out Cavs big man Larry Nance Jr., clearing the runway for Russ to take off.
Westbrook took off outside the restricted area and cocked back in what looked like one of his signature tomahawk jams. Instead, Westbrook fell well short of the rim and lost possession at the apex of his jump.
Westbrook airballed a dunk 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/3Qvi5Bqm6m
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 24, 2026
Fortunately for the Kings, the ball landed in the hands of Domantas Sabonis. The All-Star big man got fouled on his putback attempt and sank both free throws, giving Sacramento the two points they were hoping for from Westbrook’s dunk.
Russ is just a few years away from turning 40. The fact that folks still expect him to rock the rim on such plays is a testament to how much of his athletic ability has stayed with him into his late thirties.
Friday’s contest was not one of Westbrook’s better outings in his first season with the Kings. He went 3/12 from the field for 11 points in what turned into a 123-118 loss to the Cavaliers.
Brian Windhorst reveals LeBron James’ 3 options for next season
LeBron James may only be able to proceed down one of three paths after this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar James appears to have just three options following the 2025-26 campaign, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Friday during an appearance on “Get Up!” Windhorst said that James can remain with the Lakers but at a pay cut, he can sign with another team as a free agent, or he can retire.
Most notably, that means one particular option is no longer on the table. James will, according to Windhorst, not be able to remain with the Lakers at a salary close to the $52.6 million that he is making this season.
Additionally, another option may be off the table according to Windhorst’s reporting — the possibility of a sign-and-trade. James could hypothetically head elsewhere as part of a sign-and-trade that would send assets back to the Lakers in return. But that would require a level of cooperation and goodwill between the two sides that may not be there right now.
Earlier this week, we saw a report alleging that Lakers governor Jeanie Buss had grown fed up with James and his behavior over the years. The Lakers also notably failed to give James a new contract extension over the offseason, leading to James’ agent Rich Paul going public with some frustrations.
As the Lakers look to fully build around Luka Doncic, it seems very unlikely that their partnership with James will extend beyond this season (unless James takes an extremely uncharacteristic paycut). Last week, Reggie Miller revealed exactly who James’ potential team after the Lakers might be.
Alabama judge who granted G League player college eligibility got exposed for being team booster
An Alabama judge is under fire for a conflict of interest in his recent ruling that granted former G League player Charles Bediako’s college eligibility.
Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge James Roberts Jr. granted Bediako temporary eligibility on Wednesday, allowing the 23-year-old to suit up for Alabama as soon as this weekend. The ruling comes despite Bediako playing in the G League over the last three seasons and even previously signing a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
A report published Friday by Front Office Sports’ Alex Schiffer shed light on Roberts’ ties to the Crimson Tide program. Roberts and his wife Mary are on record as six-figure donors to the Crimson Tide Foundation, with their contributions ranging between $100,000 and $249,999.
That’s not the couple’s only tie to the Crimson Tide basketball program. Per the report, Mary Turner Roberts is also on the legal team defending former Alabama player Darius Miles against a murder charge. Miles and Bediako were teammates from 2021 to 2023.
Bediako went undrafted in 2023 but landed on the Spurs’ NBA Summer League roster. San Antonio waived Bediako after he suffered a torn meniscus, parting ways with the Canadian center before he ever played for the Spurs’ main squad.
Bediako played in the G League as recently as last week. He scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in the Motor City Cruise’s 127-103 win over the Birmingham Squadron.
Tyrese Haliburton pulls an unusual move amid Pacers-Thunder rematch
Tyrese Haliburton is apparently not quite ready to return to the site of his devastating injury.
The Indiana Pacers faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The game marked a rematch between the two sides who met in the 2025 NBA Finals (with the Thunder ultimately prevailing in seven games).
Haliburton, who is out for the season with an Achilles tear suffered in Game 7 of that Finals series, has been with his team in street clothes on the bench for every single game thus far. However, Haliburton notably decided not to accompany the Pacers for Friday’s trip to OKC. Indiana writer Scott Agness noted that it was Haliburton’s very first absence of the season.
That is completely understandable for the two-time All-Star Haliburton. His Achilles tear (which you can see the video of here) only occurred seven months ago. On top of that, the injury cost Haliburton and the Pacers perhaps the best chance that they will ever get to win an NBA title (not to mention costing Haliburton all of this season as well).
Fortunately for Haliburton though, the Pacers managed to defeat the Thunder on Friday in perhaps the biggest upset of the year. Entering play Friday at an NBA-worst 10-35, Indiana was somehow able to beat the NBA-best Thunder (who came in at 37-8) by a final score of 117-114.
Haliburton won’t play at all again until the start of next season in Oct. 2026. But after not attending Friday’s NBA Finals rematch against OKC, Haliburton will likely be back on the Pacers’ bench for their next game (where he has already produced some fantastic troll moments this year).
Report reveals Keon Coleman’s reaction to Bills owner throwing him under the bus
Keon Coleman was reportedly just as stunned as everyone else amid the latest drama surrounding his name.
Buffalo Bills team owner Terry Pegula made headlines earlier this week when he very publicly threw Coleman under the bus during the press conference discussing the team’s decision to fire longtime head coach Sean McDermott.
Pegula claimed that the Bills’ general manager, Brandon Beane, did not want to select Coleman when Buffalo was on the clock to open the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. According to Pegula, Beane was urged by the coaching staff to take the Florida State product against his wishes.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia published a report Friday that shed light on Coleman’s reaction to Pegula’s public callout. Coleman reportedly “didn’t understand” where Pegula’s comments came from but “quickly shook them off.”
Despite getting dragged by the man who signs his checks, Coleman has reportedly yet to submit a trade request and “is proceeding as though he will play for the Bills in 2026.” Coleman heard about Pegula’s comments while visiting an injured teammate in the Dallas area.
The Bills bet big on Coleman to be the team’s next star wide receiver heading into the 2024 season. The team had parted ways with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, setting Coleman up to have a big role in the offense from the moment he set foot in Buffalo.
Coleman, however, has so far failed to live up to the team’s lofty expectations. He tallied 29 catches for 556 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns across 13 games during his rookie campaign. His numbers did not improve in Year 2, when he caught 38 passes for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Giannis Antetokounmpo curiously leaves game amid drama with Bucks
The Giannis Antetokounmpo situation in Milwaukee may be reaching critical mass.
The Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo had a very curious moment during Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. During the first quarter at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisc., Antetokounmpo left the contest to head to the locker room.
Antetokounmpo did not appear to have suffered an injury and walked back up the tunnel with seemingly no issues at all. Here is the odd video.
Giannis has just left the game for no reason at all? pic.twitter.com/OGyIs84Q4w
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 24, 2026
The former NBA MVP Antetokounmpo ended up missing over eight total minutes of game action. He exited with just under four minutes left in the first quarter and did not return until the 7:30 mark of the second quarter.
This episode comes as Antetokounmpo is in the middle of some heavy drama with the Bucks right now. With Milwaukee sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference at 18-25, noise is growing that they could potentially even consider moving Antetokounmpo ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
We also heard a report earlier this week claiming Antetokounmpo’s frustration with the Bucks was an all-time high. With Antetokounmpo having publicly ripped his teammates after Milwaukee’s latest loss as well, everything that happens with The Greek Freak from here will assuredly be under a heavy microscope.
Warriors considering Jonathan Kuminga trade for former Golden State All-Star
The Golden State Warriors are reportedly interested in reuniting with an old friend.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga became eligible to be traded last week and wasted little time submitting a formal trade request. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, one of the options Golden State is weighing with Kuminga on the trade block revolves around bringing back Andrew Wiggins, whom Golden State traded to the Miami Heat last February.
With a serious need for perimeter scoring next to Curry, the Warriors may look to Wiggins to help fill some of the void left by the injured Jimmy Butler. The Warriors are keenly familiar with what Wiggins can do on the offensive end.
The former No. 1 overall pick earned his lone All-Star nod in 2021-22, when he helped lead Golden State to its fourth and arguably most improbable championship run of the Steph Curry era. Wiggins averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his six seasons with the Warriors.
It’s worth noting that the Warriors’ plans for Kuminga have changed since Butler went down with a season-ending torn ACL. Kuminga went from getting little to no burn in Steve Kerr’s rotation to becoming a featured player in Golden State’s offense. There’s a world wherein Kuminga plays himself back into the team’s good graces.
However, it’s also possible that the Warriors are only looking to showcase the former lottery pick to resuscitate his trade value, whether to acquire Wiggins or otherwise.
Sean McVay has violent warning for anyone who greets him on his 40th birthday
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay does not exactly sound thrilled ahead of his latest age milestone.
McVay spoke to reporters on Friday on the eve of his 40th birthday. The Rams coach threatened violence against any reporter who would dare greet him during the occasion.
“I’m not a big birthday guy and if you guys say happy 40th, I’ll slap the s–t out of you,” McVay told reporters, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
While McVay wasn’t welcoming any greetings, he did identify one gift he clearly wants after turning the big 4-0.
“Here’s what I will say,” McVay continued. “What is a good birthday is when I’m working on my birthday and if I’m working next week. That’d be a hell of a birthday. That’s the only present I want.”
McVay already has a coaching resume few can match before turning 40. It helps that the Rams made him the youngest NFL head coach ever in 2017, when he was just 30.
At 33, McVay became the youngest head coach ever to reach the Super Bowl. He became the youngest to hoist the Lombardi Trophy three years later and is two wins away from being the youngest two-time winner in history. To put that into perspective, Bill Belichick was 48 when he first began coaching for the New England Patriots.
For a coaching wunderkind like McVay, age really is just a number.
