As the league mulls the possibility of a midseason tournament at the NBA level, G League officials are making progress toward finalizing an in-season tournament of their own for the 2021/22 season, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
According to Fischer, the plan is for the G League’s tournament to be an enhanced version of the event that took place at the league’s annual showcase in 2019. Teams would play a series of 12 or 14 round-robin games leading up to the showcase, then the top four teams would compete in a prize-money tournament at the showcase, while the rest of the NBAGL’s clubs participate in the annual event as usual.
The G League is still working to finalize the format and the reward of its potential fall/winter tournament, which would be labeled as some type of “Cup,” sources tell Fischer.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Team USA officials aren’t counting on any players who participate in the NBA Finals – or even the conference finals – to be available for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means getting commitments from certain players whose teams didn’t make the postseason will be a priority for the program, according to Vardon, who points to Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson as two top targets for USA Basketball.
- The NBA has announced the formation of NBA Africa, a new business investment entity that will oversee the league’s business endeavors in Africa, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Former NBA stars such as Dikembe Mutombo and Grant Hill are among the investors, as the league tries to expand its presence in key African markets.
- While the worst of COVID-19’s impact on the NBA may be in the rear view, the league isn’t taking anything for granted during its non-bubble postseason, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times. “We’re optimistic that what we’ve been doing will work, but we certainly can’t relax because it’s the playoffs,” said David Weiss, the NBA’s senior VP of player matters. “We have to emphasize that it’s important to keep following the protocols and getting vaccinated.”
Africa is not something you want to be in charge of, even if an investment pays off or is even allowed to end.
Huh? Can you clarify
Idiotic comment.
The majority of the league’s players are people of African origin. Two of the best 15 players are African born in Embiid and Antetokounmpo and there are 12 others in the league, 40 with African parents.
That’s 10% of the league.
And that’s without any kind of school/college system. If coaching and development was present from the same age as it is in the States – fuhgeddaboudit.
Yes there is corruption in some African countries but that’s true of the States, so what’s your point?
Basketball development in Africa is clearly working and worth pursuing and improving upon.
if you watch U18 and and under tournaments, the african teams are killing it. just need some more support and structure for after that. “T.I.A. eh?”
So what, and you’re on a strange roll.
That’s all completely unrelated… and kind of racist, saying African-descended people not African-raised, have fortunes that are bound by the continent their ancestors came from.
That’s all completely unrelated… and kind of racist, saying African-descended people not African-raised, have fortunes that are bound by the continent their ancestors came from.
He still thinks it’s 1915 and The Birth of a Nation is the greatest film ever made. His Occupy the Capitol friends failed in their attempt.
False. I am talking about investing, not races. Who is paying and what do they expect? It is obvious from this page, that rational business discussions cannot be made without declining into race and comparisons with America.
This is what will happen with investing in Africa… Decisions will be pressured by racial urges and obligations created when goals are not met.
Perfect responses. Nobody said there was profit there, just hippie stuff.
Well NBA fans will probably be the investors though the articles never say. Just, the NBA, though whatever avenues they have. Maybe fire some of the 400 HQ employees.
Why raise money for anything? This is their job?
I still don’t follow a word you’re saying. Why exactly don’t you want to be responsible for investing in Africa? Because people will think you’re racist if you have to make hard decisions?
if there’s ANY potential in something that’s never been done before in a different place that’s trying to create/find a postitive for a brighter future for their youth to see as an avenue/pathway/dream into their transitional stage to a brighter young adult life, i’m all in.
You mean an NBA job? One in, one out… nothing gained.
illowa that’s just fluffy-talk. How does diverting kids into training for basketball help improve Africa or anywhere?
I’m not even sure what NBA-Africa even proposes or it’s goal besides sounding helpful; but I will probably look at it and say *who is paying for this*.
What can we put illowa down for?
This assumes some kind of program is involved. IDK. I expect money would get pulled back or found inadequate if so. So much for Americans showing Africans how to do it.
When this Africa idea first started I recall I assumed it was an exploitation plan, to make the NBA richer, and rejected that idea too. One corporate goal is to create false dependencies in a population for a product the entity can control.
That was before all the masks and fear of touching and air and for some reason, nightly PBS dedication to Black Stories. Now a goal of fluffy-talk seems more likely. But Silver is in charge regardless.
Africa is very very large. Not a place to take responsibility for, or to assume kids there cannot have dreams and do already. Soccer pays more.