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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Western Notes: Curry, K. Jones, Payton, Mitchell, Jazz

March 27th, 2025 at 7:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is optimistic that Stephen Curry will return from his pelvic contusion on Friday in New Orleans, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Slater, Curry took part in a six-minute scrimmage followed by an individual workout on Thursday. The two-time MVP, who has missed the past two games, will be listed as questionable for Friday’s contest. Curry sustained the injury on March 20 after a hard fall against Toronto.

Here are a few more notes from the Western Conference:

  • Mavericks center Kai Jones had an impressive block on Franz Wagner in the first quarter of Thursday’s game in Orlando and immediately followed it up with an alley-oop dunk off an assist from Naji Marshall (Twitter video link via Christian Clark of The Athletic). Unfortunately, Jones was unable to brace himself after the dunk and had a scary-looking fall, with all of his weight landing on his left hip. The Mavericks later ruled him out for the remainder of the contest with a left hip contusion (Twitter link). Jones, who is on a two-way deal with Dallas, has started each of his past four games and played well over that span. He recently missed seven games with a left quad strain.
  • Veteran guard Elfrid Payton, who is on a 10-day contract with the Pelicans, shined in Monday’s victory over Philadelphia, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. The Louisiana native finished with six points, six rebounds, 14 assists and was plus-14 in 25 minutes off the bench. “It felt good,” Payton said. “Felt like I was at home again. I love being here. This is the best thing ever.”
  • Star guard Donovan Mitchell recently returned to Utah to face the Jazz for just the second time since he was traded to Cleveland in the 2022 offseason. While in town, he reflected on his Jazz tenure, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link). “I think we had our opportunity. We had a lot of windows. I think we had our opportunity, we just missed it,” Mitchell said. “I think it’s just one of those things, we had plenty of opportunities to get things done. We had injuries that one year. The last year we were together, you know, we just didn’t capitalize. Sometimes you just miss your window. I talk about it with my friends a lot, we’re comparing this team we have now versus the first place team we had here (in Utah). I’ve gotten to a point that is like, ‘It’s okay,‘ We did a lot of positive things.”
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Central Notes: Mitchell, Slumping Cavs, Cunningham, Lillard

March 22nd, 2025 at 10:06am CST by Tristan Tucker

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is owning responsibility for Cleveland’s current losing streak, which extended to four games on Friday in Phoenix, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscription required).

“Put this on me,” Mitchell said. “When your leader ain’t doing [expletive], this is what happens. If I’m not being who I need to be then we’re not going to get to where we want to get to. So, until that happens — and it will — yeah, if you’re looking for where to point, it’s right here.”

Since the beginning of March, Mitchell is shooting 32.9% from the field and 17.9% on three-pointers, compared to 44.1% and 37.0% on the season, Fedor adds. In their four straight losses, he’s down to 18.5 PPG on 29.6% shooting.

“I’ve been like this for the past four games, and we’ve lost four straight,” Mitchell said. “I have to be better. Simple as that. We have to guard better. We have to rebound. [Expletive] all that. It’s on me. I have to be better for the group. I’ve been good for the group all year. But this is on me. There really is nowhere else to look. I will be better.“
We have more from the Central Division:
  • The Cavaliers‘ Friday loss represents their lowest point of the season, Fedor writes in another story (subscription required). Cleveland has given up at least 120 points three times in its last four losses and ranks in the bottom half of the league defensively this month. Meanwhile, the scorching-hot offense that overshadowed any defensive shortcomings earlier in the year has faltered as of late. Of course, the Cavaliers still hold a five-game lead over the second-place Celtics in the East, but they’ll want to right the ship in the coming weeks to regain some momentum entering the postseason.
  • Wednesday’s performance against the Heat was the pinnacle of Pistons star Cade Cunningham‘s young career, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic opines. Cunningham recorded team highs in points (25), rebounds (12) and assists (11) as he notched a triple-double and knocked down his first career game-winning three-pointer. The former No. 1 overall pick felt the game was a culmination of everything he has been through, including the 28 straight losses the Pistons endured last season and the injury that limited him to 12 games in his sophomore season. “It’s still early though, I feel like,” Cunningham said. “I still feel like there’s so much to do. There’s still so much that I haven’t experienced.“
  • Bucks star Damian Lillard missed Thursday’s game against the Lakers due to calf soreness, per NBA insider Chris Haynes, and he’ll also miss Saturday’s tilt in Sacramento, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). It’s the first time since late December that Lillard had to miss consecutive games. He’s averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game in his age-34 season. Guard Ryan Rollins drew the start on Thursday in Lillard’s absence.
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LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell Named Players Of The Month

March 4th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward LeBron James has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month for games played in February, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). While it’s the 41st time in his decorated 22-year NBA career that James has earned the honor, it’s the first time he has done so since 2020.

James’ Lakers went 10-2 in February, with the four-time MVP averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in 35.1 minutes per game to lead the way. The 40-year-old posted an impressive shooting line of .555/.443/.738 in his 11 games over the course of the month.

James’ teammate Austin Reaves was among the other players nominated for the award in the West, along with Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Nikola Jokic, and Anfernee Simons, according to the league (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has earned February’s Player of the Month award. He was selected over fellow nominees Cade Cunningham, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, and teammate Evan Mobley.

Mitchell, who appears well on his way to an All-NBA berth, averaged 25.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game with a .487/.381/.786 shooting line in 10 games in February. His Cavaliers continued to extend their lead atop the Eastern Conference standings during the month, with a 10-1 record.

It’s the third time in Mitchell’s career that he has won a Player of the Month award, including his second time as a Cav.

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Cavs Notes: Garland, Mitchell, Allen, Celtics Win

March 1st, 2025 at 9:39am CST by Tristan Tucker

Despite some speculation that the Cavaliers and Darius Garland might separate after the team’s second-round loss to the Celtics in the playoffs last season, that was never under serious consideration for either side, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

“It crossed my mind. Like just literally crossed it for like five seconds,” Garland said. “But I really love this group, man. It’s like a real brotherhood. We’ve been together for three years now, four years now, and I really want to win here. I think this group has the opportunity to do something special and bring a championship back to Cleveland. And that’s what I want to do.”

After remaining in Cleveland, Garland is having a career year for the East-best Cavaliers, averaging 21.3 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting career highs of 49.1% from the field and 42.3% from three. It certainly helped that new head coach Kenny Atkinson met with Garland after being hired and discussed what his role could look like.

“He wanted to get back to an All-Star level and that was our job to help him get back there,” general manager Koby Altman said. “It was our job to help him with the staff that was going to empower him again. But never once did Darius ever ask out, never once did Darius have an issue with Donovan (Mitchell), and never once did he have an issue with the organization. His issue was, like, how do I get back? I know I’m one of the best players in the league, one of the best guards in the league. How do I get back?”

After last year’s playoffs, Garland’s goal for the offseason was building out his physique and becoming a more physical player, according to MacMahon.

“In an era or day and age where so many kids push for different things to happen, to get a new start, he put his head down and grinded every single day this summer to come back and be prepared for what was coming forward,” former Cavs and current Hawks forward Georges Niang said. “I’m happy for him because he deserves it.”

We have more from the Cavaliers:

  • Mitchell recognized that in order for the Cavaliers to become true contenders, Garland would need to have the ball in his hands more often, MacMahon writes in the same story. Mitchell’s numbers have dipped this season and Garland credits the former Louisville guard for setting the cultural tone in Cleveland. “It’s one thing to be great talents, but it’s another thing to be great dudes,” Garland’s agent Rich Paul said. “When you got two ball-dominant players, they have to get a rhythm. In any relationship it takes the effort, no matter if it’s personal or business. It takes the effort to stay consistently successful. Those two guys have come out, checked their egos at the door and it’s really shown that, ‘Hey, this thing could work now.’“
  • In addition to rumors circulating about the Cavs’ backcourt, there was talk during the 2024 offseason regarding the fit between Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in the frontcourt. In an interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Allen said he understood the nature of the business and the talk that comes with it, but he was happy to not have been traded out of Cleveland. “I really mesh well with these guys,” Allen said. “It’s just a good group to be around.”
  • The Cavaliers split the season series against the Celtics 2-2 after an impressive come-from-behind win over Boston on Friday. As Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes, the Celtics took a 25-3 lead in the first quarter and could have easily run away with the game, but Cleveland ended the night with its biggest comeback in 11 years. Mitchell and Mobley’s contributions were key to getting the win. “The game rewards people when they stick with it,” Mobley said. “Just believe in myself, that’s the biggest thing. When you believe in yourself, you feel like you can do anything. Even with this slow start to the game, just believing in myself the entire game and eventually things started falling, and I think that’s the biggest factor in getting where you want to get to.“
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Southwest Notes: Wells, Boston, Pelicans, VanVleet

February 26th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells has been one of the pleasant surprises of last year’s rookie class. As Spencer Davies of RG.org writes, the 21-year-old has been not just a rotation mainstay but a starter for the West’s No. 2 seed, averaging 11.4 points and 3.2 rebounds on .451/.382/.824 shooting in 25.8 minutes per game while taking on challenging defensive assignments. He also hasn’t missed a game thus far in 2024/25.

Wells is used to being underestimated, having played at Division II Sonoma State prior to transferring to Washington for the ’23/24 campaign. Despite being a second-round pick (No. 39 overall), he currently has the second-best betting odds for Rookie of the Year, only trailing Stephon Castle of the Spurs.

“I mean, I don’t really focus on it,” Wells told Davies of the ROY race. “I’m focused on getting a championship. And if it just so happens… I feel like if I’m playing winning basketball, it should fall right into my hands. So that’s kinda how my mindset is.”

According to Davies, Wells’ play has gotten the attention of several stars, including Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, who recently faced off against Wells and Memphis.

“On the offensive end, I didn’t know he shot it as well as he did, with confidence. He’s kind of made himself a staple over there,” Mitchell said. “They really rely on him to disrupt a lot of different things. He’s definitely really talented, and he’s only gonna get better. I give him a lot of credit for continuing to be that player and not really tripping on if I score or he gets scored on, or if he makes shots, doesn’t make shots. He’s been that way. I’ve been watching it all year, first time in person.”

Here are a few more notes from the Southwest Division:

  • Fourth-year guard Brandon Boston Jr. received a two-year, minimum-salary contract with a team option for ’25/26 when he was promoted by the Pelicans, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As Scotto notes, it’s possible New Orleans could decline that option in order to give Boston a longer-term deal in the offseason, though he couldn’t be made a restricted free agent in that scenario.
  • Boston (left ankle sprain), Bruce Brown (return to play reconditioning) and Kelly Olynyk (rest) are among seven Pelicans who will be sidelined for Thursday’s contest at Phoenix, per Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. It will be the seventh straight missed game for Boston, who last played on February 8. Veterans Brown and Olynyk, who were acquired from Toronto in the Brandon Ingram trade, are likely being held out of the first end of a back-to-back for precautionary reasons after missing most of the season while recovering from injuries.
  • Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has been sidelined since Feb. 1 due to a right ankle strain. His ankle’s range of motion is around 80% right now, according to head coach Ime Udoka, so he’ll be out again Wednesday, with the earliest he could return being Saturday vs. Sacramento (subscriber-only story via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). VanVleet is averaging 14.6 points, 5.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 45 games this season (35.5 MPG).
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Evan Mobley Reiterates Belief He Can Become NBA’s Best Player

February 21st, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

When The Athletic asked 14 players at All-Star weekend who will be the best player in the NBA in five years, Victor Wembanyama earned six votes and no one else received more than one, with a single exception: Evan Mobley. Of course, those two votes for Mobley came from teammate Darius Garland and the Cavaliers big man himself, who replied, “Maybe me or Victor.”

Asked after Thursday’s win over Brooklyn about that claim, Mobley doubled down on it, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).

“I feel like if you don’t believe in yourself, then how are you going to get there? I just have belief in myself,” Mobley said. “I think I have the capability. I have the size, the stature, the skill set. Why not believe in that? … I feel like I have a lot of potential, so that’s my goal. I’m not focused on getting there today. Just every day, take it day by day.”

Garland didn’t back down from his All-Star weekend comments either.

“We’ve got the belief in him. He has belief in himself,” Garland said. “He has the confidence now. He is going to get better with time. In five years I don’t know where he is going to be. Seven-foot unicorn that’s dribbling and dunking behind his head like that, it’s pretty unusual. He has everything. He has all the tools just to be great. He’s just got to go get it.”

Mobley’s performance so far this season has been a good first step toward super-stardom. Entering Friday’s blowout win over the Knicks, he had averaged 18.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game through his first 49 outings, with a .567/.374/.760 shooting line. He put up 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and was a plus-23 in just 25 minutes of action on Friday.

Mobley has been the defensive anchor for a Cavaliers team that ranks first in the Eastern Conference with a 46-10 record. He was named to his first All-Star team this season and figures to receive serious consideration for end-of-season awards like Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA, and All-Defense.

According to Fedor, Donovan Mitchell said that playing alongside Mobley was a major reason why he chose to sign a multiyear contract extension with the Cavs last offseason. Mitchell was happy to see the 23-year-old express confidence in his ability to become one of the NBA’s best players.

“Hell yeah,” Mitchell said. “If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? I firmly believe that he’ll be a top-five player when he continues to get to his prime. He’s close. He’s got to continue to get better and better. He puts in the work. I think the everyday fan may not see it, but we see it. At the end of the day, he’s going to be up there. I have no doubt.

“I’m glad he said it. I’ve been trying to get him to speak on himself publicly. It’s about damn time he finally says something. Now the biggest thing for him is he’s got to go out there and do every night. I know he wants that.”

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Three-Peat For Mac McClung In Dunk Contest

February 15th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mac McClung ensured his place alongside the other legends in NBA dunk contest history by winning the event for the third straight time Saturday night.

McClung got perfect scores on all four of his dunks and was a clear favorite of the Chase Center crowd. His final-round victory came over Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who registered a 99.6 score with two impressive slams of his own. Andre Jackson Jr. and Matas Buzelis were eliminated in the first round.

McClung brought some excitement to the event on his first dunk when he leaped over a car and threw the ball down behind his head. He followed that by jumping over his dunk coach for a twisting slam, then dunked two balls at once — one held by a friend on a spinning hoverboard and another by a man on a ladder — and finished off the night by jumping over 6’11” Evan Mobley (who was standing on a small platform) and touching the ball against the rim before slamming it home (video collection via YouTube).

At a press conference following the event, McClung deflected a question on whether the three-peat means he should be considered the greatest dunker of all time (Twitter video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

“I definitely don’t think that’s something for me to say,” McClung responded. “… I was just extremely honored to be part of this weekend. The biggest thing is I genuinely love this contest, and I’m very honored to be here and just very appreciative.” 

McClung is on a two-way contract with the Magic and has only made one brief appearance in an NBA game this season. He plays for Osceola in the G League and has never been able to break through at the NBA level, getting into five total games with four teams since 2021.

McClung’s performance got the attention of other players around the league, including a couple of stars who hinted that they may consider participating in future dunk contests. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant tweeted, “Mac might make me decide to dunk,” and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo responded, “If you do it. I’ll do it with you,” later adding, “I just gotta to warm up for three weeks prior to the contest.”

Damian Lillard missed the chance for another three-peat on Saturday, being eliminated in the first round of the Three-Point Contest after winning the event the past two years. Tyler Herro claimed this year’s crown by a point over Buddy Hield, with Darius Garland finishing third.

“I was definitely nervous going into the first round. But I thought I shot it pretty well in the second round, and then Buddy had the chance to tie it at the end,” Herro told reporters, including Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Obviously a great competition, a bunch of great shooters. … Also, it felt cold in the arena the first time I went. For the second time, I felt more loose going right away.”

Mobley teamed with fellow Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell to capture the Skills Challenge in the night’s first event.

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NBA Announces Three-Point Contest, Skills Challenge Participants

February 7th, 2025 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the participants for the All-Star Saturday festivities in San Francisco on February 15, revealing today (via Twitter) which players will compete in the three-point contest and the skills challenge. Here are the details:

Three-Point Contest:

Among this year’s participants, Powell (43.1%), Garland (42.9%), and Johnson (41.7%) have been the most accurate three-point shooters so far this season, while Herro (39.3% on 9.7 attempts per game) has been the most prolific.

Lillard won the event in both 2023 and 2024 and will be looking to become the first player since Craig Hodges in 1992 to claim the three-point title for a third consecutive year. Larry Bird was also a three-time winner, having achieved the feat in the first three years the NBA held the event (1986-88).

Hield is the only other player in this year’s field to have won the contest before, having done so in 2020. The Warriors wing will be the home team’s representative next Saturday.

Skills Challenge:

It appears the NBA will be tweaking the format of the skills challenge again in 2025, with the event set to feature four teams of two players apiece instead of three players per team.

Mobley was part of the Cavs team that won the event in 2022, along with Jarrett Allen and Garland. He’ll be teaming up with Mitchell this time around.

The NBA also officially confirmed the participants of the dunk contest earlier this week (Twitter link). Those four players, who had been previously reported, are Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, Bucks guard Andre Jackson, and Magic two-way guard Mac McClung.

Like Lillard in the three-point contest, McClung will be looking to three-peat in his event next Saturday night.

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NBA Announces 2025 All-Star Game Rosters

February 6th, 2025 at 6:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The 24 players selected for the 2025 All-Star Game were drafted on a Thursday pre-game TNT show by coaches Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, and later announced by the NBA (Twitter link).

The players were previously sorted into groups of starters and reserves, but that had no bearing on their team placement for the new mini-tournament in this year’s game.

Below are each team’s selections, sorted in order of pick:

Team Shaq

O’Neal had the first overall pick in the televised draft, selecting James, who holds the record for most All-Star appearances in a career. For the most part, O’Neal opted for the “old guard” of the NBA, so to speak. His team has a whopping 87 All-Star appearances (including this year) among its eight players.

The roster also unites a handful of players. Durant spent this week in trade rumors, with reports indicating he didn’t want to be traded to Curry’s Warriors. The two players were teammates for three seasons. This also will mark the first time James and Davis will play together since the blockbuster move that brought Doncic to L.A. Additionally, Curry, James, Durant, Tatum and Davis all played together on the 2024 U.S. men’s Olympic Team.

Team Kenny

In contrast to O’Neal’s roster, Smith opted for some of the younger stars across the league. Smith’s team has a combined 13 All-Star nods to their name — Williams, Mobley, Cunningham and Herro are all first-timers. Smith united a pair of Cavaliers, with Mobley and Garland joining forces.

Team Chuck

Barkley went for a mix of experience in his group. He secured the top three expected players in the MVP race this season between Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander. He also landed Wembanyama with the 12th overall pick. Barkley’s group has a combined 35 All-Star honors, with Sengun and Wembanyama as first-time All-Stars and Antetkounmpo (nine) and Jokic (seven) leading the way.

A fourth team coached by Candace Parker will play in the tournament. She’ll be coaching whichever team wins this year’s Rising Stars Challenge — those rosters were announced earlier this week. Two teams will meet in a semifinal (game one) while the other two also play each other (game two). The winning team from each game moves on to the final round.

The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the team that wins the final will receive $125,000, while members of the second-place team earn $50,000. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.

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