Richard Jefferson Rumors

Dirk Nowitzki Expected To Join Amazon As NBA Analyst

December 11th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA champion and 14-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki is expected to launch his broadcasting career by joining Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the NBA beginning in the 2025/26 season, according to Dallas-area insider Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Nowitzki and Amazon are nearing a deal.

Having long broadcast its games on ABC/ESPN and TNT Sports, the NBA will welcome two new television partners next season, when Amazon and NBC join Disney (ABC/ESPN) as the league’s media rights holders, replacing TNT. Amazon and NBC have both begun the process of hiring play-by-play and color commentators for their game broadcasts.

As Andrew Marchand of The Athletic wrote earlier this week, Amazon previously agreed to hire Ian Eagle and make him its top play-by-play announcer, but has yet to hire any game analysts. Marchand identified Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, ESPN’s Richard Jefferson, and Stan Van Gundy as a few potential targets to watch for the streaming giant.

Since retiring as the most accomplished Maverick in franchise history in 2019, Nowitzki has been laying relatively low, having not immediately transitioned into a role as a coach, front office executive, or broadcaster. The Hall of Famer reportedly rebuffed interest from good friend Steve Nash to join his coaching staff in Brooklyn in 2020 and then was named a special advisor by the Mavericks in 2021 when Dallas was seeking a new head coach and general manager.

Nowitzki spoke this past summer about his interest in working in basketball, but made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a coaching job. Instead, it appears he’ll go the broadcasting route.

NBC has reportedly agreed to hire Jamal Crawford as a game analyst and is expected to have Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as its top two play-by-play men. Both Amazon and NBC figure to make several more hires before they begin their NBA broadcasts next year.

And-Ones: 2025 Storylines, Media News, G. Davis

August 30th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

With few major offseason storylines left to resolve in 2024, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) takes an early look at the 2025 landscape, forecasting which stories will dominate NBA headlines next summer.

As Marks details, LeBron James will be one of the top free agents to watch for a second straight offseason, since he holds a 2025/26 player option. However, the rest of the 2025 free agent class isn’t particularly star-studded, with Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram among the top players to keep an eye on.

Barely any teams project to have 2025 cap room at this point, Marks notes, so high-level free agents who want to change teams may require a sign-and-trade. The one team that projects to have significant cap space is Brooklyn, so it could be a big summer for the Nets, who will be in position to be one of the league’s most active teams even if they don’t pursue top free agents.

Cooper Flagg‘s destination, the ongoing impact of the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement, and a 2025 rookie scale extension class headlined by Paolo Banchero are a few of the other storylines previewed by Marks.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

A pair of notable NBA news-breakers are making career changes ahead of the 2024/25 season, according to reporting from Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post. Shams Charania is leaving Stadium, while Chris Haynes is parting ways with TNT Sports, per Glasspiegel, who says Charania remains under contract with The Athletic and FanDuel TV, though those deals are up soon as well. As Glasspiegel points out, NBC and Amazon Prime Video will likely be seeking NBA reporters and analysts as they prepare to broadcast games beginning in 2025, so it’s possible Charania and/or Haynes could be targeted by one of those new league partners.
In other NBA media news, Grant Hill, Richard Jefferson, Tim Legler, and Jay Bilas are among the top candidates to replace J.J. Redick on the top ABC/ESPN broadcast crew for the NBA Finals, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. It’s possible ABC/ESPN will try a two-person booth of Mike Breen and Doris Burke, but the network would ideally like a three-person broadcast team, Marchand adds.
Amazon has scrapped its plans to make a $115MM investment in Diamond Sports Group to help lift the company out of bankruptcy, as Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal reports. Friend and Evan Drellich of The Athletic explores what that lost investment means for Diamond, which still controls regional sports networks that air games locally for 13 NBA teams.
A New York judge ruled this week that former NBA forward Glen Davis can wait until October 22 to begin serving his 40-month prison sentence for fraud, Larry Neumeister of The Associated Press. That judge postponed Davis’ deadline to report to prison by seven weeks to allow him to finish a documentary film project about his life.

And-Ones: Rivers, Myers, ESPN, Flowers, Tillman

August 14th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

ESPN has officially hired former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers to join its top broadcast team, the network announced in a press release written by Ronce Rajan. Rivers, who signed a multiyear contract to be an analyst, will work alongside fellow analyst Doris Burke and play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

ESPN decided to shake up its top broadcasting group after releasing former analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.

In addition to Rivers, ESPN has also signed longtime Warriors executive Bob Myers, who left his post a couple months ago. Myers will serve as analyst on NBA countdown and will also call games during the season, per Rajan.

The signings of Rivers and Myers were previously reported by The New York Post.

ESPN also announced a new secondary broadcast team comprised of play-by-play voice Ryan Ruocco alongside analysts — and former NBA players — JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson. Jefferson received a multiyear extension, Rajan adds.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Forward Trentyn Flowers, who had committed to Louisville, has decided against playing for the Cardinals and will instead head overseas in an effort to make the NBA. Flowers announced on Twitter that he’ll be joining the NBL’s Next Stars program and will play for the Adelaide 36ers. The NBL features nine Australian teams and one based in New Zealand. As Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report tweets, Flowers is one of a handful of potential 2024 first-round picks who have decided to play in the NBL.
Greece’s AEK Athens has officially signed big man Justin Tillman, according to Eurohoops.net. Tillman never actually got in an NBA game, but he signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Hawks a couple years ago and has been a highly productive player in the G League. The former VCU star has had several other international stops during the course of his professional career.
In case you missed it, we passed along several World Cup notes this morning.

Lakers Notes: Ariza, Vogel, Bradley, Westbrook

November 30th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As Lakers forward Trevor Ariza continues to recover from an October 6 scope of his right ankle, he will remain unavailable for Los Angeles for the immediate future, per Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Goon notes that an Ariza reincorporation into lineups for L.A. would help the club use big man Anthony Davis at the center position more frequently.

Head coach Frank Vogel said that Ariza remains “a ways away” from suiting up for Los Angeles, Goon writes. Without an explicit timeline for Ariza’s 2021/22 season debut, the 6’8″ veteran will soon be re-assessed by team doctors when he officially has been out for eight weeks, writes Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.

“I don’t have a definite date or anything like that,” Ariza said. “It’s all on when the doctors clear or the way my body feels and responds to more loading, more work. That’s kind of the gauge on when I’ll be able to be out there safely.”

There’s more out of the soon-to-be-Crypto.com Arena:

With the Lakers having sputtered to an 11-11 start, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated contends that blaming head coach Frank Vogel for the team’s problems is short-sighted. The team’s significant roster churn appears to be the prime culprit. The Lakers’ main errors this season, Mannix writes, appear to have been the front office’s trade for pricey former All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook and the decision to let guards Alex Caruso and Dennis Schröder depart in free agency.
An MRI has revealed that Lakers combo guard Avery Bradley has suffered a UCL sprain in his right thumb, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. As a result of the injury, Bradley will miss tonight’s contest against the Kings. The 30-year-old has started 16 games of the 21 games he has played for the Lakers this year, averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG over 22.2 MPG.
New Lakers starting point guard Russell Westbrook has put up typically impressive, albeit inefficient, counting stats during his first two months with his hometown club, but Malika Andrews, Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins of ESPN’s NBA Today (video link) wonder if L.A. might already be regretting its decision to go all-in for the aging vet.

Free Agent Notes: Pasecniks, Jefferson, Teodosic, More

July 3rd, 2019 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after having his draft rights renounced by the Sixers, 2017 first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks has joined the Wizards‘ Summer League roster, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.

Pasecniks, a 7’2″ center out of Latvia, has played professionally in Spain for the last few years, but is reportedly interested in making the move to the NBA this season. Since the 76ers didn’t want to carry his cap hold on their books, they made him an unrestricted free agent, giving him the ability to sign with another team. While it remains to be seen if the Wizards will be that team, it seems they’ll give him a look this month.

Here are more updates on a handful of NBA free agents:

Could we see Richard Jefferson back in the NBA in 2019/20? After retiring as a player last fall, Jefferson said on Tuesday night (via Twitter) that he wants to come out of retirement to play for one more year. If Jefferson is serious, we’ll see whether there will be an NBA team willing to add him to its roster. If not, he at least made his way into a Hoops Rumors free agent round-up one last time.
Veteran point guard Milos Teodosic, who spent a season and a half in the NBA before being waived by the Clippers in February, has reportedly received a two-year contract offer from Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Teodosic is also said to be drawing interest from EuroLeague clubs Olympiacos and Anadolu Efes, as well as Italy’s Virtus Bologna.
Free agent guard Darrun Hilliard, who appeared in 91 NBA game from 2015-18 for Detroit and San Antonio, has signed with EuroLeague club CSKA Moscow, the team announced in a press release.
Shortly after last month’s draft, word broke that undrafted Boston College guard Ky Bowman will sign with the Warriors. According to Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle, Bowman’s deal is expected to be a two-way contract.

And-Ones: Team USA, Jefferson, Jennings, Bass

November 22nd, 2018 at 8:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With another round of World Cup qualifiers scheduled to begin next week, USA Basketball has officially announced its latest 12-man roster for games against Argentina (November 29) and Uruguay (December 2). The roster is made up primarily of G League players, though NBA free agents Tyler Zeller, Jarnell Stokes, and Eric Moreland are also on the squad. Other former NBA players on the roster include Chasson Randle, DeAndre Liggins, and John Jenkins.

With one more qualifying window scheduled for February after next week’s set of games, Team USA is in prime position to secure a spot in the 2019 World Cup. Team USA currently has a 7-1 record in qualifying contests, which puts the club in a tie with Argentina for first place in Group E. Puerto Rico and Uruguay are tied for third at 5-3. The top three teams in the group will earn spots in the World Cup, and the fourth-place team will have a chance to qualify as well.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…

With some help from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, longtime NBA forward Richard Jefferson published a piece on ESPN.com this week, sharing some of his memories from his NBA career and discussing his move into broadcasting.
After becoming a free agent this week, veteran guard Brandon Jennings may take the G League route as he tries to work his way back into the NBA, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. However, Smith notes that nothing’s official yet.
Smith also checks in a pair of former NBA forward playing in China, reporting (via Twitter) that Brandon Bass is hoping to return to the NBA later in 2018/19, once the Chinese Basketball Association season ends. Jared Sullinger is also putting up huge numbers in China and is in good shape, according to Smith, who tweets that the former Celtic may be ready for another shot in the NBA.
Former Trail Blazers guard Tim Quarterman signed this week with Israeli team Ironi Nahariya, per his agency Prostep Sports (Twitter link). Quarterman was waived by the Rockets this past April.

And-Ones: Jefferson, Diaw, Magic, Blazers, Rockets

October 16th, 2018 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, after announcing his retirement as a player over the weekend, Richard Jefferson has quickly secured a new job. The longtime NBA forward has officially joined the YES Network and will work as a Nets game and studio analyst this season, according to a press release.

Speaking of post-retirement jobs, Boris Diaw – who called it a career last month – has joined France’s national team as the program’s deputy general manager, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

A pair of longtime NBA owners – Richard DeVos of the Magic and Paul Allen of the Trail Blazers – have passed way in the last month and a half. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders explores what that means for the future of those two franchises.
Bobby Marks of ESPN.com passes along some interesting data on the NBA’s opening-night rosters, tweeting that the Nuggets, Knicks, and Trail Blazers have the youngest rosters, while the Rockets, Heat, and Mavericks are on the other end of the spectrum. Meanwhile, the NBA announces that the opening-night rosters feature a total of 108 international players from 42 different countries and territories.
The Rockets have agreed to a partnership with a new jersey sponsor, announcing today that the ROKiT Phones logo will appear in the top-left corner of their uniforms during the 2018/19 season. Twenty-seven NBA teams now have ad patches on their jerseys — Indiana, Oklahoma City, and Washington are the lone holdouts.

Richard Jefferson Announces Retirement

October 13th, 2018 at 5:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Richard Jefferson has retired after 17 NBA seasons and appears headed for a job in television, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Jefferson published a post on Instagram in which he announced his decision.

Jefferson, 38, played with eight teams during his 17-year NBA career after breaking in with the Nets in 2001. He reached the NBA Finals twice in New Jersey, then won a title in 2016 with the Cavaliers. After winning that championship two years ago, Jefferson announced during Cleveland’s locker room celebration that he was planning to retire, but changed his mind and returned for two more years.

In 1,181 career regular season games, Jefferson recorded averages of 12.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG. His most productive seasons came with the Nets, including an impressive 2007/08 showing in which he put up 22.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.1 APG with a .466/.362/.798 shooting line. The former University of Arizona standout also appeared in 140 total postseason contests.

Jefferson wrapped up his his NBA career with the Nuggets last season, but was barely used, appearing in just 20 games and averaging 8.2 minutes per night. The veteran forward wasn’t in training camp with anyone this fall and decided to move on to his next job.

Jefferson’s next job may see him heading back to New York to cover his old team, the Nets. A September report suggested that he was leaning toward joining the YES Network team for Nets broadcasts unless he received an NBA contract offer. According to a separate report, Jefferson – who co-hosts a podcast with Channing Frye – also received TV interest from ESPN and for Clippers game broadcasts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Notes: Pinson, Musa, RHJ, Jefferson, Crabbe

September 18th, 2018 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Theo Pinson currently has a standard NBA contract with the Nets, but it sounds like he’ll end up being the team’s second two-way player for the 2018/19 season, along with Alan Williams. As Michael Scotto of The Athletic relays (via Twitter), Nets GM Sean Marks said today that the rookie guard out of UNC “is going to be our (other) two-way guy.”

While Brooklyn’s plans could change between now and the start of the regular season, it wouldn’t be hard for the club to shift Pinson into one of its two-way slots — his contract includes an Exhibit 10 clause, which allows the Nets to convert his deal into a two-way pact before opening night.

Here’s more on the Nets:

Marks isn’t concerned about offseason injuries sustained by Dzanan Musa and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, indicating today that both players should be cleared for training camp, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Speaking of training camp, the Nets still have one opening on their 20-man roster for camp. According to Lewis (Twitter link), former Baylor standout Nuni Omot is one of multiple candidates for that spot.
After Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reported last week that Richard Jefferson was drawing TV interest, NetsDaily hears from league sources that Jefferson seems likely to join the YES Network for Nets broadcasts unless he gets an NBA contract offer. Jefferson told Marchand that his goal is to “play basketball this season,” but if that doesn’t happen, Nets fans may see Jefferson on YES broadcasts doing game analysis and/or studio work.
Speaking to D.J. Sixsmith of CBS Local, Allen Crabbe referred to the Nets as a “match made in heaven” for him. Crabbe had to waive his trade kicker to accommodate a deal to Brooklyn last summer, and seemingly has no regrets about doing so.

Cavaliers Notes: James, Gilbert, Trade Market, Love

February 4th, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The root of the Cavaliers’ problems lies in an adversarial relationship between LeBron James and owner Dan Gilbert, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. James has grown frustrated while watching star players change teams over the last eight months, with none of them coming to Cleveland. Cavs management counters that it lost $18MM last season because it paid $25MM in luxury taxes and points out that its bargaining position would be much stronger if James would commit to the franchise beyond this season.

Gilbert went through a difficult rebuilding process when James left Cleveland for Miami in 2010 and doesn’t want to repeat that experience. The team could announce to the league that Brooklyn’s unprotected first-rounder is available if James agrees to re-sign, but he is committed to keeping his options open. Meanwhile, the relationship between James and Gilbert is getting worse, and it’s showing up in the Cavaliers’ performance on the court.

There’s more today out of Cleveland:

None of the players currently available on the trade market could turn things around in Cleveland, contends Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Clippers center D eAndre Jordan would provide a much-needed defensive presence in the middle, but Lloyd doesn’t see him as a franchise player. Kings guard George Hill, whom the Cavaliers have also been linked to, would barely move the needle in the playoff race. Cleveland missed opportunities at major deals when Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony and others wound up elsewhere, and Lloyd believes it’s probably too late to save this season. After Saturday’s loss, James refused to comment on possible roster moves. “That’s not a question for me,” he said. “I show up to work every day. I bust my tail every day. I’m one of the first ones to get to the gym and I’m one of the last ones to leave. I do my part. I control what I can control and that is what I can control.”
The Cavs are suffering from a lack of locker-room leadership, Lloyd adds in the same story. In the past, that was provided by James Jones, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, but Jones retired, Jefferson was traded and Frye has lost influence as his playing time decreased.
Kevin Love plans to remain as active as possible while he’s sidelined for eight weeks with a broken bone in his left hand, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “Obviously I can’t use my left arm as much as I would like to but I’ll still be able to do some ball handling on the court and be dominant with my right hand quite a bit, but keep my legs underneath me for when I do get back,” he said. “It will be very meaningful to get back as quickly as I can. … I’m not rushing it but when the doctors say I’m good to go I’ll be able to get out there.”