Sports

Nowitzki In for West All-Stars; Harden, Thompson to Start

Published

10 years ago

February 12, 2015

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) defends against Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) as Mavericks Chandler Parsons (25) and Jazz Gordon Hayward (20) look on during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

NEW YORK (AP) — Western Conference All-Star team coach Steve Kerr’s lineup will look nothing like the one voted for by fans as star after NBA star has gone down with injuries.

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Houston Rockets guard James Harden were named Wednesday as starters. They will replace Kobe Bryant, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, and Blake Griffin, who will be sidelined at least three weeks after surgery for a staph infection in his right elbow.

Bryant and Griffin were voted starters by the fans for the NBA mid-season showcase set for Sunday in New York, as was Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and Thompson’s fellow Splash Brother, Stephen Curry.

But after a loss to the Pacers on Wednesday, Davis announced that he, too, has decided to sit out with an injured right shoulder that kept him out of the last two games before the break.

“While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete this weekend, I’m still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York and celebrate our game with some of the NBA’s greatest figures,” Davis said in a statement.

His last-minute replacement is Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, giving him his 13th All-Star appearance for a franchise that doesn’t have another player with more than four.

“This year it threw a little bit of a wrench into my plans, but I am very excited,” Nowitzki said in a news release.

Thompson is averaging 22.1 points and shooting 44 percent from 3-point range for the Warriors, who have the league’s best record at 42-9. He will start alongside Curry. Kerr, their coach, will decide if Nowitzki or someone else will replace Davis in the starting lineup.

Harden is leading the league in scoring at 27.7 points per game.

The 36-year-old Nowitzki is averaging 18.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The 7-footer from Germany went to 11 straight All-Star games before missing in 2013. He went again last year.

Davis had the support of his coach and teammates to play Sunday if he was healthy enough. But he chose to rest the shoulder.

“After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating,” Davis said. “I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play.”

Davis, now in his third season out of Kentucky and still only 21 years old, has averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, which leads the Pelicans in all three categories.

He had planned on participating in both the game and All-Star Saturday night. But last Saturday night during a loss to Chicago, Davis lost his grip on the rim while completing an alley-oop dunk, falling about 7 feet horizontally to the hardwood.

Davis’ announcement came after the Pelicans lost their third straight game, 106-93 to Indiana. Shortly before tip-off, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps presented Davis with a black All-Star jersey, though everyone watching understood that it wasn’t clear if he would get to suit up.

For Nowitzki, the downside is that he was relishing a chance to relax in his 17th season. The upside is that he gets to go back to one of his favorite arenas, Madison Square Garden.

“He’s compiling one of the great resumes in NBA history,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said in a second meeting with reporters after the Mavericks went into the break with an 87-82 victory over Utah on Wednesday night. “It’s a little disappointing that he can’t just kind of disappear and enjoy some real off time, but this is one of the responsibilities that comes with greatness.”

___

AP Sports writers Brett Martel in New Orleans, Schuyler Dixon in Dallas and Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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Bay Area

Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

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California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

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Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!