Filed under:Based off his interviews in ‘The Last Dance,’ MJ would have despised just about everyone in the modern day NBA. We examined which players he would have beefed with the most.The fire that burned inside Michael Jordan fueled six championships and arguably the greatest basketball the NBA has ever seen—but it also torched a lot of relationships along the way. Jordan felt like he had to carry himself that way in order to win. Whether it was turning opponents into sworn enemies or mercilessly swearing at his own teammates, Jordan didn’t have time for feelings or friendship: only...…Filed under:Based off his interviews in ‘The Last Dance,’ MJ would have despised just about everyone in the modern day NBA. We examined which players he would have beefed with the most.The fire that burned inside Michael Jordan fueled six championships and arguably the greatest basketball the NBA has ever seen—but it also torched a lot of relationships along the way. Jordan felt like he had to carry himself that way in order to win. Whether it was turning opponents into sworn enemies or mercilessly swearing at his own teammates, Jordan didn’t have time for feelings or friendship: only...WW…

Filed under:Monk’s career didn’t get off to the best start in Charlotte. But after some time and space, both he and the Hornets are reaping the rewards of their partnership. Could that encourage other franchises to keep their former lottery picks around longer?It was March 2020, the coronavirus had shut down the NBA, and Malik Monk was scared. Just a few days after the league suspended play, Monk found himself struggling to breathe. Immediately he thought he’d contracted COVID-19, and his mind whirled thinking about what would happen to him and how his body would respond. Now, though, over...…Filed under:Monk’s career didn’t get off to the best start in Charlotte. But after some time and space, both he and the Hornets are reaping the rewards of their partnership. Could that encourage other franchises to keep their former lottery picks around longer?It was March 2020, the coronavirus had shut down the NBA, and Malik Monk was scared. Just a few days after the league suspended play, Monk found himself struggling to breathe. Immediately he thought he’d contracted COVID-19, and his mind whirled thinking about what would happen to him and how his body would respond. Now, though, over...WW…

Filed under:In his single season with Gonzaga, Suggs increased his profile and boosted his draft stock. But with players like Green honing their skills while getting paid in the G League, will the traditional route stay the popular one?When Jalen Suggs banked in an overtime buzzer-beater to send Gonzaga to the national title game last weekend, he all but guaranteed that sequence would become the defining image of his lone collegiate season—and by default, his NBA draft reel. But the Final Four matchup with UCLA showcased more of Suggs’s game than just one shot. On his biggest stage yet,...…Filed under:In his single season with Gonzaga, Suggs increased his profile and boosted his draft stock. But with players like Green honing their skills while getting paid in the G League, will the traditional route stay the popular one?When Jalen Suggs banked in an overtime buzzer-beater to send Gonzaga to the national title game last weekend, he all but guaranteed that sequence would become the defining image of his lone collegiate season—and by default, his NBA draft reel. But the Final Four matchup with UCLA showcased more of Suggs’s game than just one shot. On his biggest stage yet,...WW…

Filed under:Fourteen NBA teams are currently allowing fans to attend games, and some evidence suggests that it’s having an impact on home-court advantage. Yet as some focus on the competitive aspect of bringing fans in, others remain wary of the health risks.Deandre Ayton hates fake crowd noise. It does nothing for him. And so, after Ayton finished off a lob from Chris Paul in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Blazers, the noise he heard was music to his ears. The pumped-in cheers still hummed throughout Phoenix Suns Arena, but so did the sound of just over 3,000 real...…Filed under:Fourteen NBA teams are currently allowing fans to attend games, and some evidence suggests that it’s having an impact on home-court advantage. Yet as some focus on the competitive aspect of bringing fans in, others remain wary of the health risks.Deandre Ayton hates fake crowd noise. It does nothing for him. And so, after Ayton finished off a lob from Chris Paul in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Blazers, the noise he heard was music to his ears. The pumped-in cheers still hummed throughout Phoenix Suns Arena, but so did the sound of just over 3,000 real...WW…

Filed under:The Bulls guard just missed out on a spot in the starting lineup on Thursday, but based on the season he’s having and the leap he’s taken, this may finally be the year he gets his shotThad Young and Zach LaVine go all the way back to 2014. That year, a 19-year-old LaVine was drafted 13th by the Timberwolves, and a couple of months later, Young was traded to Minnesota ahead of his eighth season in the league. Young became a mentor to LaVine almost immediately, and five years later, they became teammates again in Chicago.The two have enjoyed playing together for the past two...…Filed under:The Bulls guard just missed out on a spot in the starting lineup on Thursday, but based on the season he’s having and the leap he’s taken, this may finally be the year he gets his shotThad Young and Zach LaVine go all the way back to 2014. That year, a 19-year-old LaVine was drafted 13th by the Timberwolves, and a couple of months later, Young was traded to Minnesota ahead of his eighth season in the league. Young became a mentor to LaVine almost immediately, and five years later, they became teammates again in Chicago.The two have enjoyed playing together for the past two...WW…

Filed under:Trainers and front-office members are largely in charge of implementing the league’s COVID-19 protocols on a team level, and many say the process has been confusing, taxing, and incredibly stressfulIt’s Christmas morning, and an athletic trainer for a Western Conference NBA team is leaving his wife and children to go into work. Once he arrives at the team’s practice facility, the trainer quickly begins checking things off his to-do list. He sifts through the usual set of new emails from the league office that update teams on changes to the health and safety protocols, then helps...…Filed under:Trainers and front-office members are largely in charge of implementing the league’s COVID-19 protocols on a team level, and many say the process has been confusing, taxing, and incredibly stressfulIt’s Christmas morning, and an athletic trainer for a Western Conference NBA team is leaving his wife and children to go into work. Once he arrives at the team’s practice facility, the trainer quickly begins checking things off his to-do list. He sifts through the usual set of new emails from the league office that update teams on changes to the health and safety protocols, then helps...WW…

The voice on the other side of the computer made Syracuse’s Elijah Hughes do a double-take. “What is your favorite toe?”Hughes was in the middle of one of the 20-plus Zoom interviews he’s done with NBA teams from his home in upstate New York ahead of November’s draft. Most questions up to that point had been conventional. This one was not.“Someone asked me that,” says Hughes, a . “Like, your middle toe, your big toe … it was weird.”Each draft season, prospects are bombarded with questions both bland and peculiar. DePaul’s says he was thrown off when a team staffer asked him what his mom...…The voice on the other side of the computer made Syracuse’s Elijah Hughes do a double-take. “What is your favorite toe?”Hughes was in the middle of one of the 20-plus Zoom interviews he’s done with NBA teams from his home in upstate New York ahead of November’s draft. Most questions up to that point had been conventional. This one was not.“Someone asked me that,” says Hughes, a . “Like, your middle toe, your big toe … it was weird.”Each draft season, prospects are bombarded with questions both bland and peculiar. DePaul’s says he was thrown off when a team staffer asked him what his mom...WW…

Filed under:Who is Los Angeles’s third-best player? Depends on the night. While a third star has its obvious advantages, the absence of one has left opponents guessing.Flash back for a second to about this time last year. The NBA season was days from starting and there was palpable excitement fueled by uncertainty. The league had title favorites, but there was no superteam on the chessboard. A refreshing scent of parity was in the air, and there was one clear theme:As the season progressed, another theme became clear: The Lakers possessed, without a doubt, the best duo in the league. Both...…Filed under:Who is Los Angeles’s third-best player? Depends on the night. While a third star has its obvious advantages, the absence of one has left opponents guessing.Flash back for a second to about this time last year. The NBA season was days from starting and there was palpable excitement fueled by uncertainty. The league had title favorites, but there was no superteam on the chessboard. A refreshing scent of parity was in the air, and there was one clear theme:As the season progressed, another theme became clear: The Lakers possessed, without a doubt, the best duo in the league. Both...WW…

Filed under:With multiple players bowing out of Orlando, the NBA has granted teams a mini free agency period before the restart. Who are the most attractive names on the market that could make a postseason impact?The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NBA to shape-shift. The league had to shut down in March, tweak the collective bargaining agreement, create a new schedule, treat positive tests as speed bumps on the road to Orlando, and ultimately form a contingency plan for those positive tests, too. Enter the NBA transaction window.The latest news and notes on the plan to bring back...…Filed under:With multiple players bowing out of Orlando, the NBA has granted teams a mini free agency period before the restart. Who are the most attractive names on the market that could make a postseason impact?The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NBA to shape-shift. The league had to shut down in March, tweak the collective bargaining agreement, create a new schedule, treat positive tests as speed bumps on the road to Orlando, and ultimately form a contingency plan for those positive tests, too. Enter the NBA transaction window.The latest news and notes on the plan to bring back...WW…

Filed under:The qualities that make up a good general manager or president of basketball operations may be up for debate, but these guys have all ascended to the top of the league in their own waysBasketball is (maybe, hopefully) on the horizon. To help reintegrate us to a life of Giannis hammer dunks, James Harden dribbling for 24 seconds, and 76ers fans yelling at you for some reason, we’re rolling out . All rankings were voted on by The Ringer staff unless noted.Lawrence Frank’s career trajectory is truly something to behold. His peak as a coach came during the first 13 games of his head...…Filed under:The qualities that make up a good general manager or president of basketball operations may be up for debate, but these guys have all ascended to the top of the league in their own waysBasketball is (maybe, hopefully) on the horizon. To help reintegrate us to a life of Giannis hammer dunks, James Harden dribbling for 24 seconds, and 76ers fans yelling at you for some reason, we’re rolling out . All rankings were voted on by The Ringer staff unless noted.Lawrence Frank’s career trajectory is truly something to behold. His peak as a coach came during the first 13 games of his head...WW…