S Reignite

  The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his college season as well as a lingering injury are massive hurdles that block 7ft NBA prospect Makur Maker from success. These challenges aren’t made any easier by his coach’s constant overestimation of what Makur can bring to a team. Across Apple TV+’s five-episode docu-series, The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball , director Seth Gordon documents Makur Maker’s path to the 2021 NBA draft , during his one and done season at Howard University. Like many during 2020, Makur Maker wanted to do more after the death of George Floyd and following the global Black Lives Matter protests. For the teenage athlete, that was committing to play basketball for the Historically Black University – Howard, not one of the Big Six conference schools that an ESPN ranked 16 th prospect would be expected to go to. At Howard Makur hoped to take a on leadership role and put increased spotlight on the academic institution. But whatever status Maker had going...

During a conversation with Phoenix Suns employees, NBA commissioner Adam Silver floated the idea of relegation to prevent NBA teams from tanking . Conversations around tanking are heightened this season as 7-foot 4 prospect Victor Wembanyama enters the 2023 draft. French prospect Victor Wembanyama is considered a franchise altering player. Credit: Houston Chronicle The French star has been described as an ‘alien’ by LeBron James and his exhibition game against fellow draft entry Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite team only increased the hype around the player. In order to secure the best drafting odds to select the Frenchman, many NBA teams are thought to be purposefully losing games. To prevent this commissioner Silver suggested that relegation, a concept from European football, should be implemented in the American basketball league. It would mean the teams that win the least matches at the end of the season would be removed from the NBA and their space would be taken b...

  In Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum chose to wear a Lakers purple and gold armband with the number 24 on it, as an homage to his favourite player Kobe Bryant and to channel the Hall of Famer's skill during the final game of the series. The Celtics went on to win the series and Tatum was awarded with the inaugural Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award. Tatum has always been open about his love and admiration for the late Laker. This isn’t even the first time he’s worn Bryant’s armband during a game. He also wore it in the NBA bubble during a match against the Philadelphia 76ers. However, since this most recent show of appreciation for the late Bryant, American sports channel ESPN have been consistently and shamelessly made unnecessary connections between the young Celtics stars and the 5-time NBA champion. On the fifth of June, ESPN posted a picture on Twitter of both Bryant and Tatum wearing Boston Celtics practice g...

  Kyrie Irving is the currently the most high-profile NBA player who is part of 5% of the league that is unvaccinated. Yet, the way it is spoken about you would think that Kyrie is the only player holding out on getting the vaccine. He, however, is in a worse position than his anti-vax peers, as his team the Brooklyn Nets resides in New York which currently has a vaccine mandate in place prohibiting unvaccinated players from playing home games. Kyrie’s refusal to get the vaccine or answer questions about the choice during the NBA’s media day has given more fuel to Kyrie hate train that exists amongst NBA fans; a train fuelled by Irving’s flat earth ponderings, impromptu absences, and disgruntled Boston Celtics fans. Irving’s decision not to get the vaccine is currently being added to this list undeservedly.   As stated, Kyrie Irving isn’t the only unvaccinated player left in the league, but he stands to lose the most due to the mandate in place in New York. If he played on...

  On Saturday July 10 th , Team USA lost to Team Nigeria in the men’s teams opening exhibition match. It was labelled a ‘historic upset’ by the masses but this description annoys me. Why is it so surprising that an Olympic calibre team lost to another Olympic calibre team? This isn’t the NBA where they face the same teams every season. This is the Olympics. The premiere sporting event that comes about every four years. Athletes spend years competing and getting their body ready for the opportunity to represent their country and win gold. This is an opportunity that these athletes nearly lost out on due the pandemic. No one is going to rollover for the “great” USA. I am a casual sports fan and proud of it but, Team USA’s previous success is not lost on me. The men’s team has taken gold home more often than not, including at the last three Olympic Games. The team’s loss to Nigeria is historic because between July 2021 and 1992, they had only lost two exhibition games. Now after...