More HoopsHype Rumors
July 24, 2024 | 6:21 pm EDT Update
Bobby Marks: Utah announced that they have waived Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Darius Bazley. Both players contracts were set to be guaranteed $400K if they were on the roster past July 25. Utah has $37.7M in salary cap space. To reach the minimum salary floor, Utah has to spend $23.7M by the first day of the regular season. The window to renegotiate the $18M Lauri Markkanen contract begins on August 6.
Luol Deng: I normally don’t pay attention to these type of comments, but as an African, a leader in my community, and the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, I feel it is important to respond. This is for those who have asked about these comments, those who are offended by them, and everyone who has followed our story. I’m not upset or angry at these ignorant remarks made by my former colleagues; I was more disappointed to see them coming from two individuals I’ve always respected. The comments made by Paul Pierce showed misinformation and a lack of research. However, he used it as a teachable moment to shed positivity once he was informed. Thank you to Paul Pierce for apologising, that i can respect.
Luol Deng: As for Gilbert’s comments, they were certainly more disrespectful and cruel. Personally, I don’t care much. I would never trade places with anyone; being African is special. However, for young African and African American kids who admire and listen to Gilbert, these comments can make you think less of yourself and make the rest of the world think less of Africans. Those who are easily misled may make comments that reflect self-hate more than pride. There is nothing about our history that we should run away from.
One of the only notable moves of the offseason for the Heat this year was drafting big man Kel’el Ware out of Indiana in the first round of the draft, and recently, Ware shared a story where he wasn’t afraid to ask Riley about his portrayal on the recent HBO series “Winning Time,” which discussed his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. “I can’t remember word for word but yeah, he didn’t like it, nah, he didn’t like it,” said Ware, via The OG’s Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
July 24, 2024 | 4:46 pm EDT Update