Kevin Durant

Ben Simmons' first season playing for the Brooklyn Nets has gotten off to a rocky start. And his head coach, Steve Nash, thinks he just needs to reinsert some "joy" into his game.

"For me, it's trying to take the risk off the table," he told reporters Wednesday. "I'm not expecting him to be 100 percent in the short term, but I want him to try to find that [joy]."

There was always going to be an adjustment period for Simmons after missing out on the entire 2021-22 season and transitioning to new teammates and a new scheme in Brooklyn. A bit of rust was to be expected.

But Simmons has been rougher than anticipated, fouling out of two of the team's first three games while attempting just 4.3 shots per game. The result has been a meager 5.7 points per contest, though he has added 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Offensive aggression was an issue for Simmons in Philadelphia, where he was a fantastic playmaker and elite defender but often didn't consistently impact games with his own scoring. That, at least partially, was a byproduct of his unwillingness to shoot from the perimeter.

But Simmons would also go long stretches without attacking the basket, a bit of a head-scratcher given his size and elite athleticism. Some of those concerns have been apparent to start this season, too.

The power forward has acknowledged that he hasn't been great thus far in Brooklyn.

"There's gonna be times where it's really ugly, like the other night for me," Simmons told reporters Wednesday. "I've had a couple of games I was playing like s--t."

And in his defense, adjusting to a new roster—especially one with Nic Claxton, a non-spacing center, in the starting lineup—will take some time.

The Nets are a team loaded with talent, but after a 1-2 start, there are obvious concerns. Given all of the drama of the offseason, with the uncertain futures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, any struggles are going to be magnified and dissected.

That looming context makes Simmons' awkward start to his Nets tenure all the more fascinating to monitor.

Mitchell & Ness is bringing in some serious NBA star power.

Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico reported Tuesday that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and CJ McCollum are among a number of notable names investing in the sports apparel company.

They were joined by actor Kevin Hart and NFL player Odell Beckham Jr., among others.

Novy-Williams noted Fanatics purchased Mitchell & Ness for $250 million in 2021 in a purchase that involved rappers Jay-Z, Meek Mill and Lil Baby. The investors will hold 25 percent of the company, while Fanatics will hold 75 percent of it.

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin recently sold his ownership stake in the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, meaning there is less conflict of interest for him and the company to partner with these athletes.

The new investors could be involved in new collaborations or marketing measures given the developing partnership.

Mitchell & Ness started in 1904 as a sporting goods company and expanded to make the uniforms for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933. It is now well known for its vintage jerseys and apparel across a number of sports.

Partnering with some of the NBA's biggest athletes figures to lead to even more designs down the line, and the inclusion of the 76ers' two biggest stars in Harden and Embiid is all the more notable given the company's Philadelphia roots.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant praised Memphis Grizzlies cornerstone Ja Morant as the "face of our league going forward" before the teams' meeting Monday night, which ended in a 134-124 Memphis win.

Durant clarified the remark, saying there's some competition for that top spot in the NBA, but he noted Morant is "doing some stuff that we've never seen before."

Morant recorded 38 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 34 minutes for the Grizzlies, and KD was asked whether the point guard reminded him of anyone.

"Nobody really," Durant said. "He's a unique player. A lot of athleticism and creativity out there. Body type reminds you of somebody like—well he's taller than A.I. [Allen Iverson], but a wiry, strong player ... but he's an incredible player, man."

The 23-year-old Murray State product started to show signs of reaching his full potential last season, earning his first All-Star selection and the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

It's only a four-game sample size, but the early returns suggest he may take his game up another level in 2022-23. He's averaged 35.3 points, 7.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 threes while shooting 54.8 percent from the field during the team's 3-1 start.

Backcourt running mate Desmond Bane is also playing at an All-Star pace in the early going, including 38 points of his own in Monday night's victory.

As a whole, it's given the Grizzles the look of a serious threat after finishing second in the Western Conference last season, and it all starts with Morant.

"He's an incredible athlete," Nets point guard Ben Simmons said prior to Monday's matchup. "He pushes the pace, gets his team going, shares the ball. He's relentless at the rim, so we just got to be physical."

Morant and Bane combined for 56.7 percent of the Grizzlies' points (76 of 134) against the Nets in what became a dual of superstars. Durant and Kyrie Irving put together a similar performance for Brooklyn, combining to score 74 points.

Memphis will look to continue its early-season surge when it opens a four-game road trip Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings.

Ben Simmons' return to the court after he missed last season is not going as he hoped, and he took out some frustration on the officiating after the Brooklyn Nets' 134-124 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

"It's frustrating. It's not a foul," Simmons told reporters when discussing his sixth infraction. "That was bulls--t. It's frustrating because it's late-game. You're in the fourth quarter. It's a physical, close game. It's the NBA; it's not college, not high school."

Ja Morant seemingly baited Simmons before the whistle for his sixth foul. The Grizzlies point guard looked toward his bench, and Simmons pressed up and put his left hand on Morant before Morant tried to escape:

"A lot of it was bulls--t calls if you ask me," Simmons said.

He also ended his news conference with a smile and said, "I just don't want to get fined."

Monday marked Simmons' third game of the season, and he has fouled out twice, scoring 17 points and committing 14 fouls. The Nets are 1-2 and don't look capable of challenging the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics or others at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Simmons' return to the lineup made Brooklyn one of the biggest wild cards of the NBA this season, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are quite the one-two punch on the offensive side. If Simmons can rediscover the form that led to two All-Defensive nods and three All-Star selections during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, the team would have a much higher ceiling.

He has not found that form in the early going, and his five turnovers against the Grizzlies counteracted eight assists.

The LSU product was expected to be rusty after he missed last season and as he adjusts to a new team, but this has been far from an ideal start.

There may be a fine coming as well after he was openly critical of the officiating.

Ja Morant has no comparisons in NBA circles according to Kevin Durant.

The Brooklyn Nets forward lauded Morant on Monday, telling reporters the Memphis Grizzlies star is "doing some stuff that we've never seen before" on a basketball court.

"Nobody really," Durant said when asked for a comparison. "He's a unique player. A lot of athleticism and creativity out there. Body type reminds you of somebody like—well he's taller than [Allen Iverson], but a wiry, strong player ... but he's an incredible player, man."

Morant is off to a stellar start to the 2022-23 season, averaging 34.3 points and 7.0 assists while leading the Grizzlies to a 2-1 record. His relentlessness attacking the rim has thus far been met with an improvement from three-point range, with Morant knocking down 57.1 percent of his threes on 4.7 attempts per game.

Small sample size theater aside, Morant already proved his bona fides as a foundational superstar last season while leading the Grizzlies—a team most picked to be a play-in team—to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference while winning Most Improved Player.

Now firmly in his place as an elder statesman of the NBA, Durant has been open in his praise of the game's younger stars of late. He called Zion Williamson a "one-of-one" player and threw more plaudits Morant's way Monday.

"I've been in the league with [Derrick Rose] and Russell Westbrook, so many athletic guards I'm missing, but those two stick out the most to me," Durant said. "The stuff they were doing was unheard of, and you're seeing other guys doing the same thing. I'm sure he's inspired by those two as well. The league's in a great place."

The Nets visit Memphis on Monday, giving Durant a first-hand look at how Morant will look lined up across his own point guard, Kyrie Irving, and guard-forward Ben Simmons. If the Nets' perimeter defense to start the season is any indication, we'll likely see some more praise for Morant's in postgame comments.

A duel went down in Brooklyn on Friday evening, and in the end, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets outlasted Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors 109-105 in Barclays Center.

Irving led the Nets with 30 points, including a personal 7-0 run in an 1:07 span in the third quarter and 13 more points in the fourth.

Durant posted 27 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer to put the Nets up 105-102 with 56 seconds remaining in regulation. He also assisted on Royce O'Neale's three to put the Nets in front 108-104.

Those two led the Nets charge to overcome a fantastic outing from Siakam, who posted a 37-point triple-double. He shot 15-of-20 from the field in addition to compiling 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

This ultimately was an offensive masterclass at times, with Toronto and Brooklyn knocking down tough shots.

Irving was impressive after a rough opening night where he shot just 6-of-19 for 15 points in a 130-108 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Durant was big down the stretch after hitting the critical three and assisting on O'Neale's ensuing bucket:

The star of the game was Siakam, though, and Twitter recognized his efforts.

In the end, the Nets emerged victorious to enter the win column for the first time this season. They'll now take on the Memphis Grizzlies on the road Monday. Toronto will visit the Miami Heat Saturday.

It's been three years since Kevin Durant parted ways with the Golden State Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets, but many are still wondering how his former teammates felt about his departure.

Warriors guard Klay Thompson said on the ALL THE SMOKE podcast that Golden State has no ill-will toward Durant and the other players understand why he made his decision to leave:

"We don't blame Kevin for leaving at all. He is from the East Coast. If I was on the East Coast and I had a great, almost, it was two games away from a three-peat, it was like what more y'all want from me, man? You want a six-peat, you know? If it wasn't for catastrophic things, like, we probably would've had three championships in that time. But, uh, man, we don't blame him at all. We knew he kind of wanted to bounce a little bit. I mean, go back home and we'll still forever have those two, going back-to-back and gosh, so close."

Durant surprised the masses when he departed the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Warriors as a free agent ahead of the 2016-17 season. Joining a core that included Thompson, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry and defensive specialist Draymond Green put Durant in prime position to chase the championship ring that had eluded him at that point in his career.

The 12-time All-Star achieved his goal, winning two NBA titles and back-to-back Finals MVP awards. Golden State's chance at a three-peat was derailed when Durant tore his Achilles and Thompson tore his ACL in the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

When Durant departed the Warriors, the team missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons before making a triumphant return to the postseason in 2021-22. Golden State won its fourth NBA title in the last eight years, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 Finals.

Since joining the Nets, Durant hasn't advanced past the conference semifinals. Brooklyn disappointingly finished seventh in the East last season and was swept in the first round by the Celtics.

However, the team appears poised to contend for a title this year thanks to the return of Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and other key pieces who were sidelined last season.

Kevin Durant is widely considered one of the greatest players of his generation, but former Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson believes the 12-time All-Star is still taken for granted.

On All The Smoke, Thompson said the three years Durant spent in the Bay Area were "special."

"That's why it bothers me when people don't talk about Kevin's greatness," Thompson said at the 1:03:40 mark. "This man averaged 35 and 15 in the Finals. ... That's like Shaq numbers. Like, what are we doing here? It's like, 'He's a bus rider' and all this stuff. You can't argue with the numbers. 35 and 15."

Thompson isn't saying anything Durant's supporters haven't already voiced before.

You don't expect everybody to agree about how they feel toward a certain player. In the case of KD, though, you'd be hard-pressed to find another legend with his résumé who gets treated so dismissively at times.

Thompson's "bus rider" comment was a reference to something Charles Barkley said about KD in the spring. Barkley attempted to argue Durant was "riding the bus" with the Warriors because they were a championship-winning squad with a central figure, Stephen Curry, before he arrived.

That mindset always downplays how badly Golden State needed the 2013-14 MVP, especially toward the end of his brief tenure.

The Cleveland Cavaliers simply had no answer for Durant in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. He won Finals MVP both years, notably averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the 2017 Finals. Then his value was evident in the 2019 Finals, when the Warriors fell behind 3-1 without him and eventually lost in six games after he tore his Achilles tendon.

Golden State winning another title in 2022 doesn't change history, either. If anything, it drove home how dominant the franchise might've remained if he had stayed. Granted, the idea that Durant was simply riding the Warriors' and Curry's coattails would've persisted, too.

It is what it is at this point. Most fans have probably set their narratives for Durant, and lifting a championship with the Brooklyn Nets or another franchise might not be enough to change that.

35V, an investment company launched by NBA superstar Kevin Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman, announced the acquisition of a Major League Pickleball expansion team Thursday.

"[Pickleball] was a small passion that's just gonna keep building," Durant said. "We're gonna be operating this ourselves, being tasked with building this brand from the ground up. It should be a fun project."

MLP, which was founded by Steven Kuhn and Mellie Price, wrapped up its first season last November with BLQK crowned as the inaugural champions. The league has started to gain serious momentum with several high-profile investors in recent months.

Other athletes who've invested in MLP include the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady, Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

The 35V expansion franchise will join the league in 2023.

"35V is committed to investing in the future of sports and emerging opportunities, and Major League Pickleball is a league we are incredibly excited about," Kleiman said. "We can't wait to build this team from the ground up as well as work to elevate the sport and the league to unprecedented heights. As an avid pickleball player and fan, the interest in the sport was a natural fit."

The group is also aiming to help the league improve its player relations, marketing, sponsorships and merchandise sales.

"Kevin Durant, Rich Kleiman and 35V are going to be game-changing partners for Major League Pickleball," Kuhn said. "They not only bring passion for the game, but also unrivaled expertise to help us to continue to grow. We're especially excited about their plans to bring pickleball to underserved communities—something they have done with basketball for years."

MLP is planning an expansion to 16 teams in 2023 (up from 12) while also increasing its schedule to six events (up from three) with a prize pool over $2 million for players.

35V's other sports-based investments include ownership stakes in the MLS' Philadelphia Union and NWSL's NJ/NY Gotham.