Retired (NBA)

The Utah Jazz are interviewing Philadelphia 76ers assistant Sam Cassell as part of their coaching search, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Tony Jones.

Cassell spent 15 seasons in the NBA as a player, winning three titles and making the All-Star team in 2003-04. He entered the NBA coaching ranks in 2009 and worked with the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers before following Doc Rivers to Philadelphia in 2020.

The 52-year-old interviewed with the Wizards last summer when they were looking for a new coach. In 2020, he got an interview with the Clippers and was on the radar of the Houston Rockets.

Given his resume as a player and coach, it's somewhat surprising Cassell hasn't landed a head coaching gig to this point.

Doc Rivers this week: “Sam Cassell should be a head coach, period. He’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ, and I just hope he gets a shot. ... When they talk about paying dues, he’s paid every due that is possible and he’s yet to get a job. So, I’m hoping that happens.”

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) September 13, 2020

Sam Cassell has been deserving of a Head Coaching job for several years now

Would be heartbreaking to see him leave the Sixers but the guy has more than earned it https://t.co/Ad9hnoWGKR

— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) June 15, 2022

The Jazz entered the NBA coaching carousel at a somewhat late juncture with Quin Snyder stepping down on June 5, more than a month after the team had lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Still, CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge indicated the team would be very deliberate in identifying Snyder's replacement.

"It’s rare, but it’s good," Ainge told Jazz play-by-play announcer David Locke. "I think we’re in really good shape right now, so we can take our time and make sure we get this right."

Utah is also casting a wide net in terms of its candidates. Terry Stotts and Frank Vogel, both of whom are former head coaches, have drawn interest, as have a number of high-level assistants across the league.

Cassell will have to break through a crowded field if the Jazz are to be his first shot at being an NBA head coach.

Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor have reportedly sold their house in Studio City, California, for $4 million, according to TMZ.

Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor sell their Studio City home. https://t.co/0xmMPCROXA

— TMZ (@TMZ) June 12, 2022

The couple bought the Los Angeles area home for under $3 million in 2018. They listed it for sale earlier this year and had an offer accepted in April, with the two sides preparing to close next week.

The house has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a pool, a movie theater and a meditation balcony, per TMZ.

Shumpert and Taylor plan to move to the East Coast. Shumpert last played for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21, but he went unsigned during the 2021-22 season.

The Kobe Bryant memorabilia craze is not stopping anytime soon.

A game-worn jersey just sold for $2.74 million over the weekend at SCP Auctions, per TMZ Sports.

According to the listing, Bryant wore the jersey at least five times and twice during the 1997 NBA playoffs. The Lakers were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals of those playoffs, with Bryant infamously struggling in his first time in the NBA limelight.

Bryant, of course, would use those struggles against Utah as motivation to become one of the most clutch scorers in NBA history.

Memorabilia for the late Lakers legend has been going for record prices since his January 2020 death in a helicopter crash. The jersey sold at auction is the first jersey from his first playoff series to become publicly available.

Twenty-six people bid on the item, though the winner's identity has not been revealed.

A signed Kobe Bryant card could go for seven figures after hitting the auction block this week, per TMZ Sports.

SCP Auctions has a version of the 1997 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #81, numbered 60 out of 100. The signature was authenticated and the card was graded in mint condition, making it "incredibly rare" with an expected final price of over $1 million, per TMZ.

One of the rarest and most coveted Kobe Bryant cards in existence -- the 1997 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #81 -- is up for auction. https://t.co/vYfLOYtBOt

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) May 31, 2022

A similar card sold for $2 million in February, although it had an emerald green face as one of the first 10 of the 100 PMG cards created.

The latest card has a red background, but the signature could lead to higher bids.

"How rare is a '97 PMG Kobe signed by the Black Mamba himself? This is the first and only known example ever offered publicly," SCP Auctions noted. "It could very well be the only one that exists, making it a true 1-of-1 grail of the late legend."

Bryant was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Class of 2020 after a career that featured 18 All-Star selections and five NBA titles.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he studied one of the all-time greats ahead of Sunday's Game 7 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

According to Jay King of The Athletic, Tatum said he watched some film of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, adding: "Obviously, that was my idol, that was my inspiration, that was my favorite player. ... Today, before I took my nap, I do it sometimes, I was watching film and some moments from him and his career."

Tatum also divulged why he wore a purple armband emblazoned with Bryant's No. 24:

"Just to have something to show him in the biggest game of my career so far." 💜💛

Jayson Tatum discusses drawing inspiration from Kobe Bryant after winning the first-ever Larry Bird Trophy awarded to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/EIkMT6zqlD

— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2022

"I got you today”

Jayson Tatum sent a message to Kobe Bryant before Game 7 ♾🐍 pic.twitter.com/mMkOPGGI1M

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2022

In a 100-96 victory, Tatum led the way for Boston with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and he played 46 of 48 minutes, cementing his status as Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

With Sunday's clutch road win, Tatum and the Celtics now move on to the NBA Finals where they will face the Golden State Warriors.

Many young NBA players revere Bryant after watching him while growing up, and it's easy to understand why given everything the Hall of Famer accomplished.

Kobe spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, during which time he became the fourth-leading scorer of all time with 33,643 regular-season points.

Bryant earned 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA nods, 12 All-Defensive Team choices, four All-Star Game MVP awards, two scoring titles and one NBA MVP award.

The postseason was where Bryant truly shined, though, leading the Lakers to five championships and earning NBA Finals MVP honors twice.

Playoff success largely eluded the Tatum-led Celtics during the early part of his career, but that changed Sunday, as he finally broke through with his first Finals appearance.

Tatum is averaging a Kobe-esque 27.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.2 three-pointers made during this postseason.

Now, the challenge for the 24-year-old will be keeping that up in the Finals against a stacked and experienced Warriors team led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins.

The Warriors have reached their sixth Finals in the past eight seasons and are in search of their fourth title during that time.

If Tatum can guide the Celtics to victory, it will mark their first championship since 2008, which fittingly came against Bryant and the Lakers.

NBA Hall of Famer and current Los Angeles Lakers analyst James Worthy became the latest former player to rip on the current generation of ballers because things aren't exactly the same now as they were back in the day. 

Worthy argued on the Stoney & Jansen Show that players spending less time in college in the one-and-done era has made the game "less fundamentally sound," among other complaints (h/t Yahoo's Noah A. McGee):

I mean, Kareem had four years with John Wooden, Michael Jordan and I had three years with Dean Smith, Isiah (Thomas) had some years with Bobby Knight. So you learned the fundamentals. Not only that, you learned how to live. You learned how to balance your freaking checkbook in college, there's a lot of things. When you don't get that, guys are coming to the NBA who are not fundamentally sound. All they do is practice threes, lift weights, get tattoos, tweet and go on social media. That's it.

Worthy, 61, played for the Los Angeles Lakers for his entire 12-year career (1982-1994), averaging 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while winning three titles as the sidekick to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

He's an NBA legend, though players from previous generations probably thought that all his Showtime Lakers did was drugs, sleep around with women and relentlessly push the pace in transition. 

The game changes. The culture around the game changes. Inevitably, that seems to ruffle the feathers of former players. 

Kevin Durant had his own response to Worthy's remarks:

My middy is sharp, but james is right, this ain’t the old days lol https://t.co/MbHHTPSsQn

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 26, 2022

The modern NBA has players who have dedicated their entire lives to the game, given the AAU world that has emerged, and has better athletes with more resources for having proper nutrition and physical maintenance. 

The game has also grown around the world, with many of the league's best players—Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, to name a few—coming from overseas. That has led to a huge influx of talent in the league. 

And the growing trend to spacing the floor has not only meant more skilled players proliferate the NBA, it's also meant that super athletic, versatile and switchable players are needed to play defense at a high level. 

Is the NBA really less fundamental, or have the fundamentals broadened? It's hard to imagine the players who are so incredible at their craft only spend their time on social media and at tattoo parlors. 

There are plenty of critiques to aim at the NBA. The season feels too long, for one, leading to injured superstars in the postseason who can't play or aren't 100 percent. In the process, the postseason product suffers. Just look at the spate of blowouts in this year's playoffs.

But like many former NBA players before him annoyed at the modern game, Worthy's critiques feel more like angst about the inevitability of change than constructive criticism about the actual state of the game.

Former NBA forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis has been out of the league for seven years, but he may be set to begin his next athletic endeavor in the form of boxing.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions is looking to make Davis part of its Aug. 13 card, which will be headlined by a boxing match involving Paul.

Charania noted that the original plan was for Davis to fight former NBA center Larry Sanders, but Paul is now looking for a different opponent for Davis since Sanders is committed to playing in the BIG3 basketball league.

Known for his aggressive style of play, Davis spent eight seasons in the NBA from 2007 to 2015 with the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers.

His most notable accomplishment occurred during his rookie season when he won an NBA championship with the Celtics as a reserve.

Davis was primarily a bench player during his career, starting just 121 of the 514 games he appeared in, and averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Prior to entering the NBA as a second-round pick in the 2007 NBA draft, Davis dominated collegiately at LSU, earning 2006 SEC Player of the Year honors.

After his NBA career came to an end, Davis played professionally in Canada, and he has also spent time in BIG3, winning a championship with Power in 2018.

If the 36-year-old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, does strike a deal to fight, he will be the latest in a long line of athletes to compete on Paul's pay-per-view cards.

Paul notably knocked out former NBA guard Nate Robinson in 2020, and he has subsequently defeated former UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley in fights.

The event featuring Paul vs. Woodley on Dec. 18, 2021, also saw former NBA guard Deron Williams beat former NFL running back Frank Gore on the undercard.

Provided Davis reaches an agreement with Paul's promotion, it stands to reason that he will be pitted against another non-boxing athlete making their in-ring debut as a pugilist.

Deandre Ayton's season may have ended with some clear tension with coach Monty Williams, but Suns general manager James Jones expects the center back next season. 

"Deandre had an amazing season, and he's progressed every year and improved every year," Jones told 98.7 FM's Burns & Gambo. "He's been here, and so he's a big part of what we do. His future with us is something we will address at the proper time, which is in the future. He's a free agent and I've said all along, he's about the same things we're about, which is winning. We'll address it at the proper time."

Ayton played only 17 minutes in the Suns' Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals. His conspicuous absence led to questions for Williams after the game, leading the coach to tersely say it was an "internal" matter.

Williams was also non-committal when asked about Ayton's future with the Suns during his season-ending press conference. Ayton has not addressed the media since the end of Game 7.

"It's one of those things where you're playing an emotional game and at an emotional point," Jones told reporters Wednesday. "It's a game of emotions and feelings, and sometimes your feelings get hurt and you process it and you move on, but we're adults. We're teammates. We're grown men. Those things you handle and you move on and improve from."

Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, is a restricted free agent this summer. The Suns chose not to give him a maximum contract extension last summer, a move that some questioned after Ayton's breakout 2021 postseason.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Ayton "did not feel valued" by the Suns as a result of the contractual stalemate.

Ayton is going to get a max contract by someone this offseason; it's all a matter of whether it happens in Phoenix. The Suns could explore a sign-and-trade with an interested team and seek a scoring option on the wing to ease the burden on Chris Paul and Devin Booker in the postseason.

That said, if the market for a wing isn't available, Phoenix will likely choose to match whatever contract Ayton gets on the open market and bring him back. The likelihood of them allowing him to walk for nothing is minuscule.

LeBron James or Michael Jordan has been debated ad nauseam by basketball fans and commentators alike, but the King added an interesting twist to the debate Monday during a question-and-answer session on Twitter on Monday.

James was asked which teammate either past or present he would choose for a two-on-two game against Jordan and Scottie Pippen and responded by saying Kyrie Irving, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant.

Kobe, KD or Kyrie

— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 17, 2022

While Irving was his only teammate during an NBA season from that list, he did play in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics with Bryant and in the 2012 Games with Durant.

Perhaps James stretched the limits of the question a bit by including two of the all-time greats that he only played with on Team USA, but any of those matchups would be intriguing. Former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade would also figure to make a formidable pairing with James in a matchup against the Chicago Bulls legends, but he apparently didn't make the cut.

That means it's just one more thing for fans to argue about when it comes to matching up James and Jordan.

There's been a bit of a debate online in recent days over the prospect of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defending Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

B/R's Taylor Rooks spoke directly to both of them Tuesday, and a respectful exchange occurred between the two big men.

"Yes, I do think I could lock him up," Gobert told Rooks. "I'm never gonna look at someone, whoever it is, and say, 'Yeah, you would score 40 on me.' That's not my mentality. I would love to go against prime Shaq, it would be a great challenge for me."

For his part, O'Neal admired Gobert's mindset and responded, "You know what Rudy, let me tell you something: I respect that. I do."

"I respect that." @SHAQ responds to Rudy Gobert's IG comment 👀

Tap in live to the B/R app now https://t.co/03ruOImHHY pic.twitter.com/gMB0v7GWsn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 10, 2022

O'Neal further explained that he knows that his comments about current players are sometimes perceived as hate, but his true intention is to motivate.

"So a lot of times when I throw jabs, people think it's hate, or whatever," he said. "But it's really, I'm just challenging him, because this thing we have right now is so good, if it continues to be great, everybody will prosper. That's how you gotta look at it."

O'Neal also discussed Gobert's teammate Donovan Mitchell, saying he has the potential to be great and shouldn't be satisfied with being "really good." But he made it clear why his criticisms hold more weight than most media pundits.

"It's never beef. When I speak, I think I speak from experience, and I have G-19 classification to say what I say," O'Neal said. "I'm not one of these other commentators who didn't do anything. You know who I am. You know what I did."

The Jazz finished fifth in the West this season with a 49-33 record to make a sixth consecutive trip to the playoffs. But Utah was bounced in the first round in six games against the Dallas Mavericks despite star point guard Luka Doncic missing the first three games of the series.

After being eliminated, many are wondering if the Jazz will look to move on from either Gobert or Mitchell this offseason.