Retired (NBA)

Former NBA star Metta Sandiford-Artest won't compete in the BIG3 for the 2021 season, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.

Trilogy selected the 41-year-old in the first round of the BIG3 SuperDraft in June. He played for the Killer 3's in 2018, averaging 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in eight games.

With Sandiford-Artest gone, Trilogy are down to four players: Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson, James White and Isaiah Briscoe. Head coach Stephen Jackson is in a race against the clock to find a replacement, too, with BIG3 tipping off its upcoming campaign Sunday in Las Vegas.

Sandiford-Artest was one of the most notable players in the SuperDraft player pool. He spent 17 years in the NBA, earning All-Star and All-NBA honors in 2003-04.

That year preceded the "The Malice at the Palace," which was a demarcation point in Sandiford-Artest's career. He exorcised some of those demons by helping the Los Angeles Lakers win an NBA championship in 2010.

The 6'6" forward last suited up for the Lakers in 2016-17, making 25 appearances for the team. Over his lengthy time in the Association, he averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee have emerged as "prominent candidates" for the New Orleans Pelicans' head coaching vacancy, according to the New York Times' Marc Stein.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Lee also remains in the hunt for the Washington Wizards' gig.

On June 25, NOLA.com's Christian Clark reported Lee and Brooklyn Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn were "viewed as the strongest contenders" for the job. However, Vaughn took himself out of the running days later, with Wojnarowski reporting he preferred to stay with the Nets.

Lee earned his first NBA job with the Atlanta Hawks in 2014-15 at age 30. He spent four years in Atlanta before following Mike Budenholzer to Milwaukee ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Green played in the NBA for 12 years before making his transition to the sideline. He joined the Golden State Warriors' staff in 2016 and took a position with the Suns after Monty Williams was hired in 2019.

In Stan Van Gundy, the Pelicans brought in what appeared to be a pair of safe hands given his experience and track record in the league. Instead, the 61-year-old didn't seem to mesh with the franchise's young roster.

It's probably not a coincidence that Lee and Green are both under 40 since either candidate might be better positioned to connect with the Pelicans players.

Because of the presence of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, New Orleans is an attractive gig. The organization also has a stockpile of draft picks that can help land another marquee star. 

That all raises the bar for whoever is hired, though. The front office is under a similar level of pressure since it's moving to a third head coach in as many years.

Kevin Garnett continues to prove anything is possible, selling his home in Mailbu for $16 million even though the house is still under construction. 

According to Lauren Beale of Forbes, Garnett's 11,000 square-foot estate along the California coastline was sold with "active plans, permits, and Coastal Commission approval already in place" as construction continues. Forbes Global Properties initially sought $20 million for the seven-acre mansion. 

"This sale in particular reflects the continuing strength of the Malibu market," says Eric Hassan of Hilton & Hyland. "I look forward to seeing the new buyer’s vision for the finished property."

TMZ Sports noted Garnett bought the home in 2003 and began a renovation project in 2013 but never got around to finishing it. 

Photos and renderings of the home show a lavish complex along the Pacific Coast Highway replete with a pool, gated entrance and contemporary finish—which may be subject change depending on the new owners' desires. 

There's also plenty of land available on the estate to continue building and adding features. 

Garnett didn't get to see the renovation through, and he'll walk away with $16 million anyways. 

Chicago Bulls legends Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson declined to address comments Scottie Pippen gave Monday on The Dan Patrick Show.

Echoing what he told GQ's Tyler R. Tynes, Pippen said he thought Jackson's decision to draw up a play for Toni Kukoc for the last shot in Chicago's second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks in 1994 was racially motivated.

DP: ".. By saying it was a racial move then you're calling Phil Jackson a racist..."

Pippen: "I don't have a problem with that."

DP: "Do you think Phil was?"

Pippen: "Oh yeah..."

Exchange with @ScottiePippen on Phil's decision to have Kukoc take final shot against the Knicks pic.twitter.com/pH2aDLMDcQ

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 28, 2021

Pippen also said Jordan made a "selfish decision" when he embarked on a baseball career after the Bulls won their third straight title in 1993.

"Yeah It was a big decision, but It was a selfish decision, but it was kind of who Michael Jordan was. That was a guy who believed he can do anything on his own"

-@ScottiePippen on Michael Jordan's decision to leave the #Bulls and pursue a baseball career pic.twitter.com/PoHFAIjqgc

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 28, 2021

Patrick addressed the situation on his show Tuesday. He said he and others reached out to Jackson and Jordan, both of whom chose not to comment.

When it came to Jackson, Pippen told Tynes he was upset because the Bulls had become his team in the wake of Jordan's retirement. Whereas Jackson almost always deferred to Jordan in critical situations in his mind, he wasn't getting the same treatment:

I don’t think it’s a mystery, you need to read between the fine lines. It was my first year playing without Michael Jordan, why wouldn’t I be taking that last shot? I been through all the ups and downs, the battles with the Pistons and now you gonna insult me and tell me to take it out? I thought it was a pretty low blow. I felt like it was an opportunity to give [Kukoc] a rise. It was a racial move to give him a rise. After all I’ve been through with this organization, now you're gonna tell me to take the ball out and throw it to Toni Kukoc? You’re insulting me. That’s how I felt.

Pippen also alluded to a somewhat icy relationship with Jordan. He said he and Jordan had an "impeccable" dynamic on the court and shared mutual respect. Off the court, they generally didn't exchange pleasantries.

Pippen's comments on Jackson led many to bring up the instance the Hall of Fame head coach referred to the people around LeBron James as his "posse," a word that can carry racial undertones.

All the hard work,effort and achievement and @PhilJackson11 still calls us a "posse"every step you take they remind you, you ghetto" @S_C_ pic.twitter.com/OPsPvAvFoM

— Maverick Carter (@mavcarter) November 14, 2016

Some also looked back on Jackson's relationship with Carmelo Anthony during their time together on the New York Knicks. Jackson seemed to be excessively critical of the Knicks' best player, and his views on Anthony haven't changed much over time.

If nothing else, Pippen's appearance on The Dan Patrick Show serves as a reminder of how difficult maintaining a championship contender over a period of multiple years can be in the NBA. Balancing all of the personalities while isolating any friction away from the court is no small task.

The Last Dance provided an inside look at some of the drama unfolding behind the scenes as Chicago won six titles in eight years. Perhaps things were even worse than the documentary let on.

Scottie Pippen's recent media tour included a stop on The Dan Patrick Show to discuss Michael Jordan's pursuit of a career in Major League Baseball.

Speaking to Dan Patrick, Pippen said Jordan made "a selfish decision" to walk away from the NBA to try his hand at professional baseball.

"Yeah It was a big decision, but It was a selfish decision, but it was kind of who Michael Jordan was. That was a guy who believed he can do anything on his own"

-@ScottiePippen on Michael Jordan's decision to leave the #Bulls and pursue a baseball career pic.twitter.com/PoHFAIjqgc

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 28, 2021

After leading the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA titles, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball in October 1993. He cited the death of his father in July 1993 as one of the reasons why he wanted to step away from the court.

"It began as my father's idea," Jordan told Ira Berkow of the New York Times in April 1994. "We had seen Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders try two sports and my father had said that he felt I could have made it in baseball, too. He said, 'You've got the skills.'"

Jordan's decision to walk away from the Bulls at the age of 30 left Pippen as the best player on their roster for the 1993-94 season. He played at an MVP level that season, averaging 22.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game to help Chicago finish 55-27.

The Bulls' quest for a fourth straight title ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a loss to the New York Knicks in seven games.

Jordan returned to the Bulls late in the 1994-95 season. He led the franchise to three more titles from 1996 to 1998 before his second retirement.

Jordan and Pippen spent 10 seasons together as teammates between 1987 and 1998. They won six titles and six division titles during that span.

The Dallas Mavericks are looking for a new general manager after parting ways with Donnie Nelson, and a former player is among the candidates, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Stein reported that Michael Finley, who earned two All-Star selections during his nine seasons in Dallas (1996-2005), has "immediately emerged" as a potential replacement. Finley is currently the team's vice president of basketball operations. 

The team on Wednesday announced Nelson's departure after 24 seasons with the franchise.

Dallas hired the firm Sportsology to help lead the search for Nelson's replacement, which will include external candidates in addition to Finley, Stein added.

The news that the Mavericks are willing to elevate someone in their front office comes amid what ESPN's Tim MacMahon referred to as "internal friction" related to director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris, a former professional gambler who was hired by the Mavericks in 2018. 

Voulgaris worked directly with governor Mark Cuban and head coach Rick Carlisle, much to the chagrin of Nelson, according to MacMahon. 

Nelson reportedly wasn't the only one within the organization who was frustrated by Voulgaris. Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that star Luka Doncic didn't get along with Voulgaris, referencing an incident in February where the 22-year-old "snapped" at him. Doncic also told teammates that the executive was "quitting on them" after he left an eventual loss to the New York Knicks early in April, per the report.

Cuban called the report "laughable" and "insulting" in speaking to Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, after he took to Twitter to respond publicly: 

https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/1404487874695806982

Doncic reportedly isn't happy with the latest change in the front office, either. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated said in an appearance on The Jump on Wednesday that Doncic was "really upset" about the loss of Nelson, who engineered the draft-day deal to land him back in 2018. 

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News said that was more an assumption rather than a conclusion: 

Doncic is in fact expected to speak about Nelson's departure tomorrow during an availability with reporters in Slovenia as he and Team Slovenia prepare for an Olympic qualifying tournament. But to say Doncic is upset with the Mavericks right now is not accurate.

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) June 16, 2021

The Slovenian star is eligible to sign a supermax extension after he was named to the All-NBA First Team, but Spears said "there's no talks right now" about the deal, which means that the Mavericks' troubles could stretch out of the front office and on to the court. 

One Milwaukee Bucks legend does not think the current iteration of the team can win a championship after Tuesday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

"I don't think this year's Bucks team is capable of winning the title," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said on ESPN's The Jump. "They got to do a better job and play differently and not let KD dominate like that."

It's hard to argue with Abdul-Jabbar's assertion following Brooklyn's 114-108 victory to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

The Bucks had no answers for Kevin Durant, who exploded for 49 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks while putting his team on his back. Milwaukee blew a commanding 17-point lead and failed to steal one on the road even though Kyrie Irving was sidelined by an ankle injury.

James Harden was also a shell of himself in his first game of the series as he returned from a hamstring injury and shot 1-of-10 from the field and 0-of-8 from three-point range. He figures to improve as the series continues.

On the other end, Giannis Antetokounmpo settled for too many ill-advised shots down the stretch, including a fadeaway over Harden that stood out. He also didn't catch a critical pass with his team down two in the final seconds and couldn't counter Durant's excellence.

Abdul-Jabbar knows what it takes to win a championship in Milwaukee considering he helped lead the team to the title during the 1971 playoffs.

The Hall of Famer won his other five championships on the Los Angeles Lakers, but he played for the Bucks from the 1969-70 season through the 1974-75 one and was an All-Star all six years as one of the best players in the league who led the league in scoring twice during that time.

The championship Milwaukee won with Abdul-Jabbar is also the only one in franchise history.

Isaiah Austin's comeback continued Monday night after the former Baylor star was the first player off the board in the BIG3 SuperDraft.

Metta World Peace, Earl Clark and Alonzo Gee were among the other players who will be suiting up for new teams during the BIG3's 2021 season after being selected Monday night.

---

Draft Results

Round 1

1. Enemies: Isaiah Austin

2. Tri-State: Earl Clark

3. Power: Dusan Bulut

4. Ball Hogs: Will McDonald

5. Ghost Ballers: Craig Smith

6. Aliens: Renaldo Balkman

7. 3 Headed Monsters: Kevin Murphy

8. Bivouac: Alonzo Gee

9. Trilogy: Metta World Peace

10. 3's Company: Jeremy Pargo

---

Round 2

11. Power: Joe Alexander

12. Tri-State: Tony Wroten

13. Bivouac: Julian Wright

14. 3's Company: Ryan Hollins

15. Trilogy: Isaiah Briscoe

16. Enemies: Jordan Hill

17. Aliens: Andre Owens

18. 3-Headed Monsters: Mamadou N'Diaye

19. Ball Hogs: Jodie Meeks

20. Ghost Ballers: Cheyne Gadson

---

Team Rosters

3 Headed Monsters

• Rashard Lewis (captain)

• Reggie Evans

• Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

---

3's Company

• DerMarr Johnson (captain)

• Drew Gooden

• Mario Chalmers

---

Aliens

• Greg Oden (captain)

• Shannon Brown

• Brandon Rush

---

Ball Hogs

• Brian Scalabrine (captain)

• Leandro Barbosa

• Spencer Hawes

---

Bivouac

• Josh Smith

• Will Bynum

• Marreese Speights

---

Enemies

• Perry Jones III

• Nick Young

• Elijah Stewart

---

Ghost Ballers

• Mike Taylor

• Ricky Davis

• Chris Johnson

---

Killer 3's

• Franklin Session (captain)

• Josh Powell

• Donte Greene

• C.J. Watson

• Eddy Curry

---

Power

• Royce White

• Cuttino Mobley

• Glen Davis

---

Tri-State

• Nate Robinson (captain)

• Jason Richardson

• Larry Sanders

---

Trilogy

• Jarrett Jack (captain)

• Amir Johnson

• James White

---

Triplets

• Joe Johnson (captain)

• Al Jefferson

• Jannero Pargo

• Sergerio Gipson

• Jamario Moon

• Alan Anderson

Austin averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in two seasons at Baylor despite being blind in his right eye. The 7-footer was poised to make the jump to the NBA until he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome during the predraft evaluation process.

Unable to play in the NBA, Austin headed overseas and has suited up for a number of teams around the world.

Now, the 27-year-old is the newest member of the  Enemies.

Dusan Bulut isn't a name known to many American basketball fans, but he could prove to be the most impactful addition from Monday night.

The 35-year-old Serbian is one of the best three-on-three players in the world. He's a four-time FIBA 3x3 World Tour winner and a two-time MVP in the competition.

Bulut is well-versed in this format, and he should fit seamlessly onto Power's roster.

World Peace was the most decorated player to come off the board. The 41-year-old was an All-Star, the Defensive Player of the Year and an All-NBA Third Team player in 2003-04. He also earned four All-Defensive nods in his career and helped the Los Angeles Lakers win an NBA championship in 2010.

World Peace's defensive profile makes him a great fit alongside Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson and James White.

Looking to the campaign ahead, the rest of the league will look to chase down the Triplets, who beat the Killer 3's in the 2019 championship. Under league rules, those teams were excluded from Monday's SuperDraft because they had the luxury of carrying over their entire roster from the previous season.

As much as other teams did to improve, the continuity the Triplets and Killer 3's will enjoy could benefit them just as much.

Kevin Garnett wants to educate sports bettors.

According to Michael LoRe of Forbes, the Basketball Hall of Famer joined Players' Tribune co-founder Jaymee Messler to create Gaming Society, a gamification and content company.

The company will amplify athletes' voices as experts and aim to close the knowledge gap for those looking to get into responsible sports gambling.

"The difficulty of it and how high the entry point is—it just has to be simplified," Garnett said. "One of the reasons we want to bring Gaming Society to fruition is to create smarter bettors. We hope to provide the information and tools to understand and make you a better bettor. We'll teach fundamental education and provide education enhancement."

This comes as sports gambling, which is legal in 21 states and Washington, D.C., becomes more popular across the country.

Garnett played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets from the 1995-96 season through the 2015-16 one. The Hall of Famer won a championship during a career that featured nine All-NBA selections, 12 All-Defensive selections, a league MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year and 15 All-NBA selections.

While fans can no longer bet on his dominance on the court, he is doing what he can to help them as they venture into something that is only gaining in popularity.

Former Orlando Magic and Michigan State basketball player Keith Appling was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of felony firearm and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

According to Cara Ball of WXYZ Detroit, the charges stem from the May 22 shooting death of 66-year-old Clyde Edmonds, who was related to Appling through marriage.

Appling's girlfriend, Natalie Banister, was charged with one count of accessory after the fact and one count of lying to a peace officer for allegedly driving the getaway car.

In 2017, the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reported Appling was sentenced to one year in jail for resisting police and carrying a concealed weapon. In 2020, Darcie Moran of the Detroit Free Press reported he was arrested and charged with delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and driving without a license.

The 2020 charge came after police said they found heroin in his car during a traffic stop that happened because he was driving erratically.

Appling played five games for the Magic during the 2015-16 season.

He is best known for his collegiate career, having played four seasons for the Spartans from 2010-11 through 2013-14.