NBA Pacific

Golden State Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry doesn't have retirement on his mind.

When asked about his NBA future at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards, Curry suggested he plans to play for a long time to come:

Steph Curry was asked at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards how long he thinks he can play, his response: “I don’t see myself slowing down any time soon.” At 34-years-old, Curry is averaging 30ppg while shooting 50/43/91 #dubnation pic.twitter.com/TjclHXNNzR

— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) December 9, 2022

Curry noted that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady gave him the advice of taking things one year at a time, before adding: "I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon."

The 34-year-old Curry already boasts a Hall of Fame resume with eight All-Star selections, four NBA championships, two NBA MVP Awards, two scoring titles and one NBA Finals MVP Award.

Last season, Curry helped the Dubs bounce back from two consecutive years out of the playoffs by winning a fourth championship in eight years. Curry was also named NBA Finals MVP for the first time, plus he won the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award.

For his efforts, Curry was named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year for 2022, making him the second individual NBA player (LeBron James, 2012, 2016, 2020) to win the award since Dwyane Wade in 2006.

All told, Curry has spent 14 years as an NBA player, appearing in 849 regular-season games.

In addition to averaging an impressive 24.4 points per game for his career, Curry is the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made with 3,234.

Curry is also the top free-throw shooter in NBA history at .908, plus he is 43rd on the all-time scoring list and 50th in NBA history in total assists.

The sharpshooter has not shown any signs of falling off this season, as he is averaging 30.0 points per game in 23 contests. That scoring average would be the third-highest of his career if it holds up.

Golden State has disappointed as a team with a 13-13 record, but it boasts a ton of talent and veteran experience, which suggests it will be in the championship mix by the end of the year.

Only 26 players in NBA history have won more championships than Curry, and it is safe to assume that moving up that list is a huge motivating factor for him to continue playing for years to come.

A woman accused Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb of raping her in 2019 when the pair were students at the University of Vermont in a civil lawsuit filed against the school Tuesday, per Alex Simon and Madeline Kenney of the Mercury News.

Lamb is not facing criminal charges and is not a defendant in the civil case. He called the accusations "patently false" in a statement.

"I have always been fully cooperative regarding the alleged incident, and have welcomed any investigation into the matter," Lamb said. "Simply put, I have never committed sexual assault."

The Warriors also released a statement Thursday:

"Anthony is not a defendant in this recent lawsuit and, to our knowledge, he has never been charged with any wrongdoing in any legal case. Prior to signing Anthony in September, we did our due diligence with the NBA and his prior teams, as we do with all players. If any new information comes to light, we will certainly evaluate it and act accordingly."

Kendall Ware said that during a men's basketball team party in September 2019, Lamb assaulted her, ignoring her when she repeatedly said "no" and telling her to "just take it."

The two had ended a sixth-month relationship the previous summer.

"Ware was terrified of reporting Lamb," the lawsuit stated. "In such a small state, to many, Lamb was a bonafide celebrity both on and off campus. Ware was afraid of the repercussions of reporting him to the school authorities, let alone to the police."

Ware, a swimmer for the school, said she reported Lamb to the Vermont Title IX office but that the athletic department was then inappropriately contacted by Vermont officials. She accused athletic department officials of guiding her away from a formal review of the incident and toward settling for "informal restitution" to allow Lamb to "escape any meaningful consequences for his actions."

In addition to suing the school for its handling of the situation, the lawsuit also named Vermont's board of trustees and officials in the Title IX office and athletic department as defendants.

So what is Stephen Curry's all-time starting five?

The Golden State Warriors star point guard was asked to pick the four players from NBA history who would join him in the ideal starting lineup during an interview with Sports Illustrated, and he went with Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Shaquille O'Neal.

Who's missing from Stephen Curry's all-time starting five? 👀@StephenCurry30 @SC30inc pic.twitter.com/Fq5NkC0Jek

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 8, 2022

"I'm at PG. I'm going with Magic—we'll play hybrid guards," he said. "You got Jordan. You got Dirk spacing the floor, shooting the ball. And you got the big man, the Diesel, holding it down. So, that's a solid lineup I think."

While that's a lot of talent to share one basketball, a lot of the skill sets do mesh nicely.

Curry and Johnson would keep the ball moving. Curry and Nowitzki would space the floor. Shaq would dominate the paint and give both Curry and Jordan a solid pick-and-roll partner. Jordan, being Jordan, would give the team that isolation scorer for when the play broke down or the team needed a huge bucket in crunch time. Johnson, Curry and Jordan could push the pace in transition.

It would be fun to watch. And basically impossible to play against.

It was less than a year ago that the New York Knicks acquired forward Cam Reddish in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, but the team has reportedly been fielding offers to ship him away for quite some time.

"[S]everal teams have expressed interest in trading for Reddish since the Knicks acquired him in January 2022," SNY's Ian Begley wrote. "The Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams who reached out to New York in that span."

Reddish was removed from the Knicks rotation this week and hasn't played since last Saturday's 21-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks. New York has won back-to-back games since then and has a 12-13 record.

On Wednesday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported that the Knicks were working with Reddish and his representatives to secure a deal for him. However, the 23-year-old later said that he wasn't trying to force his way off the team.

"I haven't requested any trades," he said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "I have not. Y'all seem to know more than me, for real. I don't know what y'all talking about, but I haven't requested no trade, nothing like that."

Reddish has failed to make an impact since he entered the league as the No. 10 overall pick in 2019. The Duke product has a career average of 10.2 points on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. Still, he is young and he has the potential to develop into a contributor in the right situation.

The Bucks are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but they could use some extra firepower to compete against the defending conference-champion Boston Celtics. The Heat have been bitten by the injury bug early in the season and lack depth.

Begley noted that the Lakers and Knicks had engaged in discussions recently about a potential trade that would've required a third team to complete. Los Angeles has an open roster spot after waiving Matt Ryan and desperately needs to add shooting.

For now, Reddish will continue to ride the bench when the Knicks return to action on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets (7-18).

The Los Angeles Lakers were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis for Wednesday night's road matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

It went about as expected.

The shorthanded Lakers were blown out, 126-113, dropping them to 10-14 on the season.

Russell Westbrook struggled to carry the load without the superstar duo in action, coming off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field along with nine rebounds, three assists and five turnovers.

Dennis Schröder led the Lakers with 18 points. Fred VanVleet (25 points), Pascal Siakam (25 points) and O.G. Anunoby (23 points) paced the Raptors.

It was hardly a banner performance from Westbrook or his teammates, and NBA Twitter let them know about it.

Lakers fans tonight with no LeBron or AD… https://t.co/N2K3KrCfk5

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 8, 2022

To anyone watching the Laker game: pic.twitter.com/j9G7D1ss7N

— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) December 8, 2022

Not starting Russ tonight for what reason?

Ham ran out the company picnic all-stars

Unserious tanking

— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) December 8, 2022

weekly reminder that russell westbrook is being paid 47 million dollars this season

— ezy (@duncanonaho) December 8, 2022

Hope people see the real Westbrook. Seems like too many fans forgot about last season. Today is a nice reminder #Westbrook should not be extended. #Lakers

— Million🔜SeeSaw (@SeeSawRrr) December 8, 2022

https://twitter.com/DaTruthHurtss/status/1600677548437839873

The Lakers have largely stabilized after a 2-10 start, going 8-4 since, and Westbrook coming off the bench and playing well has been a catalyst for the change in form. Even with James and AD out, the Lakers didn't mess with that chemistry.

Darvin Ham indicates that Russell Westbrook will likely come off the bench tonight despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis being out because he likes Westbrook’s rhythm with the second unit.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 7, 2022

It's hard to go against a playoff-caliber team like the Raptors (13-12) on the road without your two best players, however. The Lakers getting smoked didn't exactly come as a huge surprise—the Raptors opened the contest on an 11-0 run, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

James, AD and veteran guard Patrick Beverley are all considered day-to-day going forward, so it's possible the Lakers won't be this undermanned when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Sixers on Friday night.

But one of the storylines surrounding this Lakers team is that the supporting cast isn't good enough. That was readily apparent on Wednesday.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul will return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

Paul, 37, is in his 19th NBA season, in which he has averaged 9.5 points, 9.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals for the Suns.

He's in his third season with the Suns, which have shined with the 12-time All-Star leading the way.

Their first year under Paul's leadership resulted in the team's first Western Conference title in 28 years. Their second season ended with an NBA-best 64-18 regular-season record, although the playoff run ended with an upset defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

The third year has gone well, with the team starting 16-8 to lead the Western Conference.

Paul's shot hasn't been falling this year, though, with the Wake Forest product making just 36.8 percent of his shots and 27.3 percent of his three-pointers.

A sore right heel forced Paul out after he played 14 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 7.

Cameron Payne started in the second half of the 76ers game, and Damion Lee also got extra minutes off the bench as well.

With Paul out, Payne was the clear starting point guard, with Lee getting some more work and guard Landry Shamet likely receiving more playing time as well.

Paul's return will be a much-needed boost to the offense, but it would be a surprise to see him get a full workload.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James discussed his appreciation for the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland following a 116-102 loss to the Cavs on Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

"It's always love coming back here," James told reporters. "The memories that I have here will never be forgotten."

The Cavaliers are essentially the hometown team of James, who is an Akron, Ohio, native. They made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft out of high school, and he met and exceeded all of the massive expectations placed on him.

LeBron's first run in Cleveland lasted for seven seasons from 2003 to 2010 before he memorably signed with the Miami Heat in free agency. James went to four straight NBA Finals with the Heat and won the first two championships of his career.

After reaching the NBA Finals once and winning no titles during his first run in Cleveland, James had some unfinished business, so he returned to the Cavs in 2014.

James' second stint in Cleveland yielded the greatest time period in Cavaliers history, as they went to four consecutive NBA Finals and won their first and only championship in 2016.

LeBron left Cleveland again in 2018 when he signed with the Lakers, and while he has experienced some of the greatest struggles of his career in L.A., he also led the Lakers to a championship in 2020, marking the fourth title of his illustrious career.

James is one of the greatest players of all time with 18 All-Star selections, four NBA MVP awards and four NBA Finals MVP awards, and his time with the Cavaliers will perhaps be the defining period of his career.

LeBron is still playing at a high level at the age of 37, but the Lakers have scuffled overall this season with a record of 10-13 after missing the playoffs in 2021-22.

As for the Cavs, they are a team on the rise with a 16-9 record, thanks largely to the offseason acquisition of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.

Sports Illustrated has named Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry as its 2022 Sportsperson of the Year.

Another dominant season, another ring, and another Sportsperson of the Year award for @StephenCurry30: https://t.co/6kVLcy7Znx pic.twitter.com/9mgq9HPtke

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 6, 2022

Curry capped the 2021-22 season with his fourth NBA title after averaging 25.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.

He saved his best work for the NBA Finals, where he posted 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists en route to a six-game win over the Boston Celtics.

The NBA Finals MVP notably amassed 43 points and 10 rebounds in Game 4 before closing out the C's with a 34-point outing in Game 6.

It was a tremendous comeback for Curry and the Warriors, who were just two seasons removed from finishing a league-worst 15-50 in 2019-20. Curry missed all but five games that year due to a broken left hand.

He returned to form in 2020-21, dropping an NBA- and career-high 32.0 points per game and earning All-NBA First Team honors. However, the Warriors did not make the playoffs after falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.

The Warriors found their groove again in 2021-22, however, winning 53 games and largely cruising through the Western Conference playoffs before taking out the Celtics.

Curry's resume now includes eight All-Star Game appearances, two scoring titles, two NBA MVP awards, eight All-NBA team honors and a pair of FIBA World Cup gold medals, among other accolades. He was also named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

Off the court, Curry earned his degree from Davidson, where he starred for three years before jumping to the NBA in 2009.

He and his wife, Ayesha Curry, have also continued their charitable efforts in a variety of fields, per Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated.

"Since 2019, the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation he and Ayesha founded has served more than 25 million meals to food-insecure children, spent $2.5 million on literacy-focused grants and distributed 500,000 books, according to Curry’s representatives. He has also provided seed funding for men’s and women’s golf teams at Howard University, a historically Black school, and started the Underrated Golf Tour, a junior circuit designed to make the game more inclusive. He is co-chair of Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative."

Curry has continued his dominance this season with 30.0 points, 7.0 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Warriors.

It's important to have dreams.

When they were examining all of their options and devising ways to strengthen their squad in a major way, the Los Angeles Lakers apparently threw out a surprising name: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on The Ringer's Real Ones podcast (via Silver Screen & Roll) the Lakers thought SGA might be attainable if the Oklahoma City Thunder "completely tank." He dismissed the idea as a "dream" for Los Angeles.

"Don’t get too excited. It’s not happening," Amick said. "I wrote something about it a couple of weeks ago and, boy, did I hear about it from the Thunder."

In November, Amick spoke to an NBA front-office executive who said, "You keep hearing that Shai is frustrated with the losing." Because of that, the 24-year-old may not be untouchable in the event the Thunder reset the clock on their rebuild.

Gilgeous-Alexander is only in the first year of the five-year, $179.3 million extension he signed with Oklahoma City, and the team is just 1.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Sure, the Thunder could command a king's ransom for the dynamic guard, who's averaging 31.3 points, 6.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, but it's hard to see why they would want to do that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNDokgcEmJM

The notion is even more of a long shot when you add the Lakers to the equation because they don't have the assets to make a straight-up swap. Two first-round picks, Russell Westbrook and whatever else won't get it done for a player with Gilgeous-Alexander's age, production and contract situation.

Bleacher Report's Dan Favale included SGA among the group he dismissed as candidates when rumors surfaced the Lakers were targeting an unnamed mystery star:

Consider this your bi-hourly reminder that Gilgeous-Alexander, who currently ranks as one of the seven top MVP candidates, is the Thunder's timeline and shouldn't be up for grabs. It also wouldn't matter if he was, because OKC could get so much more for him than what the Lakers can currently peddle.

Maybe Gilgeous-Alexander will return to L.A. and don purple and gold at some point down the road. But it won't be anytime soon.

A Los Angeles Lakers championship ring from the 1999-2000 season is on the auction block, but the previous owner might be a surprise.

According to TMZ Sports, the ring was issued to the late founder of Playboy magazine Hugh Hefner. Late Lakers owner Jerry Buss was a longtime friend of Hefner, who died in 2017 at the age of 91.

The 14-karat gold ring with brilliant-cut diamonds was designed to the same specifications as those issued to the players after the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in six games. The ring is available for bidding through SCP Auctions:

Hugh Hefner's 2000 Lakers championship 14K gold ring given to him by former team owner Jerry Buss is shining in our 2022 Fall Premier 🤩

Current Bid: $8,250

BID HERE: https://t.co/ZJzuetqIv8#LakeShow #NBA #whodoyoucollect pic.twitter.com/AM01Rz9ugZ

— SCP Auctions (@SCPAuctions) November 30, 2022

Hefner's last name is also engraved on one side of the ring, along with the inscriptions of the Lakers' regular season record (67-15) and playoff record (15-8) from the 1999-2000 season. The original Lakers presentation box will be included, and a letter of authenticity from the Hefner family will come with the ring as part of the auction.

The Lakers' win over the Pacers in 2000 kicked off the franchise's run of back-to-back-to-back championships. The famed Los Angeles squad, headlined by Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, remains the last team to three-peat in the NBA.