The NBA truly is where amazing happens. It seems like you can never get bored if you’re a fan of this league, as there’s always something going on, either behind closed doors or in the public eye.
Yesterday, June 16, 2021, was one of the wildest days we could remember in recent NBA history. News broke one after the other, and it was kind of hard to keep up with all the things that happened.
That’s why we gathered the biggest breaking news from yesterday’s wild slate, so you can catch up with every major thing that happened around the Association while you were at work, at school, or taking a nap:
- Scott Brooks parting ways with the Wizards.
- Stan Van Gundy fired by the Pelicans.
- Mavericks fire GM and President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson.
- Mavericks won’t renew the contract of Director of Quantitative Research and Development Haralabos Voulgaris.
- Kawhi Leonard suffers a potential season-ending ACL injury.
- Chris Paul tests positive for COVID-19 while vaccinated.
- LaMelo Ball wins Rookie of the Year.
- Nikola Jokic announces he won’t be part of the Serbian national team for the Olympics, is spotted riding his horses in Serbia.
- Mike Conley missing game 5 due to a hamstring injury.
- Kyrie Irving still out for game 6 due to an ankle injury.
- Sixers’ cat Izzy, who made #RaiseTheCat famous among fans, is dying and will watch her final game tonight.
- Kevin Calabro is returning as the TV broadcaster for the Trail Blazers, replacing Jordan Kent.
- Luka Doncic is unhappy about the Donnie Nelson firing, will hold a press conference in Slovenia where he’s with the national team for Olympics training.
- The Hawks medical staff has cleared Cam Reddish, who has been dealing with a right Achilles issue since late February.
- Jimmy Butler doesn’t plan on playing in the Olympics.
- OKC’s Aleksej Pokuševski won’t play for Serbia in the Olympics.
- The Hawks have a 26 point comeback to win Game 5 against the 76ers, 109-106, and lead 3-2 in the series. Game 6 is Friday night in Atlanta in a must-win for the Sixers.
- The Clippers beat the Jazz in Game 5 119-111 with a strong 37 point performance from Paul George to take a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is in Los Angeles Friday night, a must-win for the Jazz.
Yeah, you never get bored with this league. Even when there aren’t any games on, there’s always something going on. Drama, conflicting reports, firings, hirings, you name it, we get it.
Hopefully, we’ll get plenty of more days like that in the offseason, as there are multiple teams reportedly looking to make some major changes both in their rosters and their front office.
As for the players’ health, that’s just a part of the game – the worst part of it. Hopefully, Kawhi Leonard’s injury won’t be as bad as the Clippers fear and he’ll be ready for the start of next season, even though it seems unlikely.
Chris Paul could still suit up for the Western Conference Finals but he’s expected to miss at least the first two contests, especially if the series between Clippers and Jazz doesn’t go to 7 games.
Paul is perhaps the unluckiest player in NBA history when it comes to the playoffs. He just can’t seem to catch a break. We hope he gets a speedy recovery, as the Suns need him and he just doesn’t deserve to miss this crucial series after being a legit MVP candidate throughout the season.
