SPORTS

TUSKEGEE COACH BENJY TAYLOR SUES MOREHOUSE AFTER BEING HANDCUFFED AND ESCORTED OFF COURT

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Tuskegee men’s basketball coach Benjy Taylor filed a lawsuit against Morehouse College and two campus police officers on Friday, claiming he suffered emotional and physical harm when he was handcuffed and escorted off the court on Jan. 31.

CADE CUNNINGHAM SIDELINED FOR INDEFINITE PERIOD IN MAJOR BLOW TO PISTONS

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In a huge blow to the Detroit Pistons, star player Cade Cunningham is suffering from a collapsed lung and is expected to be out for an extended period.

LEBRON JAMES BREAKS NBA APPEARANCE RECORD AS LAKERS WIN THRILLER

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LeBron James has broken the NBA record for most regular-season games played, taking the court for his 1,612th in the Los Angeles Lakers last-gasp 105-104 victory against the Orlando Magic.

GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER TALLIES 40 POINTS AS THUNDER SECURE PLAY-OFF SPOT

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a 40-point scoring performance as the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to punch their ticket to the NBA play-offs with a 113-108 defeat of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander was backed with 20 points and 12 rebounds from Chet Holmgren, while Ajay Mitchell’s 16-point display helped the NBA champions slam the door on the Magic in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City’s ninth straight victory leaves them on 54-15 at the top of the Western Conference, ahead of the second-placed San Antonio Spurs.

Orlando fell to 38-30 to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference tables. Paolo Banchero led Orlando’s scoring with 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander saluted the Thunder’s resilience after a mixed first-half performance.

“We got off to a good start, but then the car kind of came off the road for a little bit,” Gilgeous- Alexander said.

“But that’s what great teams do – they figure out a way to get the car back on the road, they figure out a way to go into a building and win a game when the chips are stacked against you, and we did that tonight.” Gilgeous-Alexander’s virtuoso display extended his record-breaking streak of consecutive games scoring 20 points or more to 129.

San Antonio stayed in touch with Oklahoma City after rolling to a 132-104 blowout over the Sacramento Kings.

A balanced offensive performance saw seven San Antonio players finish in double figures, with Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson leading the scoring with 18 points apiece. In

Minneapolis, Julius Randle’s 32 points helped the Minnesota Timberwolves take down the Phoenix Suns 116-104.

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons cruised past the Washington Wizards 130-117 to tighten their grip at the top of the table.

The Pistons improved to 49-19 thanks to 36 points from Jalen Duren, but the victory was overshadowed by an injury to Cade Cunningham.

Cunningham, who is one of the contenders for the NBA’s MVP award, left the game in the first quarter with a back problem. The New York Knicks remain in third place in the East after a 136- 110 romp against the hapless Indiana Pacers, last year’s NBA Finals runners-up, who are languishing on 15-54 this season.

Josh Hart led the Knicks scoring with 33 points, including a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range, while OG Anunoby added 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns 22.

KEVIN DURANT’S FULL CIRCLE MOMENT: NBA EXPANSION NEARS AS SEATTLE & LAS VEGAS EYE FRANCHISES

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Nearly two decades ago, the Seattle Supersonics held the second draft pick, the highest in franchise history. When draft night came, the leadership selected Kevin Durant, a prodigy with a bright future, and he proved everybody right from the start, winning the Rookie of the Year and immediately turning into a superstar. But even Durant couldn’t save the Supersonics.

Almost twenty years later, Durant – known as the Slim Reaper – still dominates the league with his lethal skills. 37 years of age and playing for Houston, he is a guard-like forward and one of the best players in the NBA.

Now, after spending just one season with the Supersonics, Durant might have a chance to finish his career where it started – in Seattle. A few days ago, the exciting news shook the basketball world: The NBA is nearing an expansion and is expected to hold a vote at the Board of Governors meeting next week. The intention is to add not just one, but two new teams, expanding the league from 30 to 32 franchises, with Seattle and Las Vegas the leading candidates.

League sources suggest the vote is largely a formality – at least 23 of 30 governors must approve, and that threshold is expected to be met. When that happens, the NBA will proceed to take bids for the new franchises.

Bids are expected to be between $7 billion and $10 billion. Over the last few years, franchise valuations have surged; in 2022, the Phoenix Suns were sold for a then-record $4 billion, a number that looks comically low today. Last year, the Boston Celtics were sold for $6.1 billion, followed by the sale of the famous Los Angeles Lakers – Mark Walter paid $10 billion for the legendary franchise.

“We’re in the process of working with our existing teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Just passing the vote doesn’t guarantee the expansion, but it would give the league great momentum in terms of moving forward.

The NBA is targeting the 2028-2029 season to be the debut year for the new teams. Both markets are expected to be among the NBA’s top eight revenue generators.

Seattle, in particular, is a proven sports city – home to the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Kraken, and Seattle Storm. One thing is missing: an NBA team.

As soon as the expansion talks broke to the public, fans started pulling out their throwback Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton jerseys. There’s no guarantee that the new team will revive the Supersonics, but there’s not a single reason not to reignite the franchise that was once so loved by the state of Washington. The team won an NBA championship in 1979 and was a Western Conference powerhouse throughout the 1990s. They returned to the finals in 1996 but lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

In 2001, former Starbucks president and CEO Howard Schultz purchased the Supersonics. His tenure was marked by friction with fans and players, but most importantly, the major decline of the team.

Seattle started struggling, both on and off the court. To this day, Schultz is one of the best businessmen in the country, but his brilliant knowledge proved to be the Supersonics’ Achilles heel. He knew everything about business but nothing about sports, and he tried to run the franchise like it was Starbucks. Basketball is nothing like ground coffee, and he ran Seattle into the ground, literally.

Howard faced criticism for focusing solely on profitability rather than sporting success. Issues and tension kept piling up. He had to endure a public fallout with Gary Payton “We let a knucklehead get the team, and that’s what he was,” said the star point guard who played for the Supersonics from 1989 to 2003. “You know the knucklehead didn’t know what to do with it. He tried to run a basketball team like a coffee company. You can’t run it like a coffee company. There’s no comparison.”

The final blow came when Schultz failed to secure funding for a new arena or major renovations to KeyArena. The ongoing dispute proved decisive. In 2006, he sold the team, and the new

ownership group relocated the franchise to Oklahoma City, where it became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Later on, Schultz reflected on his purchase of the Supersonics and admitted it was a mistake. He labelled it his biggest business regret.

Seattle has been without a men’s basketball team since the move. In 2021, the Climate Pledge Arena was renovated and became home to the Kraken and Storm. This reopening rekindled talks of the Supersonics returning. Five years later, Seattle now stands closer than ever toseeing its original team come back.

This new beginning could also be the perfect ending for one of basketball’s most decorated players.

If the 2028-2029 season tips off with the Supersonics, Durant will have just turned 40 years old. The comeback of KD to conclude his career with the franchise that drafted him would be the dream-come-true for every original Seattle fan. A full circle moment, for both Durant and the city. While Seattle leans on history, Las Vegas represents a blank slate. The city could build a franchise from scratch – whether it becomes the Spades, High Rollers, or something entirely new. Sin City has already established itself as a major sports destination, home to the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Aces, and Las Vegas Raiders.

The NBA has tested the market before. In 2007, Las Vegas hosted the All-Star Game, highlighted by a dominant MVP performance from Kobe Bryant. While the event was memorable on the court, it was also marked by off-court issues. The influx of visitors resulted in over 400 arrests as rampant violent behaviour and crime took over.

Since then, however, the city has matured into a stable and thriving sports hub – one now ready for a permanent NBA presence.

Furthermore, the expansion would not only create two more fanbases but also open doors for more basketball talent.

The NCAA overflows with rising stars hungry to compete on the big stage, and the same rings true for the international sphere; last year’s draft featured athletes from Italy, France, Canada,

South Sudan, China, and Australia. Competing in the NBA remains the ultimate dream, and now with two new teams on the horizon, that dream is about to get a little more attainable.

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER SETS NEW RECORD WITH 127TH STRAIGHT 20-POINT GAME

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Nate Billings

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reached another milestone Thursday night, though the Oklahoma City Thunder star insisted the result on the scoreboard mattered far more than the record beside his name.The All-Star guard scored 35 points and added nine assists as Oklahoma City held off the Boston Celtics 104-102, extending his streak of games with at least 20 points to 127.

The run breaks a record that had stood for more than six decades.

For Gilgeous-Alexander, however, the number that stands out most is the Thunder’s success during the stretch.

Oklahoma City has gone 103-24 over the course of the streak, a run that has helped cement the team among the league’s elite.

“The streak is the streak, the awards are the awards,” he said after the win. “But the thing I’m most proud of is winning.”

The record-setting moment came midway through the third quarter.

After knocking down two free throws to reach 19 points, Gilgeous-Alexander brought the crowd to its feet.

A quick pump fake created space, and he buried a jumper from just beyond the foul line to push his total past 20 and secure the milestone.

He admitted afterward that he was not tracking his exact total during the game.

Instead, the roar from the arena tipped him off that history was close.

Earlier in the night, the achievement had seemed uncertain.

Gilgeous-Alexander did not score until midway through the opening quarter, but he quickly found rhythm, finishing the period with 10 points before carrying 17 into halftime.

His steady production has been a major factor behind Oklahoma City’s rise.

Last season’s MVP and scoring champion is again near the top of the league’s scoring race, while the Thunder continue to hold one of the NBA’s best records.

The previous mark belonged to Wilt Chamberlain, who recorded 126 consecutive 20-point games between 1961 and 1963.

His streak famously included the 1962 game in which he scored 100
points.

Gilgeous-Alexander matched that total earlier this week and surpassed it Thursday, adding another chapter to a remarkable scoring run that shows no sign of slowing anytime soon either.

THE MAGICAL SEASON OF MIAMI AS THEY PREPARE FOR MARCH MADNESS

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After a slow and nervous start, Miami went on a run to build a crucial nine-point lead just before half-time. They didn’t lose their rhythm and confidence during the break; if anything, it only grew stronger. Miami came back from the locker room swinging, determined to outlast the Mustangs.

BRILLIANT VICTOR WEMBANYAMA STARS AS RED- HOT SAN ANTONIO SPURS SINK BOSTON CELTICS

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Victor Wembanyama scored 39 points as the red-hot San Antonio Spurs defeated the Boston Celtics 125-116 on Tuesday in a potential NBA Finals preview.

French star Wembanyama spearheaded another dazzling all-round offensive performance fromSan Antonio, who have now won 16 of their last 17 games.

Wembanyama’s tally included eight three-pointers – matching his NBA career high – along with 11 rebounds and two blocks against a Boston side who have also been in prime form recently.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama’s ability to shoot from long range posed a dilemma for opposition defenses.

“He’s shown he can obviously get hot and make shots,” Johnson said. “It really puts defenses in a tough place in terms of how they want to play because if you take the gravity away from him it obviously can open up the rest of the floor.” De’Aaron Fox backed Wembanyama with 25 points while Stephon Castle finished with 18 and Devin Vassell 14.

Derrick White led Boston’s scorers with 34 points while Jayson Tatum added 24 and Ron Harper Jr. 22 off the bench.

San Antonio improved to 48-17 with the victory and are second in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15).

The Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a 43-22 record.