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☆ Victor Wembanyama Is Here. The NBA’s Scorers Should Be Afraid.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Robert O Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When Victor Wembanyama steps onto a basketball court, its geometry changes. Vincent Collet, Wembanyama’s coach with Metropolitans 92 during his final season in France, has witnessed the phenomenon. An opposing team can choreograph the perfect sequence of screens and passes, springing a shooter into open air with the rim in his sights. Then Wembanyama—7-foot-4, with the arms of an even taller man and the quick stride of a smaller one—enters the frame. “You think you are alone,” Collet said in a recent interview.

Persons: Victor Wembanyama, Vincent Collet, Wembanyama’s, ” Collet, “, ” Organizations: Metropolitans Locations: France

☆ NBA can shift the balance of power in media with its next rights deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Every media rights renewal for the NBA is an important event because it only happens about once a decade. But with the National Football League's media rights locked up until 2033, the NBA has a unique opportunity to play media kingmaker. CNBC first reported NBCUniversal's interest in again airing NBA games earlier this year. Carving up the piewatch nowThe NBA will have to balance demand against restricting supply to maximize the price for rights. Discovery's TNT, NBA TV, NBA League Pass or a regional sports network.

Persons: Jimmy Butler, Jamal Murray, Justin Edmonds, clamor, John Skipper, Ted Sarandos, Netflix hasn't, We've, Sarandos, that's, Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Jeff Kravitz, That's, Serbian Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, It's, Peacock, Michael Jordan, Discovery's Max, Aurelien Meunier, Kevin Durant Organizations: Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Ball Arena, Getty, Basketball, Comcast, Google, Apple, Netflix, YouTube, NBA, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, National Football, ESPN, Global, Slovenian Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, NBCUniversal, NBC, CNBC, U.S, Metropolitans, Nielsen, Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, ABC, TNT, NBA TV, Twitter Locations: Denver , Colorado, NBCUniversal, Hollywood , California, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Slovenian, Serbian, Levallois, Perret, U.S

☆ Mets Hope to ‘Keep This Thing Afloat’ in the Second Half
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Scott Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Los Angeles Dodgers arrive at Citi Field on Friday to start the second half of the baseball season. The visit is the first test in a crucial 15-game run for the Mets that will take the team to the Aug. 1 trading deadline — and determine its future. Can the Mets make up enough ground to get the green light from the team’s owner, Steven A. Cohen, to make a push for the playoffs? “It’s on us if we want to keep this thing afloat,” Max Scherzer, the veteran right-handed starting pitcher, said in San Diego before the Mets scattered for the All-Star break. “Don’t let the Metropolitans get hot,” outfielder Tommy Pham playfully warned before leaving the Mets’ 6-2 loss to the Padres on Sunday in the first inning with a sore right groin.

Persons: Steven A, Cohen, Max Scherzer, “ Don’t, Tommy Pham Organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers, Citi Field, Mets, Metropolitans, Padres Locations: San Diego

CNN —Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 Frenchman who some NBA commentators think could be a generational talent, was the No. 1 pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft on Thursday night. “It’s a tough league,” Wembanyama told draft broadcaster ESPN through tears after he was selected. G-League player Scoot Henderson, a 6-foot-2 guard, was the third pick, going to the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-7 brothers are the first siblings to be picked in the top five (or top 10, even) of the NBA Draft in the same year.

Persons: CNN — Victor Wembanyama, Frenchman, – David Robinson, Tim Duncan, ” Wembanyama, “, Adam Silver, Wembanyama, LeBron James, we’ll, Victor, ”, Gregg Popovich, “ He’s, James, Duncan, Bryant, He’s Victor, that’s, I’ve, Wembanyama’s, Bilal Coulibaly, Washington, Jarace Walker, Brandon Miller, Miller, “ I’m, Scoot Henderson, “ They’re, Amen Thompson, Ausar, Jalen, we’ve, Ausar Thompson, FaceTime, Marcus, Markieff Morris, Robin Lopez, Kris Murray, Keegan Organizations: CNN, San Antonio Spurs, NBA, of Fame, ESPN, Levallois Metropolitans, Mets, ” Spurs, Wembanyama, Indiana, University of Houston, Pacers, Hornets, SEC, Charlotte Hornets, University of Alabama, Southeastern Conference, Portland Trail Blazers, “, NBA.com Twins, Houston Rockets, Rockets, Detroit Pistons, University of Iowa, Sacramento Kings Locations: Kobe, San Antonio, Washington, Alabama, Atlanta

☆ All eyes on projected top pick Wembanyama ahead of NBA Draft
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 21 (Reuters) - When it comes to the 2023 NBA Draft, there is Victor Wembanyama and then there is everyone else. A so-called generational talent who can quickly change the trajectory of a franchise, Wembanyama is the most anticipated and hyped NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James, the league's all-time leading scorer, in 2003. I've never seen anything quite like him on a basketball floor," ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas said on a conference call. The Charlotte Hornets own the second pick in the NBA Draft while the Portland Trail Blazers are set to pick third overall. There will be 58 picks across two rounds in the 2023 NBA Draft instead of the usual 60 because Philadelphia and Chicago forfeited a second-round pick due to violating rules governing free agency discussions.

Persons: Victor Wembanyama, Wembanyama, LeBron James, I've, Jay Bilas, Antonio, Basketball Hall of Famers David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Duncan, San, James, Everybody's, LeBron, We've, Frank Pingue, Ken Ferris Organizations: San Antonio Spurs, NBA, ESPN, Basketball Hall of Famers, Spurs, Metropolitans, French League, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia, Chicago, Thomson Locations: San Antonio, Toronto

☆ Victor Wembanyama: Excitement builds for NBA draft as projected top pick lands in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( George Ramsay | Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Not since LeBron James was drafted 20 years ago has there been this much excitement about an NBA prospect – as shown by the crowds eagerly awaiting Frenchman Victor Wembanyama’s arrival in the United States. 1 overall pick in this week’s NBA draft, landed at Newark International Airport outside New York City on Monday, where he was greeted by fans seeking selfies and autographs. Victor Wembanyama arrives for the #NBADraft Presented by State Farm 🇫🇷✈️🇺🇸📅 Thursday, June 22, 8pm/et on ABC/ESPN pic.twitter.com/rBXDttMoDJ — NBA (@NBA) June 19, 2023“I don’t know how they knew what flight I was on, but it’s fun,” Wembanyama said about the crowds greeting him at the airport. “My mind is really focused on these finals for the last couple of weeks and it’s now going to go so quickly,” he recently told reporters about the prospect of the NBA draft. “There’s a lot going on and I have a lot to plan with my family and my agents, the draft is in a week so there’s a lot going through my mind, so I just feel lucky to be able to live through all this.”

Persons: LeBron James, –, Frenchman Victor Wembanyama’s, selfies, Victor Wembanyama, abou, ike, ros, ” Organizations: CNN, NBA, Newark International, Barclays Center, State Locations: United States, New York City, Brooklyn

☆ A bright spot in the economy is at risk as 30 million Americans face student loan payments for the first time since the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More than 43 million Americans together owe $1.6 trillion in student loans. That additional load could weigh on consumer spending, and eventually increase delinquencies on other payments like credit cards and personal loans, strategists said. "We view the resumption of student loan debt payments as an incremental headwind for borrowers and consumer finance companies," BofA said. This, in other words, means the odds of the hotly-anticipated recession are about to go up as consumers divert cash back to student loan payments. Do you have student loans?

☆ San Antonio Spurs Get the No. 1 Pick in the N.B.A. Draft Lottery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sopan Deb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He plays for Metropolitans 92, a professional French league team, where he is averaging 21.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. G League hosted his team for a two-game exhibition near Las Vegas in October, and the N.B.A. The draft order is decided by a lottery that grants teams with worse regular-season records better odds for the No. This system has led to teams being accused of tanking — not prioritizing winning to position themselves for high draft picks. The three teams with the best chance — 14 percent — to get the top pick this year were the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.

☆ Victor Wembanyama: How ‘Wembymania’ gripped France due to the most exciting draft prospect since LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

There have been few players whose journey to the pinnacle of basketball have been as highly followed; in figures released by the NBA, Wembanyama is No. And I keep having to explain to them that having a sold-out, 15,000-people crowd for a regular French professional basketball game is not normal at all,” she said. His father was a high jumper, his mother was a former basketball player who is now a coach and his two siblings – older sister Eve and younger brother Oscar – are basketball players. And the French basketball system where he has been nurtured has helped develop his unique talent, says Krasnoff. “And it certainly has driven US interest in French basketball, at least as far as Wembanyama is concerned.

☆ Everybody Wants Victor Wembanyama. He Wants to Rule the N.B.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boris Diaw was passing through Paris in late September and thought he would check out a basketball game. It was the first home game of the season for the Metropolitans 92, a French league team led by the star teenager Victor Wembanyama. At Marcel-Cerdan Sports Palace in Levallois, near Paris, N.B.A. Diaw grew up in Paris and played 14 years in the N.B.A., including more than four seasons in San Antonio with Tony Parker, considered by many to be the best N.B.A. “I hope he can actually get away from that and just focus on his career and playing and practicing and having fun, too.”

☆ The French Coach Preparing Victor Wembanyama for NBA Stardom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS—Victor Wembanyama has known for a year that he will be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. As the most highly rated prospect since LeBron James, the 7-foot-3 teenager from France is all but guaranteed a fast-track to the league. He also could have remained with his pro club in Lyon, where he had just won a French championship. Instead, he moved last summer to the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans, a pro club with a small gym on the outskirts of Paris.

☆ Over 2 million workers are missing from the US workforce. Here's how they're paying their bills.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There are over two million workers missing from the US labor force, per Bank of America Institute. They can thank gig work, living with others who are earning money, and excess savings or stimulus money during the pandemic. "There's no single driver that's really causing people not returning back to the labor force," Zhou told Insider. Below are different ways these "missing workers" from the labor force may still be affording expenses and paying bills. The "financial buffer" that some of these missing workers may be relying on could be a "temporary reason" they left.

☆ Has the Phoenix Valley real estate market hit its pandemic ceiling? 7 industry experts debate if Phoenix's lofty home valuations are justified — or if there's a housing correction on the horizon for t
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-07 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Besides an overwhelming investor appetite, the surge in the Sunbelt's real estate prices can also be attributed to an influx of enthusiastic remote workers with deep pockets. "The Phoenix market was largely a COVID-19 pandemic market until about last summer," independent real estate market analyst John Wake told Insider, explaining that it was mainly owner-occupants driving the market. "In 2007, before the great recession, over 50% of our workforce was in real estate, construction, retail, and hospitality. Besides its investments into the biosciences and healthcare industry, Phoenix also has a stake in another global sector — semiconductor chip manufacturing. Eventually, Rounds forecasts a price correction of at least 25% for the Phoenix housing market.

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