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☆ NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he doesn't believe Kyrie Irving is antisemitic, per NYT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes that suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic following a meeting between the two earlier in the week, the commissioner told the New York Times. Silver, who is Jewish, told the Times that the two had “a direct and candid conversation” at the league’s headquarters in New York. While the NBA did not hand down its own suspension to Irving, Silver said the punishment “got to the right outcome,” acknowledging the criticism the league faced for not suspending Irving sooner. Silver told the audience that Amazon bore some of the responsibility for having the film on its platform. Silver said the Nets along with the league will consult to decide when Irving can return from suspension.

Twitter’s chief information security officer and chief compliance officer resigned late Wednesday night as the company started implementing changes that would allow users to more easily impersonate major brands and government officials. The departures came just hours before the company’s new CEO, Elon Musk, sent his first email to Twitter employees, titled “difficult times ahead,” and implementing a mandatory return-to-work policy. Lea Kissner, the chief information security officer, confirmed they had left in a Twitter post Thursday morning. Chief Compliance Officer Marianne Fogarty has also left the company, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked to remain nameless because they were not authorized to speak publicly. A spokesperson for the Federal Trade Commission said in an emailed statement that it is keeping watch on the situation.

☆ LeBron James’s Lakers Are Sinking—and Need a Desperate Move
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

On Wednesday, the superstar basketball player “LeBron James” logged on to Twitter and politely demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. “Thank you #LakerNation for all the support through the years,” “James” wrote.

☆ NBA roundup: Bucks, minus Giannis, top Thunder in 2 OTs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Tre Mann added 21 points off the bench. Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, reserve Sam Hauser had 24 on six 3-pointers and Al Horford added 13 for Boston. Anunoby added 27 points, 10 rebounds and three steals for the Raptors, who played without forward Pascal Siakam (groin). Bennedict Mathruin scored 30 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who had won four of their previous five games. All five Hornets starters reached double figures in points, led by Terry Rozier with 18 in the team's sixth consecutive loss.

☆ LeBron James exits early with injury as LA Lakers lose to LA Clippers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

In addition to a poor run of results so far this season, the team lost LeBron James through injury during their latest defeat by the LA Clippers on Wednesday. “I didn’t do anything extraneous on the play,” James told reporters after the game. With the team currently stuck on 2-9 for the season, Lakers fans will be praying their starman and leader will be fit to play as soon as possible. Lakers coach Darvin Ham, however, urged James to “do what you need to do, just take care of your body.”“I mean it’s just a lot of adversity,” Ham told reporters after the game, speaking of James’ injury. I thought he had it going really, really well tonight.

☆ Trolls are already abusing Elon Musk's new Twitter verification system, impersonating everyone from George Bush to O.J. Simpson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter's new verification system is already being abused by trolls impersonating public figures. Neither Bush nor Blair have personal Twitter accounts, but are verified through their foundations. Other examples of fake but verified accounts causing trouble soon after the new verification system came in included a user pretending to be O.J. "I'm ngl I did that shit," the verified account "ThaReal0J32" tweeted, attracting over 55,000 likes before it was deleted. The fake Bush account also responded to tweets about fake verified accounts saying: "Jed [Bush's younger brother] is smarter than Elon."

☆ The sudden decline of one of the largest crypto exchanges could rattle the sports industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN Business —The near collapse this week of FTX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has sent shockwaves throughout the crypto startup and investment community. Like other crypto companies, FTX has invested heavily in sports sponsorships, including partnerships and naming rights in professional basketball, baseball and Formula One racing. In 2021, FTX inked a reported $135 million, 19-year deal with the NBA’s Miami Heat to rename the American Airlines Arena as FTX Arena. Sports partnership experts say the stadium naming rights are the biggest headache. In a hiring announcement earlier this year, Binance CEO Zhao “CZ” Changpeng said: “It was not easy saying no to Super Bowl ads, stadium naming rights, large sponsor deals a few months ago, but we did.”

Some Twitter users are already abusing the platform’s new for-purchase verification badges by impersonating high-profile athletes, including NBA star Lebron James. A bogus tweet from the verified account impersonating James came from the handle “@KINGJamez.” It erroneously claimed that the Lakers player had requested a trade. The tweet from the verified account pretending to be McDavid falsely claimed the player was signing with the New York Islanders. In recent days, several previously verified users who impersonated Musk were banned from the platform. Prior to Musk’s Twitter acquisition, the platform had rules against impersonation and rules about how parody accounts could be used on the site.

☆ Turbulent Nets name Vaughn new head coach
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The Brooklyn Nets named longtime assistant Jacque Vaughn their new head coach on Wednesday, amid a turbulent moment in the franchise's history. read moreDays prior, the Nets abruptly parted ways with head coach Steve Nash after an abysmal start to the season, installing Vaughn as interim coach. read moreIf Irving serves a five-game suspension, he would next be available to play Nov. 13 on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers. Vaughn, who won the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship title as a player with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007, joined the Nets as an assistant coach in 2016. He previously served as head coach of the Orlando Magic.

☆ NBA roundup: Dejounte Murray, Hawks hand Bucks first loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Murray added eight rebounds and three steals for the Hawks, who lost 123-115 at Milwaukee on Oct. 29. Jerami Grant finished with 23 points and Lillard had 19 points and six assists. Cade Cunningham supplied 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Pistons. Jaden Ivey had 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Isaiah Stewart added 11 points with 12 rebounds. Mike Muscala and Kenrich Williams scored 11 points apiece.

☆ A former NBA champion is changing ‘how the world builds’ to fight the climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The technology is being put to the test in the Bahamas, where Fox’s company, Partanna Bahamas, is partnering with the government to build 1,000 hurricane-resistant homes, including single-family houses and apartments. Partanna home prototype, built adjacent to Partanna's building material factory in Bacardi, Bahamas. He is due to formally announce the partnership between the Bahamian government and Partanna Bahamas on Wednesday at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt. As a country on the frontline of the climate crisis, the Bahamas understands that it’s “out of time,” Fox told CNN Business. “Technology can turn the tide, and at Partanna we have developed a solution that can change how the world builds,” Fox said.

☆ Cleveland Cavaliers win eighth straight, down LeBron James and struggling Los Angeles Lakers, 114-100
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Just a week after Halloween, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers continued their scary start to the season, losing 114-100 to a hot Cleveland Cavaliers team and falling to 2-7 on the year. The Lakers have only won a single third quarter this season, and that poor post-intermission trend came back to haunt them once again. The Cavs blew away the Lakers, starting the half with a 13-4 run and outscoring Los Angeles 29-16 in the quarter. “We were playing catch-up.”James shooting against his former team in what was to be the Lakers' seventh loss of the season. “They did a great job in the offseason of picking up a big-time player,” James said after the game about Mitchell and his former team.

☆ NBA roundup: Cavs down Lakers for 8th straight win
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Nov 6, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Troy Brown Jr. (7) guards Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) as he drives to the basket in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsNovember 7 - Behind 33 points from Donovan Mitchell and a dominant fourth quarter, the Cleveland Cavaliers scored their eighth consecutive win with a 114-100 defeat of the host Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Los Angeles held an 80-77 lead with less than four minutes to go in the third quarter. Mitchell's backcourt mate, Darius Garland, added 24 points, while Jarrett Allen scored 16 with a team-high 11 rebounds for a double-double. Anunoby added 22 points and Scottie Barnes had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who visit Chicago for a rematch on Monday.

☆ Lebron James says former teammate Kyrie Irving's actions 'caused some harm to a lot of people'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | Mirna Alsharif Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Lebron James weighed in on recent controversy surrounding a tweet his former teammate Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving posted linking to an antisemitic movie. "I believe, you know, what Kyrie did caused some harm to a lot of people," the Los Angeles Lakers forward said to reporters Friday night after a game against the Utah Jazz. "I don't stand on the position to harm people when it comes to your voice or your platform." Nike said the suspension is effectively immediately and the company will no longer launch the Kyrie 8 shoe. “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” Nike said in a statement.

“To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. Reporters asked Irving earlier Thursday – before he posted his apology – if he holds antisemitic beliefs or if he was sorry. When asked Friday if there was any consideration of releasing Irving, Nets general manager Sean Marks replied, “No. Asked if he had any antisemitic beliefs, Irving responded: “I respect all walks of life. “Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” Silver said in a statement before Irving apologized.

☆ NBA roundup: Short-handed Warriors cap 0-5 trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Jusuf Nurkic recorded 14 points and eight rebounds, and Justise Winslow had 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Nic Claxton recorded 18 points and nine rebounds while Cam Thomas contributed 17 points and six assists off the bench. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. RJ Barrett finished with 22 points and nine rebounds while Cam Reddish added 11 points off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 17 points, while James Bouknight had a season-high 14 points.

☆ Nikola Jokic makes NBA history with 79th triple-double of his career
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Nikola Jokic broke new ground on Thursday as he recorded yet another triple-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 122-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The back-to-back MVP scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and 13 assists to overtake Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles ever recorded by a center. Now on 79 for his career, Jokic sits sixth in the all-time list behind LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Jamal Murray also added 24 points for the Nuggets, who bounced back from defeat against the LA Lakers. We didn’t panic.”The Nuggets will host San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in its next game with Jokic chasing down James, who sits fifth in the all-time triple-double list on 105.

Mandatory Credit: Brad PennerNov 3 (Reuters) - The Brooklyn Nets on Thursday suspended star guard Kyrie Irving for at least five games, saying that despite holding a second press conference to address a controversial documentary he had still refused to disavow anti-Semitism. The team said Irving would be suspended until he undergoes a series of unspecified "remedial measures", but no less than five games. Irving issued a joint statement with the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday, saying he opposed all forms of hatred. Irving and the Nets also said they would each donate $500,000 toward organizations that work to eradicate hate. While not specifically mentioning the issues with Irving, the Nets parted ways with head coach Steve Nash on Tuesday after a disappointing start to their season.

☆ Luka Doncic becomes only third player in NBA history to record seven 30-plus points to begin season
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Luka Doncic continued his scorching start to the 2022-23 NBA season and matched a record which only two NBA Hall of Famers have recorded. Doncic scored 33 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 103-100 win against the Utah Jazz, meaning he’s now scored over 30 points in all seven of his games this season. Previously, four-time NBA MVP Chamberlain had been the last to reach the mark, doing so in 1962-63. “I always hear Wilt Chamberlain. A 23-year-old kid that is playing at this level is really, really kind of special and cool to see.

☆ NBA Top Shot maker Dapper Labs lays off 22% of workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Dapper Labs had more than 600 employees before the layoffs, Gharegozlou wrote. Dapper Labs, the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) company known for creating collectible moments around NBA and NFL highlights, is laying off 22% of its company, according to an memo from its CEO. That helped Dapper Labs raise $250 million in a September 2021 funding round led by Coatue, which valued the company at $7.6 billion. However, as broader interest in NFTs has fallen, so too has the popularity of Dapper Labs' platforms. Dapper Labs also has a partnership with Endeavor-owned UFC and Spain's La Liga soccer league.

☆ They Helped LeBron James Set the NBA Scoring Record—With Just One Pass
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Robert O'Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Matt Ryan doesn’t remember the moment he was inducted into one of professional basketball’s most exclusive clubs. The last of them, a sideways-falling heave from the corner, forced overtime in what would become a much-needed L.A. win. But Ryan’s entrée into statistical immortality came in the second quarter, when he flipped a pass to LeBron James, who canned a 17-foot jumper. There have been 145 game-tying, at-the-horn shots in the past 20 NBA seasons, according to Stats Perform. Just 12 players, on the other hand, have recorded a single career assist to the man who will soon break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.

☆ NBA roundup: LeBron James, Anthony Davis lead Lakers to first win
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Rookie Jaden Ivey added 15 points in the Pistons' first win since opening night. Stephen Curry topped Golden State with 32 points and Jordan Poole had 30 points. Doncic recorded his sixth consecutive outing of at least 30 points after making 17 of 26 shots from the floor. The Spurs were up by 15 points heading into the fourth quarter before Minnesota pulled to within three early in the period. Keita Bates-Diop scored 18 points for San Antonio, while Tre Jones hit for 10 and Jakob Poeltl grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

☆ Tom Brady’s rollercoaster 2022: Unretiring, outbursts, losing streaks and divorce
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

As years go, it’s fair to say that 2022 has become something of an Annus Horribilis for Tom Brady. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost three straight matches, the first time that’s happened in Brady’s storied career since 2002. The Bucs’ inconsistency has seen the 45-year-old quarterback’s frustrations boil over, with his explosive outbursts caught on the sidelines in multiple games. After rumors of marital unrest between him and his wife, Gisele Bündchen Bündchen, the couple announced last week that they are divorcing after 13 years of marriage. Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesA long few monthsAfter a crushing end to the Bucs’ season in the playoffs last year, the team was left with more questions than answers.

☆ LeBron James stars as the LA Lakers ends its miserable start to the new season
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The Los Angeles Lakers won their first game of the new NBA season after beating the Denver Nuggets 121-110 on Sunday. The win, inspired by top scoring performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, ends a disappointing run of five consecutive defeats. The Lakers showed a unity which has been missing so far this season. “It’s day by day,” Davis said on his recovery. “I love seeing my teammates flourish, honestly,” Westbrook told reporters after his impressive performance.

☆ LeBron James makes history but Lakers’ nightmare start to season continues
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —LeBron James made history on Friday but could do little to stop the LA Lakers’ nightmare start to the season from continuing. A mark of his greatness is that the four-time MVP has never averaged fewer than 20 points in a season since being drafted in 2003. David Berding/Getty ImagesThe Lakers remain winless, however, matching their worst start to a season in 65 years after falling to 0-5 following Friday’s 111-102 loss to the Minneapolis Timberwolves. Russell Westbrook came off the bench for the Lakers to score 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Couple possessions here, couple possessions there didn’t go our way, but just keep hammering on.”

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