The NBA preseason is underway, and it means plenty of action and more interesting storylines for the die-hard basketball fan.
A lot has already happened in the league, from impressive performances from the rookies, debuts of new faces in new places, to injuries to some key players. Nevertheless, what really turned heads this time around are the comments from some of the league’s top players.
Kyrie Irving, who grabbed headlines last year not only for his trade to the Boston Celtics but also due to his remarks that the Earth is flat, has opened up about his controversial statement and made a huge claim once again.
Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, on the other hand, made some comments ahead of his return to Seattle that will certainly delight Sonics fans.
There’s also new Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo who just showed his admiration to fellow new Laker LeBron James.
Here’s the full SBOBET report on the biggest stories in the league today:
Kyrie Irving, Flat-Earth-er No More?
“I apologise.”
That was Kyrie Irving’s message to all the science teachers and members of the scientific society for his flat-earth comment that sparked outrage and raised eyebrows in 2017.
The 26-year-old guard admitted that he regrets saying his theory publicly, citing that he didn’t realize the effect that it would have caused. He also defended that he was “into huge conspiracies” during that time.
“To all the science teachers, everybody coming up to me like, `You know I’ve got to re-teach my whole curriculum?’ I’m sorry,” Irving said during the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston.
“I apologise. I apologise.”
Irving furthered that he has since learned to keep certain thoughts “in intimate conversations.”
The five-time All-Star started the whole saga ahead of the 2017 All-Star weekend. Appearing on Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye’s Road Trippin’ podcast, Irving revealed that he is a flat-earth truther and even questioned teachings that the Earth is round despite no one fully knowing the truth.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers star has since made a lot of follow-up statements regarding his claim, even saying at one point that he just made the remarks to promote conversation and show how stories—even how outrageous they are—spread rapidly in this age of social media.
Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that he told The New York Times three months ago that he was not really sure if the Earth was flat or round. Yikes!
Kevin Durant on Seattle SuperSonics: They Need To Be Back in the NBA
Kevin Durant wants the team that drafted him to make a comeback in the NBA.
Ahead of his return to KeyArena in Seattle for the Golden State Warriors’ preseason match-up with the Sacramento Kings, Durant expressed his desire to see the Sonics back in the city.
The 30-year-old star, who was drafted no.2 overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007, argued that there’s no reason for Seattle not to have a basketball team, especially after the success of the Seahawks (NFL Super Bowl winners in 2014), the Sounders (MLS Cup titlists in 2016) and the Storm (WNBA champions in 2010 and 2018).
“The Seahawks had some success. Now the Storm had some success. But everybody in the basketball world and the NBA knows the Sonics need to be back in Seattle,” Durant said.
Durant played only one season in Seattle before the team relocated to Oklahoma, but there’s no doubt the city will always hold a special place in his heart. He won the Rookie of the Year honour with the team back in 2007, and his former Oklahoma City Thunder coach P.J. Carlesimo even said that he believes Durant would still be in Seattle had they never moved to the Sooner State.
It might take some time before the league adds a new team, more so for a franchise to relocate, but Durant promised to give the fans a game to remember when he steps on KeyArena this week.
“I’m looking forward to going out there and playing. Hopefully we give them a show,” he added.
LeBron James ‘Even a Better Leader,’ Says Rajon Rondo
LeBron James has earned the respect of another fierce competitor.
Rajon Rondo, who was used to playing against LeBron in the Eastern Conference, has high praises for his Los Angeles Lakers teammate following their preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets.
The Purple and Gold failed to live up to the pre-match NBA 2018 odds with their defeat to the Nuggets. However, Rondo has a lot of positives to take in the game, particularly from LeBron who he said exceeded his expectations.
”I played against him for 13 years now, but obviously I think what you hear vs. what you see is a little bit different. He is who I thought he was, he’s probably even a better leader, especially on the floor, telling everybody where to go and directing traffic,” Rondo said.
Rondo furthered that seeing LeBron calling things out on offence and defence takes some pressure off of him, especially that he’s used to doing that for his previous teams.
“I’m so used to doing that myself, so it’s kind of refreshing to me to not have to talk every possession down the floor because I have someone else doing the same thing that you can obviously trust,” he added.
LeBron James, who joined the Lakers in a shocking summer move, is expected to lead Tinseltown to a deep playoff run, or even the championship, in the ultra-tough Western Conference. And hearing Rondo’s first-hand account of The King’s leadership is certainly music to the ears of LA fans.
It remains to be seen if LeBron can live up to expectations and actually lead his new team to the promised land. Nonetheless, in our early season predictions, we have the 33-year-old star grabbing the NBA 2018 highlights and headlines and contending for the season MVP.
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