If it feels like the NBA season just ended, that’s because it pretty much did. A little over two months after the Lakers beat Miami in the NBA Finals, the new basketball season kicked off again this week in Los Angeles. Let’s dive into some of the news from around the league this week.
Top News This Week
- The NBA has officially fined Houston Rockets’ star James Harden $50,000 for violating the league’s health and safety guidelines by attending a dinner for a friend. Initially reported as something much more serious, the league investigation found that the fine was all that was needed to punish Harden.
- The Milwaukee Bucks are being fined heavily for the pursuit of Bogdan Bogdanovic this offseason. The league is taking away a 2022 second-round draft pick as a result of an apparent agreement between the two sides during the free agency trial. The league found that the early discussions did occur and that conduct detrimental to the league was the result of said fine.
- Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is the latest player to get an extension out of LA this week. Kuzma got a three-year deal that includes a player option for the 2023-24 season and is worth an additional $40 million.
- Speaking of James Harden, many around the league still have no idea if he will be traded at any point during this season. The Sixers have been initially rumored to have been willing to part with Ben Simmons in a deal, but that seems to have subsided since the season kicked off this week.
- The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a four-year extension with Derrick White that will be worth $73 million, per his agent. The Spurs were able to get a deal done before the 6 pm deadline this past Monday, and San Antonio will keep one of the best draft stories for the Spurs out of 2017.
Social News
The Kings’ Buddy Hield had a tip-in at the buzzer to take down the Nuggets in an absolutely thriller on Opening Night.
BUDDY HIELD TIPS IT IN AT THE BUZZER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ofdReFHe7b
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 24, 2020
LaMelo Ball had an interesting start to his NBA career this week with a series that looked…well, rough.
This sequence from LaMelo 😅 pic.twitter.com/3z0S1B7A9P
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 24, 2020
The Lakers got their rings in a ceremony on Opening Night, and their new hardware features plenty of tributes to Kobe.
Congrats, fellas. You've earned this 💍 pic.twitter.com/tEBLjQRqAo
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 23, 2020
And finally, watch Ja Morant go nuts in his first game of the new NBA season. Looking forward to a whole lot of this in the 2020-21 season.
Ja off the glass to himself 🤭 pic.twitter.com/wORYWE4cFY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 24, 2020
All of that news and more, this week in the NBA! Check back weekly with GMS Sports for the most up-to-date information on your favorite sports.
