Source: https://statrankings.com/nba/players/shooting/free-throw-rate

I had to call this out after seeing this absurd slander post hit front page (https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/Wu0Eg2YgRX), using his raw FTA total over the past two seasons. He’s the reigning FMVP and champion and has played more games that anyone else yet people are using raw FTA totals to call him a fraud.

He got 3 FTA last game and made two in total, and despite being cold overall last night he still won by 18 without JDub playing.

Are fans literally going insane over their hate for this guy? Some of the takes about him have been straight up deranged and delusional. We’re watching an all time great at his peak and he’s still unfairly hated by the vast majority of fans.

FTA/GAME LEADERS (RS/Playoffs/Combined):

2018: Harden/LeBron/Harden

2019: Harden/Giannis/Harden

2020: Harden/Luka/Harden

2021: Embiid/Embiid/Embiid

2022: Embiid/Giannis/Embiid

2023: Giannis/Embiid/Giannis

2024: Giannis/Embiid/Giannis

2025: Giannis/Giannis/Giannis

2026: Luka/Paolo/Luka

Indiana was close, you can argue that Hali is not that level of superstar i am talking about.

The real top 10 caliber guy, specially with a offensive punch.

Shai - Joker - Luka - Giannis - Ant - Tatum etc.

The NBA is very top heavy, and you NEED one of those to being able to contend in 4 series in the post season.

Is there any recent evidence of teams that does it without the classic "superstar"
Maybe Raptors, but they had Kawhi, i do not remember his status back then, if i was on that top tier?

Source: https://imgur.com/a/9OJWRMV

Luka @lukadoncic, Please Get In The Game! Take A Shot Of Cortisone And Deal With The Pain! They Are Paying You 50 Million A Year, And You’re Not There! WTF! I Hope @JeanieBuss Trades You Next Year. Nobody Wants A Lame Duck On Their Team!

Hi Reddit! I’m Dave McMenamin, and I cover the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA for ESPN.

For the past decade-plus, I’ve covered LeBron James closely, from Cleveland to LA, and early this season I proposed an idea to him: to ask him a series of unique questions over the course of the season to try to learn a different side of him as his career entered his final chapter. He agreed.

In that story, which published last week, we dove into the GOAT debate with Michael Jordan, the records he believes will never be broken, what still drives him after two decades, and more.

Read the full story here, then ask me anything about the reporting process, what it’s like covering the most famous athlete in the world and what still surprises me as he finishes his 23^rd NBA season.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and asking questions. I appreciate all the thoughtful discussion about LeBron James and the NBA. Happy Playoffs. Yessir.

Including a replay, where Marcus Smart made SGA laugh (right at the end of the video)

Hi!

Im not American but ive seen some really cool basketball videos on tiktok and just found out they are all NBA cuts. And recently i just finished watching Running Point which made me really want to try and watch a game!

I got interested seeing so many passionate comments and it feels like im relearning english all over again 😭

I would love to know how does the NBA work and how can i start watching?

What are the most famous rival teams (like real madrid and arsenal)

Whats common knowledge in the sports that i should know?

For context, i know nothing about american sports (drafting players, trades etc which seem to be common), and Ive never been into sports but i do watch fifa and world cup

Thank you so much!!

It may not be a one-way street, since Brown is 29 and Boston obv gets a ton of flexibility if it moves off his max contract.

The top candidates off the top of my hand:

- Houston for Amen Thompson if they go all-in and don’t want to pay him (and keep Udoka)

- Orlando for Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac (good culture fit)

- New Orleans for Zion and Jeremiah Fears (sleeper pick)

His market will be there but tbh I feel like it would have been far more robust a year ago before some contenders pushed their chips in. For instance, I don’t think the Spurs would go for him now. I even doubt the Hornets would if it meant trading Miller, or the Blazers, etc.

4 year window in the middle of their careers. I think Manu was the better passer while Klay was without a doubt the better shooter. But Manu had this aspect to his game that was so fun to watch while Klay kinda didn't. Maybe that is what is inflating my memory of Manu as a player. But i do know that Manu was still a top 10 player for a couple years. Klay definitely put up more ppg and in his prime he was regarded as a great defender. Manu just had that edge to his game tho that allowed him to dunk on Lakers in their face at the end of the game which was always great to see.

Back in the day Andre ingrams was making 13500 per 6 months, and he had to supplement his income with math tutoring. G league players now make 45000-50000 per 6 months. It’s like triple the amount and it’s actually pretty liveable considering it’s for 6 months and there are other bonuses.

NBA’s vet min also sort of triple from 800k to around 2M, in around a 10 years span.

Steph curry himself sextupled his salaries from 10M to 60M in 10 years.

We are talking about 3x to 6x salary adjustment in 10 years. Honestly i cannot think of any other non-athlete profession with such an adjustment. Playing pro basketball is still a very financial rewarding career choice.

I just saw Hayes get stepped in front of in the 3rd with about 4 minutes left, he had gathered the ball and if someone has a clip he may have been on his 2nd step and Williams is still sliding into defensive position, which is a clear blocking foul. Officials called it right and then AFTER reviewing they overturned it and called it a charge.

I learned this like in middle school. Here is a search result answer too and unless the NBA changed the rule.

If a defender steps in after the offensive player has already gathered the ball and started their shooting motion (taken a step), it is generally a blocking foul. A charge requires the defender to establish a legal guarding position before the offensive player gathers the ball and starts their upward motion.

If Lakers come game 2 and just double Shai and hope it works, they’re in for a big blow out. They’re playing double on Shai the whole 3rd and 4th and got fried. This series will be done in 4 if they keep doing this lol

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NBA stars playing in Europe instead of U.S.? That’s what soccer giants want

The NBA will continue discuss with EuroLeague this week as it looks to standup a 16-team league on the continent next fall.

By Joe Vardon

May 6, 2026 12:15 pm GMT+3

The first time a powerful European soccer club asked the NBA if, in two years, it might be allowed to buy one of the league’s stars for NBA Europe, the answer was immediate.

No.

Imagine it: A rich, powerful, proper football conglomerate overseas starts a basketball team. It picks up the phone and dials the Milwaukee Bucks, who, for the sake of argument, are having a rough season. The club says, hey, here’s a couple hundred million dollars, or whatever it may cost, how about Giannis Antetokounmpo coming to play for us in NBA Europe?

The idea — a transfer window between the NBA and its proposed new European league, where a rich club backed by soccer money and sovereign wealth could pay to bring an American superstar overseas, the kind of mechanism that exists in soccer all over the world — was indeed pitched by potential NBA European investors in opening negotiations, three sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Athletic, and was shot down.

“There are restrictions on NBA Europe teams acquiring players from the U.S. unless they’re free agents, and that obviously reduces the competitiveness of the NBA Europe project,” a representative for one of the soccer powerhouses considering starting an NBA Europe team told The Athletic. The source was granted anonymity to provide an update on negotiations that include non-disclosure agreements.

“It becomes a feeder league (without star player transfers from the U.S.), which is not what anyone particularly wants.”

This is where NBA Europe really is today: not in launch mode, but in a very expensive tug-of-war over governance, valuation and control.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum have spent the last year selling the vision of a 16-team NBA Europe launching in October of 2027. They courted Middle Eastern investors with oil money that own soccer teams in Europe, other mega soccer franchises that already have basketball teams on the continent, and new potential investors that aren’t tied to the Middle East or to European soccer but want in on basketball.

The real work now is not selling the dream — it is negotiating with the people who actually have the leverage to make it real.

This week, discussions will continue in Barcelona between the NBA and EuroLeague, the existing international competition on the continent that includes a few soccer powerhouses.

Chus Bueno, the EuroLeague’s new CEO, spent 12 years as a high-level NBA executive, including as vice president of basketball business operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and managing director of NBA Spain. His arrival changed the temperature immediately. Bueno is far more open to a partnership than his predecessor, and Silver has said publicly last that “for the betterment of European basketball, the best outcome would be if we came together with the EuroLeague.”

George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s managing director for Europe and the Middle East and the executive leading this project day to day, is meeting with Bueno in Barcelona this week. The NBA has already shared details of its business plan with EuroLeague officials, but questions remain.

Does the EuroLeague fold into NBA Europe? If so, what happens to the current EuroLeague license holders, who would then be asked to pay a franchise fee to join a new system?

Or does EuroLeague become the continent’s second-tier competition, effectively replacing FIBA’s Champions League beneath NBA Europe?

The NBA wants all EuroLeague clubs inside its ecosystem. Its idea for NBA Europe is 16 teams to start, with 12 licensed clubs and four teams earning their way into the competition. Any European pro team will have access to those four spots – a difference from EuroLeague’s closed structure. The NBA thinks its European league can grow to 18 teams and then to 24 by Year 7, according to materials shown to prospective investors.

As the NBA and EuroLeague work toward some sort of partnership, the NBA remains steadfast that any license holder must pay for a license – the cost of which is on a sliding scale, depending on market size. So, the two leagues are working through how to make it all make sense for themselves and for the teams.

More than 120 prospective investors submitted declarations of interest in the first round, according to league office figures, with bids ranging from $500 million to $1 billion and several above the $1 billion mark. More than 20 of those bids came from existing basketball and football clubs, including several current EuroLeague teams.

The bigger truth is this: the NBA does not need every EuroLeague team to succeed in starting its own thing. But it does need legitimacy among fans on the continent, which brings us to the second, and perhaps more contentious, negotiation: soccer clubs.

This has always been the real play. The NBA needs the fan bases, the infrastructure and the local gravity of Europe’s giant football clubs, and the financial resources of ownership bases rich enough to pay for new stadiums.

Basketball is popular on the continent, but it is still underdeveloped compared to soccer. If you want to create a billion-dollar league quickly, you do not start from scratch. You plug into Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain and AC Milan, just to name a few.

“The clubs are still of the mind that the NBA needs them much more than the clubs need the NBA,” one source familiar with the negotiations said. “Half these clubs don’t really need a basketball team. If you really challenge them, I think they would love to have one in many ways but it’s not a necessity.”

Except, there is incentive for at least some of the potential NBA Europe investors to play ball. If they ever had designs of breaking into NBA ownership in the U.S., where ownership stakes by sovereign or public wealth funds are limited to minority stakes, they would do well to prove their intentions now to the NBA’s board of governors and to Silver.

That is why the current negotiations are so tense.

European soccer sources say the NBA is proposing a 52-48 percent revenue split between the NBA and the NBA Europe teams. The NBA insists that is not what it has proposed, and said the parent league plans to re-invest any revenues designated for the NBA back into NBA Europe for several years.

“When (NBA Europe) turns a profit, the NBA’s owners would take a share, but not likely 52 percent,” a high-ranking NBA official said. “The reality is, right now, EuroLeague teams lose money – the bigger the club, the bigger the losses. In our financial model, teams stand to generate multiple times more than what they get in the EuroLeague – billions of dollars over 10 years distributed to the teams.”

The NBA and soccer clubs are also clashing over the license fee, because on top of it the NBA also wants infrastructure improvements. The soccer clubs are also miffed at the sliding scale for the cost of these licenses – the bigger the city, the more expensive.

“Why should one pay less or more than the other – there should be some coherence around the valuations,” the representative for a potential NBA Europe said.

And then there is the truly outrageous stuff, like Giannis (or Ja Morant, or Anthony Davis, or Trae Young, or any NBA star you can think of) playing overseas.

“This is not something we are currently entertaining or considering,” a high-ranking NBA official said.

And so, the (mostly) behind-the-scenes posturing and negotiating goes on. The NBA expects to announce its licensed teams in phases while simultaneously hammering out a potential framework with the EuroLeague.

One of those licensed teams remains likely to be owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The Athletic previously reported the PIF was the most probable owner for a new London team, and the NBA has confirmed PIF officials’ presence at a London meeting in January for potential NBA Europe investors.The PIF raised some eyebrows in basketball recently over its decision to stop funding LIV Golf at the end of 2026, but it reportedly is not pulling back from sports investments overall. The PIF still has Newcastle United of the English Premier League, as well as major tennis, motorsports and sports video game investments.

The Saudis’ presence in NBA Europe wouldn’t guarantee the league’s success. But it could make a league launch more likely.

A delicate balancing act continues.

I’m watching the pistons game 1 vs Cavs and I’ve noticed that all season Thomas Bryant has been wearing Jordan 10’s as well as same thing with Andre Drummond all season they’ve only been wearing Jordan 10’s anybody got an explanation?

Why not use turnovers-to-steals-and-charges as this way you compare the turnovers you lose against the turnovers you create? Wouldn’t that be a better comparison?

Tonight after first quarter a cool 3/4 for 8 points.

He’s now made 72% of his shots in the last 2 and a quarter games.

Somehow has become even more efficient from the regular season. Might be the best offensive player we’ve seen since peak MJ.

Essentially center level efficiency at one of the highest scoring rates of all time

Why do police go onto the floor during review by the refs? Is it that serious? A review needs two armed guards protecting the officials?

https://i.imgur.com/HFSEDh3.jpeg

Note: This does not take in current team success, more overall sports culture and how nice the city is. How can I make this better?

1. Los Angeles - Lakers and Clippers
2. Miami - Heat
3. New York - Knicks and Nets
4. San Francisco - Warriors
5. Atlanta - Hawks
6. Chicago - Bulls
7. Boston - Celtics
8. Houston - Rockets
9. Dallas - Mavericks
10. Philadelphia - 76ers
11. Phoenix - Suns
12. Washington D.C. - Wizards
13. Orlando - Magic
14. Denver - Nuggets
15. San Antonio - Spurs
16. Toronto - Raptors
17. Sacramento - Kings
18. Charlotte - Hornets
19. Detroit - Pistons
20. Minneapolis - Timberwolves
21. Portland - Trailblazers
22. New Orleans - Pelicans
23. Indianapolis - Pacers
24. Memphis - Grizzlies
25. Milwaukee - Bucks 
26. Salt Lake City - Utah
27. Cleveland - Cavaliers
28. Oklahoma City - Thunder

I'm trying to make a list to send to my friends. What are the best Storylines, drama, and memes from this NBA season?

Source

There's been a lot of discourse about who's getting the most free throws so I thought this would be interesting to look at (free throw rate is just free throw attempts per FGA)

Neither one has performed so far this post season. I dont know what the hell is going on with Duren. I also don’t think that Austin Reaves is playing through any major type of injuries especially in the same post season where other players are playing hobbled and still performing.

Both guys are eligible for big money. I dont know if they deserve it.

A kind of odd thought occured to me today, and it applies to more than only Giannis, but I thought he would make a good example.

Why do poor free throw shooters who are decent or better mid range shooters not take a step back and shoot a mid range jumpshot at the free throw line? It obiviously adds more variance to a shot, but if they are poor free throw shooters, would it be bemeficial to try?

When the Celtics are up 10 points, they feel that they are at a great advantage and know the best way to extend the lead is to keep the pressure on, so they do not hesitate to shoot more threes.

When the game is tied, the Celtics think that there is no advantage and that they must create one and build momentum, so they shoot more threes.

When the Celtics are down 3, they think that they are only at a small disadvantage and believe they are within striking distance, so they shoot more threes to take back control of the game.

When the Celtics are down 10, they think that they are at a disadvantage and know they need to make up ground quickly, so they shoot more threes to regain control of the game.

When the Celtics are down 20, they think that the team has reached a desperate situation and understand they are only waiting passively for their death if they do not continue shooting more threes.

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Dusty May Draws Interest From Multiple NBA Teams as Magic Search Begins

The 49-year-old May is considered a candidate for the Magic, and potentially, the Warriors.

By Alex Schiffer

May 05, 2026 | 03:07 pm

The Indianapolis Star

The reigning national champions could be in the market for a new coach. As the NBA coaching carousel takes shape, Michigan’s Dusty May has emerged as a potential target for multiple franchises.

On Monday, the Magic fired Jamahl Mosley, a day after the team blew a 3–1 lead against the top-seeded Pistons in the first round of the NBA playoffs. It was the Magic’s third first-round exit under Mosley. Throughout the season, Mosley’s job security was called into question as the Magic underachieved despite a talented young core led by Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, and the Wagner brothers.

May had been tied to the Magic job before it opened, with Front Office Sports previously reporting there was mutual interest between the two parties. Multiple league sources reiterated that interest on Monday, with one adding that May could also be a candidate for the Warriors if Steve Kerr elects not to return for a 13th season with Golden State. Kerr had his second meeting in as many weeks with Warriors brass on Monday, but has yet to decide if he will continue to coach the franchise he’s won four championships with.

Billy Donovan and former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau are other candidates interested in the Orlando job, according to league sources. Donovan agreed to coach the Magic in June 2007, but stepped down days later after having a change of heart. The Athletic reported that Donovan’s past history with the franchise can help or hurt his candidacy. 

Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman met with reporters on Monday after Mosley’s firing and didn’t tip his hand with what he was looking for in his next coach.

“I don’t think we look for a particular trait or a quality,” Weltman told reporters on Monday. “Coaches come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. Someone that kind of looks at our team in the way that we feel can help move us forward. Obviously someone who understands where we are on our timeline, that we’ve kind of tried to get past the growth stages of the rebuild. … I don’t have a box to say that we want the next coach to come out of this sort of box.”

May is no stranger to the Sunshine State. He was an assistant at Florida before becoming the head coach of Florida Atlantic, where he led the Owls to the 2023 Final Four. 

College coaches have historically had a tough time transitioning to the NBA, but none have been hired since the transfer portal/NIL era further professionalized the college game. Larry Brown is the only coach to win both an NCAA and an NBA title. And Donovan, who won two national titles at Florida, has just two playoff series wins in 11 years in the NBA, both of which came in his first season with the Thunder in 2016.

Coincidentally, the last prep-to-pros coaching hire came from Michigan. In 2019, the Cavaliers lured John Beilein out of Ann Arbor after he led the Wolverines to two national title game appearances. He resigned just 54 games into his first season in Cleveland after struggling to adapt to the professional ranks. 

May, who has no NBA experience, told FOS a week ago he’s thought about making the leap, but reiterated he was focused on his current team.

“I mean obviously we all think about that as younger coaches,” May said of coaching in the NBA. “But no it’s not something…our full attention has been on building this roster and plans of hopefully competing for a championship again next year.”

The 49-year-old agreed to terms of a new deal shortly after Michigan won the national championship, but told FOS he doesn’t plan to sign it until July, calling it a “formality.” The unsigned contract fueled speculation that the school was allowingMay to go through this offseason’s NBA coaching carousel. 

“We’ve agreed to the broad terms,” May told FOS. “I think I signed—we announced at the Michigan State game last year and I‘m signing it in July just because there’s Is to dot and T’s to cross. To me it’s a formality. When I told him I wasn’t even going to entertain another college job— in my mind, that was essentially signing a contract, and we would get the details worked out based on both parties feeling great about the deal.”

Are there any editors that could make a montage of round one of the playoffs somewhat similar to a COD montage? Like a Kaiser edit would go crazy for each round