NEW YORK – You don’t need a watch to know Father Time has caught up to Kobe Bryant. With that in mind, I asked Bryant what he wants his legacy to be when he retires. “As a talented overachiever,” Bryant replied with a laugh. “I really worked my butt off every single day to make sure I left no stone unturned and try to push it as much as I possibly could.” “My message has been consistent all the time,” Bryant said. “If
There was a train wreck at Penn Station last season. It was known as the New York Knicks, who endured the worst season in franchise history. It happened under the watch of Phil Jackson, one of the franchise’s heroes and a name synonymous with winning in the NBA. Jackson and the Knicks went to work this offseason in the draft and in free agency to get the team back on track. Despite concerns from fans about drafting the next Frederic Weis, the
It’s not easy to take an 11-hour flight, but that’s what former NBA player and current Maccabi Tel Aviv point guard Jordan Farmar was getting ready for on Sunday afternoon as he slowly got dressed in the locker room inside Madison Square Garden. After a two-city tour in NBA arenas, Farmar and his teammates were about to head back to Israel, traveling even further away from his native Los Angeles. Farmar, 28, was born in Los Angeles and went to high
Former Los Angeles Laker Samaki Walker won an NBA title with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson in 2001-2002 and played with Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Dwyane Wade over the course of his 10-year career. He was my guest on this week’s NBA Press Break podcast, where co-host Max Kirshblum and I discussed all things Phil and the Knicks, Kobe and the Lakers and which current superstars could have survived in the rougher NBA of 15-20 years
BROOKLYN — It’s incredible how a building’s mood can change so drastically every five minutes. From the roaring approval for Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell to the acidic, vitriol for the Knicks’ pick of Kristaps Porzingis, nothing satisfies a sports fan’s need for instant gratification like reacting to an NBA draft pick. But there were great moments behind the scenes that you could not see. A proud multi-generational basketball family sharing a special moment in a back room. A fashion statement that added to
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — I am not going to sit here and tell you that Phil Jackson made a mistake in taking Latvian toothpick Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick of the 2015 NBA draft. Jackson was in the press room at 8:20 p.m. Thursday night comparing the kid to Pau Gasol, and Jackson is a better judge of talent than I am. He gets paid $12 million of Jim Dolan’s money each season to make these decisions, to “preside.” But I will
I have always respected Phil Jackson, but I am starting to think the man is crazy. Crazy like a fox? Maybe. But his statements Tuesday congratulating himself for the job he did in Year One as president of the Knicks are mind-boggling. He led the team to its worst record in franchise history, he gifted J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a second-round pick in 2019, and he started goink crazy on Twitter when he
Kristaps Porzingis has become the trendy name among NBA executives since dominating at his ASM Sports workout a week ago. “I think there is a strong chance he lands in the top four picks,” one Eastern Conference general manager told SheridanHoops. “The Lakers, Knicks and 76ers are all possible options. He has the length and athleticism of Andrei Kirilenko and stroke and footwork like Dirk Nowitzki. He will be the best prospect in this draft while also having the best upside.”