Jaylen Brown says he used the NBA Players Association instead of hiring an agent for the NBA Draft because they're paid to help players
“When I entered the draft, I didn't have an agent. I'm probably the highest picked selected ever that didn't enter with an agent. When I was evaluating, I went through the whole process and sat with a bunch of people, and what they was offering I ain't really need. It was kind of already slotted, so I leaned on the union a lot more”
“A lot of the agents came and was like, ‘Yeah, we'll move you to L.A. We'll get you a trainer, put some money in your pocket,’ and I was like, ‘For what? Do I gotta give the money back?’ They was like, ‘Nah, but standard agent fee is 4%.’ I'm starting to do the math, and a house, car, and all that, whatever he was offering, is a lot less than what 4% would have been”
“Long story short, the math wasn't mathing for me. I ended up being the third pick. I think because I came in like that, a lot of people, I think it was the agents, they tried to slander my name a little bit, put it in the media that he's too this, he's too that. Ended up backfiring. It all worked out in the end”
“With the union, we pay dues. All the players in the NBA pay dues. We all pay like $10,000 out of our salary that goes to hiring lawyers, hiring staff, CEO, everything that you need to lead a company that works for us. So all of that is our resources that we all pay for, that we agree to. Once I learned that, I just started using it”
“I'm talking about you can get private investigations done. They give referrals for financial advisors. All type of stuff. Foundation wise, health insurance, whatever you need. They have a liaison that's paid to make sure that you get it done. So I put it on their desk like, ‘I need you to get this done.’ And they do because that's their job”
Victor Wembanyama has averaged 20 PPG & 10 RPG in each of his first three seasons in the league.
He is the first player since fellow Spurs' great Tim Duncan (1997-00) to average 20 & 10 in each of his first three seasons in the league.
Wizards are sending D'Angelo Russell to the Grizzlies as part of a larger six-team trade, per @ShamsCharania
The six-team deal includes the Mavericks, Wizards, Clippers, Pistons, Bucks, and Grizzlies
LeBron James says never winning DPOY in his career bothers him:
“That's the only award that I don't have in my house… That kind of stings. It doesn’t make sense. The year I finished second in Defensive Player of the Year, the guy who won didn't even make First Team All-Defense.”
“I also had an opportunity to be the first unanimous MVP, where I got all 120 votes, but I got 119. It was the one vote, and he voted for Carmelo. It was a writer from Boston, of course. I know his name too, but I ain't going to give him that light just yet.”
“Why are they voting? That doesn't make sense. I don't know the answer, but why are they voting if you're not watching the game, you're not studying the game, and you're not listening to the peers in the game who are telling you, ‘He’s the best player.’”
(via @uninterrupted)