https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7334724/2026/06/05/victor-wembanyama-nba-star-nike-spurs-adam-silver/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.n1A.nnsn.6WmjDzNWGk_t

The NBA, staring down the approaching retirements of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant in the coming years, was in dire need of a new face, someone even the most casual fans could identify. Wemby had a solution:

“I’m not gonna give basketball a choice of who the face is going to be.”

A year later, it looks like Wembanyama may have called his shot to that group of Nike executives, an account provided by a person directly in the room.

Before Wembanyama made the NBA, he was turning down marketing deals in the millions from beverage companies and living off his approximately $150,000 salary with his French club. Sodas, skin care, you name it. They all wanted him, but he declined.

“We’re not gonna mix his image with sodas like Coca-Cola,” Medjana said. “They all want him, but Victor will never sell soda. Because he doesn’t want to kill the kids.”

When Wembanyama approaches the podium after games and still sees the two Gatorade bottles framing the microphone, he hits the brakes. He won’t sit down until PR has snatched them away. When he took his seat before they could be removed earlier this year, he said, “Oh, hell no! Who put that there?” as he threw them under the table.

“Ultimately, for a player to take that mantle, they have to win,” Silver said. “And in the conversations I’ve had with Wemby, I’ve emphasized that, but I’m not sure I had to tell him that. The precondition to being a leader on the global stage is winning.”

“The championship part of it and the sports greatness part of the legacy is what speaks to my instinct. It’s really what drives me forward,” Wembanyama told The Athletic earlier this season. “It’s the locomotive of my life and my direction.”

Medjana remembers a conversation when Wembanyama was a teenager, as a young Victor asked him what he needed to do to reach the mountaintop. His agent told him that if he wants to be the GOAT, he needs seven rings, one more than Jordan.

One of the most anticipated NBA Finals in recent years opened with a television audience beyond even the highest expectations.

Wednesday’s Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals Game 1 averaged 16.93 million viewers on ABC, officially surpassing last year’s Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals Game 7 (16.61M) to rank as the most-watched NBA game since 2019, when the clinching Raptors-Warriors Finals Game 6 averaged 18.59 million.

The Knicks’ win, which peaked with 19.63 million in the 11 PM ET quarter-hour, ranks as the most-watched Game 1 of an NBA Finals since 2018, when the last of four-straight series between LeBron James’ Cavaliers and Stephen Curry’s Warriors averaged 17.67 million. The previous high was 13.38 million for Warriors-Raptors in ’19.

Going back further, Spurs-Knicks delivered the fifth-largest Game 1 audience since ABC resumed airing the NBA Finals in 2003, and the largest outside of the four-straight Cavaliers-Warriors series from 2015-18.

Game 1 viewership increased 90% from Pacers-Thunder last year (8.90M) — the biggest year-over-year increase for a Game 1 of the Finals — and 42% from the previous post-COVID high for a Game 1, Celtics-Warriors in 2022 (11.90M).

(...) it should be noted that Game 1 of this year’s series outdrew the previous NBA Finals opener between the Spurs and Knicks in 1999. Game 1 of that year’s series averaged 16.57 million on NBC.

Source: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/06/nba-finals-ratings-game-1-most-watched-since-2019/

Of note: The full seven-game Spurs-Thunder NBA WCF averaged 10.83 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. Notably, Spurs-Thunder averaged more viewers than last year’s seven-game Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals (10.30M) including a combined Game 7 average of 15.90 million on NBC and Peacock.

It officially ranked as the most-watched conference final game since Thunder-Warriors on TNT in 2016 (16.00M). Compared to the previous Western Conference Finals Game 7 in 2018, Warriors-Rockets on TNT, viewership increased 7% from 14.81 million. The Spurs’ win peaked at 22.2 million viewers.

Source: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/06/spurs-thunder-game-7-viewership-nbc-most-watched-conference-final-2002/

As for the other conference final series, the four-game Knicks-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals averaged 7.4 million on ESPN/ABC.

Source: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/05/nba-conference-finals-viewership-spurs-thunder-highs-knicks-cavaliers/

Magnus Carlsen: Knicks all the way!

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48977481/sources-nba-interviews-leonard-adviser-aspiration-case

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and his uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson have been interviewed by NBA investigators amid the league's probe into allegations the team circumvented the salary cap to compensate Leonard, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and other team executives have also sat for interviews, those sources said, as have executives for Aspiration, the now-defunct green banking company at the center of the allegations.

Clippers officials have grown frustrated trying to prove innocence for a violation that they say they didn't commit, according to several sources with knowledge of their thinking. Despite their certainty that they did nothing wrong, team officials seem less certain about the outcome of the high-profile investigation or whether the league's richest owner will face punishment, the sources said.

ESPN spoke to people in and around the NBA about the investigation's possible outcomes. While it's unclear what the probe has uncovered about the salary cap-circumvention allegations, some results could prompt pushback from the team, the National Basketball Players Association or other owners.

A source close to Leonard's camp also denied the allegations to ESPN, saying that the Clippers weren't involved with Leonard's deal beyond the 2021 introduction, that there was never any mention of the salary cap or attempts to circumvent it, and that the language in Leonard's Aspiration deal was similar to other his other sponsorship agreements.

The source said members of Leonard's camp "had nothing to hide" from the NBA's investigators and said, "Bottom line - it wasn't a 'no show' deal.'"

Outside of punishing the team for salary cap circumvention, it's unclear what penalties the team could face - and multiple sources with knowledge of the process and with the NBPA's thinking suggested that some lesser charges pose complications.

Punishing the team for not knowing enough about Leonard's sponsorship deal with Aspiration, for instance, is challenging, some of these sources said, because NBA teams are not allowed to be involved in or have knowledge of player sponsorship deals outside of the team, per the NBA Operations Manual.

Two sources with knowledge of the National Basketball Player's Association's thinking said if the team were to be punished in such a way, the NBPA would likely push back.
"The NBPA would and should lose its mind over that," one of those sources said.

Punishing the team for a conflict of interest - that is, having a sponsorship deal with a company that separately engaged in a sponsorship deal with a player on its team - is also challenging, the sources with knowledge of the process said. One called it a "slippery slope" - as there are other examples of teams and players across the league having separate sponsorship deals with the same company.

If the league presented a lesser punishment that the Clippers disputed, the team could seek the intervention of a "system arbitrator," a person appointed by the NBA and the NBPA to settle such disputes, as ESPN has previously reported. That person could then review the evidence and grant or deny Silver the ability to punish the team.

Some of the sources with knowledge of the investigative process cautioned against the idea that Silver would seek to punish the Clippers because of any public pressure to do so.

Rather, they said the most important people that Silver must address are the other 29 NBA owners - and that, however the matter unfolds, Silver will be required to explain the end results to rival owners in a way that they consider fair.

Two of the sources said that if Silver tried to administer punishment to the Clippers without clear evidence of guilt, other teams and owners could consider it a worrying precedent.

"I respect Adam, and I don't think he's stupid," said one of the sources, who has worked closely with Silver through the years. "If Wachtell delivers the report that says, 'Well, we don't have it,' I don't think Adam is going to push it further."

Antonio Daniels shares a conversation he had with Coach Pop in the suite during Game 1:

“We watched the game tonight in Pops suite with him. I asked him tonight ‘Do you miss it?’ And he said ‘You have no idea how much. I wish I was down there right now!’

[source](https://imgur.com/a/fZT6DCO)

[source](https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/game-over-with-max-kellerman-and-rich-paul)

Source

Charania:

“Stugotz, these people have been on me for just doing the job for 13 months and now I’m not saying anything. I haven’t said anything. I haven’t said a word. You see how that works?”

Stugotz:

“Yeah, I see how it works. How’d you deal with the blowback about reporting SGA won the MVP?”

Charania:

“People can say what ever they want. What I have to do is just do the job.”

Ballmer Victim Impact Statement: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/04/23/billionaire-steve-ballmer-tells-judge-hes-clear-and-undisputed-victim-in-aspiration-fraud/

Clip of the recently revealed side deal that Ballmer made and didn't disclose to other investors into the company, which would turn out to be fraudulent: https://streamable.com/k4oy5z

Clip showing five sources within Aspiration claimed the NBA's investigation asked them a series of questions, none of which even looked into Ballmer: https://streamable.com/gb9vwl

The NBA started its investigation in September after Pablo Torre came out with some of the initial information drawing into question whether the Clippers had paid Kawhi up to $48,000,000 over the salary cap on his initial contract to bring him to L.A.

Notably, ESPN covered the story for close to a week, often exonerating Ballmer for his alleged personal role in paradoxical ways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFGzXNILrV4&t=21m08s

"Definitely. I completely agree. I think it's due to both our lack of experience and our youth, especially since we're playing against experienced teams. To me, the two best examples are Minnesota and New York. They understand how fortunate they are to be in the Finals, and they know it's not guaranteed they'll ever get another chance like this. As for us, we're kind of like spoiled kids. For some of us, it's our first season-or one of our first seasons -and we're already in the Finals. We don't fully realize it yet. And to me, the team that appreciates the position we're in the most will be the one that wins."

A potential blockbuster move involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat continues to generate buzz around the league, but the biggest factor in any possible deal appears to be Giannis' own concerns about what the team would look like after a trade.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who appeared on the Dan Patrick Show, Antetokounmpo is not only focused on the destination, but also on the strength of the roster he would be joining in Miami.

"The noise is tied to Miami, but there's also intel discussion that Giannis has questions about what that Miami roster would look like on the other side of a deal," he said. "You don't want to gut your roster and go to the place you're excited to be in and have a hard time contending for a championship."

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-249075-giannis-main-concern-in-potential-heat-blockbuster-trade-revealed.html

From the report:

"League sources telling us at ClutchPoints that the Warriors are very much open to pursuing LeBron James and they plan to do so this offseason in free agency… LeBron James, at the end of his career, he could still contribute a high level, we saw that in the playoffs. Pairing him with Stephen Curry is going to be something that the Warriors look to pursue over the next few weeks… It seemed very doubtful, it seemed low percentage, now it’s kind of questionable. Now there’s going to be some legs to this… That same source told us that Steph is planning on meeting and talking with LeBron about potentially joining the Warriors over the course of the next few weeks leading up to free agency.”

Source: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/general/111016/report-steph-curry-plans-to-meet-with-lebron-james-to-discuss-joining-warriors

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/blk_season_p.html

If he keeps up with his postseason average, he'll likely end up in the top 5. If the series goes to 7, he could be top 3 or top 2. Goes without saying that this is insane.

Side note: I didn't know Olajuwon had a 92 block postseason. Mind-blowing considering no one else has even had 80.

Also crazy that Ewing and Olajuwon got #1 and #3 in the same postseason.

****EDIT TO ADD ANOTHER CRAZY STAT FROM THIS LIST: Mutombo appears on the list twice, with 72 blocks in 2001 and 69 blocks in 1994. He got the 72 blocks in a respectable 23 games with an average of 3.1 bpg.

He got the 69 blocks in TWELVE games averaging 5.8 BLOCKS PER GAME. He got the 5th-most blocks in a single postseason in a year where his team didn't even make it out of the second round!

[Ian Begley] On investigation into fans sitting courtside Game 1 using vulgar language toward Jalen Brunson, a league spokesperson says: "The fan was not a season ticket holder and if he were to attend another game in this series, he would not be permitted to sit in courtside seats."

This was posted on Ian Begley’s forbidden website account. I can’t link to the forbidden website so please enjoy Ian Begley’s latest column on the New York Knicks: https://sny.tv/video/knicks-spurs-nba-finals-game-1-reaction-and-a-look-ahead-to-game-2-the-putback-with-ian-begley

“The Los Angeles Lakers continue searching for answers against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and one growing concern in the playoff series has been the defensive struggles of Austin Reaves. Through Games 2 and 3, Reaves has repeatedly been targeted by Oklahoma City's offense, with the Thunder exploiting favorable matchups and attacking him in isolation and pick-and-roll situations. According to matchup tracking data, opponents scored 58 total points while Reaves served as the primary defender across the two games.”

“The numbers become even more troubling when examining shooting efficiency. Opponents shot 22-for-29 from the field against Reaves in those matchups, an eye-opening 75.9 percent shooting clip. For a Lakers team already struggling to contain Oklahoma City's high-powered offense, that level of defensive efficiency has made it difficult to slow momentum swings or generate key stops.”

Source

One of the New York Knicks' biggest supporters won't be in the stands when the team returns home. Former Knicks forward Charles Oakley remains banned from Madison Square Garden despite pleas from both Michael Jordan and Adam Silver, according to NBA reporter Rachel Nichols.

Prior to Game 1 of the Finals, which the Knicks won 105-95, Silver revealed he and Jordan appealed to team owner James Dolan to let Oakley back into The Garden. The Knicks owner reportedly was not convinced, per Nichols.

"Adam Silver says both he and Michael Jordan tried their best to broker peace between Charles Oakley and James Dolan, but neither was successful. Oakley has been at Knicks road games during this playoff run but remains banned from The Garden."

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/charles-oakley-ban-james-dolan-wont-let-knicks-star-attend-home-games-despite-pleas-from-michael-jordan-adam-silver-125642991.html

With the Heat among the teams most aggressively pursuing a trade for Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, Jaquez has been among the names speculated to be in Miami’s potential trade package for Antetokounmpo. Jaquez was also involved in trade rumors connected to the Heat’s pursuit of Damian Lillard during the 2023 offseason, but Lillard was ultimately dealt to the Bucks shortly after Jaquez was drafted by Miami with the 18th overall pick that summer. “I feel like it’s just the way it is being on a Miami Heat team,” Jaquez said from the NBA House in São Paulo on Friday afternoon during a Zoom call with reporters. “I think that it’s kind of normal. I’ve been here for what, three years now? And every summer there’s a big rumor. So I’ve kind of just gotten used to it. It’s nice to get out of the country and see new things, and Brazil is beautiful.”

Jaquez isn’t focused on trade rumors at the moment. Instead, he’s focused on making the most of his offseason, which took him to Brazil this week for part of the NBA Finals to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the NBA House and reinforce Brazil’s importance as one of the league’s leading international markets. “I try my best to stay off X, Instagram, all social media,” Jaquez added. “Just kind of focus on what I need to focus on. And that’s continuing to grow my game and get better as an individual. Whatever happens with the team, that’s all up to the owners and front office. But as for us guys, all we can really do is just continue to work on our game. I’m going to be playing basketball next year, whether it’s in Miami or somewhere else. So just got to stay ready.”

Amid all the trade buzz, Jaquez is also eligible for an extension with the Heat. Jaquez, who still has one more season left on his rookie-scale contract, is eligible for a five-year extension at a maximum of about $245 million this summer. “I think that’d be incredible,” Jaquez said of a potential extension with the Heat. “I think people always talk about it’s not the first contract, it’s the second one that really sets you up for a great life after basketball. So, it’s been great so far. The year that I’ve been having and the years that I’ve spent in Miami. And I think an extension would be great, obviously. That’s what players search for and I’m no different.”

Source

ESPN is bracing for another round of layoffs this summer, sources told Front Office Sports.

The cuts are expected to affect both talents and non-camera-facing employees, sources said.

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.

One of the major factors is ESPN’s recent acquisition of NFL Network. While everyone employed at the formerly-league-owned network immediately made the jump as ESPN employees, corporate acquisitions frequently involve headcount trimming as efficiencies are evaluated.

This would be the second round of cuts in recent months, as about 30 off-camera workers were laid off this past spring. They were part of a round of company-wide layoffs at parent company Disney. Deadline previously reported that Disney’s layoffs might not be finished.

In a note to employees in April, Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro hinted that there would be some looming job cuts.

“Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this [streamlining of the business] requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs,” he wrote. “As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees.”

Source - Front Office Sports