Weekly Round-Up: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes NBA should mandate vaccines… and more
Here are the most crucial NBA news (based on my opinion) from the week
Hey all,
Welcome to the Weekly Round-Up on the Old Man Game Newsletter, where I share with you the best and most crucial NBA stories from the week, plus some other cool stuff.
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A lot went down this week as media day and training camps kicked off, so let’s get right to it:
Featured Story
A Brief History of NBA Legends and Activism
Many Americans stood up and demonstrated against this (and many other) injustices. In the NBA, players such as LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, coaches such as Gregg Popovich and Ryan Saunders, and team executives, such as Mark Cuban, protested via social media, essays, news conferences and peaceful marches.
Not a lot of people know this, but the NBA has had a rich history of players fighting for civil rights and social justice.
In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, a time when racial tension was at the tip of its stiffness in America, NBA legends Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were outspoken about their experiences with racism…
Click here to continue reading the article on Medium.com
Tip/Drill/Exercise of the Week
Linsanity Workout (The Jeremy Link Workout)
The Linsanity Workout was well sought after when Jeremy Lin was playing for the New York Knicks. This post shares the main workouts he did to play at that spectacular level.
The Wire
Karl-Anthony Towns Opens Up About His Season of Grief
Covid-19 hit Karl Anthony-Towns hard. Not only did the virus hurt him on the court, but it also affected his life off of the court. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he opens up about the struggles he went through during the 2020-21 NBA season.
“I felt like everything was an open-ended sentence, you know? There was no closure. There was no period at the end,” he says. “I just kept running on and running on and running on, but I never really got to where I needed to go to end a conversation.”
Kareem: NBA should mandate vaccination for all players, staff
NBA legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, believes that the league should mandate all NBA players and team staff to be vaccinated or suffer ramifications.
He told Rolling Stone that:
“There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their teammates, the staff, and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research.”
Jalen Rose Wants To Challenge Society’s Definition Of Success For Students With The JRLA
Jalen Rose wants to redefine what success is through his charter high school, the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. He says his school is meant to support and guide the student on whatever path they choose, not force them to go the traditional route.
“The young people want to be successful. They want to be game changers in their families in their communities,” Rose says. “They just don’t have the love, the support, and the guidance to put them in position to chase their goals and dreams. That’s what we’re trying to provide, and society tries to paint a picture that we’re not successful if we don’t graduate from Harvard, right? …I am not starting the school with four hundred kids, 9-12 grade, promising these 10th and 11th graders that’s reading at a sixth grade level that I’m gonna get them to college. Flat out, I’m not doing that, because I now become the system failing them again.”
Lonzo Ball Will Be a Traditional Point Guard Again
Talking to the media, Lonzo Ball said that his role with the Chicago Bulls this season will be a traditional point guard, unlike last season.
"Talking to Billy, just getting back to being a more traditional PG. Last year (with the Pelicans) was different for me but whatever the coach asks me, I'll do to the best of my abilities. This year, it looks like I'll be PG."
Anthony Davis Is ‘Comfortable With’ Playing Center For The Lakers This Year
Looks like the Los Angeles Lakers’ will be running a smaller lineup this upcoming season. Anthony Davis told the media that he and Head Coach Frank Vogel discussed it and he’s comfortable playing the center position.
“That was the expectation and that was discussed, and I expect to play center,” Davis said. “I’m not sure what’s gonna happen, me and Frank talked about it a couple of times and that’s the plan. Right now, nothing is set in stone, but we wanna see what that looks like, and I’m comfortable with that.”
LaMelo Ball Launches College Scholarship Program
The Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball announced that he is starting a 4-year scholarship program. It will support a student through their studies in sports management or communication/marketing at Long Island University's Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment.
"I’m fortunate to have the means and public platform to support others, so I want to do my part and create a lane for a student to get a strong education and be in position to make a meaningful impact in the sports industry."
NBA: No pay if unvaccinated players can't play
According to NBA Spokesman Mike Bass:
"Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses."
Some Crucial Rules Are Being Changed
First, new rules concerning fouls from non-basketball moves will be altered:
“For the 2021-22 NBA season, there will be an interpretive change in the officiating of overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves by offensive players with the ball in an effort to draw fouls.”
Second, there will be a change to the instant replay rules. Referees will no longer initiate replay reviews of out-of-bounds violations in the last two minutes of games. Instead, coaches will have to use a Coach’s Challenge.
Final Thoughts
Well, that was a jam-packed week.
Anywhoo, hope you all have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you all again next week!
Nam
P.S. If you want to support this newsletter and the blog, consider buying something from this guide. It’s a list of the best NBA gifts you can buy. In it, you’ll find some cool items that you can use to show off your love for a team. You can also grab something for bandwagoning (no one’s judging). Thanks in advance!