NBA News Roundup: Chet Holmgren to miss rookie season due to injury, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a show in World Cup qualifying, and more | August 26, 2022
Chet Holmgren, the OKC Thunder rookie and the second pick from this year's draft, will miss the 2022-23 NBA season. Holmgren sustained a foot injury at a Seattle pro-am game while guarding LeBron James two minutes into the contest.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, the two MVP winners over the past four seasons, squared off in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. Jokic got the better of the Milwaukee Bucks superstar as he led Serbia to a much-needed win over Greece.
Here's the latest buzz surrounding the NBA on August 26, 2022.
Chet Holmgren to miss debut NBA season due to foot injury
OKC Thunder rookie and one of the most exciting prospects in this year's draft, Chet Holmgren, is set to miss the 2022-23 season. Holmgren injured his foot at the CrawsOver tournament last week while guarding LeBron James in transition.
| on.nba.com/3wvvV1s
Thunder injury update. Statement from GM Sam Presti.
🔗 | on.nba.com/3wvvV1s https://t.co/SsGCFueT2q
The Thunder announced Thursday that Holmgren endured a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. He impressed in the Summer League and several pro-am games he played during the offseason. Holmgren joins an elite list of players such as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin, who missed their first year due to injuries.
Skip Bayless picks Kevin Durant over Steph Curry, says the latter lacks "closer gene"
Skip Bayless picked Kevin Durant over his former teammate Steph Curry as the better player. Bayless believes that Curry lacks the "closer gene." The Fox Sports analyst also went back in time to support his claim. He said Steph needed Durant to save his legacy after the Warriors' shocking 2016 NBA finals loss.
Here's what Bayless said:
“I don’t wanna hear anything more about Little Steph, who does not have the closer gene.”
He added:
“Are you telling me that the best player on the planet is the same Steph Curry? Who epically failed so dramatically, so spectacularly, in Games 5, 6, and 7 of the 2016 finals. That he went and recruited the man in question here to come save his legacy? I’ve never seen that from a top-10 player.”
.@RealSkipBayless would rather have KD than Steph Curry:
"You're telling me the Greatest Player on the Planet is the same Steph Curry who epically failed in the 2016 Finals that he went and recruited the man in question to save his legacy? He doesn't have the closure gene." https://t.co/8K4aFXJrSX
Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a show during their World Cup qualifying clash
Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers started recently. Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greece took on Nikola Jokic's Serbia in a game on Thursday. The two balled out as the game went to overtime.
Also Checkout:- Giannis Antetokounmpo Brothers
Jokic and Giannis went at it during the FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifier 🔥
(via @MozzartSport) https://t.co/4tZqSba7q0
Giannis dropped 40 points, which is a European World Cup qualifying record. He also had eight rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Jokic had 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Antetokounmpo might have outscored the Joker, but Jokic had the last laugh as Serbia won 100-94.
Vanessa Bryant to donate LA County Lawsuit money to Mamba & Mambacita Foundation
The late NBA legend Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant, won $16 million in a lawsuit against LA County. The lawsuit was over the distribution of photos from her husband's helicopter crash site. According to TMZ, Vanessa will donate the amount to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation, a non-profit organization.
The foundation was started in memory of Kobe and his daughter Gigi, who passed away in a helicopter crash in January 2020. The foundation covers the need for finance and sports programming for underserved athletes.
REPORT: Vanessa Bryant will be donating the $16 million she was awarded from the LA County lawsuit to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation.
(via @TMZ, tmz.com/2022/08/25/van…) https://t.co/3vsBASzREU
Kawhi Leonard looks in tremendous shape ahead of his comeback season
LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard is all set to make his NBA comeback from injury. Leonard injured his knee during the 2020-21 playoffs and missed the 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery.
@kawhileonard is going BEAST MODE this season! 😤💪
(via @LAClippers)
#kawhileonard #LAClippers #nba https://t.co/V2gci2vnbk
The Clippers recently shared pictures of the two-time NBA Finals MVP on their social media, in which "The Klaw" looked in tremendous shape. It's a good sign for the Clippers, who are hoping to win the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history.