NBA News Update: Anthony Davis doubtful for clash against Clippers, players decide to kneel during national anthem, The Last Dance nominated for an Emmy Award
LA Lakers' coach Frank Vogel spoke to the media this morning and confirmed earlier reports that superstar Anthony Davis had not participated in practice this morning.
When asked about Davis' availability for the much awaited Lakers vs Clippers game when the NBA season restarts on Thursday, he had this to say:
“There is some concern that he potentially will not play Thursday, but we’re hopeful that he does.”
Anthony Davis had to sit out the second NBA scrimmage after being poked in the eye in the first half. He also sat out the third NBA scrimmage along with LeBron James. The LA Lakers have been cautious with their superstars, not wanting to have any injuries during the rest of this season.
In other news for the Lakers, coach Vogel mentioned that Dwight Howard has been suffering from knee soreness and avoided some part of practice today. Kyle Kuzma participated in practice today without any ankle concerns.
The LA Lakers have looked very strong in the scrimmages despite losing one game to the Dallas Mavericks. Strong production from their bench led by J.R Smith, Alex Caruso and Dion Waiters will help take the load off LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the days to come, as the NBA season restarts.
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NBA players likely to kneel during the national anthem
In light of the social climate in the country, NBA players plan on kneeling during the national anthem in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. With protests raging all over the country over the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent killing of Breonna Taylor, NBA players have been actively speaking out about police reform, voting rights and social change in the American society.
Many players will have social justice messages on the back of their jerseys during the NBA season as well. Some NBA players are also donating their salary of the remainder of the season to charities that help social causes. Some have also been mentioning the case of Breonna Taylor during every press conference.
NBA teams kneeling during the national anthem, on a basketball court with Black Lives Matter painted on it, will be a powerful image that could further boost the BLM movement and perhaps lead to meaningful reform.
The Last Dance nominated for Emmy for best documentary series
Michael Jordan's documentary series, The Last Dance, took the basketball world by storm in April this year. During the few weeks of its release, everyone was talking about the great Chicago Bulls of the 1990s. With basketball fans starved for entertainment, The Last Dance garnered millions of views each time an episode was aired.
With many hailing it as the greatest sports documentary, The Last Dance was expected to be nominated for the Emmy Awards this year. Many expect the documentary series to sweep the award season and bag multiple awards this year.
During the weeks after its release, we got to see legends of the games such Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Reggie Miller come out for interviews and reminiscing in their glory days of the 80s and 90s. Youngsters got an opportunity to see why people regard Michael Jordan to be the greatest player in NBA history. The documentary also showed us a very different side of the legend, his insecurities and his personal struggles on the path to greatness.
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