NBA News Update: Video reveals sheriff's deputy shoving Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, Charles Barkley predicts Blazers sweep on Lakers
The NBA playoffs have given us some great entertaining games for the past 2 days, with the Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic upsetting title contenders LA Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks respectively. We also got to see some great basketball action from Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat as they beat the Indiana Pacers. With all this excitement, a lot of NBA news might not have made it to your feed.
Here are some NBA news updates that you might have missed out on.
Bodycam footage of 2019 NBA Final altercation released by Masai Ujiri's legal team
Right after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Finals last year, Raptors' President of Basketball Operations, Masai Ujiri got into an altercation with a Sheriff's deput wokring as a security guard, Alan Strickland. Ujiri was slapped with a $75,000 lawsuit for damages.
Ujiri's legal team has released the bodycam footage that clearly shows that it was Strickland who started the altercation by shoving Ujiri twice before Ujiri shoved back. Ujiri's legal team put out a statement saying:
"We are mindful this remains before the courts, but we have always maintained that the claims made against Masai are baseless and entirely without merit. We believe this video evidence shows exactly that - Masai was not an aggressor, but instead was the recipient of two very violent, unwarranted actions."
The altercation definitely put a damper on one of the greatest nights in Toronto Raptors' history. With this evidence, Ujiri's legal team hopes to finally put this lawsuit behind them.
Also Read: "He is one of the most underrated players in our game" LeBron James heaps praises on Damian Lillard ahead of their NBA Playoffs clash
In other NBA news, Charles Barkley rates James Harden the greatest 1-on-1 scorer ever
NBA news analyst Charles Barkley always has interesting takes on the league every since he joined the Emmy winning show on TNT. Earlier today on Inside the NBA, he was all praise for James Harden after his 37 point performance in the Houston Rockets' victory over the OKC Thunder.
He believed that Harden is the greatest 1-on-1 player in the history of the NBA, much to the surprise of his colleagues. He said:
"I’ve said it before. James Harden is the best 1-on-1 player I’ve ever seen in my life. As great as Michael and Kobe were, they weren’t the three-point shooter that James was."
Chuck was not done making bold claims. Later in the night, prior Portland Trail Blazers' game, Chuck claimed that if the Damian Lillard led team won the game, they would sweep the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Barkley had earlier claimed that the Blazers would make it past the Lakers but is now taking his claim up a notch with his prediction of a sweep. We will wait to see if his prediction comes true now that the Blazers won the first game of the series.
Also Read: NBA News Update: Boston Celtics' star Gordon Hayward ruled out for four weeks, Jazz's Mike Conley makes a much-needed return