NBA News Roundup: Davidson to retire Steph Curry’s jersey, Ja Morant puts Curry in the top-5 all-time list and more | June 18th, 2022
Steph Curry had a legacy-defining performance in the 2022 NBA Finals. Curry led the Golden State Warriors to their fourth championship in eight seasons. He was also named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his legendary career.
Just a day after winning his fourth ring, Davidson College announced that they are going to retire Curry's No. 30 jersey. The two-time MVP spent three seasons with Davidson, wherein he developed into one of the best scorers in the country at the time.
Here is the latest NBA news roundup for June 18th brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Davidson to retire Steph Curry's No. 30 jersey
Davidson College announced on Friday that they are finally going to retire Steph Curry's No. 30 jersey. According to the Charlotte Observer, Curry's jersey retirement was long overdue. It took 13 years for Davidson to retire his jersey because of their policy of not retiring the jersey of any player who didn't graduate.
Curry earned his sociology degree in May 2022, paving the way for his jersey retirement. Davidson has scheduled the ceremony for Aug. 31, with Steph also getting inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. Longtime head coach Bob McKillop told the Observer last month of how proud he is of his former player.
"Steph made a commitment to Davidson and to his parents that he was going to graduate," McKillop said. "This was a superb, remarkable story about honoring a commitment, something that again shows that Steph prominently displays character traits that are so absent in our world today."
Davidson will honor Steph Curry by giving him a mini-graduation ceremony, retiring his No. 30 jersey and inducting him into the school hall of fame on Aug. 31 🙌 https://t.co/JxmleTMrc5
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown promises to get better and be back in the NBA Finals
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown came up short in their first NBA Finals appearance. The dynamic duo were just two wins away from leading the Boston Celtics to their 18th championship. However, the Warriors won three games in a row to win the title.
Tatum and Brown told the media after Game 6 that losing hurts. Despite the unwanted results, the Celtics are already looking forward to coming back stronger next season, as per Yahoo! Sports. Boston still have their young core returning next season, while also having the ability to improve.
Veteran forward Al Horford praised their two cornerstones even though they struggled mightily in the Finals. The Celtics struggled halfway into the season, but had a great second half.
"I want us to keep perspective on how much growth Jayson and Jaylen had this year," Horford said. "There's a lot of responsibility on their hands. They took it in stride. They made adjustments, they improved, they grew as players."
Ja Morant puts Steph Curry in top five greatest ever
Ja Morant was one of many people who watched Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship. Steph and Ja have already had a few memorable battles in the past couple of seasons. Morant had nothing but praise for the 2022 NBA Finals MVP.
The young Memphis Grizzlies superstar showed his respect towards Curry by saying that he's a top-five player ever. Morant shared a post listing all of Steph's accolades before calling him "top 5 all time."
top 5 all time . twitter.com/ballislife/sta…
There is mutual respect between them since Steph already praised Morant after eliminating them in the second round. Curry told reporters (h/t Sports Illustrated) that the sky is the limit for Morant. He also acknowledged that they are going to see the young Grizzlies more in the future.
"He's a problem. I mean his numbers are crazy," Curry said. "He requires all of your attention. Is he in his 3rd year? 4th year? The sky is the limit. Like I said, they're gonna be around for a long time, fighting for Western Conference prowess."
Celtics fan does not regret 2022 NBA champions tattoo
Jack Bienvenue went viral during the NBA Finals because of his tattoo that proclaimed the Boston Celtics as the 2022 NBA World Champions. The 18-year-old Celtics fan got the tattoo back in March during the Celtics' unbelievable run atop the Eastern Conference.
Bienvenue told The Athletic that he does not regret getting the tattoo now that the Celtics failed to win this season. He will not get it lasered off and will just have it corrected when his team finally wins their 18th championship. The Celtics are expected to be one of the favorites to win the title next season.
"I don't think I'd get it lasered off because it's part of me," Bienvenue said. "If they end up losing and then they win like next year, after they win I could get it corrected. Get the two lasered off and get a three."
Dude who got the Celtics tattoo:
“If it works, I’m a prophet.”
😂
(via The Athletic) https://t.co/l3xqwuVq5V
Juan Toscano-Anderson makes history in Warriors' title win
Juan Toscano-Anderson made history after the Golden State Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship. Toscano-Anderson became the first player with Mexican descent in NBA history to win a title. He's a California native, but his mother's father is from Michoacan.
Toscano-Anderson celebrated his first championship by draping a Mexican flag during their celebration. He played just a total of 79 seconds in his first Finals appearance, but was an integral part of the Warriors. He played 73 games in the regular season, averaging 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds.
The 29-year-old took a different path to the NBA. He went undrafted in 2015, spending the first three years of his professional career overseas. He then played two seasons for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League before joining Golden State full time in 2020.
Juan Toscano-Anderson became the first player of Mexican descent to win an NBA title last night 🇲🇽
JTA, who’s from Oakland, did it with his hometown team 🙏 https://t.co/wAJ2fHH1tz