NBA News Roundup: NFL Hall of Famer calls Giannis Antetokounmpo the best player in basketball, league announces new postseason hardware, and more - May 12th, 2022
The NBA world is enjoying the wild postseason, with some teams getting routed and others coming back from large deficits. Every conference semifinal series has a 3-2 record right now, with the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat leading against their respective opponents.
Steph Curry and the Warriors, along with Joel Embiid and the Sixers, put up embarrassing performances in their respective Game 5s. Both teams were blown out of the building.
The LA Lakers are getting special attention right now amongst the teams in the offseason. They have LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis on the team. They are surrounded by trade rumors and their head coaching search isn't going as well as planned.
Let's dive into the top stories from the basketball world in the last 24 hours.
NBA 2K shares stats to fuel the Shaquille O'Neal vs Rudy Gobert debate
The famous feud between Shaquille O'Neal and Rudy Gobert has been a joy for fans. After the French center claimed he could "lock Shaq's a** up," the NBA world erupted to mock Gobert.
Almost every analyst has laughed at Gobert's take and supported Shaquille O'Neal in the head-to-head matchup. Even sports debate shows like "First Take," "Undisputed" and more, didn't actually debate but unanimously agreed on the preposterous nature of the claim.
Shaquille O'Neal is considered one of, if not the, most dominant force in NBA history. He was unmatched near the rim and there is little to no doubt that he would completely wreck Gobert in this matchup.
However, there is no way to prove this since O'Neal is 50 years old and retired from the sport. NBA 2K shared the attribute list of Gobert and O'Neal and compared the two so that fans can at least see who would dominate in a video game setting.
.@SHAQ has the edge over @rudygobert27 according to #2KRatings
Agree? https://t.co/sxWcWD4oNm
Unsurprisingly, Shaquille O'Neal dominates every attribute, including blocks. His overall rating on the 2K All-Time team is 98, the second-highest ever.
Hall of Famer Bob Lanier passes away at age 73
Former first overall pick, Bob Lanier breathed his last breath at the age of 73 after a brief illness he could not recover from. He was an 8-time All-Star and the 1974 All-Star Game MVP.
Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. He had career averages of 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game and he hung up his sneakers a few hundred points shy of entering the 20K club.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a heartfelt statement after his passing, and media channels around the world broadcasted his highlights in tribute.
Remembering Bob Lanier for The NBA Today https://t.co/WHsf80HDwg
Shannon Sharpe believes that Giannis Antetokounmpo holds the 'Best Player in the NBA' title
The Milwaukee Bucks have been missing the services of Khris Middleton all series long against the best defensive team in the league, the Boston Celtics. Many picked the Celtics to win this series, but reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo refuses to let that happen.
He has dominated in this series and Game 5 was a testament to his greatness. With the series tied at two games apiece, the "Greek Freak" led the Bucks to a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback and won the game to take a 3-2 lead.
NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe tweeted in support of Giannis Antetokounmpo after Game 5, insisting that he should get his respect as the best player in the world. Sharpe is a hardcore LeBron James superfan, so for him to admit that Giannis is the best in the league was a huge deal. He tweeted:
"Enough is enough. Y’all need to stop being disrespectful to Giannis and give his title as best player in the NBA. Bck2Bck MVPs, finals MVP and All star gm MVP in the last 4 seasons. Should be more than enough for him to hold the title."
Enough is enough. Y’all need to stop being disrespectful to Giannis and give his title as best player in the NBA. Bck2Bck MVPs, finals MVP and All star gm MVP in the last 4 seasons. Should be more than enough for him to hold the title. #GreekFreak #BucksvsCelts #NBAPlayoffs2022
NBA announces new hardware for the conference finals
The NBA has introduced new trophies for practically every award. The championship Larry O'Brien trophy, Maurice Podoloff MVP trophy, and the conference championship awards all have new hardware.
Moreover, they have announced the addition of two new awards that they will hand over in the upcoming conference finals.
The conference finals will now have an MVP award and the Western one is named after Earvin "Magic" Johnson, while the Eastern one is named after Larry Bird. The conference championship trophy for the West is named after Oscar Robertson and the East one is named after Bob Cousy.
Here are the four new conference finals trophies - designed by Victor Solomon, produced by Tiffany & Co https://t.co/7ekO0JSSSk
Dallas Mavericks named as a party in a case that could have prevented sex trafficking
A 15-year-old girl was found 10 days later in an Oklahoma City hotel after going missing from a Dallas Mavericks game.
According to Morgan Young of ABC KVUE in Austin, attorney Zeke Fortenberry listed the Dallas Mavericks organization, the American Airlines Center, and the Dallas Police Department as parties who could have prevented the alleged sex trafficking.
The Dallas Mavericks were listed by an attorney's office as a party that could have prevented the sex trafficking of a teenage girl, per Bleacher Report https://t.co/A5DXHZLV69
According to the report, the girl left her seat at the American Airlines Arena to go to the restroom and never returned. The girl was found in Oklahoma days later by the police after "her parents identified her through nude photos that had been posted online in sex advertisements."
Eight people were arrested in Oklahoma City for various crimes such as sex trafficking, kidnapping, rape, prostitution, and distribution of child pornography.