Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jae Crowder (99) chase a loose ball in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. David Richard
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is No. 1 in jersey sales roughly midway through the season, the NBA announced Tuesday. Curry has finished first the past two seasons as well, and his Warriors remain in the top spot in team merchandise sales.
Following Curry in jersey sales is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and Curry’s teammate Kevin Durant, respectively. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is fourth, the highest ranking ever after the “Greek Freak” finished last season at No. 9, while the New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis comes in fifth.
Joel Embiid (No. 6) and Ben Simmons (No. 8) of the Philadelphia 76ers debut on the list, as well as Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball (No. 11). Kyrie Irving’s stock has taken the biggest hit of the top 15, as he’s down to No. 12 in his first season with the Boston Celtics after finishing fifth as a member of the Cavs last year.
Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan was fined $15,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officials after his team’s 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
“It’s frustrating being out there feeling like you’re playing 5-on-8,” DeRozan said postgame. “Some of those calls were terrible, period.” DeRozan and the Raptors were on the wrong end of several controversial calls and non-calls down the stretch against the Warriors. The 28-year-old was particularly incensed when a loose ball that went out of bounds next to the Warriors bench led to a video review that awarded Golden State possession with three seconds remaining.
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue honouring Elgin Baylor during an outdoor ceremony prior to their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 6, the team announced.
Baylor will join Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal as the only former Lakers’ players to receive a statue outside of the Staples Center. Baylor averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists across his 14-year NBA career (1958-72), all spent with the Lakers. He was an 11-time All-Star and was named first-team All-NBA 10 times. Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, and the team retired his No. 22 in 1983.
“I am thrilled that 60 years after the Minneapolis Lakers drafted Elgin, we are able to celebrate and honour him with a statue,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “Not only is Elgin a part of the Lakers family, his contributions to the game of basketball earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. His list of accomplishments are unparalleled and I can’t wait to see his statue at Star Plaza alongside the other Lakers legends.”
· Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford returned to practice, ending a medical leave of absence from the team that included missing 21 games.
Clifford was sidelined because of headaches caused by sleep deprivation. He told reporters that the intense headaches he began getting in early December worried him to the point that he decided to step away. Tests revealed nothing wrong internally, but doctors advised the 56-year-old change his lifestyle and focus on getting more sleep.
Clifford said he feels rested now and intends to delegate more of his responsibilities to his assistant coaches moving forward. He is expected to coach against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
