The NBA season is officially here!

That sure has a nice ‘ring’ to it, doesn’t it? 💍

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday Jalen Pickett, Sonia Citron, and Dražen Petrović! 🎉

Around the Association

Thunder storm back late, defeat new-look Rockets 125-124 in Double Overtime Classic

Could the first game of the NBA season possibly be the best game we see the entire regular season? Well…it’s far too early to know for sure, but the Rockets and Thunder made a pretty good case last night.

Chet Holmgren set the tone early in this one, connecting on his first seven shots from the floor and dropping 19 points in the first half alone. After a slow first half, reigning MVP/Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like his usual self in the second half and OT (35 PTS, 5 AST) including the game-clinching free throws in double OT to seal the victory:

OKC’s three point shots weren’t falling for most of the game (13/52 3PT), but a big-time triple from Cason Wallace (14 PTS) put OKC on top late in double overtime. They were somewhat stubborn in their gameplan in this one- but it paid off in the end. You know what they say, “if at first you don’t succeed…”

Although Houston couldn’t spoil ring night in Oklahoma, Rockets fans should be thrilled with the performance from Alperen Sengun. The All-Star big put up a ridiculous line (39 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST), and knocked down a career-high five treys. If last night was the first indicator of another Sengun leap, the league could be in some serious trouble…

Kevin Durant’s debut in a Rockets uniform was overall smooth (23 PTS, 9 REB), and he should only get more and more comfortable as the season goes on.

Simply put, we could not have asked for a better game to kick this NBA season off. 🔥

Warriors route Lakers in Los Angeles 119-109 to open season 1-0

It’s hard to follow-up the show OKC and Houston put on earlier in the night, but the Warriors three point shooting clinic in L.A. was as entertaining as they come. 🔥

Both the Lakers and Warriors enter this season with a few new faces, but it was the familiar ones that stole the show in Crypto Arena. Rocking his new number, Jonathan Kuminga was doing it all (17 PTS, 8 REB, 5/8 3PT). Buddy Hield (17 PTS) was a flame-thrower from deep, and Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler treated tonight like it was just another day in the office, combining for 54 big ones.

You know the NBA is back when Chef Curry is hitting shots like this 😱:

Luka Doncić was a one-man wrecking crew for the Lakers (43 PTS, 12 REB, 9 AST) but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Austin Reaves (26 PTS, 9 AST) was seemingly the only non-Luka Laker to make a consistent impact on the offensive end of the floor.

L.A. kept it tight in the first half, but a 16-4 run by GSW to open the second half was all the Dubs needed to cruise to their first win of the season.

Although tonight’s performance from the new-look Lakers wasn’t necessarily inspiring, LeBron James was sidelined for this game and will be for the next few weeks, so it’s best to hold off on fully judging this new Lakers team until the King is back. 👑

Extension Excitement

Major Money Moves went down across the league on Monday. 💰

The rookie-scale extension deadline for the 2022 draft class was approaching quickly this week, and it was unclear if certain guys were going to get their long-term bread, or if they’d find themselves becoming a restricted free agent this summer...

On Monday, two more players from the 2022 class got deals done, and can now buy their whole squad brand new Rolexes 😎:

Christian Braun, DEN - 5yr, $125 Million

Braun-Town just got a whole lot richer.

CB’s first season as a starter in 2024-25 was his best of his young career (15.4 PTS, 5.2 REBS, 58% FG) and he did more than enough to earn this lucrative deal to keep him as Denver’s two guard for the foreseeable future.

If he can increase his three point volume (only 2.8 attempts last season) while hovering around the same percentage (40%), things might get even scarier for the Nuggets’ opponents….

Dyson Daniels, ATL - 4yr, $100 Million

Most Improved Player, First Team All-Defense, and now a $100 Million man. Needless to say….2025 has been quite the year for Dyson Daniels.

After being dealt to Atlanta in the summer of 2024, Daniels blossomed into the one of the league’s best defenders, and saw substantial offensive improvements across the board.

Now that the fourth-year man is locked in as a Hawk for the next half-decade, it’s likely his Atlanta legacy is going to keep soaring. 🦅

On top of the 2022 draftees, Aaron Nesmith of the Pacers also inked a new contract with the team (2yr, $40 Million) after proving his worth yet again last season (12.2 PTS, 50% FG, 43% 3PT) on a squad that was one win away from a championship.

Way to get that bag, fellas! 🙌

Hollywood Hoops & Secrets

If you‘re reading this you probably love basketball as much as we do. That’s why you need to check out A Hollywood Ending by award-winning NBA writer Yaron Weitzman.

Go behind the scenes of LeBron’s Lakers years with stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Learn about him skipping his first Lakers event for an OSU football game, cutting off Coach Vogel during a film session, and what he and Anthony Davis said in their private group chat after the Luka trade.

With interviews from over 300 insiders, this book is full of drama, laughs, and untold moments you won’t want to miss. Grab your copy here!

Wayback Wednesday

A fresh NBA season is now upon us, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop celebrating the greats of the past!

In this week’s edition of Wayback Wednesday, let’s take a look back at a guy who’s game was so complete, he was getting MJ comparisons at age 22. One of the most electrifying hoopers from the ‘90s- Grant Hill! 😎

Grant Hill had already made quite a name for himself before even stepping foot into the NBA. Playing alongside one of the greatest college players ever, Christian Laettner, Hill was a leader on the Duke squads that won back-to-back National Championships in 1991 and 1992.

The success GH experienced in college transferred over into the pros immediately. After being picked third overall by the Pistons in the 1994 draft, he put on a SHOW for the Motor City, a fanbase who was seeking a fresh era after the ‘Bad Boys’ run had come to a close.

Hill absolutely took the league by STORM. By age 25, he was already a 3x All-Star and a 3x All-NBA member. Mind you..he came into the league at age 22. 😂

His lethal combination of speed and athleticism had even the best defenders on the planet needing a map. Just watch how he schools one of the greatest defenders in NBA history, Scottie Pippen, with his signature killer crossover: 🔥

After seven elite seasons in Detroit, Hill was ready for his next chapter. He signed with the Magic in the summer of 2000 and was joining forces with Tracy McGrady, creating a duo that was about to terrorize the league. Unfortunately… all we were left with was a big ‘What-if’.

The Orlando tenure for G-Money was riddled with injury. In his first three seasons with the Magic, he played a total of 47 games. A fractured ankle injury suffered in 2000 led to several surgeries, and sadly, he was never the same player after he came back. 😪

Although he was no longer the All-NBA player he once was, Hill refused to let his injury history end his career entirely. He managed to carve out an 18-year run in the league, and remained a more than serviceable player on contending teams, most notably with the Suns in the late 2000s. 🙌

It’s tough to think about how legendary Grant Hill’s career could have been if not for his devastating injuries, but when he was healthy, he was on pace to become one of the best…ever. That should not be forgotten!

Three in the Key

A new NBA season means a new season of the Numbers on the Board pod! 🔥

Kenny, Pierre, Mike, and Darrick make their picks for which players are going to exceed expectations for this coming season.

Give it a watch! ⬇️

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! It feels good to be back, cheers to the next eight months of non-stop NBA Basketball! 😁

See you on Friday!

Bobby Kasmire