Hey LeBron, scream if you love NBA Media Day:

Today’s Lineup

Media Day Moments 📸

Nowhere can you find such a delightful mix of serious basketball discussion and hilarious antics like NBA Media Day. Here were some of the funniest moments from press conferences around the league—and a few interesting tidbits we learned heading into opening night.

• Lonzo Ball is officially BACK. After nearly three years of constant setbacks and surgeries, the Bulls PG announced that he plans to be ready for opening night! While Chicago’s roster is looking a lot different (and the backcourt a lot more crowded), here’s to hoping he can recapture that 2021 magic. 🪄

• From a former UCLA star to a father-son duo taking LA by storm, LeBron and Bronny’s first media day together was just as goofy (and iconic) as we expected. While the photo-op was legendary, hearing the two talk hoops was even better. We can’t wait to see a whole season of interviews like this: 😂😂

• Staying in LA, we all know that James Harden has started to transition into more of a playmaking role over the last few seasons. But could the Clippers star be turning back the clock and going full Rockets mode in 2024-25? Harden said the Clippers’ playstyle will “certainly involve a lot of me” this season, comparing his potential role to that of Luka Doncic on the Mavericks. Sounds good to us, as long as we can watch stuff like this. 🔥

• In Memphis, John Konchar hit us with perhaps the funniest story of the offseason, when he pranked Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells by pretending to be a fan. We might not recognize him either… 💀

• Anyone who’s seen the Warriors’ Kevon Looney play in the NBA may think he rarely escapes the confines of the lane on offense, but real ones know he’s just been hiding his power levels this whole time. Looney low-key had a bag during his time at UCLA, and he might finally start to showcase it at the pro level. The big man has reportedly been shooting 400-500 threes a day this offseason, and new teammate DeAnthony Melton said he’s looking like his old high school self. 👀

• Finally, we have to shout out DaAndre Ayton for his incredible all-around vibes. The Blazers’ big man has caught some undue flak over the years for a perceived lack of effort, but we think hosting a barbecue for the whole team and coaching staff, uplifting rookie Donovan Clingan, and bringing this kind of positivity to media day shows just how awesome of a teammate he is:

Remembering Dikembe Mutombo

A player who was defined on the court by his ability to keep the ball out of the basket and, in his later years, his commitment to bringing people in to embrace the sport around the globe: Dikembe Mutombo was a man of contradictions in the best way possible.

A 7’2” mountain of a man who spent his entire career terrorizing offensive players in the paint, swatting shots into Row G, and wagging his finger at opponents, you’d think Mutombo would strike a fearsome figure. But ask anyone in and around the NBA world and they’ll tell you he was the exact opposite.

We could talk all day about his record-tying 4 DPOYs or his 3540 career blocks, but the Congolese legend should truly be remembered for his incredible humanitarian work. In the world of basketball, he pushed to spread the game in Africa and around the world, playing an integral role in Basketball Without Borders, a worldwide community outreach program between FIBA and the NBA, while also becoming the NBA’s first official Global Ambassador in 2009.

And outside the game, the HOFer’s reach was just as broad as on the court. After founding his own foundation in 1997, he worked tirelessly to improve living conditions in his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the $29 million Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital on the outskirts of Kinshasa, which is named after Dikembe’s late mother.

But if there’s one image we should remember Mutombo by, it’s him laying on the floor of the Seattle Center in 1994 just moments after pulling off the first eight-seed upset in NBA history. This moment in time—and Dikembe’s entire career—is the perfect microcosm of the pure, unbridled joy sports can bring.

Rest in peace to a legend in every sense of the word. 💙🏀

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Mutombo showed us that greatness isn’t just about stats or titles—it’s about the impact you leave behind. Whether he was blocking shots or building hospitals, he lived with purpose and passion. Let’s all take a page from his playbook and use whatever platform you have to make the world a better place. 💙

Talk soon,

-Spencer Poole