🏀 He's from Where??

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Today’s Lineup

Mark Your Calendars 📅 Three games next season you WON'T want to miss

Where in the World 🌍 Highlighting our favorite ballers from obscure countries

What to Watch 📺 Crina breaks down a packed weekend of W hoops

Mark Your Calendars 📅

Wake up, people: the full NBA schedule is out! We already knew about the Opening Day and Christmas games, but here are three more matchups next season that you won’t want to miss.

Dec 28th: Blazers vs. Spurs

Three words. Wemby and Scoot.

A battle of two top prospects with a dash of Shaedon Sharpe thrown in for good measure? Sign us up! Bonus points if Damian Lillard is still in town to drain 40-footers like it’s nothing.

If you need any more convincing, just watch this.

Jan 16th: Sixers vs. Nuggets

Please, basketball gods, just give us this game.

Every time Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are set to face off, it seems like a coin flip whether they both actually play. But the storyline of the defending champ vs. the reigning MVP is simply too hard to pass up. Just remember to stay off Twitter for this one.

Feb 4th: Celtics vs. Grizzlies

Not only is this mid-season matchup Marcus Smart’s return to Beantown, but it’s also a great all-around game. Boston and Memphis are two of the best young teams in the league that haven’t gotten over the hump, plus Ja Morant will be back at this point to add some high-flying flavor.

And, not gonna lie, a small part of us will miss Dillon Brooks’ antics.

Where in the World 🌍

We all know about international hoops powerhouses like France, Spain, and Serbia which seem to churn out All-Stars, but what about nations that have only ever sent a single player to the big time?

That’s what this section is about! Once a month, we’ll be highlighting a different country and telling the story of their lone NBA player. Now, let’s start off with someone cold (literally.)

Petur Gudmundsson - Iceland

Did you know that the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla (don’t ask us how to pronounce that) is nearly as old as the NBA? It’s true! The Úrvalsdeild karla was founded in 1951, just five years after the NBA.

Despite nearly 75 years of hoops history, Iceland has never exactly been a basketball powerhouse. It’s sort of hard to do when the population of your entire country is less than that of Wichita, Kansas. But they’ve still had one massive 7-foot-2 success story.

Enter, Petur Gudmundsson. Born in Reykjavík in 1958, Gudmundsson grew up playing handball, but after a horse riding accident left him unable to throw the ball with power, he switched to basketball.

That definitely ended up being the right move. Gudmundsson basically never stopped growing as a teenager, capping out at well over seven feet tall. And, like most gigantic seven-foot 16-year-olds, he eventually got noticed by a coach, in this case, the University of Washington’s Marv Harshman.

As a Husky, Gudmundsson showcased flashes of true NBA potential, including dropping 37 points on the University of California and leading Washington to one of the biggest upsets in school history over #1 UCLA in 1979. It was enough to leave an impact in the Pacific Northwest because the Portland Trail Blazers would end up drafting him in the third round.

Gudmundsson was a reliable backup center on a 42-win Portland team, but it wasn’t enough to earn a roster spot the next season. What followed was a multi-season international odyssey, with stops back at home in Iceland, England, and the old Continental Basketball Association.

Petur was all set to play the 1986 season for the CBA’s Kansas City Sizzlers (great name, btw), but he was denied a work permit by U.S. Immigration officials. On the verge of being sent back home, Gudmundsson was thrown perhaps the greatest lifeline any man has ever gotten, a ten-day contract with the Showtime Lakers.

And, despite the odds, he ended up sticking around. LA signed him through the end of the season, and Gudmundsson was even part of their playoff rotation as they made the Western Conference Finals. It was enough to earn a two-year extension, which he wound up playing out in San Antonio after being traded as part of a package for his former Blazers teammate Mychal Thompson.

Injuries derailed Gudmondsson’s NBA career after his time on the Spurs, but it was more than enough to leave a lasting legacy as the league’s only-ever Icelandic player. In 2001, he was even named the Icelandic Player of the Century. What a legend.

Sorry, George Gervin, but our guy Petur is the real Ice Man.

Around the W With Crina

This past week was the battle of the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces. This weekend, the rest of the league will try to solidify their spots as we head to crunch time of the WNBA season. Who’s playing this weekend, and where can you find the games? Let’s go!

Friday, August 18

Dallas Wings @ Connecticut Sun - 7 pm ET (ion)

Washington Mystics @ Indiana Fever - 7 pm ET (ion)

Chicago Sky @ Atlanta Dream - 7:30 pm ET (ion)

New York Liberty @ Phoenix Mercury - 10 pm ET (ion)

Minnesota Lynx @ Seattle Storm - 10 pm ET (ion)

Out of all these teams, the Wings, Sun, and Dream have pretty consistently stayed between 3-5 in the rankings, right behind the Liberty and Aces. The Wings/Sun game on Friday will be an important one for both teams as they try to get more prepared for possible playoff matchups. They have faced off three times this season, with the Sun leading 2-1, but the Wings getting the most recent win just a week ago.

Saturday, August 19

LA Sparks @ Las Vegas Aces - 3 pm ET (ABC)

The Aces clinched their playoff spot weeks ago, but the Sparks are in that tricky 9th spot. The top 8 teams make the playoffs, so this would be an incredible and crucial victory for the Sparks if they pull this off.

Sunday, August 20

Dallas Wings @ Washington Mystics - 3 pm ET (NBA TV)

Connecticut Sun @ Chicago Sky - 5 pm ET (NBA TV)

Indiana Fever @ Phoenix Mercury - 6 pm ET (League Pass)

Seattle Storm @ Minnesota Lynx - 7 pm ET (NBA TV)

The Lynx, Mystics, and Sky are all on playoff watch for these matchups. They're currently the 6-8 seeds and trying to stay in that top-eight playoff eligibility. The Lynx have shown some flashes of good basketball, pushing them to the 6th spot.

Which matchup will you be watching? Which team will you be enjoying heading into the end of the season? Let us know!

Frozen Moments

• Want to see Rico Nasty throw lobs to Terrell Owens? Then check out the BIG3 Celebrity game this Saturday 👀

• James Harden is living his best life in China

• Josh Giddey doing Josh Giddey things 🔥

What We’re Enjoying

The Bulls Schedule Announcement: The Bulls clearly want to be the very best (like no one ever was) with this 10/10 schedule announcement. A+ for originality.

Signing Off

That’s all we got for today! Stay positive, drink water, and if you run into our guy Petur from Iceland, let him know he rocks.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is Canada! From Steve Nash to Andrew Wiggins, 60 NBA players have come from the Great White North. Second place is France with 42.