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Today’s Lineup

🙏 All-Star Weekend Positively Impacts SF

There’s a LOT of buzz about the NBA All-Star Weekend. Is it perfect? Of course not. But one thing that should have unanimous support is the NBA’s positive impact on the host city community through philanthropy during the weekend. They truly go the extra mile. 🙏 

Every year, the All-Star Game results are tied to local charities. This year each assist not only produced two or (more likely) three points, but it also generated a $1,900 donation 💰 split between the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland. 

The league also took strides to improve infrastructure for kids. In San Fran, the NBA, NBPA, Warriors, and Nike renovated a school gym. In Oakland, they beautified a school yard and renovated a public library! 📚

The players and staff also got involved in the community themselves! NBA volunteers participated in a hands-on service project packaging meals at a local food bank serving 50K households every week. Check out what Steph Curry and the guys did:

The NBA and WNBA involved over 2,000 boys and girls throughout the Bay Area with Jr. (W)NBA hoops clinics to support high-quality coaching at the grassroots level 🏀 

Perhaps our favorite part, the NBA hosted firefighters 🚒 from San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda County who helped with wildfire recovery efforts in LA and gave them tickets to the game! 👨‍🚒 

🐐 Haliburton Honors Women’s Hoops Legend

The other night Tyrese Haliburton walked through the tunnel wearing the jersey of Ann Meyers, the first woman to sign an NBA contract. Didn’t know about her? Get ready for a great story.

Meyers was one of the first women’s basketball GOATs, becoming UCLA’s first four-year scholarship female hooper and first NCAA player—male or female—to record a quadruple double. 🔥 

After her legendary college career, she got drafted in 1978 by the Houston Angels of the Women’s Basketball League (WBL), a predecessor to the WNBA, but turned them down to maintain her amateur status (back in the day pros couldn’t go to the Olympics). 

But with speculation that the US would boycott the 1980 Olympics (watch here for why!), Meyers became open to the pro idea again and another team came calling–a men’s team! She signed a $50,000 deal 💸 with the Indiana Pacers in 1979 to try out with the team.

Meyers ultimately didn't make the roster and instead signed with the New Jersey Gems, another WBL team, before having a super successful career as a sportscaster for the Phoenix Suns! Shoutout Tyrese for supporting women’s sports history and putting us onto an amazing story! 🐐 

Though we mainly focus on the NBA, we wanted to give college hoops some love because Rick Pitino has St John’s set to capture their first Big East championship since 2000 in just his second season with the program. Pitino has led them to success through defensive excellence and a gritty culture—just look at this tough-love speech he gave at halftime.

But in an era where coaches wear track suits on the sidelines, Pitino also brings a classical fashion flair. 🔥 

There’s a reason they call him The Godfather. The Italian coach brings out the all-white suit for the Red Storm’s white-out night like he’s about to link up with Don Fanucci in the post-game 🇮🇹 

The all-red look works for his St. John’s Red Storm and Louisville, where he brought the Cardinals to two final fours and a National Championship. Imagine putting this much thought into a fit and still outcoaching the opposition 🧠 

Pitino has us wondering… how does he keep the three-point fold pocket square intact the entire game while giving the refs an earful? We couldn’t keep it straight for 5 minutes at prom 🫠

Shoutout to Pitino for auramaxxing while being one of the best coaches of a generation!

Signing Off

We gotta call it wraps here, but we wish you a week more successful than Patrick McCaw between 2017-2019.

-Conor Geelan