Happy Friday, Enjoyers! The Aces are on the edge of another ring, and we’re right on the edge of another NBA season. What a time to be a basketball fan!

That is, until you get pranked by LeBron.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Michael Carter-Williams and Josh Giddey! 🎉

Around the Association

A’ja Wilson’s game-winner gives Aces 90-88 Game 3 win, 3-0 lead

Wednesday’s Game 3 in Phoenix had all the makings of a momentum swing. DeWanna Bonner (25 PTS, 10 REB) and Kahleah Copper (17 PTS) kept the Mercury in it down the stretch, while Satou Sabally (24 PTS) carried a heavy load all night. But with the score tied at 88 apiece, A’ja Wilson (34 PTS, 14 REB) broke hearts all across the state of Arizona—hitting a turnaround jumper with less than a second left to give Las Vegas a stranglehold on the series.

Wilson’s stat line and game-winner were the headlines, but Phoenix’s resilience can’t be overlooked. Behind Sabally and Bonner, they had every chance to steal this one before Wilson took it away.

Now, the Aces are one win away from a third championship in four years (that’s the kind of run that cements the term dynasty). And while the road back for Phoenix is almost impossible, they’ve reminded the league that they’re still in this conversation.

LeBron out for 3-4 weeks (sciatic nerve irritation), will miss Lakers’ season opener

LeBron James is set to miss at least the first 3-4 weeks of the 2025-26 season due to sciatic nerve irritation on his right side, per reports. That means in the first full season of Luka Doncic in L.A., we’re gonna get to see what the Lakers look like with him at the helm a little earlier than expected.

Likely without the King for the first 10-12 games of the year, the Lakers’ supporting cast faces an uphill battle to keep the team afloat before he returns. Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jake LaRavia will soak up the forward minutes in LeBron’s absence, with new addition Deandre Ayton anchoring the middle.ssssssss

With the West as tight as it has been in recent history, these early-season stretches matter. Wishing Bron a speedy recovery! ❤️‍🩹

Top Five Friday

The results of the NBA’s annual GM Survey were released yesterday, and we had a great time going through all 49 (!!) questions. Here were the five most important ones: ⬇️

1. Which team will win the 2026 NBA Finals?

Starting simple, right? The answers, as you may have guessed, were fairly unanimous:

With Oklahoma City returning all their biggest talent and the vibes still riding high from last year’s championship, this choice was predictable. Does that mean the NBA’s seven-year streak of unique champions is about to come to an end? Only time will tell… ⏰

2. Who will win the 2025-26 Kia MVP?

Another simple one, and you won’t be surprised to hear his name in a conversation about the MVP award:

Jokic takes the preseason MVP nod away from reigning winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finishes third behind Luka Doncic. SGA does get ranked as the best point guard in the league later in the survey, but something about already having won three MVPs boosted Jokic to the top of this one.

3. Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2025-26?

Four of the top five picks in the 2023 NBA Draft make up the top four answers to this question, as GMs named none other than the Rockets’ Amen Thompson as their player most likely to break out this season. With the injury to Fred VanVleet, Houston will need to rely more and more on Thompson as a starting guard after his great sophomore campaign.

4. Which team will be most improved in 2025-26?

NBA GMs really believe in Magic—alongside naming Orlando as the team poised to take the biggest jump in 2025-26, they rated Desmond Bane as the most underrated player acquisition of the offseason. With Bane’s addition, not to mention progression into superstardom from Franz Wagner and/or Paolo Banchero, this could be the year the Magic jump into the East’s top tier.

5. Which team’s level of success this season is toughest to predict?

We wholeheartedly agree with the GMs on this one. How much will Joel Embiid and Paul George contribute (or play at all) this season? Will Jared McCain’s development be stunted, or could he compete for ROTY? And will Philadelphia be able to rely on rookie V.J. Edgecombe to be an instant starter?

There’s more to see in the full survey, like which teams had the best offseasons, the best international players (inside AND outside the NBA), and the biggest steals coming out of the 2025 NBA Draft. Enjoy!

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for choosing us to ease into the new season with, Enjoyers. With every degree colder the temperature gets, we get a little more excited for basketball! Talk soon. ✌️

Austin Zeglis