Happy Friday, Enjoyers! From free agency news to the release of the 2024-25 NBA schedule to a look back at one of the closes MVP races of all time, we’ve got an action-packed newsletter for you today. Life sure is great as an Enjoyer, isn’t it?

Today’s Lineup

Around The NBA

Joe Harris announces retirement after ten years

After ten seasons with three different franchises, sharpshooter Joe Harris announced his retirement from the NBA yesterday. Most known for his seven seasons with the Nets, Harris was drafted by Cleveland and played there for two seasons before being traded to Orlando, getting waived, and signing with Brooklyn. There, he averaged 11.6 points per game on 48% shooting from the field and 44% from three in more than 400 games played over the next seven years.

Though his career was marred by injuries in his later years, Harris will still go down as one of the premier role-playing shooters of this era. Happy trails, Joe!

Jazz, Patty Mills agree to one-year deal

15-year veteran Patty Mills is headed to Utah! After proving to the world that his age is irrelevant by averaging 16.5 points for Australia in the Olympics this summer, Mills is now headed to his sixth career NBA team after signing a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Jazz. Despite limited playtime last year with the Hawks and the Heat, Mills will bring a sense of veteran leadership and mentorship to a Jazz roster that includes inexperienced yet potential-laden young guards like Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier. Best of luck to Patty on his latest NBA venture!

PS: remember when he did this?

2024-25 NBA Schedule Release

The time has finally come! The NBA released the full schedule for the 2024-25 season yesterday afternoon. From Celtics-Knicks to Lakers-Warriors on Christmas Day, players and fans alike are finding out just which big games they should be looking forward to.

Check out the full schedule HERE.

Hoops History

The 2004-05 season was legendary for a couple different reasons, the Hornets joining the league and the NBA splitting into six divisions being two of them. But the 2005 MVP race itself is famous for being one of the closest of all time, with Phoenix’s Steve Nash winning narrowly over Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal (a score of 1066-1032 when it came down to numbers). Let’s look at both of their cases to see whether YOU think the NBA made the right call:

Steve Nash (PHX, 62-20): 15.5 PPG, 11.5 APG, 50%-43%-89%

The 30-year-old Nash led one of the best Suns squads of all time, whose roster also boasted the likes of Amar’e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Joe Johnson. It was Nash’s Hall of Fame-level court vision and playmaking ability that brought this team to the next level, even though his counting stats in the scoring department don’t exactly look MVP-level by today’s standards. But this was the era of Mike D’Antoni’s “seven seconds or less” playstyle in Phoenix, so a smart, high-flying passer like Nash was exactly the kind of leader this team needed—they cruised to the Western Conference’s first seed over Tim Duncan’s Spurs and Dirk’s Mavericks.

See Nash’s full 2004-05 stat book HERE.

Shaquille O’Neal (MIA, 59-23): 22.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 60%-0%-40%

On the other side of this debate, however, is a straight-up beast. Often described as the most “dominant” player in recent NBA history, this late-era version of Shaq did just that by absolutely owning the glass (and the paint in general) down in Miami alongside Dwyane Wade. While Nash may have had more flashy media attention on his side back in ‘05, there’s a debate to be had that Shaq’s numbers look way better on paper. He and the Heat captured their conference’s first seed as well, ending the year five games ahead of the reigning champion Detroit Pistons.

See all of Shaq’s 2004-05 stats HERE.

So, which is it? Do you think the NBA made the right call, or do you think Shaq deserved it over Nash?

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for sticking with us this week! This weekend, try to spend some time away from social media. It can be a great tool to stay connected with people, but it’s always a good idea to take breaks and allow yourself to foster real-life connections. Talk soon!

Austin Zeglis