Photo: Unsplash
(Podcast length 4:30 mins)
Here’s what you need to know to be in the know.
1. The San Antonio Spurs are a team to watch if for no reason other than they like to hire female coaches. The head coach of the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) Champion Las Vegas Aces, Becky Hammond, came from the Spurs where she was an assistant coach. Following in her footsteps with the team is former WNBA player Candace Dupree who is part of the player development team and an assistant coach. Dupree is one of the few female coaches but not the only former WNBA player turned coach you’ll see on the bench this season. LOVE TO SEE IT
2. In 2017 the league began to allow sponsorship patches on team jerseys, and since then, those sponsorships have generated $150 million in revenue per year. The Phoenix Suns patch sponsor, PayPal, may have put their money where their mouth is after claiming they would not renew their sponsorship if controversial team owner Robert Sarver stayed at the helm. The team is currently for sale by Sarver. BIG MONEY
3. Christmas Day is usually the biggest day of the year for NBA games, but the league is rallying around Election Day this year. New this season, all 30 teams will play on Monday, November 7, the day before Election Day. The league will use that day to promote voter participation. Then there will be no NBA games on Election Day on Tuesday, November 8, encouraging everyone to vote instead. GET OUT AND VOTE
4. LeBron James is THIS close to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record. If he stays healthy, LeBron will likely pass his record this season, possibly in January. There’s no sign of LeBron, 38, slowing down. He’s hoping to play into his 40s to play in the NBA with both of his sons. FAMILY AFFAIR
5. The Brooklyn Nets are combustible, and Russell Westbrook is untradeable. Who knows what the season will bring for the Brooklyn Nets after adding Ben Simmons to their roster that already features superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving? Irving says he lost $100M by not getting the vaccine last year. Then there’s Russell Westbrook, who the Lakers have tried to trade to regain the positive chemistry on the team. Westbrook is the second-highest player in the league after Stephen Curry at $47M, and no team wants to take that on. OFFICE POLITICS
The 82-game season begins on Tuesday, October 18.
Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We break down what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or networking event switches to sports.
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