Veteran official Bill Kennedy, noted for his entertaining explanations during coaches challenges, left the court in a wheelchair on Friday after suffering an apparent right leg injury during the first quarter of the Sixers–Magic game, according to The Associated Press.
Kennedy started limping as he was running down the court during a Sixers fast break. He was seen hopping on the baseline as Paul George made a layup. Kennedy then called for assistance as the Magic called a timeout. The two other officials, James Williams and Michael Smith, handled the remainder of the game.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Monte Morris suffered a left leg injury during a EuroLeague game and will miss three to four weeks, according to Eurohoops.net. Morris signed with Olympiacos last month after the Pacers waived him on Nov. 21. Morris appeared in six games with Indiana, averaging just 10.8 minutes per contest.
- BYU wing AJ Dybantsa sits atop Sam Vecenie’s latest draft board for The Athletic. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer hold the next two spots. Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance has moved up to No. 6 due to his defensive potential.
- Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain the leaders in their conferences among fan voting for the All-Star Game, per the NBA (Twitter link). In the second round of returns, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama are also among the top five vote-getters in the West. Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell round out the top five in the East. Fan votes count for 50 percent of the selection process. Voting will continue through Wednesday.
- Many of the game’s elite players will not meet the 65-game threshold for postseason awards. The Athletic’s John Hollinger examines the unintended consequences of that rule, plus the 20-minute requirement, which were established during the last CBA negotiations.
Sankara 2026 mock draft, vol 1
1. Ind- Darryn Peterson KU guard
2. Sac- Caleb Wilson UNC forward
3. Atl- Mikel Brown, Jr. Louisville pg
4. DC- Cameron Boozer Duke forward
5. BK- AJ Dybantsa BYU wing
6. Cha- Kingston Flemings Houston pg
7. Uta- Labaron Philon, Jr. Alabama guard
8. Dal- Darius Acuff Arkansas pg
9. OKC- Yaxel Lendeborg Michigan forward
10. Mem- Koa Peat Arizona forward
11. Mil- Keaton Wagler- Illinois guard
12.Chi- Jayden Quaintance UK big
13.SAS- Braylon Mullins UConn wing
14.Por- Nate Ament Tennessee forward
15.Atl- Chris Cenac Houston big
16.GSW- Hannes Steinbach Washington big
17.Cha- Miikka Murinen Partizan forward
18.Mia- Tounde Yessoufou Baylor wing
19.OKC- Alijah Arenas USC guard
20.Tor- Bennett Stirtz Iowa pg
21.Mem- Ebuka Okorie Stanford pg
22.DC- Patrick Ngongba II Duke big
23.NY- Neoklis Avdalas VaTech guard
24.LAL- Christian Anderson Texas Tech pg
25.Bos- Tyler Tanner Vanderbilt pg
26.Den- Karim Lopez NZ Breakers forward
27.Min- Meleek Thomas Arkansas forward
28.Cle- Thomas Haugh Florida forward
29.Det- Cameron Carr Baylor wing
30.DC- JoJo Tugler Houston big
I do love AJ Dybantsa but I feel that people are definitely underrating Caleb Wilson & the impact he’s gonna have on the league. I’ve been very high on Mikel Brown for a while now & I also feel like Boozer is a perfect fit in DC but I’m still high on AJ as well… link to youtube.com
You earn ‘Commenter Of the Week’ honors for doing this.
Preciate the nomination for sure. And with a Ricky Davis level of humility I have to remind the chat that I also called the Trae to DC trade the day before it was announced that they wanted him.
Much respect for your draft, but I think that more international players will be picking up in the top fifteen. Additionally, I think Karim Lopez will be a top 10 player.
I do like Lopez a lot. Idk if I see him ever becoming an All-Star but he’s def a kid that’s a really good shooter & a pretty advanced feel for the game for his age with good size as well. I sorta compare him to Buzelis & Risacher. He’s stronger than those guys but not as athletic. Big question for Lopez will be if he can tighten up his handle up & be a playmaker, more like Matas, or if he’ll be more of a spot up shooter like Zacch. I could see him going higher than 26 for sure.
As far as him & other int’l guys going top15, which top15 guys in this draft do you see as going to high? All summer I watched Steinbach, Avdalas & Muurinen & other great young Euro talent in the various FIBA tournaments & I came away extremely impressed with those 3 in particular & just the level of talent in general. But I got Nate Ament & Cenac Jr going 14/15 right ahead of Steinbach/Muurinen & I stand on that. I feel like those 2 guys would easily be top5 picks in most drafts. That being said I wouldn’t be surpised at all if Miikka ended up going in the lottery.
Some of the nba teams don’t own their firsts
As an OKC fan, I was hoping for Yaxel last year. I think his size and play style fits perfectly in OKC’s system. A way more forceful Dieng
It’s a trip to think of the type of prospect Dieng would be rn if he went a similar route that Yaxel did (juco/mid-major). I think Memphis would be a good spot for him next season. But yea Yaxel would be sorta perfect for OKC. Great call on him giving them what Dieng couldn’t. I feel like Alijah Arenas would be a steal for them with their 2nd pick as well (if they have the roster space to make 2 picks). With Topic’s uncertainty & Cason Wallace’s upcoming pay raise it could be smart to invest in an electric lead guard who looks similar to a teenage Shai in a lot of ways… link to youtube.com
As GSW fan, I start looking at these mocks at this time of year. Hannes looks like a Dunleavy pick. But, as usual, he’ll rise and the Warriors will fall. LOL.
Steinbach is the type of guy that the Ws would love to have on the roster rn. He’d literally be their starting 5 rn tbh. I wonder if by the draft they will have started the rebuild & be on a different page tho. In that scenario they might favor Miikka or the dynamic Ebuka Okorie who they’ve surely scouted more than anyone.
I think you got Stirtz and Okorie in the wrong order. Flip them and it looks good. Stirtz has a nasty midrange that is under valued and while Okorie plays little premeter defense against attacking guards, he responds well in the locker room. A real glue guy.
I wonder if Bill Kennedy used his coaches challenge voice to the trainers
“It appears…my hamstring…has snapped in two…can someone please provide assistance…therefore, the coaches challenge…is…unsuccessful…ouch ouch ouch”