Luka Doncic Gifts Jordan Shoes To Children ... At Local Hospitals
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Luka Doncic hasn't played a minute of the 2021 season yet, but the Dallas Mavericks star is already making highlight plays ... by donating Jordan shoes and other merch to children at local hospitals!!!
The 22-year-old wanted to give back to his new home ahead of the new campaign, so he put together goodie bags filled with the sneaks, hoodies, socks, bags, letters and signed photos for 80 kids at Children's Health in Dallas and Plano.
On top of the swag, Luka also provided a "Luka and Bobi" coloring book, which features a story of his friendship with teammate Boban Marjanovic, as well as individual-sized pizzas with pepperonis in the shape of his #77 AND dessert to kids and staffers throughout the hospital.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Luka spoke about the gesture, saying he wanted to hand deliver the gifts to all the kids, but wasn't able to due to health and safety concerns.
"I really wish I could have been there to meet and talk to the kids but hopefully this surprise brought a smile to their faces and encouraged them to stay strong," Doncic said.
"I just want all the kids and parents to know I'm thinking of them!"
The kids certainly felt the love ... and the pics and videos from the big surprise will warm your heart.
Awesome stuff, Luka.
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Mark Cuban To Cole Beasley ... 'Getting Vaccinated Isn't Just About You'
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The battle between Mark Cuban and Cole Beasley over the COVID vaccine is still going strong ... 'cause the Dallas Mavericks owner tells TMZ Sports he's still pushing for the NFL star to get vaccinated.
The two have gone back on forth on social media for weeks over Beasley's anti-vax stance ... and when we got Cubes out in NYC this week, he reiterated he desperately wants the Bills player to get the shots.
"Cole's a good guy, but, you know," Mark said, "getting vaccinated isn't just about you, it's about everybody else as well."
Cuban tells us he believes getting the vaccine is necessary to help protect at-risk people from contracting COVID-19 ... and he REALLY wishes Beasley would change his stance.
"There's 16.9 million cancer survivors in this country," Cuban said. "Three million-plus people who are immuno-compromised. And, when you don't get vaccinated, it's not just about you. It's about other people as well."
Public Service Announcement pic.twitter.com/XjQicdvnKm
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 18, 2021 @Bease11
Of course, Beasley has dug his feet firmly in the ground on not getting the vaccine ... saying earlier this summer, "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."
Beasley has been booed even at home this year in Buffalo over his comments ... but he's remained staunch in his beliefs regardless.
As a reminder, doctors, medical experts and health officials have said repeatedly the vaccine is safe and a strong way to prevent deaths or serious sickness from the coronavirus.
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NBA's JJ Redick I'm Retiring ... After 15 Seasons
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JJ Redick is stepping away from the game of basketball -- the longtime sharpshooter just announced he's retiring from the NBA to focus on his family and start the next chapter of his life.
37-year-old Redick -- who averaged nearly 13 points over 940 career games -- broke the news on his "The Old Man And The Three" podcast Tuesday ... saying hoops is no longer his #1 priority, and he knew it was time to walk away.
"Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball," Redick said in an accompanying Instagram post.
"Thank you to EVERYONE who was a part of my journey and career. I started playing basketball 30 years ago in my backyard on an uneven path of dirt, gravel, and grass. It was on that court that my dreams began to form."
"Reality has far surpassed my dreams!! So thankful for 15 years in the NBA and all the amazing relationships and memories along the way."
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Of course, Redick was a college superstar at Duke ... and eventually went to the Orlando Magic with the #11 overall pick in 2006. He also played for the Bucks, Clippers, Sixers, Pelicans and Mavericks during his career.
Redick led the NBA in 3-point percentage in 2015-16 ... going 47.5% from behind the arc.
Redick says he's now looking forward to spending more time with his wife and kids ... as well as repairing an Achilles injury he's been dealing with.
Congrats on retirement!!
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Mark Cuban Pumped For Jason Kidd Hire ... 'He's Going To Be Great For Luka'
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Mark Cuban is FIRED UP for the Mavericks' hiring of Jason Kidd ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the dude is "going to be great" for Dallas and its star point guard, Luka Doncic.
The Mavs owner spoke with us leaving Victory The Podcast in L.A. just hours after making the hire official ... and it ain't hard to tell, Cubes is expecting greatness from his team's new headman.
"I'm excited about it, obviously," the 62-year-old said. "J. Kidd is going to be great for us. He's going to be great for Luka, for the organization. I'm really excited."
You'll recall ... Kidd played for Cuban's Mavs from 2007 through 2012 -- helping the team win the NBA championship back in 2011.
And, when we asked Cuban if Kidd could repeat that feat as the team's head coach -- the owner said bluntly, "That's the whole idea, right?!"
"We've got the talent," Cuban added. "I think we'll get better talent. We'll keep on getting better. Luka will keep on getting better. And, I think Jason will help Luka and the team get better."
As for Luka's long-term future with Kidd ... Cuban said he has every intention of keeping his star in Dallas with Kidd for as long as he can.
"Obviously," Cuban said, "that's the goal."
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Dirk Nowitzki Luka Doncic Is The Mavericks' G.O.A.T. ... He's Better Than Me!!!
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Dirk Nowitzki's time as the greatest Dallas Maverick ever has come to an end ... Luka Doncic now holds that crown -- so says the NBA legend himself!!!
The ex-Dallas great made the revelation to TMZ Sports while heading into Staples Center on Sunday to catch the Mavs-Clippers Game 7 ... and, yeah, it's BIG praise!!!
"He's playing unbelievable," Dirk said after explaining Luka "already has" eclipsed him as the greatest Mav ever.
Of course, Luka went on to lose the big game against the Clips in front of Dirk ... but the 22-year-old arguably STRENGTHENED the big man's claim despite the L.
Luka went bananas in the elimination contest -- dropping 46 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds ... so maybe Dirk's got a point???
As for if Dirk was just being nice ... we're sure that's the case, Luka's been amazing -- but he's got a loooooooooong way to go to catch Nowitzki.
Dirk's a 14-time All-Star, a league MVP AND a Finals MVP ... and he averaged 20.7 points per game over a 20-YEAR span.
Luka, meanwhile, has made two All-Star teams in 3 years and is averaging 25.7 points per game -- but, clearly, there's work left to do to beat Dirk in Dallas!
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Clippers' Ivica Zubac We're 'Not Giving Up' Against Mavs ... We Can Still Win the Series!!
IT AIN'T OVER YET!!
That's Clippers player Ivica Zubac staying positive about his team's chances against the Dallas Mavericks, despite being down 2-0 in their playoff series.
"They gotta beat us 4 times," Zubac told us outside of Avra in Beverly Hills ... "We're gonna fight and we got a chance to win the series. We're not giving up."
Clipper fans have been down in the dumps since the team gave up the first 2 games AT HOME -- and now, they're traveling to Dallas for games 3 and 4 and it ain't lookin' good.
But, Zubac says the Clips are going there to win -- and they're confident they can get it done.
"We're going there to win games, that's it … they gotta win 4."
Dallas will have a packed house full of fans for Games 3 and 4 -- and Zubac says he's fired up about that, too!
"That's great, we haven’t played in front of that many fans in 2 years … gonna be fun!"
Can they silence the Dallas faithful with a couple of road victories? Game 3 tips off on Friday.
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Mark Cuban Shuts Down Kristaps Porzingis Trade Rumors ... 'Not Gonna Happen'
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Kristaps Porzingis is NOT being shipped out of Dallas under ANY circumstance ... so says Mark Cuban.
The Mavs owner forcefully shut down persistent rumors that Dallas is looking to move the 25-year-old ... despite only being in the 2nd year of a 5-year $158 million contract he signed in 2019.
There have been rumblings about the Mavs looking for a trade partner for the past month -- including an SNY report that Dallas has reached out to the Golden State Warriors to see if they were interested in a deal.
Cuban had denied the rumors back in February -- but the rumblings continued -- which led to Cuban slamming the door shut on a possible KP move during Tuesday's appearance on "Live with Kelly & Ryan."
Is Kristaps Porzingis leaving the Mavericks? @mcuban officially addresses the rumors #DallasMavericks pic.twitter.com/GyP1eGrDx9
— LIVEKellyRyan (@LiveKellyRyan) March 16, 2021 @LiveKellyRyan
"We're not trading KP," Cuban said ... "KP's a star."
As Ryan Seacrest continued to probe, Cuban doubled down -- "It's not gonna happen, Ryan. You heard it here first. Definitely not gonna happen."
Porzingis missed the first 3 weeks of the NBA season while recovering from knee surgery -- and missed another 2 weeks last month with a back injury.
Despite the hiccups, KP is still a monster when he's on the court -- averaging 20.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Mavs are currently in 8th place in the Western Conference -- and clearly Cuban is hoping KP will keep them in the playoff hunt.
... at least, for now.
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Daymond John Hilariously Exposes 'Shark Tank' Star Whose Credit Card Was Declined at Dinner!!!
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Rich people shaming other rich people NEVER GETS OLD!!
Case in point ... here's Daymond John outing one of his fellow "Shark Tank" stars whose credit card was DECLINED at a fancy dinner -- and all signs point to MARK CUBAN!!!!
"A card was declined and it was somebody that is the last person that I ever think a card would be declined," Daymond said on Rich Eisen's new "Just Getting Started" podcast.
Latest episode of my new podcast “Just Getting Started” is up with @FBTHECOLLECTION founder, best-selling author and @ABCSharkTank Shark @TheSharkDaymond John.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) March 12, 2021 @richeisen
Hear how he got started and his advice on how you can start working on your dream path!https://t.co/1jicpeFfeL
"And there was obviously a reason ... but I was like, '[clears throat] I’m going to get this one, so that I can go down in history saying that I paid for your check!'"
Then Daymond dropped another clue ...
"And, if you knew how the Sharks talk, you can tell -- if you’re in sports -- he said 'Whatever, DJ,' you know who that is, of course."
IT'S DEFINITELY MARK CUBAN!!!
Of course, Cuban is currently worth around $4.4 BILLION, according to Forbes ... so the declined card was most likely a mistake (it's not like the dude doesn't have the funds)!
But still, Daymond loved EVERY SECOND OF IT -- and now he can brag that he picked up Cuban's check in the Dallas Mavericks owner's moment of need.
At the end of the interview, Eisen tells Daymond -- "You tell Cuban, pay his bills!"
Daymond smiles and replies, "You said it, not I. I didn’t say the name, you said it."
Nice try, DJ.
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Luka Doncic Creates LinkedIn Profile ... 'Skills: Basketball'
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If anyone is looking to hire a 2-time All-Star, Luka Doncic is putting his résumé on display ... with the Mavs superstar creating his very own LinkedIn page -- and it's as awesome as you'd think!!
The 22-year-old former Rookie of the Year's profile surfaced on the job-focused social media site this week ... and it's laden with nuggets that would make any company wanna add the hooper to their team.
For instance, Luka's experience section includes guard/small forward for the Dallas Mavericks (duh) ... as well as "Global Chief Hydration Officer" for BioSteel -- a company he announced a partnership with this week.
Things get good when we get to the "Skills" section of Luka's profile ... which includes basketball (duh, again), hydration and fitness.
As for other skills listed?? Magic ... which makes sense. After all, have you SEEN this guy play?!
The biggest flex of all comes in the "Honors and Awards" portion of the page ... which lists all of the baller's accomplishments so far in his young career -- 2-time All-Star, All-NBA First Team, NBA Rookie Of The Year, EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team, EuroLeague champ and MVP.
Yeah, not too shabby.
It's not the first time a huge name like Luka has ventured on to the site -- athletes like Shaq, Julian Edelman and Brandon Marshall have famously logged on in the past.
Of course, Luka might be busy for the next decade or so on the court, but it's always nice to have a backup plan juuuuuuuust in case.
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Mark Cuban NBA Overrules Mavs Owner You Will Play Nat'l Anthem At Games
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11:06 AM PT -- The NBA will force Mark Cuban to overturn his new anthem policy ... saying Wednesday the Mavericks now MUST play the song in accordance with the league's "longstanding" rules.
"With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas," NBA exec Mike Bass said in a statement, "all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy."
The pregame ritual will now presumably return to Dallas on Wednesday, when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Mavs at American Airlines Center.
Mark Cuban has axed national anthems from the Dallas Mavericks' pregame routines this season ... saying Tuesday night, "It was my decision."
Cuban added in a message to the New York Times, "I made it in November."
The NBA owner declined to further explain the choice ... but it seems clear, Cuban is preferring to have his team avoid all the controversy that's come with the song's playing over the last few years.
You'll recall ... after Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the NFL's playing of anthems in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America -- critics, including Donald Trump, slammed the move as unpatriotic.
Trump went so far as to say the NFL should fire any "son of a bitch" who participated in the demonstration.
The polarizing kneeling quickly spread to other sports ... and despite the NBA's longstanding stand-for-the-anthem policy, players and coaches alike knelt during the song's playing in the NBA bubble at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement this past summer.
League Commish Adam Silver gave teams the choice this season over how to handle the pregame song ... and, for now, Cuban appears to be the only owner who's nixed it from the in-game experiences.
According to The Athletic, the Mavericks -- who hadn't had fans in the arena until just this week when 1,500 vaccinated healthcare workers received tickets to a game -- have not played the anthem in any of their 13 preseason and regular-season games so far.
Seems New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy wouldn't mind if his team took the same approach ... the 61-year-old said Wednesday morning, "This should happen everywhere."
"If you think the anthem needs to be played before sporting events, then play it before every movie, concert, church service and the start of every work day at every business," Van Gundy added. "What good reason is there to play the anthem before a game?"
FYI, Cuban has supported peaceful protests during the national anthems in the past ... saying to ESPN in June before the NBA's bubble restart, "If they were taking a knee and they were being respectful, I’d be proud of them."
"Hopefully, I’d join them."
Originally Published -- 6:23 AM PT
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Delonte West Lands Job With Rehab Facility ... In Florida
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Awesome step in the right direction for Delonte West -- the ex-NBAer is now employed by the same rehab facility he received treatment from late last year!!
As we previously reported ... Mark Cuban personally tracked down the 37-year-old at a Dallas gas station in September 2020 and helped the hooper reconnect with his mother.
Together, West's mom and Cuban convinced the former Dallas Maverick to seek treatment at the Rebound therapy center in Florida ... as an attempt to bounce back from hard times.
The progress was clearly visible -- with West smiling from ear-to-ear during activities like horseback riding, frisbee golf and kayaking as he took steps towards recovery.
Now, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports West will continue to surround himself within the Rebound family ... this time, as an employee.
The report also states West has maintained contact with Cuban and his family as he continues to work on his health.
Of course, West was the 24th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft ... playing for the SuperSonics, Mavs, Cavs and Celtics.
The guard fell on hard times in the years following his hoops career ... and members of the NBA community -- including Cuban, Doc Rivers and Jameer Nelson -- have been focused on trying to get West back on his feet.
The recent updates have been positive -- West was even spotted working on his jumper back in November ... and it's clear he has a strong support system behind him.
Keep it up, Delonte!
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Delonte West Frisbee Golf & Kayak in Rehab ... Mark Cuban Shares Pics
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This is GREAT to see -- Delonte West looking happy and physically active at his rehab center!!
Mark Cuban shared some pics of the ex-NBA star as he continues his treatment ... which now includes frisbee golf and kayaking!
Cuban, who was the driving force behind getting 37-year-old West into treatment, commented ... "Because we all want something to feel great about today, here is your Delonte West update."
He added, "It's still an uphill battle, but he is climbing."
As we previously reported, Cuban personally picked up West at a Dallas gas station last month and vowed to help out in any way he could after seeing pics of Delonte in late-September in bad shape, begging for money on the streets.
With the blessing of West's family, Cuban helped get Delonte -- a 2004 1st round NBA Draft pick -- into a treatment program ... and things have been going well ever since.
West started with a detox program -- and our sources told us he was "roughing it out" while getting all traces of drugs and alcohol out of his system.
Since then, he looks to be in a much better place -- he's been horseback riding and staying active ... taking it one day at a time!
Go Delonte, Go!!!
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Mark Cuban Rips Ted Cruz in NBA Ratings Spat ... 'You're So Full of Sh*t'
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The insults are flying between Mark Cuban and Ted Cruz (again!) -- complete with cuss words and personal attacks -- and it's all over the NBA Finals ratings.
This time, Cruz -- the republican senator from Texas -- kicked things off by tweeting out a headline from Sean Hannity's website that reads, "NBA Finals Game 3 'Least Watched in Recorded Ratings History.'"
The article says the NBA Finals ratings are down 45% from 2019.
Cruz added a comment ... "Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke."
Enter Cuban -- owner of the Dallas Mavericks -- who clapped right back.
"A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are @tedcruz. Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are."
Think Cruz was going to let that lie? NO WAY!
"I love @HoustonRockets & have rooted for them my entire life. I happily cheer for the Spurs & Mavericks against any non-TX team. But @mcuban the NBA is engaged in a concerted effort to (1) insult their fans & (2) turn every game into a left-wing political lecture. That’s dumb."
Cuban did not take kindly to that ... and shot back with an expletive.
"You are so full of sh*t. You haven't watched a game of the finals, how would you know what is being said or done? Since when is a desire to end racism an insult to anyone or political? And you don't think using #GetWokeGoBroke is a partisan insult? Again, this is who you are."
The spat continued ... with Cruz criticizing Cuban over the NBA's relationship with China.
"I wish @mcuban loved his fans as much as he loves Chinese money."
Cuban again responded -- "Shame on me for putting American Civil Rights and Justice, creating jobs, growing our economy and healthcare reform over twitter proclamations."
Cuban and Cruz have sparred on social media before -- they argued over Black Lives Matter, the national anthem and China back in July as well ... and famously challenged each other to "have some balls."
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Clippers' Marcus Morris Fined For Hard Foul on Luka Doncic ... During Game 6
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The NBA just hit Marcus Morris with a $35,000 fine for that hard foul on Luka Doncic during Game 6 of the playoff series between the Clippers and Mavs.
Morris and Doncic had been going after each other for the entire series -- things were chippy -- but things came to a head in the 1st quarter of Game 6 when Marcus hit Luka in the face while Doncic was going up for a layup.
A scuffle ensued. The players had to be separated. Morris was ejected from the game.
Now, to make matters worse for Morris ... he's gotta come out of pocket to the tune of $35k for "recklessly striking" Doncic, according to the NBA.
"The amount of the fine was based in part on the fact that Morris has been disciplined on several prior occasions for physical altercations on the court," the NBA said.
Later in the game, a rattled Doncic lost his cool over a foul call -- and threw the ball at the feet of one of the refs.
Doncic argued that he didn't intend to hit the ref -- just bad luck.
The NBA has fined Doncic over that incident to the tune of $15,000.
The Clippers ended up winning the game and the clinching the series, sending Doncic and the Mavs out of the NBA Bubble.
The Clippers are now set to face the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd round of the playoffs -- that series kicks off Thursday.
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NBA's Montrezl Harrell Apologizes To Luka ... For 'Bitch Ass White Boy' Comment
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Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell apologized to Luka Doncic for calling the Mavs star a "bitch-ass white boy" ... squashing potential beef with a pregame hug and handshake Sunday.
If you missed it ... Harrell went viral Friday for his trash talk of the Dallas point guard -- when cameras caught the L.A. player mouthing the words to Luka after a big first-quarter bucket.
"B!tch a$$ white boy”
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) August 22, 2020 @TheNBACentral
- Montrezl Harrell to Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/tlzxIFOerz
Of course, given the nation's current climate and battle for racial equality ... Montrezl was heavily criticized for the chatter -- with ex-NBA player Jay Williams saying straight-up, "I can only imagine if Luka Doncic had said something like that to you."
Regarding the @dallasmavs @LAClippers game last night & the words we all know that came out of Montrez Harrell’s mouth.. pic.twitter.com/pLfZ1ryfll
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) August 22, 2020 @RealJayWilliams
Montrezl says he took it upon himself to clear the air with Luka before Game 4 on Sunday ... and in video of their conversation, you can see there was no bad blood at all.
If gone get the story get it right all I ask, no one spoke wit me to do anything I approach him and cleared the air from all the outside nonsense that was being said. Nothing but respect for Luka he understood the heat of the battle and he said it didn’t bother him only RESPECT https://t.co/MOKlkT3CAH
— Montrezl Harrell (@MONSTATREZZ) August 23, 2020 @MONSTATREZZ
"Nothing but respect for Luka," Harrell said of their pregame embrace. "He understood the heat of the battle and he said it didn’t bother him only RESPECT."
For his part, Luka said he accepted Harrell's apology ... adding, "No worries."
"There’s a lot of emotions on the court, especially this is playoffs," Doncic said. "Sometimes you say things you don’t want to say. He apologized. I respect that, so no problems.”
Clippers coach Doc Rivers says he addressed everything with Harrell in house ... telling reporters over the weekend that Montrezl MUST be more careful with his words.
"I said to him, ‘Hey, I don’t think you meant anything racially by it.’ He said ‘white boy,’ but I don’t think there was anything racial intended," Rivers said. "But we are in a very heightened climate and you have to be careful."
"Trez was the first one to say that. He said, ‘I didn’t mean that racially.’ And I said it doesn’t matter. It’s what’s perceived. ... make sure you do the right thing."
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Willie Cauley-Stein Opting Out of NBA Restart ... Expecting Baby In July
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Family over everything ... including the NBA.
Dallas Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein will NOT join his team in the Orlando bubble when the NBA season resumes ... and it's all because he's got a kid on the way.
The 26-year-old -- the 6th overall pick of the 2015 Draft -- has a baby due in July with his partner and clearly doesn't want to miss that experience, according to The Athletic.
Plus, Florida is experiencing a surge in positive COVID-19 tests ... so it also seems Willie doesn't want to put himself in harm's way while preparing to parent a newborn.
Cauley-Stein was only traded to the Mavs back in January -- and has just played in 13 games with Dallas.
The Mavs are the 7th ranked team in the Western Conference playoff standings -- which means they'll be included in the playoffs.
The regular season resumes on July 30 -- but Mavs players will report on July 8. If the Mavs make a run to the Finals, they would be in the bubble environment all the way until October.
Can you really blame Cauley-Stein for his decision?