Page 45 - Florida Sentinel 5-21-21

Sports
Kobe Bryant Posthumously Inducted
Ken Burns Announces
Kevin Garnett Snubs Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo In Hall Of Fame Speech
KEVIN GARNETT
Kevin Garnett knows how to hold a grudge.
Garnett was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night and delivered a speech in which he thanked a handful of former teammates, including Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson from his final run with the Nets, but he appeared to snub a couple of his teammates from his championship team with the Boston Celtics.
Namely Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.
Despite winning a title to- gether, Garnett and Allen had a falling out after a seven- game series loss to the Miami Heat in the 2012 Eastern Con- ference Finals. Allen became a free agent and signed with the Heat that summer, drawing much ire from Celtics fans and Garnett himself.
Four-Part Muhammad
Into Basketball Hall Of Fame
Ali Documentary To
Premiere In September
According to a release, ac- claimed filmmaker Ken Burns announced the pre- miere of 'Muhammad Ali,' a four-part documentary to air on PBS September 19-22.
The film, which has been in development for six years, fol- lows the life of the three-time heavyweight boxing champion and his once in a lifetime per- sonality.
Burns notes Ali chal- lenged Americans’ racial prej- udices, religious biases, and notions about what roles celebrities and athletes play in our society, and how the Louisville native inspired peo- ple all over the world with his message of pride and self-af-
MUHAMMAD ALI
firmation.
“Muhammad Ali was the
very best at what he did,” Burns said. “He was arguably America’s greatest athlete, and his unflinching insistence that he be unabashedly himself at all times made him a beacon for generations of people around the world seeking to express their own humanity.”
Michael Jordan and Vanessa Bryant during the Hall of Fame ceremony.
LeBron James Makes MVP
Vanessa Bryant, the wife of the late Kobe Bryant, accepted her husband's ad- mission into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday night on his behalf, saying that he's still winning even after he's gone.
"I used to always avoid praising my husband in pub- lic because I felt like he got enough praise from his fans around the world and some- one had to bring him back to reality," Vanessa Bryant said at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Con- necticut. "Right now, I'm sure he's laughing in heaven be- cause I'm about to praise him
in public for his accomplish- ments on one of the most public stages. I can see him now, arms folded, with a huge grin saying, 'Isn't this some s- --?'
The 2020 Naismith Me- morial Basketball Hall of Fame class is one of the most star-studded of all time, led by Bryant and fellow NBA leg- ends Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan -- a trio that Los Angeles Lakers star Le- Bron James said earlier Sat- urday is better than any in the history of the institution.
"There has not been a bet- ter Big Three to go in at the same time," James said.
Case For Stephen Curry As
Lakers Ready For Play-In
Showdown With Warriors
The Los An- geles Lakers' re- peat title bid will commence with LeBron James facing a familiar foe in the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tour- nament, led by James' pick for MVP, Stephen Curry.
Saints Have
Signed The Son Of
A Former NFL Star
"I mean, just
look at what he's done this year," James said after L.A.'s 110-98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, cou- pled with a Denver Nuggets loss on Sunday, locked the Lakers into the No. 7 spot. "I don't know anything else if you're looking for an MVP. If Steph is not on Golden State's team, what are we looking at?
"We get caught up in the records sometimes. We get caught up in the, OK, who has the best record instead of just saying who had the best season that year. And Steph has had, in my opinion, the
best season all year."
And now the fate of the
Lakers' postseason seeding will come down to Curry, the league's leading scorer, and the No. 8 Warriors com- ing to Staples Center on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN) with a first-round berth against the No. 2 Phoenix Suns on the line.
The loser will go on to face the winner of the No. 9 Mem- phis Grizzlies and No. 10 San Antonio Spurs' play-in game, with the winner of that game earning the No. 8 seed and a first-round date with the No. 1 Utah Jazz.
LORENZO NEAL, JR.
STEPHEN CURRY AND LEBRON JAMES
New Or- leans has offi- cially signed Lorenzo Neal, Jr., a defensive tackle out of Purdue. Neal was a stand-
out defensive
lineman at Purdue in 2018, though he suffered a torn ACL at the end of the year. He then missed the 2019 season and played inconsistently in 2020.
Now, though, Neal, Jr. is getting a chance to prove him- self in New Orleans. The fran- chise is already familiar with his name.
Neal, Jr. is the son of for- mer NFL fullback Lorenzo Neal, who began his career with the Saints. The elder Neal played in the league from 1993- 2009. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All- Pro selection.
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