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      What Is March Madness Without the Bands?

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      Neither the men’s nor women’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments will allow bands this year — and canned music just can’t compare.INDIANAPOLIS — In a normal year, when a player sinks a buzzer-beating shot in a N.C.A.A. tournament game, tens of thousands of fans erupt in celebration.This year will prove to be a bit quieter, even if the venue is larger.The men’s Final Four tournament will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium, a 70,000-seat arena home to the N.F.L.’s Indianapolis Colts. The crowd will be capped at 25 percent of capacity, with fans masked and seated in socially distanced pods of two, four or six. And the area reserved for each 29-member band will be empty.“I understand the N.C.A.A.’s decision,” Jake Tedeschi, 22, a senior tenor saxophone player in the No. 1 seed University of Illinois’s basketball pep band, said in an interview on Thursday. “But man, I wish I could be there. I’m hoping they’ll reconsider for the Final Four.”But now, that dream is dashed, too.After previously excluding bands only through the Elite Eight, an N.C.A.A. associate director of communications, Christopher Radford, said in an email on Friday that no bands would be allowed at any of the games in either the men’s or women’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments this year.The decision, he said, was based on health and safety protocols developed with local health authorities, which “led to reductions in the size of official travel parties and limits on overall capacity in venues.”The six Indiana venues that will host this year’s games, he said, will still play school fight songs and anthems. They will screen cheer video performances, and other band music will be in rotation.But the honking tubas and energy-building improvisation of pep bands are what attracts many fans to the college game — they are the antithesis of the N.B.A.’s reliance on canned noise to punctuate big blocks and thunderous dunks. And bands have an even more crucial role in the N.C.A.A. tournament, Barry L. Houser, the director of the University of Illinois’s marching and athletic bands for the past 10 years, said.“There’s nothing like live music to bring a stadium or arena alive,” he said in an interview on Thursday. “The playing of a fight song after a great play or going into a hot timeout after an amazing play for the team can really get the crowd riled up.”Tedeschi, the University of Illinois band member, believes a band can “absolutely” change a game.“We scream a lot,” he said. “And, especially late in the game, we do our best to distract the other team’s players.”There will be no band for players to interact with at this year’s tournaments.Richard Shiro/Associated PressBut pep band players aren’t just passionate about school fight songs or “Sweet Caroline” — they’re some of the biggest basketball fans in the arena and the spark that ignites most student sections.“The chance to travel with the team and be their number-one supporter is a big reason I do athletic bands,” Tedeschi said. “It takes time away from my other coursework, especially when we’re traveling more, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. It’s near and dear to my heart.”But seniors like Tedeschi will never get the chance to play at an N.C.A.A. tournament game — a big part of why he joined the pep band his freshman year, he said. (The Illini did not make the men’s or women’s N.C.A.A. tournament his first two years, and the pandemic derailed last year’s games.)He understands the N.C.A.A.’s decision to prohibit bands in the first two rounds, but thinks they could have been allowed for games later in the tournament. “The bracket is smaller, and fewer teams’ bands would show up,” he said. “It would mean less other fans, but for seniors, it’s the only chance we have. Mid-major teams don’t make it every year.”Michael Martin, a 21-year-old senior at Ohio State who plays snare and bass drum in the pep band, has never been to any of the N.C.A.A. tournaments. And he’s now missed his chance.“I prepared myself for it,” he said. “But I’m still really disappointed. I was looking forward to playing ‘Buckeye Swag’ for everyone.”Houser, the University of Illinois band director, feels terrible for his seniors — especially in a year that the men’s team is a No. 1 seed.“The teams went through a lot of challenges, and now they’re doing so well,” he said. “I just wish our students had the opportunity to cheer them on in this situation.”But having steeled themselves to the reality of a tournament without live music, band directors are looking forward to the coming year with optimism.Christopher Hoch, who is in his fourth year as director of the Ohio State University marching and athletic bands, has been persevering with his athletic bands class, even absent opportunities to play at games.“I felt it was important for students to continue to have the opportunity to play, even though they weren’t necessarily performing at events,” he said.Now, Hoch is preparing his students for the halftime show they typically do at the spring football game. “We love being there to support the team and university,” he said. “And I’m hopeful we’ll be able to get back to doing that soon.” More

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      Giannis Antetokounmpo Leads Bucks Past 76ers

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      “I think I’ve been doing a better job this year of enjoying this moment.”An important part of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s daily ritual, in addition to his nap and his workout, is a 20-minute walk. It clears his head, he said, and gives him a bit of distance from his job playing basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks. Sometimes, he chats with one of his brothers or his mother. Sometimes, he simply enjoys the silence. There are also days when he checks the weather and decides to hop in his car for a short drive instead.“Milwaukee is very cold,” he said.He describes his walks as therapeutic, and says they help him stay in the present — a concept that has not always been easy for Antetokounmpo or for the Bucks, whose past disappointments have only fueled speculation about the team’s future.Where to begin? At the end of last season, after the Bucks made a premature exit from the N.B.A. bubble after losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals as the top seed, questions percolated about Coach Mike Budenholzer’s job security and Antetokounmpo’s contract situation. In free agency, the Bucks botched a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic, which led to the team’s forfeiting a draft pick for violating the league’s rules about tampering.A small shift in strategy by Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer has given Antetokounmpo more room to attack the basket.Matt Slocum/Associated PressThe Bucks proceeded to stumble through the early months of this season, losing three of their first five games, then five straight in February — a difficult stretch that included two losses to the Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee, a team with championship aspirations and one of the most talented players of his generation, seemed mired in mediocrity. But Antetokounmpo, who has won back-to-back N.B.A. Most Valuable Player Awards, went for his walks (and occasional drives) and kept the faith.“I think I’ve been doing a better job this year of enjoying this moment and not letting my mind explore as much and start thinking about playoffs, outcome, championship, no championship,” he said in a conference call with reporters this week. “Because at the end of the day, this is a stressful job that we’re doing, and you don’t want to stress yourself out.”He added, “The outcome — I don’t really care about that. I care about the process, and that helps me here at this moment, talking to you guys.”By all appearances, it has been a useful strategy. And Antetokounmpo, who went a long way toward eliminating a bunch of stress in his own life by signing a five-year contract extension worth about $228 million before the start of the season, suddenly has the Bucks playing their toughest, most determined basketball of the season. Milwaukee has won 10 of its last 11 games, including five in a row — a streak the team extended on Wednesday night by erasing a 19-point deficit on the road to stun the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime, 109-105.After Antetokounmpo scored 7 straight points in overtime, he took a celebratory seat on the court at Wells Fargo Center, where there was a limited number of spectators. Some of them booed.“Is there something wrong with having fun?” Antetokounmpo asked.Antetokounmpo after making a big shot in overtime against the Sixers.Matt Slocum/Associated PressThe Bucks’ resurgence has coincided with the return of Jrue Holiday, their starting point guard, who had missed 10 straight games after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was cleared to play on Feb. 28. More help is on the way: The Bucks, according to multiple reports, made a trade with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday for P.J. Tucker, a veteran forward who will add depth and playoff experience.Tucker would be joining a team that already ranks among the league leaders in offensive efficiency. Budenholzer, as detailed recently by the Athletic, made a small but significant tactical change this season, positioning an offensive player at what is known as “the dunker” spot — an area along the baseline that is just outside the lane. In past seasons, the Bucks would clear the lane and put players in the corners. But because Antetokounmpo spends so much time on the perimeter handling the ball, having a player near the basket drags at least one potential help defender away from him, clearing room for him and the team’s other scorers.“It’s a good move,” 76ers Coach Doc Rivers said before Wednesday’s game. “I thought Golden State did a great job of that. There was a time when Steph Curry was in the dunker spot, which is insane when you think about it, but it worked because it created spacing. If you help, you had to help off him, and then he would pop out to the 3.”Beyond strategic tweaks and personnel moves, Budenholzer has cited the Bucks’ togetherness — that nebulous idea of chemistry — as a factor in his team’s strong play. It was on full display against the 76ers. The Bucks could not have played much worse in the first half, shooting 26.7 percent from the field and 1 of 17 from 3-point range. They had more turnovers (13) than field goals (12). Antetokounmpo attempted only four shots. It was an aberration.Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists.Matt Slocum/Associated PressBudenholzer said he could sense energy — among the reserves, and whenever the team was on defense — and that gave him hope. He also knew he could rely on Antetokounmpo, who seems to be having a lot of — what was that word again? — fun. Fun Giannis is bad news for the rest of the league. Against the 76ers, he finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists, ending his string of three straight triple-doubles in fairly spectacular fashion.“There’s going to be times when I’ve got to be aggressive, got to go downhill,” he said. “But there are also times when I need to find my teammates. I choose to do both.”As for the Bucks’ recent legacy of postseason letdowns and all the weighty expectations that will surely greet them again, Antetokounmpo said he was not even allowing himself to think about the playoffs.“You’re going to be worn out and you won’t have any energy if you think about it every day,” he said. “So right now, I’m just trying to enjoy every moment with my teammates, win or lose. Just be in a good place. And I know myself, I know my teammates, and I know we’re going to try to be ready when the moment is right.” More

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      Should You Get Back With Your Ex? In the N.B.A., Maybe.

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      The reunion of Russell Westbrook and Coach Scott Brooks on the Washington Wizards shows the ups and downs of top stars’ working with their former coaches.Scott Brooks was having a “get to know you” dinner at a sports bar in Los Angeles with Russell Westbrook’s father, who is also named Russell. This was years ago, before Westbrook, then a promising player on the Oklahoma City Thunder, had made an All-Star team. Brooks was his coach.“I remember him telling me, ‘Russell will be M.V.P. one day,’” Brooks said. “I don’t know if my jaw dropped or whatever. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, this thing is not going the way I want it to go.’ He has these unrealistic expectations of his son, which I can appreciate, having a son.”Brooks said he told the senior Westbrook: Let’s make him into an All-Star first.“He obviously knew the inner drive that Russell had, more than I knew,” Brooks said.Westbrook did end up making the All-Star team (nine times, in fact) and winning the Most Valuable Player Award, although under another coach, Billy Donovan. But Brooks and Westbrook developed a close relationship in their seven seasons together in Oklahoma City, when the team regularly made deep runs in the playoffs, and went to the N.B.A. finals in 2011-12.Brooks said that Westbrook was among the first people to call him after he was fired in 2015 and that they had remained in touch. More than a decade after that meeting with the elder Westbrook, Brooks finds himself reunited with the younger one, this time as head coach of the Washington Wizards.“Usually, the sequel is not as good,” Brooks said. “But I knew it would be really good for us, because I knew what we needed.”So far, the results in Washington have been uneven, to put it charitably. The Wizards are 14-25 and on course to miss the playoffs. But Westbrook is averaging 21.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game — star numbers but also inefficient, coming on a below-average true shooting percentage of 49.5 percent. His teammate Bradley Beal is also having one of the best offensive seasons in the N.B.A. Yet the partnership hasn’t led to many wins.Even so, Brooks insisted that Westbrook has been an asset, particularly as a mentor to younger players, and that he has seen a different side of the guard in their second professional pairing. In their first run together, Westbrook was 20 to 26 years old. Now, he’s 32.“I’ve grown with him, and I love this version of him,” Brooks, 55, said. “Married with three kids. He’s gotten to see me raise my kids. Now I get to see him raise his kids. I love the first version because that was fearless: ‘Only thing on my mind is basketball. I can’t wait to practice. It’s Game 7 today, guys,’ and he would be salivating during practices.”Westbrook, Brooks said, is more well-rounded today.“There’s so many times that mask is just covering my smile when I see him say things to the group as a leader, or talk to him and he’ll say things about his wife and kids,” Brooks said.Westbrook, who declined to comment for this story, told NBC Sports in December of their previous time together: “We were young, Scotty was young, he was learning. I believe he’s become a great coach.”Brooks with Westbrook and Kevin Durant in 2014, during their Oklahoma City Thunder days.Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesM.V.P.-level players rarely have just one coach their whole careers, as did Tim Duncan, who played only for Gregg Popovich on the San Antonio Spurs. Bob Cousy and Bill Russell came close, playing only for Red Auerbach on the Boston Celtics — when they weren’t directing themselves as player-coaches. Most M.V.P.s cycle through several head coaches: LeBron James has had seven. Shaquille O’Neal had 11. Brooks, Donovan and Mike D’Antoni have been Westbrook’s coaches over 13 seasons. Whether it happens because of aligned circumstances or mutual affection, it is also rare for a former M.V.P. in his prime to reunite with a coach, as Westbrook has done with Brooks.The closest example might be Moses Malone, who played for Tom Nissalke twice, as a rookie on the 1974-75 Utah Stars in the A.B.A., and then on the Houston Rockets from 1976 to 1979. He won the first of his three M.V.P. awards playing for Nissalke in the 1978-79 season.Kevin Garnett won the 2003-4 M.V.P. award under Flip Saunders in Minnesota, then was traded to Boston before the 2007-8 season. He would find his way back to Minnesota to play for Saunders again during the 2014-15 season as a veteran mentor for a young roster.Wes Unseld was named M.V.P. his rookie season, 1968-69, when he played for Gene Shue, who left the franchise but returned and coached Unseld’s final season. Steve Nash won two M.V.P. awards as the engine of the D’Antoni-led Phoenix Suns. They reunited on the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of Nash’s career — a disappointing stop, in part because of Nash’s injuries. Now they’re together again, although in a different sort of partnership: Nash is the head coach of the Nets, and D’Antoni is his assistant. And the Nets’ reunions don’t stop there: This season, the team acquired James Harden, who won an M.V.P. award while playing for D’Antoni on the Houston Rockets.The most famous and unusual example of an M.V.P. and coach reuniting involved Michael Jordan, whose two highest-scoring seasons came when he played under Doug Collins from 1986 to 1989. Jordan handpicked Collins to be his coach in Washington when he came out of retirement (again) to play for the Wizards after selling his ownership stake in the team. In the book “When Nothing Else Matters” by Michael Leahy, Jordan was repeatedly described as toxic and Collins as too deferential to him.“It was clear that Doug Collins was there to really make M.J. look good and have the most chance for success,” Etan Thomas, who was Jordan’s teammate in Washington, said in an interview. “He wanted for M.J. to go out on a positive note, and that was really his focus.”Sometimes, star-coach reunions can be both awkward and successful. Kobe Bryant won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers under Phil Jackson. A tumultuous 2003-4 season, with locker-room infighting and Bryant facing a criminal rape charge, led to a split after three titles. Jackson then lambasted Bryant in his book “The Last Season,” but returned a year later, and the pair patched things up. They would go on to win championships in 2008-9 and 2009-10.Phil Jackson, left, and Kobe Bryant, right, won five championships together with the Los Angeles Lakers, the last two coming after their relationship fractured.Chris Carlson/Associated PressDerrick Rose is the only former M.V.P. to reunite with a coach twice, as he has done with Tom Thibodeau. Rose won the award in 2010-11 in Chicago, during Thibodeau’s first tenure as coach, when Rose led the Bulls to the conference finals. Injuries derailed Rose after that, but he resurrected his career in Minnesota, spending parts of two seasons under Thibodeau, and now he is a reliable veteran role player trying to help Thibodeau’s Knicks reach the playoffs.“They’re very aggressive in the way they approach their craft,” BJ Armstrong, Rose’s agent and a former player, said of Thibodeau and Rose, adding that their biggest similarity is that they “are very expressive in how they communicate with their body language.”For Brooks and Westbrook, a warm relationship has come full circle. In Oklahoma City, Brooks used to try to motivate his players at shootaround by asking them when the game started. After the players would respond with the tip-off time, Brooks would tell them that, no, the game started right then with preparation.This season, during a preseason shootaround, Brooks overheard Westbrook using that same tactic with the Wizards.“I trademarked that and he didn’t even give me credit,” Brooks said.Brooks said he doesn’t coach Westbrook the way he used to. Because Westbrook is older, the job is more about managing physical expectations and less about teaching the game.“I’m smart enough to realize that he’s no longer 25, and he’s smart enough to realize that he’s no longer, either,” Brooks said.Brooks’s biggest evolution as a coach, from his own telling, is in becoming more even-keeled.“When I first started coaching in Oklahoma, every loss was gut-wrenching and every win was the greatest one ever,” he said.Has Westbrook made the same evolution?“No,” Brooks said. “That guy is still crazy as heck.” More

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      Jeremy Lin Talks N.B.A. Comeback and Anti-Asian Racism

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      Lin, who exploded to fame with the Knicks in 2012, said he has learned to embrace his basketball journey and his platform to speak out amid a wave of attacks on Asian-Americans.It was Room 3296 at Coronado Springs Resort, inside the gates of Walt Disney World in Florida. Jeremy Lin said he had memorized every aspect of its layout.“I know where the scratch marks on the wall are,” Lin said. “I know where the spider webs were.”Lin spent 43 days and 42 nights in that room as a member of the Santa Cruz Warriors, playing in the N.B.A. G League bubble in a bid to make it back to the best league in the world for the first time since the 2018-19 season. After a season of gaudy statistics and rock-star treatment with the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association, Lin bypassed millions of dollars in China to play for $35,000 in the N.B.A.’s developmental league and give scouts ample opportunity to study him.Lin, 32, finished the G League’s abbreviated season at 19.8 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting and with strong, 42.6 percent shooting from 3-point range, but missed six of the 15 games with a back injury. While he waits to see if he did enough for an N.B.A. team to sign him, Lin once again finds himself in the spotlight as a leading voice in the Asian-American community.After another G League player called him “coronavirus” on the court, Lin, who is Taiwanese-American, has been speaking out against the racism and bigotry that numerous Asian-Americans have faced since former President Donald J. Trump began referring to the coronavirus as the “China virus” last year.Lin spoke about his N.B.A. comeback bid and his activism in a wide-ranging phone conversation on Monday.(The highlights of the interview have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.)On his willingness to play in the G League as a nine-year N.B.A. veteran:The more that we talked to teams, they were telling my agent: “Hey, we want to see if Jeremy’s healthy, and we want to see if Jeremy can still go. No offense to some of the leagues overseas, but we would love to see him here in front of us, in an N.B.A. system, playing under N.B.A. rules.”I know I’m an N.B.A. player. I know I’m a better shooter. I know I’m a better defender. I know I’m more well rounded as a basketball player. I know these things, but I just needed a chance to show it.Lin, with Santa Cruz, going against the Toronto Raptors’ G League team.Juan Ocampo/NBAE, via Getty ImagesOn how he was received by fellow G Leaguers:There were two instances where a player said to me, “I grew up watching you play.” I’ve never had another player tell me that, but then I was like, “OK, well, you’re 18 or 19 years old, so I understand that.”On facing younger players still trying to establish an N.B.A. foothold:Ever since I was out of the league, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to get back in. Now you can put your money where your mouth is and compete against all these hungry players. It’s the ultimate competitors’ den where everyone in there is just going at each other.I’ve been a target my whole life. Since I was a kid, I was either a target because people look at me and they’re like: “Oh, he’s not that good. I’m going to take his head off. He’s lunch meat.” Or they don’t want to be embarrassed by me. Now you add on the whole “Linsanity” thing, and I have an even bigger target, and if you watched the games, I was commanding a lot of attention from opposing teams. But it’s fun.Fans hold up New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin photos during a game against Sacramento in his Linsanity run in New York.Frank Franklin II/Associated PressOn initially not wanting to discuss Linsanity, his run with the Knicks in February 2012 that landed him on Sports Illustrated’s cover two weeks in a row:That’s how I felt about it for a few years after. But at this point I’ve come around now to really appreciating and embracing it. For a while it was kind of this phenomenon, or this shadow, or this expectation, or this ghost that I was chasing — sometimes chasing, and sometimes trying to run away from. Now it’s more like a badge of honor that I’m really proud of and what it meant to so many people.At the same time, there’s a lot more basketball left in my body. I definitely appreciate everything about Linsanity and what it taught me, but I really believe I’m a better player now than I was then. The G League validated a lot of what I felt like I was doing in my training but I hadn’t shown yet.On revealing the on-court incident in which he was called “coronavirus” and speaking out to support the #StopAsianHate campaign:With everything happening recently, I feel like I needed to say something. The hate, the racism and the attacks on the Asian-American community are obviously wrong, so that needs to be stated and that’s part of my role. I also feel like part of my role is to bring solidarity and unity, so I need to educate myself and continue to learn more and also support other groups, other movements and other organizations while also bringing awareness to the Asian-American plight.And then another part is to play basketball and play well, because I think there’s a lot of underlying stuff about Asian-Americans being quiet and passive and just, “Yeah, we’ll tell them what to do and they won’t talk back.” So for me to play basketball at the highest level is going to do more than words themselves can say.On working with the G League to handle the incident internally without naming the player who directed the slur at him — and Lin’s talks with the player:Everything’s good. It was a really cool conversation. I felt like it was handled the best way. At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to. We were able to just discuss everything.I wanted to share that everybody is susceptible to these types of things and to racism, but to me that’s not the main focus. The goal isn’t like: “Woe is me. Look at this situation.” The real issues right now are the people that are dying, the people that are getting spit on, the people that are getting robbed, the people that are getting burned, the people that are getting stabbed. That’s where the attention needs to be.Lin won a championship with the Raptors in the 2018-19 season, though he hardly played during the finals.Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesOn his time in Toronto and winning a championship — but playing only one minute in the 2019 N.B.A. finals:On one hand, I came out of it with a ring. I was the first Asian-American to win an N.B.A. championship, so there’s something super special about that. Even just being in Toronto, to see how the city, how the country, rallied around that team, to go to a parade with two million people — it was incredible, man.At the same time, honestly, it’s what I needed. I had a 10- to 12-game stretch where I could try to break into the rotation. I didn’t play the way I needed to play, but I learned what I needed to learn. I came off two years of injury and I realized after that stretch that I had to get surgery on my shooting arm that nobody knew about. I never said anything to anybody.It was already starting when I first got to Toronto where something didn’t feel right. It got to the point where, in the playoffs, I couldn’t even shoot a 3-pointer because there was a small bone spur in my shooting elbow. During the playoffs, no one knew, but by the end of the finals I could only shoot out to the free-throw line.So I had to do the surgery and I was struggling with that a lot, but also mentally I had a lot of trauma and fears from my prior injuries that I hadn’t appropriately resolved. And that’s what Toronto and part of the season in China last year really showed me: You’ve been approaching the injuries like it’s physical rehab that you need. You are already physically beyond where you were before you got hurt. You have to rehab the mental side.On his confidence that one more N.B.A. call will come:I’ve done what I needed to do. I took on the challenge. I went to the G League when some people thought it was crazy for me to go. I think it’s just a matter of time, and I believe it’s going to happen. We’ll see. I know I belong.The Scoop @TheSteinLineJalen Green of the G League Ignite team averaged 17.9 points per game in the shortened season.Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesThis newsletter is OUR newsletter. So please weigh in with what you’d like to see here. To get your hoops-loving friends and family involved, please forward this email to them so they can jump in the conversation. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up here.Corner ThreeThe Malice at the Palace on Nov. 19, 2004, left the Indiana Pacers especially shorthanded the next night against Orlando.Getty ImagesYou ask; I answer. Every week in this space, I’ll field three questions posed via email at marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as the city you’re writing in from, and make sure “Corner Three” is in the subject line.(Responses may be lightly edited and condensed for clarity.)Q: Is there anything the league can do to encourage more stars to participate in the dunk contest? It stinks for fans that the biggest stars refuse to even try. — Andrew Brotherton (Atlanta)Stein: The reflex answer here has always been for the league and its sponsors to arrange a seven-figure, winner-take-all prize for the dunk champion to persuade the biggest names to risk whatever street cred they think they’d lose by competing. I’m so pessimistic in general about the state of the dunk contest that I’m not even sure that would do it at this point.Would the fallout from a dunk contest flop really be so long-lasting in our short attention span world? It’s evident that many more players than not think that participating comes with some sort of grave risk if they perform poorly.I got my hopes up when New Orleans’s Zion Williamson was so cryptic about joining the dunk field. I thought he was just trying to build up the suspense before he entered — especially since this All-Star Game was so dependent on this year’s All-Stars filling up the individual skills competitions to reduce the number of players traveling to Atlanta. Gullible me.I think I’ve mentioned before that in my high school days, no annual event was bigger in my circle than the Saturday night every February commandeered by the dunk contest. What’s so frustrating for dunk devotees is that the 3-point contest field only seems to get stronger every year. The prospect of a poor shooting performance and the potential embarrassment apparently doesn’t trouble vaunted shooters as it does dunkers.Q: The league has been postponing games all season if a team has fewer than eight players available to suit up, but I seem to remember Indiana playing a game after the brawl in Detroit with only six players. This has probably happened on other occasions besides my Pacers example, right? — Jeff Moye (Bogota, N.J.)Stein: Even in the game you’re thinking of, Indiana had eight players in uniform. Two of them (Scot Pollard and Jamaal Tinsley) were injured and couldn’t play, but the Pacers still had to have them dressed to avoid forfeiting the game.It was Indiana’s first game after the brawl that spilled into the stands at Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills on Nov. 19, 2004. The Pacers had a home game against Orlando the next night — without the suspended players Metta World Peace (then known as Ron Artest), Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson. With Reggie Miller sidelined by a broken hand and facing suspension for leaving the bench, Fred Jones and Eddie Gill each played 48 minutes as the Pacers’ lone available guards.There have been other games in which an N.B.A. team used only six players: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Portland was the last to do so in a win over Sacramento on April 10, 2019. But the league’s requirement to have eight players has been in place for decades.Leave it to my tireless historian pal Todd Spehr from Australia to inform me that the New Orleans Jazz may have been the last team to play a game with fewer than eight players in uniform on March 18, 1977. Elgin Baylor, then the coach of the Jazz, was granted special permission to dress seven players rather than the required eight because five of his players had been injured in a taxi accident that afternoon. Led by 51 points from Pete Maravich, the seven-man New Orleans Jazz beat Phoenix.Q: Has there ever been a team that had three of the league’s top 20 scorers, as the Nets do? — Meet Kachly (Mumbai, India)Stein: It’s rare, but it has happened in the modern era. Some examples are provided here even though Kevin Durant has dropped out of the top 20 because he doesn’t qualify for the league leaders now that he has played in just 19 of the Nets’ 40 games.2018-19: Golden State’s Stephen Curry (No. 5 at 27.3 points per game), Durant (No. 8 at 26) and Klay Thompson (No. 18 at 21.5).2013-14: Rudy Gay did not start the season in Sacramento, but his arrival in a December 2013 trade from Toronto gave those Kings a third top-20 scorer alongside No. 9 DeMarcus Cousins (22.7 points per game) and No. 17 Isaiah Thomas (20.3). Gay was 19th at 20 points per game.1990-91: The “Run TMC” Warriors had three players among the league’s top 11 scorers: No. 8 Chris Mullin (25.7 points per game), No. 10 Mitch Richmond (23.9) and No. 11 Tim Hardaway (22.9).1986-87: Seattle had No. 8 Dale Ellis (24.9 points per game), No. 13 Tom Chambers (23.3) and No. 15 Xavier McDaniel (23).1982-83: Denver had the league’s top two scorers — Alex English at 28.4 points per game and Kiki Vandeweghe at 26.7 points per game — with Dan Issel (21.6) at No. 18.Numbers GameCarmelo Anthony is averaging 14.2 points per game this season with Portland as he climbs toward the top 10 in career scoring.Steve Dykes/Associated Press6Only six teams had winning records against teams that were .500 or better entering Tuesday’s games. Philadelphia (13-6) and the Nets (17-3) are the lone East teams that qualify; Utah (17-8), Phoenix (13-5), the Los Angeles Clippers (11-10) and Denver (11-10) represent the West.41The Houston Rockets have not won a game for 41 days, dating to their Feb. 4 victory at Memphis. That was also the last time Christian Wood played for the Rockets before injuring his ankle. He’s averaging 22 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.343Portland’s Carmelo Anthony needed 343 more points to pass Elvin Hayes (27,313 points) for 10th place in N.B.A. regular-season scoring heading into Tuesday’s game. The only players above Anthony on the league’s scoring charts who are not in the Basketball Hall of Fame are not yet eligible: No. 3 LeBron James (35,211) and No. 6 Dirk Nowitzki (31,560).28.8With his recent Most Valuable Player Award-winning performance in Atlanta, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo improved his scoring average in the All-Star Game to a record 28.8 points per game.11Another interesting history reminder from the aforementioned @ToddSpehr35: Active rosters were reduced to 11 players from 12 for the 1977-78 season through 1980-81. The league voted to go back to 12 for the 1981-82 season. Including two slots for two-way players, teams can have rosters of 17 players and, in this pandemic season, list 15 as active for each game.Hit me up anytime on Twitter (@TheSteinLine) or Facebook (@MarcSteinNBA) or Instagram (@thesteinline). Send any other feedback to marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com. More

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      LeBron James Is Becoming a Red Sox Owner

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      James bought a minor stake in the M.L.B. team as its ownership group also received a $750 million investment from a private-equity firm.The Boston Red Sox have gained a global sports star as a partial team owner. LeBron James has bought a minor stake in the M.L.B. franchise at the same time that the team’s longtime ownership group received a $750 million infusion from a private-equity firm.It was not clear how much James invested in the Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, an English Premier League soccer team.The investment from the private-equity firm, RedBird Capital Partners, places the value of Fenway Sports Group at around $7.3 billion, including its debt. In addition to the sports teams, F.S.G. owns Fenway Park, Roush Fenway Racing, the NESN regional sports network and Fenway Sports Management, a marketing company.James, 36, a member of the Los Angeles Lakers who is in his 18th N.B.A. season, has a long history with F.S.G. He originally partnered with Fenway Sports Management in 2011, allowing it to represent his global marketing rights, and as part of that deal took a small ownership stake in Liverpool F.C. But by investing in F.S.G. itself, James added the Red Sox and other F.S.G. companies to his portfolio.Maverick Carter, James’s longtime friend and business partner, also invested in F.S.G. The deal will make the pair the first Black partners in Fenway Sports Group.The investments, which still requires approval from Major League Baseball, were confirmed by two people with knowledge of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media before a public announcement from F.S.G. The Boston Globe first reported the investments from RedBird and James.James, an Ohio native, has described himself as a lifelong Yankees fan, and he created a stir during the 2007 baseball playoffs when he wore a Yankees hat to an American League playoff game in Cleveland. He then actively rooted for Cleveland in the 2016 World Series, just months after leading the Cavaliers to the city’s first major sports championship in 52 years.Expanding his role with F.S.G. is one of James’s many ventures off the basketball court, which include his More Than a Vote group, which aims to fight voter suppression; his work with Carter at SpringHill Entertainment, a production company; and starring in, as well as producing, the movie “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” scheduled to be released this summer.Though James has the highest profile among the new investors, RedBird’s involvement is likely to have more effect on F.S.G.’s operations.RedBird Capital Partners is led by Gerry Cardinale, who helped the Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys form Legends Hospitality when he previously worked at Goldman Sachs. RedBird recently joined the Yankees, Amazon and others in buying the YES Network from the Walt Disney Company. RedBird also recently purchased an 85 percent stake in Toulouse Football Club, which plays in France’s second soccer division. F.S.G. has more than 20 investors, who are all called partners, but it is led by John Henry, Tom Werner and Michael Gordon. RedBird’s stake in F.S.G. will be around 11 percent, making it the third-largest investor, surpassing Gordon’s stake, according to one of the people with knowledge of the deal.Henry and Werner paid $660 million for the Red Sox in 2002 and about $476 million for Liverpool in 2010. Both teams won long-awaited championships under F.S.G. and would almost certainly be worth multiple billions individually if they were sold. RedBird’s investment will allow F.S.G.’s current partners to cash out some of those gains without relinquishing control of the franchises. According to The Boston Globe, more than $600 million will go to F.S.G. partners.Whatever money is left could be invested in a number of ways, including upgrading the current teams’ rosters.After winning their last World Series title in 2018, the Red Sox substantially slashed their payroll, notably trading the star outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who later signed Betts to one of the largest contracts in the sport’s history. Liverpool has won the Champions League and Premier League in recent seasons but has also been reluctant to spend on roster depth, a decision that has caused a crisis this season after a rash of season-ending injuries to important players. More

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      Sports Are Returning to Normal. So Is Their Role in Political Fights.

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonVirus Hotspots in the N.B.A.LeBron and Anthony DavisThe N.B.A. Wanted HerMissing Klay ThompsonKobe the #GirlDadAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storySports of The TimesSports Are Returning to Normal. So Is Their Role in Political Fights.American society is redrawing cultural norms and protections for citizens’ rights. It shouldn’t be a shock that sports is the most visible battleground.On March 11, Stephanie Marty demonstrated against a proposed ban on transgender girls and women from female sports leagues outside the South Dakota governor’s mansion in Pierre, S.D.Credit…Stephen Groves/Associated PressMarch 15, 2021, 12:01 a.m. ETThe end of the terrible coronavirus pandemic seems, at long last, within reach. President Donald J. Trump is gone and America has just endured a withering year of death and protest.In times like these, sports can be a cultural touchstone expected to comfort and heal.But as we dream of a return to normalcy, what will we now expect from the games we love? A return to the mythical notion that sports should operate at arm’s length remove from the important issues of the day?Or an understanding that sports provide much more than a forum for entertainment and the exploration of human potential?Searching for guidance, I called Harry Edwards last week. There’s no one better to offer perspective. The sociologist has been on the front lines of athlete protest dating to the 1960s. He started off with a broad stroke: “Sports does not so much mirror society — it is integral to the functioning of society,” Edwards said.How true.Then he zeroed in. We both did. We agreed that sports have become society’s prime cultural battleground for every hot-button social and political issue. No matter the subject — race, religion, sexuality, patriotism, the role of the police — the sports world is more powerful than ever as a venue for the often harsh hashing out of opposing views.Consider the recent push by conservatives to open a new flank in our divisive wars over social progress. Mississippi’s Republican governor just signed a law that will bar transgender athletes who identify as female from participating on girls’ or women’s sports teams. A flurry of similar, Republican-backed bills is moving through at least 20 statehouses, all under the guise of ensuring the rights of athletes who were born biologically female.Never mind that such legislation is unnecessary. If it fires up a base fearful of expanding L.G.B.T.Q. rights, well, purpose served. The drive for restrictive laws also shows how sports will continue to be used as a litmus test for conservatives and progressives alike.In this new world, with its fraying social bonds and lack of historical memory, nothing packs the power of sports as a platform for battles over change. Not popular music. Not the clout that springs from our universities. Not Hollywood. “No matter how great the hero in a movie,” Edwards said, “you are not going to see people fighting over movies.”Trump provided a powerful accelerant. He stoked the flames amid his ardent supporters who view sports as a last bastion for the good old days and their gauzy myths. The pandemic forced us inside and limited our lives — and also helped give activist athletes and their supporters more time to think and organize. (Hence the walkouts led by the N.B.A. and W.N.B.A. last summer.) All the while, the ubiquitous, hyperbolic power of the internet and social media continued to grow at breakneck speed.Take the case of Greg McDermott, the Creighton men’s basketball coach, who posted an apology on Twitter to get ahead of a story about the terrible language he used while addressing his players after a recent loss to Xavier. “I need everybody to stay on the plantation,” he admitted telling his team. “I can’t have anybody leave the plantation.” Needless to say, words like that were a gut punch to his Black players, who produced and publicly shared a video to express their pain.Creighton guard Shereef Mitchell was among a group of players who read statements about their reactions to comments from Coach Greg McDermott that led to the coach’s suspension.Credit…Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald, via Associated PressThe incident quickly became headline news and the subject of widespread discussion about the power of words and white leaders’ responsibility to understand the Black experience.As all of this unfolded, a clip went viral of a Miami Heat reserve player, Meyers Leonard, spewing an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game on a public livestream. Criticism came hard and swift. The N.B.A. suspended Leonard and fined him $50,000. Heat coaches and players expressed dismay. “We can’t tolerate that here,” said Udonis Haslem, the team’s veteran forward, sending a clear signal from a league full of activist players on standards for speech and rooting out hate. “Right is right, and wrong is wrong.”In years gone by, there’s a good chance none of this would have received such a public airing. A decade ago, in a world with different expectations and less connectivity, McDermott’s rant and Leonard’s online slur probably would not have become public. And that would mean no apologies, no condemnation, no chance for a wide-open discussion on acceptable speech.Smartphones and the internet have utterly changed the dynamic. Edwards recalled leading an anti-discrimination protest in 1967 by Black football players on the campus at his alma mater, San Jose State, and trying to spread the word across the country by making over 100 calls from a rotary phone.“The principal difference between what we did in the 1960s and what we see today is technology,” Edwards said. “The rapidity of communication, the way everyone now can hear the message, make their own message, and experience it all in real time.”We love sport not only for its drama but also for its precision and certainty. Games almost always end with clear winners and losers. We can measure the speed of a sprinter down to the millisecond. We know the exact batting average of the best hitter in baseball and, these days, the speed of the swing and the angle at which hits loft toward the outfield.But when mixed with the drive for change and the demand for new protections of rights, our sports get messy. Fights over power are always that way.So what will the future hold?“The struggle will continue,” Edwards said. “And sports will be where it all plays out.” He ticked off the names of today’s most prominent athlete activists — LeBron James, Maya Moore and Colin Kaepernick — and said they and others of their ilk are more astute than the players of old at “dreaming with their eyes open, working for justice, cultivating the tools to make those dreams happen.”Then the wise professor stopped for a moment, before reminding me that the battles are not only fought by progressives.“Remember,” Edwards said, “for every action, there is a reaction. Expect the other side to operate in direct opposition to what these athletes are pushing for.”Conflict is inevitable. So is change.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Women’s Basketball Makes Room for New Stars, and New Contenders

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.C.A.A. Basketball TournamentsMen’s PreviewWomen’s PreviewAn Unusual BracketLatest Virus CasesDuke Ends SeasonAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyWomen’s Basketball Makes Room for New Stars, and New ContendersThe usual elites are still great, but the rest of the college field has a real shot to win the championship this year. Star power isn’t concentrated at the top anymore.The UConn Huskies celebrating after winning the women’s Big East tournament.Credit…David Butler Ii/USA Today Sports, via ReutersMarch 14, 2021, 12:01 a.m. ETThere are few more compelling diversions than N.C.A.A. tournament basketball, and after the postseason was canceled last March because of the coronavirus pandemic, plenty of the best players in women’s basketball are hungry for the bright lights of the big stage. Their passion for the game will, at least for the next few weeks, become our own as we become immersed in the bracket’s glories and heartbreaks.Before the tournament begins in San Antonio on March 21, here are a few keys to understanding the past season in women’s college basketball.The full scope of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact is unknown — but huge.A worker sanitized the George Mason gym before a game in January.Credit…Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesIt’s impossible to overstate how much the women’s college basketball season has been defined by the pandemic. At least nine games have been canceled this month because of coronavirus health and safety protocols. Nearly every top program has missed games because of either contact tracing or positive virus tests, meaning most teams have not played a full slate of games.In December, The New York Times reported that there had been at least 6,629 cases of the coronavirus within college sports; it’s hard to know how many more athletes and staff members have tested positive since, because the N.C.A.A. doesn’t track testing results. But at least one women’s basketball player, Vanderbilt’s Demi Washington, learned that she had acute myocarditis, which doctors believed was a side effect of the coronavirus.Blue-chip programs still rule, but more of the others at last have a real shot at the title.Stanford players celebrated in confetti last week after they won the Pac-12 Conference tournament championship game. Credit…Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports, via ReutersSix of the top 10 teams in The Associated Press poll have won at least one title; only two have never been to a Final Four. But the high rankings of perennial contenders like Stanford, Baylor, Louisville and, yes, UConn obscure the fact that there’s a much more level playing field at the top of the game than there has been in years, as evidenced by the split votes for the No. 1 spot. (UConn has the top ranking with 22 first-place votes, Stanford is in second place with five, and North Carolina State in third with two.)UConn is the only team in the top 25 with just one loss, but the Huskies played a relatively easy schedule. Among their peers at the top, there is no clear front-runner, which sets the stage for tight Elite Eight matchups.The SEC tournament showed us what madness might be in store.Kentucky and Georgia faced off in the SEC Tournament, with Georgia emerging victorious.Credit…Dawson Powers/USA Today Sports, via ReutersThe pandemic has changed the way conference tournaments and the N.C.A.A. tournament are seeded. Because the teams in each conference haven’t played the same number of games, most tournaments have been ranked using win percentage. At the SEC tournament, for example, Tennessee was the No. 3 seed and Kentucky was No. 5, even though Kentucky won as many conference games as the Lady Vols and had more wins over all. The result of this seeding system was enticing matchups for two strong upset candidates — No. 11 Ole Miss, which came tantalizingly close to beating Tennessee in the quarterfinals, and No. 4 Georgia, which battled to a 5-point loss against South Carolina in the championship game.Similar unpredictability may be on the way at the N.C.A.A. tournament, which will be using a true S-curve to seed teams for the first time: Because the games are all taking place in San Antonio, geographic considerations won’t be taken into account as the selection committee creates the bracket, removing one variable and potentially creating stronger competition.The 3-point revolution is steering many potential underdogs.Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech’s 3-point specialist, in a game against George Washington this season.Credit…Pool photo by Matt GentryDuring the 2020-21 season, more teams than ever averaged at least eight 3-point baskets made per game, according to data from Her Hoop Stats. The 3-point revolution has clearly made it to the women’s game, and has created a path for mid-major programs either to have their first shot at making the tournament, like the High Point Panthers (10.2 per game), or to fuel genuine upset potential, as is the case with Florida Gulf Coast (11.8 per game) and Stephen F. Austin (8.6 per game). Power 5 schools are no stranger to splash, either — Virginia Tech is averaging 9.8 per game, thanks in large part to the sharpshooting senior guard Aisha Sheppard (3.7 per game), and Arkansas is averaging 9.6. Any one of these teams could easily live (or die) by the 3.There are stars all over the place.Natasha Mack, a top W.N.B.A. prospect, in a game against Baylor earlier this season.Credit…Sue Ogrocki/Associated PressBeyond the top teams, women’s college basketball used to have a talent vacuum, with the best high school recruits drawn to extending the reigns of dynasties instead of aiming to lead deep postseason runs with programs accustomed to watching the Final Four from home. No longer, though: Charli Collier of Texas and Oklahoma State’s Natasha Mack, who are top W.N.B.A. prospects, represent the Big 12. The best shooter in the country is Monika Czinano, a junior center at Iowa. It’s hard to turn on a women’s college basketball game without seeing at least one truly compelling player capable of willing a team to victory — and bringing some madness to March.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Your N.B.A. Coronavirus Questions, Answered

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonVirus Hotspots in the N.B.A.LeBron and Anthony DavisThe N.B.A. Wanted HerMissing Klay ThompsonKobe the #GirlDadAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyYour N.B.A. Coronavirus Questions, AnsweredCan fans attend all games? Will players be vaccinated? Was All-Star weekend safe? Read on to find out.Fans at a game between the Knicks and the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden, with limited seating.Credit…Pool photo by John MinchilloMarch 11, 2021Updated 5:49 p.m. ETThe second half of another strange N.B.A. season in the pandemic has begun.In the first half, multiple players missed several games because of health concerns related to the coronavirus, even if they didn’t contract the virus. Teams have missed games. At one point, the Washington Wizards did not have enough players to practice. Almost every team in the N.B.A. has been affected in some way.As action resumes, here is where the league stands with the virus, and other story lines to watch.Some of the questions we’ll answer:Are fans allowed in arenas yet?How many games were postponed in the first half?Are enhanced protocols still in place?How many players have tested positive for the virus?Can the Texas teams — the Spurs, the Rockets and the Mavericks — fill their arenas now?Will N.B.A. players get vaccinated?Are fans allowed in arenas yet?So far, 14 of 30 teams allow fans to attend games in varying capacities: Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Indiana, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix and Utah, plus both the Nets and the Knicks. Some other franchises will be allowing fans soon: San Antonio (March 12), Charlotte (March 13), Philadelphia (March 14), Detroit (March 17) Toronto (March 19; this will be in Tampa, Fla.) and Boston (March 22).Will the Knicks make the playoffs?This isn’t the piece for that.But will fans be able to watch the Knicks in person in the playoffs?You got me. It’s possible.How many games were postponed in the first half?A total of 31 games were postponed when teams did not have enough players because of positive tests or contact tracing. All are expected to be made up.Are enhanced protocols still in place?They are. In January, the N.B.A. and the players’ union announced — following a surge of postponements — that players were being directed to spend their time almost exclusively at home or, if on the road, in their hotel rooms. Initially, the tightening was described as at least two weeks. But it is still in place.But didn’t they just have an All-Star Game in Atlanta?Well, yeah.So most of the league’s best players traveled to Atlanta for an exhibition game. Was that an unnecessary risk?So far, no players are publicly known to have tested positive coming out of All-Star festivities. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, who were supposed to play, missed the All-Star Game because of contact tracing after their barber tested positive for the coronavirus. Both will also miss Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.How many players have tested positive for the virus?Beginning with the weekly testing report on Dec. 10, the first after players entered training camp, 60 players have tested positive. According to the most recent report by the N.B.A., two new players have returned positive tests since March 3.Why haven’t I seen Wayne Knight in the ads for “Space Jam 2”?I’m sorry, Mr. Knight. I can’t answer that.Can the Texas teams — the Spurs, the Rockets and the Mavericks — fill their arenas now?Recently, Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican of Texas, ended the state’s mask mandate and said that all businesses could operate without capacity limits.No. All teams must still adhere to the N.B.A.’s protocols, which require social distancing between groups of ticket holders. The Spurs will allow about 3,200 fans. The Mavericks have been topping out at 4,000, but Mark Cuban, the team’s owner, also recently said on a podcast, “We think that by the end of the regular season we’ll have full houses, because like the president said, anybody who would want a vaccine will be able to get a vaccine.” The Rockets allow roughly 4,000 or so fans.Will N.B.A. players get vaccinated?Commissioner Adam Silver has said repeatedly that he does not want N.B.A. players to get vaccinated ahead of their eligibility. He also expressed openness to players receiving the vaccine as part of a public awareness campaign.Last weekend, Silver told reporters that he was unaware of any players who had been vaccinated.“I also think being realistic, around the N.B.A., as I said, we have no plans to mandate that players get vaccinated,” Silver said. “For any sort of large scale, required vaccinations to take place, that can only happen with the players’ association.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More