It has been a very intriguing last 24 hours in the National Basketball Association. Here are five headlines from the league.
5) Jabari Smith Jr. out long term
Houston Rockets power forward Jabari Smith Jr. of Fayetteville, Georgia is out long term after breaking his hand in practice on Friday. The third year player is averaging 11.9 points per game, and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. He is expected to be out one to two months.
4) Magic Johnson honoured by U.S. government
NBA legend Magic Johnson of Lansing, Michigan, who we declared at the Sporting Base as the 10th best player of all-time in 2019, was honoured by the United States government with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday. Johnson, a Hall of Fame guard, was a 12-time All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers.
3) Heat suspend Jimmy Butler
It appears Jimmy Butler’s days in Miami are over. The Heat star power forward has been suspended seven games for conduct detrimental to the team. Butler stated in a press conference this week that he wants to get his joy back playing basketball. That seems not to be in Miami. He is averaging 17.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game this season.
2) 50 point night for CJ McCollum
For the second time in his career, New Orleans Pelicans point guard CJ McCollum of Canton, Ohio has 50 points in a game. On Friday, he scored 50 points in a 132-120 Pelicans win over the Washington Wizards. The first time McCollum reached 50 points in a game was on January 31, 2018 in a 124-108 Portland Trail Blazers win over the Chicago Bulls.
McCollum is the third Pelicans player to score 50 points in a game. The other two were Anthony Davis, who accomplished the feat three times, and Jamal Mashburn.
1) LeBron James makes NBA history
On Friday night in the Lakers 119-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Lakers star LeBron James of Akron, Ohio scored 30 points. It was the 563rd time James has scored a minimum of 30 points in a game. That is the most 30 point games in NBA history. Michael Jordan had the old record of 562 30-point games.
