Kevin Durant
The Brooklyn Nets announced that forward Kevin Durant will be out with a left hamstring strain until after the All-Star break. Though head coach Steve Nash said this week that he expected Durant back earlier, a subsequent MRI said otherwise.
This means that Durant, who was a named a captain for the All-Star Game, will not play in the game. Since this is the first time a captain has not been able to play since the league adopted the East vs. West format, it is TBD as to whether or not he will still take the lead on selecting players.
Durant has missed nine of the Nets’ last 10 games and is averaging 29 points, 5.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game on the season.
NBA Logo
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving would like the NBA logo, which is currently the silhouette of Los Angeles Lakers’ Hall of Famer Jerry West, changed to honor Kobe Bryant.
Since Bryant’s death in January of 2020, a change.org petition in support of the change has over three million signatures. Bryant’s late wife Vanessa Bryant shared Irving’s post in her Instagram story, saying “love this. @KyrieIrving.”
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Tiger Woods
Golfer Tiger Woods sustained multiple injuries to his right leg after a single-car crash in Southern California earlier this week. Woods crashed while driving north on Hawthorne Boulevard, where his car crossed the center median and rolled over several times. Woods was being treated at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and has since been transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
We are sending thoughts and prayers to Woods for a full recovery.
Atlanta Dream
Real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener has been approved to be the lead owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. The investment group also includes former Dream guard Renee Montgomery and Suzanne Abair, who is president of Gottesdiener’s Northland Investment Corp.
After Senator Kelly Loeffler wrote a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert opposing league initiatives that advocated for social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement, players called for Loeffler to sell her stake in the team.
Montgomery, who played 11 seasons in the WNBA, will be the first former player to be an owner and executive of a team.
The Braves Extend Snitker
Manager Brian Snitker will be staying in Atlanta awhile, as the Braves have extended his contract through the 2023 season with a club option for 2024. Snitker became the team’s interim manager in 2016 and the Braves have been NL East Champions the last three seasons.
Snitker has spent 45 years in the Braves organization as a coach, a player and manager. He led Atlanta to its first postseason series win since 2001 last year, when the Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds in the wild-card round. They went on to beat Miami in the division series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.