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Coalition warns Philadelphia 76ers’ new arena plan could spell ‘the demise of Chinatown’
- A Sixers arena will be built at the nearby Philadelphia Fashion District at 10th and Market Streets in Chinatown and is scheduled to open in 2030.
- In light of the new plan, four broad-based Chinatown groups have united to create a committee that is dedicated to reviewing how the arena may improve or threaten Philadelphia’s Chinatown community.
- The groups have been meeting with the Sixers arena developer David Adelman and his team.
- Adelman, who stresses the support of business groups outside the neighborhood, has reportedly offered to negotiate a community-benefits agreement that involves business opportunities.
Four Chinatown groups have united to form a committee dedicated to reviewing the conditions in Chinatown in light of the Philadelphia 76ers’ new plan to build an arena in the area.
The $1.3 billion arena, which will be built at the nearby Philadelphia Fashion District at 10th and Market Streets, is scheduled to open in 2030 after the expiration of the basketball team’s contract at Comcast’s Wells Fargo Center.
Yuta Watanabe praised by Kevin Durant after becoming NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter
- The Brooklyn Nets’ Yuta Watanabe is currently the best 3-point shooter in the NBA, making 24 out of 42 attempts in the 14 games he’s played this season.
- Watanabe, who is under a non-guaranteed $1.8 million minimum contract with the Nets, has significantly improved his 3-point shooting accuracy since joining the league in the 2018-2019 NBA season, in which he shot only 12.5 percent beyond the arc.
- After helping the Nets defeat the Grizzlies 127-115 with a 6-of-9 shooting (66.7%) average from the field on Nov. 20, Watanabe received cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd.
- “You guys can tell how much my teammates trust me by how they pass the ball,” he told ESPN during a post-game interview. “They just gave me great passes and I just made open shots, so, that was a team effort.”
- Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have showered the small forward with praise, with the latter calling him “the best shooter in the world right now.”
Brooklyn Nets small forward Yuta Watanabe has earned the admiration of fans and teammates for elevating his 3-point shooting this season to an NBA-best 57.1 percent.
In the 14 games he’s played this season, in which he averaged only 18.2 minutes per game, he made 24 3-point shots out of 42 attempts.
Dwight Howard calls out Shaquille O’Neal for ‘highly disrespectful’ comments against Taiwan’s T1 League
- Former NBA star Dwight Howard has taken to Instagram to respond to “highly disrespectful” comments that basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal recently made about Taiwan's T1 League.
- O’Neal poked fun at Howard’s 38-point debut with the Taoyuan Leopards during Thursday's episode of “The Big Podcast.”
- “He’s supposed to have 30 points playing against dudes 5’8”,” O’Neal commented before noting that the overseas league reminds him of “the Lifetime Fitness league every Saturday when I go workout on Saturdays.”
- Howard, who announced his move to the Taoyuan Leopards earlier this month, went on Instagram Live to say that what O’Neal said was “highly disrespectful” to his teammates, the league and the people of Taiwan.
- “You’re too old to be hating,” the eight-time NBA All-Star responded. “You’re too big to be hating. You’re supposed to be Superman, the original Superman. Shaquille O’Neal. The original Superman is hating? The OG Superman is hating?”
- Howard, who signed a $1-million-per-year contract with the Leopards, put up 38 points, 25 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks in his debut on Nov. 19.
Former NBA star Dwight Howard has responded to comments made by basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal regarding his current stint in Taiwan’s T1 League.
During Thursday’s episode of “The Big Podcast,” O’Neal laughed after he was asked by co-host Spice Adams about Howard’s 38-point debut playing for the Taoyuan Leopards.
NBA fan removed after hurling racist remarks at Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson
- A Portland Trail Blazers fan was reportedly kicked out of the Oregon city’s Moda Center on Saturday night after making racist statements directed at Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson.
- The fan was also accused of “flipping the [Jazz] players off for a long while,” according to Deseret News reporter Sarah Todd.
- The removal reportedly occurred during an injury timeout in the second quarter of the game between the Blazers and Jazz.
- Clarkson, 30, the winner of last year’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, is Black and Filipino American.
A Portland Trail Blazers fan was reportedly kicked out of the Moda Center on Saturday night after making racist statements directed at Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson.
The fan was also accused of “flipping the [Jazz] players off for a long while,” according to Deseret News reporter Sarah Todd.
Taiwan pro teams reportedly pursuing more former NBA stars after Dwight Howard signing
- After the Taoyuan Leopards signed center Dwight Howard, other teams in Taiwan’s T1 League are following suit by pursuing seasoned NBA stars.
- Among the players being considered is Howard’s former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Carmelo Anthony, who is purportedly being pursued by the Tiannan TSG GhostHawks.
- Other players who T1 teams are eyeing include Isaiah Thomas and Enes Kanter Freedom.
- Even at 5’9”, Thomas was able to stand tall in the NBA, racking up a pair of All-Star appearances and even forcing his way into the MVP conversation on the Boston Celtics.
- Freedom, who also played for the Celtics, has spent the most of his career as a productive rotational big man and is an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party.
After the Taoyuan Leopards signed center Dwight Howard, other teams in Taiwan’s T1 League are reportedly following suit by pursuing seasoned NBA stars.
Among the players being considered is Howard’s former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Carmelo Anthony, who is purportedly being pursued by the Tiannan TSG GhostHawks.
Dwight Howard will make over $1 million annually playing in Taiwan league
- Former Los Angeles Lakers player Dwight Howard has moved from the NBA to Taiwan’s T-1 League to play for the Taoyuan Leopards.
- The Leopards is one of the league’s six teams. The other teams include the Kaohsiung Aquas, the New Taipei CTBC DEA, the Taichung Suns, the Tainan TSG GhostHawks and the TaiwanBeer HeroBears.
- Howard, 36, was greeted by dozens of basketball fans after he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport at around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday.
- “Taiwan, this is Dwight Howard aka Superman," the basketball player said in a video posted by his new team on Instagram on Tuesday. “I am so, so excited, and I can't wait to touch down in Taiwan and start playing for the Taoyuan City Leopards."
- Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Taoyuan Leopards General Manager Bret Su revealed that Howard, an eight-time All-NBA Team honoree and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, will receive a historically high monthly salary of $200,000.
Former NBA star Dwight Howard received a fanfare welcome after touching down in Taiwan on Thursday to begin his stint playing for one of its T-1 League teams.
Howard, 36, was greeted by dozens of basketball fans after he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport at around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, where he signed autographs and posed for pictures with Taoyuan Leopards representatives.
Jeremy Lin not hopeful about NBA comeback
- Despite fans clamoring for his NBA comeback, Jeremy Lin believes that a potential return is “no longer in the cards.”
- During an interview with The New York Times, the Taiwanese American athlete explained that he “accepted all the challenges of all the front offices to go back” by competing at a high-enough level in the G League to warrant a contract, but “it wasn’t enough.”
- Lin was reportedly the only top 10 scorer in the league who did not receive a contract.
- “That door seems to be pretty shut, and I feel like that was confirmed and double confirmed after what I had done in the G League and how well I had played and seeing that all the top scorers and all the top assist leaders all got contracts except for me,” Lin told The New York Times.
- While Lin never had the opportunity to end his NBA career on his own terms, his performances during his time in the league left an indelible mark on his sport, his fans and the AAPI community.
While fans have been clamoring for his NBA comeback for years, Jeremy Lin believes that a potential return is “no longer in the cards.”
The Taiwanese American athlete explained during an interview with The New York Times that even though he has “always had that hope” of returning to the NBA, he has “accepted all the challenges of all the front offices to go back” by competing at a high-enough level in the G League to warrant a contract. However, he believes that “it wasn’t enough.”
Jaylin Williams makes history as first player of Vietnamese descent to make active NBA roster
- Jaylin Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder is the first basketball player of Vietnamese descent to make an active NBA roster.
- Throughout the preseason, Williams flashed his skills on the glass as one of the team’s most effective rebounders.
- Last Wednesday, Williams made his NBA debut in the Thunder’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, logging four points, two assists and six rebounds in eight minutes of play.
- “Being able to be that icon and be that role model means so much to me” Williams tells AMAZNHQ in a video interview. “It means more than basketball. It means more than what I'm doing it for.”
- Fellow Vietnamese basketball player Johnny Juzang is also taking his talents to the league, splitting his time between the NBA and the G-league on a two-way contract.
Jaylin Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder is the first basketball player of Vietnamese descent to make an active NBA roster.
Throughout the preseason, Williams flashed his skills on the glass as one of the team’s most effective rebounders, even notching a double-double against Maccabi Ra’anana with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Filipino American coach Erik Spoelstra voted best head coach in the NBA
- A survey of NBA general managers has chosen the Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra as the basketball league's best coach this year.
- Spoelstra acquired 52 percent of the managers’ total votes.
- Golden State’s Steve Kerr came in second with 22 percent of the vote, while San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Phoenix’s Monty Williams were tied for third with 7 percent each.
- Highlights of Spoelstra’s stellar career include the consecutive NBA championships he led his team to win in 2012 and 2013.
- The Filipino American coach is reportedly the first Asian American head coach in the history of the four major North American sports leagues and the first Asian American head coach to win an NBA title.
The Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra was recently recognized by NBA general managers as the basketball league’s best head coach.
The Filipino American coach, who guided his team to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last year with a win record of 53-29, acquired 52% of the managers’ total votes. Golden State’s Steve Kerr came in second with 22% of the vote, while San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Phoenix’s Monty Williams were tied for third with 7% each.
Former NBA center advises Kevin Durant tweet ‘Free Taiwan’ to get traded off by Nets owner Joe Tsai
- Former NBA center Andrew Bogut took to Twitter to poke fun at the NBA’s extremely sensitive relationship with China with a dig at Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai.
- Bogut’s tweet focused on Nets power forward Kevin Durant, who expressed his desire to be traded from the team over a month ago.
- He tweeted, “An easy way for KD to get out of @joetsai1999’s @BrooklynNets that no NBA analyst is discussing. A simple tweet: ‘Free Hong Kong, Free Taiwan.’ Gone the next day …”
- Bogut’s tweet is an apparent shot at Tsai, who is a known supporter of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Former NBA center Andrew Bogut recently poked fun at the NBA’s extremely sensitive relationship with China.
In a tweet on Saturday, Bogut offered an unconventional solution to Nets power forward Kevin Durant, who expressed his desire to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets.
‘Everyone gives so much love’: Fil-Am NBA player Jalen Green reconnects with Filipino roots in Manila
- Jalen Green, the 20-year-old Filipino American NBA player, arrived in Manila on Wednesday for his “JG4 Manila Tour” with sports brand Adidas Philippines.
- The JG4 Manila Tour is reportedly Green’s first event as an Adidas Global Ambassador and a full-fledged NBA player.
- The tour centers on reconnecting him with his Filipino heritage and fans with “the authentic Manila experience through Philippine basketball and street culture.”
- In a “Fast Talk” segment at a press conference on Thursday, the 20-year-old basketball player said his greatest motivation is his mother Bree Purganan, a native of Ilocos Sur.
Filipino American NBA player Jalen Green reconnected with his Filipino roots for his “JG4 Manila Tour” with sports brand Adidas Philippines.
The Houston Rockets guard arrived in Manila on Wednesday for a series of events by Adidas that center around reconnecting him with his Filipino heritage and fans.
Jeremy Lin, undrafted in 2010, shares advice for Kai Sotto after he goes undrafted 12 years later
- Former NBA player Jeremy Lin, 33, gave Filipino athlete Kai Sotto, 20, some solid advice after he went undrafted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday.
- “The biggest thing is draft night is just one snapshot in a very long film,” Lin told ESPN during the 2022 NBA Rookie Draft. “And I just hope that he continues to believe in himself, stay confident, keep working hard and just trust that, 'as long as I stay consistent, I will find a home.’"
- Sotto, who is officially listed as 7 feet and 2 inches in height, had previously worked out with several NBA teams before draft night, including the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls, the latter of which had reportedly expressed interest in the Filipino rookie.
- The Las Piñas native still has a shot at receiving an invite for the 2022 NBA Summer League, where he could get either a training camp deal or a two-way contract if he performs well. This year’s Summer League will begin on July 7.
Former NBA player Jeremy Lin gave Kai Sotto and other up-and-coming athletes some solid advice after they went undrafted last week.
Speaking to ESPN on Thursday, Lin, 33, said he is rooting for the 20-year-old Filipino athlete after spending some time with him during NBA’s G League Ignite.
