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Pop, Wade, Gasol, Hammon, Parker, Nowitzki heading to Basketball Hall of Fame

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

(AP) — Tony Parker and Pau Gasol played for him. Becky Hammon coached alongside him. Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade waged battles against him.He is Gregg Popovich.And he, finally, is a Hall of Famer.The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame made it official Saturday, with three of the NBA’s all-time international greats — Nowitzki, Parker and Gasol — joining Wade, Hammon and Popovich as the headliners of the 2023 class that will be enshrined on Aug. 11 and 12 at ceremonies in Connecticut and Massachusetts.“This is basketball heaven,” Wade said on the ESPN telecast of the announcement in Houston.https://twitter.com/TheMozKnowz/status/1642259029215805442?s=20Also getting the Hall’s call: the 1976 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team; former Purdue coach Gene Keady, a seven-time Big Ten coach of the year; former Texas A&M women’s coach Gary Blair, who took t...

David Pastrnak’s hat trick lifts B’s to 4-3 win in Pittsburgh

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

If anyone thought the Bruins were going to mail it in for the final seven games since clinching the Presidents’ Trophy, they are sadly mistaken.With the Pittsburgh Penguins desperately trying to hold onto the final playoff spot and a date with the B’s in the first round, David Pastrnak posted his second hat trick of the year in dramatic fashion and beat the Pens, 4-3, at PPG Pains Arena on Saturday. It was win No. 59 for the B’s.Pastrnak notched his third goal of the game and 56th of the season when he ripped home a David Krejci feed to give he B’s a 4-3 lead.Pastrnak then had to sit in the box and watch his team kill off the sixth Penguin power play after his was called for high-sticking with 57 seconds left.Pittsburgh tied the game for the third time on the afternoon with 7:30 left in the third period when Brandon Carlo did not connect with Hampus Lindholm pass behind the net. Eventually, Jake Guentzel rifled home a Brian Dumoulin pass when Jeremy Swayman w...

How NBA’s new CBA could impact Jaylen Brown’s future with Celtics

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement may improve the Celtics’ chances to lock up a long-term future with Jaylen Brown.The NBA and the NBA Players’ Association agreed to a tentative deal on a new seven-year CBA in the early hours of Saturday morning that will cover the rest of the decade. The league and players are expected to ratify the agreement – which would begin for the start of the 2023-24 season – in the coming weeks before it becomes official, according to ESPN.ESPN and The Athletic reported several details of the new CBA, and one major change in the deal could have immediate ripple effects for the Celtics on contract negotiations with Brown, whose future in Boston has been the subject of widespread speculation in the last couple of weeks after his recent comments to The Ringer.Brown is in the third year of his four-year deal with the Celtics and will be eligible for a contract extension this summer. Under current CBA rules, the Celtics can only offer a 120% increase...

‘It’s not a race’: Magic make case for Paolo Banchero to win Rookie of the Year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley isn’t on social media and limits his exposure to external narratives.To the point that he said he wasn’t aware that some prominent media members, including former Magic player and 15-year NBA vet JJ Redick, were making arguments that Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams was making a push for the Rookie of the Year award.So when this was brought to Mosley’s attention, he was — respectfully — surprised.And had no problem making his case for Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who has been significantly favored to win the award for most of the season.“With all due respect, it’s not a race in my opinion,” Mosley told the Orlando Sentinel ahead of Friday’s 116-107 road win over the Washington Wizards. “[Banchero] has impacted winning. His ability to help us get to the free throw line [is] huge. Our paint touches have been huge. We talked about the tough month he had shooting — his ability t...

Tornado survivors recount flying debris, destroyed buildings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

WYNNE, Ark. (AP) — With tornadoes hitting the Midwest and the South this weekend, some survivors said they emerged from their homes to find buildings ripped apart, vehicles tossed around like toys, shattered glass and felled trees.J.W. Spencer, 88, had never experienced a tornado before, but when he and his wife saw on TV that a tornado was nearing their small town of Wynne, Arkansas, he opened a front window and rear door in his house to relieve air pressure. The couple scurried into the bathroom, where they got into the bathtub and covered themselves with quilts and blankets for protection.Fifteen minutes later, the storm unleashed its fury. Debris came whistling through the house. “We just rode it out,” Spencer said on Saturday. “We heard stuff falling, loud noises. And then it quit. It got quiet.”After it passed, the couple emerged to see their neighborhood devastated by the tornado. Many large trees were down. Houses were severely damaged. The high school’s roof was...

Job fair aims to recruit current, future healthcare workers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

In a few years, Ontario will be short an estimated 33,000 nurses and personal support workers as the province deals with a shortage of all kinds of healthcare workers. Today, at Canada’s premier recruitment event for the sector, institutions from home and abroad were hoping to match eager job seekers and fill some openings that are much needed at this time. “We have a lot of job seekers that are here, perhaps they’re looking for new opportunities, some are looking for an adventure, they might be looking to go abroad for a couple of years,” said Erin Flynn, regional director of events at HealthSector Talent. “There are some new grads as well, so they’re coming from every aspect and every level of their career.” Dubbed the only event of its kind in Eastern Canada, the healthcare job fair came to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday. Employers spoke about positions in all sectors, from medical and nursing to allied health and support. Hospitals across the GTA al...

Presidents of Taiwan, Guatemala visit Mayan pyramid

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei toured the archaeological site of Tikal on Saturday during a trip by Tsai that aims to shore up the self-governing island’s ties with its remaining allies in Central America.The Taiwanese leader will visit Guatemala and Belize, the island’s only two remaining allies in Central America, where Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica have all switched their support to China. Honduras broke relations with Taipei a week ago.Under a blazing sun Saturday, Tsai and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro, representing Giammattei — who suffers from multiple sclerosis – climbed one of the Mayans’ most important pyramids: Temple II, also called Temple of the Masks. With incense, a Mayan invocation ceremony, a Mayan ball game and an exchange of gifts, Tsai and Giammattei talked as they enjoyed the central square of Tikal archaeological park.The day before, in a joint m...

3 tornadoes touchdown in Northern Illinois, NWS confirms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

CHICAGO — NWS Chicago has confirmed three tornadoes in Northern Illinois -- neither is one in Belvidere where the theatre roof and marquee collapsed.According to the NWS, one was reported west/southwest of Baileyville and one was reported near Caledonia.On Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service confirmed a third tornado, an EF-1, impacted Machesney Park. Possible tornadoes leave extensive damage in Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana 57 tornadoes and even more funnel clouds reported across 7 states in the Midwest and South. The National Weather Service said information about the path length and width and a map would be released in the coming days. 1 dead, 28 injured after roof collapses at Belvidere theater amid strong storms National Weather Service investigators will be looking into each one of these twisters in the next few days to track the speed and strength. Almost 300 reports of wind damage and wind gusts in the Chicago area reached more than 70 mph. 164 repor...

Store manager, valid FOID holder foils robbery, shoots would-be robber in Calumet Heights

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is in critical condition after getting shot while trying to rob an auto parts store in Calumet Heights.According to the Chicago Police Department, a 30-40-year-old man entered an auto parts store in the 9100 block of South Stony Island Avenue around 2:30 p.m., pulled out a gun, and demanded money from the cash register.Police said the store manager, who is a valid FOID holder, pulled out a gun and fired shots, hitting the 30-40-year-old man, who was then taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. Indiana police: Driver dead after car goes airborne after crash, another driver hits car No other information is available at this time as Area Two detectives continue to investigate.If you or someone you know has information that can aid detectives in their investigation, Area Two detectives can be reached at 312-747-8273, or anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.

Timberwolves struggling to maintain offensive rhythm with star players

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:40:10 GMT

The Timberwolves’ offense picked an awful time to stall out Friday. In the second half of a game that could be a major determinant for Minnesota’s playoff positioning when the regular season wraps a week from Sunday, the team’s rhythm and movement came to a screeching halt and the production followed.Things went off the rails in the middle of the third frame, and the course was never corrected. When things got bad, the decision-making got worse. The offense, which has evolved in recent weeks and shown flashes of brilliance thanks to increased ball and player movement, stagnated and Minnesota returned to the isolation basketball and quick-shot chucking that has plagued this team in the past.“I think guys trying to fix it themselves. Trying to step up and take on the whole defense,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They sell out in the gaps, sell out at the rim. Thought maybe the kick-outs, they weren’t going in so guys were trying to force the...