Ever since the NBA was shut down on March 11th, players have been worried about what would happen to their paychecks. Of course, most people don't get paid when they don't show up to work, however, NBA players have their own union which allows them to be protected in extreme circumstances such as a pandemic. 

It remains to be seen whether or not the season will have to be canceled but in the interim, the NBA and NBPA have been looking to strike a deal in regards to wages. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, both sides have reached a compromise. This deal will see players receive 25 percent less per paycheck, starting on May 15th.

Rudy Gobert's positive Coronavirus test set the NBA in a frenzy. The same night he was diagnosed with the virus, the NBA decided to shut down all operations. In fact, every single sports league in North America was forced to shut down as well. Gobert's teammate Donovan Mitchell was also diagnosed with the virus, just a day after the former defensive player of the year. In the days leading up to their positive test results, Gobert was reckless and didn't take the virus seriously. With this in mind, it was quickly reported that Mitchell was angry with Gobert and that their relationship couldn't be fixed. 

Now, veteran Jazz point guard Mike Conley is speaking out about the rumored feud between Gobert and Mitchell. As he says, it doesn't seem like they are on bad terms but even if they were, they would be able to handle it and overcome it like men.

Throughout this pandemic, numerous initiatives have been created to help people out while also going above and beyond the call of duty. One of the more recent trends we have seen is the All-In Challenge which sees people from around the world doing good deeds for a good cause. Now, the NBA is joining the fun with a charitable contest that will give one fan the chance to be called on stage during the 2021 NBA Entry Draft. Yes, that's right, if it was ever your dream to shake Adam Silver's hand after he calls your name, now is your chance.

Essentially, participants can buy 10 entries for $10, 20 entries for $20, 100 entries for $50, or $200 entries for $100. Your money will end up going to a good cause as 100% of the funds raised will go to Feeding America, Meals On Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry.

Kawhi Leonard went on a dominant run in the 2019 NBA playoffs with the Toronto Raptors. He helped the team win their first-ever championship and he ended up with Finals MVP honors in the process. Perhaps his most shining moment in the playoffs was when he dropped a game-winning buzzer-beater in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. It propelled his team to an unlikely victory that remains the best moment in Raptors history.

When Leonard took the shot, it made numerous bounces before dropping. Photographer Mark Blinch was able to capture the moment in which everyone on the court began reacting to the shot before it dropped. These reactions are all over the place and they make for a photo as iconic as the basket itself.

Blinch's efforts were rewarded recently as it was revealed that his photo won the "Best Sports Photo Of The Year" award for World Press Photo.

Yesterday, Shaq revealed to the world that he believes he, Kobe Bryant, and the three-peat Lakers could have beaten Michael Jordan's legendary Chicago Bulls. Shaq noted that he was such a dominant force that he could have easily feasted on some of the Bulls' defenders. He also claimed that if his free throw shooting was on point, it wouldn't even be close. 

Of course, these comments started a huge debate on social media with Lakers and Bulls fans going at each other. Even sports pundits are hopping on the trend with Stephen A. Smith doing so, as well. On First Take, Smith offered a fairly stern opinion about it all, claiming that the Bulls would wash the Lakers and that it wouldn't even be close. In fact, Smith said a seven-game series could very well be a sweep.

Ever since it was announced, basketball fans have been awaiting the 10-part ESPN docuseries on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls. For those who don't know, this was the final year of Jordan's career with the Bulls. The team ended up winning their sixth championship and completed their second three-peat in just eight seasons. Despite the team's success on the court, there was a lot going on behind the scenes and this docuseries will put all of it on display.

The series was slated to drop in June but since there are no sports on TV, ESPN decided to release the first episode on April 19th. Fans are extremely excited to see it and to tease people, even more, ESPN released a 5-minute preview of the first episode. Numerous ESPN personalities posted the clip to Twitter, including NBA insider, Adrian Wojnarowski.

Due to the Coronavirus, all sports have been put on hold until further notice. This is particularly troubling when you consider just how important sports are to millions of fans throughout the world. In North America, sports fans have been going through some serious withdrawals and they are desperate for some content. To appease this demand, the NBA and ESPN teamed up for a H-O-R-S-E competition between current and former NBA and WNBA players.

The first round went down over the weekend and the production value left a lot to be desired. On Thursday night, the competition upped its game and provided fans with a semi-final and finals round. First off, Mike Conley was able to defeat Chancey Billups while Zach Lavine beat Allie Quigley. From there, Conley and Lavine faced off in the Finals, with Conley taking the game easily.

While the competition didn’t feature the biggest names, it was still a nice diversion from everything going on in the world right now. Considering the event is fairly easy to set up, perhaps we can see another competition with different names, in the not so distant future. 

Let us know in the comments below what you thought of the initiative and whether or not you enjoyed it.

Despite being rivals out on the court, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan used to be very good friends. The two used to go everywhere together and even shared the screen in “Space Jam.” However, over the past few years, Jordan has gone completely silent on Barkley. Friendships go through ups and downs over the years although when it comes to MJ and Chuck, it looks like things will never be patched up.

While on the “Hoops, Adjacent” podcast, Barkley spoke on his complicated relationship with the NBA legend. As he explains, Jordan didn’t like something he said about his career as a manager and owner. Barkley noted that he was talking more about the people around Jordan. Regardless, MJ took offense to Barkley’s comments and the two have been on rocky terms ever since.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images for The Match

“Don’t you have friends who you’re not sure how they’re gonna react when you’re honest with them,” Barkley said. “Especially somebody on his level. And like I say, hey, I love the dude. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. It’s unfortunate the way things went down. But I’m going to always try to do my job. And actually, my criticism was about the people around him. … I thought the people he hired around him were too many yes men. That was actually my statement, to be honest. I thought the people around him, they wanted the private jet. They wanted the steak dinner. They were always going to be yes men.”

Hopefully, these two can patch things up in the not so distant future. In these uncertain times, you never want to be caught holding a grudge for too long.

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During the first couple of weeks of the season, Steph Curry ended up breaking his hand and was forced to miss a considerable amount of action. After months of rehab, Curry finally got back into the Golden State Warriors lineup but faced yet another setback when he got sick with a fever. This was back in March when the Coronavirus began to pick up steam in the United States.

Curry ended up getting tested and thankfully, his test came back negative. Despite this, Curry went through days of unease as he was worried that he could have the virus everyone was talking about. In a new piece for TIME Magazine, Curry admitted that he locked himself in his room for days just to avoid people. He knew this was serious and wanted to protect those around him.

Per Curry:

“March 6. That’s when it all became very real. I had just played my first basketball game in months the night before, and conversations were swirling about what this virus might mean for the league.

That night, I started to feel sick. The fever set in. First at 100. Then 101. My first thought was, “What are the chances? Could this really happen?” After months of waiting to get back on the court following a broken hand and two surgeries, I just wanted to play. But the threat of this mystery virus locked me in my bedroom to protect everyone I cared about: wife, kids, teammates, fans.

I was the first NBA player tested for COVID-19. Thankfully, my test came back negative. But that experience hit me, and it hit me hard.”

Now that Curry has shared his story, perhaps more people will take this thing seriously.

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It feels like forever ago now but back in February, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Andre Iguodala to the Miami Heat after a half-season of holding out. Iguodala had been dealt to the Grizzlies the Golden State Warriors and it was clear that he had no interest in playing with the young guns down south. Iggy claims the team allowed for him to sit out although, during an interview on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Ja Morant explained that it was much deeper than that.

As the rookie told Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Iguodala felt like the team simply wasn’t good enough and that they weren’t worth his time. While Iguodala is in a good situation in Miami, it’s important to note that the Grizzlies are in a playoff spot right now.

“Coming in, when they said he was going to be on our roster, I was very excited having a vet like that in the locker room with us,” Morant said. “Me coming in that first year, I was looking forward to learning some stuff from him and he was saying he wasn’t going to play with us or whatever happened. Like you said it’s a business, all different stuff going around, somebody said he said we weren’t good enough so in my head I was like it is what it is.”

While Iguodala’s feelings towards the Grizzlies may have been harsh, they make sense considering he wants to finish his career with an NBA title. Don’t get us wrong, the Grizzlies will be great for years to come. However, for an aging veteran, they aren’t the best landing spot. At least not right now.