"He's never going to have a game in Golden State where …
January 25, 2021 | 5:24 pm EST Update
NBA-NBPA discussing holding All-Star Game in March
Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: The NBA and NBPA are discussing scenarios to still hold an All-Star game in March. One site under discussion is Atlanta, home of Turner Sports. That idea includes providing support for HBCU’s and COVID-19 relief. Story soon on site.
Justin Grasso: Joel Embiid is ruled out tonight with back tightness #Sixers #Pistons
Sarah K. Spencer: Hawks injury report for tomorrow vs. the Clippers: Cam Reddish (right Achilles tightness) is probable. Clint Capela (right hand soreness) is questionable. Danilo Gallinari (right ankle sprain) is questionable. Trae Young (back spasm) is questionable.
The emotions overwhelmed him anytime he looked outside his office window. Sometimes, he felt sad. Other times, he felt inspired. Sometimes all at once, he smiled and cried. Chad Faulkner had spent nearly two years working with former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant as the chief executive officer of the “Mamba Sports Academy,” a place where Bryant hosted workouts for NBA and WNBA players, coached his 13-year-old daughter’s AAU girls’ basketball team and monitored the growth of its training facilities.
But then on Jan. 26, 2020, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter (Gianna), her AAU teammates (Alyssa Altobelli; Payton Chester), their parents (John and Keri Altobelli; Sarah Chester) and another one of their AAU basketball coaches (Christina Mauser) were among the nine people that died in a helicopter crash near the Santa Monica Mountains. They were on their way to an AAU basketball game at the facility Faulkner oversaw in Thousand Oaks, Calif. “The worst tragedy that we could have ever imagined happened,” Faulkner told USA TODAY Sports. “That changed everything.”
In between grieving and brainstorming sessions, however, Faulkner often looked out his window and saw countless Bryant fans leaving memorabilia outside the entrance of the facility. They laid bushels of flowers. They lit candles. They displayed Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 Lakers jerseys. They showcased framed photos of Bryant, who gave himself the nickname “The Black Mamba,” from throughout his 20-year NBA career. “It is something I will never forget the rest of my life with how powerful and impactful one person that Kobe Bryant could be,” Faulkner said. “From seeing all of humanity, there were no color barriers. There were no physical barriers. There were people in wheelchairs. There were people mentally challenged. There were superstar athletes. There were fathers and sons and mothers and daughters and whole families.”
