Jrue Holiday says his new five-year contract with the Pelicans thrusts him into the role of helping persuade All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to make a similar long-term commitment to New Orleans. “I’ve already started” lobbying Cousins, Holiday said Thursday night after signing his new contract, which his agent, Jason Glushon, has said is worth $126 million, and could balloon to $150 million with incentives.
May 17, 2022 | 1:22 pm EDT Update
Second round games earn largest TV ratings since 2013

The NBA averaged 4.91 million viewers for the second round of the playoffs, marking the best conference semifinals since ’13 (4.99 million). The second round across ABC, ESPN and TNT (26 games) was up 19% from last season’s 4.13 million viewers.

Mike Brown’s cellphone was filled with congratulatory text messages from family, friends and NBA colleagues when he was recently named the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings. But of all the well-wishes, the ones that left a lasting impression on Brown came from his fellow Black NBA coaches, such as Doc Rivers and Tyronn Lue. Rivers told Andscape that it was important that Brown knew “there were a lot of coaches who were not only happy for him, but believed it was due.”
“It was fantastic, man. Most of the coaches out there reached out to me,” Brown, currently the Golden State Warriors’ associate head coach, told Andscape. “Probably 99% of the African American coaches reached out to me, too. And guys that I do not necessarily talk to every day. But to get some of the congratulatory texts from those guys felt really good.
Brown says he is happy with the progress for Black coaches in the NBA. “It’s fantastic, and it shows that our league is ahead of the curve,” Brown said. “And we still have a ways to go. But the NBA, in my opinion, is leading the charge and, a lot of it is due to everybody at the top. And then also with the players. I mean, we have the right guys stepping up and speaking out, and I think that has had a lot of impact, not only in the hiring process when it comes to coaches, but in the hiring process, all throughout the organizations.”

President Isaac Herzog meets with Israeli NBA player Deni Avdija in Jerusalem and congratulates him on his impressive season with the Washington Wizards. “You’re a huge inspiration — I know that being young and popular is not an easy thing,” Herzog tells Avdija. “You’re a major source of pride, in both your personal behavior as well as the love of Israel that you have.”
Take-Two Interactive exceeded its own expectations in the company’s latest earnings report behind impressive sales of “NBA 2K22.” The company, which owns major video game publishers including Rockstar Games and 2K, generated $930 million in revenue in fiscal Q4, surpassing its forecast of revenue ranging between $835 million and $885 million.
May 17, 2022 | 1:10 pm EDT Update
Hornets interviewing Terry Stotts for head coaching position

Shams Charania: The Charlotte Hornets will interview former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts for their head coaching job this week, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.