It is indeed about that time, March Madness! We all love March Madness. This is one of the best times of the year, especially if you are a basketball fan. This is some of the best basketball if not the best basketball you will see at any level all year. Not in terms of talent, but just in terms of kids playing so hard to win a championship.

The NCAA Tournament is widely referred to as March Madness due to the fact that anything is possible for any team. We see it every single year. Some of the biggest upsets in all of basketball always happen in March Madness, almost every single year. It is truly amazing to see.

It is very possible to have a love hate relationship with March Madness though. You may be a fan of team that gets upset, or you may fill out some brackets and none of the come out correct. Both are very possible. We see year after year a team that is not supposed to lose to the team they’re playing lose. And we see every year people fill out brackets and none of them come out correct. Everything is truly up in the air in March Madness. Especially this year.

This year the talent is really widespread all over the country. Everybody really has a chance this year. This year there really aren’t too many teams that stand out as dominate picks you can bank on to win it. It is really up in the air this year. I truly can’t wait to see it. March Madness is one of the best times of the year! Virginia took the championship last year, who is going to take it this year?

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Finally, somebody said it! Lebron James, widely regarded as one of the best players in the NBA today, and one of the best to ever do it, said he is not motivated to win the MVP award. He is motivated by being the best.

Now not everybody can agree or say they are on the same page with this statement. But I love this statement. I have been saying for years and years now the MVP award is somewhat overrated. What matters is winning championships and showing you are the best. The MVP award is really an overrated award. Yeah it is a nice award to have on resume, to say you had the best regular season that year out of everybody in the league. The keyword in that sentence is regular season.

I am a big playoffs guy. You can win the regular season MVP all you want but that doesn’t mean anything to me if you get bounced out of the playoffs. Maybe that is a little too harsh, but I appreciate winning and championships more so than being the most valuable player. And the only recent MVP’s to win the championship and the MVP award, were Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

So I really appreciate the statement LeBron James made earlier today saying he is not motivated by the MVP award. He said he is motivated by being the MVP of his team and being the best player in the world. And you can make the argument that he is doing that still at 35 years old.

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If you like redemption stories and underdog stories, this is the story for you. Shake Milton has come alive for the Philidelphia 76ers. He has had to earn his way and take chances with the few opportunities he had, and now he has exploded for the Sixers.  

Shake Milton played his college basketball at Southern Methodist University from 2015-2018. He was taken by the Sixers in the 2018 draft with the 54^th pick of the second round. But in that same summer Milton suffered an injury that sidelined him for the 2018 summer league, and ultimately led him to the G-League. He played in the G-League up until the 2019 summer, where he would get another crack at the Summer League.  

The Sixers General Manager, Elton Brand, said he had never seen anybody more excited to play in the summer league. He got another chance in the Summer league and basically played awful. He shot 4-29 from the field in those summer league games, and he was sent back to the G-league. Fast forward to the past two weeks, Sixers stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid went out with injuries, so the Sixers needed to somebody to step up.  

Shake Milton’s name was called. Ever since March 22^nd he has played 20 plus minutes in every game. He has averaged 19 points a game since the Sixers looked to him for a bigger role. And against the Clippers last night he poured in 39 points. And he also broke the NBA’s record of made three pointers in a row, which is now 13.  

This is just an incredible story. You truly love to hear stories like this. This is one of the reasons we love sports.  

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The basketball world has been waiting to see Stephen Curry return to the court for fourth months from his broken hand. Even those who aren’t Golden State Warriors fans are eager to see Stephen Curry return to the court.  

Curry will return to NBA action this week either against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday or the Philidelphia 76ers on Saturday. But first he will be sent to scrimmage with the Warriors G-League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday in an attempt to get his legs back under him and to get him back in five on five rhythm instead of just throwing him back out there.  

The last time we seen Curry play in an NBA game was October 30^th, which was the game he suffered a broken hand. The Warriors sure have had a tough time without him as they have become arguably the worst team in the NBA this year. With the team’s playoff hopes over, the one thing they can look forward to is the return of Curry. The excitement of having Curry back will be extremely exciting not only for the Warriors, but for basketball fans as well.  

You can hate the man all you want, but there is no denying he has been one of the most exciting players we have ever seen play the game. When you think of that small group of players in NBA history that have changed the game, Curry is one of the names that come to mind. He has helped change the game from being an inside out league to an outside in league. That three-point line is often looked to more than the paint is in today’s league. The way he can absolutely kill any team with the three ball has been a nightmare for the league for the past six to seven years. Him and Klay Thompson have been absolutely terrorizing the league from deep for a while now.  

No, I am not a Warriors fan, but I can tell you for sure I am ready to see Curry return to the game. It will surely be exciting to see his return.  

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Zion Williamson has easily been the most scrutinized rookie in NBA history besides LeBron James. He has had the whole basketball world shook since he was in high school. Ever since the spotlight has shined on him at a young age, we have all been watching this stud. The kid is amazing. Standing at 6’6” and weighing 285 pounds, he moves like a point guard and rebounds like a center. It is amazing to see Zion do what he does at 285 pounds the way he does it. He is incredibly explosive. With a vertical leap of 47 inches, he throws down rim rocking dunks and denies a lot of shot attempts. And it is scary because he is only a rookie.  

Zion’s NBA debut was delayed for a little while due to a knee injury sustained before the season. We had to wait a little while to see him. He made his NBA debut against the Spurs on January 22^nd. That night he finished with 22 points and 7 rebounds. He played great in his first game back and had everybody wondering if this was for real. We needed to see it again to be sure.  

Well he would make us sure of his presence in the NBA. Ever since he has returned to the Pelicans not only has he pushed them to 8-6 since his return, but the pelicans are now a serious contender to make the playoffs, when initially without Zion they weren’t. And in games he has played, he is averaging 23 points and 7 rebounds a game as a rookie, and with only 14 games played this season, he is a top two contender for rookie of the year as well. It is no secret, Zion Williamson is the real deal, and the Pelicans are way better with him on the floor. He will be a force to be reckon with in the NBA for a long time.  

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As expected, this All Star weekend was a very competitive and fun weekend. We will remember this All Star weekend forever. The skills challenge, the dunk contest, and the three point contest were all thrilling and they all lived up to the hype.

But none were more thrilling than Sunday night’s All Star game between Team LeBron and Team Giannis. This All Star game was probably the best all star game I have seen besides the 2001 All Star game.

Usually, the All Star games are fun to watch, but the players don’t compete to the fullest, they are usually just out there trying to make spectacular plays, and there is no defense played. So for somebody like me who appreciates competition and competitiveness, it can be a little frustrating. I just never understood why the best players wouldn’t go out there with a chip on their shoulder and try to prove the point that they are the best player in the league. It just doesn’t make much sense to me. As a basketball fan I appreciate players trying to show they are the best instead of playing for the crowd. The best players in the NBA are just out there laughing and joking around and playing absolutely no defense. It’s rather annoying. I personally would go out there to show I am the best of the best. But hey thats just me.

Anyways, this years All Star game finally somewhat showed that competitiveness we have all been looking for. It wasn’t there for the whole game, but it sure was there the entire fourth quarter. The first three quarters were kind of your typical All Star game shenanigans, but when the fourth quarter came around, both teams were racing to secure the win. Both Team LeBron and Team Giannis were competing at a high level to win the game.

The ending was kind of disappointing because the game ended on a free throw. The target score for the fourth quarter was set at 157. Anthony Davis went to the line to shoot two free throws for Team LeBron and they were up 156-155. Davis missed the first free throw, but he made the second, which won Team LeBron the game. But as a whole, that fourth quarter was excellent and very fun to watch. I wish all four quarters in future All Star games will be as competitive as that. Guys should go out there to show they are the best.

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Today we mourn the loss of an icon on and off the basketball court, Kobe Bryant. Kobe, his daughter Giana, and seven others were headed to Giana’s basketball game by helicopter Sunday afternoon. On their way, the helicopter crashed in Calabasas, killing everybody on board. The world is deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our deepest sorrows go out to the families and loved ones of everybody involved.

Kobe was a five-time NBA Champion, two-time Finals MVP, 18 time All Star, four-time All Star game MVP, league MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 15-time all-NBA team selection, and 12-time all-defensive team selection. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live and a first ballot hall of famer. He was a true hero to the game of basketball.

But Kobe Bryant’s impact goes far beyond basketball. No matter what your profession is, you could look to Kobe as a role model and somebody to take habits from. His model of work ethic, competitiveness, desire, ambition, heart, and will were inspiring to millions of people. He was willingly to make do with what he had, play the hand he was dealt, take leadership of every situation, and display the heart of a lion on a nightly basis. No challenge or obstacle was too big. Nothing was impossible. He attacked every situation, no matter what was at stake, never fearing failure. Kobe’s legacy will live on forever, not only to the world of basketball, but to the world in general.

I can go on all day about Kobe. No matter if you were a fan of Kobe or not, no matter if you watched basketball or not, chances are you have heard of Kobe Bryant. I remember those days as a kid being in class kids would go to throw trash in the trash can and yell “KOBE” as

they shot the trash in the trash can. To this day playing basketball in the gym, you will hear people yell “KOBE” as they shoot the ball. He had that kind of effect on people’s live. And it doesn’t really seem real that he is really gone, it’s hard to make sense of the situation. He had just won an Oscar in 2018 and was beginning to attack Hollywood with the same mentality and competitiveness that he attacked basketball with. A true role model and icon, gone too soon at the age of 41. The Mamba Mentality lives on forever.

My deepest sorrows and condolences to all the families involved with those who lost their lives. And to all those who were on board and lost their lives way too soon, Rest in Love Forever.

This is the weekend all of us basketball fans love and truly appreciate, All Star Weekend! We all love All Star Weekend. It just kind of gets all of the fans and players away from the stress of the NBA season, and it really just gives us all a chance to appreciate the game of basketball.

The All Star game, Rising Stars game, dunk contest, skills challenge, Celebrity All Star game, and three point contest are all something us basketball fans look forward to. Every event should be exciting this year. But this All Star Weekend will carry a little more weight, and be a little more special than usual though, as the NBA will honor Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the rest of the victims that lost their lives in the tragic helicopter accident. In the NBA All Star game, all players of team Lebron will be wearing number two, which was Gianna Bryant’s jersey number, and all players of team Giannis will be wearing number 24, which was Kobe Bryant’s jersey number.

In addition to the jersey numbers, both teams will also have jersey patches that contain nine stars on them, which symbolize the nine lives lost in the helicopter accident, John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, Ara Zobayan, and Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

In the Rising Stars game Friday night, the players will wear jersey patches with the numbers two and 24 on them, surrounded by nine stars. And in the Slam Dunk, Skills, and three point contests on Saturday night, contestants will all take the court with the same jersey patches.

In addition to the jerseys, the All Star game on Sunday will also be changed to honor Kobe. The game will have a new format. Through the first three quarters the score will start 0-0, and each quarter will be 12 minutes long. But for the fourth quarter, a target score will be set, and the game clock will be turned off. The final target score will be dictated by adding 24 points (Kobe’s jersey number) to the leading teams total score through the first three quarters. The first team to reach that final score will be named the winner of the NBA All Star game.

All Star weekend will always be a fun weekend for fans who love the game deeply, but this specific All Star weekend will have a lot to do with remembering the late Kobe Bryant. The ways the NBA is paying respects with the uniforms and the game speaks volumes. We love you and miss you Kobe, and we will always remember you.