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The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. NBA Reddit is great for a good many things, but especially as a collection place for hypotheticals that make you shift your perception just a touch. For example,

The Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the most successful and tumultuous teams in NBA history. In his new book, Jeff Pearlman tells their story. Perhaps no duo in NBA history is as infamous as that of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant who played eight seasons together from 1996

If you thought the beef between Shaq and Dwight Howard was over, you were wrong. A couple of weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA championship in franchise history after defeating the Miami Heat in six games. While Anthony Davis got the majority of the attention for winning his first title, Dwight Howard

The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. In the grand scheme of things, choosing a name is fairly low on the list of things a parent does to impact the lives of their children (Jason

Shawn Kemp is getting into the cannabis business. Shawn Kemp might be tied forever to the green and gold of the Seattle SuperSonics, but his business ventures post-retirement show that he’s more of a blazer at heart than he previously let on. Kemp, who has gotten into the restaurant business since giving up basketball in

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 04: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is interviewed before Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges

LeBron James is fresh off another championship but what do players in the generation after him think about his GOAT status?  Keeping busy during a pandemic can be challenging especially for NBA players now that the “bubble” has come to and end with no clear idea when the 2020-21 season will start. Aaron Gordon and

The Louisville Raptors will, in all likelihood, not be a thing in 2020. All non-essential travel between Canada and the United States is still on hold until November 21, and that could be problematic for the NBA’s lone Canadian franchise in the Toronto Raptors. While a rumor that mentioned Toronto moving to the KFC Yum!

Is Kevin Hart the reason Draymond Green can’t shoot? Kevin Hart taking on Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green in a 3-point shooting contest at All-Star Weekend a few years ago seemed like a harmless, if unusual, intermission between the 3-Point Shootout and the Dunk Contest. However, if one looks at the numbers, it

Lauri Markkanen struggled this season but has shown glimpses of his vast potential in the past. Can he really be the Bulls‘ offensive centerpiece? After taking the NBA by storm during his first two seasons, many expected Lauri Markkanen to ascend into an All-Star caliber player this year. Unfortunately, the Finnish forward regressed and posted

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 12: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards speaks with Jordan McRae #52 during a break in play against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena on January 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is

The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The 2020 NBA Draft is less than one month away, taking place about four months later than usual thanks to an elongated season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. This NBA Draft class is widely seen as weaker than recent years, both in terms of depth and top-level talent. The lack of a clear-cut hierarchy at the

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 8: General view of the Indiana Pacers logo (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) What is Dolphins’ fantasy impact with Tua Tagovailoa starting? by John Buhler Nate Bjorkgren will replace Nate McMillan as head coach of the Pacers. The Indiana Pacers have been consistent playoff participants over the last few years, but

The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to extend a job offer to Doc Rivers soon. The Philadelphia 76ers needed a new head coach. Doc Rivers needed a new job. The two are now on the verge of coming together. Rivers and the “brass” in Philadelphia are watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals together and a

After a few days on the open market, Doc Rivers is now the new head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. Earlier this week, an NBA head coaching market that was rich before got even more lucrative, as Doc Rivers entered the fray. Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers mutually parted ways after the team’s shocking

The Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Frank Vogel, seemed to have run his course in the NBA, right up until he worked the historic franchise back into champions. If there is one thing we all know about sports, it’s the wealth of cliches and coach-speak used to describe them. From lunch pails to hard hats;

The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. As I pointed out in last week’s NBA Power Rankings, the Warriors are the team with the most potential to disrupt this offseason, by far. While James Harden,

Can a defensively struggling superstar lead an NBA franchise to playoff success? The Atlanta Hawks may find themselves betting on it. Is a stout defense necessary for a team to succeed in today’s NBA? Or can a gargantuan offense prove enough to skirt the obligation of defending, even to the point where the typical blood-sweat-pain

The Denver Nuggets made the mistake of leaving Carmelo Anthony off their legendary players graphic. That was just petty, Denver Nuggets. Now that the NBA offseason is upon us, team social media accounts have to find a way to pass the days and weeks leading up to the draft and free agency. The Nuggets chose

Goran Dragic is listed as active for Game 6. The Miami Heat have been shorthanded for most of the 2020 NBA Finals, scratching and clawing their way to Game 6 after another tremendous performance from Jimmy Butler got them a win in a do-or-die Game 5. The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from

The New York Knicks are interested in signing Fred VanVleet if he gets away from the Toronto Raptors in free agency.  Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, the New York Knicks have identified a free agent that will help them turn their garbage barge around. Fred VanVleet is going to hit free agency whenever

The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Every Rockets’ playoff exit over the last few years has come with rumblings about the future, about just how much rope Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni have, about

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARCH 01: <> during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on March 01, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo

Gary Payton wants to end up on an NBA coaching staff. Being an NBA point guard is the best way to get an NBA head coaching job, as the likes of Doc Rivers, Isiah Thomas, and Steve Nash, just to name a few, have all landed head coaching positions without any prior experience as a

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George. Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images 3 reasons Georgia football will beat Alabama football without Nick Saban by John Buhler The Clippers have some major chemistry problems, and it stems from Kawhi Leonard. The Los Angeles Clippers were among the title favorites for the 2019-20 NBA season, but they were booted

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Rockets GM Daryl Morey stepping down after postseason exit by Mike Luciano Once Giannis Antetokounmpo hits free agency, NBA insider Shams Charania has confirmed the Miami Heat will do whatever it takes to sign him.  While the 2020 NBA season may have just wrapped up with the Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) 5 Fall cocktail recipes to make while watching UFC 254 by Amy Kaplan Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. leaves practice early with illness by Cole Thompson Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is opting out of his deal with the Lakers.

Daryl Morey has stepped down as GM of the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets knew they needed to make major changes this offseason, as they came up short of even reaching the Western Conference Finals for the fourth time in the last five seasons. While most expected a trade or two, Tilman Fertitta instead cleaned

Austin Rivers found out he’s having a baby boy with an alley-oop. Gender reveal parties are getting grander and more extreme these days (and sometimes even dangerous, if you live in California), but Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers had the right idea. For his gender reveal with his girlfriend, model Audreyana Michelle, Rivers finished off an