Some are small, mundane and common such as how to deal with hands chapped from constant washing or noticing how often he touches his face on a video call.
Some are larger and unknowable: How will the pandemic affect the NBA season, or – even bigger – how it might affect less privileged parts of the world, like his native Africa and beyond.
This time of the year the Toronto Raptors president would be immersed in the overlapping spheres of basketball that he’s required to keep abreast of at all times.
He would be dividing his attention between the NCAA tournament, various high school all-star showcases and European basketball playoffs as part of the never-ending search for new talent. Closer to home Ujiri would be overseeing the defending NBA champion Raptors as they begin to position themselves for the playoffs.
If only.
Figuring out ‘load management’ doesn’t seem like such a big deal at the moment.
“I’ve lost where the other world is,” Ujiri said on a conference call Wednesday, his first comments since the NBA suspended play on March 11 and so many things across the globe have been upended due to COVID-19, the virus that has brought much of the world to a halt. “… We’re blessed that the last five, six years, however many, we’re always preparing for the post-season at this time. Very many things happening at this time. Until you said so, I haven’t really thought about it like that.”
Ujiri was on a scouting trip when the Raptors were playing in Utah and against Rudy Gobert, the Jazz centre whose positive test two days later prompted the NBA to put the season on hiatus, an event that is often pointed to as the tipping point in North America’s response to the spread of the virus.
He came to Toronto immediately and began assessing an entirely different set of priorities than were on his plate previously.
Are his team and the members of his organization safe? Is his family safe? What can he, the Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment be doing to help manage an unprecedented global event?
“Everybody is human, and because we just played against Utah, you know, like there was reaction … I don’t want to say panic because … I think people, players everybody was really calm but concerned. I mean, rightly so,” Ujiri said. “And so we have to take action. I have to take action on deciding you know, like, we were at risk? At that point, you know, like we have to just figure out a way to address that for the people. I’m learning quickly about the rules and regulations of this and how we could really apply them, and then take action.”
But like everyone else he’s quickly realized there is only so much that can be done. For once he doesn’t have any more concrete answers than anyone else. The person who is in an airplane more than most heads of state has to stay home, keep his distance and wash his hands as much as possible.
“I never thought my hands could be this dry,” he said.
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Ujiri is by nature a people person, happy to travel and meet and talk and hug. Now it’s a steady drumbeat of conference calls and video meetings that he breaks up by taking time to do some homework with his daughter or play with his son.
“I think there is also some good to spending time with family and slowing down.”
The sudden shift in priorities means that the business of basketball has taken a back seat.
Ujiri – who has one year left on his contract with the Raptors at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season – has never publicly addressed whether he’s pursuing an extension with the Raptors or will consider other opportunities with other teams or even outside of basketball.
Similarly, much of the team’s basketball operations staff are entering the final year of their deals – including head coach Nick Nurse who was gaining momentum as a coach-of-the-year candidate before the season was suspended with the Raptors holding the NBA’s third-best record.
But those practical matters have been put on the backburner for the moment.
“No, honestly like to be fair, you know it’s not kind of where our minds are at right now, you know, like me certainly. This is a crucial time I think for the world, and those things will come. I’m fine, we’re fine. It’s honestly like the last thing on my mind.
“I’m concerned for the world and I’m concerned about this this pandemic and how we beat it, how we fight it. We have to win this one,” he said.
Not that he’s entirely removed from his basketball role. In a period of unprecedented uncertainty, he’s issued a challenge: Can his organization navigate these weeks or months such that they are better positioned than other clubs?
“That’s what I [am] doing in the sense of business of basketball: How do you come out of this better? How do you come out of this on top? That’s the competitive part and while we’re doing this, you know, just abiding by the rules and staying healthy.”
But otherwise?
“I’m basically stalking Dr. Fauci like the next NBA draft pick you know?” he said, referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the long-time director of the United States’ national institute of allergies and infectious diseases who has become one of the most trusted voices on COVID-19.
Dr. Fauci, NBA commissioner Adam Silver or Ujiri can’t solve the one riddle every basketball fan would love an answer for, however: Can the current NBA season be salvaged?
“That’s all of our hope. We love our game and we love what we do,” Ujiri said. “[But] honestly, for now, I think we salvage the NBA season by abiding by the rules and doing everything that we have to do as people, as a community, everything we possibly can. This is not about the NBA, NBA players, NBA fans. It’s about the whole world. This is something that hit globally.
“This is not an earthquake that hit in only one part of the world or a disease that is only in another part of the world or a tsunami — pardon me for mentioning all of these things. But this is affecting the whole world. We can want to plan the NBA all we want, and [want] it to come back all we want.
“[But] because it affects the whole world, something is going to stall that one way or the other, because we have not played by the rules.”
If there is a podcasting odd couple, this might be it. Donnovan Bennett and JD Bunkis don’t agree on much, but you’ll agree this is the best Toronto Raptors podcast going.
Ujiri has roots in London, Kenya and Nigeria and with a special interest in Africa through his Giants of Africa foundation, so his concerns are wider than how COVID-19 affects the Raptors or the NBA. His foundation is planning the ‘GOA Festival’ in Kigali, Rwanda in mid-August, billed as ‘week-long celebration of basketball, education, culture and entertainment.’
He hasn’t felt compelled to postpone or cancel yet and holds out hope that things may normalize by then.
“I think GOA it’s really one of those things, those events, that I’m hoping it’s a feel-good event,” he said. “… We take time to plan but I think coming out of this there’s always something small or something to do to give people hope, to give youth hope. And as long as we’re abiding by the rules and as long as we’ve paid attention to what the experts are saying, we’ve always gone by what makes people happy; how do we give youth hope in times like this.”
But that’s as far he can go. Like everyone else, all Ujiri can do is look into the future in increments of weeks and months and hope for the best. He’s accustomed to getting people excited, drawing them to his many causes.
Now? He can only wait, follow the advice of experts, enjoy some extra family time and prepare for a new normal.
“It’s been tough, guys I’ll be honest,” he said. “Just being away from everything you do and you do so well, it’s been tough on everybody but this is time for us to rally, be together, be innovative and figure out a way forward.
“I know six, seven months ago we brought the world together in a really special way [with the Raptors championship run] and now I think it’s time we … bring people together by staying apart.”
MONTREAL – On a night when New York’s top line was missing in action, the bit players grabbed the spotlight and led the Rangers to a commanding 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
“That’s the kind of team we have,” said Filip Chytil, who led the Rangers with a pair of power-play goals Tuesday. “The guys on the top line had chances but when they don’t score we have three other lines to pick up the slack.”
The Rangers’ dominance was reflected in the amount of time they spent in the Canadiens zone and their 45-23 edge in shots.
“If you’ve watched us practice, you know that’s something we work on all the time,” said Chytil. “When we get the puck, we want to hold on to it.”
The Rangers grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Mika Zibanejad at the 56-second mark and Jonny Brodzinski at 2:05, but it was Montreal which pressed the play in the first minute.
“I thought we had a good start but they turned it around on us,” said Montreal coach Martin St. Louis.
Lane Hutson controlled the puck off the opening faceoff and had two early shots, both of which were blocked by New York’s Jacob Trouba.
“That was huge for us,” said Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. “We know (Trouba) can generate offence but he can come up with those big defensive plays.”
Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault exited at 11:05 of the first period after giving up four goals on 10 shots. Zibanejad, Brodzinski, Chytil and Reilly Smith all scored on the Habs’ starter.
His replacement, Cayden Primeau, stopped 33 of 35 shots, giving up goals to Braden Schneider, Kaapo Kakko and Chytil.
Nick Suzuki scored both of the Montreal goals, his first strikes of the season
“It didn’t really feel like a 7-2 game until the end there when you look up at the scoreboard,” Suzuki said. “But we obviously keep digging ourselves these holes, and against a good team like that, our details early on have to be really sharp. And we were definitely a little sleepy coming out and they jumped on us.”
Hutson led the Canadiens in ice time with 24:10 but this wasn’t one of his better games. Smith scored on a breakaway after taking the puck off Hutson’s stick and the rookie was minus-4 for the night.
After Tuesday’s morning practice, the Canadiens announced forward Juraj Slafkovsky will miss at least a week with an upper-body injury. Defenceman Kaiden Guhle missed a second consecutive game with an upper-body injury but the team said it isn’t a long-term ailment.
The injury situation didn’t get any better after Trouba flattened Justin Barron at 7:11 of the third period. Barron didn’t return to the ice but there was no immediate word on his condition.
The Rangers welcomed back defenceman Ryan Lindgren, who made his season debut after missing five games with a jaw injury.
Before the game, 14 players from the Canadiens’ team that won four consecutive Stanley Cups between 1976 and 1979 were introduced at the Bell Centre. Among them were Hockey Hall of Fame members Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Bob Gainey and Ken Dryden.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million, a record high price not just for a baseball, but for any ball in any sport, the auctioneer said Wednesday.
“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder,” Ken Goldin, the founder and CEO of auctioneer Goldin Auctions said in a statement.
The auction opened on Sept. 27 with a starting bid of $500,000 and closed just after midnight on Wednesday. The auctioneer said it could not disclose any information about the winning bidder.
The auction has been overshadowed by the litigation over ownership of the ball. Christian Zacek walked out of Miami’s LoanDepot Park with the ball after gaining possession in the left-field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.
All the parties involved in the litigation agreed that the auction should continue.
Matus’ lawsuit claims that the Florida resident — who was celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani ball before Zacek took it away. Davidov claims in his suit that he was able to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers are preparing for Game 1 of the World Series scheduled for Friday night.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James gave his 20-year-old son a pep talk before they rose from the Lakers bench. Amid rising cheers, they walked together to the scorer’s table — and then they stepped straight into basketball history.
LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to play in the NBA together Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ season opener, fulfilling a dream set out a few years ago by LeBron, the top scorer in league history.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, it’s a moment I’m never going to forget,” LeBron said. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Father and son checked into the game against Minnesota simultaneously with four minutes left in the second quarter, prompting a big ovation from a home crowd aware of the enormity of the milestone. The 39-year-old LeBron had already started the game and played 13 minutes before he teamed up with his 20-year-old son for about 2 1/2 minutes of action.
LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, a four-time champion and 20-time All-Star, while LeBron James Jr. was a second-round pick by the Lakers last summer. They are the first father and son to play in the world’s top basketball league at the same time, let alone on the same team.
“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, though,” father told son on the bench before they checked in, an exchange captured by the TNT cameras and microphones. “Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.”
Their time on court together was fast and furious, just as LeBron promised.
LeBron, who finished the night with 16 points, missed two perimeter shots before making a dunk. Bronny had an early offensive rebound and missed a tip-in, and his first NBA jump shot moments later was a 3-pointer that came up just short. He checked out one possession later with 1:19 left in the second quarter, getting another ovation.
“(I) tried not to focus on everything that’s going on around me, and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
After the final whistle on the Lakers’ first opening-night victory in LeBron’s seven seasons with the team, father and son also headed to the locker room together — but not before stopping in the tunnel to hug Savannah James, LeBron’s wife and Bronny’s mother. The entire family was in attendance to watch history — on little sister Zhuri’s 10th birthday, no less.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. also were courtside at the Lakers’ downtown arena to witness the same history they made in Major League Baseball. The two sluggers played 51 games together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.
LeBron first spoke about his dream to play alongside Bronny a few years ago, while his oldest son was still in high school. The dream became real after Bronny entered the draft as a teenager following one collegiate season, and the Lakers grabbed him with the 55th overall pick.
“I talked about it years and years ago, and for this moment to come, it’s pretty cool,” LeBron said. “I don’t know if it’s going to actually hit the both of us for a little minute, but when we really get to sit back and take it in, it’s pretty crazy. … But in the moment, we still had a job to do when we checked in. We wasn’t trying to make it a circus. We wasn’t trying to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team.”
LeBron and Bronny joined a small club of father-son professional athletes who played together. The Griffeys made history 34 years ago, and they even homered in the same game on Sept. 14, 1990.
Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines and his namesake son also accomplished the feat with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.
In hockey, Gordie Howe played alongside his two sons, Mark and Marty, with the WHA’s Houston Aeros and Team Canada before one NHL season together on the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, when Gordie was 51.
While the other family pairings on this list happened late in the fathers’ careers, LeBron shows no signs of slowing down or regressing as he begins his NBA record-tying 22nd season.
LeBron averaged more than 25 points per game last year for his 20th consecutive season, and he remains the most important player on the Lakers alongside Anthony Davis as they attempt to recapture the form that won a championship in 2020 and got them to the Western Conference finals in 2023.
Bronny survived cardiac arrest and open heart surgery in the summer of 2023, and he went on to play a truncated freshman season at the University of Southern California. He declared for the draft anyway, and the Lakers eagerly used the fourth-to-last pick in the draft on the 6-foot-2 guard.
LeBron spent the summer in Europe with the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Paris Olympics, while Bronny played for the Lakers in summer league. They started practicing together with the Lakers before training camp.
The duo first played together in the preseason, logging four minutes during a game against Phoenix just outside Palm Springs earlier this month.
“It’s been a treat,” LeBron said at Tuesday’s morning shootaround. “In preseason, the practices, just every day … bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about, and how to prepare every day as a professional.”
The Lakers were fully aware of the history they would make with this pairing, and coach JJ Redick spoke with the Jameses recently about a plan to make it happen early in the regular season.
The presence of the Griffeys likely made it an inevitability for opening night, even though Redick said the Lakers still wanted it “to happen naturally, in the flow of the game.”
The Lakers have declined to speculate on how long Bronny will stay on their NBA roster. Los Angeles already has three other small guards on its roster, and Bronny likely needs regular playing time to raise his game to a consistent NBA standard.
Those factors add up to indicate Bronny is likely to join the affiliate South Bay Lakers of the G League at some point soon. LeBron and Redick have both spoken positively about the South Bay team, saying that player development is a key part of the Lakers organization.
Miami forward Kevin Love, who knew all the James children — Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri — from his time as LeBron’s teammate in Cleveland, said it was “an unbelievable moment” to see father and son playing together.
“I grew up a Mariners fan, so I got to see Griffey and then Griffey Sr. But this is different, because LeBron is still a top-five player in the league,” Love said. “This game, man. It’s why we have that ($76 billion) TV deal. The storylines and the things that happen like this, it’s an unbelievable story. This is really cool to see.”
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed.
