In the same year (2018) Smith and Dekker were teammates, the latter found himself in headlines after comments he made on social media. Dekker had a problem with an article his former teammate at Wisconsin, Bronson Koenig, tweeted out. The article was headlined: “White People Have No Culture.” In response to Koenig tweeting this, Dekker said in a tweet: “Don’t put it in my face that being a white guy is something I’m supposed to be ashamed of. I’m proud of who I am and so should you. But you’re Native American and also white BK. This article speaks very many untruths about most of our ‘culture’ that we supposedly don’t have.”
More on NBA Beefs
NBA Central: Nick Young says D’Angelo Russell is the most annoying teammate he’s ever played with (🎥 @ComplexSports) pic.twitter.com/3Kpb1g5LOx
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Sen. Ted Cruz are battling on Twitter over Cruz's claim that he and other fans are not watching the NBA Finals due to the league's political stance this season. Cruz, Republican senator of Texas, shared an article on Twitter Tuesday claiming that NBA ratings are at an all-time low. "Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke," Cruz tweeted.
Cuban quickly responded. "A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are @tedcruz. Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are," Cuban tweeted.
NBA Central: Breaking news: Paul Pierce praises LeBron James (ESPN). CJ McCollum: Baby steps . I like it Paul. Signs of maturity lol
Bleacher Report: Dwyane Wade calls out Paul Pierce after his Heat beat the Celitcs.
L.A. Lakers guard J.R. Smith is clapping back at Tory Lanez after getting DISSED on his latest album ... calling the artist a "clown" and a "lil a-- boy." A bit of a refresher -- the NBA vet was outspoken after Megan Thee Stallion accused Tory of shooting her in July ... saying, "This clown shoots a female and ya’ll listening to his music." "TF Tory Lanez," J.R. added. "You a straight clown. Facts. And tell whoever to hit my line. It’s whatever.”
Smith -- fresh off the Lakers' 114-108 win over the Denver Nuggets -- heard Tory's bars loud and clear ... and fired right back on his Instagram story. "i got time today too! 🤣🤣," J.R. said. "bout to get real 🌶🌶" There's more ... "He not even 30 stay in ya place lil a-- boy." "bust ya gun at a female you all types of 🤡"
CJ McCollum: I wonder if they packed before the game
CJ McCollum: Yoooo @Dame_Lillard you got an extra villa available in Cabo ?
Spencer Dinwiddie: Petty CJ is basketball twitters favorite CJ lol
RJ Hampton: CJ and Dame wild
NBA Central: Kendrick Nunn 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/dMePjPH130
Chris Broussard: It's time for the Blazers to dump Terry Stotts. Stan Van Gundy: It’s time for Fox Sports Radio to dump Chris Broussard. This is just stupid. He doesn’t like the Blazers’ offense. It was the 3rd best offense in the NBA. Get a clue.
Stan Van Gundy: It’s time for Fox Sports Radio to dump Chris Broussard. This is just stupid. He doesn’t like the Blazers’ offense. It was the 3rd best offense in the NBA. Get a clue. Chris Broussard: Unless u would’ve called for a fellow coach’s job while coaching, u need to keep from calling for the jobs of fellow media now that you’re media. I’m doing my job as an analyst. I’m paid to give my opinion. Saying I should be fired cause u disagree is just stupid. Get a clue.
George Karl: I heard @MarkJackson13 is taking shots at my defensive coaching during tonight’s broadcast. Remind me, how many all-star teams did you coach, Mark? How many DPOYs? How many Finals appearances? How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left? Mark Jackson: Wasn’t even thinking of u! Btw I never lost to u in the playoffs as a Player or as a Coach! God Bless u and urs!
George Karl: I heard @Mark Jackson is taking shots at my defensive coaching during tonight’s broadcast. Remind me, how many all-star teams did you coach, Mark? How many DPOYs? How many Finals appearances? How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left?
Rache Nichols: Just another day in the NBA...
Bleacher Report: Dame responds to PG and Pat Bev
Casey Holdahl: "They still hurt, that's why." -- @Damian Lillard
Bradley Beal: It’s getting SPICY!!!!!!!!!!
Kendrick Perkins: It’s disturbing when a Rookie in Zion Williamson can act more Mature than NBA vet Lou Williams!!! Lou Williams: 15 years in this business and the most dirt you have on my name is stopping to get hot wings during a pandemic. Perk. Shut up. And stop laughing and saying it’s just tv when you run into me too.
Lou Williams: But I digress. I went home to see a man off to his final resting place that was a giant in my life. I don’t want that to get lost in all this attention. So again, LONG LIVE THE GREAT PAUL WILLIAMS SR. back to my quarantine so I can join the guys soon. Peace
Isiah Thomas opened up about his feud with Michael Jordan, which re-surfaced after the Last Dance documentary series. The Chicago Bulls had to go through the “Bad Boys” Pistons, before reaching to the first three-peat. The former Pistons superstar said that he is not having a feud with Michael Jordan, despite what being said on “The Last Dance” docu-series. “I’mma call a timeout on the feud because really I wasn’t fighting him. I was winning all the time so why am I mad at him?” Thomas told Jason Whitlock on Speak Ya Self.
NBA Central: “He only had really one job. And that was to just score. And he did that at an amazing, amazing rate. But I don’t feel like his way of winning then would translate to what it is now. Guys wouldn’t want to play with him.” -Channing Frye on Michael Jordan (NBC Sports North West). Evan Fournier: @channingfrye bro you bugging for real. Lol. Channing Frye: Boris Biaw is the best French player of all time. Evan Fournier: Lol na you aint getting away from that statement with this s---.
@BS25PHI21: Are you and Embiid good now? Andre Drummond: We never had a problem, it's basketball I talk a lot of trash. He does it on social media, I do it in the game.
Spencer Dinwiddie: It’s come to my attention that @tobiasharris said they forced me left last night and it led to an L. Although that may be true, I just wanted to post a picture of the actual last time I went left in a live game with fans. Now back to reverse grilling Tri-Tip. Happy Quarantine 🤙🏾 #AudienceOfOne
@BS25PHI21: Are you and Embiid good now? Andre Drummond: We never had a problem, it's basketball I talk a lot of trash. He does it on social media, I do it in the game.
Spencer Dinwiddie: It’s come to my attention that @tobiasharris said they forced me left last night and it led to an L. Although that may be true, I just wanted to post a picture of the actual last time I went left in a live game with fans. Now back to reverse grilling Tri-Tip. Happy Quarantine 🤙🏾 #AudienceOfOne
Chris Kirschner: I asked Trae Young if he was going to stop nutmegging now because of Trevor Ariza's (old man yells at cloud) comments. "Nah, I ain't about to stop nutmegging. That's going to be in my game until I'm done."
Chris Kirschner: I asked Trae Young if he was going to stop nutmegging now because of Trevor Ariza's (old man yells at cloud) comments. "Nah, I ain't about to stop nutmegging. That's going to be in my game until I'm done."
. @JaMorant dedicated the end of a 5-game losing streak to a Twitter troll: "I'm thankful for this guy who tweeted and said I don't have that fire in my eye no more. That game right there was for him."
James Harden said in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he wished he could be seven-feet tall and just dunk referring to Giannis Antetokounmpo. No big comeback from the Greek Freak who responded via ESPN on Friday attempting to lay the evolving feud to rest. “It hasn’t been a back-and-forth,” he mentioned before the win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, “I’m not that type of guy, I never try to take stabs at somebody. Maybe sometimes it might come out like that, but I’m definitely not. At the end of the day, if that’s what he believes, that’s what he believes.”
“My game is not just power for sure,” he replied to gathered reporters following the 2019-20 NBA Regular Season contest, “I came in when I was 18, I was 180 pounds, so to power through big guys was kind of tough. But obviously, it’s going to be times where you’ve got to power through guys.”
“Amazing," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I don’t know who is criticizing him. He’s a winner. He brings it in every way, shape and form. He brings it in practice, in the locker room, he’s a great leader, he’s a great player. He does everything.”
Nichols asked Harden about a comment Antetokounmpo made during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game draft as he selected his team against LeBron James. When the TNT crew pressed Antetokounmpo about choosing Kemba Walker over Harden, he said “I want someone who will pass the ball” with a chuckle. Harden didn’t hold back when Nichols asked him about it.
NBA Central: “He cares about me. I really don’t” -Giannis on Drake 😬 (🎥 @YahooCASports) pic.twitter.com/pk3Elr7KGA
Sean Cunningham: Kings coach Luke Walton after picking up a technical in the 3rd quarter, calls over to Luka Doncic and says: "Hey Luka, do me a favor, give him your autograph after the game. (points at official) - He's a fan, he's a fan of yours." 😂😂
In a game the Mavericks controlled most of the night, Walton versus Dončić was the most compelling part of a second half dominated by the Mavs. “(Walton) said something I didn’t like about me. That was just it,” Dončić told Fox Sports Southwest in his on-court postgame interview.
“I don’t know,” Walton said. “I have all the respect in the world for him. He got what he wanted tonight, wherever he wanted. I wasn’t saying anything to him. I don’t know if he thought I said something to him, but he had a great game, he’s a great player and he led his team to victory, so give him credit.”
He left that to the youngsters in Memphis, 24-year-old Dillon Brooks and 20-year-old Ja Morant, who felt disrespected by the 36-year-old who chose not to report after he was traded from Golden State to the Grizzlies on July 7. And, of course, to his old(er) Warriors pal, 31-year-old Steph Curry, who came to his friend’s defense. “Yeah, that’s my guy,” the 36-year-old Iguodala said with a laugh on Friday as he looked back with The Athletic on the wild week that was. “I would do the same for him. But I understand the generation that we’re in, and the new millennials we’re dealing with, and how social media comes into play and how someone could feed (ideas) to a young guy and it (grows). …But it’s all love. At the end of the day, it’s all love.”
He left that to the youngsters in Memphis, 24-year-old Dillon Brooks and 20-year-old Ja Morant, who felt disrespected by the 36-year-old who chose not to report after he was traded from Golden State to the Grizzlies on July 7. And, of course, to his old(er) Warriors pal, 31-year-old Steph Curry, who came to his friend’s defense. “Yeah, that’s my guy,” the 36-year-old Iguodala said with a laugh on Friday as he looked back with The Athletic on the wild week that was. “I would do the same for him. But I understand the generation that we’re in, and the new millennials we’re dealing with, and how social media comes into play and how someone could feed (ideas) to a young guy and it (grows). …But it’s all love. At the end of the day, it’s all love.”
Ja Morant: @Rachel__Nichols 🤷🏽🤫
Throughout his eight seasons in the NBA, Lillard has never been one to trash talk during games. He has always preferred to have his play do his talking for him. But two players have always tried to test him, bait him, needle him into getting out of his focused mindset: Patrick Beverley and Westbrook.
“Every time I play against Russ, I say something back. Same thing with Pat Beverley,” Lillard said. “With both players, I have always backed up anything I need to say with how I’m playing. But they are two players who it’s important to me to let them know that if that’s what you want to do, you’ve met your match. I’m not intimidated, and I don’t really care what you gotta say, I’m gonna say something back. You know, kind of set that tone. Like, ‘All right … so what?’”
So in that Jan. 15 game in Houston, the Blazers were up 102-88 with 8:08 left in the fourth quarter when Westbrook took Lillard into the post. “He was backing me down and being real physical, and I was being physical back, and he swept (his arms) through and I swiped down and fouled him, on purpose. Hard fouled him.” As Westbrook walked to the free-throw line, he began talking at Lillard. “As he was going to the line, he said, ‘That’s automatic two points. Two points,’” Lillard recalled.
As Lillard walked behind Westbrook to position himself near the 3-point line for Westbrook’s free throw, he dropped a barb. “You a 60 percent free-throw shooter,” Lillard said he told him. “You gonna miss both of them.” Westbrook looked back to Lillard and said, “Impossible!” “And you can see, if you look at the (video) clip, he says ’82 (percent)!’” Actually, Westbrook was a 79 percent foul shooter entering that game, but at any rate, he missed the first free throw. Lillard poked back, adjusting that 60 percent jab. “I said, ’50 percent now,’” Lillard said.
Unwilling to let Lillard have the last word, Westbrook shot back. “What seed you all? What playoff seed are you all?” Lillard remembered him saying. Then Lillard ended the conversation. “I said, ‘You know I’m the last person you want to see in the playoffs.’”
A quick side note on the Lillard-Westbrook relationship: They have become one of the biggest rivalries, if not the biggest rivalry, going in the NBA. They are both elite, intense and don’t back down. It has created some great theater. But Lillard says there is a funny thing people don’t realize: The two don’t dislike each other. “People get it confused that we have an issue with each other, when we really don’t,” Lillard said. “That’s the weirdest thing about it.”
"He's not even in my f---ing league. ... I would never put him on me. ... Put somebody else on me, 'cause I'm gonna tear his ass up every time we play." Jimmy Butler went off on TJ Warren.
With Nick Young getting ready to tie the knot to fiancee Keonna Green -- our guy asked an interesting question ... does D'Angelo Russell get an invite to the wedding?! Nick's response??? "HAHAHAHA!!!"
Look, in a way ... D'Lo is responsible for Nick's upcoming marriage -- because had he not posted that infamous video back in the day, Iggy Azalea and Nick might still be together! It was messy at the time, but things seemed to have worked out for everybody since. Nick's happily engaged (that went down over the Christmas break).
Richard Jefferson: 2020 here we come #comeback 😂
Stefan Bondy: Lol Richard Jefferson is following one account
Chris Forsberg: Marcus Smart asked about Pat Beverley scoffing at intensity comparison: “I’m not surprised at all … What I am surprised about is for Pat to think that I’m below him or anything in that standpoint … I think my play speaks for itself … I’m just on another level right now.”
Mark Berman: Russell Westbrook ( @russwest44 )on Pat Beverley ( @patbev21 ): “Pat Bev trick y’all man, like he play defense. He don’t guard nobody man. He just running around doing nothing..As you seen what happened 47. All that commotion and ( @jharden ) got 47.”
Chase Hughes: Isaiah Thomas was asked about his return to Boston on Wednesday. When discussing his former teammate Marcus Smart, IT said: “He flops.”
And Beverley hounded Curry throughout the game. With 1:28 to play in the second quarter, Beverley forced Curry into a turnover, turned and jawed at the Golden State bench. Beverley then squared off with Curry at the other end of the floor and began talking trash. “You had the last five years,” Beverley told Curry, according to a source. “The next five years are mine.” To that, Curry laughed and replied, “Aren’t you 31?” Indeed, both Curry and Beverley are 31 and have a long history together—the two have been friends since they were roommates at various camps when they were teenagers, including the camps hosted by Paul Pierce and LeBron James.
Jon Johnson: AL Horford is your bell ringer for the opener.
Ballislife.com: Shaq released a 2nd diss track at Damian Lillard: 2nd Round Knockout! "The world going to see you fall / I'm going to do you like Rondo did to Chris Paul" "You rap cause you need it dawg, I do it for sport / When you run I see that tampon string in your shorts"
Ballislife.com: Dame's 2nd diss song at Shaq: Reign Reign Go Away.
Damian Lillard: I rest my case. #DameDOLLA
Don't get it twisted ... D-Wade means no disrespect to Lillard -- in fact, he really likes the rap battle going on between the two NBA superstars. But, he had to set the record straight. Remember, Dame dropped a reference to Wade in his dis track this week ... saying: "Said yourself that I'm a Tesla, no longer need Diesel gas. Kinda like the Cavs ain't really need Disel's ass. And even in Miami, won that [championship] on the strength of Flash." So, when we saw Wade leaving the Topanga Mall in L.A., we had to ask if Lillard was telling the truth ... could you have won that ring WITHOUT Shaq?! "No, not at that time," Wade said ... "I was young in the league trying to figure it out." "I needed somebody like Shaq to help me ... gimme me the keys and let me drive the car. I appreciate him doing that."
Damian Lillard dropped his third rap album in August, and the Blazers point guard may have started a new rap beef in a recent podcast appearance after calling out Shaquille O'Neal. “I think I rap better than Shaq," Lillard said on the Joe Budden Podcast in September. "I think he was viewed as Shaq. ... People weren’t looking like this [is] a real rapper. It was like, ‘That’s Shaq rapping.’ So, of course, it was a big deal.”
O'Neal didn't take kindly to Lillard's critique. The three-time Finals MVP released a diss track on his Instagram on Thursday, including a slew of lines that may cut deep for the Portland star. "Take time to respond, there is no hurry," Shaq rapped. "You'll never be Westbrook, never be Steph Curry."
Lillard clapped back with a track of his own on Tuesday, providing a SoundCloud link before heading to practice. "New school got new hits, Space Jam, not Blue Chips," Lillard rapped on the track Reign Reign Go Away. "Hangman, you shoes s---, Game 6, I'm too lit. ... We both could be working at Kinkos, but Kobe won you them rings, though. "
