Jokic claims 2nd NBA MVP award
Nikola Jokic put up numbers never seen before in NBA history. Not from Wilt. Not from Kareem. Not from “Air Jordan.” Not from LeBron.
With a historic season, the Denver Nuggets big man earned his second straight Most Valuable Player award, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The NBA was preparing to make the announcement in the coming days, likely this week, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the voting results have not been announced.
ESPN, citing sources, first reported that Jokic would be named MVP again.
The 7-foot center became the first player in league history to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. And that sort of dominance by the player nicknamed “Joker” helped convince voters that he should be the 13th player of the NBA’s exclusive MVP back-to-back club.
The other finalists — who will finish second and third in some order — were Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who led the league in scoring average, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.
FORMER NBA, MICHIGAN STATE STAR ADREIAN PAYNE SHOT, KILLED » Adreian Payne, a former Michigan State basketball standout and NBA player, has died in a shooting. He was 31.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a shooting at 1:34 a.m. Monday when
Payne was identified and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Lawrence Dority, 29, was present at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant after homicide detectives interviewed him.
Payne played in 107 NBA games, averaging four points and three rebounds, over four seasons with Atlanta, Minnesota and Orlando. The Hawks drafted him No. 15 overall in 2014, traded him to the Timberwolves, and he averaged 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds as a potentially promising rookie.
NHL SHARKS RE-SIGN BARABANOV, MEGNA TO 2-YEAR DEALS »
The San Jose Sharks have locked up two of their potential free agents early in the offseason, agreeing to two-year deals with forward Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Jaycob Megna.
Interim general manager Joe Will announced the deals as the Sharks placed a priority on retaining two
players who were set to hit the open market in July.
Barabanov’s deal is worth a reported $5 million over two years and Megna’s is worth a reported $1.625 million.
The 27-year-old Barabanov spent most of the season on San Jose’s top two lines, playing mostly with center Tomas Hertl. He had 10 goals and 29 assists in 70 games in his second season in the NHL.
Barabanov played 22 games in 2020-21 for Toronto and San Jose after playing the previous seven seasons in the KHL in Russia.
MLB MLB PLANS LONDON GAMES IN 2023, 2024 AND 2026 »
Major League Baseball intends to play regular-season games in London in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox split two games at London’s Olympic Stadium in June 2019. The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs were scheduled to play there on June 13-14, 2020, but those games were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cardinals and Cubs are the leading candidates to play in London next year.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the formation of the MLB London Legacy Group on Monday that will include members from the Greater London Authority and Baseball Softball UK.
MLB plans to hold a Home Run Derby at London’s Crystal Palace Park on July 9 this year.
Fishing
‘ULTIMATE SHOWMAN’ OF BASS FISHING, RAY SCOTT, DEAD AT 88 » Ray Scott, a consummate promoter who helped launch professional bass angling and became a fishing buddy to presidents while popularizing the conservation practice of catching and releasing fish, has died, a longtime aide said.
Scott died of natural causes late Sunday at a rehabilitation center near Montgomery, Ala., said Jim Kientz, who worked for Scott for more than two decades. He was 88.
A member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Scott founded the first professional bass fishing tournament in the late 1960s. Anglers could win money based on the weight of the fish they caught over several days on a lake or river, and they were penalized if a fish died.
Pro fishing caught on and Scott’s Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or BASS, grew into what it describes as the world’s largest fishing organization. Its signature tournament, the Bassmaster Classic, includes equipment shows that draw thousands of spectators.