Lillard says he won’t play if Blazers can’t reach playoffs
Portland’s path to the playoffs will dictate whether All-Star guard Damian Lillard suits up when the Trail Blazers are back on the court this summer.
Lillard told Yahoo Sports he won’t play if the Blazers, currently ninth in the Western Conference, don’t have a true opportunity to make up the ground necessary to grab the final playoff spot.
“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team. But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that (expletive) in there,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday.
Portland is 29-37 and 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The No. 8 seed is in line to match up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
No decisions have been made on the postseason format and the NBA is reportedly hesitant to require all 30 teams to report to Orlando and Disney World Resorts, especially teams that aren’t in position to qualify for the playoffs.
PLAYERS ASSOCIATION SEEKING ‘CERTAINTY’ BEFORE RETURN >> National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN that players are seeking a “level of certainty” regarding their return from the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
On hold since March 11, Roberts said “it’s time” for players to get back on the court.
“It’s been two and a half months of, ‘What if?’ My players need some level of certainty. I think everybody does,” she said.
The NBA Board of Governors is meeting Friday with the intention of laying out some of the protocols that would be in place at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida.
REPORTER FINDS EVIDENCE JORDAN WANTED OFF DREAM TEAM IF ISIAH THOMAS WAS ON SQUAD >> There’s audio evidence that Michael Jordan refused to play with Isiah Thomas in the Olympics, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
In his documentary “The Last Dance,” Jordan denied involvement in Thomas being left of the Dream Team. However, longtime Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum, who penned a book on the collection of NBA superstars who wowed the world at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, unearthed the following audio from his interview with Jordan in 2011:
“When they called me to ask me to play, Rod Thorn called me,” Jordan said. “I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.’ He assured me. He said, ‘You know what? Chuck doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.’ ”
McCallum said that Jordan revealed this unsolicited.
Tennis
WORLD TEAMTENNIS PLANS TO HAVE FANS MATCHES >> If World Team-Tennis gets its way, Grand Slam champions Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens could be among the first tennis players to compete in front of fans after the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns around the globe.
WTT said Tuesday it is planning to allow up to 500 spectators at each of its outdoor matches during a three-week season from July 12 to Aug. 2 at a resort in West Virginia.
All tennis events sanctioned by the ATP, WTA and International Tennis Federation are on hold.
Awards
WILSON, RAPINOE, BIRD TO HOST REMOTE ESPYS >> It’s a way different kind of year, and so The ESPYs will be, too. For the first time, the show will feature three hosts in remote settings and a changed focus. Instead of honoring the past year’s top athletes and moments in sports, the show is celebrating heroism and humanitarian aid.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, soccer star Megan Rapinoe and threetime WNBA champion Sue Bird will preside over the two-hour broadcast airing June 21 on ESPN.
College football
FLORIDA LANDS COMMITMENT FROM QB KITNA >> Three-star quarterback Jalen Kitna of Burleson, Texas, committed to Florida. The son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna is the nation’s No. 27 pro-style QB prospect in the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Kitna’s father, who played parts of 14 seasons in the NFL with four teams from 1997-2011, now coaches his son at Burleson High School.
Soccer
BAYERN BEATS DORTMUND, EYES RECORD 8TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE>> Joshua Kimmich scored with a longrange lob to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over closest rival Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, putting the team a huge step closer to claiming a record-extending eighth consecutive Bundesliga title.
The Bundesliga, which resumed after a two-month coronavirus-induced suspension on May 16, is being played without fans and amid strict hygiene measures for the rest of season.
Kimmich collected the ball outside the area and chipped it over Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki minutes before the break. It was enough for Bayern to stretch its lead to seven points over Dortmund with six games of the season remaining.
NFL
DOLPHINS OWNER CONFIDENT THERE WILL BE SEASON >> Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said he believes the NFL’s 2020 season will take place as schedule later this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic and that his team’s plan is to have fans in attendance.
Speaking in an interview with CNBC, the 80-year-old real estate developer said the league wants to have fans in place but that plan is subject to change before the regular season begins on Sept. 10.
“I think definitely there will be a football season this year,” Ross told CNBC. “The real question is will there be fans in the stadium?
“Right now, today, we’re planning to have fans in the stadium.”