#nba-championship

#nba-championship

"The other guy" O'Neal was referring to was Kobe Bryant. He and Bryant won three titles together with the Los Angeles Lakers, then the relationship went south and the Lakers traded O'Neal to Miami in the summer of 2004. Bryant eventually got his fourth and fifth titles to pass O'Neal, and the two teammates-turned-rivals mended fences to a certain extent before Bryant -- along with his daughter Gianna and seven others -- died in a helicopter crash six years ago.

I'm going to be honest: I don't know if I ever thought about (retiring my jersey), said Williams, who became the eighth alum to have his jersey retired. I want to say it was more just trying to get better every day. I remember when I first got here, I was just really happy to be a Division I player. My mindset was, How much better can I get every day?' and let the chips fall where they fall.

"The same thing I've been saying my whole career, I want to be in a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship," said Antetokounmpo, who is sitting out the start of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19. "I think it's a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April."

Mike Brown emphasized that anything less than an NBA championship for the Knicks would fall short of expectations. He stated, 'This is the Knicks.'

In the 2024-25 season, Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring, snagging 32.7 points per game, earning him the coveted scoring title.

"Toronto, Canada, I love you. (The) country that welcomed me, the city that became home. This bond we share will last forever," he said.