Category: Basketball
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NBA legend calls on Trump to implement mandatory military service
A Hall of Fame basketball player says that mandatory service would help Americans with discipline and structure.
Compulsory service is required in many first-world countries, like South Korea, Finland, and Sweden. While duties and service time vary, many believe the requirement can foster a more responsible citizenry.
‘Learn how to defend yourself. Shoot and handle guns properly.’
A former NBA player and champion, 6’10” Dwight Howard recently called upon President Trump to consider implementing a mandatory term of service for Americans.
“I honestly feel like the president should make one year of service mandatory for everyone born in America,” Howard wrote on X. “A lot of other countries do it. And I think it would help with discipline and structure.”
Howard then asked, “I’m curious what yall think[:] would this help America or nah[?]”
RELATED: NBA players finally drop brutal truth bombs on WNBA stars: ‘It should be common sense’
Howard responded to a few reader remarks, including one who suggested such service could be performed during summers while a student is in high school.
In response, Howard revealed his stance on the duration for service.
“Everyone should do a year,” he wrote.
Another reader suggested mandatory customer service work for Americans, such as working in “retail, serving, bartending,” or answering phones. That notion saw Howard remain steadfast in his opinion that Americans should perform military service.
“I think military service would be better,” he replied. “Learn how to defend yourself. Shoot and handle guns properly. The bond and respect for each other would go up.”
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Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Following his NBA career, Howard played basketball overseas in the T1 League in Taiwan, where he again became a star. Perhaps this is where his inspiration came from, as Taiwan has a mandatory 12 months of military training for males ages 18-36, according to World Population Review.
Howard has discipline and law enforcement in his family’s background; an archived USA Basketball profile notes that his father, Dwight Sr., was a Georgia state trooper as of 2007.
According to Sky News, approximately 80 countries have some form of mandatory service or conscription. Some countries reportedly have mandatory service for women, as well, such as Sudan, Morocco, Mozambique, North Korea, and Sweden.
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NBA players finally drop brutal truth bombs on WNBA stars: ‘It should be common sense’
It seems some male basketball players are tired of having their skill levels compared to WNBA players.
After a former NBA player said the 2025 WNBA champions could beat an NBA team, a group of ballers decided to set the record straight with brutal honesty about how a matchup between the two sets of pros would play out.
‘I wish this would stop being a conversation.’
NBA players Michael Porter Jr., Lonzo Ball, and former pro LiAngelo Ball brought up the comparison of NBA players versus WNBA players on a recent episode of the “Ball in the Family Podcast.”
In just the second episode of the show’s existence, Porter decided he would contribute to its newsworthiness by asking the panel if they had heard that WNBA star Paige Bueckers claimed she could beat an NBA player head-to-head.
“Did you see when she said that she would beat Josh Hart one-on-one?” Porter asked.
“No chance,” the panel unanimously agreed, stating there was too big of a skill gap between Hart, who has averaged more than 10 points per game in his career, and a female pro.
The group then discussed what the age-appropriate matchup between a male and female basketball player would be, prompting the panel to drop brutal truths.
“Probably eighth grade,” Porter theorized, revealing he had actual experience playing against female college players as a teen.
“My sisters went to University of Missouri, and I was still a young dude, and they had me playing on the scout team, and they had a few WNBA players on their team, like Sophie Cunningham and a couple others. I think I was in seventh or eighth grade,” Porter continued.
He noted that he did indeed crush his female competitors at that time.
“It’s just a difference. I wish this would stop being a conversation because it should be common sense. But like, it’s just not,” he said.
Any viewers who thought the other panel members would jump to the defense of female players at this point were sorely mistaken. Particularly Lonzo Ball pulled no punches.
“I mean this as respectfully as possible, but ninth-grade Lonzo Ball in the WNBA is going crazy,” he said, speaking in third person.
Ball then brought out the measuring stick:
“In ninth grade, I was over six feet and dunking. I’m coming through the lane. No girl in the WNBA is doing that. I’m going backdoor, ‘Throw it up!’ I’m looking like Jordan out there,” he said.
Ball is no slouch in the NBA, and his 11-points per-game career average gives him the basis to make these claims.
“I mean this so respectfully. Middle school [and] down,” he added.
Earlier in the podcast, Porter outed his pro team for having reprimanded him in the past for talking about the differences between male and female players.
He explained that even within the Brooklyn Nets organization, “We’ve had conversations. They would appreciate if I stayed clear of certain topics, you know what I mean? That’s why the WNBA thing, that’s just a topic that kind of — it’s so sensitive nowadays. So I try to be aware of that.”
According to OutKick, Porter had previously strongly implied that if the WNBA All-Star team or the women’s Team USA basketball squad played the best male high school basketball players in the country, the boys would easily beat the women.
“It’s one of them things, bro. You can’t dance around it. In high school, when I was in high school … if we played the WNBA All-Star team, that, no disrespect, bro. No disrespect. I’m not even gonna say it,” Porter reportedly said.
RELATED: ‘They’re all hot garbage’: Whitlock goes NUCLEAR on the WNBA
Las Vegas Aces holds up the championship trophy after winning Game Four of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on October 10, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
In early October, 12-year NBA veteran (now retired) Pat Beverley said in an X post that the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces could give an NBA team a run for their money on the court.
“Idk if it’s the [wine] but i really believe this Aces team could beat a NBA team,” Beverley wrote.
The recent podcast panel reacted strongly to that claim with multiple guests simply responding, “That’s crazy.”
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LeBron James’ closest allies now in the spotlight for shocking NBA gambling probe
Two members of LeBron James’ inner circle are being investigated as part of the NBA’s ongoing inquiries into gambling and insider tipoffs.
It’s been nearly a month since the FBI released the shocking indictments of an NBA coach and player, along with a former NBA player.
‘That player was not named in the team’s injury report at the time. James did not play in that game.’
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones were indicted. Rozier was accused of sharing insider information to gamblers, while Billups was allegedly involved in illegal poker games hosted by Italian mob families; Jones was reportedly involved in both.
Now as the NBA continues its investigation, disaster could be around the corner for the league as Los Angeles Lakers personnel and those in close contact with James have reportedly surrendered their cell phones to an inquiring law firm hired by the NBA.
According to the Athletic, firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz has been contacting NBA teams to ask for cell phones, phone records, and other items. The firm has reportedly sought information from 10 Lakers employees, including assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims. Both have very close ties to James and reportedly gave up their cell phones voluntarily.
RELATED: NBA coach, former player arrested in Mafia-tied nationwide gambling bust
Randy Mims (L) and LeBron James attend a quarterfinal game of the 2018 NBA Summer League between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Mancias, 48, has reportedly been training James for around 20 years, while 50-year-old Mims has been associated with James since he was in high school in Akron, Ohio. James was drafted out of high school at 18 years old in 2003. Mims was described as James’ uncle in a 2003 Sports Illustrated article.
The player connection
The following information reported by the Athletic is circumstantial in nature, and it is important to note that neither James, Mancias, nor Mims have been charged with any crimes.
As part of his alleged betting scheme, former player Jones is accused by law enforcement of selling information about the injuries of two Lakers players to bettors on at least two occasions. In his indictment, Jones is labeled as a coach or teammate of a “prominent NBA player,” described as “Player 3,” whose relationship he abused to sell information to professional gamblers.
According to prosecutors, Jones found out on February 9, 2023, that “Player 3” would not play in a game between the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks and told someone to place a “big bet” on the Bucks based on Player 3’s absence. That player was not named in the team’s injury report at the time. James did not play in that game.
Furthermore, on January 15, 2024, Jones allegedly sold his knowledge on a “Player 4,” who was allegedly injured. Jones was accused of passing on knowledge that Player 4’s performance would be impacted by the injury in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Federal authorities reportedly said that Jones “claimed to have learned from the trainer for ‘Player 3’ and ‘Player 4’ that ‘Player 4’ was hurt.”
RELATED: Former NBA star Paul Pierce tells men to CHEAT on their girlfriends
The Miami Heat’s LeBron James gets stretched by trainer Mike Mancias during practice for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, Saturday, June 16, 2012. David Santiago/El Nuevo Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
More connections, more charges
James’ business manager and known business partner Maverick Carter reportedly told federal agents in 2021 that he bet on NBA games with an illegal bookmaker. In November 2021, Carter told federal agents he “could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers” and also denied placing bets for others, ESPN reported.
Carter revealed he put down about 20 bets on football and basketball games over the span of one year, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. The bookie Carter used, Wayne Nix, pleaded guilty to participating in a large, offshore betting ring.
Carter was named in the aforementioned 2003 Sports Illustrated piece as one of those “closest to James on a daily basis,” along with Mims. At the time, he was described as a former high school teammate who was three years older than James and employed by Nike to “take care of their $90 million man.”
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Hot take: Michael Jordan’s new show is HURTING the NBA
While Jason Whitlock respects and celebrates Michael Jordan, he thinks the six-time NBA champion is actually doing more harm than good to the league right now. “Jordan is the black shadow that hovers over the NBA like a dark cloud, and he’s a constant reminder of how things suck right now,” he says.
Jordan, who has mostly stayed out of the public eye since his 2003 retirement, has recently re-entered the NBA as a special contributor. His new show, “MJ: Insights to Excellence” — a prerecorded miniseries of interviews where Jordan shares basketball wisdom and personal reflections with host Mike Tirico — airs weekly during certain NBA games in the 2025-2026 season.
Fans and players have been soaking in Jordan’s wisdom and the tidbits of information he shares about his personal life, but Jason says this focus on the NBA’s “good ol’ days” when Jordan was the face of the league isn’t doing anything positive for the already hurting association. If anything, Jordan’s show is a reminder of how “lazy” today’s NBA players are.
On Tuesday night during the postgame show following the New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks game, episode two of “MJ: Insights to Excellence” aired. Tirico asked the GOAT his thoughts on “load management” — the strategic practice of resting healthy players during games or limiting their minutes to prevent injuries, manage fatigue, and extend careers.
Jordan, who was notorious for playing through injury and fatigue all 82 games of a season, pulled no punches: “[Load management] shouldn’t be needed … I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove.”
“You have a duty that if [fans] are wanting to see you, and as an entertainer, I want to show,” he added.
While Jordan’s work ethic and commitment to the game will forever be admirable, the fact that it remains unmatched over two decades later only highlights how far the NBA has fallen.
“This is not a criticism of Michael Jordan. It’s really a criticism of Adam Silver and the executives and ownership in the NBA. They can’t come up with a solution for what’s wrong with the NBA, and so they’re allowing Michael Jordan and the media to mostly drive the discussion about what’s wrong with the NBA,” says Jason.
NBC, which recently inked an 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal to broadcast NBA games, is “using the greatest player of all time to basically subtly take a dump on the NBA,” he explains.
“Fearless” contributor and basketball aficionado Jay Skapinac agrees that Michael’s words are true — load management is a reflection of how soft NBA players have become — but the NBA highlighting this is only “undermining the current product.”
If the NBA wants to move into a new era, where grit and passion define the league again, it needs to ditch LeBron James, who he says “is the only player that has left the game worse than the one that he inherited,” and “move forward with these new, bright, rising young stars in the NBA” instead of “focusing on the greatest player that ever existed in the sports history.”
To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.
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