Reggie Miller claims Michael Jordan called himself ‘Black Jesus,’ but story full of holes

By Dan FeldmanMar 6, 2015, 1:38 PM EST

Update: The Bulls were not scheduled to play the Paces in the 1987 preseason.

Perhaps, the schedule was changed. Perhaps, Miller mixed up that lone detail — though he expounded on it.

Perhaps, the entire story is fiction.

Reggie Miller tells a story about a preseason game between the Pacers and Bulls in 1987, before Miller’s rookie year and Michael Jordan’s fourth (hat tip: Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com):

Most veterans do not like to play in exhibition games. They want to get to the real thing. I’m a wide-eyed energetic rookie. And we’re playing this exhibition game, and Michael’s going through the motion.

And Chuck Person, who’s on my team – he’s a trash talker as well – was like “Can you believe Michael Jordan, the guy everyone’s talking about, who’s supposed to be able to walk on water? You’re out here killing him, Reg.” This is in the first half. He’s like, ‘You should be talking to be talking to him.” I’m like, “You know what? You’re right.”

Michael, who do you think you are? The great Michael Jordan? That’s right There’s a new kid on town.

Right? He kind of looks at me and starts shaking his head. So, at half, I have 10. And he has four points. I’m doing all this talking. It’s like, OK.

At the end of the game, in the second half, he ended up with 44 and I ended up with 12. So, he outscored me, 40 to two.

And as he’s walking off he’s like, “Be sure and be careful that you never talk to Black Jesus like that.”

That’s one heck of a tale (if true).

Miller also said he never talked trash to Michael Jordan after that. And maybe Jordan just overreacted to a single instance of Miller bumping him, but I find it hard to believe Miller didn’t use words to get under Jordan’s skin prior to this:

If you’re a Comcast subscriber in Chicago, you can stream tonight’s Bulls-Pacers game here.

Rumor: Are the Knicks ramping up for a John Wall trade?

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By Dane DelgadoDec 5, 2018, 12:30 AM EST

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What’s happening with the Washington Wizards? We might not have a resolution to that question until their entire roster is collectively playing in a new city.

One of the Wizards’ stars, John Wall, would be of interest to several NBA teams if his supermax contract wasn’t rumored to be immovable.

Enter the New York Knicks.

According to the New York Post, the Knicks could be ramping up to make a play for the overpaid Wall.

Via New York Post:

Some in the league believe the Knicks are stocking up their young assets and will make a major play for Wall if he becomes available. The Wizards (9-14) were said to be ready to break it up after their disastrous start. It would have to be a three-team deal with the Knicks throwing in Ntilikina, Dotson, Courtney Lee (for cap purposes), a 2020 first-round and second-round pick.

Would Wall be a good choice for New York? He’ll make a whopping $46.8 million by 2022-23, which could seriously hamper a Knicks team that has Kristaps Porzingis and several intriguing young players.

I’m not sure if Wall is the answer for New York. I’m not sure the Wizards will be able to move him. But if a team was going to make a play for the star point guard, the Knicks feel like an organization that might be able to talk themselves into swallowing that giant deal.

Kevin Durant posts Instagram saying Redskins should sign Colin Kaepernick

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By Dane DelgadoDec 4, 2018, 11:30 PM EST

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Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL in a couple of years, and the question surrounding the former San Francisco 49ers QB is whether the league is colluding against him.

Meanwhile, there doesn’t seem to be enough QBs in the NFL at any given time. Watching the league, it feels as though perhaps 10 teams have a signal caller good enough for his job. Meanwhile, Kaepernick remains unemployed.

Kevin Durant is a fan of the Washington Redskins, and his team lost their QB, Alex Smith, in November. His replacement, Colt McCoy, then broke his fibula. As such, Washington played über-backup Mark Sanchez on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So KD did what any reasonable fan would do: suggest his team sign Colin Kaepernick.

Via Instagram:

Should Washington sign Kaepernick? The team was in the playoff chase when Smith went down, and Kaepernick is still only 31 years old.

Hawks’ Taurean Prince out at least three weeks with left ankle injury

Associated PressDec 4, 2018, 10:30 PM EST

Mike Conley says paperwork almost cost him $40 million contract

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By Dane DelgadoDec 4, 2018, 9:30 PM EST

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We’ve all struggled to meet financial deadlines. Bills, student loan payments, car payments. Sometimes you forget to fill out a timesheet and you have to wait until the next one to get your dough. It happens to the best of us, but never in the way it almost happened to Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley.

Although he is now a 12-year veteran, Conley was just a third-year player heading into his fourth when he signed an extension off his rookie deal in 2010. Conley was offered a 5-year, $40 million deal and after signing the extension, Conley slowly became one of the best values in the NBA.

But it almost didn’t happen.

Speaking on Zach Lowe’s podcast this week, Conley told a story about when he was mere minutes away from botching his paperwork for the contract.

The NBA has a hard deadline, and Conley was stuck waiting behind people at a hotel front desk as he tried to fax his signed documents over to the respective parties.

He came this close to not getting his $40 million.

Via ESPN:

“We were in the W Hotel in Westwood. I’m sitting in my room and I get called down at like 8:55 p.m. or whatever it is, 7:55 p.m. something like that, and they’re like, ‘You have to go downstairs you got to sign this stuff and you’ve got to fax it.’

I run down the steps; there’s two people in line in front of me [at the front desk]. People are getting their keys, or doing whatever they got to do. I’m sweating like, ‘These people gotta move, there’s no way I can just let this happen.’

So then I creep my way up and I need to get this faxed, right right now. [Memphis Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace] is on the phone like, ‘We still haven’t got it yet! We haven’t got it yet!’ and time’s running down.

I popped it in [the fax machine] a minute before the deadline.”

Kudos to Conley for not playing his NBA player card and making a scene. It would take serious restraint from just about any person who had $40 million on the line not to do exactly that given the circumstances.

Of course, Conley’s next contract was even bigger. In 2016 the veteran guard signed a five-year, $153 extension to stay with the Grizzlies through at least 2019-20.