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The "NBA Defense Week" is ongoing on social media, with fans and teams sharing their most memorable defensive plays of the season and history. Additionally, September is here so fans can almost taste the beginning of basketball action. A handful of teams will play preseason and international games this month, officially kicking off the 2022-23 season.
Let's take a look at some news stories from around the league in the past 24 hours.
Steph Curry and LeBron James congratulate Serena Williams on her U.S. Open win
Tennis megastar Serena Williams recently announced her retirement. She won the second round of the 2022 U.S. Open on Wednesday. She defeated No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2. It was a marvelous victory for Williams.
NBA icons Steph Curry and LeBron James showed appreciation for Williams, arguably the greatest women's tennis player of all time. Curry tweeted, "Not done yet," while LeBron mimicked the sound of a goat to suggest that Williams is the GOAT. James said:
"Baah, baah, goat talk, goat talk. I see you Serena, goat talk."
Former Nugget Andre Miller signs with Denver as G League coach
Andre Miller was one of the finest players in the league who didn't receive an All-Star selection. He is the only player with 16,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 1,500 steals to not play in an All-Star game. He was known as the NBA's "Iron Man" as he missed just three games due to injuries in his 17-year career.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Miller is signing a deal with the Denver Nuggets. He will coach their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. Wojnarowski said:
"The Denver Nuggets are finalizing a deal to hire Andre Miller as the new coach of the G League Frand Rapids Gold."
Steph Curry gets his jersey retired and enters the Davidson College Hall of Fame
Steph Curry completed his final semester of college this year and officially graduated from Davidson College. He is one of the finest athletes to graduate from the college. Davidson has officially retired his jersey number 30 across all sports.
Curry played for the Davidson Wildcats from 2006 to 2009. He led the team and was in the top 10 in the nation in scoring in all three seasons. He left his alma mater as the Wildcats' all-time points and 3-pointers leader.
Davidson gave Curry his degree, retired his jersey and inducted him into the Davidson College Athletics Hall of Fame all in the same ceremony. As reported by ESPN's Kendra Andrews, the Golden State Warriors superstar said in his speech:
"This is an absolutely amazing day and an amazing moment for myself and my family. The best decision I ever made was to come to Davidson College and pursue an education. Join an amazing community and, most importantly, play for an amazing man who has built this program in coach McKillop.
"I'm a graduate, I'm a Davidson alum and I am in the Hall of Fame. And that's pretty crazy."
Montrezl Harrell gets his felony charge reduced in court
Montrezl Harrell was arrested for possession of marijuana during a Kentucky traffic stop and faced charges of trafficking less than five pounds. While medical and recreational marijuana use is legal in 19 US states, Kentucky is not one of them. As per ESPN's Adrian Wojanarowski, Harrell got his initial felony charges reduced to a misdemeanor. He reported:
"Free agent forward Montrezl Harrell had felony charges of marijuana trafficking reduced to a misdemeanor possession in a Madison County (KY) Courthouse today. Charge will be expunged from his record after 12 months if Harrell gets in no further legal trouble."
Rapper J. Cole lands on the cover of NBA 2K23: Dreamer Edition
Rapper J. Cole has been connected to basketball his entire life. He believes he would have been a professional player if he hadn't discovered his love for music. Cole played at the halftime show of the 2019 All-Star game and has been a part of several All-Star Celebrity games. He also played for the Rwanda Patriots BBC of the Basketball Africa League in 2021.
2K Sports announced that the world-famous rapper will feature on the NBA 2K23 cover of the "Dreamer Edition." As per NBA 2K, Cole will also feature in MyCareer Mode and in The City alongside fellow Dreamville rappers Bas and Elite. Cole spoke about his partnership with the video game giant:
"NBA 2K has long been a place to discover new musical talent through their game. And continues to be a gold standard for showcasing all things basketball culture.
"It's been an amazing journey to not only appear on a cover of this year's game. But to be part of the MyCAREER storyline, soundtrack and bring the Dreamer brand into NBA 2K."
Guess the Lakers players!
