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The 2022 NBA champions Golden State Warriors held their victory parade and rally on Monday. The Warriors were welcomed and celebrated by a huge crowd in downtown San Francisco. Klay Thompson produced many memorable moments that went viral.
Meanwhile, "Inside the NBA" analyst Charles Barkley has questioned Kevin Durant's legacy following Steph Curry and Co.'s win without Durant. On that note, here's the latest NBA news roundup for June 21 brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Steph Curry shows off his first three rings
Steph Curry showed off his bling in the Golden State Warriors' victory parade and rally. Curry wore his first three championships on his neck, while also bringing along the three MVP trophies he won this season. The four-time champ had an amazing season, cementing his legacy as one of the best ever.
He was named the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP after scoring 50 points. He also set an NBA All-Star record for most three-pointers made (16).
Curry became the first player in NBA history to win the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP award too. Finally, the icing on the cake was his Finals MVP trophy. That award was the only missing silverware in his legendary NBA career.
Kevin Durant responds to Charles Barkley's comments about his legacy
Kevin Durant took an early vacation after getting swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. Durant then had to watch his former team, Golden State Warriors, win another championship. With the Warriors' win, Durant's legacy is now being questioned.
Charles Barkley pounced on Durant during an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up." Barkley believes Durant needs to win a title as a "bus driver" to gain the respect of old heads like him. CJ McCollum defended Durant, who also called out Barkley for being jealous of the current generation's monetary success.
"All this shit is nasty, another terrible analogy from a hatin old head that can’t accept that we making more bread than them," Durant tweeted. "It's just timing Chucky; don't hate the playa."
Kyrie Irving responds to free agency rumors with cryptic message
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are at an impasse regarding a contract extension, as reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Irving could opt out of his player option next season and become a free agent. He would be a hot commodity, with several NBA teams already interested in him.
In response to rumors about his future in Brooklyn, Irving posted a cryptic message on Twitter. The one-time champ posted a gif of Brother Mouzane from the acclaimed TV show "The Wire." Irving is known for being one of the most eccentric players in the NBA.
According to Reddit user "paddiction," Brother Mouzone is a member of the Nation of Islam and a hitman on "The Wire." He was sent to Baltimore to finish a job but was betrayed by Stringer Bell. An interpretation of the tweet could be Irving seeing himself as Mouzone and Nets general manager Sean Marks as Bell.
Klay Thompson's best moments in Warriors' parade
Klay Thompson had a very interesting day at the Golden State Warriors' victory parade and rally. Thompson started things off by going to the parade on his boat. He lost his 2022 NBA Champions hat along the way due to the ocean wind. He followed that up by dancing like Michael Jackson with the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Thompson also knocked over a fan after tripping on the bus track. Thompson and the fan both fell to the ground, but no one was hurt. He followed that up by almost losing one of his championship rings. It fell off while greeting fans, but he was able to recover it pretty quickly.
It's great to see Thompson back at the top. He missed more than two years due to two very serious injuries. He returned in January and won his fourth championship five months later. Thompson did not play great in the NBA Finals, but it's expected from someone who just recovered from a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Paolo Banchero's odds of getting picked first overall in NBA draft improves
Paolo Banchero of Duke University is one of the top prospects in the upcoming NBA draft. Banchero is expected to be a top three pick, with a good chance of getting selected first. According to Matt Moore of the Action Network, Banchero's odds of being taken No. 1 have improved.
One of the primary reasons for that is Chet Holmgren saying that he wants to get drafted by the OKC Thunder. It also helps that the Orlando Magic are still undecided on who will they take with the first overall selection. Jabari Smith was the consensus first pick three days ago, but that doesn't seem to be the case now.
"Multiple sources told Action Network that as of this weekend, Orlando has not decided on the No. 1 pick," Moore wrote. "Without a clear-cut option, this typically leads to speculation the week of the draft, so perhaps this is just speculation running rampant. But if it is, it’s happening across multiple books at a significant percentage of handle."
Guess the Lakers players!
