NBA

The end of “Shut up and dribble”: Even athletes get paid to talk

Published

3 years ago

March 5, 2023

Jon

The end of “Shut up and dribble”: Even athletes get paid to talk

Kostas Papanikolaou and Loukas Mavrokephalidis left their own mark of empathy in the case of the Tempe tragedy, and Vassilis Skoundis places them in the same frame as LeBron James and Yiannis Fundoulis.

Kostas Papanikolaou not only said it well, but said it wisely last Friday evening in the Mediolanum Forum.

And in my opinion Loukas Mavrokephalidis acted wisely yesterday afternoon in Nicaea because surely athletes are not sheep to be dazed and dazed and sometimes manipulated and instructed by all sorts of shepherds!

Athletes, like all citizens of a society, have their own personality and are not only entitled but also obliged to express their opinions, as happens elsewhere.

I insist because they didn’t “pee in the well” to not be allowed to take responsibility for everything that’s going on outside of children, the environment and our already globalized community.

“Shut up and dribble”? Pritz!

She too, damn mom gave birth to her, as did LeBron James, who two and a half years ago, when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak, led a crusade that put NBA players at the forefront “Shut up about disgust and dribble” logic: Frequently refused to give a fuck and just dribble, shoot, rebound and provide assists

“King James” belongs to the category that bears the label “more than an athlete” and, along with the late Kobe Bryant, pioneered the reversal of the accepted view of “shut up and dribble”.

LeBron is and acts as more than an athlete: he doesn’t lower his banner or back away from his meter, despite reproaches for his political messages and opinions for going beyond basketball and sporting boundaries.

Trump and the Solo Statements

On February 18, 2018, the four-time NBA champion was severely attacked by journalist Laura Ingraham, who on her Fox News program slammed him for his innuendos on political issues and his criticism of then-President of the NBA USA, Donald Trump.

Then the conversation opened up about the infamous “shut up and dribble” as a lifestyle that athletes should follow.

“I don’t care about the political views of someone who gets paid $100,000,000 a year kicking a ball. James’ statements are hardly comprehensible and a monologue. So he should keep her to himself‘ commented Ingraham, who wrote a 2006 book entitled Shut Up and Sing about the expression of political opinions by famous artists.

Republican Shoes and Jordans Tank Top

On the contrary – and with the logic that silence is complicity – is Michael Jordan, who for thirty years (as an American proverb goes) has been trying to shake off a…monkey sitting on his neck!

In 1990, even his mother begged him to make a statement of support for black Harvey Grant, who became North Carolina’s first African-American governor to run against racist Jesse Helms, but “Air” did it!

And as if that wasn’t enough, he also said: “but Republicans also buy sneakersThey buy Air Jordans, he said.

Apparently the Republicans or the police also bought “LeBron 17” in 2020, but then James didn’t sit on his balls: he posted on Instagram the photos of the police officer who threw Floyd in the street and pinned him on the neck and next to her athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick, who knelt every time the US national anthem was played in protest of racism, leading to his expulsion from the NFL with Trump’s blessing.

Ioannidis: ‘You get paid not to speak’

Athletes therefore have a soul, they are not insensitive beings who therefore have to operate with the logic of the juke box, even if thirty years ago Giannis Ioannidis insisted that “Players are paid not to speak“.

Not only do they have a soul, they have a voice, and because they’re known, recognizable, and loved, their every word counts, apart from emphasizing the value of the infamous empathy and inclusion that we should all be governed by.

The “Revolution” of Luke

Loukas Mavrokephalidis is a calm, quiet and gentle person. He’s not very talkative, doesn’t provoke and rarely comes out of his shell, but yesterday he decided that he should have encouraged Ionikos fans, the banner they raised during the game against AEK and on which they wrote the tip, not to take down four lines “It wasn’t human error, but it wasn’t an accident either, they called the state assassination an accident. Tempe 3/1/23 Port 3”

There was a tug-of-war with the referees who – as provided for by the regulations – referred the case to the management of ESAKE because it was a banner with a “political” slogan and when they gave the “green light” they were given 20 minutes Delayed the command to start the game.

I reached out to Luke today for comment on this initiative he has taken, but he said he is reluctant to do so via a post on his social media. He didn’t speak himself, but rather the management of first-instance amateur Ionikos in a statement that praised, praised and eventually idolized the 39-year-old international forward/center.

Statement by Papanikolaou

A few hours earlier in Milan, in the case of the unspeakable tragedy of Tempe, another dimension was presented through the mouth of Kostas Papanikolaou.

After the end of the game, the Olympiakos captain was asked to comment on his team’s defeat and his response was further odd evidence of the sensitivity with which he dealt and armed his speech.

What would have happened if Olympiacos had won?

Obviously, Papanikolaou would give the same answer and if the cameras caught the celebrations of the Olympiakos players, the team and national team captain could follow in the footsteps of his counterpart and stablemate Yiannis Fundoulis.

Fundoulis’ apology in Tokyo

The captain of Olympiakos and the national water polo team is credited with one of the finest statements to have been publicly articulated in the annals of Greek sport and will stand as a timeless monument of sensitivity and empathy

On August 6, 2021, as the Greek team defeated Hungary 9-6 to qualify for the finals of the Tokyo Olympics – and while Greece was being burned to ash and lightbulbs by the fires – the Chios region appeared on ERT cameras and apologized from the preface to the Greek people!

“To be honest, we are all very upset by what is happening in the country. Back in Greece lives are at risk, I don’t think a win can ease the pain of what is happening. We are saddened by what is happening in Greece and hope no one is in danger. Under these circumstances, we apologize in advance for our joy and excitement. With all due respect, we will celebrate this success and reflect on what is happening in Greece“.

PS: After all these and other things that have happened and been said, it is obvious and self-evident that athletes are not insensitive, partisans and stars!

Source: sport 24

Jon

I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.

NBA

ADETOKUMBO: “Disrespectful. Don’t ask me this question”

Published

17 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Paula

ADETOKUMBO: “Disrespectful. Don’t ask me this question”

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo He gave a harsh response to the question about a possible trade to another NBA club:

“I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. It’s disrespectful to me and my teammates. I wear this jersey every day.

To say I don’t want to be here is disrespectful to the organization, the coaching staff, myself and everyone who worked hard to get me on the field. Don’t ask me this question. I am her. I’m going out in this uniform. And as long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all until the last second of the match.”

On the night of December 27-28, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player of the game with the Chicago Bulls – 112:103.

Source: Sport UA

Paula

I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.

NBA

NBA: Utah and Mikhailiuk created a sensation, Antetokounmpo’s brilliant return

Published

22 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Paula

NBA: Utah and Mikhailiuk created a sensation, Antetokounmpo’s brilliant return

Nine games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 27-28.

“San Antonio” hosted “Utah” and suffered a sensational defeat.

Spurs had a good first quarter, during which they made a 15:2 spurt to take an 11-point lead at 30:19, but failed to build on it or at least maintain it. In the second quarter, the Jazz responded with a 25:5 attack and took the lead 62:51 with the same 11 points. Utah then kept the opponent at bay for more than 10 points until the middle of the fourth quarter, when Spurs equalized the score – 106:106, thanks to a 14:2 breakthrough. However, the home team could not achieve this success and failed at the end of the match. In the last three minutes of the game, San Antonio scored 2 points and lost them with a score of 2:11 and had a score of 114:127 throughout the match.

Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk He was in Utah’s starting five and stayed on the field for 14 minutes, during which time he scored 3 points (1/1 three-pointers), also made 1 rebound and 1 assist with 1 loss and 1 foul.

The most productive player of the match was Vembanyama, who brought 32 points to Spurs, but this did not help them achieve positive results. Jazz has 29 points from Markkanen and 28 points from George.

“Chicago” lost at home to “Milwaukee”, where Giannis Antetokounmpo returned.

The Bucks gained a minimal advantage in the first quarter and then gradually increased it, eventually winning all quarters of the match and winning with a score of 103:112.

In this game, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player, scoring 29 points for Milwaukee. Portis also scored a double-double for the guest team with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

NBA. Regular season, December 28

San Antonio – Utah – 114:127 (40:32, 20:38, 27:28, 27:29)

San Antonio: Vembanyama (32 + 7 rebounds + 5 blocks), Castle (20 + 7 assists), Vassell (11), Shempeni (4), Barnes (3) – start; K. Johnson (27 + 10 rebounds), Harper (7 + 7 rebounds + 12 assists), Cornet (7 + 8 rebounds), Brian (3), Sohan (0), McLaughlin (0), Waters (0).

Utah: Markkanen (29), George (28 + 6 assists), Nurkic (16 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Sensabaugh (11), Mikhailyuk (3) – start; Clayton (17), Williams (8), Collier (7), Filippovski (6 + 6 assists), Hendricks (2).

Chicago – Milwaukee – 103:112 (26:28, 24:26, 30:31, 23:27)

Chicago: White (16 + 5 losses), Vucevic (16 + 7 rebounds), Giddy (13 + 7 rebounds + 9 assists), Okoro (10), Buzelis (8) – start; Dosunmu (11), Collins (10 + 10 rebounds), Herter (7), Smith (6 + 10 rebounds), Jones (6 + 6 assists), Williams (0).

Milwaukee: Y. Antetokounmpo (29 + 8 rebounds), Rollins (20 + 7 rebounds), Turner (13), Porter (8 + 9 assists), Green (6) – start; Portis (17 + 11 rebounds), Kuzma (12), Sims (4), G. Harris (3).

Sacramento-Dallas-113:107 (31:23, 28:21, 29:33, 25:30)

sacramento: Westbrook (21 + 9 assists), Ellis (21), Reynaud (19), DeRozan (9 + 6 assists), Achiuwa (5 + 9 rebounds) – start; Schroeder (10), McDermott (9), Clifford (8+9 rebounds), Monk (7), Cardwell (4+8 rebounds).

dallas: Flagg (23 + 5 turnovers), Washington (17 + 4 blocks), Gafford (11 + 7 rebounds), Christie (9 + 7 rebounds), Nembhard (9) – start; Thompson (14), Marshall (11), Russell (7), Hardy (5), Powell (1 + 11 rebounds), Caleb Martin (0), Cisse (0).

New Orleans – Phoenix – 114:123 (33:32, 22:33, 30:28, 29:30)

New Orleans: Murphy (24), Quinn (21 + 11 rebounds), Fiers (18 + 8 rebounds), Bay (17), McGowens (0) – start; Williamson (22), Alvarado (7), Missy (4 + 8 rebounds), Poole (1), Peavy (0).

Phoenix: Booker (20), Brooks (18), Gillespie (17 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), O’Neal (15), Ighodaro (8 + 10 rebounds) – start; Goodwin (16 + 9 rebounds), Buey (12), Williams (10 + 8 rebounds), Fleming (5), Richards (2), Livers (0).

Orlando-Denver-127:126 (23:31, 25:31, 36:31, 43:33)

orlando: Black (38), Bane (24 + 6 assists), Carter (18 + 7 rebounds), Banchero (12 + 6 assists), Jones (0 + 6 assists) – start; da Silva (17), Kane (7), Isaac (5), Richardson (4), Penda (2), Howard (0).

Denver: Jokic (34 + 21 rebounds + 12 assists), J. Murray (24), Hardaway (20), Watson (15), Jones (14) – start; Strother (13), Valanciunas (4), B. Brown (2), Pickett (0).

Atlanta – New York – 125:128 (27:33, 28:35, 34:30, 36:30)

of Atlanta: Okongwu (31 + 14 rebounds), Johnson (20 + 9 rebounds + 12 assists), Daniels (13 + 8 rebounds + 9 assists), Young (9 + 10 assists + 5 turnovers), Risache (4) – start; Alexander-Walker (25), Newell (12), Krejci (9), Kennard (2), Guay (0).

New York: Towns (36 + 16 rebounds), Brunson (34), Anunoby (15 + 10 rebounds), Bridges (14 + 8 assists), Diawara (5) – start; McCullar (13 + 8 rebounds), Robinson (6 + 9 rebounds), Clarkson (3), Colic (2).

Miami – Indiana – 142:116 (29:28, 30:32, 39:34, 44:22)

Miami: Wiggins (28), Powell (23), Larsson (16 + 7 assists), Weir (15 + 7 rebounds), Mitchell (0) – start; Jaques (28), Jovic (19 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), Smith (5), Yakucionis (4), Johnson (2), Fontecchio (2), Gardner (0).

indiana: Siakam (33 + 7 rebounds + 5 losses), Maturin (25 + 5 losses), Nembhard (15 + 16 assists), Huff (11), Furphy (9 + 7 rebounds) – start; Nesmith (9), Jackson (4), Walker (3), Bradley (3), Jones (2), Potter (2), Thompson (0), Peter (0).

Minnesota – Brooklyn – 107:123 (30:33, 33:29, 23:36, 21:25)

Minnesota: Edwards (28 + 7 rebounds), McDaniels (16), Randle (13 + 11 assists), DiVincenzo (11 + 6 assists), Gobert (6 + 8 rebounds) – start; Reed (13), Dillingham (7), Clark (6), Hyland (4), Juzeng (3), Beranger (0), Miller (0).

Brooklyn: Porter (27 + 10 rebounds), Claxton (14), Clowney (11), Demin (7), Menn (2) – start; Thomas (30), Wolf (11), Sharpe (10), Powell (7), Traore (4), Wilson (0).

Houston – Cleveland – 117:100 (32:24, 28:22, 30:17, 27:37)

Houston: Durant (30 + 7 assists), Smith (15 + 7 rebounds), Thompson (13 + 9 rebounds), Eason (9), Adams (9 + 8 rebounds) – start; Sheppard (18 + 8 assists + 5 steals), Okogie (8), Capela (4 + 8 rebounds), Davison (3), Green (3), Finney-Smith (3), A. Holiday (2), Tate (0).

cleveland: Mitchell (16 + 6 assists), Merrill (13), Garland (12), Wade (6), Allen (6) – starts; Tyson (23 + 15 rebounds), Proctor (7), Bryant (7 + 7 rebounds), E. Mobley (4), Hunter (2), Porter (2), Ball (2).

Source: Sport UA

Paula

NBA

NBA: Utah with Mikhailyuk sensationally beat Detroit and other results of the night

Published

2 days ago

December 27, 2025

Paula

NBA: Utah with Mikhailyuk sensationally beat Detroit and other results of the night

Nine regular season games took place in the NBA on the night of December 26-27.

Utah hosted the Eastern Conference leader and won a sensational victory.

The first half of the match was spent with a small lead for the Pistons, who kept their opponent one or two shots away most of the time and entered the long break with a 1-point lead at 68:67. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter; In this quarter, Jazz made a 16:3 move and took the lead by 12 points, 90:78. The home team had the advantage in the score, but Detroit gradually reduced the gap and 19 seconds before the siren, after two free throws by Cunningham, they equalized the score – 129:129. However, the match did not go to overtime – Utah took advantage of the remaining time with the efforts of George, who scored a two-pointer 3 seconds before the siren – 131:129.

Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk He stayed on the field for 21 minutes and recorded 9 points (3/4 two-pointers, 1/2 three-pointers), as well as 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

The most productive player was George, who scored 31 points for Utah, while Nurkic had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

NBA. Regular season, December 27

Utah-Detroit-131:129 (33:36, 34:32, 44:35, 20:26)

Utah: George (31 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists), Markkanen (30), Nurkic (16 + 11 rebounds), Mikhailyuk (9), Bailey (0) – start; Sensabaugh (20), Love (14), Collier (9 + 9 assists + 5 turnovers), Filipovski (2), Hendricks (0), Clayton (0).

Detroit: Cunningham (29 + 17 assists), Harris (16 + 7 rebounds), D. Robinson (14), Düren (11), Thompson (8) – start; Ivey (11), LeVert (11), Holland (11), Green (8), Jenkins (6), Stewart (4), Reed (0).

Atlanta-Miami-111:126 (32:32, 19:31, 33:27, 27:36)

of Atlanta: Young (30 + 6 assists), Johnson (24 + 9 rebounds + 10 assists), Okongwu (12 + 7 rebounds), Daniels (8), Risache (5) – start; Alexander-Walker (15), Krejci (11), Gueye (4), Newell (2), Wallace (0).

Miami: Powell (25 + 7 rebounds), Larsson (21), Wiggins (18 + 8 rebounds), Ware (16 + 13 rebounds), Mitchell (6 + 7 assists) – start; Jaques (16), Jovic (10 + 7 rebounds), Yakucionis (8), Smith (6).

Washington – Toronto – 138:117 (35:32, 38:30, 29:38, 36:17)

washington: George (23), McCollum (21), Coulibaly (21 + 8 rebounds), Sarr (15), Middleton (6) – start; Carrington (15), Johnson (12), Shempeny (8+7 rebounds), Riley (8), Bagley (6), Brenham (3), Watkins (0), Vukcevic (0), Johnson (0).

toronto: Ingram (29), Quickley (25), Barnes (14 + 7 assists), Mamukelashvili (13 + 11 rebounds), Agbadji (8) – start; Walter (15), Shed (6), Dick (5), Lawson (2), Temple (0), Bettle (0), Mobo (0).

Indiana-Boston-122:140 (39:28, 22:47, 30:36, 31:29)

indiana: Nembhard (18 + 8 assists + 5 losses), Maturin (13), Siakam (11), Huff (9), Jackson (6) – starts; McConnell (13), Walker (12), Thompson (11 + 6 assists), Furphy (9), Potter (9), Jones (4), Bradley (4), Peter (3).

Boston: Brown (30), Pritchard (29 + 9 rebounds), White (21 + 6 assists), Keta (8 + 7 rebounds), Walsh (3) – start; Houser (23), Garza (15), Simons (8), Scheierman (3), Gonzalez (0).

Orlando-Charlotte-105:120 (28:38, 20:19, 29:39, 28:24)

orlando: Black (24), Carter (16 + 8 rebounds), Bane (15 + 10 rebounds), Banchero (13), Jones (8) – start; Richardson (14) and Silva (8), Kane (5), Isaac (2), Howard (0), Penda (0), O. Robinson (0).

Charlotte: Ball (22 + 7 rebounds + 6 for loss), Knippel (16), Bridges (16 + 11 rebounds), Miller (15), Diabate (10 + 13 rebounds) – start; Hall (14 + 8 rebounds), Sexton (13), Hall (7), Green (6), Connaughton (1), James (0), Mann (0).

Chicago – Philadelphia – 109:102 (30:28, 19:24, 32:33, 28:17)

Chicago: White (13 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Giddy (12 + 11 assists + 5 turnovers), Buzelis (10 + 8 rebounds), Okoro (8), Vucevic (7 + 7 rebounds) – start; Collins (15), Jones (15), Smith (12 + 8 rebounds), Herter (9), Dosunmu (8).

Philadelphia: Embiid (31), Maxey (27 + 8 assists), George (15 + 12 rebounds), Edgecombe (10 + 7 rebounds), Barlow (7) – start; McCain (6), Drummond (2), Grimes (2), Bona (1), Walker (1), Edwards (0).

Memphis – Milwaukee – 125:104 (25:35, 35:15, 32:33, 33:21)

Memphis: Jaren Jackson (24 + 9 rebounds + 5 blocks), Morant (17 + 10 assists), Coward (15), Wells (14), Aldama (12 + 7 rebounds) – starter; Spencer (19), Caldwell-Pope (13), Jackson (7), Koloko (4), Small (0).

Milwaukee: Green (20), Porter (16 + 8 rebounds + 7 turnovers), Portis (15 + 12 rebounds), Kuzma (15 + 8 rebounds), Turner (8) – starts; Rollins (15), G. Harris (8), Jackson (3), Coffey (2), Sims (2), Anthony (0), Nance (0), T. Antetokounmpo (0).

New Orleans – Phoenix – 108:115 (23:26, 25:27, 32:28, 28:34)

new orleans: Murphy (19), Fiers (9), Bay (9), Quinn (7 + 7 rebounds), McGowens (4) – start; Williamson (20 + 8 rebounds + 6 assists), Poole (19 + 6 assists), Alvarado (11), Missy (7), Matkovic (3), Peavy (0).

Phoenix: Booker (30 + 9 rebounds), Williams (24 + 13 rebounds), Gillespie (16 + 9 assists), Brooks (14), O’Neal (3) – start; Dunn (9 + 8 rebounds), Ighodaro (6), Fleming (6), Goodwin (4), Buey (3).

Portland – Clippers – 103:119 (35:25, 27:31, 16:29, 25:34)

Portland: Avdija (29 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists + 6 turnovers), Kamara (20), Sharpe (16), Clingan (10 + 8 rebounds), Murray (4 + 7 rebounds) – start; Love (14), Ruper (5), R. Williams (4 + 12 rebounds), Sissoko (1), Rith (0).

cutting machines: Harden (34 + 6 assists), B. Lopez (31), Lenard (28 + 8 rebounds + 6 assists), Collins (8), Dunn (7) – start; Sanders (5), Miller (3), Batum (3), Bogdanovich (0), Christie (0), Niederhäuser (0).