A basketball fans perspective

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They showed up

In attendance were Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Williams, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and others were seen in Thursday night. The gathering at Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas was to watch top pick AJ Dybantsa of the Wizards and number two pick Darryn Peterson of the Jazz in action. The Wizards won the Summer League game 92-88.

Most everyone in attendance was to witness the top two picks in the 2026 NBA draft in action. Neither player shot particularly well from three (2-12) but overall it was 27 points for Dybansta in 26 minutes of action and 24 points by Peterson. These two rivals met on the court while playing for BYU and Kansas, they had also faced one another in high school. Rest assured fans of the Wizards and Jazz are excited regarding the upcoming NBA season and the future of these teams.   

Meanwhile….

His name has been mentioned in this blog previously, he is the son of former NFL player Marcus Spears Sr. Despite the path of his father Marcus Spears Jr. chose basketball, he’s quite outstanding at the game. The 6-foot 10 prospect was designated the top high school prospect in the Class of 2027 but wait there’s been a huge change. This past Thursday Spears Jr. not only reclassified but also made his commitment known, he is headed to the University of Texas to play for Sean Miller. Spears Jr. should aid the competitive nature of Texas basketball for at least two years, his youthful age will prevent him from the 2027 NBA draft.

This is a “what if” question and it makes perfect sense although there is no clear-cut answer. What if in searching for that perfect team LeBron’s championship aspirations fall short. Consider the fact he’s won NBA championships with the Heat, Cavs and Lakers however what becomes of his legacy if he fails to win at this final stop? My belief is simple, the legacy of LeBron James has already been firmly established, anything from this point into the future fails to affect it one way or another. For some fans it might be a disappointment i.e., no championship, as for others that’s a different matter.

For those unfamiliar with him his name is Nikola Kusturica, he’s a 17-year-old prospect from Serbia who will enroll at UCLA in the fall. Standing 6-foot-9 and 180 pounds, Kusturica projects as either a shooting guard or small forward. Recently he demonstrated his basketball prowess during the recent FIBA Under-17 World Cup games held in Türkiye, but just like Spears Jr., his age affects his NBA timeline if that is his goal. Regardless of how he performs as a freshman at UCLA, Kusturica must remain at UCLA through his sophomore season and therefore will not be eligible for the 2027 NBA Draft. Spears Jr. and Kusturica are two prospects we did not expect to see in college basketball this upcoming season.

Use your imagination, instead of Jalen Suggs playing point guard for the Magic this might have occurred. He’s tossing TDs to a WR in the NFL, it could have occurred after all he was Mr. Basketball & Mr. Football for the State of Minnesota while attending Minnehaha High School in Minneapolis Minnesota. Suggs could be tossing TD passes to LeBron James who played WR at St Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron Ohio. How about Zion Williamson at QB, which he did play as a youth, I would imagine at 6-foot 6 and 284 pounds he would have been moved to the defensive side of the ball. Russell Westbrook as a running back or linebacker which he played while growing up. Anthony Edwards gained a reputation as one of the best running backs in Pop Warner football. There are other NBA players who might have chosen the NFL over an NBA career, the names listed represent just a few.