Ben Simmons is making progress towards a return in the NBA playoffs after being cleared for contact says to Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash.
Simmons, who was traded to the Nets from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, has not played in the NBA all season after a fallout at his former franchise.
The 25-year-old three-time All-Star had struggled initially with him reconditioning after joining the Nets, before being plagued by a back problem which he is slowly overcoming.
"He's making progress," Nash told reporters after Tuesday's practice. "We'll just see how he responds and see if he's able to do more contact [on Wednesday]."
Simmons had joined in a 4-on-4 with teammates at a Monday workout with contact.
"So far, so good," Nash said. "I think he managed yesterday's activity well."
The Nets are currently 1-0 down in their seven-game first round playoffs series against the Boston Celtics.
Nash confirmed Simmons would not play in Game 2 on Wednesday but there is growing hope he will participate in the series in some capacity.
"I wouldn't be able to say anything about that because I'm not even sure how he's going to get through these weeks," Nash said.
"We have to also consider it's a nine-month absence or whatever it is, so it's not just like he had a six-week absence, so I think this is a pretty unique scenario. It's not as linear as maybe the other kind of in-season injuries."
Bahamas to face Lebanon in Olympic Qualifying Tournament semi-finals on Saturday
The Bahamas will look to move one step closer to their dream of competing in Basketball at the Paris Olympics this summer when they tackle Lebanon in the semi-finals of Olympic Basketball Qualifying Tournament 1 in Valencia, Spain on Saturday.
The other semi-final will see hosts Spain taking on Finland, who the Bahamians defeated in the group stage.
The winner of the tournament will advance to the Paris Olympics.
The Bahamians booked their spot in the final four with a 90-81 win over Poland on Wednesday.
18-year-old Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe Jr, a projected top-5 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft who has committed to Baylor University, led the way with an efficient 21 points on 13 shot attempts. He also pulled in six rebounds and had one steal and one block.
Portland Trailblazers center Deandre Ayton was also solid with 18 points and nine rebounds while Eric Gordon missed just one of his six shot attempts on his way to 12 points.
San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Poland.
Lebanon booked their spot in the semis with a 74-70 win over Angola, also on Wednesday.
Former Villanova and Golden State Warriors big man Omari Spellman dominated with 22 points and 13 rebounds for Lebanon and will need to be given extra attention by the Bahamians on Saturday.
Bahamian Buddy Hield joins Golden State Warriors in sign-and-trade
Bahamian shooting guard Buddy Hield is on his way to San Francisco after the Philadelphia 76ers completed a sign-and-trade that will send the 31-year-old sharpshooting wing to the Golden State Warriors.
Hield has hit 200-plus 3-pointers in six straight seasons with a career 3-point shooting percentage of 40% on 7.6 attempts per game.
He’s played with the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers since being selected with the 6th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Hield started last season with the Pacers and was traded to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.
He joins a Warriors backcourt looking to replace the production of Klay Thompson, who agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks this week after playing his entire career with Golden State.
Hield and new teammate Stephen Curry lead the NBA in 3-pointers made over the last five seasons.
Hield is currently starring for the Bahamas in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia, Spain.
The Bahamas are currently in the semi-finals where they will play Lebanon on Saturday while hosts Spain will tackle Finland in the other semi-final.
The tournament winners will advance to the Olympics in Paris.
Lakers, LeBron James agree to two-year deal
LeBron James will spend at least one more season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he'll be able to play alongside his son, after reportedly agreeing to a new contract on Wednesday.
ESPN reports James will sign a two-year, $104 million deal that includes a player option for the 2025-26 season as well as a no-trade clause.
The agreement allows the Lakers to have the first father-son pair of teammates in NBA history after the team selected Bronny James Jr. in the second round of last week's draft.
LeBron James, who turns 40 in December, will be entering his 22nd NBA season and seventh with the Lakers, and remains among the league's elite players even at his advanced age. The NBA's all-time leading scorer averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 71 games last season despite playing through a lingering left ankle injury for much of the campaign.
James was one of only three players, along with NBA MVP Luka Dončić and Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokić, to average at least 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists per game in 2023-24.
The four-time MVP and NBA champion also achieved a pair of unprecedented feats last season, as he became the first player in league history to be named to 20 All-Star teams as well as the first to reach 40,000 career points.
James won his fourth career NBA title by leading the Lakers to a championship during the COVID 19-affected 2019-20 season, and helped the club to a surprise run to the 2023 Western Conference finals. The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of this year's play-offs, however, after losing to the Nuggets in five games.
The Lakers took Bronny James with the 55th overall pick after he spent one season at the University of Southern California. The younger James suffered a frightening cardiac arrest during a practice session last summer, but was later medically cleared following a surgical procedure and appeared in 25 games for the Trojans.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
