Oh Hoopy Day!
A small collection of recent hoops happiness
Hoi hoi, my friend!
Hoi hoi is, per my Dutch friend, “hi hi” in the language of Virgil van Dijk the Netherlands. It always looks cute written out, although I am constantly wondering if I am spelling it right or if it is indeed a real phrase.
But “hoi hoi” nonetheless!
How are you doing? Spring feels like it has arrived, although we still have intermittent, and slightly implausible, rain here in southern California. I hope any allergies are at bay and that the sun is peeking through the clouds — literally and metaphorically.
Lately, I’ve loved listening to Six Trophies, an NBA podcast with Jason Concepcion and Shea Serrano. It’s a humorous, low-key yet comprehensive way to catch up with the NBA news of the week, all outlined in a consistent format. And it’s where I learned that LeBron James, Father of both Bronny and Time, became the first NBA player in history to eclipse 40,000 regular season points in last Saturday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. I agree with Concepcion and Serrano — if another NBA player ever matches James’s record, I don’t think I’ll see him in my lifetime. 40,000…what an astounding record. Two especially staggering highlights from the podcast include:
Per The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver, James reached his last 10,000 points in the exact same number of games it took him to reach his first 10,000 points (368 games).
Luka Dončić, currently the NBA’s most prolific scorer, would need to average 30 points per regular-season game (and not miss a single one) for the next 12 seasons to reach 40,000 points.
Crown the King.
LeBron’s historic achievement reminded me that I love basketball for both its astounding feats and all the silliness that ensues when some of the world’s best athletes are also lil’ goofballs. So for March, I thought I’d round up some NBA stories that bring me great joy and also have little-to-nothing to do with on-court technique. WojBomb CourtReport incoming.
1. Anthony Troy Bolton Edwards
Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves is so good on the court and such a character off it. And apparently, if Edwards had his way, he’d be a character in a remake of arguably the greatest movie of all time.
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That’s right, my guy wants to play Troy Bolton in a remake of High School Musical, a “pretty dope” movie with good “scenes.” I would pay to watch that, the way my parents paid for my DVDs of all three installments of the franchise.
Edwards already has thespian experience, too, playing the character “Kermit” in the film, Hustle. He was excellent in that, and I have no doubt he could bust out “Get’cha Head in the Game” flawlessly. I mean, I expect nothing less from the man who named his own dog/son, Anthony Edwards, Jr.
2. The Boston Celtics’ Deuce Tatum
Speaking of sons, Deuce Tatum is my favorite Celtic. His dad, Jayson Tatum, is the Boston Celtics’ franchise superstar on game nights and a doting father in his daily life. Tatum welcomed his son — Jayson Tatum Jr., nicknamed “Deuce” — six months after being drafted by Boston at 19 years old, and the mini-me has become a certified Boston superstar in his own right. As Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe wrote back in 2022, “It’s Deuce Tatum’s world, and the Celtics are just living in it.” Even the King had to dap Deuce up for Christmas. The Celtics have all it takes to win the championship this year and I’m looking forward to (hopefully) seeing Deuce with a ring. As Jayson Tatum’s Instagram bio says, “In Jesus Name I Play 🙏.”
3. Juan Wick
While Tatum is already in his sixth year in the league at just 26 years old, 23-year old guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. spent four years at UCLA before being drafted by the Miami Heat last June. I loved covering the proud Mexican American superstar back in 2021 when the Bruins made their deep March Madness run, and have loved keeping tabs as he lights up the court in his rookie season. I know not everyone can thrive in Heat Culture and not everyone can flourish on Coach Erik Spoelstra’s tight ship, but Jaquez has proved up to the task as — per my friend, Annie — “my kinda hustle player.” He currently sits at twelfth in the league for most minutes played in the fourth quarter (just a minute shy of LeBron James at the time of writing), true to his own self-description as “a guy who gets it done.” All this leads to my favorite Jaime fun fact — his nickname is “Juan Wick.”
5. Dave Holmgren, videographer
Another guy who gets it done? Saint Wemby, Wemby the Great, le roi du Le Chesnay — the San Antonio Spurs’ rookie prodigy, Victor Wembanyama. Last Friday, Wemby led the Spurs to a come-from-behind clutch win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The match’s highlight was arguably his emphatic, down-the-clock block on his OKC analogue Chet Holmgren. Chet is somehow the shorter one at 7’1” (Wemby is 7’4”) and per the aforementioned Concepcion and Serrano, this might turn out to be a duel for the ages.
But enough about duels! My favorite Chet Holmgren tidbit is one I found while covering Gonzaga for my old job back in 2021. In fact, my favorite Chet Holmgren tidbit isn’t about Chet at all; it’s about his dad. Papa Dave Holmgren can usually be spotted on the sidelines, filming his son’s games with his Sony 4K camcorder (exhibit A, exhibit B). Back in 2022 while still with the Zags, the younger Holmgren told The Spokesman-Review that he’s, “happy that my dad does that so I’m able to go back and watch everything. Sometimes, back when the games weren’t on TV and stuff, it allowed my grandma to watch all my games, too. So I’m just happy he does it.” Sony! Sponsor this family!
That’s it for today. I love the NBA, and when the postseason rolls around, I’ll be like this child — a small Asian human being hanging on Wemby’s every French word.
Have a wonderful weekend, my teammate!
À bientôt,
Courtney