Carmelo Anthony: Ace Bailey — we’ve seen Ace before. That’s why it’s not talked about like that. We’ve seen Ace. We’ve seen Paul Georgee. We’ve seen Kevin Garnett. We’ve seen Tracy McGrady. We’ve seen Mellos. We’ve seen Jayson Tatum. Like, we’ve seen Ace. That’s why he’s not being talked about. That doesn’t take anything away from him, but visually we’ve seen him, right? We haven’t seen — and not to make this black and white — but we haven’t seen a white boy like that in a long f—— time. Right. That’s when you know he really good. That’s when you know Cooper Flagg really good. Like — but we haven’t seen that in a long time.
Source: YouTube

Ramona Shelburne: Karl-Anthony Towns is the 1st Knicks player with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Carmelo Anthony in 2011 vs the Celtics. @StatsWilliams -via x.com / May 21, 2025

Forget what you’ve heard: Carmelo Anthony and David Yurman are the biggest power duo of 2025.  The NBA legend — who’s celebrating his 19 years of dominating in the league with his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September — and the luxury jewelry brand are teaming up for a new men’s campaign spotlighting its signature Curb Chain collection. The collab is a natural fit for Anthony, 40, whose memories of the brand date back to when he was a kid.  “There are household names, even when you’re young, you know?” the basketball phenom tells PEOPLE. “David Yurman was just always a brand that just stood out [for its] high-class, fine jewelry. And, the storytelling behind it is always exquisite.” -via People / May 15, 2025

“There’s no bigger city than New York City. For me, there’s so many different styles intertwined. There are new styles that are being created every single day. So you pay attention to that and, it’s almost like, you become a product of your environment. You can look at somebody and be like, ‘He’s from over there,’ or  ‘She’s from over there.’” He continues, “A lot of times that’s how we identify people: by what they wear and how they wear it. So for me, you’re never going to see me kind of doing anything crazy. You identify me as being authentic to who I am. And the brand is super authentic — and we’re going to tell a story about it.” -via People / May 15, 2025

Former Boston Celtics wing Tony Allen, regarded as one of the top defenders of his era, has major doubts about Flagg at the next level. In an appearance on GrindCityMedia’s YouTube channel, Allen said he does not view Flagg as a franchise-changing player, and predicted the Duke star would not win Rookie of the Year in 2026. “I don’t think Cooper Flagg’s going to turn a franchise around like that,” Allen said. “I ain’t seeing KD. I’m just not seeing all that. I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko. “He’s going to be a one-time All-Star. I don’t see it, bro. I’m just not hyped on these Duke kids. He is nice, but his max-out potential is Andrei Kirilenko.” -via Larry Brown Sports / May 24, 2025

Sure enough, the memory of Luka Doncic fades a bit given the new order of things. “Season ticket holders who may not have come back to us in the initial renewal (process) now all of the sudden are like: maybe I want to be in American Airlines Center next year as well,” Welts said. “The excitement around this for our fans is just unbelievable. I can’t imagine a more dramatic change in fortune than what we’ve experienced.” -via mavs.com / May 22, 2025

In a matter of a week, the Mavericks saw their public perception zoom up to full-scale optimism, which was a huge leap from where they were, which was somewhere south of subarctic relations with their fans. The change has been easy to spot, especially for those who work in the organization. CEO Rick Welts has seen the difference just walking around the office, through the ticket-selling department and even while out in public. “Our lives today have no resemblance to the way our lives were before last week,” Welts said, referring to the NBA draft lottery in which the Mavericks got lucky and received the No. 1 pick, who will be Duke sensation Cooper Flagg. “It’s really quite extraordinary. Just walking around town. Getting high-fives from the doormen at my apartment building when they were looking away when I’d walk by before.” -via mavs.com / May 22, 2025