Olympic Games begin, Andrew Nembhard and James Johnson sign new deals
"His hard work and focus on developing all aspects of his game have made him an instrumental part of our success," Kevin Pritchard said of Nembhard.
Happy Friday. Can’t believe another week is behind us. And it’s almost August.
Most importantly, the Paris Olympic Games are here. I can’t get enough of the summer games — from the competition to the introduction of new athletes and how it brings all of us together.
It’s truly the best.
Tyrese Haliburton is in Paris with Team USA — and I still cannot believe Caitlin Clark wasn’t included. But she’s doing just fine enjoying a long overdue vacation down in Mexico.
Here in the U.S., and while the NBA/WNBA are off, the biggest story is the ongoing media rights dispute between the league and Warner Bros. Discovery (parent company of TNT).
Long story, short … the NBA agreed to media deals with Disney/ESPN, NBC and Amazon — and TNT, a longstanding partner of the league for decades, is on the outside. They don’t believe they should be and they tried to utilize matching rights from their current contract. The NBA then had this to say on Wednesday.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon.
“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.”
Then on Friday, just before the start of the Olympics, WBD filed a lawsuit. As Andrew Brandt says (and often tweets), there will be lawyers.
I’m a sports media nerd so I’m fascinated by the back and forth, and how this will be resolved.
Andrew Nembhard Re-Ups
One day before his Olympic journey with Canada officially begins with a pool play game against Greece on Saturday, Nembhard officially inked his three-year contract extension with the Pacers. So he’s under contract for the next four seasons.
Now that Nembhard has signed, the team is able to comment on the significance of the agreement.
“During the course of Andrew’s career, he has proven that there is no moment too big for him and he continually rises to every challenge presented to him and our team,” team president Kevin Pritchard said in a statement.
“His hard work and focus on developing all aspects of his game have made him an instrumental part of our success - and he has only started to scratch the surface of his potential - so we are excited to have him with us for years to come.”
The Pacers have the following nine players under contract for at least the next three seasons: Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Nembhard, Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, Johnny Furphy, and Bennedict Mathurin (pending a rookie extension).
James Johnson Returns
Indiana filled out its roster Thursday by bringing back veteran James Johnson on a one-year minimum deal.
This will be his third season with the franchise.
Draymond Green summed up Johnson’s value well on his recent podcast.
One of the most valuable players on the Indiana Pacers is a guy who does not even get in the basketball game. I'm not sure when's the last time he's gotten the game. Not really why he's there.
One of the most valuable players on the Indiana Pacers is James Johnson.
And the reason James Johnson to me is one of the most valuable players on the Indiana Pacers is because he is the very reason that Hali (Tyrese Haliburton) is talking like that. And cool with it and y'all ain't gonna do nothing to me and it is what it is. What you gonna do?
And he's the exact reason Nembhard acts the way he acts. I don't know Nembhard from a can of paint prior to playing against him. But I know the confidence that he has on the court, the demeanor that he walks around with — that's backed by something to know like, yeah, y'all, you ain't gonna touch me.
And they got a vet, an OG over there. I always talk about the importance of vets, I always talk about the importance of having OGs on your team, and they got a vet that's well respected in the NBA. And if I'm honest, highly feared by a lot of people in the NBA.
And so they walk around like that with their chest out. Like they walk around like they untouchable and you ain't gonna do nothing to me.
And guess what?
Nobody has.
Well said.
And ex-Pacer Jeff Teague, who was with JJ at Wake Forest, has more to share.
And I’m going to share two pieces below that I’ve previously written on JJ and his influence:
The Pacers now have 15 players under contract, although Kendall Brown’s standard contract is a non-guaranteed deal.
They still have all three two-way slots open with several players to consider.
Lastly, congrats to former Pacer Jalen Smith on getting married.