Check out the news that highlighted the day in the NBA, including the new name of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ arena, Mike D’Antoni’s hospitalization, and the latest players who declared for the NBA Draft.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quicken Loans Arena to be renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, sources say | Cleveland.com
The Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they will change the name of their home court from Quickens Loans Arena to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The announcement came hours before the Cavs host the Charlotte Hornets in their final game of the season. Cleveland’s owner, Dan Gilbert, understands if the fans express their unhappiness with the new name but he also stated that there was a similar reaction when the Gund Arena became Quicken Loans a few years ago.
D’Antoni hospitalized with virus, return likely soon | ESPN
The Houston Rockets announced that head coach Mike D’Antoni has been hospitalized since Friday with an intestinal virus but will likely rejoin the squad prior to the playoffs. The 67-year-old coach is at Memorial-Hermann Hospital in Houston and will skip the third consecutive game when the Rockets travel to Oklahoma City to play in the regular season finale.
Kentucky’s Washington declares for NBA draft | ESPN
Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington announced on his social media that he will enter the upcoming NBA Draft and will hire an agent. Washington was Kentucky’s leading scorer and rebounder this season as he averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, earning the first-team All-SEC selection and third-team All-America honors in the process. At the moment, PJ is ranked 15th overall in the ESPN 100 rankings.
Michigan freshman Brazdeikis entering NBA draft | ESPN
Ignas Brazdeikis, the Michigan Wolverines freshman forward, said to ESPN that he will enter the NBA Draft this June and will be represented by YouFirst Sports. The 20-year-old Canadian averaged 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 30 minutes per contest this year and was named Big Ten freshman of the year.
“As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an NBA player — not just an NBA player, but an NBA All-Star,” Brazdeikis said. “My intent is to be drafted this year as high as I can be and start my journey.”
Israeli wing player Zoosman to enter NBA draft | ESPN
Another young player declared himself ready for the NBA Draft as Israeli wing Yovel Zoosman sent paperwork to the league office, making himself eligible. The Maccabi Tel Aviv player is one of the leading candidates to win the Euroleague Rising Star award alongside the Georgian international Goga Bitadze.
“I am extremely happy to share that I will be declaring for the 2019 NBA draft in June,” Zoosman told ESPN. “Until then, I am totally committed and focused on helping my team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, achieve our goal of repeating, and winning the Israeli league championship for the second year in a row. To be considered a potential NBA draft pick is an incredible honor, and hearing my name called on draft night would truly be a dream come true.”
