Sports
Timberwolves Win Draft Lottery, Lakers Move to No. 2
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Miller poses for photos after the Timberwolves won the No. 1 pick in the NBA basketball draft lottery Tuesday, May 19, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves too often came to the NBA draft lottery and left in worse shape than they arrived.
And when they finally ended years of lottery futility, it came from the spot where nobody had been winning.
The Timberwolves won the lottery Tuesday night, the first time since 2004 the team with the worst record earned the No. 1 pick.
After years of bad luck, things finally worked out for the Wolves, who can perhaps choose between big men Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky and Jahlil Okafor of national champion Duke to put next to Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins.
“We’re in this for big stakes,” said Flip Saunders, the Wolves’ president and coach. “The big thing about this is getting good talent that can blend together. This is another big step.”
The Los Angeles Lakers moved from the fourth spot to second, keeping a pick they would have sent to Philadelphia if it fell outside the top five. The 76ers are third followed by the New York Knicks, who had the second-best odds of winning but instead fell to fourth 30 years after winning the first lottery and drafting Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.
Not since Orlando won the right to pick Dwight Howard in 2004 had the NBA’s ultimate game of chance came out in favor of the team with the best odds. The Timberwolves had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick in the draft to be held in New York on June 25, after finishing 16-66.
But their fans knew not to get their hopes up after the Wolves had fallen backward eight times previously, including both times they were in the pole position. A chance at Shaquille O’Neal turned into Christian Laettner in 1992, and they fell one spot in 2011 to miss out on Kyrie Irving.
“Today was very nerve wracking. I really didn’t anticipate that it would go this way,” owner Glen Taylor said. “People say you have a 25 percent to win but I always look at it that there’s a 75 percent chance that someone else is going to win. I just feel very honored that we have the chance to be in this position.”
Several hundred fans gathered to watch on the big screen at Target Center in Minneapolis and erupted when the Lakers card came out of the envelope for No. 2, meaning Minnesota had finally earned the top pick for the first time.
The Lakers were the other big winners even without moving all the way to the top. Their pick was only protected in the top five as a condition of their trade with Phoenix for Steve Nash in 2012. That was dealt this season to the 76ers, who could have ended up with two top-six picks if the Lakers had fallen backward two spots.
“I told our guys earlier today that I had a real good feeling about tonight,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “I hope not to be back here anytime soon, but I’m happy the way things turned out tonight.”
So was superstar Kobe Bryant, who ended his tweet after seeing the results with # lakerluck and # goodday.
The lottery sets the top three picks. The remainder of the 14 non-playoff teams follow in inverse order of their won-loss record.
Things went according to form until the Knicks slid. General manager Steve Mills hoped history could repeat by wearing Dave DeBusschere’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ring, which DeBusschere was wearing as the Knicks’ GM when they won the 1985 lottery.
“Obviously, we would have liked to receive a higher pick but we went into this knowing that anywhere between one and five we were going to get a good pick,” Mills said.
The lottery began 30 years ago as a way to discourage teams from losing on purpose as a way to secure the top pick. Tanking may still exist — the 76ers have appeared to be angling for the draft with no regard for their record the last couple of seasons — but the Wolves appeared to lose honestly while battling numerous injuries with a young roster.
Their victory, with Taylor on stage, was only the fifth time the team that finished with the worst, or tied for the worst record, won the lottery.
Saunders, who got emotional talking about the recent death of his father, joked that the Wolves shouldn’t have waited so long to have Taylor represent them. He almost didn’t, as he sought to have his wife, Becky, do it but the league sent a memo saying it didn’t want family on stage.
“Glen, reluctantly I think, went up there,” Saunders said. “He’s good luck. Glen always has a tendency to be pretty lucky. He did what he had to do.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers had won the last two and three of the previous four lotteries since LeBron James left them for Miami in 2010. They drafted Wiggins last year but dealt him, along with 2013 No. 1 Anthony Bennett, to the Wolves in the deal for Kevin Love.
With James back home, the Cavaliers are in the Eastern Conference finals and Miami was in the lottery, and the Heat held in the No. 10 spot where they entered.
The Heat’s pick would have gone to Philadelphia if they fell out of the top 10.
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AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Community
Golden State Valkyries Become Bay Area Legends Winning WNBA Championship on Halloween Night
In only their second year as a franchise, the Golden State Valkyries captured the 2026 WNBA Championship with a 68-63 victory over the Atlanta Dream. Playing before a sold-out crowd at Chase Center on Halloween night, Gabby Williams delivered a historic 30-point performance to earn Finals MVP honors. The victory marks a rapid rise for the expansion team, which has already set league attendance records and surpassed a $1 billion valuation. Fans gathered by the hundreds of thousands this week to celebrate the new Bay Area legends, read more.
In only their second year as a franchise, the Golden State Valkyries became the WBNA 2026 Champions, with Gabby Williams named WNBA Finals MVP. A Halloween night movie of magic and there was no surprise that the game was sold out, with more than 18,000 fans inside Chase Center while thousands more packed the open space at Thrive Center from hours preceding the game through the final buzzer.
In the decisive Game 7, Williams delivered a legendary performance, scoring 30 points to lead the Golden State Valkyries to a 68-63 championship victory over the Atlanta Dream. Remarkably, 28 of her 30 points came in the second half, setting a WNBA postseason record for points in a half and earning her Finals MVP honors.
The team celebrated its victory on Wednesday with a rally in Oakland followed by a ferry ride to San Francisco’s Embarcadero and then a two-mile parade that drew about 400,000 fans.
Williams has become a symbol of the Bay Area’s impact on the team. Although born in Nevada, Williams has deep family roots in Oakland and has often said the city’s culture, community, and basketball traditions shaped her identity and playing style.
After signing with the Valkyries, she began calling the city home and noting that “there’s no Golden State without Oakland.”
The Valkyries have several ballers who made an impact on winning this series, including Veronica Burton, Tiffany ‘Tip’ Hayes, Kayla Thornton, Kaila Charles, and Cecilia Zandalasini.
Veteran center Kiah Stokes brought championship experience and defensive leadership when she signed a multi-year free-agent contract with the franchise on April 13. A former first-round draft pick out of UConn and a three-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces before joining Golden State, Stokes was recruited by head coach Natalie Nakae, with whom she had previously worked in Las Vegas.
Known as one of the league’s premier rim protectors and rebounders, Stokes quickly became a defensive anchor for the expansion franchise and played a major role in leading the Valkyries to their historic championship run.
The Valkyries have accomplished something extraordinary, proving that a new franchise can make an immediate impact both on and off the court. In their first year, the Valkyries became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season and set all-time league attendance records. The franchise sold out all home games, reporting 18,064 attendees per game in both seasons — the highest attendance figures in WNBA history. The Valkyries’ success has also translated into extraordinary franchise value. After entering the league by paying a $50 million expansion fee, the organization generated record revenues and rapidly became one of the most valuable franchises in women’s sports, valued at over $! billion.
The WNBA Finals’ deciding game averaged 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA playoff game in league history and the most-watched finals game since 1999.
The record audience reflects the league’s growing popularity and has major implications for its future, including higher media rights value, increased advertising revenue, stronger sponsorship opportunities, rising merchandise sales, and greater ticket demand.
The Finals also featured sold-out arenas and record postseason viewership, demonstrating that the WNBA is expanding its commercial reach, attracting new fans, and strengthening its position as a major professional sports league.
Black History
Oakland Strong: Building Champions and Healthier Generations
Entrepreneur Mike Jenkins is revitalizing youth wellness in Oakland through Oakland Strong, a world-class strength-training facility in Jack London Square. After providing a decade of free training in Fruitvale, the program moved and rebranded while continuing to produce national and international weightlifting champions. Jenkins aims to counter community health challenges by teaching Olympic-style lifting and nutrition to children ages 8 to 18. As the program seeks new ways to sustain its free services, local partnerships are forming to support these elite young athletes. Read more.
Mike Jenkins is a serial entrepreneur with a vision to make a lasting impact in Oakland.
Raised in a military family in the Pinole area, Jenkins played basketball at Merritt College before continuing his athletic career at Sacramento State.
His lifelong interest in health and wellness led him to consider a troubling reality: as members of the Black community age, health challenges often increase. Jenkins believes investing in health is an investment in wealth, and he has made it his mission to give Oakland’s youth a stronger foundation for life.
Years ago, Jenkins invested in young people by building Speed Power Strength, a world-class strength-training facility in the Fruitvale neighborhood. For 10 years, the facility served hundreds of children, providing training entirely free of charge. Displaced by gentrification, the program eventually found a new home in Jack London Square.
That move inspired a new name: Oakland Strong, reflecting both the program’s mission and its pride in the city it represents.
“When we found the new home, I needed to put a spotlight on what we were doing– producing the strongest kids in Oakland – so I named our new location Oakland Strong,” Jenkins explained. “We are known nationally and internationally, so when we compete, our city’s name is on our chest.”
Through Olympic weightlifting, governed nationally by USA Weightlifting, the program has developed an extraordinary record. Its athletes have earned 10 national championships, a team national championship, and international titles. Today, two Oakland Strong athletes are Olympic hopefuls.
This past summer, Oakland had three athletes at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs at the same time. One was Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu. The other two were Oakland Strong’s Robert Whitlock and Rucker Johnson, there for a weightlifting camp for Olympic hopefuls.
Whitlock, an Oakland Technical High School student, began training at age 10. Now a three-time consecutive national champion, two-time Pan American champion, and Team USA representative, Whitlock also holds an American record while maintaining straight A’s in school.
“If Oakland can’t support these kinds of kids, then what are we doing?” Jenkins asks.
Oakland Strong continues offering free training in Jack London Square to young people ages 8-18. The program welcomes girls as well as boys, with approximately 12 kids currently participating with room for 20.
With limited city support for free youth programs, Jenkins must find other ways to sustain the work.
When Carlyle Chicken Wings opened nearby, he approached the owner with an idea connecting nutrition and community investment. Because Oakland Strong teaches healthy eating alongside athletic training, they developed the Oakland Strong Bowl, a protein-focused meal. Carlyle will contribute $2 from each bowl sold to support the program.
For Jenkins, the mission extends far beyond medals and records. He wants to create generational health by teaching young people habits they can carry into adulthood and share with their families.
The strongest legacy, he believes, is not simply producing champions, but building healthier generations who understand their worth, their potential, and the importance of investing in themselves.
Business
100 Black Wings’ Team Oakland Youth Athletes Heading to Taiwan for 2026 International Children’s Games
By Post Staff The Bay Area Chapter of 100 Black Men is sending nine youth athletes from its 100 Black Wings’ Team Oakland Delegation to Taiwan on Thursday, July 30, to represent the City of Oakland at the 58th International Children’s
By Post Staff
The Bay Area Chapter of 100 Black Men is sending nine youth athletes from its 100 Black Wings’ Team Oakland Delegation to Taiwan on Thursday, July 30, to represent the City of Oakland at the 58th International Children’s Games (IGC) in Hualien County, Taiwan.
The Games will bring together young athletes ages 12 to 15 from 76 city delegations around the world. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 2, and athletic competitions take place Aug. 3-5.
While many international competitions center around national teams, the ICG brings young people together as representatives of their respective cities. This year’s theme – “Shining Hualien, Shining Together!” – reflects the host city’s vision of using sports, education, culture, and tourism to promote friendship, peace, inclusion, and sustainable development.
“Team Oakland’s participation demonstrates what can happen when young people are given opportunity, preparation, and a community that believes in them,” said Danny L. Williams, chairman of 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc.
“These athletes will carry Oakland’s talent, strength, and spirit onto an international stage while building relationships that can extend far beyond the competition,” he said.
Team Oakland will compete in track and field events including the 100-meter and 400-meter races, hurdles, long jump, shot put, javelin, and traditional and mixed 4×100-meter relays.
The athletes representing Oakland are: DeWayne Littlepage, Gia Goodlow, Abisewolu Redmond, Mahari Moore, Marvin Thomas, Najae Ellison, Royal Moore, Sir Kamryn Lloyd, and Jasani Highsmith.
The delegation’s coaching leadership includes Head Coach Dr. Tommie Smith, the
1968 Olympic gold medalist in the 200-meter sprint; Senior Coach Margaret Dixon;
Girls Coach Evangela Dixon; Strength and Conditioning Coach Nola Turnage;
and Boys Coach Michael Flood, Jr.
Delegation leadership also includes Williams, Head of Delegation Juanita Metters-Upshur, and city representative Dr. Mark Alexander.
“Our athletes have trained with tremendous discipline, but this journey represents much more than competition,” said Metters-Upshur, head of delegation. “They will have the opportunity to travel internationally, proudly represent Oakland, experience another culture, and form friendships with young people from communities across the world. We are incredibly proud of them and grateful to the families, coaches, partners, and supporters who have helped make this experience possible.”
In addition to track and field, the games will feature swimming, tennis, table tennis, Taekwondo, archery, football, and 3×3 basketball. Hualien County is located between Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean and hosts the International Children’s Games for the first time this year.
The International Children’s Games were founded in 1968 by Slovenian coach Metod Klemenc, based on the belief that sports can bridge differences in culture, religion, and race.
The ICG is approved by the International Olympic Committee and emphasizes friendship, fair play, teamwork, perseverance, and cultural understanding among young people.
The Oakland delegation’s participation reflects the 100 Black Wings’ programmatic commitment to developing young people through athletic achievement, discipline, leadership, cultural exposure, and global citizenship.
Team Oakland is supported by a network of families, coaches, community partners, and advocates who believe that international experiences can expand how young people view themselves and their possibilities.
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