Sports
Warriors Beat Kings on Big Night of Trades
Sacramento, CA – Being without their starting center the Golden State Warriors assumed they had to do more both offensively and defensively to start the second half of the season off right. Hours before tipoff two of their players were traded and that might’ve fueled them even more.
With the trade deadline a day away both teams made moves to increase their talent. The Kings sent Marcus Thompson to the Brooklyn Nets for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans while the Warriors sent Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Steve Blake.
“Both guys are veterans and have been around the league and I know they will come in here with the right mindset,” said Michael Malone. “The value in both is that they can be tremendous role models for these young guys.”
“First one I’ve been around and it was kind of emotional,” Andre Iguodala said regarding the trade. “He was a great kid, great character and a hard worker. I wasn’t around him [Bazemore] long but he had an impact on me. We wish him nothing but the best.”
Sacramento lost to Golden State 101-92. This is the second time Warriors have beaten the Kings at home. Tonight’s win wasn’t difficult especially since Sacramento committed 21 turnovers. Golden State took advantage of that and scored 22 points off those turnovers, despite their best shooter having a subpar game.
“That team has enough fire power offensively–you don’t have to give them many possessions,” said Malone. “We seemed hell bent on giving them as many possessions as possible.”
Both teams were without key players due to trades and injuries. The Warriors played more aggressively and became more dominant in the end. David Lee finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Klay Thompson with 18 points and Stephen Curry added 13 points and eight assists. Curry who was a starter in the NBA All-Star game didn’t have his best night but felt his team played well enough for the win.
“It was a game that we were suppose to win,” Curry said. “I didn’t score a lot but I kept my turnovers down, I didn’t have any tonight. I was able to make the right decisions with the ball and that helps our team get wins in clutch time.”
Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 26 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the 32nd time this season. But that wasn’t enough to stop the hot handed Warriors. Travis Outlaw finished with 18 points and Rudy Gay added 16 points and eight rebounds. The inability to share the ball has became a huge concern for Malone, too much ball handling and not enough passing has stirred the coaches corner.
“We have to try and get back to becoming a team that shares and moves the ball,” said Malone.
“I don’t think it’s selfishness. We’ve just got to be smarter,” Gay said. “And I’m saying this including myself. There are times you think you can score, but you have to make your team better.”
The Kings are without their leading scorer and center DeMarcus Cousins, who has a strained left hip flexor. Without him Sacramento has fallen 0-8 this season, but while the deadline approaches the fans are hoping that more moves can be made in bringing this team back to it’s playoff caliber.
In the meantime, the Warriors hold the cards this season, they have won three of their four meetings against the Kings thus far. The last regular season game for these two teams will be on April 4 at Oracle Arena. Until then it’s still a work in progress, there’s still a lot of basketball to be played and the team looks forward to turning things around.
Notes – Kings “Donate Life” Night – Transplant Recipients vs. Doctors was an exhibition pre-game prior to tip-off. The team consisted of transplants – of hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys and pancreases. They are all healthy and ready to take on another exceptional team — surgeons, doctors and nurses.
“The docs and nurses better look out – because I’m 6 feet tall and I’m taking no prisoners,” boasts heart transplant recipient, 44-year-old Nicole Ludwig. “I’m so excited to be doing this. Since I’ve had my transplant, I’ve wanted to give back and get the word out on donation — because, without my donor, I wouldn’t be here. Because of him, all of my dreams are coming true and I’m just so grateful.”
Fourteen year old liver transplant recipient, Connor Cheney, echoes those thoughts, “I am thankful to get the chance to show how very healthy I am – as we take on the doctors. My parents and family have called me their “superstar” since I received my life-saving transplant at 14 months old. That’s because I am alive and well and living my best life — all from the awesome gift from my donor.”
Meanwhile, the doctors are also gearing up for their big night on an NBA court. Dr. Kevin Anderson, a urologist with Kaiser Permanente, says he was a bit unsure which team he should be playing on, since he’s a heart transplant recipient, as well. But, he decided to suit up on the physician/nurses team – though he jokes that he might not be that much help. “Looking at the metaphysical part of things, when I was asked if I can play basketball, all I could say is, I’m hoping my donor was a great basketball player, because otherwise I’m sunk.”
Finally, Kings Vice President Phillip Horn, who spearheaded the Kings Donate Life Night in order to help raise awareness of the critical need for organ and tissue donors, will also be taking to the court, on the recipient team, as a living donor. He donated his kidney to his wife, Danea, last fall.
“It’s an incredible honor to be on the same floor as so many amazing organ recipients who have returned to full health to play a basketball game and to represent my wife,” says Phillip. “I hope that we can take it easy on these docs so they can keep saving lives!”
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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