Portland observer., June 19, 2024, Page 5, Image 5

June 19, 2024
Page 5
S portS
NBA Legend Ending
Broadcasting Career
Boston Celtics head coach JJoe Mazzulla, center right, raises the trophy beside
owner Stephen Pagliuca, center left, after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in Game
5 of the NBA basketball finals, Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/
Michael Dwyer)
Boston Wins NBA
Championship
Charles Barkley arrives at the NBA Awards on June 24, 2019, (Photo by Richard
Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Charles Barkley
Makes Retirement
Announcement
(AP) Charles Barkley said Friday
that next season will be his last on
TV, no matter what happens with the
NBA’s media deals.
The Hall of Fame player has spent
the last 24 years working as a studio
analyst for TNT, which could lose
the rights to broadcast NBA after
next season.
But no matter where the games end
up, Barkley won’t be following.
“There’s been a lot of noise around
our network the last few months and I
just want to say I’ve talked to all the
other networks, but I ain’t going no-
where other than TNT,” Barkley said
while working on NBA TV’s NBA Fi-
nals postgame show.
The NBA’s current deals with
ABC-ESPN and Turner Sports expire
after next season and the league has
been talking with NBC, ESPN and Am-
azon, among other networks and plat-
forms, about what comes next. Com-
missioner Adam Silver said last week
he hopes new long-term deals will be
completed shortly.
Barkley and broadcast teammates
Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and
Kenny Smith have discussed their un-
certain future on their popular “Inside
the NBA” studio show. Barkley would
seemingly draw interest from any net-
work televising NBA, but the 61-year-
old has decided that 25 years will be
enough and he will “pass the baton,”
hopefully, to a TNT teammate such as
Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford.
“But I have made the decision my-
self no matter what happens, next year
is going to be my last year on televi-
sion,” he said.
Game 5 Victories
over Dallas
(AP) — Jayson Tatum put his hands
behind his head, with TD Garden fans
standing on their feet cheering around
him, and took it all in.
Walking to the bench, he wrapped
both arms around Celtics coach Joe
Mazzulla.The journey was complete.
The Boston Celtics again stand alone
among NBA champions.
Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and
eight rebounds, and the Celtics topped the
Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night
to win the franchise’s 18th championship,
breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers
for the most in league history.
Boston earned its latest title on the
16th anniversary of hoisting its last Lar-
ry O’Brien Trophy in 2008. It marks the
13th championship won this century
by one of the city’s Big 4 professional
sports franchises.
“It means the world,” Tatum said on
stage after the team received the trophy
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from NBA Commissioner Adam Sil-
ver. “It’s been a long time. And damn
I’m grateful.”
Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight
rebounds and six assists, and was voted
the NBA Finals MVP.
“I share this with my brothers and my
partner in crime Jayson Tatum,” Brown
said after the 107th career playoff game
he and Tatum have played together — the
most for any duo before winning a title.
Jrue Holiday finished with 15 points and
11 rebounds. Center Kristaps Porzingis
also provided an emotional lift, returning
from a two-game absence because of a dis-
located tendon in his left ankle to chip in
five points in 17 minutes.
They helped the Celtics cap a postsea-
son that saw them go 16-3 and finish with
an 80-21 overall record. That .792 winning
percentage ranks second in team history
behind only the Celtics’ 1985-86 champi-
onship team that finished 82-18 (.820).
Mazzulla, in his second season, at
age 35 also became the youngest coach
Continued on Page 9
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