This came on the heels of a disastrous night for the Knicks in which Elfrid Payton, Marcus Morris and Jae Crowder were ejected in a fracas in the closing seconds. The issues started after Crowder made a steal with 48 seconds and went to the right corner to shoot a 3-pointer and was shoved by Payton, causing both benches to clear. As the unsportsmanlike scene unfolded, the angry Garden fans chanted “Sell the team’’ for about 20 seconds as owner James Dolan left his seat.
“I think dude is just, he plays the game a different way. A lot of female tendencies on the court,” Morris said. “Flopping, throwing his head back the entire game. It’s a man’s game and you just get tired of it at the end of the day.”
Morris later tweeted out an apology.
“I apologize for using the term “female tendencies” I have the upmost respect for women and everything they mean to us,” he tweeted. “It was a Heat of the moment response and I never intended for any Women to feel as though in anyway I’m disrespecting them. Again I apologize (for) my comments.”
Jae Crowder didn’t just draw the ire of the Knicks for his controversial late steal, he caught the attention of ESPN analyst Tim Legler.
Legler, who played in the NBA for 12 seasons before retiring in 2000, said Wednesday night it was a bush-league move for Crowder to steal the ball with 18 seconds left in the Knicks’ 127-106 blowout loss to the Grizzlies at the Garden.
Crowder stole the ball after a lazy backcourt pass from Julius Randle and dribbled the ball to the right corner for a 3-pointer which he missed as an incensed Elfrid Payton pushed him in the chest. Crowder got up off the floor and went after Payton and a mini-fracas ensued with Randle, Marcus Morris, and Damyean Dotson trying to get after Grizzlies players.
“My take on the hostilities tonight bw @nyknicks and @memgrizz. What the hell was @CJC9BOSS thinking? Seriously,” Legler tweeted. “And if someone says “play til the final buzzer” then I know they have never played at any level. 18 point lead? :50 left? Stealing the inbounds? Shooting a 3?”
This drew a sarcastic response from Crowder.
Jae Crowder and Tim LeglerAP; ESPN Images
“Aye Tim with all due respect I only play one way and thats hard til the buzzer sounds,” Crowder tweeted in all caps. “Im sorry if it disgusts you. I know Knicks are your team but U should tell them to play harder and less talking!”
Legler pushed back at the talk that he is a Knicks fan.
“People making me laugh as if I care about @nyknicks. Zero allegiance,” he tweeted. “Never played there. Don’t talk about them on the air EVER (laughing emoji) it wouldn’t matter who the team or player is… the other team is going to respond.”
Legler also said this broke the NBA’s unwritten rule of how teams should act in games that are clearly decided.
“I DO NOT believe there is such a thing as “running up the score” in high major college or professional basketball,” he tweeted. “I HATE when teams take a shot clock violation late in a game to avoid scoring when the outcome is decided. It’s actually more humiliating.
“But this is different. NBA teams respect end of game culture. I wouldn’t care at all if they steal the ball once it’s advanced. That’s not what we are talking about. The reaction here is typical fan bias. Love it if it’s us… take him out if it’s them. I get it.”
For more on the Kobe Bryant tragedy, listen to the latest episode of the “Big Apple Buckets” podcast:
"We are devastated and have been forever changed by the sudden loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna," the post reads. "We send our love to Vanessa, the Bryant family, and to the families of the other passengers. Words cannot express what Kobe means to the Los Angeles Lakers, our fans, and our city. More than a basketball player, he was a beloved father, husband, and teammate. Their love and light will remain in our hearts forever.
"The Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to support the families affected by this tragedy. To help, please visit MambaOnThree.org. For those who are inspired to continue Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org."
Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, also released her first public comments on the tragedy on Wednesday.
The Lakers organization has been greatly impacted by the Kobe and Gianna's deaths, with Tuesday's game against the Clippers postponed to allow more time for players and the front office to grieve.
Lakers executives, including Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis, gathered at the team's facility on Sunday following the news, according to the LA Times. General manager Rob Pelinka, who was Bryant’s agent and a close family friend, reportedly also spent time on Sunday with Bryant’s widow, Vanessa.
An 18-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA first-teamer, Bryant led the Lakers to five NBA championships and scored 33,643 points in his 20-year NBA career. He retired after the 2015-16 season, having spent his entire career with the Lakers. The franchise retired his No. 8 and No. 24 jersey numbers in December 2017.
He was 17 when he was selected with the No. 13 pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Lakers. He went on to become the Lakers' franchise leader in points, games played, three-pointers, steals and free throws.
One of his most iconic games was an 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, which ranks as the second-most points scored in an NBA game, behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100 on March 2, 1962. Bryant scored 60 points in his final game when the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 101–96 on April 13, 2016.
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa and wife Keri were also aboard the helicopter and killed, along with Sarah and Payton Chester, assistant coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Upset with the officiating during the first half of what would eventually be a 79-67 loss to Duke, Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel was hit with a technical foul by official Bert Smith. It wasn’t the first time a distraught visiting coach got T’d up inside Cameron Indoor Stadium — Capel actually got T’d up during last year’s game in Durham as well — and it won’t be the last. That said, the resulting fallout from this particular whistle was ... different.
Following the technical, the Duke student section began to chant “Jeff Capel, sit with us,” not an atypical cheer from the Cameron Crazies. The subject of this taunt (?) being a former Duke player and longtime Blue Devil assistant (2011-18) did not sit well with Mike Krzyzewski.
Immediately, an enraged Coach K began screaming at the students to “shut up.” He then addressed them before halftime, angrily informing them that Capel is “one of us.”
After Cameron Crazies started yelling "Jeff Capel, sit with us," Coach K could be seen yelling "Shut up" and "He's one of us."
I’m torn on whether the best part of this video is Coach K reacting like someone just told him that 72-year-old men aren’t supposed to have jet black hair, or the Duke students looking like they just experienced an adult raising their voice at them for the first time in their lives.
Seriously, these are the looks of kids who just had an impromptu audience with God and were informed that they haven’t been living right.
After the game, Krzyzewski admitted he wasn’t sure what exactly the students had been chanting, but it was hearing Capel’s name that had set him off. When he was told the cheer was more harmless than he had originally assumed, the Hall of Fame coach served up something of an apology.
“I thought it was something personal,” Krzyzewski said. “I apologize to the students for that. I don’t apologize for the timing. You shouldn’t say that. Middle of the first half of an ACC game. This isn’t some cutesy little thing where we can just bounce a ball around and giggle. We’re in a fight.
“Once I heard his name — you know, I’m not going to go over there and say, ‘will you please tell me what you’re doing?’ So it’s a mistake on my part. But I’d rather make the mistake in protection of my guy. And I went and just said at the end of the half, ‘look he’s our guy, he’s our guy.’ So I apologize, but let’s think of a different cheer. Like, ‘DEFENSE!’ and ‘LET’S GO!’ or “COME ON, DUKE!’ Leave the other guy alone.”
In Coach K’s defense, this new cheer policy does seem like it has the potential to be electric.
Capel, who was the head coach at VCU and Oklahoma before arriving in Durham, was Coach K’s associate head coach and top recruiter during his time at Duke. He is considered by some to be one of a handful of candidates to replace Krzyzewski whenever the Hall of Famer decides to call it a career.
Kobe Bryant was making big plans for his second-oldest daughter, Gianna, right before their tragic deaths. Days before Kobe and Gianna, also known as Gigi, passed away in a helicopter accident, the Los Angeles Lakers star filed a trademark for her nickname on the basketball court. The filing was a clear move that Kobe had major plans for Gianna’s future, which likely would have included an appearance in the WNBA.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant | Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Kobe Bryant files a trademark for Mambacita
On December 30, Kobe filed paperwork to trademark the name “Mambacita.” The nickname is a reference to Kobe’s moniker in the NBA, Black Mamba. It is also a testament to Gianna’s talent on the court.
According to TMZ,
the trademark documents outlined a plan to use the name on a variety of
sportswear, including hoodies, shorts, sweatshirts, shirts, hats, sweatpants,
and jerseys.
Kobe Bryant first started calling his daughter Mambacita on
social media. In a post from November, for example, Kobe shared a clip of
Gianna making a fade-away against one of her teammates, Alyssa Altobelli,
during a scrimmage.
In the caption, Kobe praised Gianna for making a move that looked
similar to his trademark fade-away. He also complimented Alyssa for playing
great defense. Alyssa and her parents, Keri and John Altobelli, also passed
away in the helicopter crash.
Inside Kobe’s return to basketball
Kobe retired from the Los Angeles Laker back in 2016 and penned
an emotional letter, titled “Dear Basketball,” following his retirement.
With Kobe revealing that he gave the game of basketball his all,
few thought he would ever return to the court. But that all changed when Gianna
showed a growing interest in the sport.
Although coaching was not in Kobe Bryant’s original retirement plan, he gladly accepted the role to teach his daughter everything he learned from the game. The father and daughter developed a tight bond over their love for basketball and were often spotted at NBA games analyzing the action.
Kobe and Gianna were on their way to a basketball game when their
helicopter crashed into a hillside near Calabasas, California. There were a
total of 9 people on board the craft when it down, none of whom survived.
Kobe Bryant opens up about Gigi’s future
A few years ago, Kobe discussed Gianna’s future in basketball
during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The former NBA star revealed that his daughter had dreams of playing for the
University of Connecticut and felt confident about continuing his basketball
legacy.
He also hilariously revealed Gianna’s response whenever people
told him that he needs to have a son.
”The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans come
up to me, and she’ll be standing next to me and they’ll be like: ‘You’ve got to
have a boy. You and [wife Vanessa] have got to have a boy, someone to carry on
the tradition, the legacy.’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I got this,’” he shared.
There is no doubt that Kobe had major plans for Gianna’s future.
The ultimate plan would have been seeing his daughter drafted into the WNBA and
later profit off her nickname.
Kobe Bryant was a huge supporter of the WNBA over the years and
was not shy about expressing his love for the game. Not only did he attend
games and watch film, but he also coached Gianna’s team and ran basketball
camps in the area.
It is such a shame that both of their lives were cut short in the
helicopter crash, along with the other seven victims of the crash.
The world mourns Kobe and Gigi’s tragic death
In the hours and days following the tragic helicopter accident,
fans from around the world mourned the loss of Kobe and his daughter.
A slew of current NBA players have paid tribute to Kobe
Bryant and Gianna on social media, as well as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who
said that Kobe “will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world
to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.”
Former WNBA star and University of Connecticut center Rebecca
Lobo also expressed her condolences for losing Kobe and his daughter.
“No @NBA player supported the @WNBA or women’s college
basketball more than Kobe,” Lobo shared. “He attended games, watched on TV,
coached the next generation. We pray for his family.”
Kobe and Gianna will continue to receive tributes on social media
as fans around the world deal with the shock of their loss. It is still unclear
why the helicopter crashed, but weather and possible mechanical issues are
believed to be at fault.
Kobe Bryant was 41 years old and Gianna was 13 years old at the
time of their deaths. Kobe retired from the NBA in 2016 but remained active in
many current players’ lives.
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, for Super Bowl LIV. Will Chiefs coach Andy Reid finally get his Super Bowl ring with Patrick Mahomes guiding his offense? Can 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan's tough San Francisco defense complete their magical one-season turnaround with a championship?
Ahead of kickoff, ESPN.com's writers, editors, analysts, columnists and pundits make their predictions for the big game.
The tally: Chiefs have the advantage
Of 75 experts who weighed in, the Chiefs were favored by 48 of them (64%), while the 49ers claimed 27 votes (36%).
The most common predicted final score was 31-27, picked by eight of our experts. The lowest combined total was 37, chosen via a 20-17 final score. The highest combined score was 54-51 for a total of 105 points.
As federal investigators wrapped up operations at the crash site, the NTSB's Jennifer Homendy said preliminary information suggests the plane descended rapidly and was likely in one piece before it slammed into the hill.
"The descent rate for the helicopter was over 2,000 feet a minute, so we know that this was a high energy impact crash," Homendy said. "This is a pretty steep descent at high speed. So it wouldn't be a normal landing speed."
The crash occurred about 1,085 feet above sea level, missing the top of the hill by 20 to 30 feet, investigators said. Parts of the helicopterwere found scattered around a crash site that stretched 500 to600 feet, the NTSB said.
The NTSB will release its preliminary report on the crash in 10 days, Homendy said.
"Its not going to contain our findings, our analysis, it's not going to contain any safety recommendations or probable cause but it's going to provide some factual information -- more than we have now, but just the facts."
A final report will be out in about 12-18 months, she said.
NTSB recommended a safety system
On Tuesday, NTSB turned over the accident site back to local authorities after recovering pieces of the wreckage, an iPad, cellphone and documents including maintenance records, the helicopter's registration and the airworthiness certificate.
The helicopter did not have a terrain awareness and warning system -- a safety feature which provides the pilot with information about the terrain, Homendy said.
The NTSB recommended that similar helicopters be equipped with the system after a fatal Texas crash in 2004 that killed 10 people. The Federal Aviation Administration failed to implement the recommendation, Homendy said.
In his last communication with air traffic control, the helicopter's pilot said he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer, the NTSB previously said. But when air traffic control asked him what he planned to do, there was no response.
Radar data indicated the helicopter climbed 2,300 feet and began a left descending turn, Homendy said.
That last contact was around 9:45 a.m. The first 911 call about the crash came in two minutes later, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.
Weather experts are studying that morning
The morning of the crash had been particularly foggy.
Visibility was so low Sunday morning that the Los Angeles Police Department had decided to ground its helicopters.
But comparing the police helicopters with the one Bryant was flying in -- a Sikorsky S-76B -- isn't accurate, Homendy said.
"It's an apples to oranges comparison. It's a different helicopter, different operations, they have 4-person helicopters, this is outfitted for more than that," she said. "We have to look at this specific crash, this specific helicopter."
The S-76 line serves as offshore oil and gas transportation, air ambulances, executive transport and search-and-rescue aircraft. One aviation expert calls it a "workhorse."
Homendy said a weather expert on staff is studying the weather that day and the decision-making behind flying Sunday.
Moments before the crash, air traffic control approved pilot Ara Zobayan's request to fly with SVFR clearance -- special visual flight rules clearance -- which allows pilots to fly in weather conditions worse than those allowed for regular visual flight rules.
And while she said that clearance is very common and nothing out of the ordinary, Homendy said investigators will look into whether Zobayan should have been granted that special permission.
Families mourn mothers, daughters, siblings
Meanwhile, families are mourning the nine people who died Sunday -- including 41-year-old Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
"The first day was brutal," Matt Mauser, whose wife was killed, said. "I woke up this morning and I said, 'I'm OK,' and then I walked out and I started to cry. And then I saw my kids and I started to cry."
Christina Mauser was an assistant girls basketball coach, former teacher and mother of three. Her youngest daughter is turning four years old next week. Mauser had been recruited by Bryant himself, her husband said, to help coach a team in his basketball academy.
Three young girls on the helicopter -- including Gianna -- were on their way to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks.
One of them, Alyssa Altobelli, was flying with her parents, John and Keri.
Another, Payton Chester, was flying with her mother, Sarah Chester.
They all were killed in the crash.
"While the world mourns the loss of a dynamic athlete and humanitarian, I mourn the loss of two people just as important ... their impact was just as meaningful, their loss will be just as keenly felt, and our hearts are just as broken," Todd Schmidt, a former principal at the elementary school Payton once attended, wrote in a Facebook post.
Zobayan, who also died, had more than 8,200 hours of flight time, Homendy said, and had been working with Island Express Helicopters, whichowned the Sikorsky S-76B.
The LA County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner announced all nine bodies had been recovered -- four of which were officially identified through the use of fingerprints.
CNN's Sarah Moon, Netctar Gan, Emiko Jozuka, Wayne Sterling and Sara Loaiza contributed to this report.
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