Just weeks away from tipoff, it isn't just fans who are ecstatic about the return of NBA action; league personnel, Hall of Famers, and current players are all anticipating the rebooted season, according to veteran NBA photographer, Andrew D. Bernstein.
"I'm itching to get back to work," he told Cheddar on Monday. "I haven't taken a picture since March 11th."
In partnership with the Los Angeles Times, Bernstein, a photographer covering the NBA for nearly 40 years, plans to document the return of the season amid the coronavirus pandemic with a spinoff of the Legends of Sport podcast titled, Legends of Sport: Restarting the Clock.
"It'll be a great kind of melding of today and yesterday," Bernstein noted. "We're going to have a mix of participants: coaches, NBA types, legends talking about their memories from years past."
With the coronavirus being the focal point of the return to gameplay, Bernstein is also tasked with detailing the reactions to sweeping calls for change as the NBA greenlights current players to make social justice statements.
"It's a huge story and it's vital that we cover that and the fact that the NBA provides this tremendous platform for players," he said.
As the league plans its return amid the surging number of coronavirus cases in Florida, Bernstein said his only major concern is actually making it to the "Bubble" in Orlando, the nickname for the resorts and Disney facilities that house players and staff and will host the actual games.
"The safety of the players and the participants, all of us staff, is of the utmost importance to the NBA, so I have complete and total trust in that," the photographer stated. "My biggest worry, quite honestly, is just getting there. Going on a commercial flight, which I haven't done since the pandemic started."
The Cheddar Sports crew caught up with the team members of the Philadelphia Fusion, who upset the top-seeded New York Excelsior in the first round of the Overwatch championship. Getting to this weekend's Grand Finals, the team said, is a dream come true.
Stephen Revetria, Senior Vice President of the San Francisco Giants, joins Cheddar's Alyssa Julya Smith to talk hosting the Rugby World Cup Sevens and major tech advances at AT&T Park.
Jay Williams, a second-round pick in the 2002 NBA draft, has been a major proponent of paying college athletes. But he says the league needs real disruption to get those in charge to see the light.
Mark Griffin, commercial director at USA Rugby, doesn't want to be the NFL or MLB. Rather, Griffin wants to spread the sport by forming rugby clubs at high schools and colleges. "The college infrastructure in America is absolutely incredible and second to none," he told Cheddar.
Nearly 150 victims of Larry Nassar's sexual misconduct stood on stage Wednesday during the ESPY Awards to accept the Arthur Ashe prize for courage. Josh Hill, Senior Editor at FanSided, explains that their visibility will raise general awareness for sexual abuse, far beyond the arena of sports.
The pro wrestler and his wife's new reality show, "Miz and Mrs," debuts on USA July 24. The Miz tells Cheddar that if he had to fight a tech titan, he'd pick Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. "My recycling bin is out the roof. I need like three different recycling bins all filled with Amazon boxes because [Maryse] loves Amazon Prime."
These are the headlines you Need2Know.
* **Damage Control at the White House:** President Trump will meet with his cabinet today after widespread criticism of his comments spread following Monday's joint meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. To appease his base,Trump declared yesterday that he simply misspoke during the presser--but some critics find that hard to believe.
* **Manafort Goes to Court:** The case against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is moving forward--despite a denial of his team's request for a change of location. Manafort's team asked for the trial to be moved from Alexandria to Roanoke, believing that Alexandria's more liberal base would be less forgiving and attract more press.
* **University Doctor Under Fire:** A former Ohio State University doctor is accused of molesting student athletes after complaints surfaced from several ex-wrestlers--one of whom condemned is Congressman Jim Jordan for ignoring the allegations.
* **Vacancies at Comic-Con:** The 2018 Comic-Con kicks of in San Diego tonight. But some of the usual attendees will be missing: network HBO, the Avengers, X-Men and Deadpool will be among the absent guests.
* **American League Still Number One:** The American league clung to its title as reigning champ after it defeated the National League for the sixth straight year during last night's MLB All-Star game.
Cheddar Big News' Hena Doba gives us the details.
