Kevin Pelton
@kpelton.bsky.social
Assistant GM for Connecticut Sun (future Houston Comets). Using numbers to learn about the game.
So excited to read an advance copy of the second Seahawks book from my friend @mikedugar.bsky.social, this one with a more unambiguous positive ending.
@mikedugar.bsky.social · 2mo ago🗣️ It’s almost that time! My new Seahawks book “12 As One” drops September 1st! Available everywhere books are sold (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Seattle book stores etc.) And I will be selling/shipping signed copies! DM me if you’re interested.
So happy for my friend @timbontemps.bsky.social on joining the Atlanta Hawks front office. Like so many Hoop Collective listeners, I'm going to miss the Tims bickering with Windy on the podcast, but I know Tim is going to do great with a strong front office in Atlanta. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
Former ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps joins Hawks' front office
Former ESPN senior NBA writer Tim Bontemps has been hired for a front office role with the Atlanta Hawks.
espn.com
Was there for the fifth, sixth and seventh blocks of Brittney Griner's WNBA career in June 2013 (her second game). It was obvious then she would eventually surpass the late Margo Dydek as the league's all-time leader. Congrats, BG!
Fun fact: Dydek had no blocks in her brief 2008 WNBA season, so she recorded her 877th block in 2007 while playing for the Connecticut Sun. Griner has now broken that record with her 4th block of the night and 878th of her regular season career, also playing for the Sun.
Meghan L. Hall@itsmeghanlhall.bsky.social · 4mo agoWith three blocks tonight, Brittney Griner is now tied for first place on the all-time WNBA blocks record (877) list. She needs one more swat to break Margo Dykek’s record that has stood since 2008.
A broadly applicable lesson from this week's Top Chef elimination: The more you push back against criticism, the more you force people to double down on it.
Taking some time today to say thanks to everyone at ESPN about my 13-plus years there now that I've started the next chapter of my career in the WNBA: open.substack.com/pub/kpeltonh...
How I lucked into my dream job
And why I'm now saying farewell to it
open.substack.com
Thrilled for @bengolliver.bsky.social and my former ESPN colleagues about teaming up and bummed only that we don't get to work together and restart the Dontonio Wingcast (IYKYK). Important for ESPN NBA to maintain the PNW roots that started with @johnhollinger.bsky.social and continued with me.
Ben Golliver@bengolliver.bsky.social · 5mo agoI got a job: open.substack.com/pub/bengolli...
Content is often advertised on social media as someone "not holding back" and I wonder when exactly that was an issue here.
There are a lot of complex theories about how voters pick NBA Rookie of the Year. This year's results were consistent with what I found more than a decade ago: the rookie with the highest combined PPG + RPG + APG in a requisite number of games almost always wins the award.
High Point's Chase Johnston making his first 2-pointer of the year (to go with *50-plus* 3-pointers) to take the lead in the final 15 seconds of an NCAA tournament game is incredible content.
Should be noted every time we see these kinds of photos that for all the impact the late Philadelphia statistician Harvey Pollack had on NBA history, handing Wilt Chamberlain the famous "100" paper is probably his greatest influence.
J.E. Skeets@jeskeets.bsky.social · 7mo ago
Somebody needs to mash up Holly Rowe's delightful "I'm accidentally in a team huddle" with the "You're probably wondering how I got here" meme.
With the Winter Olympics coming to a close, I peered ahead to the 2028 Summer Games—and projected a 12-man Team USA men's basketball roster, full of youth and defense
Predicting the 2028 USA Olympic basketball roster: Top 12 players
In a time of transition for USA basketball, here's what the 12-man squad that will go up against a competitive international slate could look like.
espn.com
Had that thought and it appears the answer is yes. The 1980-81 Blazers were previously second on this list, having given up 162 on Feb. 13 and 84 on Feb. 15 (78-point drop). The 2019-20 Hawks had the record before today with 158 points on Nov. 30 and 79 on Dec. 2, a 79-point swing.
Cedar Albright@cedaralbright.bsky.social · 8mo agoThe Blazers gave up 157 points on Friday and 77 today. Is that 80 point difference in consecutive games a record, @kpelton.bsky.social?
Ahead of the Toronto Tempo's inaugural WNBA season, I took a look at the Tempo's work to become "Canada's team" like the Raptors have and how that might boost the women's basketball pipeline from Canada as we've seen in the NBA: www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...
How WNBA's Toronto Tempo are embracing role as 'Canada's team'
The Carter effect helped popularize the NBA in Canada. The Tempo hope to similarly supercharge women's basketball.
espn.com
Wrote yesterday about what we learned during Luka's first year with the Lakers and how they can look to history -- both their own and Dallas with Doncic -- to build a championship contender: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
Luka Doncic as a Laker: What we've seen a year in and what's next
Let's revisit the first 365 days of the Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles and examine how the Lakers can return to championship contention.
espn.com
Great to podcast again with @zachlowenba.bsky.social on the Zach Lowe Show recapping my winners and losers from the NBA trade deadline. Felt like riding a bike: open.spotify.com/episode/27aH...
Trade Deadline Winners and Losers
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
We've now got grades for every trade involving NBA players (sorry, Balsa Koprivica) made before today's deadline: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
NBA trade deadline: Reactions and grades for every transaction
Kevin Pelton grades every deal on deadline day, including big moves by the Pacers, Lakers, Wolves and Warriors.
espn.com
Grades for the trade sending Ivica Zubac to the Pacers are up: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/... Still working back through today's smaller, financially motivated trades.
NBA trade deadline: Reactions and grades for every transaction
With the NBA trade deadline come and gone, we graded every deal including big moves by the Pacers, Lakers, Wolves and Warriors.
espn.com
The Cavs! The Thunder! Surprise star destinations! Here are the biggest winners, losers, and trends of the trade deadline:
NBA trade deadline: The biggest winners and losers of a busy week
After a wild week of superstar movement, Zach Kram unveils his winners and losers of the NBA trade deadline.
espn.com
Trade grades are up and rolling for deadline day with analysis of the Lakers adding Luke Kennard and the Timberwolves getting Ayo Dosunmu: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
NBA trade grades: Kennard, Porzingis, Kuminga, AD, CP3 deals
The Lakers, Cavs, Celtics, Hawks, Mavs and Warriors are among the teams that have made trades. We're grading every deal.
espn.com
Will Mason Plumlee get a championship ring if the Thunder win the title?
For the night owls, grades are up for the Hawks-Warriors trade feature Kristaps Porzingis and Jonathan Kuminga: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
NBA trade grades: Porzingis to Warriors for Kuminga, Davis to Wizards
The Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Mavericks and Warriors are among the teams that have made trades. We're grading every deal.
espn.com
Coming up for water after today's flurry of NBA trades to link my story on how the WNBA salary cap has evolved over time and how NBA and NWSL history put the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement proposal in context: www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...
Road to $1M paydays: How WNBA salaries evolved with each CBA
For the first time, a $1 million base salary is expected in the new WNBA CBA, and the cap could see a 230% increase.
espn.com
This post is only supposed to happen the day of the actual deadline!
Snap Wilson@snapwilson.bsky.social · 8mo agoLive look at @kpelton.bsky.social banging out Trade Grades.
Certainly the WaPo's outstanding sports section was essential to *my* life, particularly the basketball coverage from my friends @kareemcopeland.bsky.social and @bengolliver.bsky.social.
max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 8mo agoSpeaking to WaPo employees, editor Matt Murray says cuts are about “positioning ourselves to become more essential to people's lives, and what is becoming a more crowded, competitive and complicated media landscape, and after some years when, candidly, the Post has had struggles to do that."
