NBA News Wire
NBA roundup: Spurs’ Parker to play in Finals opener
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker will play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Parker, who was injured in the fourth game of the Western Conference finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, missed part of the second half and all of overtime in the Spurs’ Game 6 overtime, series-clinching victory with a sprained ankle.
Parker told a French radio station that he would be ready for Thursday’s opener in San Antonio in a Finals rematch with the Miami Heat.
“I may not be 100 percent, but I’ll be there,” Parker said.
—Washington coach Randy Wittman signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension with the Wizards on Tuesday. The team announced the agreement and The Washington Post reported the terms of the contract, which includes a team option for the final season.
Wittman guided the Wizards into the playoffs this season after a five-year absence. With a 44-38 regular-season record, Washington landed the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards eliminated the Chicago Bulls in the opening round of the playoffs and pushed the Indiana Pacers to six games before falling.
—Jeff Bower was hired Tuesday by the Detroit Pistons as their general manager.
The team did not disclose terms of the contract. Bower joins the Pistons after serving last season as the head coach at Marist College, posting a 12-19 record.
Bower has NBA experience as general manager of the Hornets from 2001 to 2003 and 2005 to 2010. He also was an advance scout, director of scouting/assistant coach and assistant general manager for the Hornets before he became the GM
