Vinny's NBA Insider: Bill Hanzlik's foundation expands offerings; Bring on the NBA in-season tournament
The Gold Crown Foundation held its first Healthy Kids Expo on Saturday. It was organized by Bill Hanzlik and Ray Baker, who also founded the foundation in 1986. The expo was aimed at promoting physical activity and mental health. It also included stations featuring meditation, financial literacy courses, nutrition education, resiliency workshops and art therapy. Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji signed autographs and posed for pictures. Avalanche, Mammoth and Rapids also hosted exhibits. Broncos sent their Super Bowl trophies and a couple of former players. Colorado’s ranking in teen suicides got their attention.
The NBA is planning to introduce an in-season tournament. It could be introduced as soon as the 2023-24 season. The tournament would be played starting in November and ending in December. The optimist believes it will bring some excitement to the regular season and increase the interest in the games. A skeptical side thinks it's a money grab.
Nikola Jokic is in a five-way tie for the second-best player on the initial rosters of the NBA2K video game. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the highest-rated player with a 97 overall ranking.
Danny Ainge said in a press conference that the Jazz lacked belief in each other. Vinny's NBA Insider is looking forward to the NBA in-season tournament.
The WNBA Finals started Sunday. Las Vegas Aces beat Connecticut 67-64 in the first game. The remaining games will be broadcast on ESPN.
Aaron Gordon visited Nikola Jokic in Prague. Nikola had 19 points in Serbia's 96-69 win over Poland. Bones Hyland posted some of his highlights from a pickup game. Collin Gillespie got a digital version of himself in NBA 2K video game on Friday.
EuroBasket 2022 Final takes place on September 18th. Jokic and Serbia lost in the Round of 16. Luka Doncic, Vlatko Cancar and Slovenia lost to Italy in quarterfinals. Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greek team lost against Italy. Spain, Germany and France have NBA talent on their teams. Poland is entering the semifinals. Denver has its first preseason game on October 3.
