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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Thursday / April 25.
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    • Articles, Tennis

    NoleNovak Djokovic, the top seed at Wimbledon and the 2011 champion, says his left shoulder is fine after he took an awkward fall in the third set of his victory Friday over Gilles Simon.

    “Yes, it was a sharp pain when I fell,” he told the BBC after his 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 third-round win. “It was an awkward fall. I was just hoping there was nothing going on bad in the joint. And luckily there is no damage in the joint. I could play a few games after that and just the muscle was quite sore because of the impact. All in all I’m just very glad to get through.”

    With Simon serving at 2-3, 40-30 in the third set, Djokovic tumbled to the ground while trying to return a forehand and rolled on his left shoulder, causing John McEnroe to speculate on air that the Serb might have separated his shoulder. Djokovic appeared to be in serious pain and then called for the ATP trainer.

    Articles, St. John's

    jakarrNEW YORK — St. John’s forward JaKarr Sampson went undrafted in Thursday’s NBA Draft, but it didn’t take him long to find a team interested in his services.

    The 6-foot-9 Sampson, who attended the same Ohio high school as LeBron James and was the Big East Rookie of the Year in 2012-13, will play for the Philadelphia 76ers summer league team in Orlando.

    “Literally the second the draft was over I got a call from both [Sixers GM] Sam Hinkie and [Sixers coach] Brett Brown with both telling me they love JaKarr and want him on their Summer League team,” Seth Cohen, Sampson’s agent, told SNY.tv. “I have to believe that JaKarr will get a fair shot and opportunity.”

    Articles, Kyle Anderson, NBA Draft

    Prairie View A&M at UCLANEW YORK — There may not be a more perfect fit for Kyle Anderson than landing with the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

    The 6-foot-9 Fairview, N.J., native was chosen at No. 30 and should flourish in the structured system and winning culture of the Spurs, who just won their fifth NBA title since 1999 over LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

    “He’s unique because there just aren’t a lot of guys that size who can play the point,” UCLA coach Steve Alford told SNY.tv this past season.

    Anderson was a near-triple-double last season at UCLA, averaging 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists.

    Articles, NBA Draft, UConn

    NapierBy JOSH NEWMAN
    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    NEW YORK – LeBron James got his wish on Thursday evening and it had nothing to do with his looming free agency.

    After Shabazz Napier led Connecticut to a second national championship in four seasons on April 7 — setting himself apart from Kemba Walker and previous UConn guards with his second championship — James tweeted ‘No way u take another PG in the lottery before Napier.’

    If James re-signs with the Heat this summer, the two will be teammates.

    Articles, Kentucky, NBA Draft

    RandleNEW YORK — The Kentucky duo of Julius Randle and James Young were drafted by two of the most storied franchises in the NBA.

    The 6-foot-9 Randle was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Draft at the Barclays Center, while the 6-7 Young went at No. 17 to the Boston Celtics.

    “Lakers, that’s about championships. That’s what I want to bring,” said the 250-pound Randle.

    He added: “I couldn’t be more blessed and fortunate to go to an organization like Los Angeles,”

    “To be able to learn from those guys. They’ve had so much history and so much success in the past, and to be able to go to an organization like that, who’s had amazing players in the past and learn from a guy like Kobe — I mean, I couldn’t be more happy. This is truly a blessing for me.”

    Articles, NBA Draft

    Embiid2By JOSH NEWMAN
    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    NEW YORK – Comparing Joel Embiid to Hakeem Olajuwon has been all the rage this year, and Kansas head coach Bill Self agrees with the notion.

    “They’re very fair, I said that all along and people thought I was nuts,” Self told a handful of reporters at Barclays Center on Thursday evening after the Philadelphia 76ers drafted the injured Jayhawks 7-footer third overall. “You watch him and watch his footwork and how effortlessly he moves, I think they’re very fair comparisons.”

    Owners of seven draft picks entering the night,, the Sixers kept that No. 3 pick following an afternoon of rumored activity. The biggest rumor had them shopping the third, 10th and 32nd overall picks to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for the No. 1 pick. In the end, it all turned out to be conjecture.

    Andrew Wiggins, Articles, NBA Draft


     WigginsNEW YORK — Andrew Wiggins     continued the Canadian Invasion of the NBA by becoming the second straight No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft from North of the border.

    The Cleveland Cavaliers selected the 6-foot-8 shooting guard out of Thornhill, Ontario by way of Kansas with the top pick  over Duke forward Jabari Parker, who went No. 2 to the Milwaukee Bucks just as he had predicted this week.

    “A thousand thoughts are going through my head right now,” said Wiggins, the second No. 1 pick from Kansas following Danny Manning in 1988 . “It’s a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid. My dream was just to make the NBA. Now going to high school and college, the opportunity and possibility of going No. 1 came into talk, and now I accomplished all of that.

    “So it’s just a crazy feeling right now. I don’t really know how to feel. It doesn’t even feel real right now.”

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