Raptors sign 'Hustle' movie star Juancho Hernangomez to a one-year deal. Plus, the latest on the Brittney Griner case, the NBA won't have vaccine mandate for 2022-23 season, and more basketball news.
Raptors Sign Hustle Movie Star Juancho Hernangomez
The Toronto Raptors have signed forward and 'Hustle' movie star Juancho Hernangomez to a one-year deal. The deal is still being finalized, with specifics of the contract as yet unreleased, Sports Illustrated reported.
Last season, Hernangomez bounced around to three different teams including the Celtics, Spurs, and most recently the Utah Jazz, CBSSports reported. Hernangomez, 26, was a first-round pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Last year with the Jazz, in 17 games, Hernangomez averaged 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds, and he shot 43.8% from the three.
Latest updates on Brittney Griner case: Legal team argues medical cannabis prescribed for injuries
The trial on drug charges for Phoenix Mercury WNBA star Brittney Griner resumed in a Russian court on Tuesday. Her legal team argued that, like many other elite international athletes, Griner was prescribed and used medical cannabis to treat pain. Griner's defense summoned a narcology expert who argued that medical cannabis was widely used to treat athletes where it was legal, and often had fewer side effects than other painkillers, NBC reported.
"With the prescription in place, Brittney may have used it for medical but not recreational purposes," attorney Maria Blagovolina, partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin, and Partners law firm, argued on Griner's behalf.
"We are not arguing that Brittney took it here as a medicine. We are still saying that she involuntarily brought it here because she was in a rush," defense attorney Alexander Boykov said, ESPN reported.
"The Russian public has to know, and the Russian court in the first place has to know, that it was not used for recreational purposes in the United States," Boykov added. "It was prescribed by a doctor."
Griner's hearing ran 90 minutes in session on Tuesday and will resume on Wednesday afternoon.
NBA won't have vaccine mandate for 2022-23 season
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced that it won't enforce a vaccine mandate for the 2022-23 season, although unvaccinated players may be subject to periodic testing pending discussion with the National Basketball Players Association, CBSSports reported. The guidelines follow the health and safety policies of the NBA that left vaccine requirements to the local cities and states.
Players were not required to be vaccinated but did have to follow local guidelines, with unvaccinated players subject to more stringent testing and restrictions. Most players voluntarily chose to get vaccinated, with the league having a 95% vaccination rate last season.
Former UNC point guard signed as Stanford's director of player development
Former University of North Carolina point guard Nate Britt has moved into coaching following a five-year overseas playing career. Britt will reunite with ex-Tar Heel assistant coach Jerod Haase as Stanford's Director of Player Development, 247 Sports reported. Britt spent five seasons playing professionally in five different countries, and helped lead each team to playoff appearances. Britt averaged over 10 points per game in four of the five seasons.