20 Second Timeout is the place to find the best analysis and commentary about the NBA.
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones, and Terry Rozier Arrested as Part of a Wide-Ranging, Two-Pronged Federal Illegal Gambling Investigation
Three people with NBA connections--Hall of Fame player/Portland coach Chauncey Billups, former player Damon Jones, and current player Terry Rozier--have been arrested by the FBI in connection with a widespread, years-long, two-pronged probe into illegal gambling that allegedly involved multiple Mafia families, including Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese. The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on leave. Tiago Splitter will be Portland's coach until further notice. Billups, Jones, Rozier, and the other people who have been arrested and charged are innocent until proven guilty, but it is important to understand what is being alleged and the wider implications if the allegations are true.
The second prong of the allegations is that the Mafia paid Jones and Rozier to provide insider information for use on wagering. The second prong is connected with the Jontay Porter matter. The NBA banned Jontay Porter for life in 2024 after he pleaded guilty to prematurely leaving two NBA games so that "under" prop bets would win. Porter is the first NBA player banned for violating gambling rules since Jack Molinas, who the NBA banned for his role in the infamous point shaving scandal that almost destroyed college basketball. Molinas was selected to play in the 1954 NBA All-Star Game, but was replaced by Andy Phillip and Molinas never played again in the NBA.
...the advent of widespread, legalized betting on NBA games opens up the
potential for a large number of problems; as the ESPN writer noted,
citing some research done on this issue, the more money that is added to
this situation the greater the likelihood for wrongdoing and scandal.
Just look at the recent Anthony Davis melodrama; is he going to play, is
he not going to play, is he going to play hard, is the team going to
play him in the fourth quarter--there are numerous ways for one or more
unscrupulous parties to manipulate the point spreads for New Orleans'
Pelicans' games. Then you have the issue of rest (or "load management,"
the new catchphrase for sitting out otherwise healthy players), not to
mention the issue of tanking. What if someone is able to get the inside
scoop about which stars are going to rest for which games, or which
teams decided to tank 10 games before the general public could tell that
those teams are tanking? The NBA's recent embrace of widespread
legalized gambling is fraught with peril.
Gambling should be made difficult for
the average man. It should be something he budgets to do once or twice a
year. Vegas was best when it was hardest to reach.
You
see, it isn't the two or three percent, the house edge, that beats you.
Otherwise, people would only lose two or three percent, and so what?
It's the psychology. A guy goes to a casino. He wins $500, he's
ecstatic. He goes home, buys his wife a present, springs for a night
out. Fine. Now he goes back. This time he loses $500. O.K., altogether
he's even. But does he quit $500 down the way he did $500 up? No. He
takes another $500 out of the bank. And now he's pressing, so he blows
that and borrows $500. Now he's out $1,500, and this is a guy who only
makes 20 to 25 grand a year. He goes home, gets into his wife's checking
account.
This is what happens when gambling is too accessible.
Everybody gets hurt but the casino. The guy can't buy the new summer
suit or the new shoes for his wife. He lets the tune-up go. The stores
are hurt, the restaurant, the gas station. This is the kind of stuff
you'll start to see soon at Atlantic City.
And if they legalized
sports betting, the little guy would be just as dead. We'd find a way
to beat you. Right now, if we—me, anybody—tried to bet more than $50,000
on any game, we'd have a hard time. And when you only got $50 riding,
you can't pay enough to fix a game. Put a pencil to it. But with
legalized gambling, there'd be so much money bet you could get down a
million or more on one game. So now it's worth it to pay for a fix,
isn't it? And that's easy. You don't need the quarterback. Just gimme
the center. Gimme the referee. All I'd need is one offside at the right
time. You don't even need to get a guy to throw it for you. Suppose we
just pay a big star $50,000 to stay home with the flu? Nobody ever
thought of that before, did they?
I don't buy the argument that behavior and morality cannot be legislated and that people simply have to be responsible for their decisions; gambling has been proven to be addictive, so making an addictive activity easily accessible to the majority of the population will inevitably lead not only to scandals but also to a public health crisis, even if the ramifications of that public health crisis are not immediately apparent. A lot of people are losing a lot of money that they cannot afford to lose and that they would not be losing if gambling were not so widely accessible, and this is going to destroy families. Ultimately, we will all pay for this looming public health crisis, both financially and emotionally as the damage ripples throughout society.
I also don't buy the argument that widespread legalized gambling makes gambling easier to monitor and regulate; in contrast, and as Snyder noted, widespread legalized gambling incentivizes cheating while also making cheating harder to detect. In addition to a public health crisis compounded by honest gamblers losing money because of point shaving and other shenanigans, we have already seen and heard about threats made against athletes by gamblers who lost money because of how well (or how poorly) athletes performed. Will it take someone injuring or killing an athlete over a wager for society to understand the dangers?
I am not suggesting that all wagering should be banned, but I think that wagering should be much more restricted than it is, and I think that sports leagues and their media partners should not be in the business of promoting wagering. Of course, the reforms that I am proposing are unlikely to happen because the leagues and their media partners are making a lot of money off of this misery and they will not voluntarily give up that money.
Victor Wembanyama Dominates as Spurs Rout Mavericks in Cooper Flagg's First Regular Season Game
With all due respect to the other players on the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, we know the two reasons why these non-playoff teams from the 2024-25 season faced each other in ESPN's first telecast of the 2025-26 season: 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and 2025 number one overall draft pick Cooper Flagg. Wembanyama led both teams in scoring (40 points), rebounding (15), and blocked shots (three) as his Spurs routed the Mavericks, 125-92, and he put himself in very distinguished company in two different ways. He set the franchise record for most points scored in a season opener--and that franchise history includes Hall of Famers George Gervin, David Robinson, and Tim Duncan; also, since the NBA began tracking individual turnovers during the 1977-78 season, four players have had a game with at least 40 points, at least 15 rebounds, and no turnovers: Moses Malone (twice), Shaquille O'Neal (three times), Anthony Davis (three times), and Victor Wembanyama.
The most impressive and striking thing about how Wembanyama played is that he is noticeably bigger and stronger than he was last season, enabling him to attack the paint and eschew the long jumpers that he shot too frequently during his first two seasons. Being able to make outside shots and handle the ball on the perimeter are nice bonus features for the 7-4 Wembanyama, but the foundation of his greatness must be dominating the paint at both ends of the court--that will be his pathway to winning individual awards while lifting his team from the Draft Lottery to the playoffs.
Stephon Castle, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, had a strong game (22
points, seven rebounds, game-high six assists), and could form a
powerful duo with Wembanyama--and that could be a strong trio after
former All-Star De'Aaron Fox returns from injury. Spurs' rookie Dylan
Harper had a solid debut with 15 points on 7-14 field goal shooting.
The Spurs have enough talent, versatility, and experience to end their six year playoff drought, and this game was a good step in that direction.
Flagg struggled to score, finishing with 10 points on 4-13 field goal shooting. As a versatile forward cast into an unfamiliar role as the starting point guard, he had no assists and three turnovers. The one positive is that he grabbed 10 rebounds. Charles Barkley--part of the award-winning TNT pre-game and post-game crew transferred to ESPN--said at halftime that the Mavericks are doing Flagg a disservice by playing him at point guard. Kenny Smith agreed, and noted that at point guard Flagg is being asked to pass to players who are not as good at scoring as he is. Barkley and Smith are correct that there is a big difference between being a skilled passer--which Flagg is--and playing the point guard position. I am not a fan of trying to convert versatile forwards into guards in their rookie seasons; it did not work well with Kevin Durant, and it is unlikely to work well with anyone else. Flagg must first learn how to play his natural forward position in the NBA before he learns how to play a new position.
There is also a big difference between playing well in Summer League or preseason and playing well in the regular season. Despite his first game struggles, Flagg will be fine, but anyone who thinks that even the best college team would have a chance against the worst NBA team should note the huge gap between the college game--where Flagg was just the consensus Player of the Year--and the NBA game; the NBA game features much better players (and coaches) than the college game.
Anthony Davis led the Mavericks in scoring (22 points) and rebounding (13), but he shot just 7-22 from the field and was outplayed by Wembanyama both overall and when they were matched up. P.J. Washington (17 points on 7-11 field goal shooting) was the only other Dallas player who scored more than 10 points. The Mavericks obviously missed the injured Kyrie Irving--who will not play until at least January 2026--and Daniel Gafford, who has a sprained ankle but is expected to return to action soon; however, even with those two players out, the Mavericks should not have lost by 33 points at home. Starting center Dereck Lively II was a non-factor with four points, two rebounds, and five fouls in just 10 minutes of action. Future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson was invisible (10 points on 4-13 field goal shooting), and the talented but inconsistent D'Angelo Russell (six points on 1-6 field goal shooting) reminded everyone why Dallas is his fourth team in the past four seasons.
Gafford's return, switching Flagg to his natural position, and playing with more energy collectively should help the Mavericks avoid more blowout losses.
OG Anunboy led the Knicks with 24 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Jalen Brunson scored 23 points despite shooting just 5-18 from the field, including 1-9 from three point range. Karl-Anthony Towns overcame early foul trouble to finish with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mikal Bridges had a solid all-around game (16 points, game-high tying six assists, five rebounds), and Miles McBride made a strong contribution off of the bench (15 points in 26 minutes, game-high +17 plus/minus number).
Donovan Mitchell poured in a game-high 31 points, but he also had a game-worst -14 plus/minus number; this was a game of runs, and he was on the court not only for Cleveland's big third quarter run but also for most of the Knicks' many runs. Evan Mobley added 22 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Sam Merrill chipped in 19 points, but also fouled out in just 28 minutes. Lonzo Ball had a game-high tying six assists in his Cleveland debut, but he scored just three points on 1-7 field goal shooting in 23 minutes off of the bench.
Both teams were without the services of key injured players: Cleveland
did not have two-time All-Star Darius Garland, versatile wing De'Andre
Hunter and three point shooter Max Strus, while the Knicks missed strong
rebounder/defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson and versatile Josh Hart,
who ranked second on the team in rebounding (9.6 rpg) and assists (5.9
apg) last season. The concerning thing for the Cavaliers is that their absent players are unlikely to help much in terms of rebounding and free throw attempts, while the Knicks who did not play are both excellent rebounders.
It is often said that the NBA is a fourth quarter league, but I often point out that the NBA is frequently a first quarter league, meaning that the matchups and tendencies that emerge in the opening stanza foreshadow what will happen the rest of the way. The Knicks led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, and they were up 33-23 after the first 12 minutes. They established the rebounding dominance (15-7) and free throw attempts lead (8-0) that proved to be the game's two main themes; the Knicks attacked the paint offensively, and protected the paint well defensively, outshooting the Cavaliers from the field .524 (11-21) to .391 (9-23).
The Knicks extended their lead to 15 in the second quarter before the Cavaliers went on a 16-2 run to pull within 44-43 at the 4:44 mark. Just when it may have seemed like the Cavaliers were back in the game, the Knicks hit them with a 21-7 burst to enjoy a 65-50 halftime lead.
Before the third quarter began, ESPN's Tim Legler said that the Cavaliers need for Mitchell to be much more aggressive. Mitchell had just eight points on 3-7 field goal shooting in the first half. As I noted in my recap of Oklahoma City's 125-124 double overtime win versus Houston, a team's leading scorer has an obligation to take a high volume of shots and score a lot of points, because otherwise he is throwing off his team's rhythm. It may sound nice to say things like "Everyone is going to eat," but the reality is that when the star player "eats" that forces double teams and traps that make it easier for his less talented teammates to "eat." This is one of the most misunderstood factors behind some of LeBron James' biggest postseason failures, most notably in the 2010 playoffs and the 2011 NBA Finals; when James became inexplicably (and inexcusably) passive after being a big-time scorer throughout those seasons, he left his teams high and dry without a realistic chance to win.
Coach Kenny Atkinson told ESPN's Lisa Salters that he was unhappy with his team's lack of aggressiveness, poor shot selection, and lack of focus, including fouling three point shooters four times.
Mitchell received the message loud and clear, erupting for 21 third quarter points on 9-14 field goal shooting as the Cavaliers outscored the Knicks 37-22 to knot the score at 87-87 entering the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, the Cavaliers outrebounded the Knicks 12-8 and attempted seven free throws while conceding just four free throw attempts.
The third quarter proved to be an aberration, and in the fourth quarter the regularly scheduled programming resumed: the Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 32-24 while winning the rebounding war 13-4 and attempting 13 free throws while allowing just six free throw attempts. Mitchell had two points on 0-4 field goal shooting in 10 minutes.
A road loss to one of the Eastern Conference Finalists from 2025 does not spell the end of Cleveland's championship dreams and goals, but it is clear that the Cavaliers not only need to get healthy but they need to cultivate a more aggressive mindset; they can glide by most teams in the regular season based on talent, but they cannot glide by elite teams relying on talent alone.
Last season, the Knicks went 0-4 versus the Cavaliers, and 2-9 combined versus the Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Indiana Pacers. This is just one game, but it was a successful start for the Mike Brown era in New York. No sensible person can deny that Tom Thibodeau did an outstanding job coaching the Knicks before being fired after last season's Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Pacers, but the Knicks' brass felt that the Knicks could and should have at least reached the NBA Finals. It remains to be seen if Brown will lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Oklahoma City Thunder Outlast Houston Rockets 125-124 in Opening Night Double Overtime Thriller
Hearing John Tesh's "Roundball Rock" as the NBA returned to NBC for the first time since 2002 brought back a flood of nostalgic memories, foremost among them the Chicago Bulls' twin three-peats (1991-93, 1996-98) culminating in the legendary "Last Dance" 1998 championship season. There has been a lot of hype about the revival of the NBA on NBC and, at least on Opening Night, the game lived up to the hype as the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 125-124 in a double overtime battle featuring plenty of drama and plot twists. If this was a Western Conference Finals preview--and it is way too soon to say that it was--then we are in for a treat next May.
Before the game began, the Thunder received their championship rings and
raised the first championship banner in Oklahoma City history. The
Thunder's rings feature a unique ring within a ring design; championship
rings have become so big and gaudy that they are not practical to wear,
but each of the Thunder's championship rings contain a smaller ring
inside that is personalized for each player and small enough to be worn
comfortably.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Finals MVP, regular season MVP, and scoring champion, overcame a slow start to lead the Thunder with 35 points while also grabbing five rebounds, and tying three teammates with a team-high five assists. Chet Holmgren added 28 points and seven rebounds. The
Thunder were without the services of 2025 All-NBA Third Team selection
Jaylen Williams, who is recovering from offseason surgery on his right
(shooting) wrist, but they received an unexpected boost off of the bench as Ajay Mitchell poured in 16 points in just 15 minutes. Cason Wallace contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Isaiah Hartenstein only scored six points, but he had a team-high nine rebounds and five assists. Fan favorite Lu Dort was the other Thunder player with five assists, and he played 45 minutes, second most for the Thunder behind Gilgeous-Alexander's 47.
Alperun Sengun scored a game-high 39 points, snared 11 rebounds, and dished for a game-high seven assists. He often overpowered Alex Caruso in the post, and Caruso--a key defensive player for the Thunder--finished with a game-worst -15 plus/minus number. Kevin Durant had 23 points and nine rebounds in his Houston debut, and he was booed lustily by an Oklahoma City crowd that has not forgiven him for fleeing a championship contending team to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Amen Thompson had 18 points, five assists, and four turnovers before leaving the game with a leg injury in the first overtime. He had a team-worst -11 plus/minus number as the starting point guard in place of the injured Fred VanVleet. Thompson is bigger, faster, and more athletic than VanVleet but also not as savvy in terms of running a team and controlling pace.
The Rockets trotted out the tallest starting lineup since the NBA first tracked
starting lineups in the 1970-71 season: Amen Thompson (6-7), Kevin
Durant (6-11), Jabari Smith, Jr. (6-11), Alperen Sengun (6-11), and
Steven Adams (6-11). Adams, a former Thunder player who the fans cheered when the
starting lineups were announced, had a game-high 13 rebounds as the
Rockets bludgeoned the Thunder 51-39 on the glass. The modern NBA is supposedly all about playing small, pace and space, and jacking up three pointers, but the Rockets nearly beat last year's champions with a big team despite shooting just 11-39 (.282) from three point range. Losing the turnover battle 21-11 nullified Houston's rebounding advantage, and if the Rockets can clean that up then their defense and rebounding will make them very difficult to beat and very uncomfortable to play against. The Thunder uncharacteristically had five turnovers in the first quarter after leading the league in fewest turnovers per game (11.7) and most turnovers forced per game (17.0) last season, but in the final 46 minutes the Thunder only had six turnovers.
In four full quarters and two overtimes, neither team outscored the other by more than four points in a quarter or an overtime. The Rockets enjoyed a 57-51 halftime lead, using a balanced attack featuring three double figure scorers. Gilgeous-Alexander had just five first half points on 2-5 field goal shooting. NBC's Jamal Crawford made an interesting point near the end of the first
half, stating that the Thunder are built for Gilgeous-Alexander to be
the leading scorer and look out of sorts when he is not. I have often
made a similar point about elite scorers in general, noting that they
have a responsibility to score a lot; their high volume shooting is not
selfish, but is necessary for their teams to be successful.
This is not fun for me. I don't like
being up here for the Hall of Fame because at that time your basketball
career is completely over. I was hoping this day would be 20 more years,
or actually go in when I'm dead and gone. Because now, all along...you
always [could] put shorts on and go out and play. Now, when you get into
the Hall of Fame, what else is there to do? This is kind of a love-hate
thing for me--great accomplishment, great respect that everybody's
paying, but for me, I always want to be able to have you thinking that I
can always go back and play the game of basketball, put my shorts on.
As long as you have that thought, you never know what can happen...Am I?
No. But I'd like for you to think that way. Hall of Fame, to me, is
like, 'OK, it's over and done with, it's pretty much done, you can't
ever put a uniform back on.' It's totally the end of your basketball
career. But it's a great accomplishment. I don't walk away from it. But I
never envisioned myself really wanting to be up here so quickly. I
wanted it to be when I'm 70 years old, 80 years old. I'm 45 and I still
think I can play. You guys don't know if I can or can't but at least
I've got you thinking that way.
Jordan told NBC's Mike Tirico that he agreed to be interviewed--NBC plans to show the interview in installments over the next several weeks in an obvious attempt to boost ratings--because he feels an obligation to give back to the game by providing his observations and wisdom about basketball and competition. Jordan made it very clear that he would much rather be playing than talking about playing, and he said that he misses the competition. More than 20 years after he retired, being a basketball player is still a core part of Jordan's identity. This should not surprise anyone who followed Jordan's career, or anyone who gets an adrenaline boost not just from competing but from winning; if you are that kind of person, it is difficult to find anything to replace that feeling. That is what is so fascinating about the direction that Kobe Bryant seemed to be taking as a retired player, because he appeared to find other ways to express himself beyond playing; it is a shame that Bryant's life (and the lives of all of the passengers in that doomed helicopter, including his daughter Gigi) was cut short before he could explore all of those other aspects of life.
Next week's installment of the Jordan interview will focus on his thoughts about load management and about why it was so important to him to play all 82 regular season games. I don't expect to be surprised by Jordan's thoughts on this topic, but I hope that after Jordan explains why playing every game is important that today's players take his approach to heart.
The Rockets built a 63-51 lead on Thompson's layup at the 10:13 mark of the third quarter, but by the end of that quarter the Thunder had trimmed the margin to four (79-75), setting up a competitive fourth quarter during which neither team led by more than six points. Durant split a pair of free throws with 9.5 seconds remaining in regulation to put the Rockets up 104-102, leaving the door open for the Thunder to tie or even win. Gilgeous-Alexander, the master of the midrange game that is despised by many "stat gurus" but essential for winning in the playoffs, drilled a pullup jumper to tie the score with 2.6 seconds left. The Rockets called timeout before inbounding the ball to Sengun, who missed a jumper as time expired.
The Thunder jumped out to a 110-104 lead in the first 1:24 of the first overtime, but the Rockets reeled them in and tied the score on Sengun's putback dunk with 8.8 seconds remaining. After Gilgeous-Alexander missed a jumper with 2.2 seconds left, Durant grabbed the rebound and clearly signaled for a timeout. The only problem was that Houston did not have any more timeouts. Had the officials recognized Durant's request with time left on the clock then the Rockets would have been assessed a technical foul and the Thunder would have had a chance to take the lead at the free throw line. However, time just ran out, after which Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault approached the officials and angrily asked why they did not call a technical foul. The NBC crew never got a definitive explanation regarding what happened; play by play announcer Mike Tirico merely noted that the officials had never acknowledged Durant's signal, without questioning how it is possible that an official standing right next to Durant could not have noticed Durant's signal (and, presumably, Durant also verbally requesting a timeout).
The second overtime was as closely contested as the rest of the game, with neither team leading by more than three points. At the 1:15 mark, Durant drove to the hoop, drew Hartenstein's sixth foul, and hit a shot while he was falling down. Durant made the free throw to put Houston up, 122-120. Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a smooth stepback jumper, and then he split a pair of free throws after Houston turned over the ball. Durant missed a three pointer, but the Rockets retained possession and Durant passed to a cutting Sengun for a layup that put the Rockets up 124-123 with just 11 seconds remaining. Durant guarded Gilgeous-Alexander on the final possession, and played good defense before fouling him with just 2.3 seconds left. Gilgeous-Alexander hit both free throws to provide the final margin.
A Thunder win with Durant fouling out on the play that gave the Thunder the lead is undoubtedly a perfect ending for Oklahoma City fans. Both teams competed hard, and both teams made many nice plays at both ends of the court. My only quibble would be that 67 combined missed three pointers is not efficient basketball no matter what the "stat gurus" say, but teams regularly jacking up 30, 40, 50 or more three pointers appears to be a permanent feature of the sport now. We have all heard that "Three is more than two," but it is worth pointing out that "Two is more than zero," and that 67 possessions in this game ended with zero points on shots from 23 feet, nine inches and beyond. For the modern NBA, though, this was a very high level game, and it was enjoyable to watch.
Anyone who understands the NBA knows that it is foolish to read too much into one game, particularly the first game of a long regular season; after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit a game-winning skyhook in rookie Magic Johnson's first NBA game, Johnson celebrated and Abdul-Jabbar casually informed him that there were 81 more games to go (and Johnson told him that if he hits a shot like that 81 more times then he will celebrate 81 more times, but that is a different story). Nevertheless, even though it is way too soon to draw definitive conclusions, we can make a few observations about both teams. The Thunder were sluggish offensively at first, primarily due to Gilgeous-Alexander starting slowly and Williams not being in the lineup, but after they fell behind by double digits they woke up and found a way to win despite not playing their best and not having their second best player. After Williams returns, the Thunder will be much better at both ends of the court. The Rockets' size and physicality challenged the Thunder, and will challenge most teams in the league. Sengun looked as good as he has ever looked even though the Rockets lack a true point guard and are still figuring out how to fully integrate Durant into the offense (he had just nine points after halftime). It will be very interesting to assess both of these teams after a larger sample size of games.
Tamir Goodman's Basketball Journey from Baltimore to Towson University to Israel
I generally focus on pro basketball here, but this story deserves the widest possible audience, and is relevant not just to basketball but to life, because life is about having a meaningful journey during which you grow and help others, not just about reaching a destination--and life is about overcoming obstacles without compromising your core values.
If you are younger than 40, you may not remember Tamir Goodman, who was dubbed the "Jewish Jordan" after he emerged as one of the top high school basketball prospects in the country. Goodman did not seek out fame or publicity, but when he became famous he used his platform and visibility to send a powerful message about faith and persistence. Goodman not only wrestled with the high expectations others placed on him, but he also dealt with numerous injuries plus severe dyslexia.
Goodman's basketball accomplishments may be the least interesting part of his life story, but it is worth noting that he played well against high level competition. Goodman was co-MVP of the 2000 Capital Classic game featuring some of the nation's top high school recruits. Other MVPs of the Capital Classic include LeBron James (2003) and Dwight Howard (2004). Maryland, which later won the 2002 NCAA title, offered Goodman a full scholarship. Goodman ended up not playing at Maryland because the school and the ACC were unwilling or unable to accommodate his observance of the Jewish Sabbath, which meant that Goodman could not play in any games from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Instead, Goodman went to Towson, a Division I school, and he averaged 6.0 ppg and 4.0 apg as a freshman while starting 23 of the 27 games that he played. Coach Mike Jaskulski accommodated Goodman's religious observance, but after a 12-17 season Towson fired Jaskulski. The next coach, Michael Hunt, clashed with Goodman, and Goodman filed an assault complaint after a locker room confrontation during which Hunt kicked a chair such that it hit Goodman's leg. Goodman subsequently dropped the complaint, and he never played for Towson again.
Goodman played in various Israeli professional basketball leagues for several seasons before knee injuries forced him to retire in 2009 when he was just 27 years old. Now, he lives in Israel with his wife Judy and their five children. Goodman is an entrepreneur, coach, educator, and motivational speaker who says, "Judaism actually helped me with basketball, because Judaism is a
blueprint. It's a way of life. It's, like, how to sleep, how
to eat, how to take care of your body, how to take care of your mind,
winning each day, giving back, playing for a higher purpose. I think
Judaism actually helped me be a better basketball player."
Here is Goodman's recent appearance on the Living Lchaim channel:
The whole podcast is worth a listen, but the most striking moment is the story of someone asking Goodman's high school coach Harold Katz (not the Harold Katz who owned the Philadelphia 76ers) if he thought the team would have a good season. Coach Katz replied that he would not know the answer for 30 years, until he saw what kinds of men, husbands, and fathers his players became. Podcast host Meredith Shiner concluded that Goodman and Katz are too modest to say it, but she is comfortable saying that the team had a successful season.
Becoming the best person you can be and then using your gifts to help other people is the ultimate win.
"A work of art contains its verification in itself: artificial, strained concepts do not withstand the test of being turned into images; they fall to pieces, turn out to be sickly and pale, convince no one. Works which draw on truth and present it to us in live and concentrated form grip us, compellingly involve us, and no one ever, not even ages hence, will come forth to refute them."--Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Lecture)
"The most 'popular,' the most 'successful' writers among us (for a brief period, at least) are, 99 times out of a hundred, persons of mere effrontery--in a word, busy-bodies, toadies, quacks."--Edgar Allan Poe
"In chess what counts is what you know, not whom you know. It's the way life is supposed to be, democratic and just."--Grandmaster Larry Evans
"It's not nuclear physics. You always remember that. But if you write about sports long enough, you're constantly coming back to the point that something buoys people; something makes you feel better for having been there. Something of value is at work there...Something is hallowed here. I think that something is excellence."--Tom Callahan
