Duke Ain’t Done Yet

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Now entering the third year of the post-Krzyzewski era, the Duke Blue Devils have firmly re-asserted themselves as the main characters of men’s college basketball heading into the 2024-25 season.

Leading the charge for Duke is Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 recruit of the 2024 class. Barring disaster, this will be the biggest star we’ve seen in a Blue Devils jersey since Zion Williamson. Thus far, Flagg has delivered on the hype, impressing fans, coaches, New Balance, and his future NBA competition at Team USA camp this summer.

But who will carry the flag once Flagg departs for the NBA? This weekend the Blue Devils answered that question, securing commitments from the Boozer twins Cameron and Cayden, the sons of Duke alum and NBA vet Carlos Boozer, to play for the school in 2025.

@playerstribune

Five-star basketball recruits and twin brothers Cameron and Cayden announce that they will be joining @Duke Basketball. #basketball

Flagg isn’t alone in headlining this year’s incoming class, as he will be joined by Khaman Maluach, who fans might remember from South Sudan’s epic run at the Paris Olympics this summer.

For a few years, it felt as though the vibes were shifting away from Duke, and with the NIL era shaking up college sports as a whole, who could tell if the Blue Devils would ever find themselves atop the world again. Today, it looks like Duke will once again be the epicenter of the sport for at least the next few years. The vibes at Cameron Indoor Stadium are always epic, but this year could be truly magical.

@offguardpod

Wine room, wine hallway, another wine room 🤯. Jimmy Butler’s crib is NUTS. #offguard #architecture #wine #jimmybutler #foryou #podcastclips

The biggest names to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame at Sunday’s ceremony weren’t players, but some of the most famous fans the sport has ever seen.

Spike Lee, who has had courtside real estate at Madison Square Garden through every Knicks era, and Jack Nicholson, who held a similar streak at the Staples Center, are two of the supporters who had their names etched into basketball history.

Leading the players who were inducted into the Hall this year were Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups, who each built their legacies in their own unique way. Billups is an NBA Finals MVP who led the Pistons to a title in 2004. Carter’s iconic moments, many of them dunks, could go toe-to-toe with any highlight reel in league history.

Media also got some shine this year at the Hall of Fame, with SLAM magazine and ‘NBA Inside Stuff’ both earning honors. We’re probably still a few years from anyone from NBA Twitter making it to the Hall, but with SLAM’s inclusion, there might be a path.