The Chicago Bulls are keeping it close to home with their training camp contracts after signing guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward E.J. Liddell. Both players have local ties — and are looking for a refresh.
Horton-Tucker led Simeon to three consecutive Chicago Public League championships from 2016-18 before making a strong impression as a freshman at Iowa State. After the Los Angeles Lakers picked him up in a draft-night trade in 2019, Horton-Tucker became an important rotational player for the 2020 NBA champions.
But despite the promise of that season — at 19, he became the second-youngest player to win an NBA title — Horton-Tucker struggled to mesh into a steady role with the Lakers, averaging 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists over the next two seasons. He was traded to the Utah Jazz in 2022, and his playing time dwindled until his contract expired.
Liddell played high school basketball for Belleville West and was named Mr. Basketball of Illinois in 2018 and 2019 before playing three seasons at Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
A second-round pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022, Liddell didn’t see the court as a rookie after suffering an ACL tear in his summer-league debut. He played eight games for the Pelicans last season before they traded him in July to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a package for Dejounte Murray. The Hawks then dealt him to the Phoenix Suns for David Roddy, and he was waived last month.
The Bulls will host media day Sept. 30 and begin training camp Oct. 1. The season kicks off with a road game against the Pelicans on Oct. 23, and the Bulls will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in their home opener Oct. 26.
Angel Reese launches podcast
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese debuted her podcast, “Unapologetically Angel,” last week as her latest off-the-court venture.
The podcast is produced through Playmaker HQ, a media company founded by Shaquille O’Neal, who has been a mentor to Reese. The company also produces “The Roommates” podcast, hosted by New York Knicks players and former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
On the first episode, Reese explained her four-game absence at the start of her final season at LSU, talked about her relationship with college teammates Flau’jae Johnson and Hailey Van Lith, outlined her goals with the Sky and confronted the narrative around her dynamic with Caitlin Clark.
Angel Reese opens up about her relationship with Hailey Van Lith
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/PRkTaOPw0g pic.twitter.com/C07zXdPsJP
— Unapologetically Angel (@angelreeseshow) September 6, 2024
The podcast will continue to be released on Thursdays despite Reese’s season-ending injury.
DeMar DeRozan looks back on his time in Chicago
Former Bulls star DeMar DeRozan is spending the final weeks of the offseason on a different schedule: a book tour to promote his memoir, “Above the Noise.”
Book promotion landed him back on Paul George’s “Podcast P” this week, and DeRozan walked through the process that led to him walking away from Chicago in free agency to join the Sacramento Kings. DeRozan said his decision not to re-sign with the Bulls did not come as a surprise to anyone internally involved with those negotiations — especially teammate Zach LaVine, with whom he spent years discussing the future on flights and between practice sessions.
Although DeRozan did not articulate any regret with his decision, he emphasized that his bond with younger players such as Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Coby White and Dalen Terry energized him during his time with the Bulls — and made it harder to leave.
“I was so close with all of the guys that I wanted to be a part of their success as well as their growth,” DeRozan said. “I watch how hard these dudes work. I didn’t want to see it go. I wanted to be a part of their success.
“It was like ‘Come on, man, we got to do this.’ Because if it goes the other way, from the top, they got to make a decision. And when they make a decision, it’s going to go down a whole route that may prolong you (not) seeing success.”
Silver medal for Ixhelt González
Chicago native Ixhelt González and the U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team brought home a silver medal from the Paris Paralympics, which ended last weekend. The U.S. earned its spot in the gold-medal game after storming back to beat China by three points in the semifinals.
But the U.S. couldn’t withstand the veteran firepower of the Netherlands, which returned 11 of 12 players from its gold-medal roster in Tokyo. The Dutch won handily 63-49, and González logged eight points, six rebounds and one assist. This is the second Olympic medal for González, who won bronze in Tokyo at age 17.
What we’re reading
- The Shot, 25 years later: Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon reflects on the joy and pain surrounding her career-defining play
- The Sky couldn’t win without Chennedy Carter. Can they turn the corner — and make the playoffs — with her back?
- Why are the Sky still struggling to feed the ball to Kamilla Cardoso? And can they find a solution in time?
- Sky rookie Angel Reese suffers a season-ending wrist injury, bringing her record-breaking year to an unexpected finish
- What’s next for the Sky after Angel Reese’s season-ending injury?
Sky dates to watch
The Sky will play their final regular-season home game Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury have hinted this might be one of the final regular-season games for veteran star Diana Taurasi, who is in her 21st WNBA season.
The Sky will end the regular season on the road against the Atlanta Dream (Tuesday) and Connecticut Sun (Sept. 19). The Sky led the Dream by one game for the final playoff spot entering Atlanta’s home game Tuesday night against the Minnesota Lynx.
The Sky also hold a 2-1 tiebreaker advantage over the Dream in the season series. If the Dream level the series Tuesday, the next tiebreaker is conference record. The Sky also have the advantage there at 5-12 versus the Dream’s 4-12 record.
What’s next for the Chicago Sky after Angel Reese’s season-ending injury?
Quotable
“We’re going to definitely play on the same team someday.” — Angel Reese on her relationship with Caitlin Clark via her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast
