Christmas season is here. Chances are, you’ve already opened your gifts, stuffed your belly, gone through the Temptations Christmas album at least nine times and spread plenty of holly, jolly Christmas cheer. I intended to send a heartfelt, thoughtful, drip-infused gift to each and every reader of In the Clutch. However, the way my bank account is set up…
Luckily for me, sports does not wait until Christmas time to bless us with amazing gifts. Sports give us great excitement, laughs, astonishment, joy, memories and memes all year long. Therefore I have decided to re-gift my favorite sports moments from 2020.
Magic Johnson pulls a SpongeBob
Magic Johnson took over as the Los Angeles Lakers’ team president in February of 2017. His mission was two-fold. First, he was tasked to restore the lost luster to the storied franchise by luring superstar players. Once those players were onboard, they would need to transform the struggling team into a championship contender.
Johnson achieved his primary goal by convincing LeBron James to sign a four-year deal with the Lakers in 2018. With James came massive expectations. Those expectations proved too much for Johnson. As he stood tasked with the tasks of firing Luke Walton and trying to negotiate a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, Johnson got sick and tired of being sick and tired.
On April 9, before the Lakers’ final game of the season, Johnson channeled his inner SpongeBob SquarePants, walked up to the nearby media affiliates and hit them with the proverbial, “Ight Imma head out.”
And with that, Magic Johnson disappeared from the Lakers front office.
Antetokounmpo wins MVP
Last season, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals. More importantly, the Bucks posted the best record in the NBA with 60 wins. The stellar season was enough to Euro step his way around James Harden and propel the “Greek Freak” to become the NBA MVP at just 24 years old.
Antetokounmpo is not just resting on his laurels in the first half of the 2019-20 season either. Thus far, he is averaging 31 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. It is clear that Antetokounmpo put in serious work on his three point shot in the offseason. This season he is knocking down 34.2 percent of his 5.1 three point attempts per game. Last season, he made 25.6 percent of his 2.8 attempts per game.
Through Sunday (Dec. 22), the Bucks boasted a 27-4 record – tops in the league. That puts the team on pace to win more than 70 games this season. It is highly unlikely the Bucks will keep that pace across 82 games. Still, landing anywhere near 70 games would likely guarantee another MVP trophy in 2020.
‘Scholarship High’ wins state title
As a proud graduate of Lutheran North, I dare not leave the Crusaders’ first state championship in 20 years off the list. It’s amazing that the Crusaders had been shut out of a state title since 1999. Historically, Lutheran North has fielded strong teams on the gridiron.
When Coach Carl Reed took over the program three years ago, he helped elevate the Crusaders to another level. After limiting Ava to just three first downs and 66 total yards in a dominating 49-0 victory in the state championship game, it is safe to say the level-up is complete.
Maybe more impressively, the small 2A school continues to send its players to major Division I programs. This season, Antonio Doyle signed with Texas A&M, Itayvion Brown signed with the University of Minnesota and Cameron Griffin has committed to Western Michigan. It is likely that many other players will commit and/or sign to play football at the next level in the coming months.
Now, “Scholarship High” is once again championship high.
Zion breaks out
One of the biggest events in college basketball (outside the NCAA Tournament) is Duke versus North Carolina. Back in February, the two college basketball titans faced off on national TV. It was the first Duke versus UNC matchup for heralded freshman (and eventual No. 1 draft pick) Zion Williamson.
Instead of the high-flying, gravity-defying show that everyone expected, Williamson made memories another way. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound freak of nature attempted to make a hard cut and his Nike shoe and disintegrated in front of thousands of fans and millions of eyes. Williamson was injured and could not finish the game.
Injuries have also postponed his NBA debut. Still, the exploding shoe is a moment that basketball fans will never forget.
Blues win the championship
As a kid, I stayed up many nights watching the St. Louis Blues play on Channel 11. I remember watching players like Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Curtis Joseph, Grant Fuhr and Al MacInnis roam the ice for the Blue Notes. Even the great Wayne Gretzky suited up one season in St. Louis.
Despite a history of good teams and a 25-season streak of playoff appearance from 1980 – 2004, the Blues never won a Stanley Cup – until 2019. To make the victory more impressive, the team went from worst-to-first to pull off the staggering feat.
Once Lord Stanley’s Cup finally made its way to STL, the metro area showed up and showed out. More than 500K folks showed up downtown to witness the team’s victory parade.
As 2020 approaches, this current Blues team is showing that last season’s championship was no fluke. Through 37 games, the Blues’ 23-8-6 record (52 points) is best in the league and gives the team a real chance to repeat as champions in 2020.
For more of 2019’s greatest gifts in sports, check out the latest video featuring Ishmael and Melvin Moore at youtube.com/stlamericanvideo. To follow In the Clutch online, visit stlamerican.com.
