The 2022-23 NBA offseason as told by social media
The 2022-23 NBA regular season is just over 24 hours away, but before the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Boston Celtics in the season opener, there's a lot to catch up on from the offseason.
From weddings and magical summer basketball to a scuffle among teammates, there has been plenty of activity during the NBA's absence.
Here is a month-by-month overview of the biggest moments of the offseason:
June
Scotty Pippen Jr. and Shareef O'Neal, sons of NBA Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O'Neal, teamed up on the Los Angeles Lakers for the California Classic and NBA 2K23 Summer League in Las Vegas.
Both players acknowledged the high bar set by their fathers.
"I would definitely say there's a different type of camaraderie for guys whose dads played in the NBA," Pippen Jr. said.
"I know it's always going to be there, the comparison," O'Neal said. "Every kid is going to get compared to their dad who does the same thing as them. So that's going to be there. It doesn't bother me."
Off the court,Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love married Canadian model Kate Bock in a Great Gatsby-themed wedding at the end of June. LeBron James, Jordan Clarkson, JR Smith and Richard Jefferson were some of his former teammates who were in attendance and posed for a picture.
"It was everything. The ceremony was perfect, the venue glowed, the guests were endless smiling and we couldn't have felt more loved. We only wish we could have lived through every moment for longer," Bock wrote on Instagram.
July
Several pro-am basketball leagues saw some star power this year, but the Drew League kicked it all off in July. LeBron made his return to the league alongside Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan on the MMV Cheaters. Atlanta Hawks teammates Trae Young and John Collins also played.
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant,LA Clippersforward Paul George andPhiladelphia 76ersguard James Harden were among the players who sat courtside for the action.
August
LeBron made the second stop on his pro-am basketball league summer tour at former NBA guard and three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford's CrawsOver tournament. The Lakers superstar returned to Seattle for the first time since his last road game against the Sonics in January 2007.
Jayson Tatum and Dejounte Murray were the two other All-Stars to take the court. A handful of first-round picks from this year's draft in Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, MarJon Beauchamp and Tari Eason also played in the game.
Unfortunately, Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury in his right foot that will cause him to miss the season, and the event was cut short because of condensation on the court.
Meanwhile,Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green married actress Hazel Renee in a Malibu wedding that had a star-studded guest list.
LeBron posed for photos with Green and Stephen Curry, and later pointed out that the trio owns a total of a dozen championship rings.
Tatum,Juan Toscano-Anderson and Seth Curry were among the other NBA players present for the nuptials.
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, sports agent Rich Paul and golfer Michelle Wie West, whose husband, Jonnie, is Golden State's director of basketball operations, were also spotted at the event.
September
Washington Wizards star Kyle Kuzma participated in New York Fashion Week and walked the runway in the Puma Futrograde show.
Kuzma inked a five-year deal with Puma in 2019 while he was still a member of the Lakers.
Patrick Beverley was signed to the Lakers, uniting him with "best friend" Russell Westbrook.
Their complicated history dates back to a first-round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets in the 2013 NBA playoffs. Westbrook suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and missed the rest of the playoffs after Beverley collided with him while lunging for a steal.
They've had multiple run-ins since then, and the feud was back in the spotlight in 2019 when Westbrook commented on Beverley's status as an elite defender.
"Pat Bev trick y'all, man, like he plays defense. He don't guard nobody, man. It's just running around, doing nothing," Westbrook said.
"He damaged my career," Beverley later responded on JJ Redick's podcast, "The Old Man and the Three." "Like, coaching staffs and players, fans, they looked at me way different."
The new teammates appeared to have put their differences aside ahead of their season opener.
October
Six-time All-Star Damian Lillard served as the art director to help design thePortland Trail Blazers' Statement Edition uniforms. Portland's "pinwheel" logo will be featured prominently on the front of the jersey for the first time ever.
A video showing Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in a scuffle during practice was made public.
Green apologized for the incident and briefly stepped away from the team.
A documentary on the 2008 U.S. men's basketball team titled "The Redeem Team" was released on Netflix. The film's executive producers included LeBron and Dwyane Wade.
