Tim Duncan retires after 19 NBA seasons

Tim Duncan, the iconic player of San Antonio Spurs, decided at 40 put an end his career after 19 seasons in the NBA, announced Monday the Spurs.
This decision was widely expected by the leaders of the Spurs and their fans : Duncan was under contract until 2017, but he had indicated at the end of the 2015-16 season he wanted to think about before deciding whether to continue his career.
Duncan with Gregg Popovich, the Spurs coach, the cornerstone of the Texas franchise with which he won five NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014). He forms with the French Tony Parker and Argentine Manu Ginobili the "Big Three" most prolific in the history of the NBA. With this trio, nicknamed "The Big Fundamental", the Spurs have won 1,072 regular-season games with a win rate of 71%, the highest in the last 19 years in all US professional leagues. Shy and discreet outside flooring, Duncan was not player to highlight with angry dunks and statement-shock.
He won the trophy for best NBA player (MVP) twice (2002, 2003). Since his beginnings in San Antonio in 1997, the power forward shows averages of 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. This season, his statistics dropped with 8.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 25 minutes per game. He was particularly bothered by pain in his left knee.
Second in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season, San Antonio was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Oklahoma City (4-2). The Spurs began the transition since several seasons and became the team of Kawhi Leonard, supported since last season by LaMarcus Aldridge. He will be replaced numerically by Spanish Pau Gasol, who arrived this summer from the Chicago Bulls.


Source : Le Monde

Draymond Green arrested for assault

Draymond Green , 26, was arrested that Sunday in an East Lansing City restaurant in Michigan, state where he played four years in the NCAA championship. Police said that Green was involved in an altercation with another man. Neither was injured. The Warriors player was released on bail of 200 dollars and will go to court on July 20.
Green is one of the dozen players expected to join the American team for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. This season, he scored 14 points, made 9.5 rebounds and made 7.4 assists per game on average, allowing Golden State to reach the NBA Finals, lost face the Cleveland Cavaliers.


Source : L'Equipe

“I was very wrong” to post image of officer being killed

Tension is high in recent days in the United States, and some players didn't hesitate to approach the subject of police violence.
Isaiah Crowell did a very direct way, by publishing on his Instagram account a violent drawing of a policeman about to be slaughtered. He quickly removed the image, but a controversy was already launched.
"Last week was difficult, and there were a lot of emotions because we have seen acts of extreme violence against black men across the nation, but also against police officers in Dallas", now explains the runner in a statement. "I put online an image under the influence of that emotion. I shouldn't have, and I immediately deleted. It was a very bad decision, I apologize for this error and to have shocked people".
On the side of the franchise, we want to mark the occasion.
"It was completely inappropriate and we told him of our disappointment," said the statement from the team. "Isaiah apologized, but he also knows that an apology will not be enough, and it must show that he can make the difference in a positive way after this very negative message."


Source : TouchDown Actu

Five policemen killed at a rally in Dallas

The fire broke out Thursday night at around 21 pm. On the sidelines of a rally in Dallas to denounce police violences against the black American community in the United States, five policemen were killed and six others wounded by gunfire.
The Dallas' Chief of Police, David Brown, said during a press conference that two snipers opened fire on ten policemen from high positions. Another shooting, in which an eleventh officer was hit, broke out between the police and another suspect. The latter said he had placed bombs "everywhere", said David Brown. "The suspect with whom we are negotiating and who exchanged fire with us over the last 45 minutes said to our negotiators there are bombs everywhere" in the city center, said Chief of the police.
American TV channels earlier reported that several traffic officers were targeted by gunfire in downtown Dallas, where protesters had gathered to denounce what they consider as the murder of two black people by white policemen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Minneapolis.
According to the local forces of order, shooters, whose motive is not yet known, have also threatened to place a bomb in downtown Dallas. Two suspects were arrested, mostly Dallas' police said in a statement posted on Twitter. But there, the authorities explain that the identification of suspects is difficult.
Earlier, authorities posted a photo of a suspect, a black man wearing a camouflage shirt and an automatic assault rifle slung in the middle of the protesters. Except that there is no indication at this stage that he participated in the shooting. The latter went to the local authorities after his photo circulated on social networks.
Since the start of protests against police violence in the US, and race riots that across the country last year, never such an event had occurred. The officers were deliberately targeted.


Source : RFI

Suicide attacks in three cities of Saudi Arabia

Kamikazes blew themselves up Monday in three cities of Saudi Arabia, the second last day of Ramadan and at the approach of feast of Eid which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month.
A terrorist died by activating explosives near the mosque the security post of the Prophet in Medina, the second holiest city of Islam where two guards were killed.
Pictures circulating on social networks show black smoke and flames near the mosque which houses the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina.
Two explosions also rocked the city of Qatif, in east of the country, where live many members of the Shiite minority in the kingdom, relate some witnesses who say they saw human remains probably from a kamikaze. A resident of Qatif reached by telephone by Reuters said that the explosion was apparently not made a victim out of the attacker. Civil Defense cleaned the bombing site where police fell for clues, he added.
After several attacks committed last year against mosques in Shiite neighborhoods of Qatif, volunteer groups have been created to ensure security of places of worship.

These attacks, which occurred in the early evening was preceded by another attack, committed in the night from Sunday to Monday in front of the US consulate in Jeddah, the second largest city of Saudi Arabia.


Source : M6 Info