June 2025

There were 1,837 posts published in June 2025 (this is page 148 of 184).

Yes ‘Cers! The 10 most mind-blowing stats on how absurd Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers have been in the clutch

The Indiana Pacers are three wins away from being crowned the 2025 NBA champions.

For head coach Rick Carlisle, star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers, three is the only number that matters.

But for us, the audience, we need to look at some more numbers to make sense of what we’re watching. Because words can sometimes fail. Especially after the Pacers mounted yet another last-second miracle in Thursday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Here are the 10 most mind-boggling facts about the Pacers’ heroics in clutch moments this postseason:

That’s right, in the final 120 seconds of games this regular season and postseason combined, with an opportunity to tie or take the lead, Haliburton has missed only two of his 15 attempts from the floor, according to Stathead.com shot tracking. Six of those makes were 3-pointers. Actually, one of those was a 4-pointer at the buzzer against Milwaukee back in March. It was an impossible shot, soaring above Giannis Antetokounmpo’s outstretched arms.

When we account for the added value of the 3-point shot, Haliburton is effectively shooting 106.7% from the floor on these shots, which is also what we call “effective field goal percentage.”

He’s shooting so efficiently on these close-and-late shots that making 15 straight layups would be less effective.

Let’s frame this another way: against his peers.

To better understand how remarkable it is that Haliburton has shot 13 of 15 on these super clutch shots, consider that all players total are shooting 38% on these shots. Which makes sense because defenses are locked in on trying to make it extra difficult for shooters in these big moments.

Some really good players have had little success in these moments. Really good players like …

Granted, the MVP hasn’t been trailing or tied in late-game situations much this season because the Thunder have often been too busy blowing out their opponents. But I can’t help but point out that, in a showdown of these two All-Star point guards, one player is 13 of 15 and the other hasn’t made a single shot in this scenario.

The most recent example was SGA’s missed midrange jumper at the end of Game 3 against Denver. He tried to take Christian Braun one-on-one and flung an off-balance 12-footer off the back iron. The game went into overtime. He missed six other opportunities this season, all coming in the regular season.

Most players, even All-Stars, miss these shots more often than not. In fact …

Stack them all together and they’ve collectively gone 0-of-TWENTY-FIVE.

The aforementioned Gilgeous-Alexander is still searching for his first made bucket of the season in this scenario, after seven tries. That’s a little better than 2021-22 All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins, who fired up eight errant shots without a make in Golden State and Miami this season. That’s the most for any player without a made field goal in this situation this season. Again, Haliburton has made — count ’em — 13 of these clutch shots.

Zach LaVine has also missed all four of his offerings. Paul George is 0 for 3. Zion Williamson has missed both of his shots, and Beal misfired on his only opportunity — a layup against Dallas in November. Six All-Stars, zero makes, 25 tries. That’s how good Haliburton has been.

What about just this postseason?

Well …

This one is courtesy of the great Keerthika Uthayakumar, who has been churning out bangers all season long.

She tells us that Hali’s six made buckets in these situations are the most such shots we’ve seen in any one postseason since 1997.

To drill this down even further, Haliburton has made more of these shots (six) than the Thunder, Timberwolves, Warriors, Cavs, Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, Pistons, Magic, Heat and Bucks combined this postseason (five). That’s 11 entire teams compared to one man.

But those are just seven shot attempts. Let’s expand the criteria.

Some might say the above four stats are too narrow in scope. What about the daggers? The ones where you stretch a tiny lead late in the game into an insurmountable one? Shouldn’t those count, too?

Let’s take a more comprehensive look that will also look at shots that ice a game for a team. Over at Inpredictable.com, the great Mike Beuoy has built a metric that aggregates how much a player adds or subtracts to his team’s win probability with his shot-making (or oftentimes, shot-missing). The concept is simple. It takes a reading of a team’s chances of winning before a player takes a shot (say, 60%) and after a player takes a shot (say, 90%). It calculates the difference in those two figures (90%-60% = +30%) and then credits or debits the net figure to the shooting player (+30%). Add it all up for a player’s shots across a postseason and you can see how a player’s makes and misses shake out in the end.

According to Inpredictable data, Haliburton’s “shooting clutch win probability added” this postseason is the highest in the NBA’s play-by-play era, which began in 1997. No player had added more than two “wins” purely by his aggregated shotmaking (+20% here, -2% there, +5% here, etc).

Until Haliburton.

LeBron James in 2013 and 2018 had held the record in clutch shotmaking since 1997 with 1.86 wins and 1.82 wins, respectively. With Thursday’s shot, Haliburton has now surged all the way to 2.48 wins this postseason alone. He’s 33% higher than the previous record.

Remember, this metric also incorporates your misses. So a player that has just a smattering of clutch makes amid a sea of misses will get docked for the failures, too. That’s why, even though Haliburton has hit several game-winners this postseason, he’s “only” at 2.48 wins added. Misses will drag down a players’ overall score.

Anyway, check out this chart that Beuoy shared on Thursday night:

Kobe Bryant’s best? Hali’s been better. Damian Lillard? Steph Curry? Hali’s shotmaking takes the cake.

Maybe Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Bird were more clutch in their shot-making back in their day. Unfortunately, we don’t have complete play-by-play data before 1997 to grade them on the same scale. But we can say with reasonable certainty that Haliburton has been the best in this regard in the last 29 seasons of data. (For those keeping score: SGA’s shots-only Clutch WPA this postseason is 0.20, which is 28th among players in the 2025 playoffs and third on OKC.)

Now, if you want a bespoke version of this win probability added metric, Beouy has you covered. And guess what, when you incorporate assists, rebounds and other box score stats …

6. Haliburton is also No. 1 in clutch win probability added for any postseason since 1997 — not just shot-making

There are other ways to be clutch that aren’t covered in the previous metric. A player could get a critical rebound, dish out a clutch assist, rise up for a big-time block. Or on the other side of the ledger, cough up the ball in a big moment. It’s important to note that the above metric only examines shot-making — like the jumper Haliburton drilled in OKC with 0.3 seconds left. He has loads of those that have gone his way, and almost none that hasn’t. That’s why he’s lapping the field.

But Haliburton also almost never turns over the ball. So if he doesn’t miss a ton and he takes good care of the ball, he’s going to be an elite clutch player. But how elite?

Turns out, Haliburton’s total Clutch WPA stands at 2.54 wins this postseason, slightly higher than his shots-only total, which tells us that his secondary play has only improved his clutch standing. The only player whose postseason ledger comes close to Haliburton’s figure is Dirk Nowitzki’s 2.15 Clutch WPA mark during his epic run to the 2011 championship. Again, Haliburton stands above the rest.

Here is a list of Haliburton’s clutch plays/misplays and the corresponding WPA. LOOK AT ALL THAT GREEN.

Compare that forest of green to All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham, who has the lowest Clutch WPA.

And Haliburton got named by the players as the most overrated player in the game. In terms of clutch play, it’s him and Nowitzki’s 2011 title run and then the rest. There’s a statue outside the Mavericks’ arena commemorating Nowitzki. At this point, we might need to fast-track a Haliburton statue outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

On Thursday night after the shocker, Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor made the astute point that Indiana goes against the grain by running their stuff in critical moments without getting bogged down in iso-ball. Teams usually try to slow things down and go one-on-one to avoid turnovers that can happen as a result of passes getting intercepted.

But the Pacers are indeed unique in this way. Haliburton has just one clutch turnover this postseason in 33 minutes of action and a whopping eight assists. Andrew Nembhard has three assists and one turnover. Pascal Siakam also has an assist, with no turnovers. Individually, that’s 12 turnovers to just two assists (they also had one team turnover). Contrast that assist-to-turnover ratio in the clutch with the New York Knicks, who logged 13 assists to 14 turnovers in their 49 minutes of clutch action.

The exquisite ball-handling for the Pacers has kept teams like the Knicks and Thunder at bay in crunch time. How good are they as a team in these clutch situations? Glad you asked …

The only loss came against the Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals after KAT rattled off 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Other than that? The Pacers haven’t been beaten in eight games that entered the league’s official clutch zone (game within five points in the final five minutes). They stole two from Milwaukee, three from Cleveland and one each in the last two rounds. Eight wins and just one loss in these nerve-wrecking games.

How good is that record? There have been 73 teams since the 1998 playoffs that have played in at least nine “clutch” games. The Pacers’ .889 win percentage in those close games is the best record for any of them.

It tops the 1998 Bulls and the 2007 Spurs, who went 9-2 (.818) in their respective title runs. The Pacers have been more victorious in these tight games than the Hall of Fame rosters of the Warriors, the Kobe-Shaq Lakers and the LeBron squads that went to eight straight Finals.

Before this run, could you say there were any surefire Hall of Famers on this Pacers roster? That might change if they win this whole thing …

Is Indiana the most clutch team we’ve ever seen? The data points to one answer: Yes ‘Cers.

Per Inpredictable.com’s win probability charts, the Pacers have won three games this postseason when they had, at one point or another, 1-in-434 or longer odds to win based on clock, score and possession.

In the Eastern Conference finals Game 1, the Pacers had just a 0.05% chance of winning (1-in-1,999 to be precise) in the fourth quarter when they were down 14 with 3:44 left. They won 138-135. In Game 2 against the Cavs, Cleveland enjoyed a seven-point lead with 48 seconds left, leaving the Pacers with a measly 0.21% chance of winning. The Pacers won 120-119. In the closeout game against Milwaukee in the first round, they pulled off a similar miracle, turning around a seven-point deficit with 43 seconds left, bottoming out at 0.23% to win. The Pacers won 119-118.

The craziest part? The OKC reversal on Thursday night doesn’t even make the cut.

In Game 1 of the Finals, the Pacers faced just a 2.3% chance of pulling off the upset, down nine with 2:52 remaining in the game. Of course, they won 111-110 after Haliburton’s clutch jumper. That’s the sixth-largest comeback of this postseason. The top three, you guessed it, belong to the Pacers.

So, to recap, the Pacers won games in which they had just a 0.05% chance, 0.21% chance, a 0.23% chance and a 2.3% chance. To pull off one of those wins is a miracle. But to do all four?

If you do the math …

That means if we ran those four games again, at their lowest points, 17 billion times, we’d only see it happen once.

And we were alive to see it.

How’s that for clutch?

Yes ‘Cers! The 10 most mind-blowing stats on how absurd Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers have been in the clutch

The Indiana Pacers are three wins away from being crowned the 2025 NBA champions.

For head coach Rick Carlisle, star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers, three is the only number that matters.

But for us, the audience, we need to look at some more numbers to make sense of what we’re watching. Because words can sometimes fail. Especially after the Pacers mounted yet another last-second miracle in Thursday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Here are the 10 most mind-boggling facts about the Pacers’ heroics in clutch moments this postseason:

That’s right, in the final 120 seconds of games this regular season and postseason combined, with an opportunity to tie or take the lead, Haliburton has missed only two of his 15 attempts from the floor, according to Stathead.com shot tracking. Six of those makes were 3-pointers. Actually, one of those was a 4-pointer at the buzzer against Milwaukee back in March. It was an impossible shot, soaring above Giannis Antetokounmpo’s outstretched arms.

When we account for the added value of the 3-point shot, Haliburton is effectively shooting 106.7% from the floor on these shots, which is also what we call “effective field goal percentage.”

He’s shooting so efficiently on these close-and-late shots that making 15 straight layups would be less effective.

Let’s frame this another way: against his peers.

To better understand how remarkable it is that Haliburton has shot 13 of 15 on these super clutch shots, consider that all players total are shooting 38% on these shots. Which makes sense because defenses are locked in on trying to make it extra difficult for shooters in these big moments.

Some really good players have had little success in these moments. Really good players like …

Granted, the MVP hasn’t been trailing or tied in late-game situations much this season because the Thunder have often been too busy blowing out their opponents. But I can’t help but point out that, in a showdown of these two All-Star point guards, one player is 13 of 15 and the other hasn’t made a single shot in this scenario.

The most recent example was SGA’s missed midrange jumper at the end of Game 3 against Denver. He tried to take Christian Braun one-on-one and flung an off-balance 12-footer off the back iron. The game went into overtime. He missed six other opportunities this season, all coming in the regular season.

Most players, even All-Stars, miss these shots more often than not. In fact …

Stack them all together and they’ve collectively gone 0-of-TWENTY-FIVE.

The aforementioned Gilgeous-Alexander is still searching for his first made bucket of the season in this scenario, after seven tries. That’s a little better than 2021-22 All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins, who fired up eight errant shots without a make in Golden State and Miami this season. That’s the most for any player without a made field goal in this situation this season. Again, Haliburton has made — count ’em — 13 of these clutch shots.

Zach LaVine has also missed all four of his offerings. Paul George is 0 for 3. Zion Williamson has missed both of his shots, and Beal misfired on his only opportunity — a layup against Dallas in November. Six All-Stars, zero makes, 25 tries. That’s how good Haliburton has been.

What about just this postseason?

Well …

This one is courtesy of the great Keerthika Uthayakumar, who has been churning out bangers all season long.

She tells us that Hali’s six made buckets in these situations are the most such shots we’ve seen in any one postseason since 1997.

To drill this down even further, Haliburton has made more of these shots (six) than the Thunder, Timberwolves, Warriors, Cavs, Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, Pistons, Magic, Heat and Bucks combined this postseason (five). That’s 11 entire teams compared to one man.

But those are just seven shot attempts. Let’s expand the criteria.

Some might say the above four stats are too narrow in scope. What about the daggers? The ones where you stretch a tiny lead late in the game into an insurmountable one? Shouldn’t those count, too?

Let’s take a more comprehensive look that will also look at shots that ice a game for a team. Over at Inpredictable.com, the great Mike Beuoy has built a metric that aggregates how much a player adds or subtracts to his team’s win probability with his shot-making (or oftentimes, shot-missing). The concept is simple. It takes a reading of a team’s chances of winning before a player takes a shot (say, 60%) and after a player takes a shot (say, 90%). It calculates the difference in those two figures (90%-60% = +30%) and then credits or debits the net figure to the shooting player (+30%). Add it all up for a player’s shots across a postseason and you can see how a player’s makes and misses shake out in the end.

According to Inpredictable data, Haliburton’s “shooting clutch win probability added” this postseason is the highest in the NBA’s play-by-play era, which began in 1997. No player had added more than two “wins” purely by his aggregated shotmaking (+20% here, -2% there, +5% here, etc).

Until Haliburton.

LeBron James in 2013 and 2018 had held the record in clutch shotmaking since 1997 with 1.86 wins and 1.82 wins, respectively. With Thursday’s shot, Haliburton has now surged all the way to 2.48 wins this postseason alone. He’s 33% higher than the previous record.

Remember, this metric also incorporates your misses. So a player that has just a smattering of clutch makes amid a sea of misses will get docked for the failures, too. That’s why, even though Haliburton has hit several game-winners this postseason, he’s “only” at 2.48 wins added. Misses will drag down a players’ overall score.

Anyway, check out this chart that Beuoy shared on Thursday night:

Kobe Bryant’s best? Hali’s been better. Damian Lillard? Steph Curry? Hali’s shotmaking takes the cake.

Maybe Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Bird were more clutch in their shot-making back in their day. Unfortunately, we don’t have complete play-by-play data before 1997 to grade them on the same scale. But we can say with reasonable certainty that Haliburton has been the best in this regard in the last 29 seasons of data. (For those keeping score: SGA’s shots-only Clutch WPA this postseason is 0.20, which is 28th among players in the 2025 playoffs and third on OKC.)

Now, if you want a bespoke version of this win probability added metric, Beouy has you covered. And guess what, when you incorporate assists, rebounds and other box score stats …

6. Haliburton is also No. 1 in clutch win probability added for any postseason since 1997 — not just shot-making

There are other ways to be clutch that aren’t covered in the previous metric. A player could get a critical rebound, dish out a clutch assist, rise up for a big-time block. Or on the other side of the ledger, cough up the ball in a big moment. It’s important to note that the above metric only examines shot-making — like the jumper Haliburton drilled in OKC with 0.3 seconds left. He has loads of those that have gone his way, and almost none that hasn’t. That’s why he’s lapping the field.

But Haliburton also almost never turns over the ball. So if he doesn’t miss a ton and he takes good care of the ball, he’s going to be an elite clutch player. But how elite?

Turns out, Haliburton’s total Clutch WPA stands at 2.54 wins this postseason, slightly higher than his shots-only total, which tells us that his secondary play has only improved his clutch standing. The only player whose postseason ledger comes close to Haliburton’s figure is Dirk Nowitzki’s 2.15 Clutch WPA mark during his epic run to the 2011 championship. Again, Haliburton stands above the rest.

Here is a list of Haliburton’s clutch plays/misplays and the corresponding WPA. LOOK AT ALL THAT GREEN.

Compare that forest of green to All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham, who has the lowest Clutch WPA.

And Haliburton got named by the players as the most overrated player in the game. In terms of clutch play, it’s him and Nowitzki’s 2011 title run and then the rest. There’s a statue outside the Mavericks’ arena commemorating Nowitzki. At this point, we might need to fast-track a Haliburton statue outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

On Thursday night after the shocker, Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor made the astute point that Indiana goes against the grain by running their stuff in critical moments without getting bogged down in iso-ball. Teams usually try to slow things down and go one-on-one to avoid turnovers that can happen as a result of passes getting intercepted.

But the Pacers are indeed unique in this way. Haliburton has just one clutch turnover this postseason in 33 minutes of action and a whopping eight assists. Andrew Nembhard has three assists and one turnover. Pascal Siakam also has an assist, with no turnovers. Individually, that’s 12 turnovers to just two assists (they also had one team turnover). Contrast that assist-to-turnover ratio in the clutch with the New York Knicks, who logged 13 assists to 14 turnovers in their 49 minutes of clutch action.

The exquisite ball-handling for the Pacers has kept teams like the Knicks and Thunder at bay in crunch time. How good are they as a team in these clutch situations? Glad you asked …

The only loss came against the Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals after KAT rattled off 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Other than that? The Pacers haven’t been beaten in eight games that entered the league’s official clutch zone (game within five points in the final five minutes). They stole two from Milwaukee, three from Cleveland and one each in the last two rounds. Eight wins and just one loss in these nerve-wrecking games.

How good is that record? There have been 73 teams since the 1998 playoffs that have played in at least nine “clutch” games. The Pacers’ .889 win percentage in those close games is the best record for any of them.

It tops the 1998 Bulls and the 2007 Spurs, who went 9-2 (.818) in their respective title runs. The Pacers have been more victorious in these tight games than the Hall of Fame rosters of the Warriors, the Kobe-Shaq Lakers and the LeBron squads that went to eight straight Finals.

Before this run, could you say there were any surefire Hall of Famers on this Pacers roster? That might change if they win this whole thing …

Is Indiana the most clutch team we’ve ever seen? The data points to one answer: Yes ‘Cers.

Per Inpredictable.com’s win probability charts, the Pacers have won three games this postseason when they had, at one point or another, 1-in-434 or longer odds to win based on clock, score and possession.

In the Eastern Conference finals Game 1, the Pacers had just a 0.05% chance of winning (1-in-1,999 to be precise) in the fourth quarter when they were down 14 with 3:44 left. They won 138-135. In Game 2 against the Cavs, Cleveland enjoyed a seven-point lead with 48 seconds left, leaving the Pacers with a measly 0.21% chance of winning. The Pacers won 120-119. In the closeout game against Milwaukee in the first round, they pulled off a similar miracle, turning around a seven-point deficit with 43 seconds left, bottoming out at 0.23% to win. The Pacers won 119-118.

The craziest part? The OKC reversal on Thursday night doesn’t even make the cut.

In Game 1 of the Finals, the Pacers faced just a 2.3% chance of pulling off the upset, down nine with 2:52 remaining in the game. Of course, they won 111-110 after Haliburton’s clutch jumper. That’s the sixth-largest comeback of this postseason. The top three, you guessed it, belong to the Pacers.

So, to recap, the Pacers won games in which they had just a 0.05% chance, 0.21% chance, a 0.23% chance and a 2.3% chance. To pull off one of those wins is a miracle. But to do all four?

If you do the math …

That means if we ran those four games again, at their lowest points, 17 billion times, we’d only see it happen once.

And we were alive to see it.

How’s that for clutch?

Player input was a factor in Knicks’ decision to fire Tom Thibodeau

The Knicks shocked the basketball world earlier this week, firing head coach Tom Thibodeau. 

Thibodeau helped turn the organization around — leading them to the playoffs four times during his five seasons at the helm, including this year when they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Still, ownership and the front office decided it was time to move in a different direction. 

According to SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, player input during their end of season meetings with owner James Dolan in attendance was a factor in the ultimate decision to move on from Thibodeau. 

Players were respectful of the veteran coach, who they have a great deal of respect and admiration for, but they also pointed out in those meetings that there were things Thibodeau did that could be improved.

They’ll look for those things to change under their next head coach — who will be the 32nd in franchise history.

Who that will be remains to be seen, but numerous candidates have been mentioned over the past few days.

According to Begley, Houston’s Ime Udoka, Minnesota’s Chris Finch, and Dallas’ Jason Kidd are among the coaches currently under contract who the Knicks have degrees of interest in.

Report: New York to ask Dallas for permission to talk to Jason Kidd about becoming head coach

The New York Knicks — searching for a new coach after the firing of Tom Thibodeau, who led them to the Eastern Conference Finals — are expected to ask permission of the Dallas Mavericks to talk to Jason Kidd about coming to Manhattan, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line in his latest Substack missive.

“The New York Knicks are expected to formally request permission to speak to the Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Kidd about their coaching vacancy in coming days, league sources say… A precise hierarchy of potential Knicks targets to replace Thibodeau has yet to emerge, but some in league coaching circles believe that Kidd… is at the top of New York’s wish list.”

Kidd coached Brunson for a year in Dallas, and the two had a good relationship (Brunson’s issues in Dallas were about his next contract and feeling lowballed and disrespected, not the coaching).

Two big questions emerge here. First, would Dallas give permission for New York to talk to Kidd? Mavs ownership/management can say no, which is reportedly what Houston would do if New York called about Ime Udoka (Stein wrote that the Knicks would like Udoka, but knows they would be turned down if they asked). As a standard practice, if the coach is open to it, teams will let their coach have those conversations with another team, but if things get serious and the coach wants to move on then draft compensation has to come back to the coach’s current team (and the Knicks are not flush with draft picks to send to Dallas). Kidd signed an extension with Dallas that runs through 2027 and by all accounts is happy there, Stein reports.

Second, would Kidd want the job? ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the outlet’s “Hoop Collective” podcast that Kidd’s “ears would perk up” at the idea, adding that the Knicks need to bring in a “relationship guy” and Kidd fits that bill.

“Listen, one of the names that’s been thrown out there is a man who’s under contract with another team, but definitely a guy who has relationships not just with Jalen Brunson but with a lot of people in that organization, and that’s Jason Kidd. And what I will say about that is I would not dismiss that possibility.”

Kidd was hired to be the Mavericks’ coach by former owner Mark Cuban. In the wake of the ownership change and the Luka Doncic trade, would he want out? Dallas still has talent on the roster, including Kyrie Irving (out for most or all of next season with a torn ACL), Anthony Davis, and incoming No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, as well as solid players such as P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and others.

If the Knicks can’t get Kidd or Udoka, where do they turn next? They reportedly want an experienced head coach, which would rule out former assistant Johnnie Bryant (who is now in Cleveland and was a finalist for the Suns job). Michael Malone is out there, but he is seen as similar to Thibodeau in leaning too heavily into his starters and being set in his ways. Former Cavaliers, Lakers and most recently Kings coach Mike Brown is available, he is a defense-first guy, but is he an upgrade over Thibodeau that takes them to the next level?

The Knicks moved on from Thibodeau without a replacement lined up, which could make this search messy.

Knicks will reportedly ask Mavericks for permission to interview Jason Kidd after Tom Thibodeau firing

The New York Knicks are reportedly looking to reunite star Jalen Brunson with the first coach that put him in a starring role. New York is expected to ask the Dallas Mavericks for permission to interview Jason Kidd for the Knicks’ open head-coaching position, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. 

The Knicks’ interest in Kidd is said to be “serious,” per Stein, with some believing Kidd is near the top of the franchise’s wish list. 

The Knicks are in the market for a new head coach after the surprising firing of Tom Thibodeau after he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games, and Thibodeau was let go days after New York was eliminated.

It’s unclear how the Mavericks will respond to the Knicks’ request. Dallas has the ability to turn down the Knicks, leaving New York to find other options if the team isn’t allowed to speak with Kidd. While the Knicks reportedly also have interest in Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka, Stein reported the team would turn down that request. 

Kidd, 52, was hired by the Mavericks ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. That season coincided with the first time Brunson worked his way into a starting role. He averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 assists in 79 games. That offseason, Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks. He continued to excel from there, consistently thanking Kidd for helping the Knicks guard develop into a star player.

Kidd has mostly experienced success in four seasons with the Mavericks. The team made two playoff appearances under Kidd, reaching the NBA Finals last year before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games. 

Injuries — and a shocking trade of superstar guard Luka Dončić — caused the Mavericks to regress to 39-43 this season. While that trade left the Mavericks in limbo, help is on the way. Dallas secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The team is expected to select Duke standout Cooper Flagg with that pick.

That — combined with the fact that Kidd signed an extension with the team in May of 2024 — could lead to Kidd sticking around in Dallas. 

Kidd has compiled a .516 winning percentage over his nine-year career as a head coach. That number has come with three different franchises. Kidd began his head-coaching career with the Brooklyn Nets before eventually joining the Milwaukee Bucks. After spending two years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kidd was hired by Dallas in 2021. 

Given his connection with Brunson — and the fact that he finished his playing career in New York — Kidd could have interest in a move to the Knicks. Whether he gets that chance is up to the Mavericks, who hold all the power if the Knicks come calling. 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Potential ‘major difference-makers’ among pickups to target

Hopefully there is something for everyone among the 11 names tabbed for consideration this week. Managers are encouraged to consider grabbing multiple players who work primarily in a platoon role. And there are also a couple players, Addison Barger and Eury Pérez in particular, who could be major difference-makers this summer.

[Smarter waivers, better trades, optimized lineups — Yahoo Fantasy Plus unlocks it all]

Barger has started to turn elite skills into production, having hit .385 with four homers in 26 at-bats since May 28. The 25-year-old’s Statcast page is covered in red, as he ranks among the top 15% of hitters in key stats such as average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit rate, xBA and xSLG. He also has an absolute cannon of an arm that allows him to excel at third base or in right field. The Blue Jays have a clear need for another impact bat in their lineup, and the combination of skills and opportunity makes Barger the most exciting position player who is currently available in most leagues.

Busch is the perfect player for default Yahoo formats. The slugger rarely plays against left-handers, which makes it easy for managers to stream him between their lineup and bench. Busch has been so good against righties (.952 OPS) that he ranks 11th among first basemen in both RBI and home runs. And his managers have received that production while also getting additional stats on his days off. Those in shallow leagues who are dedicated to monitoring their daily lineup should pick him up.

Kim has less of a track record and a much different skill set than Busch, but there are otherwise plenty of similarities between the two. The rookie has been in the majors a little over a month, and in that time he has established himself as a game-changing player against right-handers (.994 OPS). He has also proven to be impactful on the basepaths (five steals). Kim doesn’t start against southpaws, which means that managers can get all of his production and more by moving him to the bench when the Dodgers do the same. He’s a great fit in category leagues.

Meadows is the third consecutive player in this article who has plenty of value despite being platooned by his team. The outfielder recently returned from a season-opening stint on the IL, and he immediately took over as Detroit’s leadoff hitter against right-handers. Hitting atop a lineup that ranks fourth in runs scored should allow Meadows to accumulate plenty of counting stats, and he also has a balanced skill set that will lead to some homers and steals. Finally, Meadows has a lifetime .728 OPS against left-handers, which should earn him some opportunities in those matchups.

Castro got off to a slow start this season and then spent about three weeks on the IL. But since returning exactly one month ago, he has been a balanced contributor who has hit .278 with 5 homers, 2 steals and 18 runs scored. The 28-year-old does not have a high ceiling, but he contributes in a variety of ways and is among the easiest players to fit into a lineup thanks to his four-position eligibility.

Baty has fared well of late, batting .260 with a .795 OPS since the beginning of May. His effective play has led to a full-time role, which puts Baty in a terrific position to thrive this weekend when the Mets work at hitter-friendly Coors Field against a team with a 5.93 home ERA. Managers in all formats should strive to have some shares of New York’s lineup until Sunday night.

Pérez is set to return from April 2024 Tommy John surgery on Monday, and he will immediately become the most talented pitcher who is available in the majority of Yahoo leagues. The youngster was outstanding as a 20-year-old in his rookie season, logging a 3.15 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and a 10.6 K/9 rate. Sure, there is risk involved with someone who is coming off such a long layoff, but Pérez has the upside of a mixed-league ace.

With a 2.88 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, Wacha has been as effective as any full-time starter who remains widely available in Yahoo leagues. The veteran is the best pitcher to stream this weekend, as he is scheduled to start tomorrow against a 20-43 White Sox team that ranks 26th in runs scored.

Canning bounced back from a pair of subpar outings when he struck out seven across six shutout innings against the high-scoring Dodgers. The right-hander walks too many batters (10.4%), but he minimizes the damage by getting his share of strikeouts and ground balls. Although Canning isn’t effective enough to be recommended for long-term use, he will be one of the top available two-start hurlers next week when he will make a pair of appearances at his pitcher-friendly home park.

Nelson is an interesting dart throw in deeper leagues, as an injury to Corbin Burnes has opened a rotation spot for the 27-year-old, who logged a 3.23 ERA and a 67:14 K:BB ratio while working almost exclusively as a starter during the second half of last season. Nelson has been effective while mostly pitching in relief this year (3.43 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 35:11 K:BB ratio) and could be a permanent rotation member from this point forward.

Palencia’s roster rate has slowly climbed, but there is still a long way to go for someone who has established himself as the full-time closer for one of baseball’s best teams. Palencia has pitched well this season (1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP) and will be a top-15 reliever as long as he holds his current role.

The Best Free (or Cheap) Ways to Spend Your Summer

Welcome to “Best Summer Ever,” your guide to getting the most out of the sunny season. Whether your idea of a perfect summer is embarking on epic adventures or blissfully doing as little as possible, we’ve got you covered. Because the best summer doesn’t just happen—you have to make it happen.

The best summer day I’ve ever had was when I was 15. I rolled out of bed around 11 a.m. and headed to my local beach without a plan. After sunset, my pals and I skateboarded around town. Nothing really happened—just shit-talking and playing SKATE like we’d done a thousand times—but I remember being struck by the fact that I wouldn’t always be doing this. School was starting soon, and The Future was on its way, like it or not, so I’d better enjoy the moment before it melted away like a dropped popsicle. I don’t remember spending any money on my best summer day, and I definitely didn’t worry about it. It was about freedom, not finances.

You don’t need a fat wallet or an Instagram-ready vacation to capture that summer vibe. Whether you’re dead broke, playing it safe because it’s crazy out there, or just looking for a simpler, more relaxed season, there are plenty of ways to have the best summer ever without emptying your bank account. Below are free (or nearly free) things you can do to have a summer that’s about freedom, creativity, laziness, and catching those little moments that make summer feel like summer.

Free (or nearly free) summer activities

  • Hiking: They haven’t figured out how to charge people for walking around outside (mostly), so put your zip code into the All Trails website and see what’s out there. You don’t need more than a pair of sneakers and a water bottle for a lot of hikes, so get out there and get you some nature.

  • Park life: If a hike sounds too ambitious, go hang out at the park. A lot goes on at the park if you’re open to it. Lay in the grass. Sit on the bench. Feed the birds. People-watch. Pack a picnic. Invite a friend. If someone asked me to go have a lazy picnic in the park, I’d say, “hell yeah.”

  • Water hunt: Whether it’s in a community pool, a lake, a river, or just out of your hose, water and summer go together like jam and toast. So get on the googles and figure out the hours of your local community pool, find a lake with no entry fee, or just turn on the hose and load up the water pistols. (Water wars are the only wars I approve of.)

  • Summertime events: I don’t know where you live, but most towns offer low or no cost summer entertainment. I’ll bet there are local outdoor movie nights, community concerts, theater in the park, and/or neighborhood festivals, and the organizers really want you to show up. You don’t even have to stay through the whole thing; just stop by. 

The great indoors

  • Public air conditioning: Why spend your own dough on cooling when so many places have the A/C blasting: Malls, libraries, museums on free days, matinee movies, or even big-box stores all are delightfully chilly in summer. So walk around like you own the place, stop and get some meatballs at IKEA and pretend you’re shopping for a new kitchen. 

  • Stay home: I have great respect for people who never leave their homes, so I’ve gone into great detail about how to have a great summer inside in my Indoor Person’s Guide to Summer.

Mindset and vibe: The real secret to a great summer

Have you ever known anyone who is miserable on vacation? That’s because spending money doesn’t make you happy. The line between a dreary, miserable, hot, boring, broke day and the best damn day of your life is razor thin, and it isn’t for sale. So say “yes” to stupid little plans. Keep your schedule loose. Take time to compliment every cute dog you see. Bring some bongos to the park. Quietly chat with the librarians at your local library. Invite your friends along to share moments instead of splitting checks. Summer is in your heart, baby.

Use These Apps to Find the Best Places to Camp, Hike, Swim, and Explore This Summer

Welcome to “Best Summer Ever,” your guide to getting the most out of the sunny season. Whether your idea of a perfect summer is embarking on epic adventures or blissfully doing as little as possible, we’ve got you covered. Because the best summer doesn’t just happen—you have to make it happen.

Summer is here, and this year is going to be different. This year you’re going to get outside. You’re going to camp, hike, swim, and explore the area you live in. If that’s you, but you don’t know where to get started, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few of the best websites and apps for getting outside and finding new places to explore this summer.

Best apps and sites for finding campgrounds

Camping is a classic summer activity—assuming you can find a good spot. I personally recommend finding out about campsites from friends, family, and anyone else with local experience, but that’s hard if you’re new to a place or are just visiting. Fortunately, there are plenty of online tools for finding a place to camp.


Credit: Justin Pot

If you just want somewhere to put down a tent—and are willing to rough it a little—the website FreeCampsites.net is always worth checking. In the United States, it is perfectly legal to camp on certain public lands, including most National Forests, and there’s no cost. FreeCampsites points out some of the best campsites you can find in such public lands. It also highlights other free campsites offered by municipal governments. Now, this isn’t for everyone: Free campsites usually won’t have bathrooms, and almost certainly won’t have running water or electricity. I’ve personally had a lot of success using this site to find free places to stay during road trips, though.

If you’d prefer a little more in the way of amenities—and are willing to pay for your campsite—there are options. Recreation.gov is a service of the U.S. government that makes it easy to browse and reserve camping options available in federally owned wilderness areas. Most states offer a similar service for state parks, as do most countries where camping is common.

If you don’t have any luck on government sites, though, there are other options. HipCamp is essentially an Airbnb type service for campsites. The advantage here is that you get access to campsites on private property, meaning you’ll have more options and (potentially) amenities. Another similar tool to check out is The Dyrt. As with Airbnb, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the listing and the customer reviews before booking. It’s also worth using a search engine to see if a given campsite has its own website or even just a phone number—sometimes booking directly can save you money.

Before you head out, check out this guide for all the essential camping gear you need (and some things you’ll just want).

Best apps and sites for finding hiking trails


Credit: Justin Pot

Summer is the best time to lose yourself in a hike. As with campsites, it’s a good idea to ask people you know for recommendations before checking online, but there are also plenty of tools you can use to find good hikes wherever you are.

All Trails is mentioned a lot in this space, and it does indeed offer a lot of trails. Hikes generally have thorough descriptions with photos, length, and other information. The problem: This website tends to inundate visitors with a lot of pop-ups and upsells. Wikiloc is an alternative service full of user-submitted hikes that’s better on that front. Another thing worth remembering is that, in many places, there is a local database of trails. For example, I live in Oregon and generally find the best hikes using Oregon Hikers—I recommend doing some research and finding out if there’s anything similar in your state or region.

Finally, it’s a good idea to have an offline map handy during the hike itself. When I’m out on the trail, I like to use Organic Maps, a free and open-source application that works entirely offline. I’ve used it on three continents and it am yet to walk on a trail it doesn’t have. I like being able to use turn-by-turn directions, or check how far I am from the next junction. Just make sure to download the region you’re going to hike while you still have data.

Best apps and sites for finding pools

Nothing says summer quite like jumping into a pool, but most people don’t have one of their own. The free website Places 2 Swim is the simplest way I’ve found to local public pools nearby. The site asks for your location and shows you public facilities that are open year round. The site, which is actively curated, includes information about each pool including size, diving options, and price. There’s also a phone number for every pool, making it easy to call someone with questions.


Credit: Justin Pot

That works for public pools, but what if you want something a bit more private, or to throw a pool party? In that case, you should check out Swimply, a website where pool owners make a little bit of extra money by letting others rent their pool for a few hours. The prices, and the quality of the pools, varies a lot, but it’s invariably cheaper than putting a pool into your own backyard. Just make sure you review the listing details and reviews carefully before booking.

Best apps and sites for wandering the city


Credit: Justin Pot

Not everyone wants to leave civilization during the summer—that doesn’t mean you can’t spend some time outside. I love a good urban wandering with friends, but what if you’re not sure what’s worth checking out? There are a few apps that can give you some bearings. The website Whats-Near.me points out all buildings, parks, and other landmarks near you that have their own Wikipedia page. I’ve learned a lot about my neighborhood this way.

You could also check out services usually intended for travelers, like Trip Advisor or Atlas Obscura, to find nearby attractions you might otherwise ignore. The idea is to find some excuse to walk around. If you’re more of a game-motivated kind of person, there’s always Pokemon Go. Sure, the app’s heyday is long behind it, but it can still be a fun way to force yourself to do a little bit of exploring. Whatever it takes to get you out there, enjoying your summer.

Everything You Should Pack for an Ultimate Day at the Beach

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Welcome to “Best Summer Ever,” your guide to getting the most out of the sunny season. Whether your idea of a perfect summer is embarking on epic adventures or blissfully doing as little as possible, we’ve got you covered. Because the best summer doesn’t just happen—you have to make it happen.

My summer cannot be “best” unless I spend a lot of time on beaches. I crave the time-has-stopped feeling of spending all day in a place where it’s impossible to do anything useful. A lifetime of hanging out on sand near water has taught me that it’s easier to achieve “beach zen” if you plan ahead and bring the right gear—the difference between a great day at the beach and sandy headache comes down to what you pack. Below is everything you need for the best beach day ever, from towels and shades to underwater scooters.

The best beach basics

I’m from a beach town, so I used to roll up to the sand with just a ratty towel—even a pair of flip-flops was extra baggage. There’s something to be said for minimalist beach-bum style, but these days, I like things to be more comfortable. I’m usually bringing the family too, and that requires stuff, so there are a few must-haves I always bring.

Towels and beach mats

Instead of showing up with a bleached out, threadbare towel from 2004, consider a microfiber towel. They’re more absorbent than regular towels, they dry faster, they’re lighter, and they’re super cheap. Less than $10 for a a generous ‎72 x 36 microfiber beach towel with your choice of bold beachy designs.

This picnic blanket with an attached strap is a higher-end option. It’s easy to carry, waterproof, and versatile.

If you’re staking out a lot of ground, nylon beach mats are a great option. I don’t love how they feel lying on them, but you can get a 10′ by 9′ beach mat that packs up small and weighs little, then put your (generously sun-blocked) toddler in the middle of it and watch them crawl around.

Sun shades

I like shade, but I hate beach umbrellas. They’re a bear to set up, and a sudden gust of wind can cause them to take flight, turning them into dangerous projectiles. There are better options.

I really like the Shibumi Shade. I was a little skeptical of whether this ultralight piece of fabric would float on the breeze as advertised, but I got one, and it works, no cap. If there’s no breeze on your beach (lucky), you can pick up an accessory that makes wind for you.

Personal sun protection

Sun hat: Big straw hats like this one from Quiksilver have been a staple among Southern California surfers since the 1960s and absolutely can’t be improved upon. Generous sun protection and a cool, locals only, look.

Sunglasses: I love my Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses, even after wearing them regularly for over six months. They hover around $300, but they do a lot, including letting you capture video on the fly that looks like this.

Sunscreen: I always use Banana Boat sunscreen because it’s what they tend to have at the drug store, and my face has never burned off. But I’m not refined. If you want a sunscreen that’s actually good for your face, Marlowe’s 128 is niiiice.

Quiksilver Men’s Pierside Lifeguard Beach Sun Straw Hat


$20.00
at Amazon
$22.00
Save $2.00

Banana Boat Light As Air Sunscreen


$14.99
at Amazon
$19.98
Save $4.99

Ray-Ban Meta – Wayfarer Large glasses with Meta AI, Audio, Photo, Video Compatibility – Polarized Gradient Graphite Lens (Refurbished) – Matte Black


$263.00
at Best Buy

Coolers

I want to tell you about my dream cooler: The KoolMAX is a ridiculous, maximalist dream of a cooler. It can chill your drinks like any cooler, but it also has a built in 350W Bluetooth-compatible sound system, a guitar amplifier, and it’s karaoke-ready. These features won’t come in handy very often, but there may come a time when you need to start an instant beach party, and you’ll be ready.

If you’re only packing a few things and you don’t need loudspeaker, over-the-shoulder carried coolers like this Polarbox 1 Ice Chest have a retro appeal.

What to bring for fun in the water

With the basics settled, let’s talk about fun things you can do at the beach, starting with the thing that differentiates a beach from a pile of dirt: the water.

Electric hydrofoils and underwater scooters

Over the last few years, electric hydrofoils have taken over the waves off Southern California (at least the beaches for people with disposable income), and whenever I see one, I think, “Yeah, humanity has reached its peak.” I don’t know whether this Waydoo Flyer One is a great example of an electric hydrofoil, but please buy me one and I’ll let you know.

Waydoo Flyer ONE Plus eFoil


$5,399.00
at Amazon

I’m not sure what the most fun thing you can do in water is, but snorkeling comes close, especially snorkeling with an underwater scooter. These things are amazing. They’re about the size of a soda bottle, and can pull you along with over 14 pounds of thrust. You can even clip one on a paddle board and use it like a little outboard engine.

For less adrenaline-packed water fun, paddleboards, many say, are awesome. I don’t love them personally—too much work—but hey, that’s just me. They’ve come down in price so much lately that you can get a nice inflatable paddle board for a decent price.

Fun things don’t have to be expensive, though. The Surfer Dudes Wave Powered Mini-Surfer costs around $25, but it’s hours of fun for kids, as long as you’re at a beach with any kind of waves. You can throw it into the surf at random and it will catch a wave, or you can get skillful with it and try to catch one just as it breaks, like real surfers.

What to bring for fun in the sand

I might say doing nothing on the sand is the personal goal, but you don’t want absolutely nothing to do. So pack these “almost nothing” things to do:

An e-reader

I used to always bring a book to the beach. Now I pack a Kindle Paperwhite. Kindles are better than books in every way. They can stay under the lake for an hour and still work (try that with a copy of War and Peace). Unlike antique paper books, Kindles are Bluetooth-compatible for when you decide you’d rather listen to a podcast anyway. (The Kindle will be OK if you drop it in fresh water, but salt and sand is a different story, so get a screen protector.)

A camera

It’s not a day at the beach if you don’t have a record of it, right? So bring a camera (unless there’s one in your sunglasses) I love my GoPro. This small camera is rugged as hell, fully waterproof, mounts onto literally anything, and has almost no learning curve. Check out this glowing GoPro Hero 13 review for a lot more detail.

GoPro HERO12 Black Creator Edition Bundle


$399.00
at Amazon

A deck of cards

Little is more beach-zen than breaking out the cards and playing spades on the beach. I like these waterproof playing cards from Hoyle. They’re practically indestructible, so you can play Bridge while whitewater rafting.

A guitar

Bringing a guitar to the beach is like wearing sunglasses at night. Most people shouldn’t do it, but some people should always do it. “The beach will damage my delicate guitar!” you might be saying. Yeah, that’s why you need a carbon fiber guitar, like this Klos Deluxe acoustic/electric. They can plug right into your cooler, and they’re practically indestructible—a feature that will come in handy if you’re playing “Wonderwall” through a cooler.

A Bluetooth speaker

If you like a little music at the beach, but a cooler-based sound system is a bit much for your personal style, pick up one of these beach-ready SoundLink Flex speakers from Bose. They’re IP67 waterproof, so they can be fully immersed in water with no ill effects, and they’re designed to resist outdoor threats like dust, sand, and UV light.

An extra charger

You will be the hero of the beach if you can whip out a charger when someone’s phone dies. I like this Poseidon Nano Charger. It’s small, but packs eight hours of go-juice. Plus, it’s water-resistant, and it holds a charge for up to two years. 

Speaking of phones, they overheat at the beach—but not if you pack them in a thermal phone case. Not only do they reflect sunlight and heat in the summer, they protect your phone from extreme cold in the winter too. 

A personal air conditioner

I have heard rumors that there are people who don’t like the beach, who don’t see the fun of doing nothing all day in the hot sun. Those people need to hang a personal air conditioners around their necks. It will keep them cool until they can convince everyone else it’s time to leave.

How to Build the Ultimate Outdoor Sound System

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Welcome to “Best Summer Ever,” your guide to making the most of the sunny season. Whether your idea of a perfect summer is embarking on epic adventures or blissfully doing as little as possible (preferably somewhere with good air conditioning), we’ve got you covered, because the best summer doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen.

Picture this scene: It’s a summer backyard party. The weather’s perfect and everyone showed up. Even Gary from IT made it, rocking a Hawaiian shirt. The blender’s full of rum and sugar water, tiki torches flicker in the breeze, and a full moon glows over the lawn. You cue up some old-school Chaka Khan, back when she was funky, but the music that oozes out of the Bluetooth speaker you got for free at a trade show is weak. Tinny. Wind-compromised. It sounds like a party dying. Do not let this happen to you. 

Whether you’re throwing a red cup bash, relaxing at the beach, or just hanging out with the kids by the pool, you need decent audio to have a decent life: A good outdoor sound system doesn’t just make music louder—it sets the vibe and saves the day. So here’s a guide to building the perfect outdoor sound setup for summer.

How good can outdoor sound get?

Outdoors, even flawlessly reproduced audio loses quality with wind, landscape, and other hard-to-control acoustic challenges, so speaker placement, volume, and bass response matter more than expensive gear. Good outdoor sounds isn’t about tube amps, turntables, and acoustic baffles hanging from the trees. Instead, think Bluetooth-based, battery-powered outdoor speakers you can control from your phone, then toss into the trunk and take to the beach.

What to consider when buying outdoor bluetooth speakers

  • Weather resistance and ruggedness: Can it handle an accidental splash or a surprise summer shower?

  • Sound quality: Balanced audio with clear highs, decent mids, and bass that kicks. At least a little. 

  • Battery life: A speaker that dies before the second margarita doesn’t make the scene. 

  • Portability: Can you carry it solo and put it in the trunk?

  • Output (volume): It is enough sound for your backyard?

  • Multi-speaker sync: We’re getting into the high end here, but some speakers can pair together to spread sound wider. It makes a difference. 

  • Bluetooth range: You want to DJ from your phone without hanging around the speaker.

It’s a lot, but you can find something in just any price range that checks all these boxes (or most of them, anyway).

Best overall outdoor bluetooth speaker: JBL PartyBox Stage 320

JBL PartyBox Stage 320 – Portable Party Speaker with Telescopic Handle & Wide, Sturdy Wheels, Powerful Pro Sound, Futuristic lightshow, Up to 18 Hours of Play time, Splash Proof (Black)


$549.99
at Best Buy
$599.99
Save $50.00

Cutting to the chase, my pick for best Bluetooth speaker overall is the JBL PartyBox Stage 320. It offers 240 watts of output power outputting up to 100 decibels, a microphone support for karaoke, a guitar input, and a light show. It’s a true party-in-a-box. Check out Lifehacker’s full review for more details.

Below are some other options.

The best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for under $100

  • Anker Soundcore Motion+: This speaker is small but powerful enough for intimate outdoor gatherings; it’s waterproof, dust-proof, and you can control the EQ from an app. Not too shabby for $80.

  • JBL Clip 4: This speaker is rugged. It fits in the palm of your hand, costs less than $40, and sounds great (if you don’t mind a little lack of low end). Best of all, the Clip’s built-in carabiner lets you attach it to bike handlebars, trees, or anything else.

  • Ultimate Ears Boom 3: This waterproof and dust-proof speaker sounds amazing given its small size, and it can be synced with another Boom 3 for stereo sound—or pair it with 148 more Booms if you want.

The best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for $100-300

Marshall Middleton Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Cream


$298.79
at Amazon

The best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for $300–$1,000

  • Sonos Move 2: This Bluetooth speaker features dual tweeters for almost full-stereo sound in one speaker. Of course, it integrates with the rest of your Sonos system. PCMag rated the Sonos Move 2 “excellent.”

  • Soundboks Go: With a maximum output of 121db and 10 hours of continuous-play battery life, Soundboks Go is a serious speaker. Check out Lifehacker’s review to go more in-depth.

  • Brane X: If you like the low-end, this bass-heavy portable smart speaker will blow you away. It features the best bass of any wifi speaker. Check out our full review here.

  • Sony ULT Tower 10 Bluetooth Karaoke Party Speaker: It’s not portable, but this tower-of-power will rattle your windows with its 1,000W output. It’s got a karaoke mic, light show, and a guitar input.

Other outdoor music extras

Summer is not a competition, but the little details are how you win it, so consider going a little overboard with these tips:

  • Use a higher-quality streaming service: If you’re just vibing outdoors, paying a little extra to stream lossless FLACs from Tidal probably doesn’t matter, but it definitely won’t hurt.

  • Multi-speaker pairing: All of the “more than $100” Bluetooth speakers above either are already a pair of speakers (Bose, it.innovations) or can be paired up with another speaker for true stereo. This makes a huge difference.

  • Take your playlist offline: To ensure the tunes don’t end because of internet issues, save your playlist to your phone or laptop before the party.

  • Power tip: If things are going to go late, consider a portable power station like the Ecoflow 2 or the Jackery Explorer 300.