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Rodney Rogers, the ‘Durham Bull’ who was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, dies at 54

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Rodney Rogers, the ‘Durham Bull’ who was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, dies at 54


By AARON BEARD

Former Wake Forest star and 12-year NBA player Rodney Rogers has died. He was 54.

The school announced Saturday that Rogers had died on Friday. Rogers — the No. 9 overall NBA draft pick in 1993 — had been paralyzed from the shoulders down since a dirt bike accident in November 2008. Rogers died of natural causes linked to his spinal cord injury, according to a statement from the National Basketball Players Association on behalf of Rogers’ family.

“The last 17 years have been both challenging and profoundly blessed,” the NBPA statement said. “Through every moment, Rodney remained a light — positive, motivated, and full of the quiet strength that inspired everyone around him.”

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Rogers was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year in 1991 and player of the year in 1993 whose No. 54 jersey was retired by the Demon Deacons. The burly 6-foot-7 forward with powerful athleticism earned the “Durham Bull” nickname during his prep career, then went on to score nearly 9,500 points in the NBA while being named league sixth man of the year in 2000.

Rogers’ injury led to the establishment of a foundation bearing his name, with Rogers encouraging people with spinal cord injuries while promoting resilience and personal growth in the face of those challenges. The school honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2022 along with an honorary degree.

“Rodney is the strongest person I have ever met — physically and mentally — and his resilience was evident in the fight he showed every single day,” program great and former teammate Randolph Childress said in a statement released by the school. “I’ve said this before and I still mean it today: he was the best athlete ever to walk onto Wake Forest’s campus. He meant so much to so many people, and I feel profoundly blessed to have been with him yesterday.”

Rogers played three years at Wake Forest, averaging 21.2 points in the 1992-93 season that saw Wake Forest reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, before entering the NBA draft as a junior. He started his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and went on to play with the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers.

“It’s easy to focus on his extraordinary talent, but what stood out to everyone who knew him was that he was every bit as remarkable as a human being,” said Dave Odom, Rogers’ coach at Wake Forest. “He loved his teammates, he loved his family, he loved Wake Forest and he loved the game of basketball. He loved playing for Wake Forest.

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“Every time we visited him, I walked away reminding myself never to complain — because he never did. He faced life exactly as it came and made the very best of every moment. He was a joy to watch as a basketball player, but he was an even greater man. He shared his strength, his spirit and his life with everyone around him.”

According to the NBPA statement, Rogers is survived by wife, Faye; daughters Roddreka and Rydiah; sons Rodney II and Devonte; his mother, Estelle Spencer; and Eric Hipilito, embraced as a son by Rogers.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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Colorado activist convicted of doxxing Denver police commander in first-of-its-kind case

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Colorado activist convicted of doxxing Denver police commander in first-of-its-kind case


DENVER — A Colorado community activist was convicted of doxxing a Denver police commander last week in a first-of-its-kind case that has fueled debate about whether the state’s online privacy laws violate free speech rights.

A jury in Denver County Court found Regan Benson, 53, guilty of sharing the personal information of a protected person online after she repeated a Denver police commander’s home address during a livestreamed protest and suggested her followers should meet up there so they could “have a pig roast party,” according to an arrest affidavit.

State law prohibits a person from sharing the personal information of police officers online if the person knows that doing so “poses an imminent and serious threat” to the safety of officers or their families. The law protecting police officers’ information has been on the books for more than two decades, but drew renewed attention in 2021 and 2022 when legislators expanded the doxxing protections to other professions, including health care workers, animal control officers and code enforcement officers.

Benson appears to be the first person in the state convicted under the anti-doxxing statute, said Jamie Hubbard, her attorney. She and Benson believe the criminal prosecution was unconstitutional retaliation for her criticism of the Denver Police Department, including a lawsuit she had filed in June.

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The misdemeanor conviction can be punished with up to a year in jail.

Read the full story from our media partners at the Denver Post here.

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Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.

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Nuggets’ Peyton Watson week to week with hamstring injury, David Adelman says

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Nuggets’ Peyton Watson week to week with hamstring injury, David Adelman says


This Sisyphean season of injuries for the Nuggets has at least one more setback in store.

Peyton Watson is considered week-to-week with a right hamstring strain after he left Wednesday’s game at Utah feeling tight, coach David Adelman said.

And so after their long, slow climb back to full health, the Nuggets will climb again. They had about a week to catch their breath with their opening-day rotation available.

Adelman didn’t rule out the possibility that Watson could return before the end of the regular season, but Denver has only five games remaining, followed by a few days of rest and preparation for a first-round playoff series that was clinched this week.

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“I mean, the hope would be playing next week,” Adelman said after practice Friday. “… I think it’s being careful with him. At the same time, competitively, wanting him back as soon as he feels comfortable, and also that week leading into the playoffs, you hope he’s able to go through the preparation of what it is to play in a Game 1. So we’ll see how it goes.”

Watson initially injured his right hamstring Feb. 4 in New York, causing him to miss six weeks. After slow-playing the final stages of his recovery process to be extra cautious, he returned on March 22 and played in five games before the setback. He said on Tuesday that he felt ready to increase his minutes from 20. But he also suggested that he hadn’t felt like himself in Denver’s last two games.

“This is the longest I’ve ever been out, so I thought once I got over the hump of being back that I was gonna stop having problems with my body,” Watson said before the team flew to Utah. “The first game I came back, I felt amazing. The second game I came back, I felt amazing. But the third and fourth game, I’m like, ah, I kind of feel like how I did some of those days during the rehab process. So I think just, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The 23-year-old wing is averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season on 49.1% shooting from the field and a 41.1% clip from 3-point range. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.

“So unfortunate,” Adelman said. “He’s had such a good year. I feel for him as a person. Just not having the opportunity to come back and play right now is completely unfair to somebody who’s put the work in.”

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Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. also left the game in Utah — a knee injury in his case — but he was able to participate in practice. The Nuggets are hopeful he’ll be available Saturday afternoon when they host the Spurs, but he’ll be evaluated again before the game to be officially cleared. Spencer Jones (hamstring tightness) didn’t practice Friday and remains day-to-day, Adelman said.

Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama missed Thursday’s win over the Clippers for maintenance reasons, but if he plays in Denver, it’ll be the first time this season the Nuggets will face him. In a new ESPN poll of prospective MVP voters released Friday, Wembanyama had surpassed Denver’s Nikola Jokic for second place in the running. The Nuggets will face San Antonio twice in their last five games.



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Former Denver Nuggets NBA Champ’s Future Plans Revealed

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Former Denver Nuggets NBA Champ’s Future Plans Revealed



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The Denver Nuggets could lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in NBA free agency.

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After a run with the Denver Nuggets, the two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit the free agency market to sign a lucrative multi-year contract in 2024.

Caldwell-Pope landed a $66 million offer from the Orlando Magic during the summer of 2024. The third season of the deal costs $21.6 million, and it’s up to Caldwell-Pope if he wants to exercise that or become a free agent again.

As the contract is currently on the Memphis Grizzlies‘ books, the team recently landed an update on the veteran’s plans from the NBA insider, Michael Scotto.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s Future Plans Revealed

Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-PopeNuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 04: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #5 of the Denver Nuggets looks to pass in front of James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers during a 102-100 Clippers win at Crypto.com Arena on April 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

via Michael Scotto, HoopsHype: Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to exercise his $21.6 million player option for the 2026-27 season, league sources say. It’s the last year of a 3-year, $66 million deal negotiated by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. More on KCP and Ja Morant on @YESNetwork.

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Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to exercise his $21.6 million player option for the 2026-27 season, league sources say. It’s the last year of a 3-year, $66 million deal negotiated by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. More on KCP and Ja Morant on @YESNetwork

The 33-year-old guard spent just one season with the Magic.

In Orlando, Caldwell-Pope appeared in 77 games. He averaged 8.7 points, while shooting 43.9% from the field and hitting on 34.2% of his threes.

Last summer, the Magic cut ties with Caldwell-Pope in the Desmond Bane blockbuster. The veteran’s first season with the Grizzlies included 51 appearances. He averaged 8.4 points while shooting 31.6% from three.

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Back in late February, the Grizzlies announced that Caldwell-Pope would undergo season-ending surgery on his pinky finger.

Although Caldwell-Pope plans to pick up his final option, that doesn’t guarantee he is staying with the Grizzlies for the entire 2026-2027 NBA season. Veteran players with a notable resume on expiring deals tend to get moved to contenders when their current team is in the midst of a rebuild.

An NBA Veteran Worth Looking At

Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-PopeNuggets' Nikola Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 25: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles as Nikola Jokic #15 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #5 of the Denver Nuggets defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden on January 25, 2024 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Caldwell-Pope has been in the NBA since 2013.

Coming out of Georgia, he was selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft.

After a four-season run with the Pistons, Caldwell-Pope joined the Los Angeles Lakers. During his four-year run with the Lakers, Caldwell-Pope won his first NBA Championship.

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The Nuggets traded for the veteran guard during the 2022 offseason. He was moved for Monte Morris and Will Barton. When the Nuggets picked up Caldwell-Pope, he was rewarded with a $30 million extension over two years.

Before leaving Denver, Caldwell-Pope posted averages of 10.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds, while shooting 41.5% from three.

He was a member of the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA Championship squad.

Justin Grasso Justin Grasso is an NBA reporter, covering trending league news, transactions, injuries, and player developments. He is a credentialed journalist with nearly a decade of insider access. More about Justin Grasso

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