The promise came three years ago from Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had just won the NBA championship, the on-court ceremony was over and they were heading to the locker room to start the party.

He’s the most valuable player.

The run lasted about 12 minutes, roughly the span of a full quarter.

Contrary to popular belief not everything was easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.

Jaire Alexander has been released by the Green Bay Packers, ending a seven-year run in which he emerged as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks before injuries limited his availability.

Things were going as expected for the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to make a whole slew of history in these NBA Finals.

Even the NBA MVP needs a wing man.

The Oklahoma City Thunder found all kinds of soft spots in the defense and consistently hit those open shots over two decisive wins to start the Western Conference finals.

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo were the only players to appear on every MVP ballot this season.

Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of an exchange that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the 3-year-old war.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points a day after being named the NBA’s MVP, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overwhelmed the Minnesota Timberwolves again, winning 118-103 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half, and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City’s young core has reached its moment of truth.

Jamal Murray fought through an illness to score 25 points and power the Denver Nuggets past the Thunder 119-107, sending the series back to Oklahoma City for a decisive Game 7.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seeds in the playoffs and owners of the best regular-season records in the NBA, find themselves in dire need of wins as they host Game 5s in the conference semifinals on Tuesday night.

The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t wake up their offense with an early tip for Game 4 on Sunday.

A change of scenery certainly served the Cleveland Cavaliers well.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t sulk over his off night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

It’s now reasonable to think that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third in this season’s balloting for the NBA MVP award.

Oklahoma City takes the No. 1 seed in the playoffs into its first-round opener against Memphis.

It was the year of the long winning streak in the NBA.

They’ll be watching in Canada, not just because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though the NBA’s scoring champion and MVP favorite who plays for Oklahoma City surely helps lure in fans who are north of the border.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, two of the favorites for the NBA’s MVP award, showed why in a pair of exciting games on back-to-back days in Oklahoma City.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s putback basket in the fourth quarter put him over 50 points and sent the Oklahoma City crowd into a frenzy.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just putting up MVP numbers — he’s posting historic ones.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 50 points and the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Phoenix Suns 140-109 on Wednesday night to improve to 40-9.

Stephen Curry hit a long 3-pointer with 1:52 left on the way to 21 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and eight assists in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-114 in a matchup of teams with the best records in the NBA.

A California man says his two cats died and a third was hospitalized after he fed them raw milk recalled for bird flu risk.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their franchise-record 13th consecutive regular-season game, 116-98 over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jill Biden is coming under the microscope as she tries to help her husband salvage his presidential campaign.

Jalen Williams highlighted a 24-point performance with a back-breaking 3 with three minutes left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 97-89 to complete a four-game sweep of their first-round playoff series.

Denver's Nikola Jokic is one step closer to winning a third MVP award in the last four seasons.

Pope Francis has led thousands of people in a moment of silence to pray for the aid workers killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza.

Twenty-three million families will either have to pay more for internet or cancel their subscriptions altogether if a federal subsidy program to help with the monthly bill runs out of money.

Hundreds of men and women aboard the USS Farragut returned to Naval Station Mayport Saturday morning.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Josh Giddey had a triple-double and Oklahoma City rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers 139-77 on Thursday night, a 62-point victory that matched the fifth-largest rout in NBA history.

The Golden State Warriors believe Draymond Green needs help to curb his long history of rough play.

There are a few surprises who have played their way into the early season MVP conversations, joining the list usual list of NBA stars that includes Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

American babies and toddlers with disabilities are entitled to publicly funded therapies known as Early Intervention, since all U.S. states and territories accept federal funding for this program.

The Basketball World Cup started Friday and Canada sent a message.

A 13-year veteran with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was arrested in Clay County on Monday after he was accused of throwing an unopened beer can at a woman’s face.

An American father is relieved to learn his 2-year-old son has safely made it out of the besieged Ukrainian coastal city of Mariupol.

Ian Alexander Jr., the only child of award-winning actor and director Regina King, has died.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood was once its own city, where African Americans flourished and prospered. The LaVilla neighborhood was his foundation, where he learned to play football and eventually earned a scholarship to attend college. LaVilla, at one point in the ’20s, had 600 Black-owned businesses,” historian Carol Alexander said. “I think the plan disappeared or somebody squashed the plan because we should be here by now, but we are constantly restarting and restarting and restarting,” Alexander said. “But I think now is the time that it will change, I do feel now is the time of change.”Jacksonville's LaVilla neighborhood was once its own city that boasted 600 Black-owned businesses.

Alexander scored 16 points and St. John's smothered No. The latest victory gave St. John's its first four-game Big East winning streak since the 2014-15 NCAA Tournament team. '”AdVillanova was the first top-5 opponent to play in the Queens gym since St. John's lost 72-71 to No. If we can get a Big East game, we’ve got to play the Big East game. St. John's: Saturday at Providence, which has won nine of the past 11 meetings.

Posh Alexander scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures and the Red Storm came from behind to upset No. The Red Storm chipped away and Alexander tied the game at 59 with a pair of free throws. A 3-pointer by Earlington gave the Red Storm their first lead, 64-62, with just over four minutes left. BIG PICTURESt. John's: The Red Storm's defense, which had been forcing an average of 18 turnovers a game, got 18 on Monday. UP NEXTSt. John's: The Red Storm do not have another game scheduled until Jan. 27, when they visit DePaul.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Riverside-Avondale woman was surprised with a new bicycle, a Christmas gift from her family. “It’s been a rough year for her,” said Alexander’s niece, Meghan, who has been her caretaker since Nancy passed away. “Nana was a very big vocal point in our both of relationships with her, that’s why we meld together so well because she was very important,” Meghan Alexander said. “Shannon used to ride a recumbent bicycle as a two-wheel, but she can’t ride it any longer,” Smith said. She has done leaps and bounds,” Meghan Alexander.

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2009, file photo, Elizabeth Alexander recites a poem during swearing-in ceremonies at the Capitol in Washington. Alexander is the president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which announced Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, it is spending $250 million on a five-year effort called the "Monuments Project" to reimagine monuments in public spaces. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

Alexander Lawrence, who runs Mountainside Tattoo from a storefront in the village of Bellows Falls, Vermont, says hes always offered to remove hateful images or cover scars for free. When asked why he got the tattoo, Graves answered, Stupidity, partying when I was younger. So not only are they racist, but they're crappy.Graves said his swastika tattoo hasnt drawn a lot of attention because its hidden, but he was still eager to get rid of it. Since Graves' tattoo already has the image of a skull, Alexander used a pen to outline the image of the grim reaper. What do you think, man? Alexander asks Graves as he gives the arm a final wipe-down.

Customers look at sanitizing wipes on the shelves of a pharmacy in New York on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. As coronavirus infections spread across the globe, everybody has to make a decision: How worried should I be about getting infected, and what should I do about it? “Emotions are the filters through which we see the facts,” says David Ropeik, a retired Harvard instructor on risk communication. Don't spread the word about every little development, including minor missteps by government authorities, Ropeik says. ___This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education.

Ragnar Singsaas/2013 Getty Images(CNN) - The King of Sweden has reduced the number of family members who will continue to receive taxpayer funds, stripping five of his grandchildren of their royal highness status, according to an official statement. The children will keep their titles of prince/princess and duke/duchess, but won't be expected to perform royal duties, Fredrik Wersll, marshal of the realm, said in a statement on the Swedish Royal Court's website Monday. The only two grandchildren of King Carl Gustaf who were excluded from the move are the children of Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria -- Princess Estelle and her younger brother, Prince Oscar. Her brother, Prince Carl Philip, also welcomed the news on Instagram, saying it would give his sons, Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel, "freer choices in life." King Carl Gustaf and his wife, Queen Silvia, have three children -- Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.

George and Amal Clooney are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary with a few of their famous friends! The lovebirds were spotted heading to an early anniversary dinner at 4 Charles Prime Rib in New York City on Thursday, where they were joined by their longtime celebrity pals, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. Amal wowed in a strapless white corset top, which she paired with black leather pants, matching heels and a clutch. George, 58, and Amal, 41, tied the knot on Sept. 27, 2014 in Venice's city hall, with a high-profile wedding ceremony two days later. RELATED CONTENT:George and Amal Clooney Look Effortlessly Glam Heading Off for a Helicopter Ride in ItalyBarack and Michelle Obama Hang Out With George and Amal Clooney in Lake Como: PICSGeorge Clooney and Wife Amal Are Offering Fans a Chance to Double Date With Them at Their Lake Como Home