3 'Noles Have Shot at 2019-2020 NBA Championship Rings
Florida State basketball was denied its opportunity to claim the program's first national title this year, as the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. But a trio of former FSU hoops players have a chance at being a part of a world champion NBA squad, as the Association's playoffs commence on Monday night.
But of course, since this is 2020, there's bad news to accompany those seemingly positive tidings. Orlando's Jonathan Isaac, formerly of FSU, is typically a key member of the team, but he won't be in action after tearing his ACL on August 2. However, the Magic are a long shot anyway, as an 8-seed in the Eastern Conference matched up with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
Another pair of Seminoles are far more likely to snag some championship bling: LA Clippers Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann. The duo were teammates at Florida State before being drafted by Los Angeles in 2019. But Kabengele, a first-round choice, wasn't selected to return to the Sunshine State to compete in Orlando's bubble. He played rather sparingly, seeing time in just 12 games this season.
Mann, a second-round LA pick, is also a reserve, but he's remained with the team after having appeared in 41 games and averaged 8.8 minutes per contest. And Mann's made headlines recently. In the Clippers' regular-season finale on Friday, he came up just one assist shy of posting his first pro triple-double after logging 42 minutes and posting 25 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists in Los Angeles' overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the West's 2-seed, LA is a legitimate title contender and will open play against 7-seed Dallas.
