Kyrie Irving told the people of Boston that he would be there for years.  That was technically true, as it was only two.  Irving joined the Brooklyn Nets as a Free Agent in 2019, and he would be joined by Kevin Durant, who would be unable to play due to injury.

Injuries were also a factor for Irving, who only played 20 Games in his first Brooklyn season due to season-ending shoulder surgery.  He was far healthier in his second year, as was Durant, and they had an incoming James Harden, creating a superteam in the East.  Irving went to the All-Star Game that year, was a Third Team All-NBA Selection and he averaged 26.9 Points per Game.  Injuries among the big three prevented a deep run for the Nets, and it looked like they could get there soon, but an implosion was about to take place.

Irving refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine and was held to playing half of the season's worth of games in 2021-22.  Harden asked for a trade out of Brooklyn, and Irving seemingly became more and more controversial by the month.  He survived the season, and when the pandemic was over,, Irving went back to his usual self.  What did that mean?  He was still incredible on the court, and miserable off of it,  Irving was chosen for another All-Star Game, posted great numbers bt wanted out and got his wish, when the Nets engineered a trade to Dallas

Irving wasl a superstar and game-changer, but is an enigma wrapped in a riddle.  

Joe Harris was arguably a bust in his first two years in Cleveland, who traded him to Orlando.  The Magic immediately waived him, but the Nets thought he would worthy of a look, and signed him in 2018.

Harris had more playing time on the Nets, who were not nearly as competitive as the Cavs.  Harris started 11 (of 52) Games in his first year as a Net, and he played a little more the year after.  His shooting accuracy was improving, and in 2018-19, Harris was given the chance to be a starter.

Harris brought up his 3-Point Shooting Percentage to .474, and he led the NBA in that category.  This would become his specialty, as long-range shooting was his calling card, though a criticism of calling him one-dimensional would not be wrong.  As the Nets acquired superstars (Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden), Harris remained a starter, and in 2020-21, he was first again in 3-Point Shooting Percentage.  As the above superstars left, Harris remained a potent shooter from behind the arc, but his overall skills were stil lacking and he started less in 2022-23, which was his final year in Brooklyn, as he was traded to Detroit in the off-season.

Of all the US states that have legalized sports betting since the Supreme Court decision of 2018, few have endured as wild a ride as Illinois.

Lawmakers in the state officially approved sports betting back in 2019. By March 2020, physical sportsbooks were open for business, taking bets on the NCAA Tournament, which seemed like an ideal time to launch a betting sector. In a normal year, it would have been. However, 2020 was not a normal year and the fledgling Illinois sports betting sector soon suffered the same fate as other leisure sectors throughout the US.

One problem that was particular to Illinois was the 18-month in-person registration requirement for mobile betting. This required betting fans to register with physical sportsbooks before they could use mobile apps. Fortunately, this was suspended for most of the second half of 2020 and although it has beenreinstated, many Illinois sports fans are now able to bet using their mobiles.

DraftKings

DraftKings established itself thanks to the rise of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) during the 2010s and has been one of the first operators to embrace sports betting, launching its New Jersey platform just three months after the Supreme Court decision.

WSN.com reports that the sportsbook set up operations in Illinois on August 5, 2020, through a partnership with the Casino Queen casino venue. Since then, it has been gaining popularity among sports betting fans thanks to an app that offers competitive promotions such as daily odds boosts and deposit bonuses, all packaged in a sleek and user-friendly design.

William Hill

One of the oldest names in the betting business, with a brand that dates back to 1934, William Hill entered the Illinois market thanks to a deal with the Grand Victoria Casino. Despite being one of the later entrants to the state, it has made significant inroads with Illinois sports bettors.

The William Hill brand needs little introduction, but they are notable for having updated their betting model to adapt to the modern online market, producing an easy to use betting app that is clear and free of clutter, and offering access to an impressive variety of betting markets, including a strong live betting section and access to stats and data to help bettors plan their wagers.

FanDuel

FanDuel is the main rival to DraftKings in the DFS sector and has taken a similarly proactive approach to getting a piece of the sports betting market. It was able to gain a foothold in Illinois through an arrangement with the Par-A-Dice Casino and has developed a strong following.

The FanDuel sportsbook is one of the most aesthetically pleasing betting platforms available to Illinois customers. The platform provides an easy-to-use navigation system and an impressive welcome bonus. A great site forfootball fans and newcomers, FanDuel’s app has certainly caught on with Illinois fans.

BetRivers

Powered by betting industry titan Rush Street Interactive, BetRivers has the distinction of being the first Illinois sportsbook to go live, launching on June 18, 2020, following the Rush Street Rivers Casino Des Plaines being the first retail betting location to go live, on March 9, 2020.

The BetRivers app provides a handy $250 first deposit match for new customers. The app has been successfully deployed in a number of other states, notably in the thriving betting markets of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. While not as flashy as the mobile platforms produced by some of its rivals, this app provides a solid and reliable sports betting platform.

PointsBet

PointsBet, which was founded in Australia in 2017, doesn’t have the highest profile among the US sports betting fraternity, but that is changing. The company was relatively unknown when it entered the New Jersey market, but it soon proved to be extremely popular and has been able to extend its brand to Illinois, thanks to a deal with Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero.

PointsBet have been able to earn a strong reputation with Illinois sports betting customers thanks to their excellent marketing, which includes a range of promotions, including bad beat refunds, odds boosts and other user-friendly deals.

This app is also popular thanks to the innovative PointsBetting system. This offers bettors the chance to risk and win more on a bet, based on the extent to which their selection wins or loses, combining traditional sports betting with some of the strengths of spread betting.

Summary

Illinois is one of the most significant sports betting states in the US and is well served by a number of top sports betting apps, giving bettors a wide and varied selection of wagering platforms.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame has announced their Class of 2021.

The induction will take place on November 12, and will comprise of nine new members.

The Class of 2021 are:

Dr. Bill Bankhead, Men’s Gymnastics and Men’s Swimming Coach:  Bankhead would also become the first director of the LSU Assembly Center. 

Peta-Gaye Dowdie, Women’s Track & Field:  Dowdie was a 19-time All-American, 12-time SEC Champion and helped lead LSU to three NCAA Team Titles.  Representing Jamaica, she competed at the 2000 Olympics. 

Yvette Girouard, Softball Coach:  Girouard took the Tigers to three Regular Season Titles, four League Tournament wins and two College World Series appearances.  She was a three-time SEC Coach of the Year and had 1,285 Wins. 

Lora Hinton, Football:  In 1971, Hinton made history as the first African-American football player.

Bruce Reid, Men’s Track and Field:  Reid was a three-time SEC Pentathlon Champion and helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back Outdoor Track Championships.

Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen, Women’s Gymnastics:  Thigpen was a five-time All-American and in 2009 was the National Champion in the vault.  That year, she was named the LSU Female Athlete of the Year.

Billy Traux, Football:  Traux was an All-American at Tight End in 1963 and played for the Tigers in their Orange Bowl win over Colorado and Cotton Bowl win over Texas.  He would later win a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys.

Armando Vega, Men’s Gymnastics’ Coach:  Vega was a two-time Olympian, and would become LSU’s Head Coach in 1972, holding that role until 1984.  His teams finished in the top ten in nine different years, and he was named the Southern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League Coach of the Year twice.

Lloyd Wills, Men’s Track & Field.  Wills joined the Track Team in 1969, becoming the first African-American to compete at the school.  He would be a five-time SEC Champion.

We would like to congratulate the newest members of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame for earning this prestigious honor.