Cooper Flagg Officially Declares for NBA Draft

PLUS Hawks Fire GM Landry Fields After Play-In, Easter Sunday NBA Recap, NYC Native Ian Jackson Heads Home to St. John's

April 21, 2025

Welcome to Office Chair Sports! Your home for everything Sports & Biz! Today, we’re covering top news about:

  • Cooper Flagg Officially Declares for NBA Draft

  • Hawks Fire GM Landry Fields After Play-In

  • Easter Sunday NBA Recap

  • NYC Native Ian Jackson Heads Home to St. John's

  • Thunder Make NBA History with Game 1 Demolition

Cooper Flagg Officially Declares for NBA Draft

The 6'9" freshman sensation made it official Monday with a heartfelt social media announcement.

No surprise here - the dude absolutely dominated college hoops, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to a 35-4 record and Final Four appearance. Remember when he dropped 42 against Notre Dame? ACC freshman record!

Coach Scheyer called him not just a statistical monster but "the separator is the person he was every day." Flagg swept every National Player of the Year award, becoming just the fourth freshman ever to win the Wooden.

Get ready to see this kid go #1 overall this summer.

Hawks Fire GM Landry Fields After Play-In

The Hawks just kicked their GM to the curb after another underwhelming season where they finished 40-42 and got bounced from both play-in games. Ouch.

Owner Tony Ressler gave Fields the typical "thanks for your service" speech while promoting Onsi Saleh to take over basketball operations. Saleh's coming from the Warriors front office, where he helped build their 2022 championship team.

Fields' three-year tenure was... questionable. His biggest move was lucking into the #1 pick last year (despite terrible odds) and snagging French forward Zaccharie Risacher, who put up decent rookie numbers with 12.6 points per game.

Now the Hawks are hunting for a president of basketball operations to oversee everything. The franchise is clearly tired of being stuck in NBA purgatory - good enough for the play-in, not good enough for anything else.

Easter Sunday NBA Recap

Sunday's NBA playoff action was mostly a snooze-fest with three absolute beatdowns and one nail-biter.

The Thunder made history with a 51-point demolition of Memphis, the largest Game 1 win EVER. None of OKC's starters even played more than 26 minutes.

The defending champ Celtics handled business against Orlando, with Derrick White going nuclear for 30 points and 7 threes. Cleveland took care of Miami behind Donovan Mitchell's 30-point Game 1 (his seventh straight series opener with 30+, tying MJ!).

The only close game came when the Warriors upset Houston. Steph Curry was cheffin’ it up, dropping 31 points with some insane makes.

But the Warriors nearly blew a 23-point lead before Moses Moody's clutch three sparked a 7-0 run to seal it.

NYC Native Ian Jackson Heads Home to St. John's

Well, guess who's coming home?

Ian Jackson just ditched North Carolina for St. John's, giving Rick Pitino a major win in the transfer portal sweepstakes. The explosive New York native is returning to where it all started after just one season with the Tar Heels.

Jackson was a top-10 recruit who showed serious flashes as a freshman, averaging 11.9 points overall but dropping 15.3 in his 12 starts. Remember that wild hot streak in December/January when he went nuclear for 22.7 points per game over seven contests?

Pitino's building something scary in Queens now. Jackson joins an all-transfer starting lineup featuring Bryce Hopkins (17 PPG at Providence), Joson Sanon (11.9 PPG at Arizona State), and Oziyah Sellers (13.7 PPG at Stanford), plus returning All-Big East stud Zuby Ejiofor.

The Red Storm are loading up for next season!

Thunder Make NBA History with Game 1 Demolition

The Thunder just answered ALL the playoff readiness questions with a historic beatdown of Memphis. We're talking a 131-80 obliteration that set the record for largest Game 1 win ever at 51 points!

OKC was up 32 by halftime and stretched it to 56 at one point. And guess what? MVP finalist SGA only contributed 15 points. Six different Thunder players hit double figures, with Aaron Wiggins leading the way with 21 off the bench.

The Thunder's defense absolutely suffocated Memphis, forcing 22 turnovers while holding them to 34% shooting and an abysmal 17% from three. Poor Desmond Bane finished with a minus-51, the worst plus/minus by any player in a playoff game this century.

After that 68-14 regular season with the largest average victory margin in NBA history (12.9 points), the Thunder just proved they're not a group of young, talented inexperienced kids. They’re real contenders.

The rest of the league should be terrified.

Internships 🙋

1. 2025-2026 Partnerships Fulfillment Assistantship - 2026 Miami Host Committee - Responsible for assisting in the implementation and fulfillment of sponsorship benefits at sports and entertainment venues across South Florida in the months leading up to the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium.

2. Marketing Assistant (Internship – 10 Months) - The role will be focused on the multiple sports that Syracuse Athletics supports through marketing and fan engagement, promotions and ticket sales. The person will be given a sport focus to further develop their skills to achieve experience and growth in the collegiate marketing and fan engagement field.

3. 2025 Football Data Scout - SIS is looking for highly motivated individuals with a desire to work in the football industry. Data Scouts will have a chance to make an immediate impression on the company. Each Data Scout will be collecting data that is directly used by SIS clients for advance scouting and evaluation purposes.

4. Baseball Operations Intern - The Players League is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual to join our team as a Baseball Operations Intern. This remote position offers a unique opportunity to work directly alongside the CEO of The Players League and gain hands-on experience in baseball league management.

5. All-Star Experience Team (Atlanta Braves) - The Experience Team will strive to provide a positive experience for fans in attendance. To help with this experience, fans will be supported throughout the event to help them in various areas. Fans will need assistance with wayfinding, signing up for various activities, promotional giveaways, amenities support such as the locating the quiet room and infant feeding room, and most importantly helping fans sign up for the All-Star Experience Pass which is a tool that provides the ultimate guest experience for fans.

Job Board 💰

1. Accounting Clerk (UFC) - This entry level position requires a detail-oriented, reliable candidate. This role is responsible for performing administrative tasks for the Finance Department including high-volume data entry of accounts payable invoices into the accounting approval system. This position is not remote and will be based in our Las Vegas Headquarters.

2. Payroll Coordinator (Baltimore Orioles) - The Payroll Coordinator will prepare and process payroll and perform clerical and administrative tasks for the Payroll Department. This role will follow a hybrid work schedule, requiring 4 days per week onsite at the office.

3. Event Experience Coordinator (Houston Texans) - Assist with ideation, coordination, and execution of opportunities to create memorable Houston Texans (“Club”) fan experiences through gameday and events.

4. Client Retention Executive (St. Louis Blues) - The St. Louis Blues and Enterprise Center are searching for a passionate, self-starter for the role of Client Retention Executive. This position is primarily responsible for retaining and growing an assigned season ticket holder account base through the delivery of superior customer service, relationship building, and referral generation.

5. Digital Marketing Engagement Coordinator - The Digital Marketing Engagement Coordinator will support Penske Entertainment’s growing portfolio of racing events, including Detroit, Iowa, Nashville, and Arlington. This role is responsible for executing digital marketing campaigns—primarily through email and website content—to drive ticket sales and enhance fan engagement.

Thanks for reading - see you soon!