Milton Newton
When the NBA Finals tips off on Tuesday between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, there won’t be a Virgin Islands player on the court, but that does not mean the territory won’t be represented on the sport’s grandest stage. The Virgin Islands connection in the finals is Milton Newton, a St. Thomas native and the assistant general manager of the Bucks.
Milwaukee secured their place in the NBA Finals on Saturday when they defeated the Atlanta Hawks 118-107 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They won despite playing without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo due to injuries. In the first round of the playoffs, the Bucks defeated the Miami Heat in a five-game series, and in the next round they beat Brooklyn Nets in a thrilling 7-game contest.
An NBA.com report on Sunday morning said that the Bucks team is hoping Antetokounmpo can return for the finals.
The Suns earned their spot in the finals by defeating the LA Clippers in a six-game series. Earlier in the playoffs they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games and swept the Denver Nuggets in four games.
All games of the best-of-seven series will be televised on ABC. The schedule is as follows:
- Game 1: Tuesday, July 6 @ 9 p.m.
- Game 2: Thursday, July 8 @ 9 p.m.
- Game 3: Sunday, July 11 @ 8 p.m.
- Game 4: Wednesday, July 14 @ 9 p.m.
- Game 5: Saturday, July 17 @ 9 p.m. (if necessary)
- Game 6: Tuesday, July 20 @ 9 p.m. (if necessary)
- Game 7: Thursday, July 22 @ 9 p.m. (if necessary)
Mr. Newton was an accomplished basketball player during his playing days and won an NCAA Championship with the Kansas Jayhawks.
He is committed to giving back to the Virgin Islands and is the co-founder, president and executive director of the Emerald Gems Foundation, an organization that hosts basketball coaching seminars, youth camps and clinics in the territory.
On the Emerald Gems website, Newton's biography reads, “A native of St. Thomas USVI, it is Milt’s desire to empower the youths of the USVI by drawing on his experiences and acumen in the sport and business of basketball. “
The biography also states that Mr. Newton “believes in volunteering and has coached and mentored youths in Africa for eight years as part of Basketball Without Borders Africa, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program."
