OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Cason Wallace got the call to start Game 1 of the NBA Finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, taking the place of Isaiah Hartenstein.
The Thunder had used the same starting five — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein — for each of the 16 games needed to get through the Western Conference playoffs.
At 21 years and seven months, Wallace is the youngest player to start an NBA Finals game since Miami’s Tyler Herro — then about 20 years and 9 months — started for the Heat in their series inside the bubble against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Wallace started 43 games in the regular season for the Thunder. He had appeared in 26 playoff games over his first two NBA seasons with Oklahoma City, but Thursday's series opener against the Indiana Pacers was his first playoff start.
Wallace averaged 8.4 points in the regular season and has averaged 5.4 in the playoffs coming into the finals.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
DODOMA, Tanzania (AP) — Tanzania’s president has, for the first time since the disputed October election, commented on a six-day internet shutdown as the country went through its worst postelection violence.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday expressed “sympathy” to diplomats and foreign nationals living in the country, saying the government would strive to ensure there is never a repeat of the same.
Hassan won the October election with more than 97% of the vote after candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from running and the country’s main opposition leader remained in prison facing treason charges.
Violence broke out on election day and went on for days as the internet was shut down amid a heavy police crackdown that left hundreds of people dead, according to rights groups.
Hassan blamed the violence on foreigners and pardoned hundreds of young people who had been arrested, saying they were acting under peer pressure.
Speaking to ambassadors, high commissioners and representatives of international organizations on Thursday in the capital, Dodoma, she sought to reassure envoys of their safety, saying the government would remain vigilant to prevent a repeat of the disruption.
“To our partners in the diplomatic community and foreigners residing here in Tanzania, I express my sincere sympathy for the uncertainty, service restrictions and internet shutdowns you experienced,” she said.
Hassan defended her administration, saying the measures were taken to preserve constitutional order and protect citizens.
“I assure you that we will remain vigilant to ensure your safety and prevent any recurrence of such experiences,” the president told diplomats on Thursday.
Tanzania has, since the October elections, established a commission of inquiry to look into the violence that left hundreds dead and property worth millions of shillings destroyed in a country that has enjoyed relative calm for decades.
Foreign observers said the election failed to meet democratic standards because key opposition figures were barred.
FILE - Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan delivers remarks during a campaign rally ahead of the general elections in Iringa, Tanzania, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)
