President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a “month of action” to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday, including an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make getting shots more appealing to those who haven’t received them.

WASHINGTON — Dangling everything from sports tickets to a free beer, President Joe Biden is looking for that extra something — anything — that will get people to roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 shots when the promise of a life-saving vaccine by itself hasn’t been enough.

Biden on Wednesday announced a “month of action” to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday, including an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make getting shots more appealing to those who haven’t received them. He is closing in on his goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day — essential to his aim of returning the nation to something approaching a pre-pandemic sense of normalcy this summer.

“The more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in the fight against this virus,” Biden said from the White House. He predicted that with more vaccinations, America will soon experience “a summer of freedom, a summer of joy, a summer of get togethers and celebrations. An All-American summer.”

The Biden administration views June as “a critical month in our path to normal,” Courtney Rowe, the director of strategic communications and engagement for the White House COVID-19 response team, told the AP.

Biden’s plan will continue to use public and private-sector partnerships, mirroring the “whole of government” effort he deployed to make vaccines more widely available after he took office. The president said he was “pulling out all the stops” to drive up the vaccination rate.

Among those efforts is a promotional giveaway announced Wednesday by Anheuser-Busch, saying it will “buy Americans 21+ a round of beer” once Biden’s 70% goal is met.

“Get a shot and have a beer,” Biden said, advertising the promotion even though he himself refrains from drinking alcohol.

Additionally, the White House is partnering with early childhood centers such as KinderCare, Learning Care Group, Bright Horizons and more than 500 YMCAs to provide free childcare coverage for Americans looking for shots or needing assistance while recovering from side effects.

The administration is also launching a new partnership to bring vaccine education and even doses to more than a thousand Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons, building on a successful pilot program in Maryland.

They’re the latest vaccine sweeteners, building on other incentives like cash giveaways, sports tickets and paid leave, to keep up the pace of vaccinations.

“The fact remains that despite all the progress, those who are unvaccinated still remain at risk of getting seriously ill or dying or spreading the disease to others,” said Rowe.

Aiming to make injections even more convenient, Biden is announcing that many pharmacies are extending their hours this month — and thousands will remain open overnight on Fridays. The White House is also stepping up its efforts to help employers run on-site vaccination clinics.

Biden will also announce that he is assigning Vice President Kamala Harris to lead a “We Can Do This” vaccination tour to encourage shots. It will include first lady Jill Biden, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Cabinet officials. Harris’ travel will be focused on the South, where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the country, while other officials will travel to areas of the Midwest with below average rates.

To date 62.8% of the adult U.S. population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 133.6 million are fully vaccinated. The rate of new vaccinations has slowed to an average below 600,000 per day, down from more than 800,000 when incentives like lotteries were announced, and down from a peak of nearly 2 million per day in early April when demand for shots was much higher.

The lengths to which the U.S. is resorting to convince Americans to take a shot stands in contrast to much of the world, where vaccines are far less plentiful. Facing a mounting U.S. surplus, the Biden administration is planning to begin sharing 80 million doses with the world this month.

“All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore,” Biden said.

Thanks to the vaccinations, the rate of cases and deaths in the U.S. are at their lowest since the beginning of the pandemic last March, averaging under 16,000 new cases and under 400 deaths per day.

As part of the effort to drive Americans to get shots, the White House is borrowing some tools from political campaigns, including phone banks, door-knocking and texting. The administration says more than 1,000 such events will be held this weekend alone. Additionally, it is organizing competitions between cities and colleges to drive up vaccination rates.

Other new incentives include a $2 million commitment from DoorDash to provide gift cards to community health centers to be used to drive people to get vaccinated. CVS launched a sweepstakes with prizes including free cruises and Super Bowl tickets. Major League Baseball will host on-site vaccine clinics and ticket giveaways at games. And Kroger will give $1 million to a vaccinated person each week this month and dozens of people free groceries for the year.

The fine print on the Anheuser-Busch promotion reveals the benefits to the sponsoring company, which will collect consumer data and photos through its website to register for the $5 giveaway. The company says it will hand out credits to however many people qualify.

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Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer, a Glenbrook North alum and former Illinois high school basketball player of the year, is expected to succeed Krzyzewski.

Duke Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski will coach his final season with the Blue Devils in 2021-22, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person said former Duke player and associate head coach Jon Scheyer would then take over as Krzyzewski’s successor for the 2022-23 season.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school hasn’t commented publicly on the decision. An announcement is expected later Wednesday.

Stadium first reported news of Krzyzewski’s final season with Duke, which he has led to five national championships, most recently in 2015. With 1,170 victories, he is the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history, with 1,097 of them coming during his 41 years with the Blue Devils.

Duke missed the NCAA Tournament this past season for the first time since 1995, but the Blue Devils welcome one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for the coming season.

Scheyer played for Krzyzewski from 2006-10, with his last season resulting in his mentor’s fourth NCAA title. Scheyer joined the Duke staff for the 2013-14 season and rose to his current role following the 2017-18 season.

Scheyer served as interim coach last year for Duke when Krzyzewski was sidelined for a January win against Boston College due to COVID-19 protocols. Scheyer has never been a college head coach.

Scheyer has his own legendary roots in Illinois basketball.

“I think [Jon Scheyer] is the best player ever to play high school basketball in Illinois,” former Glenbrook North coach Dave Weber said in 2005. “I know that’s a big statement. I’m not saying he’s going to be the best college player or the best pro. His records are just mind-boggling. There is no one who is so complete.”

Scheyer — the Sun-Times Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in 2006 — is the only player in Illinois high school basketball history that is in the all-time top 20 in total points, assists and steals. He’s fourth all-time in scoring, 20th all-time in assists and 10th in steals.

The Krzyzewski news comes almost two months to the day that another Hall of Famer in the state — North Carolina’s Roy Williams — announced his retirement after 33 seasons as a head coach with Kansas and the Tar Heels. UNC also turned to a former player on the bench, elevating Hubert Davis to take over in his first time as a major college head coach.

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Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks and Chicago Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera both received the AL and NL reliever of the month awards. The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs both find themselves with very good bullpens. Liam Hendriks Hendriks, 32, the Australian-born closer for the White Sox has been outstanding for them this season, […]

Chicago White Sox and Cubs lock up reliever of the month awards – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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We have one person with a mental-health problem. Helping her deal with that problem is the humane thing to do. What do you say we do that?

Many of us either have mental-health issues or know someone who does. It would probably be more accurate to say that most of us either have mental-health issues or know people who do. That’s how common psychological problems are.

It’s why there has been such an outpouring of empathy for tennis star Naomi Osaka, who dropped out of the French Open because of anxiety and depression she says is caused, in part, by having to talk with the media. She refused to meet the press at Roland Garros, was fined by tournament officials and finally withdrew after they suggested she could be disqualified from the event.

We don’t like to see anyone suffering, but when the suffering is so public and when the sufferer is so well-known, it magnifies everything, including the reaction. We want to help Osaka. We want to protect her. We want to heal her.

This is where it gets complicated. Osaka initially cast the issue as something bigger than herself, saying it was cruel to subject players to intense questioning from media members after a match, especially a loss. Later, she brought the discussion to the place where it should have been in the first place, that press conferences are extremely difficult for her. It was too late. The media was painted as a collective ogre, and that was that.

The bigger question is not how to get rid of prying, indelicate reporters but how to deal with athletes who are battling something bigger and more powerful than any opponent they might face. Ninety-nine percent of the press conferences I’ve participated in have been docile affairs, with reporters going out of their way to be fair and professional. But to someone with problems such as Osaka’s, my “fair and professional’’ might be her “antagonistic and destructive.’’

Should we change everything for one player who says she’s paralyzed by anxiety before press conferences? Should she be exempt from the requirement most professional sports have that athletes must speak with reporters after games? Would not having to do so give her a competitive advantage over other players? Would it lead conniving performers to claim that they, too, have psychological problems that should excuse them from the stress of media questioning?

As I said, complicated.

Eliminating press conferences is not the answer. That would be the biggest knee-jerk reaction in the annals of jerking knees. Fans and media alike want answers after games. It’s not enough to watch an athletic event, say, “That was nice,’’ and go home. Given the opportunity, they’ll dissect a performance until it looks like shredded documents. Movie-goers have opinions after watching movies. Diners rate restaurants.

So this isn’t a media thing. It’s a people thing. It’s a human thing.

If reporters were taken out of the equation, we’d be left with the snake pit that is social media. If you think sportswriters are rude and ask inappropriate questions, I’d direct you to Twitter, where there are about 1 billion lowest common denominators. Escape from them is futile.

Here’s where I get to every time I think the Osaka situation through: compassion. We have one person with a problem. Helping her deal with that problem is the compassionate thing to do. What do you say we do that?

This is coming from someone who thinks dwindling access to athletes is one of sportswriting’s biggest issues. Over the past 30 years, pro teams have slashed our amount of time with athletes and cut the number of questions we can ask them. In the place of a fuller understanding of the people who play the games we watch are well-managed, extremely dull athletes.

But it wouldn’t kill us to give one tennis star a break. If we don’t, it might kill her.

Half of Michael Jordan’s mystique as a player was attributed to his indomitable will. He was born with a fire and a competitiveness his hagiographers say few humans possess. If that’s true, then it’s also true that some very talented athletes are born with the opposite mental makeup, with anxiety issues that seriously affect their performances. We wouldn’t think of penalizing someone like Jordan for being a domineering jerk on the floor, so why should we favor athletes who struggle psychologically?

Answer: Because none of us is better off with a fellow human being having a breakdown in full public view. Not us and certainly not the athlete.

If allowing Osaka to miss press conferences produces a wave of dishonest athletes opting out of those sessions, then officials can deal with it.

Until then, let’s be nice.

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There is the Jose Abreu for all to see, the RBI machine driving in a clutch run with a tough, game-winning at-bat against the Indians that manager Tony La Russa called an all-timer. And there is Abreu behind the scenes.

CLEVELAND — There is the Jose Abreu for all to see, the RBI machine driving in a clutch run with a tough, game-winning at-bat against the Indians that manager Tony La Russa called an all-timer.

And there is Abreu behind the scenes, the team leader on a bus to the hotel after going 0-for-5 and leaving the the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in his last at-bat of a 6-5 loss to the Indians, consoling and pouring wisdom into rookie Yermin Mercedes.

“I was just telling him this is not a fair sport,” Abreu said Wednesday through translator Billy Russo. “You don’t make a season in two months. You have to work hard and grind throughout the whole season. And sometimes, you don’t get the results you are hoping (for). But you have to keep working.”

Mercedes, batting fifth behind Abreu, went 0-for-4 that night, his average dipping to .304. Abreu, a candidate for AL Player of the Month in May, has urged Mercedes, the AL Rookie of the Month in April, “don’t get too comfortable.”

He will keep working, because that’s who he is. And he’ll keep driving in runs, because that’s who he is. Abreu is aiming to become the only other player besides Cecil Fielder to lead the American League in RBI three consecutive seasons. T hehrough Tuesday, led the AL with 46 this season after knocking in 60 in 60 games during his MVP season a year ago.

Against James Karinchak in the first game of a doubleheader Monday, Abreu lined a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Billy Hamilton with the go-ahead run. It would be the only win of three games played against the Indians in a matchup of the top two teams in the AL Central. The Sox (3 and Indians were rained out Wednesday.

“That’s an MVP at-bat right there,” Sox hitting coach Frank Menechino said. “He shortened everything up, he put the ball in play.

“The guy is a professional hitter and he’s an RBI machine. The guy works his butt off and he knows what he wants to do.”

There are those who say RBI are merely a matter of getting a hit or making contact when runners happen to be in scoring position but Menechino will hear none of that.

“I never acknowledged anybody saying that RBIs don’t matter. I don’t give it any thought, I don’t even acknowledge it. RBIs matter,” Menechino said.

“You look throughout baseball and you’ll see great hitters who were good in clutch situations and see great hitters that weren’t. You’ll see guys who could get that RBI, drive that guy in. That’s how you win the game, right? Scoring runs, driving guys in. It’s definitely a clutch moment and you have to be prepared and control your emotions.”

“My mindset in those at-bats is easy, just try to produce,” Abreu said. “I like those moments.”

Abreu said “there’s a lot of love among us inside this team,” a family mindset that can sustain them through good and bad. Whether he’s driving that home or driving in runs, he’s always producing.

“We’re just trying to be a family and really have that sense in us, just be a family, play like a family,” Abreu said. “We are in first place right now. Maybe in a week or a month, we are not. But we have to stick together and play like a family and be like a family, because that’s what really matters here.”

NOTE: *The series finale against the Indians was rained out due to inclement weather and will be made up in a split doubleheader Sept. 23 in Cleveland, opening a five-game series.

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For now, new boss Jon Carr says improv-heavy shows make sense as we determine, “What is funny now?”

The last few months at Second City have been about old habits — restoring some of them, and tearing down some others.

It’s a theater undergoing unprecedented change — new ownership, new priorities, a new commitment to digital content. But at the core of the company throughout its 61-year history have been live stage revues, built of sketches devised by an ensemble of actor-writers, and that’s not changing.

Those shows, like all live theater, were absent during more than a year of pandemic shutdowns. They have not returned yet. The company has been working its way back into in-person productions, starting with a show called “Happy to Be Here” that opened May 7 in the prestigious mainstage space at North and Wells.

Of course, COVID-19 protocols bring changes to the Second City experience: masks (on the audience, not the performers), mandatory preshow questionnaires, temperature checks at the door. And instead of the usual two-act collection of scripted sketches, this one has just one act, largely improvised, with a few breaks for short scripted bits.

The idea, Second City executive producer Jon Carr said, was to simplify the performance for a cast that’s been largely out of practice since last spring. It’s “a show that’s easy for them,” without much to memorize, he said.

And as a bonus, the improv segments allow the actors to respond nimbly during a volatile time.

“There’s a big question mark of: What is funny now?,” Carr said. “After a year of being off, we haven’t had that immediate feedback, and tastes change and comedy changes and what we think is funny and top-of-mind has changed. And so we need the improv there, to be a little bit flexible.”

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

A similar show, called “Safer, Shorter and Still So Funny,” opens Thursday at the adjacent e.t.c. theater. Carr calls these “reopening shows” to distinguish them from Second City’s more demanding, more polished sketch revues.

Even scaled down, the shows have been well-received by audiences denied live entertainment for so long, Carr said: “It’s kind of a twofold response, right? It’s the response of, the performers on stage are talented and funny and people are having a good time. And then it’s the response of, ‘Holy crap! I’m sitting next to people!’ ”

But bigger shows are on the way. In about two months, if all goes as planned, a director and cast will begin daytime rehearsals using Second City’s traditional process of improvising to find scenes worthy of shaping into sketches for a revue. Tickets already are on sale for preview performances of the new mainstage show, the 109th in Second City’s history.

That room, where funny people make a show just as hundreds have done before, could be an oasis of stability at a theater otherwise reeling. Last June, as artists of color spoke up with accusations of institutional racism, Carr’s predecessor, Andrew Alexander, stepped down and issued a statement calling himself part of the problem.

The exit of Alexander, a co-owner of Second City, began a transition process that culminated in the February sale of the company to ZMC, a New York firm run by private equity investor Strauss Zelnick.

The new owners, Carr said, have been supportive of him and his fellow managers and have not been imposing their will on the company. “The big thing for them,” he said, “is to make sure we’re getting the resources we need to do the best work we can and frankly to come back from a pandemic.”

As for Carr, his focus is on “finding ways to incorporate more voices.” He envisions using the smaller theaters in the Second City complex to present shows aimed at particular niche audiences, people who might like what they see and be drawn to the more mainstream shows at the mainstage and e.t.c. stage.

“And suddenly what you start seeing,” he said, “is a diversity of our audience because we’re hitting so many people and we’re doing it strategically.”

Another step toward stabilizing Second City, he said, has been taking a fresh look at old habits. “Why are we doing these things the way that we’re doing them?,” Carr said. “And if the answer is, ‘Well, that’s how we’ve always done it,’ is there a better way of doing this? Is there a more equitable way of doing this?”

Case in point: the Second City archive, a massive storehouse of recordings and scripts sometimes repurposed as material for touring companies or classes. Since his arrival in December, Carr and colleagues have been combing through the old content and — in addition to exposing him to the classic ’90s Pictionary scene, “one of the funniest things that I’ve ever seen” — the process has helped identify outdated bits that don’t demonstrate the diversity Second City is striving for.

“It’s not like we’re deleting them and they’ll never exist anymore,” he said, “but some of them [we’ll] just use to talk about them. Because we have to have those kinds of conversations and make sure we’re not just pretending that these things didn’t exist.”

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Lucky for us shoe and animal lovers, Annie Mohaupt grew up on a sheep farm before she was trained as an architect. When she tired of her desk job and decided to pivot to fashion, she was able to apply the same production processes she’d learned designing buildings to constructing killer shoes with vegan leather — no sheep sacrifice required. After the Ukrainian Village resident launched Mohop (the phonetic spelling of her surname) in 2005, she attracted a cult following at maker fairs. “We got a lot of press because we were one of the first eco-friendly shoe companies,” says Mohaupt, “but I was making each pair by hand, which wasn’t sustainable.” She couldn’t find a factory that met her standards for work conditions, pay, and waste practices, so she started her own in Rockford in 2018, with the help of her partner in life and work, Justin Walker. This spring, Mohop opened a boutique in West Town — the brand’s first — to showcase its iridescent sandals, accessories, and pet products. Designed by Mohaupt, the airy, minimalist space has angular walnut furnishings on which to park yourself while your shopping partner picks out a peacock-hued handbag and heads to the Fab Lab, where nearly anything can be customized by artisans on the spot. Buy yourself some super-comfortable, chunky high-heeled mules for summer soirees, and feel good about the hands (and materials) that made them. 1659 W. Chicago Ave.

$80

Mobile bag

$25

Earrings

$20

Coin purse

$180

Wedge mules

$20

Pet collar

$180

Crossbody bag

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Marching to a Different Drummer

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On the inside looking out: Life as an autistic adult

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By K.Yvonne,
today at 11:35 am

Imagine knowing your whole life, from early grade school, that you’re different from everyone else but not knowing why. Everyday interactions and activities that come so easily to other people are agony. Feeling like you are on the outside looking in. Or more accurately, on the inside looking out.

Social situations, with all but a few close family members or friends, are excruciating. You are guaranteed to blurt out the wrong thing at the wrong time, so it’s easier to stay silent but then you’re regarded as antisocial, weird. You struggle to look most people in the eye or meet their gaze for more than a few seconds.

You are dismissed as “shy,” but you know deep down that shy doesn’t quite explain you.

Having to get up in front of a classroom and have multiple pairs of unfriendly eyes trained on you makes the prospect of death appealing by comparison. Team sports are torture.

And this is before you are even in high school.

Only it doesn’t go away after high school or even college. That time when you’re supposed to enter young adulthood with a developing sense of self and your life is supposed to start “falling into place,” whatever that means. Except things never fall into place like they seem to for other people. Maybe on the surface they appear to: First job, first apartment, all those things. But you never fit in anywhere. Even with your family. You feel like a child in an adult’s body, going through the motions.

You are in a never-ending awkward phase. What’s worse, your mental suffering begins to take a toll on your body and manifest itself in alarming physical symptoms.

Imagine growing up and coming of age with a condition virtually unknown to your time and place. One that was first identified and documented by an obscure German psychiatrist in the 1940s, whose work was not even translated into English or recognized in the United States until forty years later. And even then, for a long time only diagnosed in young children.

Even if you had parents who approved of and could afford adolescent psychiatry, which many of us did not, a shrink still could not have helped you. They might, in the unlikely event your parents consented, put you on an antidepressant regimen that might alleviate some of your symptoms but not treat the root cause of what ails you. Because there is no cure, and still is no cure, for that.

The counselors and therapists you see when you’re finally old enough to make these decisions for yourself are also limited by the prevailing wisdom in what they can do for you, so it’s still antidepressants and perhaps ADD medication. But no pill can fix you.

This is the life of someone diagnosed in middle age with Asperger’s syndrome. This is what it’s like to find out, well into mid-life, that you are autistic and have been your whole life. It’s learning that, contrary to what you believed, people with autism can excel in school and earn advanced degrees and pass the bar exam, because you did. Or become physicians, engineers, found tech companies and even become billionaires.

This happened to me in 2020, the year my entire life finally had an explanation. I learned there are others like me, who have suffered like me. That my brain is simply wired differently, through no fault of my own. I was never lazy, stupid, careless, or otherwise flawed in character. How I could have used that information thirty years ago.

Finally understanding why you are the way you are provides great relief, but it doesn’t make your condition go away.

I’m only at the beginning of this journey of self-understanding, healing and growth. But one thing I already know is that no two people experience Asperger’s (Autism Spectrum Disorder) exactly the same. It is a condition comprising many characteristics and traits that don’t impact each person who has it to the same degree. I don’t pretend to be an authority on the condition or speak for everyone with it. I am an authority on me, and how this has manifested itself in my life.

My future posts will deal with different aspects of living with ASD including some of the growing resources out there for coping. Next up: Why I hate “the autism spectrum” and other terms.

Filed under:
aging, Aspergers syndrome, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, health

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The event will be hosted by Power92 personalities Ricky Rampage and Sean Dale, along with WSRB-FM’s (106.3) Lady Red.

As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions continue to loosen, two legendary musicmakers will be headlining the Power 92’s Father’s Day drive-in concert in Chicago.

Concertgoers will be treated to music performances from iconic Chicago rapper Twista, and platinum-selling group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Also on the bill are comedians Red Grant, T.K. Kirkland and Rodney Perry.

The Father’s Day Love and Laughter Fest, which is scheduled for June 19 at the Soldier Field South Lot (doors open at 7:30 p.m.), is the brainchild of Power 92-FM (92.3). It will be hosted by Power 92-FM personalities Ricky Rampage and Sean Dale, along with WSRB-FM’s (106.3) Lady Red.

The drive-in event will adhere to social distancing guidelines by requiring concertgoers to park their vehicles one space apart. Lawn chairs are allowed; attendees must remain in designated areas adjacent to their cars, except when purchasing food items or using restrooms. Masks are mandatory when attendees are outside vehicles.

Perry revels in being a part of an event celebrating dads in his hometown of Chicago.

“A lot of times as fathers, you feel like Father’s Day is an afterthought,” said Perry, a South Side native and father of six (five girls, one boy). “To do this event on Father’s Day — in Chicago at Soldier Field — rings so many bells for me. Fathers deserve a lot of the credit for biding our families together — I’m one of those dads; I like being a part of an event showcasing that. … Any time you get to come home [Chicago], it’s a good day.”

Comedian Red Grant, also a headliner for the drive-in event, echoes Perry’s sentiments.

“As a father, I think it’s necessary to honor fathers in a big way,” said Grant in a statement. “I’m looking forward to hitting the stage with my bros and celebrating Father’s Day by doing what I love.”

Tickets (18+over; starting at $450 for up to six occupants — up to eight for SUVs) for the Drive-In Fest can be purchased at ticketweb. Vehicles will be charged and additional $50 for more than four occupants.

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Coach Brad Stevens will move into the front office.

The Boston Celtics shook up their front office on Wednesday, a day after they were eliminated from the playoffs, with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge retiring and coach Brad Stevens moving up to the front office to replace him.

The moves came about 12 hours after the 17-time NBA champions lost to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. The Celtics, who reached the conference finals in three of the previous four seasons, had flirted with a top seed in the East for much of the season before stumbling into the play-in round.

Celtics staff were informed Wednesday morning of the moves.

Ainge has spent the bulk of his NBA career with the Celtics, serving as the team’s president since 2003 and being part of the 1984 and 1986 NBA championship teams in Boston as a player. He was voted the league’s top executive in 2008, the year in which Boston won its 17th and most recent NBA championship.

Stevens spent eight years as Boston’s coach, taking the Celtics to the playoffs the last seven seasons. He is the fourth-winningest coach in team history, behind Red Auerbach, Tom Heinsohn and Doc Rivers.

Stevens did not allude to the looming moves in his final news conference following the loss in Brooklyn, though he pointed to Boston’s future.

“We didn’t play perfect basketball, but we showed a lot of growth in the past few weeks, both individually and at times collectively,” Stevens said. “And so, there’s stuff to build off of. But at the same time, the task is tall and if you want to be in the mix, then you’ve got to be better than we were.”

The Celtics struggled with injuries this season, needed to win a play-in game just to get into the playoffs and fell well short of the expectation of contending for a championship — especially after reaching the East finals in the NBA bubble last season and losing to Miami.

“You can improve through continued development and the right work ethic and doing a good job with the developmental stuff,” Stevens said. “Then, obviously, there is the ability to acquire people. This team that beat us is a very good team. There are very good teams across the East and we have to get better. We never got a true look at this team this year, but I think we have enough information that shows that we need to get better.”

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