Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is still unsigned after being released by the Cowboys after seven seasons. And while Elliott has declined from the every-down multi-dimensional back that took the league by storm in 2016 out of Ohio State, he’s still very serviceable and could be a nice complementary piece in the right system.
But, for a player that’s been at the top of his position since he came into the league, taking that demotion seems to be holding up Elliott from latching on with another team. To go from the man to being one of the men is never easy, and the belief is Elliott may not be receptive to such. In fact his former running backs coach the past three seasons in Dallas, Skip Pete, says that’s exactly Zeke is still available on the free agent market.
In an interview with via the Tampa Bay Times, Peete mentioned how he recently talked with his former pupil and told him his best chance to return to the field is in a lesser role.
“I think that’s part of the reason he’s sitting out. If you’re going to play, I mean, you’re going to be the second or third guy. That’s kind of what the price is. So that’s something that a person has to be able to see that that is what it is going to be.”
When Elliott was released in March, Peete mentioned that while he went along with the Cowboys pretty much using him in the role that he’d be accepting with a new team, he definitely fought against the change. Teammate Tony Pollard became more of the featured back with his explosiveness and big play ability. Plus he was a cheaper player at the position going forward.
Peete also said he believes Elliott is still very good, just not an every-down back anymore.
“I think Zeke is still a good, quality back,” Peete said. “He’s playing 50 percent of the snaps, so your numbers aren’t not the same, that’s natural. But he still scored 12 touchdowns. He still caught the ball well. He still had numerous third-and-1, and short-and-goal-line places where he helped us win games. He’s still a physical load.”
Elliott was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, and he didn’t disappoint from the jump. In his career he rushed for over 8,200 yards and 68 touchdowns. In his seven-year Cowboys career, Zeke reached the 1000-yard plateau four times, and nearly reached it the other three seasons, coming up 17, 21 and 124 yards short in those seasons.
His numbers are good enough for third all time on the franchise’s rushing yards list behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. In fact, Smith and Dorsett rank first and eleventh all-time on the NFL’s rushing yards list. Elliott ranks 43rd.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka is clapping back at fans predicting her downfall post-pregnancy. Osaka revealed in the past that the baby she is having with boyfriend and hip-hop artist Cordae is due sometime in June or July, and she is feeling the shade from her fans who believe she will end up just another rapper’s baby’s mother.
“To the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished,” Osaka posted on social media.
“You might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though,” the tennis star added. “Not trying to make this a male and female thing but let’s be fr.”
The alluding to a double standard for male athletes with children still having the ability to perform at a high level has more to do with the presumption of body evolution versus the time management any parent has to factor into their lives before children. For Osaka, it is a non-issue that she is taking offense at, and for a good reason, as she is constantly questioned about her choice to become a mother.
Last month during an interview with a Japanese news outlet, she was highly criticized by the interviewing host and attempted to explain her perspective on the pregnancy.
“I think for me; it was the opposite way. I found out, and then I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to definitely play better and be a better player after this.’ For me, it just made me want to try harder to be the best that I can be. I’ll be in Australia next year.
When the interviewer said Osaka dropped out of the Australian Open “a little bit too quick(ly),” she emphatically said, “no!”
“So the baby is in June, July, and then I have August, September, October, November, December, January; six months,” Osaka in explaining her ability to train after her pregnancy.
At 25 years old, Osaka is more accomplished than most male peers. Osaka has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles.
In 2018, Osaka scored the biggest win of her career, becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam title by beating Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 at the US Open.
Her seven titles on the WTA Tour also include two at the Premier Mandatory level. At the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open, Osaka won her first two major titles in back-to-back tournaments. She was the first woman to win successive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015.
Motherhood might be her biggest challenge yet, but she’s certain it is not insurmountable. Now the world must wait and see if one of the tennis world’s top athletes will ever be the same.
Tyreek Hill often says some of the strangest things, and most of the time it’s things that are a tad bit on the outlandish side. The speedy Miami Dolphins wideout, who once helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years, even called his current quarterback Tua Tagovailoa the most accurate passer in the NFL.
But for Hill that’s nothing, as his MO has always been to stir the pot one way or another. On Friday Hill retweeted a video of Channing Crowder of the “The Pivot” podcast, where Crowder declared he has some very odd bathroom habits.
“I talk to a n***a in the bathroom. I do it all the time…”
But that wasn’t all Crowder said in the video, as the former Miami Dolphins linebacker also mentioned being able to do such means you’re an alpha male — a lion that’s comfortable within his own manhood.
This is about as odd as Crowder saying he and his wife take a trip to a nudist colony once a year. And as it pertains to Hill, he was chomping at the bit to use the video with his own experience.
As Hill retweeted the video of Crowder, he also let it be known that he and former teammate Mecole Hardman use to do that very thing when both were sprinting by opponents weekly for the Kansas City Chiefs. Looks like Hill had no problem admitting to such a thing, and after all the different things Crowder spewed, why would he. But it’s still super awkward to be that open about bathroom habits or tendencies one may have in a public restroom with others.
It’s actually something both Crowder and Hill probably should’ve kept to themselves.
Earlier this week Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons posted that he was learning some things to help him “grow as a player” from former Los Angeles Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth. Hill attempted to clown Parsons, asking him was he a “motivational speaker” now.
After some subtle jabs at each other, Parsons hit the home run with this tweet:
To which Hill responded:
“You win bro.”
Hill left the Chiefs following the 2021-22 season via trade, and while he got his money and had a great season, the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl in his absence, proving that he needed them more than they needed him.
Ja Morant has quickly become a case study in how to blow a second chance in the court of public opinion. The vessel? Yet again, IG Live. The situation? Ja and his guys in a car turn up to a song by NBA Youngboy for no apparent reason, as he tends to do frequently, and yet again, another gun is flashed for the world to see.
The outcome: suspension by the Memphis Grizzlies organization from all team activities.
This time his friend tried to pivot the camera angle expeditiously, but it was too late; the internet never forgets, and screenshots are the new informant for moments that should have been kept private.
Immediately the polarization began because Morant felt like every Black adult’s child; we know he just wants to have fun with his friends but constantly needs “the talk.” You want to jump through the screen and give his cheek a stinging reminder that you cannot flash a gun on social media as a celebrity, you cannot ride with a gun and play on the internet driving while Black, and most important, it is rare to be forgiven twice in the court of public opinion as a Black man.
Black Twitter quickly also came to his defense as a legal gun holder. If a white person can have a gun and feel comfortable enough to brandish it, why can’t Ja Morant? Unfortunately for those painting an idyllic scenario for Morant’s pride in gun ownership, his life is lived before the world’s eyes, and the methods in which he chooses to showcase his weapon always coincide with commercial rap culture that has faced a branding problem from street tales and energy that feels to many like a glorification of criminality.
At 23 years old, Morant is like any other Southern fun-loving young man; he likes beleaguered Louisiana rap artist NBA Youngboy and the various musical vibrations that provide him uber masculine energy. The music choices and the circumstances each time for Ja pose the question of whether art is imitating life or life imitating art.
That is the crux of the issue, along with the fact that guns are not toys, and his penchant to let you know he’s holding, whether in a Denver area strip club or a driving vehicle full of people, is problematic.
Consider that Morant was in a brand rebuild phase before his failed playoff run ended in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers. As the leader of the young, brash Grizzlies, he was the de facto loser of the Dillon Brooks intimidation tactics towards LeBron James. Not only did he lose a teammate, but it only enhanced the belief that the Grizzlies have an athletic hotshot in Morant but they are a social media flash in the pan of dancing faux tough guys.
Ja Morant has not fully realized that his brand of entertainment, where he lives life like a music video, does not work in the world of corporate sponsors, season-ticket holders, and, more significant, accountability. As the face of a franchise with a sneaker deal and a team leader, more is expected because more was given, and Morant and his “friends” just don’t seem to get it.
It doesn’t matter if turning up to NRA Youngboy would make it make more sense than NBA Youngboy. What matters is that Ja Morant learned nothing from getting caught up with a weapon the last time. Maybe he is too young to realize that his job extends beyond the parameters of the hardwood whenever he turns on IG Live, and perhaps those who support him won’t forgive him again.
In the city that never sleeps, it was not enough for the New York Knicks to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season. Now that the Miami Heat has eliminated them from the playoffs in six games, Gotham wants blood, namely that of power forward Julius Randle.
His abysmal Game 6 performance sent one of the biggest Knicks fans on a rant that called for a new regime on the Madison Square Garden hardwood.
“It’s time to trade Julius Randle,” “First Take: host Stephen A. Smith said on his Twitter, distraught at the Knicks loss. “It’s time for him to go. I want Damian Lillard. Don’t care what you gotta do, I want Damian Lillard.”
The two-time All-Star and All-NBA forward finished with just 15 points on 3-for-14 shooting (1 of 7 from 3-point range) in American Airlines Arena in Miami. The 28-year-old University of Kentucky star has had a hot-and-cold relationship with the fans who have booed him at Madison Square Garden in the past.
With the Brooklyn Nets’ former Big Three of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving going to Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Dallas, respectively, the Knicks are New York City basketball fans’ last hope for respect only a deeper run into the playoffs makes, and those dreams have been dashed.
“Season’s over. I guess in the end I always knew the New York Knicks would lose. Tom Thibodeaux, the team can’t shoot, but you only play Evan Fournier seven times this season, don’t give him a second of time in the playoffs. [Quentin] Grimes air-balled at the end of the game,” Smith said, wiping the disgust off his face with his hand.
“Jalen Brunson, spectacular, 41 points, but he was the only one who showed up. RJ Barrett, 1-for-10 shooting from the field, really? And you’ve got the nerve to be sensitive about criticism? Julius Randle, 3-for-14. Once again, playoffs arrive. Once again, you fold. Done!”
Smith is the embodiment of every Knicks fan right now after what was seen as a Cinderella season that many hoped would lead the team to the Eastern Conference finals. However, a surging Miami Heat team led by the passion of Jimmy Butler and the quiet leadership of Kyle Lowry overcame the tenacity of the Knicks.
While Smith took to Twitter to showcase his disappointment, in New York City fans were more visible, spray-painting “trade me” on a poster of Randle’s face. Another group of fans took that same poster and decided to stomp on it vigorously in disgust as they exited the Madison Square Garden watch party following the loss on Friday night.
The 28-year-old Randle has two years left on his contract and almost $60 million left on his four-year, $117 million deal he signed in the summer of 2019. Can the Knicks lure a player like Lillard out of the Pacific Northwest to satisfy NYC’s yearning for a deep postseason run?
It is unlikely, but that does not stop Stephen A. Smith from wishing it would happen.
The Denver Nuggets punched their ticket to the franchise’s second Western Conference finals appearance in four seasons. Behind the play of former two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and his partner in crime, a healthy Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are the top seed in the West and have played the best basketball of any team in the conference all season. With Joker and Murray as the catalysts for seven seasons now, the cornerstones are in place along with sniper Michael Porter Jr.
But the one thing this Nuggets team under head coach Michael Malone lacked was quality depth and a quality supporting cast. They added the likes of Aaron Gordon prior to the 2021 NBA trade deadline. They then went out and added Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this past offseason via free agency.
Braun recently joined the “Rock Chalk Unplugged” Podcast to talk about his first season in the NBA and how it differs from the college life in Lawrence, Kansas.
During the segment of the podcast Braun elaborated on the time he received a $15K fine for parking in team owner Stan Kroenke’s spots at Ball Arena. It was a complete shock, and based on Braun’s comments it’s something he’s for sure never gonna do again.
“I’m about to get dressed and there’s a piece of paper in my chair and it was a $15,000 fine. I’m like, $15,000? I haven’t even gotten a paycheck. What do you mean $15,000?
‘I call our person and I’m like, ‘Fifteen thousand? That’s not going to work. We’re not going to do this. You’re not getting my money. She’s like, ‘What do you mean we’re not getting your money? It comes straight out. You don’t even see the money.’
“The three spots I parked in are Mr. Kroenke’s. Not only did I park in his spot, I parked in all three of them, so it’s $5,000 for each one of those executive spots. So I get a $15,000 fine on my chair.
“There was not a single person at the arena. My car’s still on. I was there for two and a half minutes, and they just caught me and they looked up whose car it was and it was mine.
“She ended up getting it down to $2,500.”
For future reference, Bruan now knows not to park in the billionaire owner’s spot under any circumstances.
Looking for more wing athleticism, the Nuggets took the former Kansas star with the 21st overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft. Braun, fresh off winning a national championship, has paid dividends all season with the hustle and grit he’s provided.
Known for his toughness, tenacity, and grit, but also more than capable of knocking in shots from range and getting to the rim, Braun has made a real impression on the Nuggets this season.
His welcome-to-the-playoffs moment seemed to happen in the first-round series when he got into it with Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson for not letting him take a free shot after a foul, sort of like what you saw Kevin Garnett do often during his playing career. That seemed to bother Anderson, who then wanted to fight or at least fake fight, as all NBA players do.
When all was said and done, the aforementioned Malone said that’s the stuff he loves about his prize rookie, and it’s something the Nuggets have lacked for years. Now that they have multiple bulldogs like Braun the belief is this team can win it all.
In a growing trend that’s becoming more and more prevalent, TikTok stars are going into disguise and somehow pulling off the unthinkable. Last year it was the fake Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson who pulled it off, and this time it’s a TikTok star going incognito as rising Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
Earlier this week @Airrock (Eric Decker) a pretty popular TikToker in his own right with a massive following, sneaked by the security at Crypto.com Arena as he impersonated the aforementioned Reaves.
Decker, who has a slight resemblance to Reaves, was able to pull off this move by putting in some colored contacts to match the eye color of Reaves. But Decker didn’t stop there, as he also rented the type of car that Reaves drives, added his own personal driver, and made sure to dress like the former Oklahoma Sooners star. It worked, and Decker was able to breach arena security.
It also didn’t hurt that he wore a face mask with “too small” on it to help his disguise.
Last June, prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Dawson Gurley, a YouTuber, was able to breach security at Chase Center, home of the Warriors. Gurley dressed as Klay was able to bypass five layers of the team’s security without any hiccups. He even took it a step further and took warm-up shots on the court for about 10 minutes.
After sneaking in Gurley recorded himself narrating this:
“We could just go into the locker room if we wanted to.”
Following his subterfuge and subsequent video, Gurley was banned from the Chase Center for life. Some say the ban seems a bit much, but that’s the risk you take when you do something like that.
Now one has to wonder if Crypto.com Arena and the Lakers do the same thing to Decker.
If Reaves stunk no one would be impersonating him, so as creepy as this appears it’s a reflection of the cult status that his impressive season is gaining him.
Reaves, a 2021 undrafted combo guard out of Oklahoma, has earned the trust of Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and superstar LeBron James. He’s also proved to them and all his teammates that’s it not all about athleticism and elite jumping ability, of which Reaves has some, but rather about finding your niche and role within the team.
That’s something Reaves has done, and he’s now become one of the more confident and tough-minded players in the league. This season the soon-to-be restricted free agent has averaged 13 points, four assists and four rebounds per game on shooting splits of 51/86/38.
He’s sure to make some real dough this offseason either in Tinseltown or elsewhere.
Anthony Davis has been the subject of jokes on social media since the Lakers’ Wednesday night loss to the Warriors in Game 5. He left the game midway through the fourth quarter with a head injury. It was reported he had to use a wheelchair to get back to the locker room.
Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal all joined to make fun of Davis having to use a wheelchair for a head injury. Now comedian Rickey Smiley let off a few rounds of jokes on his personal Twitter account.
Smiley first tweeted out a photoshopped picture of Davis in a wheelchair.
Then he followed that tweet with a picture of Davis next to one of R&B legend Ginuwine falling off stage during a performance last weekend.
He captioned the picture, ” @DeRayDavis… Do NOT allow your dad falling off stage to distract you from this important game tonight.Keep your eyes on the prize!!!#HelpLeBron#AllTheComediansWillBeWatching.”
It has been suggested that comedian DeRay Davis and Anthony Davis look alike and Ginuwine could be their dad.
The Lakers avoided a terrible outcome after it was announced Thursday that Davis would not be in concussion protocol. He played in Game 6 on Friday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. They hold 3-2 lead but missed an opportunity to close out the series on Wednesday.
As for Davis’ impact, he has averaged 22.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game in the series. In games where he has scored at least 20 points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds the Lakers have won.
The Lakers will also need Davis to dominate to avoid becoming the 14th team to have lost a series after being up 3-1. Lakers superstar forward LeBron James and Warriors superstar guard Steph Curry both are very familiar with overcoming 3-1 deficits.
James and his Cavaliers team in 2016 pulled a 3-1 comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals against these same Warriors. Curry in that same 2016 NBA playoffs run delivered a comeback in the Western Conference finals to break the heart of Oklahoma City Thunder fans.
James is trying to avoid being on the receiving end, but he will need a healthy Davis to close the series out.
The Department of Justice’s recent prosecution of Pras Michél opened up new information about his political dealings. Last month he was found guilty in federal court in Washington of 10 criminal counts that included conspiracy, money laundering, and campaign finance violations.
Pras got involved more than a decade ago Malaysian businessman Jho Low, after which he helped carry out a scheme to help the financier gain access to top U.S. officials, including former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
That plot and several others became the basis for the charges Pras was convicted of on April 26. But when it emerged during the trial that the Fugees frontman voluntarily went to talk to the FBI after learning he was under federal investigation over his dealings with the accused embezzler, that effort to clear his name was construed by celebrities Kyrie Irving and 50 Cent as being a government informant.
Days after Rolling Stone magazine described Pras as “an informal FBI informant” in a April 18 article about the trial, 50 Cent and Irving amplified that theme on social media. Now Pras has served notice by letter this week that he is suing them all for defamation and treading on his street cred, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Never ever. If people want to check it out, look at the testimonies—they could see that all within the records, and all the D.C. courts,” Pras said to TMZ last weekend about the informant accusations. “This is not a Tekashi 6ix9ine situation, respectfully. Because he admitted he was an informant, basically. So I was never. I never said I was. I am not now and never will be an FBI or a CIA informant.”
The Dallas Mavericks star posted two tweets in April where he wondered how deep the FBI informant system is while alluding to Pras’ alleged confession. Irving even went as far as to allude that this was similar to past FBI counterintelligence strategies that thwarted revolutionary movements from within, looping Lauryn Hill’s absence as part of Pras’s assumed activities with the government.
“A whole FBI informant was in the Fugees for that long??” Irving said in a since-deleted tweet. “Got me Wondering how many more informants are in Entertainment/Media/Politics silently destroying revolutionary movements from the inside. No matter what I gotta stay Poised and Aware of who I am around.”
“Now I see why Ms. Lauryn Hill and countless others had to retire or disappear from their craft without anyone understanding why. So S’o all of the Revolutionary Elders and Ancestors who saw the writing on the wall and got FREE. We need you more than ever now.”
Pras also was found guilty of attempting to influence the Trump administration to extradite a national from China.
According to Mother Jones, Michél wrote to them back in 2017 and pitched an article about the government denying a request to extradite a Chinese billionaire accused of sexual assault and living in New York City.
“The question is why is the FBI protecting Guo Wengui,” Pras allegedly wrote. “A Chinese illegal immigrant who lied on his U.S. visa application for entry to the USA, is wanted for rape, kidnapping and a number of civil lawsuits in the millions of dollars, and has an Interpol red notice warrant out for his arrest?”
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson also lent his opinion in a post shared on Instagram.
“I knew this fool was a rat” Jackson wrote in a post alongside a headline about the Pras trial. “I’m glad I never fvck with this guy.”
Pras testified that Jho Low, who is now an international fugitive accused of embezzling some $4.5 billion from the 1MDB Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, paid Michel $20 million in 2012 to get a picture of himself with Obama. Prosecutors alleged Michel funneled over $800,000 of that money to Obama’s campaign through several straw donors.
Pras, who is free on bond before sentencing that could saddle him with as much as 20 years behind bars, has gone from Grammy wins to potential prison time in a life that was never based on street cred or political moves but on creativity.
The Pac-12 reporters have spoken, and they are not buying the hype around Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. College Sports Wire ranked Sanders as the eighth-best quarterback in the conference.
Sanders is one of the newcomers to the conference but played his first two college seasons at Jackson State. He posted back-to-back 3,000-yard passing seasons, threw for 70 touchdowns, and finished top five in passing yards in the FCS.
Now he looks to duplicate that success with the Buffaloes.
The Pac-12 probably has the deepest quarterback group of all college football. Caleb Williams, reigning Heisman winner and projected first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, returns to USC this fall. Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei also transferred into the conference and will be playing at Oregon State.
The conference also has Oregon’s Bo Nix, Utah’s Cameron Rising, five-star recruit Dante Moore at UCLA, Arizona’s Jayden de Laura, and Washington State’s Cameron Ward.
The talent level in the Pac-12 will be a much different level than Sanders experienced while playing at the HBCU level, and it will take some adjusting, but it’s still Pac-12 defenses.
Eight quarterbacks threw for at least 3,000 yards and 20 passing touchdowns in 2022 against Pac-12 defenses. Eight of the 12 teams in the conference gave up an average of at least 25 points per game, versus just seven teams in the SEC, which has 14 teams and is widely considered the best conference in college football.
Despite the questions about Sanders making the transition from FCS to FBS, he will not be lacking in talent. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders brought a lot of talent with him in his “Louis luggage.”
Former five-star recruit and two-way player Travis Hunter joined Sanders at Colorado as well. Last season at Jackson State, Hunter had 18 receptions for 190 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in eight games. He also had two interceptions, including a pick-six, on the defensive side of the ball.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is an electric receiver that played two years at the University of South Florida before joining Coach Prime in Colorado. He racked up 67 receptions, 959 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns in two seasons. He also had 14 carries, 107 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. The versatile speedster just needs the ball in his hands to make something happen.
Sanders also will have former Kent State head coach Sean Lewis as his offensive coordinator. He is responsible for leading Kent State to two of the school’s only four bowl game appearances and their only bowl game win.
ESPN NBA basketball analysts Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins seem to have a good working relationship and it even looks as if they’re close off screen as well.
So, when they crack jokes at each other’s expense it’s never any malice behind it, and that was the case during a recent episode of NBA Today.
As the two former NBA players engaged in a debate segment about the NBA playoffs, they both seemed to agree on a few things, which is very rare. But Jefferson’s making light of the two agreeing was right on time.
Jefferson says to Perkins:
“Again, we’re splitting hairs here.”
That comment got a big chuckle out of Perkins who came back:
“You’re not splitting hairs ever.”
That was a direct shot at Jefferson being bald and having been that way since his college days at Arizona.
Ribbing each other is nothing new for the ESPN co-workers. In fact, it happens pretty often. During last year’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Cassidy Hubbarth mentioned this during a segment.
“RJ said he hasn’t played since he retired. When was the last time you played, Perk?”
Jefferson couldn’t help himself and responded with this one-quitter-hitter.
“Two years before he retired.”
With Perkins it’s always hot take heaven. He’s from the Stephen A. Smith tree of shock jock debaters and he love to just throw out crazy take after crazy take. Jefferson’s the calmer one and seems to exist just to challenge everything Perk spews.
While it can be a bit over the top at times, their segments seem to always have a comedic nature to them at some point, therefore making it more watchable than many other program currently on the network.
At the end of the day, you can’t have one without the other, and for the sake of the viewer that’s a good thing. A nice balance. Since both recently signed extensions, expect to have more of this friendly banter for years to come.
When Joel Embiid was named the 2023 Kia NBA MVP earlier this month it was widely expected. Then the ballot of an unnamed voter was leaked and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic wasn’t in the unnamed voter’s top 5 for the award. We now know that voter is ESPN/ABC analyst Mark Jackson and he has a lot of explaining to do.
“Made an honest mistake with my MVP votes,” Jackson said on Twitter. “My apologies to the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. He’s not only a legitimate MVP candidate who deserved my vote, but he is truly one of the all time greats!” Again my apologies.”
Jackson’s top five in order were: Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell.
The former New York Knicks point guard and Golden State Warriors head coach appeared on SiriusXM NBA radio and offered another apology to Jokic and the Nuggets, as well as an explanation for his error.
“Mistake,” Jackson said. “One thing I live by, you make a mistake, you own it. I’m not a guy that does it for clicks or to be trending. Absolute mistake made by me. I am thinking, how did I make that mistake? You can tell I put one center, two forwards and two guards, so I wasn’t even thinking.
“I apologize to the Denver Nuggets. I apologize to Nikola Jokic, who is not only in the MVP discussion and deserved to be on my ballot, but he’s one of the greatest players in the history of this game.
“He’s a top-10 center of all-time. I own it. If you want to take away my vote, or do whatever, more than welcome, I made a mistake.”
That’s all plausible by Jackson. It could be that the ballots were due and he rushed to get his in and made his All-NBA selections instead of top five MVP. If that is the case, let’s see his entire ballot and see what he did with All-NBA.
In the grand scheme of things it’s not the end of the world but it’s related to a problem the NBA has.
The league has never been better than it is right now. The talent dispersed across all 30 teams is incredible. But the league’s broadcast partners and some of its most important media members either trash the product, tell fans in more ways than one not to take it seriously until the playoffs, and actively ridicule the current talent.
Whether it’s ex-players talking about “back in my day” or the European bias against Jokic, or the fight against analytics and the eye test, it’s all so exhausting.
The game is great, and if there are people responsible for promoting it and telling its story who don’t care enough to take it seriously, study, analyze and make informed nuanced statements, then maybe those people should no longer have those jobs.
This is sports. It’s supposed to be fun and entertaining. But if you don’t enjoy the job, don’t care to watch the product, or can’t be bothered to fill out your awards ballots correctly, which impacts players’ salaries, then step aside.
There are countless others that would relish the opportunity to put the work in because they love it.
D.J. Rodman, son of Pro Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA rebounding great Dennis Rodman, has announced on social media that he’s transferring to USC, and the school confirmed it on Wednesday.
Rodman joins Bronny James as the other son of NBA royalty set to play for the Trojans in the upcoming season.
The younger Rodman played the past four seasons at Washington State. The 6’6″ forward averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting 30 of 31 games for the Cougars last season.
Rodman plays on the wing, but he competes on the defensive end and on the glass — like his dad, although he’s not quite as athletic. He’s a versatile defender who will take on perimeter assignments and switch onto bigs in the post.
He’ll create second-chance opportunities with a nose for the ball as an offensive rebounder, and he’s capable of stretching the floor with an improving three-point shot.
Bronny is a McDonald’s All-American and recently played for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon.
The younger James’ decision was highly anticipated, and now that we know where he’s playing basketball, scouts and prognosticators are sharing their thoughts on what to expect from Bronny this season.
“He’s a good two-way player,” a high-major college coach said after the announcement. “Plays really hard. Has good energy out there on the floor. Over the last two years, he’s really improved as a shooter. Really good in the midrange. Does a good job of being the guy but also being a complementary piece, too. Getting teammates involved, being a role player. He’s a scorer, but he can also distribute.”
Bronny and D.J. Rodman join a USC squad that finished 22-11 last year and finished third in the Pac-12 on their way to an NCAA Tournament berth.
Isaiah Collier, the No. 1 recruit in the country, is also a part of the Trojans’ freshman class. Returning from last year’s team is leading scorer Boogie Ellis, versatile defender Kobe Johnson, and the Pac-12’s block leader last season, Joshua Morgan.
“It helps a lot. He picked a good situation,” one NBA scout told ESPN. “You’re going to have the third-best perimeter defender guarding you, which is going to help with his ball handling. He’s a smart basketball player. He’s going to be able to drive and kick and make plays like that. And he can make shots. They’ve now got two guys who can drive and kick. Collier spends the first half feeling out the defense, and the second half he goes for the knockout. So he’ll set up Bronny, he’ll look for Bronny. And Bronny is good in transition, and he’s got two guys who can find him. It’ll very much accelerate his development.”
Kobe Bryant’s first daughter has been part of the USC family since 2021. She’s currently pursuing a film degree and is sharing her room with Euphoria star Storm Reid.
That’s a lot of legendary NBA star power in one school, on and off the court.
Head coach Andy Enfield has a nice squad that could be at the top of the Pac-12 and make noise in the NCAA Tournament, provided players develop over the course of the summer and the season.
French teenage sensation Victor Wembanyama will not attend the NBA draft combine later this month, as his Ligue 1 season is still in progress back home. Does this mean Wembanyama will skip Summer League too?
Wembanyama plays for the Metropolitans 92 and is averaging 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game through 31 games. There is enough fanfare and excitement ahead of draft night, and we still have over a month to go.
It makes sense for the Frenchman to continue to focus on basketball and let everything else take care of itself. He’s been touted as the No. 1 prospect for over a year. What will going to the draft combine do for him?
Scouts have enough tape and will get all the medicals they need without having him come to Chicago. Live game competition and the rest of his French season will be better predictors of any future success than drills and scrimmages at the combine.
The NBA pre-draft and summer schedule also might mean that Wembanyama won’t be around to play Summer League for whichever team drafts him.
FIBA Basketball World Cup runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 and Wembanyama played for Team France during last summer’s EuroBasket and he’s expected to be one of the team’s top players along with Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Nando de Colo, and Nicolas Batum.
Summer League will not be nearly as competitive as a high-stakes global tournament that will feature the world’s hoops powers, including defending champions Spain and Team USA. There will be elite NBA players all over this tournament.
The NBA Draft Lottery will take place on Tuesday, May 16 and that’s the only day besides draft day that is top of mind for Team Vic. That’s when the draft order will be decided and Wembanyama will find out where he will be drafted and spending at least the first five-plus years of his NBA career.
The Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs have the best odds (14 percent) of landing Wembanyama. The next best odds go to the Charlotte Hornets at 12.5 percent.
The Rockets just hired Ime Udoka as head coach but don’t seem to have competence in roster construction or drafting. The Pistons have young talent but their track record isn’t great either.
No doubt Team Vic is hoping the Spurs win the lottery, as they have a proven track record of player development, continuity, and a championship pedigree.
Wherever he gets drafted, Wembanyama is not short on confidence. Following his two games in the United States last year against the G League Ignite and fellow presumed lottery pick Scoot Henderson, the Frenchman talked about doing things we’ve never seen before.
“I’m gonna tell you something that’s been going on in my life, like for my whole life, since I’ve been a kid, even before I played basketball,” Wembanyama told The Associated Press. “I’ve always tried to do [something] different. I’m not even talking about sports, whatever. Any field, I’m always trying to be original, something original, something one of one, something that’s never been done before. And this is really how it worked in my life. I don’t know where it comes from. I think I was born with it. I’ve always been trying to be original. Unique, that’s the word. My goal is to be like something you’ve never seen.”
He’s already unique in some ways. But if his work ethic matches what he believes he can be, the sky’s the limit for Vic.
Channing Crowder, former NFL linebacker and co-host of “The Pivot Podcast”, is always outspoken while interviewing the world’s top athletes and celebrities.
The most recent episode with Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson was no different, as the show took a trip into Crowder’s penchant for discussing all things sex.
“Who’d you guys have on the show, it might have been a running back or somebody who just had enormous legs, quads? ‘You got some legs on you!’ You just kept going at him. That sh*t was so funny,” The Rock laughed with “The Pivot” crew talking about a past episode with New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
When lead host and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark alerted The Rock that Channing also called out Mike Tyson during an interview for his member being visible through his shorts, the crew had a hearty laugh about Crowder’s no-filter style.
“You also told Mike Tyson you could see his little man,” Clark said about Channing Crowder. “That was the most uncomfortable moment.”
The Rock was stunned and reacted, saying, “Wait, in the moment?”
Crowder couldn’t resist humorously explaining himself.
“Mike had on little shorts with no drawers, and the man got something, I could see it, and I’m like, “Mike, put that sh-t away!” Crowder said, to the amazement of The Rock. “Nobody wants to deal with that sh-t right now.”
Then the show went left into the bedroom of The Rock from a question that had no reason to elicit the response it received.
“You produce, you act, you’ve been called the best wrestler of all time. You made a lot of money but you’ve never been called the best actor of all time. What are you the best at?” Crowder asked The Rock.
“Horizontal hula,” The Rock responded to the delight of Crowder.
“You a monster? You can get down Rock?” Crowder pressed at the sexually charged conversation. “You’ve got like an approach? You got like a game plan? Because I know my first position, my second position, like its a movie script written out.”
Last year, during an episode of ‘The Pivot’ with guest Kevin Hart, Crowder was in rare form as the former Dolphins linebacker revealed that he and his wife visit a nudist colony yearly.
“Once a year, we go to nudist colony. We go to a place where like you walk in and everybody just gets naked and walks around.”
A stunned Hart made light of the situation with a flurry of jokes and even asked the former Florida Gators star if he knew what he was saying and if they had sex with other guests.
“You hear whatchu saying out loud?” Hart asked. “Y’all just … hanging out or y’all f***ing these people?”
Crowder admitted to swingers being there, but he and his wife of 11 years don’t partake in that type of action, although he admitted they do like to be around naked people.
Hart chimed in with this response to Crowder’s admission.
“To be honest with you, I have no desire to be around a bunch of people I don’t know just sitting there naked,” Hart said.
Crowder has definitely become the Charles Barkley of podcasters with his off takes and folksy toilet humor among the stars.
The Georgia Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships in the College Football Playoff era which began in 2014. Their fear makes them the only school to do in that time frame, and they joined the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers as the only programs to win multiples championships since the inception of the playoffs.
Following their 2021-22 title win, the school’s first since 1980, the Bulldogs didn’t have the opportunity to visit the White House because of COVID-19 restrictions.
But this time with restrictions no longer levied, the school has decided not to attend. Strange, considering they didn’t have the chance to do so as a program last year, but even more odd is the excuse given.
“The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation to for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on June 12,” the statement from the athletic association said. “Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.”
Not many decline the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue visit after winning a championship, but as the Bulldogs stated, timing is the issue.
Since the Bulldogs embarrassed the TCU Horned Frogs 65-7 in the title game, it’s been nothing but bad press in Athens. Following the school’s championship celebration, offensive lineman Devin Willock and team staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car accident.
The incident also listed Philadelphia Eagles first round pick and ninth overall pick Jalen Carter, as a person of interest because he was at the scene of the tragic wreck.
Carter was driving with a suspended license and racing recklessly, which led to the deaths of Willock and LeCroy, the driver of the other car.
The aftermath hurt Carter’s draft stock a bit, as the dominant interior defensive lineman was projected to go in the top 2-3 picks.
Carter was given community service, a fine and one-year probation for his involvement but that’s all they could do to him under the rules of law.
That isn’t sitting well with Willock’s dad, Dave who’s suing the UGA Athletic Association for $30 million and the aforementioned Carter for additional $10 million in punitive damages.
Then on Wednesday, news broke that wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette was arrested for multiple driving-related charges, with one of the charges being driving under the influence of drugs. He was also speeding and had no business out at 3:30 in the morning because of restrictions with his license.
The team has also dealt with driving violations and subsequent arrests with players Jason Dumas-Johnson and Mississippi State transfer wideout Rara Thomas.
Bulldogs head coach says he’s continuously warned his team of the dangers of driving and doing so in reckless fashion. But as of now it hasn’t seemed to register, and a result two lives were lost and numerous student-athletes have been arrested.
Which is why a trip to the White House might not be such a bad idea.
Being the wife of global superstar LeBron James and the mother to Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri has its joys and privileges. But it also means that Savannah James is in the background while her husband and increasingly famous children are in the spotlight.
As LeBron’s career winds down and her children get older, Savannah is spreading her wings and stepping into her own spotlight.
The background role was always intended and intentional for Savannah. She was supporting a man who would become arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and helping to build the brand LeBron Inc. Then there are the three children they share who she guards fiercely and pours into the way mothers do.
“That time, to be honest, was spent pouring into my boys,” Svannah explained in an interview with The Cut for its May-June cover story. “I just really wanted to enjoy being a mom and supporting my husband. I wasn’t super-comfortable with putting myself out like that.”
Bronny, the eldest James child, is 18 and headed to USC in the fall to play basketball. Bryce Maximus is 15 and going to be a high school sophomore and Zhuri is 8. This allows Savannah more time for herself and her personal growth and she’s showing that in a variety of ways.
Savannah’s Instagram account boasts 2.2 million followers and they clamor for fashion updates and beauty tutorials, and the 36-year-old Ohio native is leaning into it.
“I could see it and I appreciate it. Everyone wants to see that people are interested in what they’re doing at the time. I just took it as it came. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, a little bit much.’ But I get it and I’m cool with it. I understood that maybe this is just where I’m at right now and this is my time to, I don’t know, be seen.”
The matriarch of the James clan won’t be limiting herself to beauty and fashion. She has a number of entrepreneurial pursuits she’s excited about in the coming years. She got the bug back in Miami when Bron was a member of the Heat and she owned a juice shop.
“I’m invested in Lobos Tequila, a web 3 start-up called Lockerverse, and a natural deodorant company called NEZ. Definitely have some passion projects I’m working on, one of which is with a partner, one of which is on my own. And I’m super-excited about them. I think they’re going to be amazing. They’re going to be well received.”
Savannah was tight-lipped on the details of the upcoming ventures, only hinting that it’s product based.
Bron, who is in the middle of the NBA playoffs with his Los Angeles Lakers, took time to shout out his wife on Instagram. In his instagram Story with a picture of Savannah posing for The Cut in an Issey Miyake dress his caption read “The 1 and only” with hands clapping, hearts and fire emojis.
The high school sweethearts have been together for 22 years and will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary this year.
The Wisner, Nebraska, community is hurting after star student-athlete Hunter Palmer suddenly collapsed and died during track practice at Wisner-Pilger High School last Friday. The 18-year-old senior was set to graduate in a few weeks, and he’d signed with nearby Midland University as a multi-sport athlete as an all-district running back, as well as a member of both the basketball and track teams.
The school district release following the tragedy read like this:
“It is with a very heavy heart that we confirm that Hunter Palmer, a senior at Wisner-Pilger Schools, has died.”
In a stunning turn of events, Palmer was gone, and now his family, friends, teammates and the surrounding community are left to pick up the pieces.
The district also reminded parents to check on and monitor their children in this time of bereavement.
“It is important for parents to check in on their children during this difficult time. Grief is very complicated and can effect each child differently.”
Palmer Was Your Typical 18-Year-Old Headed To College
Prior to his unfortunate and untimely death Palmer was committed to Midland University where he was slated to play football for the NAIA program located in Fremont, Nebraska.
According to an online obituary, Palmer also enjoyed watching wrestling as well as playing golf and baseball when he wasn’t on the gridiron, hardwood or track.
“He loved hanging out with friends, driving around, watching Netflix, lifting weights, singing and drinking Dr. Pepper,” his obituary states. “His favorite teams are the Green Bay Packers and Clemson Tigers.”
Palmer has just helped lead his team to a second place finish in the 1,600 relay one day prior to his death. This while also reaching a personal best in the high jump, an event he won as well.
Midland Head Football Coach Sends Condolences
Palmer was headed to play running back for head coach Jeff Jamrog, so one could imagine how it him having spent time getting to know Palmer and his family during his recruitment. He took to Twitter to send this heartfelt message.
Unfortunately, this happens way too often with young athletes, who are supposed to be some of the strongest and healthiest people on the planet. These kind of incidents almost are not shocking anymore because of the seeming regularity of their occurences, and that’s bad.
One week after signing that big five-year, $260 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens, making him the highest-paid player in the league, franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson is a no-show at the team’s voluntary workout program. Instead the offense was led by backup quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Anthony Brown, and while it is all voluntary and over 60 percent of the veterans aren’t in attendance, Jackson’s decision seemed to catch some by surprise.
From the sounds of it, first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken is saying all the right things about the guy who’s gonna run his offense, but you know he wants him there. If for nothing else to begin to implement the scheme and verbiage that comes along with it.
“I know Lamar is working hard,” Monken told reporters this week. “I know the guys that aren’t here are working hard; they’re pros. When they’re here, they’re here. We look forward to getting them here and getting them up to speed to what were doing offensively. I think that’s probably the biggest challenge, but it’s football. When they get here, they get here, and we’ll get them up to speed.”
Sounds like Monken is trying to deflect from veterans not being in attendance, and he sounds as if he doesn’t want to be asked about it every day.
Jackson wasn’t the only projected offensive starter that didn’t show. Newly signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., former All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley, and starting tailback J.L. Dobbins also were missing.
Monken kept it short and sweet about what he thinks will happen going forward with player attendance.
“I do think that we’ll be able to get those guys here in a short amount of time,” Monken said. “But until that happens, we’ll get up to speed with the guys we have.
After 27 long months of rocky negotiations, the team and Jackson finally got a deal done that paid the former NFL MVP a record $72.5 million signing bonus. He’ll receive $156 million in total over three years, which is the most in the NFL.
While Jackson didn’t commit to be in attendance for the voluntary OTAs, which begin May 22, some fans believe he should be there now.
One fan tweeted ….
“People love to scream, but they’re VOLUNTARY! I want my players to attend every opportunity they have to get better together, especially the QB (especially the highest paid one).”
Another fan tweeted ….
“New offense, new receivers, gigantic contract— Lamar should be there.”
With all that being said, Jackson did say this.
“I’m going to be in soon. I’ll be here soon.”
We shall see. The real show doesn’t start until LJ8 is in the building taking snaps behind center and everyone knows it.
The continent of Africa has produced some of the fastest female runners in Olympics history. The Dibaba sisters are part of the rich history of African runners, and many believe they are “the fastest family in the world.”
The Ethiopian-born sisters are a perfect combination of beauty and speed. They have also set world records in distance running. The long lineage of runners in their family set them up for greatness well before they realized it. Tirunesh, Genzebe, and Ejegayehu Dibaba have a combined total of four Olympic gold medals, two silver medals, three bronze medals, and 15 World Championships.
The Dibaba sisters come from humble beginnings. They were raised in a round hut without electricity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Their parents had a total of seven children. Their parents also were farmers who grew wheat, barely, and teff.
Their cousin Derartu Tulu became the first Black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and was the main source of the Dibabas’ inspiration to start running.
Tirunesh is the most decorated of the sisters. She won three Olympic gold medals, five World Championships gold medals, four individual World Cross Country (WCC) senior titles, and one individual WCC junior title. Her first gold medals came during the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, where she became the first woman to win gold in the 5000 meters and 10,000 maters races at the same Games. She continued making history at the 2012 London Olympic games and picked up another gold medal.
Genzebe is considered the second-best runner in her family. She holds the most world records by one woman in track history with four. She currently holds the world record for the 1,500 meters, indoor mile, indoor 3,000 meters, and indoor 5,000 meters. Genzebe won a silver medal in the 1500 at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Ejegayehu is considered the long-distance runner of the family. She brought home a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic games for the 10,000 meters race. She also claimed bronze medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the 2005 World Championships and was the 2003 Afro-Asian Games and All-Africa Games champion in the 10,000.
In addition to their outstanding track careers, the Dibaba sisters are real estate moguls and reportedly own several buildings in Addis Ababa. They also are mothers, aunts, and still active in the promoting the next wave of track talent to come from Ethiopia.
