Now that Angel Reese has played herself into Rookie of the Year contention with her archrival Caitlin Clark, the turn of events that included Reese’s breakout WNBA performance last Sunday, in which the rookie forward willed the Chicago Sky past the Indiana Fever 88-87 with 25 points and 16 rebounds (10 points and five boards in the fourth quarter) has added more intrigue and fan interest to the season.
In the three times that Reese’s Sky and Clark’s Fever have met this season, the women have elevated the league to new ratings records.
Now, with the two most popular players in the entire WNBA vying for ROY honors, expect more social media battles, discussions and closer attention being paid to each player’s performances over these last 15-18 games.
Like, who pays attention to the WNBA ROY Award? In the past, very few people unless a 1-of-1 talent such as Candace Parker emerged.
Clark, the league’s first-overall pick after her record-shattering career at Iowa, was the early favorite and big corporations decided to put all of their chips in her basket. The thought was she would run away with the Rookie of the Year award because of a combination of her sterling play on the court as the only WNBA rookie to average 15/5/5, and her influential appeal.
Reese was considered to many to be more talk than action. However, many of those fringe fans are Clark supporters and don’t want anyone messing up the fairytale season they envision for Clark, whose team is 7-11 and in ninth place out of the 12 WNBA teams.
Reese, whose nine straight double-doubles is a WNBA rookie record, isn’t carrying a team that’s any better than Clark’s. The Sky is 6-9 and in ninth place overall in the league.
The fact that these teams are so bad also raises the spotlight for Clark and Reese, who are probably going to be All-stars.
As far as their impact on the court matching their celebrity, both women are winning in that regard. Reese was overlooked in the draft, dropping to seventh overall, and Clark’s stock was at its highest after being drafted and awarded a $28 million Nike deal and signature shoe.
Reese, who is just as popular across the board as Clark and without the heavy corporate hype, is definitely positioning herself as well, considering her 3.4 million Instagram followers, which is far and away the most in the WNBA, that might be a show that people actually buy.
The fact that Reese finally bested Clark for the first time this season after two losses definitely raised Bayou Barbie’s stock. It also seems to elevate her popularity to another level as she was seen cruising around Chicago in a Tesla Cybertruck with Chicago rapper G Herbo. Just weeks ago she was twerking it up onstage with Megan Thee Stallion at a concert.
Clark and Reese go about their business very differently off the court, but on the court they are both rugged competitors who carry a tremendous burden of driving the league, bringing the most familiar face to new fans, and turning losing teams into winners while dealing with the pressures and challenges of being a rookie.
Reese was having trouble finishing around the basket early in the season, but she’s now been shooting at least at 50 percent in four of six games.
Clark averaged a solid 16.3 points per game while also designing the ball with potency She had a game-high 13 assists against the Sky, which were the most in Fever history. Clark is averaging 6.6 assists per game, good for fourth-best in the WNBA.
Known for her range, Clark’s shooting percentages, which were both in the 30s, have improved a bit and her 51 3-pointers made so far are just one less than Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride for the league lead.
Although Vegas still has Clark as the leader and a heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year (They have Clark at around -600, on average, with Angel Reese around +450), Reese is closing the gap, although most ultimately feel that Clark’s corporate love and her ability to attract the fringe fan will ultimately prevail.
The Bronny James countdown begun this afternoon with Round 2 of the NBA Draft. There were no surprises as to where Bronny James would go as he was drafted by his dad’s team, the LA Lakers with the 55th pick of the draft.
A Draft that was top heavy with French players who most fans were oblivious too as the Atlanta Hawks selected 6-8 forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, making Risacher the 15th international player to go No. 1.
Risacher and 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama are the first two French players drafted No. 1 in consecutive years.
Alex Sarr, also of France, was selected No. 2 by the Washington Wizards, marking the first time French players have swept the top two spots.
Tidjane Salaun, selected sixth by the Charlotte Hornets, and Pacôme Dadiet, taken at No. 25 by the New York Knicks, had joined their French counterparts by the evening’s end.
Other than the smiling faces and creative fits, the first-round of the draft was uneventful.
Stephen A Smith mentioned on “First Take” on Tuesday that everyone is waiting for Day 2 to find out where Bronny James is going to go.
“We know Bronny James is the biggest attraction, with all due respect to the Day 1 players,” Smith said.
There’s some anticipation, but we already knew that Bronny was not going to a team who would ask him to do a two-way deal, as his agent Rich Paul of Klutch sports let it be known that Bronny is seeking a deal with a guaranteed roster spot.
He only worked out for two teams: The Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
Most analysts, media experts and those in tune with the “pulse of the game” had Bronny going to play with his dad and Lakers, after being taken with the 55th pick. Nothing else would make sense.
There’s really no other place Bronny would fit. This has been in the works for some time and when Bronny had the heart attack which delayed the start of his college career and set back his growth on the court, his team made the decision to just enter his name in the draft rather than waste any more time or be subjected to further scrutiny because of the 4.8 points he averaged as freshman.
The theme has been, “give Bronny time to develop.” ESPN’s draft analyst Jay Bilas agrees. On the air for ESPN, just before the draft began, Bilas said Bronny will need “one to two years” in the G League before he is a fully NBA-ready player.
Playing in L.A., he will get all the time needed under his dad’s direction.
The James Gang doesn’t really help the Lakers as far as chasing championships go, but LeBron has stopped trying to reach Jordan’s number of six rings and Kobe’s five titles. He’s settled into his post-playing career and positioning his sons Bryce and Bronny for similar future success. One would say, he’s got his priorities straight and has earned the right to position his sons as comfortably and favorably as possible.
Bron’s focus since winning the bubble championship in 2020 has been obliterating career records like Kareem’s all-time scoring mark, separating himself statistically as much as he can from any other Mount Rushmore contenders and letting the chips fall where they may.
Becoming the first NBA player to play on the court with his son in an NBA game would be unprecedented, and that’s what LeBron is about 20 years into the league, with multiple championships and MVPs.
Bronny James — who was listed at 6 feet 4 on USC’s roster but measured at 6 feet 1 1/2 inches at the combine — might go down as the most polarizing second-round prospect in draft history, because of the family name.
His father, a four-time NBA champion, will be entering his 22nd NBA season this fall. If Bronny James plays in the NBA next season, he and LeBron James will be the first father-son duo in the league simultaneously as players.
There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played, but none at the same time.
He already owns the record books and now he wants to own the legacy books.
Bron is very fortunate to be able to place his son in the best possible situation in a draft that is only two rounds long while the league overlooks many players who are probably better than Bronny.
In all honesty, LeBron always played by his own rules and he carried the torch for the NBA with a clean brand and a loud voice when it came to various pivotal social issues and decisions on how to handle certain problems within the league and with the owners.
The billionaire ballplayer, movie producer and entrepreneur has given just as much to the NBA as the league has provided him. I guess you can call this a retirement gift from the NBA to one of the GOATs.
So when Bronny James got picked tonight, nobody was really going crazy over it. It wasn’t in the first round and it’s pretty much what the league owes the greatest player of this generation, if the obvious nepotism doesn’t turn your nose.
LeBron James doesn’t have official ownership of an NBA team yet, but that is a goal he says he has. The way he handled this Bronny James situation, and brought his podcast buddy in to coach the team, we can’t tell that he’s not one already.
[Note: Story never says whether she can and does dunk …]
Zhang Ziyu is a 7-foot-2, 17-year-old basketball prodigy that is being called the “female Yao Ming” in China.
That’s high praise for anyone as Yao Ming is a revered pioneer, Hall of Famer and the most popular Chinese player in NBA history and one of the tallest.
Zhang scored 55 points in her two international games before exploding for 44 points to lead China to the FIBAU18 Women’s Asia Cup semifinals.
The automatic bucket towered over all of the other girls also comically getting to the basket whenever she wanted and at point blank range. She only missed two shots the entire game (20-of-22) to break the tournament’s all-time scoring record of 39 points set by Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao YuWen in 2022. Zhang also collected 14 rebounds as China romped Japan by a score of 97-81.
The win also earned China a ticket to the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup next year in the Czech Republic.
“Our team was united as one tonight. I feel very happy and excited to break the record,” Zhang said.
She has to turn 20 before she can go to the WNBA but eyes are surely already on her as she’s not only a physical specimen the likes of which most have never seen, but also has some talent around the rim. She’s already an attraction and when she hits the states in a couple of seasons, the fanfare is going to be ridiculous.
In China’s opening game against Indonesia on Monday, Zhang was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field for 19 points in just 13 minutes. She also pulled seven boards, dished two assists and swiped two steals and three blocks for good measure inChina’s 109-50 blowout win.
The unstoppable force came out the next day and dropped 36 easy points against New Zealand, while dominating the glass with 13 rebounds and four blocks as China won 90-68.
Zhang certainly saved her best for last as she blitzed Japan for 44 points
On Chinese social media, Zhang’s incredible height has drawn wonder and comparisons to Yao, a former Houston Rockets star.
“How do you want to attack when there is a tower under the rim?” read one comment on YouTube.
“She’s still 17 and tall, but I wonder if she’ll keep growing? It must be hard to find clothes for her,” said a user on X.
Zhang comes from a set of parents who both played professional basketball in China so she’s been getting expert training since childhood. Reportedly, she was 5 feet 2 in the first grade and had exploded to 6 feet 9 by the sixth grade.
The Yao Ming comparisons are fair, Zhang is a few inches shorter than Yao, who clocked in at 7 feet 5 and was one of the tallest players in NBA history, along with 7-foot-7 specimens Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol.
Players in the Women’s National Basketball Association average about 6 feet, but there was a player of similar height to Zhang named Margo Dydek. Dydek is the tallest woman in WNBA history and was an eight-time league shots blocked leader and a two-time All-Star. Dydek was influential in bringing attention to the league during her career which spanned from 1998 to 2008. She began her career with the Utah Starzz (now San Antonio Silver Stars) and later played for the Connecticut Sun.
Margo, had a successful career in Europe before starring in the WNBA in the United States.She finished her WNBA career as the career leader in blocks. She also reached the pinnacle in Europe with the Polish national team, helping the team get back to the Women’s EuroBasket in 1999 and even capturing the title at home in Poland. Dydek performed on the biggest global stages before her sudden passing at age 37 in 2011.
Zhang’s height will surely be the talk of international hoops as she moves up the ladder.
“There are some things we can’t control. I regard it as a gift to me,” Zhang was quoted as saying about her height in an article published Wednesday by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
Zhang initially popped on the sports radar in 2021 when she led her team to win China’s U15 National Basketball League. Right now, her focus is improving her skills and she understands that her height advantage will only get her so far.
“I can easily reach the basket. But basketball is definitely more than that,” she said. “I have to learn a lot.”
Stay locked on Zhang because the 7-footer is sure to continue to grow in popularity over the next few years.
It appears that Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson has another side piece. According to the Instagram site @its_onsite, the MLB All-Star whose game has been on the decline for a few years is officially a serial cheater after reportedly having a “new sister wife” with whom he seemingly has matching tattoos.
The name of the woman has not been revealed, but they allegedly met in Miami and there is an alleged photo of her on the outlet’s IG post revealing the matter.
Anderson has not confirmed nor denied this, but his 2024 season as a player on the field has been pitiful. After leaving Chicago and signing with the Miami Marlins and with his marriage to wife Bria apparently settled, Anderson was expected to join Jazz Chisholm, revive his weak bat and help the Marlins get deep into the playoffs. It didn’t happen.
Anderson is batting a career-low .220 with 0 homers in 218 at bats. The former All-Star now has a grand total of one homer in his last 711 at-bats.
It’s unfathomable, but much easier to understand when you see that Tim has his hands full at home with three babies by his wife, one baby by his first side piece Dejah Lanee and a relationship with a reported third that’s advanced enough for them to have matching tattoos — allegedly.
In the midst of all of this, Anderson took a bereavement leave. No details surfaced about the specific cause, but it implies that Anderson was dealing with the death or serious illness of an immediate family member. An MLB player can be placed on the bereavement list for a minimum of three days or a maximum of seven days.
While in the prime of his career, Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson, then a member of the Chicago White Sox, became the talk of social media due to his extramarital affair with outspoken social media influencer Dejah Lanee.
The situation ignited a firestorm of gossip around the player. Tim and Dejah’s affair came to light in July of 2022, when the IG model posted photos of her baby bump followed by accusations of Anderson being the child’s father.
Anderson’s baseball career has been quickly going down the drain ever since his first extramarital affair was exposed.
At that point, he was an All-Star in his fourth consecutive season with a batting average of at least .300, and despite being limited to 79 games and experiencing some weird baseball moments, like when he threw Chicago fans the finger after they booed him for kicking balls around at short, he was being called a new face of baseball.
There was another incident with MLB player Josh Donaldson who called Tim Anderson “Jackie” during a game in reference to a comment Anderson made about wanting to be the modern day Jackie Robinson. That excited a mini-riot on the field, with Anderson not taking the comments jokingly, as Donaldson later revealed was the objective.
2022 was also the season that Anderson’s personal life started spilling into his daily baseball coverage. The shortstop, who started playing the game in high school, began popping up on social media blogs that highlight alleged creep activity by married athletes and entertainers.
Also, he started losing his power at the bat, hitting just seven homers in 825 at-bats across the 2022-23 seasons, after reaching double digits in the previous five seasons, with a high of 20 to go along with a career-high 26 steals in 2018.
The decline had begun. Nobody was really willing to attribute it to his hectic personal life. People assumed Tim was repairing his marriage because all was quiet and on that front.
Dejah Lanee probably didn’t handle it in the best light, but that is more of a reflection of the poor way that Anderson handled things, which got increasingly embarrassing for Anderson and his actual wife Bria.
Miss Lanee gave birth to Anderson’s child in October of 2022, but Tim didn’t publicly acknowledge the drama until a messy series of incidents via X that many people feel crossed the line in 2023.
When Anderson posted an image on his IG, the baseball world lost it and for a brief moment the most scandal-free players on the globe – baseball players – took center stage in the gossip mill usually reserved for NBA and NFL players.
Despite Anderson’s infidelity, his wife Bria, whom he was married to for six years at the time, publicly stood by her man and engaged with Dejah in a back-and-forth that was made for soap opera production.
Everything hit the fan when Tim’s side piece commented on one of his posts with heart eye emojis. Tim’s wife then posted a pic of her and her husband Tim being affectionate and happy as proof that their relationship is stable and Dejah is a homewrecker.
The two battled on social on and off for a minute, with Dejah even posting pictures of her and Tim cuddling up while she is pregnant and him being present pre and post birth, with a caption of her affirming that he’s been with her throughout her entire pregnancy.
Bira responded with this message:
“Moment of authenticity – I know we’re all on social media, but there’s a distinction between the internet and real life. In REAL life, I am a mother and a WIFE that cares about my FAMILY above anything else. My truth is that my husband and I are working on our marriage, and I’m not interested in internet games. I ask for everyone to respect my family’s privacy.”
Pretty messy stuff. As Anderson has reportedly gotten matching tattoos with the new woman, it’s clear that he is way too interested in starting a sister-wives community than being a great baseball player.
Recent rumors will do nothing but further convince the Marlins that they won’t be re-upping with Anderson after he completes his one-year show-me deal.
Former New York Giants Super Bowl linebacker Antonio Pierce became head coach of the Vegas Raiders midway through last season and commanded them well enough to be awarded with the position permanently.
Pierce went 5-4 as the interim coach last season, after being praised by the players for how he conducted the locker room and managed the action on the field.
While his career on the field is rising, Pierce’s wife, Jocelyn Pierce, filed for bankruptcy after Antonio invested in car dealerships that defaulted on their loans, per the report. Court documents show that the Raiders head coach’s spouse cited a failed car dealership venture.
Jason Morrin, a sports law reporter for Conduct Detrimental, posted those docs on his X timeline on Tuesday.
Pierce was just hired in January and he doesn’t need any distractions as he prepares for his rookie season.
Mrs. Pierce is apparently claiming that her husband was a passive investor in a business endeavor and has no knowledge of guaranteeing to cover anyone’s debts. She also claims she didn’t have enough time to protect her assets from her husband’s debts.
Sounds like the Pierces might be actually working as a team and there is some legal maneuvering being done to avoid a hefty bill. Antonio Pierce is listed as the “guarantor of judgments equaling over $28 million.”
Lenders are seeking to satisfy the remaining judgments from marital assets between the Pierces.One being Nissan Motor Acceptance Company ($23 million) and another being Hyundai Capital America ($4.5 million). Both have attempted to garnish AP’s NFL wages as an attempt to satisfy that debt.
CBS Sports broke the situation down further:
“In the 2010s, Mr. Pierce was convinced to invest in car dealerships,” that filing read. “Despite his role as a mere passive investor with no oversight or management of the businesses’ affairs, Mr. Pierce was asked to sign various documents. Although the debtor has no direct knowledge of the events, personal guarantees were later produced bearing Mr. Pierce’s name. When several of the businesses defaulted on their loans, the lenders obtained judgments against the businesses and Mr. Pierce as a guarantor.“
The AFC as a conference is easily the best in the NFL and the AFC West division with Kansas City, the defending Super Bowl champions, a Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers squad, is no cakewalk.
With minicamp and OTAs in the rearview, Pierce still has many challenges to handle as head coach. With the abundance of elite signal callers in the AFC, Pierce is in a daunting situation as that position is still up for grabs.
Unheralded Aiden O’Connell and journeyman Garner Minshew are competing for the starting spot. Each has gotten his fair share of reps with the first team during camp. However, neither quarterback distinguished himself on the field. There were reportedly an abundance of off-target tosses and neither had their timing clicking with the offense.
The Raiders’ late run under Pierce turned a disastrous season into a 8-9 campaign where they missed the postseason but finished tied for second in the division, creating a swell of optimism for this campaign.
After he took over for Josh McDaniel, who was a dismal 9-16 as head coach with Derek Carr playing most of the downs at signal-caller, the mood of the franchise was rejuvenated. O’Connell was getting the job done, unspectacularly, but convincingly enough to warrant a shot at the starting job this season.
Pierce is most likely on a short leash, so the pressure will be on right away. Having to deal with financial problems and legal situations isn’t what a first-year coach needs on his mind while trying to figure out how to dethrone Patrick Mahomes.
It won’t be a smooth ride, but Pierce, who worked as an assistant for both Las Vegas and the Arizona State Sun Devils following a nine-year NFL career with the Giants and Commanders, will definitely go out in style.
The Indiana Fever have played better of late, winning five of their past seven games to get to 7-11 and right on the outside of the playoff race.
Currently the No. 9 seed, the Fever trail both the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream by a half game for that final playoff spot. The Fever’s turnaround can be attributed to a few things, including a much lighter schedule, and players seemingly getting more comfortable playing with No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark.
Head coach Christie Sides also deserves some credit for some of the schematic changes and adjustments she’s made as well. In all the Fever have looked much more like a basketball team the last few games, but not everyone is buying the sudden love fest that Sides and her players have been displaying. In fact, some fans believe Clark took a subtle dig at her coach during her recent acceptance speech for winning the Honda Cup Award that is given annually to the top female college athlete.
Clark and acceptance speeches have become synonymous with all the hardware she’s collected over the last couple of seasons. With each one Clark has given credit to those who helped her achieve that moment. One person Clark always seems to thank and give credit to is her college coach at Iowa, Lisa Bluder, and that was no different this time. Following this latest speech, Fever fans fans ran with the notion that Clark was taking a jab at the aforementioned Sides, who has struggled a bit in her first season as a head coach.
“I think that the sisterhood at Iowa is the reason we were as good as we were,” Clark said via CBS Sports. “Coach Bluder, in my eyes, she’s the best leader I’ve ever been around in my life.”
“She knows how to build a team, she knows how to get individuals to work together.”
Fans Think Caitlin Clark Wants College Coach Lead Indiana Fever
Fans immediately took to X to discuss and interpret Clark’s words and why they sounded like a shot at Sides and her inability to galvanize her team.
That’s been in question since the season began, and despite the team’s recent success, Sunday’s 88-87 road loss to the Chicago Sky once again proved that Sides has a long way to go as coach.
During timeouts, you could see Clark and Sides in heated disagreements, and maybe that’s why Clark made those comments.
Clark was visibly frustrated with the lack of plays run to put her in scoring position late in the loss. In fact, Clark didn’t have a shot attempt over the game’s final four minutes plus. That would’ve never happened under Bluder, who ran her entire offense through the dynamic Clark at Iowa.
That led to back-to-back Final Four appearances that featured wins over LSU, South Carolina and UConn, teams Iowa had no business being able to compete with from a talent standpoint.
That goes back to Clark praising Bluder’s innate ability to build a team and get individuals to play with and for one another, something the Fever are still trying to rectify.
Clark Making History
Clark’s arrival has helped push the league to heights never seen as it pertains to visibility and exposure. On average Clark’s games are seeing 1.184 million viewers which is a WNBA record. All other games are averaging 428,000 viewers which is a 127,000 increase from last season. Sunday’s game between the Fever and Sky was the most-viewed game in 23 seasons with 2.25 million watching.
Clark is currently the only player in the WNBA in the top 20 in all five statistical categories, which are points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals per game.
As her game continues to grow and she and her teammates become more acclimated on the court, Clark’s numbers will look even better. And if Sides doesn’t figure it out the recently retired Bluder could be on her way to NapTown.
Quincy Wilson, the track phenom from Potomac, Maryland, and just a rising junior at Bullis High School, has accomplished something that no American man in track and field history ever has. He’s 16 years old, competing in his first Olympic Games. He’s definitely 1-of-1 and we are witnessing the beginning of a legendary journey.
Wilson ran a 44.94s at the U.S. Olympic Trials 400 meters final and finished sixth. It was enough to earn him a spot on the 2024 Paris Olympics 4x400m relay team, and an appointment with destiny.
Wilson becomes the youngest U.S. man to run the 4x400m at the Olympics since Ed Ablowich did it in 1932 at 19. With this accomplishment, will come newfound fame for the young barnburner.
Sha’carri Richardson is entering her first Olympic Games after failing a drug test four years ago, while mourning the death of her mother and dealing with the pressures of being the next American Olympic superstar.
She’s corralled all of her youthful indiscretions and uncertainty and is a well-oiled, well-adjusted machine who is a heavy favorite to win the 100 meters in Paris.
Her experiences as a youth; the media attention and extreme criticism from social media voices and other TV talking heads, has made her an unwavering rock.
She was barely 20 years old and very few people cut her any slack. She had to tighten her inner circle and focus on her mental health and hyperfocus her extreme talents on achieving greatness.
The stumble she took in her first heat in attempting to qualify for the Olympics this past weekend, was nothing compared to the fall she took in failing to make the Olympics due to a failed marijuana test.
She shook that slow start off and dashed the field with dominance, speed and confidence.
Wilson is dealing with a similar pressure now. He might have come out of nowhere, but now he will be a household name in track and field and the subject of millions of social media posts and views. Win or lose in Paris, his life is changed forever.
The rising junior seems to have his head on straight and, from the look of things, he won’t fall victim to the same potential pitfalls that fame can bring a young person.
Wilson shattered 18u records at the Olympic Track & Field Trials in Oregon this weekend. On Sunday night, he ran the fastest time ever for an American under the age of 18 —breaking his own record set the night before. Wilson ran times of 44.84 and 44.59 in the preliminary round and semifinals prior to the run on Monday evening.
On Monday night, Wilson beat the 45-second mark in the 400-meter race for the third run in a row during these Olympic Trials, but his time of 44.94 wasn’t quite fast enough to qualify for the event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wilson finished in sixth place, probably assuming that he wouldn’t be participating in the Olympics this summer.
“I can’t go back and be disappointed. At the end of the day, I’m 16 running grown-man times,” he said to reporters after the race.
Well, his times were good enough and the committee believes in his potential enough to earn him a spot in history.
Now that the Olympics has produced another overnight sensation, let’s find out some new things about the young phenom.
1. Wilson was raised in a nomadic military family, with a focus on sports and school as stable areas of concentration. His parents reportedly moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland, from Chesapeake, Virginia, so Wilson could attend Bullis, knowing the school’s reputation for nurturing athletes.
Naturally, Wilson’s parents were athletes in college. His mother, Monique, was a hoops and soccer star in high school and college. His pops, Roy, played football at the Naval Academy. His older sister, Kadence, was a Virginia state track champion and now runs for James Madison University.
The track genes run deep, and Wilson is also a straight-A student with a 3.9 GPA.
2. Bullis, a K-12 school, is known in part for producing impressive athletes. He transferred to Bullis, which was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1930 as a preparatory school for the Naval Academy before relocating to Potomac in the 1960s, because the school has a history of elite athletes in its alumni group, from the Miami Dolphins’ Cam Brown to Olympic kayaker Caroline Queen.
3. At 16, Wilson is among the youngest athletes to have an NIL deal with a major sportswear company, signing with New Balance, after winning the company’s own 400-meter race.
4. Wilson’s most recent 400-meter record this weekend would have put him at sixth place in the Tokyo 2021 rankings, behind Michael Norman (44.31) of Team USA and above Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor (44.89).
The Olympics always produce great stories that make themselves and turn unknowns into legends. It seems as if Wilson was born to take track and field to new heights and we will get our first glimpse of him at the highest levels in this summer’s Olympics.
Major League Baseball made history on June 20, as the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals competed in the league’s first game at Rickwood Field.
Built in 1910, Rickwood Field is the oldest existing professional ballpark and once served as home to the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons.
Prior to the start of Thursday’s contest, Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson recounted the racism he experienced during his time as a minor league player in Birmingham, Alabama, and admitted that it was difficult to return to the historic ballpark.
In 1967, before he advanced to the Majors, Jackson was one of the few Black players on Birmingham A’s Class AA Southern League team.
Asked by Alex Rodriguez what the emotions are like to return to Rickwood Field, the 1973 AL MVP spoke of how challenging it was to travel to where his baseball career began.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. At the same time, had it not been for my white friends, had it not been for a white manager. … I would have never made it. I was too physically violent; I was ready to physically fight someone. I’d have gotten killed here because I’d have beat someone’s ass, and you’d have saw me in an oak tree somewhere.”
Despite being well-received on the Birmingham A’s, Jackson was often forbidden from restaurants and hotels where his white teammates were welcomed.
“I’d walk into restaurants, and they would point at me and say, ‘the n—– can’t eat here.’ I would go to a hotel, and they say the n—– can’t stay here. We went to Charlie Finley’s country club for a welcome home dinner, and they pointed me out with the N-word.”
Jackson’s retelling of his experiences highlighted America’s dark, segregated, and not-so-distant past. Born just two years before the integration of the U.S. military in 1948 and nearly 20 years before President Lyndon B. Johnson legally ended segregation with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Jackson, 78, lived through one of the nation’s cruelest periods.
Despite his talent, the baseball legend was constantly antagonized and rebuked.
Although he was a victim of severe racism, especially in the South, Jackson was grateful to have a manager that was willing to stand up for equality.
During Fox’s broadcast , Jackson spoke about his AA manager, Johnny McNamara, who managed him in Birmingham and came up to manage the major league A’s in 1969, reuniting with Jackson for the end of 1969 and the 1970 season:
“Fortunately, I had a manager in Johnny McNamara that if I couldn’t eat in the place, nobody could eat,” Jackson said. “We’d get food to travel. If I couldn’t stay in the hotel, they’d drive to the next hotel and find a place where I could stay.”
In addition to McNamara, Jackson named Rollie Fingers, Dave Duncan, and Joe Rudi along with his wife, Sharon, as figures that defended him and helped him navigate his challenges.
Jackson spoke of how, for a few weeks, he would spend several nights a week on the Rudis’ couch. He only left once, when there were threats made of burning the Rudis’ apartment complex down if Jackson continued lodging there.
Thankfully, Jackson was able to suppress his anger and avoid any fatal racist encounters.
Following his days in Birmingham, the talented outfielder embarked on a legendary MLB career, filled with clutch moments, classic confrontations and unforgettable home runs – his signature offering.
The hard-hitting lefty was the driving force behind five World Series title teams, including a three-peat with the Oakland Athletics.
During the 1977 World Series, as a member of the Yankees, Jackson earned the nickname “Mr. October” after launching five home runs against the Dodgers.
After dealing with the racism of Birmingham, overcoming manager Billy Martin and the fickle New York Yankees fans was a piece of cake.
Jackson’s crowning achievement came with his three-home-run performance in World Series-clinching Game 6 — each on the first pitch — off three Dodgers pitchers. His heroic performance earned him the 1977 World Series MVP, thus making him the first player to win World Series MVP on multiple teams. Jackson, the 1973 AL MVP with Oakland, was also the first major leaguer to hit 100 home runs for three different franchises as he later went on to play for the California Angels.
Though it may seem easy to look at Jackson’s achievements as a story of triumph, the racism-riddled road toward his goals should not be overlooked. Instead, they should be a reminder to all that America is not without its flaws and still has a long way to go. “People asked me today and said, ‘Do you think you’re a better person? Do you think you won when you played here and conquered?’ I said, ‘You know, I would never want to do it again.’”
And that’s the stone-cold truth.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are clearly the fresh new faces of the WNBA. Clark has a $28 million Nike deal and 2.6 million Instagram followers. Reese has deals with Mercedes and Reebok, among others, and 3.4 million in her IG crew Those numbers rule the WNBA landscape and the attendance and ratings when these two competitors step on the court is all the way up.
There’s another women’s college player that is next up for the same kind of fame and fortune and media interest that Clark and Reese are currently enjoying.
UConn’s sharp-shooting guard Paige Bueckers has 1.9 million IG followers and plays for the most storied program in women’s hoops history. She’s already a celebrity within certain circles, and among Gen Z her persona and her story has transcended basketball.
Paige has a biracial brother named Drew, and she’s been vocal about issues such as systemic racism.
So while people may find it odd for her to be hanging out and spot-hopping with a world famous rapper and his friends, she is very comfortable around people of color.
Beyond that, who wouldn’t want to hang out with A Boogie after a concert in which he sold out the Xfinity Theatre, Connecticut’s livest amphitheater, and had NLE Choppa, Luh Tyler and Byron Messia on the bill?
Reportedly, A Boogie asked the projected No. 1 player in the 2025 WNBA draft to join him on the after-journey. He was as much a fan of Paige as she was him. Only difference is he has the bag right now, as his estimated net worth is somewhere between $5 million to $7 million.
In terms of valuation, Bueckers entered the 2023-24 season with the fourth-highest NIL valuation among women’s basketball players, likely in the six- to seven-figure range, according to Sporting News. She’s doing well for a college kid with her Nike affiliation, but the big money is on the horizon. For now, everything is on the rap star.
Bueckers was initially in the crowd and reportedly worked her way backstage. She was also sporting her power pecs, looking fit and ready to do damage in her senior season. If not for the ACL injury she suffered that cost her the 2022-23 season, she would already be in the W.
Paige is moving up in the world, but when it comes to immersing herself in the culture, she will always have competition from Chi Barbie, aka Angel Reese, who is already a most sought-after companion of Chicago’s most notable rappers.
Reportedly after her breakout 25-point, 16-rebound performance against Caitlin Clark on Sunday, Reese was seen with rapper G Herbo in his Tesla Cybertruck in Chicago, sparking speculation and discussion on social media about their relationship.
Reese knows how to stay in the social media matrix and also doesn’t mind mixing it up with rappers and other entertainer types. When asked about this developing rapper/WNBA player social trend, sports guru Champ told The Shadow League, “Those girls better be safe out there.”
A Boogie isn’t noted for his gang affiliations, but G Herbo is a Chicago rapper, so based on the history of rappers in that city he is not safe from becoming a target.
He’s been rumored to be associated with N.L.M.B., which was originally formed from the merger of No Limit, a renegade faction of the Almighty Black P. Stone Nation, and the Muskegon Boyz, a renegade faction of the Gangster Disciples, although the initials N.L.M.B. are also currently used by the gang to signify “Never Leave My Brothers,” and “No Limit Muskegon Boys.”
One can hope Reese is moving intelligently around those Chi-Town streets.
After the concert wrapped, Bueckers was spotted by video putting up shots with the Bronx, New York, rapper and neither seemed to be in top form. I was expecting Bueckers to show him a thing or two after he clanged one off the front rim, but she proceeded to do the same thing with a shot that was short front of rim. The video cut after those initial hoists, so we don’t know who won the impromptu shooting exhibition.
Definitely one of those, “Shoot the cameraman moments”
The party didn’t end at the basketball courts. Buecker went to the casino with A Boogie and his entourage and they shot craps while just kicking it.
Millions of viewers were interested in the videos showing the next new hot girl in women’s hoops hook up with an artist who has remained near the top of the game since winning Best New Artists at the BET Awards in 2018,
The girl from Storrs, Connecticut, via Edina, Minnesota, meets the kid from High Bridge houses in the Bronx. It’s a deadly combination of Gen Z star power and gives us insight into the journey that Paige Bueckers is about to go on.
Anybody nicknamed “Paige Buckets” is destined for stardom. Bueckers was ESPN’s No. 1-ranked recruit in the nation coming out of Hopkins High School in Minnesota after receiving national high school player of the year honors.
In her inaugural season at the title factory, Bueckers immediately established herself by becoming the first freshman to earn a major national women’s college player of the year award, winning all four for which she was eligible.
In leading UConn to the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA tournament, Bueckers broke records for assists by a freshman. Bueckers battled a left knee injury in her sophomore season and missed the majority of the campaign, but still managed to lead UConn to the national championship game. The ACL shelved her in 2022, but she returned last season to regain her All-America status and lead the Huskies to another Final Four.
This is also a player who has represented her country numerous times in various international competitions and won three gold medals at the youth level of FIBA World Cup play and 3×3.
The Huskies’ improbable postseason run was snapped by Iowa in the Final Four. UConn was too beat up to hang with the big dogs. But now Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin are gone from Iowa. Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith are no longer at LSU.
This could be a season where UConn gets back to the top of the mountain, with all eyes on Bueckers. If her running mate Azzi Fudd, 6-foot-5 Egyptian center Jana El Alfy develops further, and Sarah Strong – the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024 — impacts immediately, who knows how this story will turn out for “Paige Buckets.”
Everybody, even the casual fan, is always looking for the next best thing and Bueckers is positioning herself to be a big-time brand on and off the court.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to embark on the 2024 NFL season with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson at the helm. Wilson arrives in Steeltown after two very trying seasons in Denver.
While Wilson’s time in the Mile High City wasn’t the greatest he showed that showed he’s still got some of what made him one of the best signal-callers during his ten-year run in Seattle.
Wilson is coming off of a tumultuous two seasons in Denver, where he signed a five-year, $245 million extension, only to be released.
While most teams wanted no part of Wilson, the Steelers, who haven’t had competent QB play since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, jumped at the opportunity to sign Wilson.
Now Wilson is set to lead a talented Steelers offense under head coach Mike Tomlin, who’s got a record 17 consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career.
But not everyone is sold on the move. In fact, former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth doesn’t believe Wilson has it anymore.
Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Schlereth had a lot to say on his “The Stinkin’ Truth” podcast about Wilson’s recent performances.
“I think when you’re delusional, you think you can point the finger at eight million different places that say, ‘This is why this happened. This is why,’” Schlereth said. “That toxic positivity and surrounding yourself with people that basically tell you ‘it’s not your fault, man.’ I mean, that’s not derogatory, that’s just a fact.”
This isn’t the first time Schlereth has called out Wilson, the three-time Super Bowl champion as a key member of the Broncos and Redskins didn’t miss the opportunity to bash Wilson during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” in March.
“The way Russ played, the way he’s played the last couple years, he’s diminished,” Schlereth said. “He doesn’t throw the ball in the middle of the football field, he doesn’t anticipate throws. You can sit here and tell me all day long that 26 TDs, eight interceptions, I’ll tell you garbage numbers. The things he does, he’s just not good enough anymore.”
Schlereth might not be the one to listen to as it pertains to Wilson; he’s never really been a fan. But to say Russell’s not that good anymore and most of his work last season was a result of the Broncos being down just isn’t true.
When you consider that Wilson had more touchdowns (26) last season than the Steelers three quarterbacks had the last two seasons combined, you have to believe he’ll be able to duplicate that in Pittsburgh this upcoming season. Wilson will be in a run-heavy offense, which he thrived in during his ten seasons in Seattle.
With running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren toting the rock, Wilson will have opportunities to use the play-action pass and push the football down the field.
That, along with a strong offensive line and solid defense, is how Wilson led the Seahawks to eight playoff appearances in his ten seasons in the Pacific Northwest. He also led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, winning one.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game in seven seasons (2016) and although team brass gave him a three-year contract extension last week, they wanna see postseason results.
As for Wilson, he and backup Justin Fields are in many ways auditioning to stay in Pittsburgh beyond this season with basically one-year deals. The pressure is on Tomlin and his newfound signal-callers, especially Wilson, whose time as a starter could be up if the experiment doesn’t work.
Add Simone Manuel’s name to the pantheon of US Olympic legends. When it comes to African-American excellence in swimming, Manuel is undoubtedly the GOAT after earning an individual race at the Olympics on the final night of the U.S. swimming trials, winning the 50-meter freestyle Sunday night.
What drives an Olympian who has already been a pioneer and reached the top of the mountain?
Manuel, the first Black female swimmer to win an individual gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, looks to attack Paris with the intention of adding to a vaunted résumé that already includes winning two golds and two silvers.
Before she ever won Olympic gold, Manuel had already shattered a glass ceiling in swimming at the collegiate level as part of a game-changing group of Black swimmers who emphatically signaled the arrival of Black Girl magic in a sport that previously has systematically and culturally excluded them from partaking in the glory of competition.
READ MORE: TSL Olympic Blitz | Simone Manuel Makes Use Of Her Golden Moment
When she did get her moment to exhale after striking gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics after she tied with Penny Oleksiak of Canada to win the gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle, Manuel responded with the following when asked about the importance of her medal to the United States.
“It means a lot, especially with what is going on in the world today, some of the issues of police brutality,” said Manuel, whose victory broke a long-overdue barrier as she became the first African-American woman to medal in an individual Olympic swimming event.
“This win hopefully brings hope and change to some of the issues that are going on. My color comes with the territory.”
It is something I’ve definitely struggled with a lot, Manuel said. Coming into the race I tried to take the weight of the Black community on my shoulders. It’s something I carry with me. I want to be an inspiration, but I would like there to be a day when it is not, Simone, the black swimmer.”
Manuel made Olympic history in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro when she tied with Oleksiak to win the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter freestyle. Her victory broke a long-overdue barrier as she became the first African-American woman to medal in an individual Olympic swimming event.
This time around was different. An older and wiser Manuel, unaffected by the dynamics of COVID quarantine and the mental stress it caused for everyone, won her event in 24.13 seconds.
An emotional Manuel kept shaking her head in disbelief when she saw that she had actually won the event straight out.
“I wasn’t feeling real confident after last night,” said Manuel, who was only the fourth-fastest qualifier in the semifinals, nearly a half-second behind Gretchen Walsh. “I spent a lot of time watching races where I won. I wanted to channel that Simone because I know I’m a winner.”
Manuel had already clinched a spot at her third Olympics on the 4×100 freestyle relay, but now the 27-year-old has another shot to win an individual medal.
Manuel’s ascension back to the elite of the sport comes after a disappointing performance ahead of the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games. Simone Biles wasn’t the only legend whose performance at the Tokyo Games put their career into uncertainty.
After Manuel shockingly failing to qualify in the 100 freestyle, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with overtraining syndrome. Manuel’s resilience allowed her to earn a spot in the 50 freestyle, but she didn’t qualify for the final at the Olympics. Her only medal was a bronze anchoring the 4×100 free relay.
Doctors ordered Manuel to shut down all physical activity and she didn’t return to the pool until 2023, but she didn’t attempt to qualify for the world championships that summer.
She instead moved to Arizona, where she trained under Olympic legend Michael Phelps’ longtime coach Bob Bowman, and the move has paid dividends for Manuel, who’s been making history in the world of swimming since her college days.
Similar to sports such as golf, ice skating, and gymnastics, swimming has long been considered by primitive minds as an athletic endeavor that is an unnatural fit for African-Americans.
With three African-American swimmers sweeping the podium in the 100-yard freestyle at the Women’s Division 1 NCAA Championship in 2015 (a feat recognized by the national governing body of swimming in the United States with a celebratory tweet) it was clear that a swimming blackout was upon us.
Manuel, a freshman phenom at Stanford, set an NCAA, American, U.S. Open, championship, and pool record when she clocked a time of 46.09 in the women’s 100-yard freestyle that year.
Manuel’s Stanford teammate Lia Neal came in second place with a time of 47.13.
Neal is no stranger to star-studded success. Raised in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn by her parents Rome and Siu Neal, who are of African-American and Chinese-American descent, Lia was also a pioneer for Black women in swimming as she won a bronze medal in the 4×100 free relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Her also being a part of this landmark moment in NCAA swimming made total sense.
Completing the record-breaking triumvirate was University of Florida’s Natalie Hinds, who swam a time of 47.24. Hinds reset her own school record in the event during competition.
Manuel is another legendary Olympic athlete that is still competing at an elite level and forging new paths for athletes as they advance in age. We all wait in anticipation to see what she can do in Paris.
Quincy Wilson is just 16 years old, and the blazing track star held his own against men twice his age at the Olympic Trials.
For the second time in three days, Wilson broke the U18 world record Sunday in the men’s 400 meters semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field.
“Today I just came out here and gave everything I had,” said a confident and baby-faced Wilson.” I knew that last 100 would be hard. I was just studying these guys. Last year I was in the stands watching and now I’m competing against them and I’m just thankful for this moment.”
Miller was asked by the NBC correspondent how he was able to keep his nerve and have the poise and focus to chase down runners twice his age.
“I mean, its nothing different. We put on the same shoes the same way. We come out here and its really just who has the better race and we all fought it out today,” said Quincy prior to finding out if his times get him into the finals or not.
Regardless of how Monday’s action ultimately shakes out for Miller, he has established himself as a force to be reckoned with and the early odds-on favorite to demolish the competition over the next four years en route to his breakout 2028 Olympics.
Wilson, who goes to Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, finished third in his heat in 44.59 seconds, competing against 32-year-old Vernon Norwood (44.50) and 27-year-old Bryce Deadmon (44.44), but qualified for the final on time.
“I’m feeling great,” said Wilson, who made up a lot of ground, surging late to sneak into third. “I’ve never been this happy a day in my life on the track. I’ve been working for this moment,” the young blazer said.
The 400 final is set for 6:59 p.m. Monday.
All eyes will be on the kid who let it be known that he’s not intimidated by the seasoned ages of his competitors.
Wilson set the world U18 and American high school records in the trials in Eugene, Oregon, running his 400-meter heat in 44.66 seconds.
He broke the world record of 44.84 seconds that had been set five years ago and a U.S. high school record that had stood for 42 years by 0.03 seconds. In clearing the 45-second mark, he set a new standard for himsel,f and every race he seems to get better.
“It’s a different game,” Wilson said to reporters. “I’m not running high school anymore. I’m running with the big dogs.”
With more physical and mental development on the horizon, Wilson established himself as a prodigy for his success against adult track stars. Wilson had to wait to find out if his time would be enough to get him into the finals, which puts him in great position for a spot on the Olympic relay team at least.
Michael Norman, a four-time NCAA champion and one of the top 400-meter runners in the world, has been impressed with Wilson but isn’t sure if he is ready to capture a spot on the relay team.
“It’s tough,” Norman said. “There’s people out here fighting for money. He made the final. It’s very hard to say just because this is probably his first time running three rounds at 16 years old. … Anything is possible. He could definitely sneak into a relay spot for sure. It’s all in his hands.”
Everyone in attendance cheered wildly for the young kid who once again ran a personal best and broke a U18 record and has an opportunity to do something special on Monday.
Move over Jazz Chisholm. The Miami Marlins shortstop may have been voted the most overrated in baseball by a panel of his peers, but Angel Reese just got labeled “the most overrated athlete in sports” by talking head Jason Whitlock.
Then she went out and had the best game of her WNBA career to date with 25 points and 16 rebounds to help her team overcome a 24-3 Indian Fever run and get the Sky’s first win over Cailtin Clark and Indiana this season after two losses.
In her postgame interview she put her game into perspective in a way that Whitlock might understand: “I’m a dog,” Reese said. “You can’t teach that”
While many argue that Reese’s impact on women’s basketball and the WNBA is just as important as Caitlin Clark’s, critics like Whitlock continue to stir the pot. Whitlock has clearly chosen his side in the Reese vs. Clark rivalry, launching another tirade against the Chicago Sky Rookie of the Year candidate.
Whitlock responded to Reese’s frustration over not getting her proper amount of credit for the current women’s basketball explosion, insisting that it was both her and Reese that made this possible.
Reese’s 3 million IG followers (1 million more than Clark has) is proof of her popularity, and she is bringing more eyes to the Chicago Sky than the franchise has had in the past, even during championship runs.
Whitlock isn’t trying to hear all of that.
According to the 57-year-old podcaster, this lack of recognition is merely the result of a very real situation, which suggests Angel’s impact is not as substantial as she believes.
“It’s like a hot girl; she rarely gets told the truth. So if you wanna sit there and say, ‘Hey, I am the reason this audience is showing up too,’ there is gonna be people like me and others that are gonna say, ‘Well, I’m not really sure, because, without Caitlin Clark, no one knows or cares anything about you, Angel Reese,'” he said.
Whitlock is still refusing to give Reese her props and expresses his adamant belief that Reese’s skill level on offense doesn’t warrant the media attention she thinks she deserves, calling her the “most unskilled player in the WNBA” and “unathletic.”
Another harsh and inaccurate description of one of the more athletic players in the WNBA.
He even suggested how veterans like Candace Parker would find Reese’s offensive shortcomings laughable before proclaiming the LSU product as the “most overrated athlete in all of sports.“
Contrary to what Whitlock spewed, Reese was athletic, active, efficient around the rim, played intelligently and provided the passion that Chicago Sky needed on Sunday to overcome a 24-3 run by the Fever and complete a remarkable 88-87 comeback win.
They couldn’t have done it without Reese, who had the play of the game, which announcers ironically called “astoundingly athletic.”
It broke up that Fever onslaught as Reese sprinted down the court off a Fever miss and received the over-the-shoulder football pass from teammate Marina Mabry. Reese glided toward the hoop, was hacked and still finished the and-1.
That one play made everything that came out of Whitlock’s mouth about her seem like diarrhea.
By the third quarter, with Chicago trailing 58-55, Reese had already collected her rookie-record eighth double-double. She was more than impactful and easily the heart and soul of her team, one of the best players on the court.
Entering the fourth quarter on Sunday, Reese had 15 points and 11 rebounds. During her interview in between the third and fourth quarters, Reese said that she had been working on her offensive game around the basket, but also noted that “she loves to play defense” and will sacrifice her body or whatever it takes to win.
Reese has been an impactful rookie player, and she is currently seventh overall in WNBA All-Star voting and fourth among non-US Olympians. The women already on the 2024 Paris Olympic team will combine to form a team that will go against the WNBA All-Stars that aren’t going to the Olympics but are voted in.
The 6-foor-3 forward is averaging 13.1 points and 11.1 rebounds (second best in the league), and 1.9 steals (fifth most in the league). She’s also leading the WNBA in offensive rebounds.
Reese and Clark ignited a firestorm when they met in the 2023 NCAA championship game, with LSU prevailing. The back and forth between Clark and Reese, that included a Tony Yayo “You Can’t See Me” gesture and a championship ring gesture, changed women’s college basketball forever.
The two competitors met again in the 2024 Final Four and Clark hung a 41-piece chicken with a side order of mashed potatoes on Reese and LSU before losing to Kamilla Cardoso and South Carolina in the championship game.
The two have since met three times in the WNBA. In the latest meeting between Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky, Angel Reese took control and planted her first W in what is just the beginning of something special for the WNBA.
Most outlets will probably praise Clark’s double-double and deft three-point shooting, but Reese is all about team. That’s her in a nutshell. Clark gets the love, but Reese represents the glory and guts of true WNBA greatness and leadership, as well as anybody. Both are a credit to the game and the cities they represent. Reese has nothing to feel inferior about and made Whitlock, who was just fishing for clicks, eat his words.
Malakhi Dudley is a rare specimen. At 14 years old, he’s just beginning his freshman year in high school and already has an offer to Auburn coming out of Edwards Middle School.
Before you shake your head or criticize the recruiting process understand that Dudley is already 6 feet 5 and, according to Prepredzone.com, he’s 340 pounds.
According to a study by hortonbarbell.com, offensive lineman in the NFL average almost 6 feet 5 and 315 pounds per player. Dudley has the physical makeup to play in the league right now at 14.
The monstrosity hails from Conyers, Georgia, with a population of less than 20,000. He will start classes at Heritage High School, which enrolls approximately 1,900 students, in August.
The Generals compete on the AAA level in Region 7 and reportedly they have an entire game plan designed around running the ball toward their left tackle. Some records might be broken in Georgia.
NFL offensive tackle Olu Fashanu is considered one of the best in the game and he’s 6-6, 312 pounds at 22 years of age.
Dudley measures at about the same height and about 15 pounds heavier. As far as truly understanding the game goes, Dudley is still four years away from a commitment, so that time will be valuable as his body matures into manhood.
College programs are flocking because of his abnormal size. His skill level is yet to be determined. In addition to Auburn, Liberty, powerhouse Georgia, Cal, and a plethora of others, Power Five institutions already have Dudley on their radars.
Auburn offensive line coach Jake Thornton was the first to offer Dudley a scholarship earlier this week. Thornton was named the offensive line coach at Auburn on Dec. 22, 2022. He came to Auburn after two years in the same capacity at Ole Miss, where he helped the Rebels rank in the top 10 nationally in total offense each year.
It’s sure to be Dudley’s first offer of many and as long as his body holds up and he stays injury-free, he will probably be the most sought-after lineman in the country by his junior year.
Naturally, the young player has a lot to learn about technique and developing at the position, but what you can’t teach is his size and incredible strength.
The freshman recently put up 405 pounds on the squat rack, and with access to a weight training program in high school, Dudley will become even stronger, as he’s already dominating older players all over the country due to his incredible size.
Dudley appears to be the football version of 12-year-old Leland Henry, the 6-foot, 210-pound baseball player from Houston, Texas, who captivated baseball fans when he participated for Team USA in last summer’s U-12 World Cup in Taiwan.
These kids are growing bigger and bigger every day.
Angel Reese is once again flexing her natural star power as early returns on WNBA All-Star voting reaffirm that she is a top 10 most popular player in the WNBA already and is competing against giants of the league and corporate darling Caitlin Clark.
The last time Reese and Clark met, the game had all of the drama, passion and ratings that the WNBA could ask for as it was the most watched WNBA game in 23 years. The two groundbreakers meet for a third time as pros on Sunday, June 22. Clark is 2-0 so far.
The former LSU star is currently seventh in the first returns of the fan voting for the All-star game. No. 7 was also Reese’s draft position.
A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Breanna Stewart, Arike Ogunbowale, and Sabrina Ionescu are the only players ahead of her in voting.
The fact that Aliyah Boston is third overall in the entire league in voting and as a post player is directly influenced by Clark’s popularity and the fact that Boston is her running mate. It’s a strange dynamic because she isn’t more popular than Angel Reese but is considered a better player overall at this point, especially offensively.
“Chi Barbie” leads all rookies in double-doubles, which is a reflection of her versatility as a player and her willingness to do the dirty work.
In fact, she set the WNBA rookie record for most consecutive double-doubles by recording her seventh straight Thursday against the Dallas Wings. It broke the mark she shared with Tina Charles (2010) and Cindy Brown (1998).
Reese is averaging 12.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season. On Thursday night she had her best performance of the season and best individual game of her young WNBA career.
She helped the Chicago Sky defeat the Dallas Wings 83-72 to get their fifth win of the season, finishing with 16 points, 18 rebounds, and three assists.
Reese was second on the team in scoring. Chennedy Carter and Marina Mabrey both dropped 19 points.
In the Sky’s first 14 games, Reese has only had one game in which she didn’t at least have double digits in either points or rebounds. Reese also leads the WNBA in offensive rebounds. So she’s a unique and special player in her own right. A winning player.
On Friday, the WNBA unveiled the leaderboard in its first returns of fan voting.
Clark came in second with 216,427 votes, almost 100,000 more than Kelsey Plum. A’ja Wilson of the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces had 217,773 votes on first tally – edging out Clark by just over 1,300 votes.
There’s still more than enough time for Clark to catch Wilson. Clark continues to be undefeated in bringing crowds out.
Despite the Atlanta Dream’s losing record, they welcomed the largest home crowd in franchise history in a matchup against Clark and the Fever. Atlanta had to move the game to State Farm Arena, as they brought in 17,575 fans, per Front Office Sports on X.
Clark finished the game with 16 points and seven assists.
There’s plenty of time for Reese to move up the list as well.
Here’s the full voting, via Meghan L. Hall:
If she actually made a passionate plea to her 3 million IG followers to bum rush the polls, she might be able to make a run into the top 5. Many of her fans do not particularly follow or care for the WNBA but have been captivated by Reese’s handle of the social media landscape, her raw honesty and her relatability as a child of Baltimore.
Naturally, the U.S. Olympians are the most popular players, but this season CC and Reese have thrown a wrench into that. Reese is also fourth overall in non-Olympic players eligible for Team WNBA.
Expect to see Angel Reese and Caitlin in the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 20, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. It’ll take place in Phoenix, home of the Mercury. Both Reese and Clark are rookies trying to help elevate losing teams into future contenders. Clark’s Fever is 7-10 and Reese’s Sky sits at 5-9.
NFL player Lonnie Phelps, a 23-year-old defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, was reportedly arrested in Florida on Wednesday evening, on suspicion of DUI.
Phelps didn’t just crash his car; he allegedly mashed his vehicle into a Florida restaurant causing over $300K worth of damage. According to the Key West Police Department incident report, it all happened at around 8:47 p.m. outside of the Red Shoe Island Bistro in Key West.
Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson can teach his former teammate, who was released by the Browns immediately after details of his crash was revealed, a thing or two about maximizing sticky situations.
Watson’s personal life really never skipped a beat even after more than two dozen women accused Watson of improper touching during massage appointments in civil lawsuits filed in Harris County, Texas, or criminal complaints with the Houston police.
In the midst of settling these accusations Watson’s reputation was being put through the ringer on social media. However, Cleveland brass saw this as an opprtunity to swoop in and secure their All-Pro QB of the future.
Watson signed what at the time was a record five-year/$230 million contract in 2022, fully guaranteed. The deal set a new standard for quarterbacks and was highly criticized because of what Watson was dealing with legally.
Looking back, it was a mere stubbing of the toe as far as his personal life goes. On the field, he’s been solid, but not spectacular, accumulating 14 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions with the Browns.
In two seasons with Cleveland, Watson has played in just 12 games. He served an 11-game suspension in his debut season with the club, and in 2023, he was knocked out after six contests due to a season-ending shoulder injury that would ultimately require surgery.
The 28-year-old has had plenty of time to cultivate his personal life, spend his money and prepare for a crossroads season.
Watson’s girlfriend, Jilly Anais, who has stood by his side, was in Miami just three weeks ago to walk the runway for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Earlier in May Anais attended the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Launch Party in New York City. Shortly after, she was walking the runway. Life comes at you fast.
The popular social media influencer announced the news on Instagram with a “get ready with me” video.
She started the video by saying, “I’m so excited to announce that I will be walking in the Sports Illustrated 2024 Miami Swim Week Runway Show.”
She then tried on a handful of swimsuits for the camera and was overwhelmed by each piece.
“Tag along with me to get fitted for @si_swimsuit Sports Illustrated Miami Swim Week Runway Show happening this Saturday,” Anais wrote on Instagram.
Life comes at you fast. Phelps, 28, is learning this the hard way. He also doesn’t have the money Watson has to make huge mistakes in his NFL career and recover.
Phelps signed a three-year, $2.72 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, including a $25,000 signing bonus, $225,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $906,667 in 2023. His release means he just blew a bag.
Phelps, a former college standout at Miami and Kansas, was reportedly not cooperating with the arresting officers. That’s understandable considering he crashed into a restaurant while intoxicated out of his mind.
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“Phelps talked about how thirsty he was,” one officer wrote in the report, per TMZ Sports, adding: “how he did not know what I was going to do to him because females are the worst, asked me not to kill him, asked me how long it takes to bail out, how long I was the detective and informed me I was Russian.”
An arrest report says the NFL athlete was driving a black Hyundai SUV when he crashed inside of Red Shoe Island Bistro, leaving a hole in the wall, the arrest report states.
Phelps and a 21-year-old female passenger, described as his girlfriend, had gotten out of the car by the time police arrived.
At least he has a woman who stands by her man’s side.
Police said Phelps was slurring his words, His eyes were droopy and bloodshot with a vibrant odor of alcohol coming from his breath. He continued to shout odd statements to the officers.
Phelps was eventually arrested and taken to the Monroe County Detention Center on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence and causing property damage.
During the ride to the police station, police said Phelps took his seatbelt off, asked how long it takes to bail out of jail, and “asked me not to kill him,” the report says.
The station refused to take the breathalyzer test, according to the report.
He is scheduled to appear in court on July 2. While Deshuan Watson is gearing up for what’s expected to be his breakout season with the Browns and his IG star girlfriend pursues the next phase of her career as a SI runway model, Phelps’ girlfriend could be a witness for the state in his DUI case.
When Caitlin Clark reportedly was offered $5 million to play 10 games in the BIG3 basketball league in addition to her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever, most people thought it was a sweet deal, considering she makes about $56,000 per year as the new face of the WNBA.
Veteran players in the league were salty that Ice Cube didn’t offer that deal to any of the established stars such as A’ja Wilson, currently the front-runner for WNBA MVP.
The purported $5 million offer never went anywhere, but Cube claims her team ran interference and he never even got the chance to speak with her about the opportunity.
He recently claimed that Clark’s agent botched the deal.
The BIG3 is a pro hoops league that features 3-on-3 competition and was founded in 2017 by Cube and his partner Jeff Kwatinetz.
The league has featured some notable former NBA players, among them Allen Iverson, Joe Johnson, Stephen Jackson, Michael Beasley and Chauncey Billups. First team to 21 points wins the game.
Cube naturally wanted to bring Clark in to take advantage of her growing brand and bring a new set of eyeballs to the expanding league.
Reportedly, Cube offered $5 million to Clark for eight regular season games and potentially two playoff games.
The bombshell dropped right in the middle of Iowa’s March Madness run to the NCAA title game, but it wasn’t supposed to be revealed until after the tournament was over.
Knowing the story was out and growing legs and already getting all kinds of social media feedback, Ice Cube addressed it over social media.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.”
No deal was made, but Ice Cube says he isn’t so sure that it was her decision.
Cube addressed the situation and how things really played out with Clark during an appearance on The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
Cube accused Clark’s agents of “hating” on a brother.
“We believe her agents blocked it a little bit,” Cube said. We never got a chance to actually have a conversation with her and her family. The agents really didn’t want to see that happen in our opinion. They make their money off of NBA players, not WNBA players.
According to Cube, the package would have actually paid more than what was initially reported, with a larger commitment.
Said Cube: “We offered her $5 million to play for two years. So she would’ve walked away with $10 (million) and a little equity here and there, but we knew it was a big step.”
Apparently, Cube was correct about Clark never getting the information from her agents, which is a challenge all athletes and entertainers face when they hire representation who have their own opinion on how to market their client.
On March 29, Clark spoke to reporters about Cube’s recent $5 million offer to join his BIG3 League.
According to reports, she confessed she knew nothing about the deal behind the scenes and admitted she learned about it at “the same exact time you all did.”
It would have been an unprecedented move for Clark to play former NBAers and men’s college standouts and definitely would have been more captivating then her competing in a league that is still lacking financially and trying to figure out how to expand their brand and capitalize on a new audience.
Some doubted if college basketball’s all-time leading scorer could handle such a challenge, but Cube felt that the style of play in the BIG3 would fit Clark’s game.
“Trying to play with the men at the professional level would’ve definitely opened up the minds of a lot of people. Whether she was successful or not, who knows, but we think she could’ve been because we had small guards in our league.”
Plenty of people criticized the offer because teh average person isn’t used to visionaries and groundbreakers who think outside of the box and Ice Cube is the epitome of such. He and BIG3 made history previously with Nancy Liberman and Lisa Leslie both coaching in the league and winning.
Clark’s agents obviously have a vision for her, and once Nike gave her the $28 million bag it was easy to not even consider Cube’s supposed offer for whatever reason.
As a middle aged male, I would have preferred to see Clark play against the men of the Big3 and succeed. It would have had a tremendous impact on sports and been as much a media draw as her playing women in the WNBA and getting “hated” on for influencing many changes in the league as far as boosted ratings and the institution of chartered flights for all teams.
Clark’s agents had other plans for how her newfound fame would be exploited and it didn’t include BIG3 hoops, but it would have been something to see her take a crack at it.
One DUI charge don’t stop no show for Justin Timberlake, one of the world’s biggest artists.
The singer, who was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York, on Tuesday morning, will perform as scheduled at the United Center in Chicago on Friday and Saturday.
Timberlake is appearing as part of his “Forget Tomorrow” world tour.
The mishap has gotten a mixed variety of feedback from social media and fans, but one legend who showed support for Timberlake in the midst of this mini-drama is the great two-way player to ever do it, Bo Jackson.
Jackson must be a huge fan of the “Cry Me A River” crooner, who, after visiting a local hotel restaurant and bar, was observed around 12:37 a.m. Tuesday morning “operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition,” according to Sag Harbor Police.
The former N’Sync front man was whipping a 2025 BMW and decided to blow a stop sign and he was driving wildly on the road, according to police.
Timberlake told police he “had one martini and followed my friends home,” according to court documents.
A Sag Harbor Village Police Department officer described him as “unable to divide attention,” adding “he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”
So police claim JT was basically twisted, which would mean he’s very fortunate to not have killed anyone or this story would be much less light-hearted.
Of course, with any social media post, some fans were supportive of Timberlake and others didn’t mind seeing another prince of privilege in cuffs.
In fact, most fans thought Bo fumbled the ball completely with his tweet, considering the seriousness and potential destruction of the crime Timberlake is charged with committing.
Timberlake tried his best to finesse the situation by rejecting a Breathalyzer test three times.
Naturally, he was placed under arrest and held overnight for arraignment, according to police.
He was released without bail and his next court appearance is scheduled for July 26.
Despite the legal hassle, the show must go on for Timberlake and after this weekend’s shows, Timberlake is scheduled to return to New York with his tour for performances at Madison Square Garden on June 25 and 26.
The MLB game at Rickwood Field was a star-studded event with deep historical significance.
The baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants was an historic event as baseball honored and celebrated the rich and often overlooked history of the Negro leagues at America’s oldest professional park, honoring the great Willie Mays who recently passed away at 93.
For the second consecutive year the Cardinals hosted a regular-season home game outside of St. Louis as the Red Birds and Giants began their six-game season series on Thursday night in Alabama.
Thirty percent of the 346 players inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame have played a game at Rickwood, which includes 17 notable Cardinals. Among them is Willie McGee, who played at Rickwood for the AA Yankees affiliate.
The first Black players to appear on any St. Louis World Series championship teams were Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Bill White, and Curt Flood. They helped win the 1964 World Series over the New York Yankees.
Among other notable Black players in St. Louis Cardinals baseball history of course is Leroy Robert Satchel Paige. The MLBbro icon pitched for the St. Louis Browns from 1951 to 1953 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Paige, a right-handed pitcher, dominated Negro Leagues baseball and played in Major League Baseball for nearly five decades.
Paige became one of the most famous successful players after Bill Veeck became owner of the Cleveland Indians and signed the rookie to his first major league contract in 1948, making him the seventh black player in the big leagues to that point.
That season, Paige became the first player from the Negro Leagues to pitch in the World Series. Bill White, who eventually became the first and only Black National League President, became the first Cardinals African-American All-Star in 1959. White was a perennial All-Star and was a member of the 1964 World Series champions.
There were plenty of legends in attendance.
Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr., now considered the two greatest living Black MLB players, were mingling with fans and interacting with former teammates and current players.
The clock on the manual scoreboard at Rickwood Field was fixed to 8:24 in honor of Mays, who wore No. 8 as a member of the Black Barons in 1948 and 24 during his time with the New York and San Francisco Giants, where he hit 660 homers.
The Cardinals won the game 6-5, but as CC Sabathia told Martin Weiss, an Ebony Magazine correspondent:
“This event is incredible and necessary. I didn’t understand the significance of baseball and why it was so important to my father and his father until I discovered the stories of the Negro League and discovered baseball was just as much our culture as anybody else’s.”
While the game celebrated Willie Mays and the great Black players in history — and features the first all-black umpire crew in MLB history — unfortunately the game featured just one Black player.
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn was the lone Black representative in the game as San Francisco Giants player Lamonte Wade Jr. was out nursing a nagging injury.
Overall, it was a festive event with many of the Negro Leagues player who are still living attending in wheelchairs but finally getting their flowers on a large stage.
On Thursday the Los Angeles Lakers did what so many have expected since their coaching search began. The legendary franchise who’ve won 17 NBA championships (second to the Celtics 18) hired former player J.J. Redick as their 29th head coach and fourth sideline stalker in six seasons.
The move comes on the heels of Redick and Lakers superstar LeBron James unveiling a podcast called “Mind The Game” in which they match basketball IQ and acumen for all to hear.
As much as James does his best to separate himself from the noise that he played a vital role in the hiring process, he can’t.
In many ways it looks as if the Lakers offered the job to UCONN head coach Danny Hurley knowing good and well he wasn’t going to leave a place where he’s won back-to-back championships to come join the circus that’s become the Lakers.
That way they could immediately turn their attention to Redick, whom James has pushed for the job in his own subtle way.
It’s almost seems like a hey we tried, but it didn’t work and now Redick is locked in for four years, despite having no coaching experience.
Redick Has His Work Cut Out For Him
Speaking on “The Odd Couple” on Fox Sports Radio, Chris Broussard sounded like someone who thinks the Redick hiring actually sets the Lakers back.
“It’s very possible the Lakers take a step backward… Is JJ Redick going ti survive that?”
That’s something that could happen, the team took a huge step back this past season under longtime assistant Darvin Ham whose first head coaching job was with the Lakers. The team went from the Western Conference Finals to a first-round exit, despite both playoff losses coming to the Denver Nuggets, it was still a step back.
Playing in the very strong Western Conference that features the aforementioned Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks (who just represented the conference in the Finals), OKC Thunder (top seed in the West), Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers will have their work cut out for them. And now they’ll be doing so with a new and very inexperienced head coach.
LA Times Columnist Bill Plaschke Goes In On Hire
“An NBA team in most need of strong leadership just hired a coach who has never been a head coach, assistant coach, or any kind of coach.”
An NBA team desperate for a culture creator just hired a head coach who has never led a group of athletes at any level above youth basketball.”
“An NBA team that just lost its share of the record for most championships — the newly crowned Boston Celtics now have 18, damn it! — just hired a coach that has never been involved with an NBA champion.”
Redick Jumps The Line Like Steve Nash
The hiring of Redick is eerily similar to when the Brooklyn Nets inexplicably hired Steve Nash to coach the triumvirate of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Despite the talent assembled, Nash was out of his league having never coached before. That along with a myriad of other factors caused that Big 3 to never flourish, but Nash’s inexperience as a sideline stalker was the biggest glaring weakness.
That will likely be the Lakers biggest issue with Redick despite having LeBron James there. Diagramming plays and showing his basketball IQ and acumen on a podcast is much different than actually having to do it in a heated game during crunch time. That’s very likely where Redick’s lack of experience will show.
While Redick was the Lakers choice, there are so many other deserving assistants and former head coaches around the league. Celtics assistant Sam Cassell has been an assistant for 15 seasons and just helped them win their league-leading 18th title. Former head coaches Kenny Atkinson and James Borrego are proven coaches who are also available.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg of qualified coaches who were overlooked for Redick. Let’s see how this goes and who’s actually coaching the Lakers this upcoming season.
