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“What About My Case … I’m Also The Victim Of Fraud?”: With Official Closing Of Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Gambling Scandal, Trevor Bauer Wants His Life Back Too

The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal and investigation that rocked the early part of the MLB season and overshadowed his $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers is now closed and Ohtani has been fully exonerated. 

According to a Tweet by baseball writer Ben Verlander:  

“Ippei Mizuhara has officially plead guilty to bank and tax fraud charges today. 

He faces up to 33 years in prison. This officially closes the investigation on Shohei Ohtani who is now considered a victim of fraud. 

Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed.”

Legal Sports Betting Companies Are Ratting Out Athletes Who Gamble Large Sums: MLB Players Get Lifetime Ban

The consequences for Ohtani could have been catastrophic. The recent lifetime ban of four players for gambling gives some insight into what Ohtani would have faced if found to be complicit in his interpreter’s gambling. 

San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been permanently banned from Major League Baseball after violating the league’s gambling policy, MLB announced on Tuesday. 

Marcano’s ban was accompanied by one-year suspensions for four other players: Oakland Athletics reliever Michael Kelly and minor-league players Jay Groome (Padres), José Rodríguez (Philadelphia Phillies) and Andrew Saalfrank (Arizona Diamondbacks).

MLB reportedly received data from a legal sports betting operator concerning baseball gambling activity from accounts that belonged to the above players, the league announced.

Trevor Bauer Is Still Fighting To Get Back In MLB

Everyone in the baseball world seems very relieved and content to get this potential firestorm of a scandal behind them – except former Cy Young pitcher Trevor Bauer who is still fighting to get back to MLB after battling various charges that involved sexually assaulting women.  Bauer was never criminally charged with anything, and the investigations provided evidence that he was being set up by one of his accusers. 

Bauer tweeted under Verlander’s post: 

“What about my case, where I also was never charged with anything, and where I’m also the victim of fraud? Why am I not allowed to go back to playing?

An indictment unsealed in April in Maricopa County Superior Court charged an unnamed woman with fraud and theft by extortion. It says Bauer and one other person were defrauded by a woman in a scheme that potentially spanned several years.

Darcy Adanna Esemonu — who sued Bauer and allegedly demanded $1.6 million after claiming he impregnated her — was charged with one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices.

Bauer and another man were listed as the alleged victims in the case weeks after a grand jury handed down the indictment. She was also charged with theft by extortion, but only against the other alleged victim.

The woman sued Bauer in December 2022, accusing him of rape two years earlier that she said resulted in pregnancy in late 2020.

Bauer Battling Several Accusations

Back in October of 2023, Bauer and Lindsey Hill, the San Diego woman who first accused him of sexual assault, which led to an unprecedented 324-game suspension from Major League Baseball, settled their civil lawsuits outside of court, with no money exchanged between the two parties. 

But Bauer kept alleged receipts, and in a video posted to social media he points to an alleged extortion attempt by Hill. 

Bauer Has Alleged Receipts

In the video Bauer gave the reasons why he agreed to settle with the Hill. He revealed text messages allegedly exchanged between Hill and her friends, which Bauer claims as proof that Hill plotted to extort him. Of the alleged messages from Hill stated, “Need daddy to choke me out,” another “Being an absolute WHORE to try to get in on his $51 million.”

Hill accused Bauer of sexually assaulting her during two encounters in the spring of 2021. She was later denied a permanent restraining order in Los Angeles Superior Court, and the district attorney’s office declined to file criminal charges against Bauer. But MLB decided to suspend Bauer anyway.

Bauer sued Hill for defamation in April 2022, and she countersued for sexual battery four months later. Court proceedings were scheduled to begin in February, but both sides agreed to drop their respective cases.

Hill will receive $300,000 in insurance policy proceeds that will be sent in a trust account to her lawyers’ offices, according to an email from Hill’s lawyers that was provided by a representative with Bauer.

“Trevor Bauer and Lindsey Hill have settled all outstanding litigation,” Bauer’s attorneys, Jon Fetterolf and Shawn Holley, wrote in a statement on Monday. “Both of their respective claims have been withdrawn with prejudice, effective today. Mr. Bauer did not make — and never has made — any payments to Ms. Hill, including to resolve their litigation. With this matter now at rest, Mr. Bauer can focus completely on baseball.”

He Said She Said

Bauer also alleged in the YouTube video that Hill’s legal team approached him “multiple times” about a financial settlement that his side consistently declined. 

“Over the last two years, I’ve been forced to defend my integrity and my reputation in a very public setting, but hopefully this is the last time I have to do so, as I’d prefer to just remain focused on doing my job, winning baseball games and entertaining fans around the world,” Bauer said in his video. “So today, I’m happy to be moving on with my life,” Bauer said.

Despite what appeared as vindication, Bauer is still jobless, as no team, no matter how undermanned their pitching staff is will touch Bauer, who continues to maintain his innocence and question MLB’s treatment of him. 

What Did Mizuhara Do?

Mizuhara had been the subject of a massive investigation that started in April. He previously pleaded not guilty in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom in early May. 

His denial kept whispers and rumors that Ohtani might be directly involved alive, although both said Ohtani had no idea of what his friend was doing with his money. 

The Department of Justice said in May that Mizuhara, 39, agreed to plead guilty to two federal charges  (one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return) for illegally stealing almost $17 million from the baseball star’s bank account.

Ohtani accused Mizuhara of massive theft in March, leading to a federal investigation. It was discovered that Mizuhara set up a bank account for Ohtani’s baseball salary deposits, had full access, and even impersonated Ohtani to swindle funds from the account.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara soon after news of the criminal investigation broke. 

What Did Investigation Find? 

The investigation found that since 2021, Mizuhara had made thousands of sports wagers, but not on baseball.

Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, told reporters Mizuhara “took advantage of his friend, the person who had given him an opportunity.” 

“He stole money from Mr. Ohtani to pay for his own dental expenses,” Estrada said. 

The Dodgers released a statement following Mizuhara’s guilty plea, saying the team was focused on moving forward with the case resolved:

“With today’s plea in the criminal proceedings against Ippei Mizuhara and the conclusion of both the federal and MLB investigations, the Dodgers are pleased that Shoehi and the team can put this entire matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title.”

“I am very saddened and shocked someone whom I trusted has done this,” the Japanese baseball star said through his new interpreter after the news broke. “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has been telling lies. … I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker.”

Mizuhara was also accused of filing a false tax return in 2022 when he claimed to make $136,865 but earned more than $4.1 million from his bank fraud. In addition to gambling payments, prosecutors also allege that Mizuhara took more than $60,000 to fund personal dental work and purchase $325,000 worth of baseball cards. 

The way Ohtani escaped clean has clearly angered Bauer more, who claims that he was also a victim of fraud but never offered the same grace or thorough investigation. 

Bauer is venting, but he knows that his case is extremely different from Ohtani’s. Bauer is claiming to be a victim, but despite him not facing any criminal charges and it being revealed that he was being swindled at some point, the detail of the case and the political temperature of his situation has made him untouchable.

“It Took My Mom Four Years … To Make $100,000”: Draymond Green Says NBA Fines Are Designed To Impoverish The Rich

Draymond Green has been known to say some outlandish things, and now that he has a podcast mic and is one of the most coveted voices by NBA media sources, he’s taking the term shock jock to a whole new level. 

Draymond Green Has Made Almost $200M In NBA

Despite having made $178 million in salary as a member of the Golden State Warriors to date (but if you include the amount still owed to him on his current contract, that figure jumps to around $255 million) Green has a beef with the way the NBA dispenses its fines and implies that it could send him into poverty. 

Green is apparently unsatisfied with the financial opportunities afforded by the NBA, because in his opinion, the league recoups too much of the wealth dispensed.

On an appearance on “The Big Podcast” with fellow NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, Green went in on this financial aspect of NBA life.

“The fines to me don’t make sense,” Green said. “When you talk about, as hard as we work to accumulate wealth, coming from situations that most people never make it out of, and then you get fined the way that we get fined? It’s actually not set up for us to be wealthy after we’re done playing.”

Draymond Green Says NBA Fines Make Acquiring Wealth Difficult

“This job is not set up, the way we’re taxed. The way we’re fined. You know, you hear about all of these programs, like this program this, this program, that s*** is to cover everybody else. This program is to teach this guy this. But if I do something wrong, I lose $100,000. Man, it took my mom four years when I was growing up to make $100,000. And I lose that in a night because, what? The referee got mad at me, and he didn’t like what I said to him, so I lose $5,000 like that, on a tech?”

Draymond’s nonsensical response is one of the reasons why he is both popular and hated. 

It’s unprecedented that NBA players get to so openly criticize the league. Green, however, making crazy comments is common. 

How a guy who makes more money in a year than 99 percent of the people on planet Earth doesn’t understand how his own self-inflicted lack of self control has led to his fines is beyond me.

Delusional Green Is His Own Worst Enemy

Green is known as one of the most antagonistic and physical players in the league. According to Spotrac, his endless lists of technical fouls, rants and referee disrespect have cost him roughly $900,000 in his NBA career, and suspensions have cost him around $3.2 million.

The habitual line stepper has no one to blame for himself.

Knowing how harshly taxed athletes are and being involved with savvy businessmen like LeBron James and Rich Paul as a client  of Klutch Sports, the four-time NBA champion has no one to blame but himself. 

Greene has a lot of opinions and smoke for people, but accountability has never been one of his strong suits.

‘It’s Because Of Me Too’ | Chicago Sky Star Angel Reese Demands Her Flowers For Helping WNBA Popularity Soar

The 2024 WNBA season has gotten off to a raucous start, from 2024 No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark being the target of every team she faces, to No. 7 pick Angel Reese being clotheslined by Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas and shrugging it off to being part of the game.

Then there’s the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who already have suffered two home losses and sit at 4-2, which is second-best record in the Western Conference and fourth-best in the league overall. 

With so many other storylines that have helped the league gain this unprecedented popularity, the two biggest names through it all have been Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

The two star rookies have a rivalry that dates as far back as high school, but really picked up in the 2023 women’s national championship game.

That’s when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes to win the program’s first national title.

Clark returned the favor in this past season’s NCAA Tournament as the Hawkeyes knocked off the Tigers to advance to the Final Four. 

Reese Wants Her Flowers: Nobody Moves Needle Like Clark

It’s no secret how much the league’s popularity, visibility and exposure has grown since this talented 2024 draft class arrived.

But make no mistake about it, no one moves the meter quite like the aforementioned Clark.

The league has gone from no chartered flights to now having them, and the very first one was the Indiana Fever traveling for a road game.

The Fever are also selling out everywhere, at home and away. In fact the home teams have had to move many of their home games against the Fever to bigger venues. 

Angel Reese Is Right

Clark isn’t alone though. In fact, Reese playing villain to Clark’s hero has done wonders for the league.

The Chicago Sky forward, who’s never been afraid to speak her mind was doing just that during Monday’s media session.

When asked about her teammate Chennedy Carter’s cheap shot on Clark in the Fever’s 71-70 win over the Sky on Saturday, Reese mentioned how the physical play has always been a league staple.

She also made it known that she wants credit for helping bring this new and invigorating love for women’s basketball both collegiate and professionally. 

“I know I’ll go down in history,” Reese told reporters on Monday. “I’ll look back in 20 years and be like: Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not because of one person, it’s because of me too, and I want you too to realize that.”

Reese Is OK With Villain Role If It Continues To Help Bring Attention To Women’s Game

For the better part of 15 months Reese has become the villain, and she’s more than OK with that as long as it helps to continue to grow the game.

She’s embraced it and lived with it, and she’s made a nice bag from it. As she told reporters on Monday, that’s just fine. 

“I’ll take the bad guy role. I’ll take that bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on, and be that for my teammates,” Reese said.

And she means it. Reese could be seen applauding Carter’s cheap shot on Clark, but video also showed Clark hitting Carter with an elbow in the neck area and then taunting her on the previous play.

Maybe that’s what Reese was cheering, her teammate’s get-back. Either way there’s no love lost between her and Clark, whom she respects as a player, but they’re not friends. 

Reese is in the perfect place playing for the perfect coach in Teresa Weatherspoon, a legendary former player who was known for her tenacity, grit and on-the-edge style of play.

Angel Reese Playing Well

Reese’s skill set would transfer to any league because she has plays so hard and with a rare toughness and grit not seen from most rookies. She’s averaging 10.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. 

Simone Biles Still Isn’t At Her Best And Nobody Is Close To Beating Her: Will She Sweep the All-Around In Paris?

Simone Biles is one step closer to making Olympic history. When she does officially qualify for the Paris Olympics, we won’t be wondering if she has enough in the tank to compete with younger gymnasts. 

Since announcing her comeback Biles has been elite. She officially clinched a spot in the U.S. Olympic Trials late this summer. She is now the first gymnast, man or woman, to win nine all-around national titles.

Simone Biles Wins Record Ninth U.S. All-Around Title

Biles finished with an all-around total score of 119.750, breaking her own record of eight titles, which she set last year. That win broke a tie with Alfred Jochim for the previous record of seven and the win made her the oldest woman to ever win the title. 

The 27-year-old GOAT wasn’t perfect on Sunday. She fell once on the vault while trying to come out of her signature Yurchenko double pike, which has caused some problems for her dating back to her last Olympics. But it was just her first fall of the season, so she has time to fix whatever issues she’s having.  

She put the finishing touches on her win with a 14.400 on the uneven bars. In addition to her all-around title, she took home gold in every event.

The 37-time world and Olympic medalist started her day with a 14.800 on the balance beam, followed by a 15.100 on the floor exercise, her usual bread and butter discipline, to take a commanding five-point lead.

Will Simone Biles Have Any Legit Competition In Paris?

Biles still has to handle her business and officially qualify later this summer, but she’s going to be one of the most discussed and celebrated athletes at the Olympics in Paris. Everyone will be anxious to see how she handles things after experiencing the “twisties” (when a gymnast gets disoriented in the air and doesn’t have a firm grasp of their body or positioning, which can be very dangerous) at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

Of course, Biles was also dealing with mental health challenges at the time and chose to sit out a couple of events in what to this day is still an unbelievable turn of events for the four-time Olympic gold medalist. So far, she’s exhibited the discipline, focus and grace of a GOAT gymnast.

Now that setback sets her up for another historical comeback.  

Since her return, she’s been steady and has quickly gone from a good story to serious gold medal contender in 2024. She’s re-setting the bar and reminding everyone that she is still the woman to beat. 

The Olympic trials will kick off on June 27 in Minneapolis, about a full month before the opening ceremony in Paris.

‘Hoop Or Shut Up’ | Chennedy Carter Takes Verbal Shot Before Caitlin Clark Scores Three Points In Worst Career Game

On Sunday night at Barclays Center the now 7-2 New York Liberty blew out (104-68) the 2-9 Indiana Fever for the third time this season. The loss comes on a back-to-back for the Fever, who defeated the Chicago Sky 71-70 on Saturday. No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark, who was shooting 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from the three, went 1-for-10 for three points, she added five assists and three rebounds. 

Clark and her team’s ugly outing also comes on the heels of Saturday’s dustup between Clark and Sky guard Chennedy Carter.

In that game Carter who guarded Clark for most of the day, exchanged verbal pleasantries which ended in Carter calling Clark “b-tch” before taking a cheap shot at Clark prior to the basketball being inbounded. The shot, a forceful one to Clark’s shoulder sent her to the floor with Carter being issued an off-the-ball foul.

Carter’s foul was upgraded by the league to a flagrant 1 on Sunday according to reports.

At game’s end, Carter’s actions took center stage and were the talk of social media. 

Carter Uses Social Media To Verbally Attack On Clark

During her postgame interview, Carter, who’s had her share of disciplinary issues, told reporters:

“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”

While Clark didn’t proceed to do so on the podium, she didn’t let that stop her from firing off about Clark via social media. After liking a post that took her side on X, Carter posted on Threads. Here she was definitely more vocal, and even silly in her assessment of Clark’s game. 

“That’s that on that cause beside three-point shooting what does she bring to the table man? Carter asked.

Is Caitlin Clark A One-Dimensional Player?

Calling Clark only a three-point shooter sounds like nothing more than hate. Clark is a fine passer, leading all rookies in assists. Her presence alone makes defenses have to adjust how they defend the Fever as a team. You don’t lead the nation in scoring, assists and threes made per game as a one-dimensional player. 

Clark And Fever Brass Want It To Stop

In the aftermath of Saturday’s incident, Clark and general manager Lin Dunn all spoke on the matter. Clark took the high road, as she has all season. Although various video angles show her elbowing Carter first during a scrounge for a loose ball and then yelling back at Carter during the game.

Whatever was said is what Carter reacted to, so her retaliation wasn’t out of the blue and it can’t be labeled as simply “hate”.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Clark said after the game. “It is what it is. It’s a physical game. Go make the free throw and execute on offense, and I feel like that’s kind of what we did.”

Dunn, the franchise’s former head coach who led them to their only WNBA championship back in 2012, took to X to share her feelings. 

“There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary —targeting actions! It needs to stop! The league needs to cleant the crap! Thats NOT who this league is!!

Strong words from Dunn, and embattled Fever head coach Christie Sides piggybacked her boss’s comments but kept it light by saying “I’m trying not to get fined,” when she first began to talk about her star player being under siege. 

Draymond Green Says Fever Need An Enforcer

With Clark being the target of every team the Fever face, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, who’s always ready to mix it up to defend his teammates and especially franchise player Stephen Curry, took to Instagram to say this. 

“Fever better go invest in an enforcer… FAST! 

That comment drew the ire of the aforementioned Carter, who responded with this via X:

“We grown asf & y’all talking about enforcer.  Man, gtfoh. Hoop or shut up.”

Caitlin Clark’s Numbers This Season

Clark is averaging 17.3 points, 6.4 assists. 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, proving she’s much more than a one-trick pony.

The teams meet again on June 25 in Chicago. Get your popcorn ready.

‘They’re Not Gonna Work Me Like A Dog’| Charles Barkley Says He Won’t Work For ESPN After TNT’s NBA Contract Ends After Next Season

Basketball Hall of Famer turned NBA basketball analyst Charles Barkley has never been one to mince his words. No matter the subject of topic may be, one thing you can count on is unfiltered and unapologetic opinion from the man formerly known as “Sir Charles” or “The Round Mound of Rebound.” Barkley is one-fourth of the hit NBA show “Inside The NBA” on TNT that after next season likely will no longer be. 

With Warner Brothers Discovery, which owns TNT, reportedly losing the rights to the NBA package after next season, that means it will very likely be the last time we see Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson on Thursday nights during the NBA season. While it would be bittersweet to see them go, it’s been a great run, and while no one knows what’s next, Barkley let it be known what isn’t next for him. The 1993 NBA MVP is adamant that he won’t even entertain a move to a certain network because, in his words, they work too hard. 

ESPN Ain’t Happening For Barkley 

During a recent appearance on ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” Barkley let it be known that working for ESPN isn’t in his future. He also said that he did his contract so he’d be a free agent and free to sign on to work wherever he chooses with no issues. 

“I covered my a—, to be honest with you. I just signed a 10-year deal two years ago, but one of the things I did was put an opt-out in a couple years because I wanted to cover my ass when it comes to the situation.”

“I said to WBD during this last negotiations, if you guys lose the NBA I wanna make sure I can get out of here.” 

But that doesn’t mean he’s looking to go to ESPN. In fact, he’s adamant about not doing so. 

“They’re not gonna work me like a dog,” Barkley said. “ESPN Radio, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes. I mean HELL NO! As much as I love ESPN, I just turned 61. The notion that I’m going to be working like a dog into my mid-60s, that’s definitely not going to happen.”

Barkley Could Take Crew To His Own Production Company

If TNT does in fact lose the NBA following next season, Barkley, a savvy businessman, says he’d love to sign the crew to his production company. During an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Barkley called out his bosses at WBD/TNT for paying to have college football games instead of doing everything in its power to keep the NBA. He also mentioned he could take the other three to his company. 

That would be something if the crew all shifted to his company and began its own show covering the NBA like the one they currently have.

With their popularity it would immediately rival anything on NBC, Apple and Amazon. While it’s also highly unlikely to happen, hearing Barkley say that really makes you wonder what the big networks would do of it did happen. 

“That’s Not A Basketball Play” | Chennedy Carter’s Cheap Shot Overshadows WNBA’s First Caitlin Clark Versus Angel Reese Showdown

Saturday’s matchup between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky was supposed to be about 2024 No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark facing off against No. 7 pick Angel Reese.

It was also the first game for Sky center and No. 4 pick Kamilla Cardoso’s career, as she missed the team’s first six games.

None of the high picks disappointed, and in fact, all helped their respective squads in different ways.

Clark didn’t shoot particularly well (4-for-11 and 2 of 9 from three), but, she added eight rebounds and six. 

Reese didn’t score (eight points) but she hit the glass with authority (13 rebounds).

Kamilla Cardoso Shines In Debut

Cardoso shined in her first game scoring 11 points on 5 of 7 from the field, and grabbing six rebounds.

That’s what most fans came to see, but what they didn’t expect was Sky guard Chennedy Carter take an unnecessary cheap shot at the aforementioned Clark. 

Carter Doesn’t Play Nice

The physical play towards Clark has been constant around the league. Teams are taking shots at her and doing their very best to rattle the top rookie.

In Saturday’s matchup, Carter, who was the game’s high scorer with 19 points in the Sky’s 71-70 loss the to Fever, decided to call Clark out of her name, before taking a blindsided cheap shot to knock Clark down. 

“You’re a b*tch” Carter blurted out before running into Clark. Carter was issued an away-from-the-ball foul, not a flagrant.

In the aftermath of the incident Clark refused to talk about it in her postgame interview, saying “next question,” when asked about the incident and her actions. 

Clark seemed unfazed by it saying, “It is what it is. I feel like I’m just at the point where you accept it but don’t retaliate. I’m trying not to let it bother me.”

Sides Isn’t Happy, Continues To Put League On Notice

Fever head coach Christie Sides, who’s been under fire concerning her team’s play, wasn’t happy about the extreme physicality being shown towards her star player. In her postgame interview Sides was adamant that she and Fever brass are doing all they can to get the league to take action on this matter.

“We’re just going to keep sending these possessions to the league, and these plays, and hopefully they’ll start, you know, taking a better look at some of the things that we see happening, or we think is happening. Just happy that Caitlin handled it the way she did. You know, it’s tough to keep getting hammered the way she does and not rewarded with free throws or foul calls. She continued to fight through that. Appreciate that from her, really proud of her for doing that.”

In wake of the latest incident involving Clark and an opponent, Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho took to X to call it what it is. 

Is It Jealousy? Or Welcome To The Pros?

“Athletes are some of the most arrogant people on the planet, it often takes that attitude of arrogance to excel,” Acho wrote.

“However, when arrogance isn’t being fed, it gives birth to envy, and the envy of Caitlin Clark is undeniable. Let’s not gaslight fans and tell them it doesn’t exist.”

Strong words by Acho, but there’s some real substance behind them. It’s no secret that Clark’s quick rise isn’t sitting too well with a lot of the league’s veteran players.

That likely won’t change anytime soon, which is why Sides and the Fever brass are doing their best to work the league office. 

“Draymond Green Is The All-Time Cheap Shot Artist” | Fox Sports Analyst Skip Bayless Not A Fan Of Warriors Star Having “Inside the NBA” TNT Platform

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is the type of player you either you love or hate. Green’s overly aggressive play at times has led to him being fined, ejected and suspended more than any player in this era. With the Warriors not making the playoffs and bowing out in the play-in tournament, Green has turned his attention to television. 

For the past few seasons, Green has moonlighted on “Inside The NBA” on TNT as an analyst where he joins Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal during the postseason. Green, who’s also got a hit podcast, isn’t just controversial on the court, he’s also pretty outspoken and controversial on his podcast. While he’s toned that side of himself down a lot during his appearances on TNT, not everyone is excited to see him on the set. 

Skip Bayless And Green Rehash Beef 

It’s no secret that Green and Bayless will never be friends, and most of it stems from Bayless constantly taking shots at Green. Bayless’ constant disrespect toward Green’s good friend and business partner LeBron James also doesn’t help matters in this situation. In fact, Green recently called Bayless “the biggest hater.”

During a recent episode of his podcast “The Skip Bayless Show” on YouTube, Bayless once again gaslighted about the beef between him and Green with some comments he made about the four-time NBA champion and former NBA DPOY.

“In my career I have never seen anything like this phenomenon,” Skip ranted. “Draymond Green is, no exaggeration, the dirtiest player in NBA history by far. … I dare you right here, right now — well, please stay with me for a few more minutes — but I dare you to go on YouTube, call up and watch those lowlight tapes of the cavalcade of Draymond Green’s dirtiest plays over the years. … Draymond is the all-time cheap shot artist. Yet, everybody loves Draymond.”

Sounds like Bayless is attempting to get others to hate on Green, which is something he doesn’t need to do. Green definitely has his share of haters, and he likely adds to that list each and every season with his in-your-face style of play that at times goes over the edge. 

Ryan Russillo Agrees With Bayless

Green, who’s still fairly new and a bit rough around the edges as it pertains to broadcasting, was called out by former ESPN analyst and radio host Ryan Russillo who questioned Green being on the “Inside The NBA” broadcast. Russillo believes Green doesn’t fit with the crew, and he expressed his displeasure about that during a recent appearance on the “Bill Simmons Podcast.” 

“I can’t believe they’re putting Draymond on the broadcast during this time. He f—s it up,” Russillo said. “He doesn’t understand the difference between being funny and critical and just being f—ing mean.”

It’s funny hearing Russillo call out Green when he’s also one who’s been known to do that. In many ways it sounds as if Bayless and Russillo are jealous of Green and how he’s taken his game from the court to the podcast and sports television world. And while he’s got some kinks to work out, but he’s actually pretty good at something he doesn’t do full time. 

Imagine if he really honed in on the craft, he’d be one of the better former players on the mic. 

‘Jrue Holiday Doesn’t Get His Flowers’: Swapping Marcus Smart For Jrue Holiday Put Boston Celtics In Position For NBA Record 18th Championship 

Since the beginning of the season, the Boston Celtics have been a favorite to win the 2024 NBA championship. Boston took those expectations and ran away from the rest of the Eastern Conference and league with a 64-18 record in the regular season.

They did it with the league’s top-ranked offense and second-ranked defense. Led by superstar Jayson Tatum, who was just selected to his third consecutive first-team All-NBA, and his partner in crime Jaylen Brown, the Celtics just overwhelmed teams all season. 

Supporting their two stars are a plethora of quality role players who all play their role to a tee. There’s center Kristaps Porzingis and his ability to take bigs to the perimeter, while still protecting the rim with two blocks per game.

Guard Derrick White brings his hard leprechaun hat nightly and does whatever the team needs, albeit scoring, defense and assists. But, the piece that may have put the Celtics over the top was getting former Milwaukee Bucks star Jrue Holiday, who was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in the deal to get Damian Lillard. 

Jrue Holiday Is Key To Boston Celtics

The Blazers then traded Holiday to Beantown for center Robert Williams and guard Malcolm Brogdon.

The move also helped Boston replace longtime fan favorite Marcus Smart, who was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Holiday For Smart Was An Upgrade

For years Smart, the one-time Defensive Player of the Year was the heart and soul of the Celtics. But after the team lost the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors and then lost in seven games to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, team president Brad Stevens felt he needed to make a change.

It’s not every day you have a chance to land a two-way player like Holiday to complete your starting five, and Stevens jumped at the opportunity. 

Holiday helped the Bucks win the 2021 NBA championships alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bringing him in to replace Smart was an upgrade.

While Holiday never won the DPOY like Smart, he’s a better overall defender and a better offensive player. He also understands when and when not to shoot, which is something Smart struggled with his entire time in Boston.

Choosing Holiday Over Marcus Smart Was Best Move  

At the time of the trade, BetMGM’s Halvor Egeland told New England Sports Network that the move immediately made the Celtics co-favorites in the East with the Bucks.

“Marcus Smart was important to the Celtics, but Jrue is a better version of Smart. He may not show the same emotion, but Jrue is just as good, if not better, of a defender. He’s definitely a better decision-maker offensively and completes the roster nicely.”

Yes he does, to the tune of 76-20 including the playoffs. His play has helped the Celtics to the brink of their 18th championship, which would break the tie with the archrival Los Angeles Lakers. 

Usonis Haslem Touts Jrue Holiday

Miami Heat legend and current ESPN NBA playoff analyst Udonis Haslem had this to say about the Celtics acquiring Holiday during an appearance on “Get Up”:

“Jrue Holiday doesn’t get his flowers, but when the trade happened, I was cringing.”

Holiday’s two-way capabilities is a huge reason the C’s are here. In each round he’s made game-winning plays. In round one he harassed Heat guard Tyler Herro into 39 percent shooting from the floor and 33 percent from three.

In the round two he wreaked havoc on both ends, guarding both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. His biggest play in the playoffs came in a Game 3 win at Indiana where he stripped Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard as he was driving for the tying basket. 

With a stat line of 13 points, six rebounds and five assists per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three, it’s safe to say that if the Celtics do indeed win No. 18, Holiday’s imprint will be all over it. 

“Let’s Just Fight As Men”: Rajon Rondo Recalls Locker Room Boxing Match With Ray Allen During Boston Celtics’ Championship Run

Fractured relationships and chasing championships wasn’t the only reason Ray Allen basked in the glory of bouncing from the Boston Celtics as a member of the 2008 Championship “Big Three” with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami and defeat his former team en route to winning another championship in 2012-13. 

Apparently, Allen had a problem with several guys on the team, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo being among them. It’s not surprising that young Rondo’s abrasive attitude and approach to communicating didn’t mix with Allen’s veteran personality.

According to Rondo there was a lot of talking behind each other’s backs and bringing out the gloves and boxing was a great way to release the tension and get everybody back on the same page. 

Talking to Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back,” Rondo was asked if he and Allen threw on the gloves and fought to settle a feud they had at the time. 

Rondo denied they had a feud, but later admitted that there was tension and the two were not very complimentary about each other when talking to other people. 

Allen had problems with a couple of guys on that team and his rift with Rondo was one of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA. There were so many egos and strong personalities on that team. Let’s not forget Kendrick Perkins was a role player, and all he does now is talk and criticize his former peers every day. He’s a product of that mix of personalities and talent as well. And he wasn’t even one of the more outspoken personalities. 

That Boston Celtics team that won the franchise’s last championship 16 years ago was special. They took down Kobe Bryant in his prime. They had four players who are among the best to ever do it at their positions. For all the flak Doc Rivers gets for losing in the playoffs, he did a great job managing the possible explosion that was that Celtics team as it tried to move through the gantlet of Eastern Conference teams ready to contend for a title. 

“It wasn’t to settle a feud, but we damn sure put the gloves on,” Rondo said. “We were competitive in every facet of life. We always competed.”

Also, Rondo noted that he and Allen weren’t the only ones to throw fisticuffs that day. 

“Tony Allen and Big Baby put the gloves on. Big Baby set him down quickly. There were a few other matches as well.”

Lou Williams asked Rondo, “Who won y’all round?” 

Rondo, being old school, respected the code and didn’t talk about the intimate details of the fights. 

“I gotta let my peers tell you that,” he answered. “I can’t really talk about it. Although nowadays you can [break the code] and run it back. That’s what celebrities do now.” 

Rondo basically said there was too much talking going on behind the scenes. 

“It was all fun and games at the time. We love to compete,” Rondo said during a recent interview on FanDuel.com. “Gloves were brought in,” and, according to Rondo, “we were like F- it, let’s get it on. Because there was no point in talking about each other, behind each other’s back. Let’s just fight as men. But it got broken up pretty quickly because we were fighting. … Boxing in the weight room, and equipment got hit up a little bit. People got knocked back by that type of thing.”

Kevin Garnett confirmed on Stephen A. Smith’s podcast in November 2023 that there was tension within the ranks and it turned ugly when Allen left to go play for their archrivals at the time. 

“We were in a real life gang-banging league,” Garnett said. “When we were knee deep in the battle with Miami it was real. We were in a playoff series with these guys, and bro was already looking at cribs. I felt a way about that. … It took some time for me to get over that. Paul Pierce helped me get over that” 

“I took that so personal, ’cause of all the places you could have gone, you went to the one team that you knew was a real beef with us. … I wasn’t feeling it,” Garnett added.

Whatever went down during and after Allen’s time in Boston, the memories are fond for the fans because a long-awaited title was won. This Celtics team is trying to end a similar drought. 

Maybe that’s what these Boston Celtics need to do to get over that final hump as they prepare to face Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the NBA Finals. Toss on the gloves go a few rounds, match up the players who don’t see eye to eye. 

One difference with these guys led by Joe Mazzulla is they seem to get along pretty well, and that era was pretty much the end of an era and culture. Most players of today aren’t even built like those guys from a social standpoint.

Rondo probably has plenty more stories that he’s holding close to the vest.

Fever Fall To 1-8, Caitlin Clark Picks Up Third Technical Foul: Is WNBA Too Physical For The Anointed One?

Another night and another Indiana Fever loss. This time it was the Seattle Storm coming into Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana and leaving with a 103-88 road win on May 30.

This year’s No. 1 overall pick, Caitlin Clark, once again filled up the stat sheet, scoring 18 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing three rebounds. She also had seven turnovers and shot just 6-for-17 from the field, including 3 of 8 from three. 

In recent games Clark had begun to find her shooting stroke, and while that wasn’t the case in Thursday’s loss, she did show some real fire in picking up her third technical foul. Clark and Storm guard Victoria Vivians began jawing and staring at one each other following Clark hitting a deep three over her. The two had to he separated, and both were issued a technical foul. 

Fiery Clark Is A Good Thing, But She’s Gotta Be Careful

In recent days Clark has been open about how physical teams and players are being with her. She even insinuated that most of it’s illegal but the referees are swallowing their whistles. Thursday’s dustup with Vivians comes on the heels of those comments, and the former Iowa Hawkeyes legend chalked it up to competition. 

“You’ve got two competitive people,” Clark said in her postgame comments. 

That seemed to fire up Clark, who asked the near-sellout crowd to get loud. Same thing she did at Iowa when things got chippy with opposing teams, the difference is the Hawkeyes won most of those games. 

Clark’s Technical Count Rising Quickly

Just nine games into the 36-game season, Clark only has four technical fouls to spare before she’s fined and suspended. In the WNBA players are suspended after their seventh technical foul, then every other one after that. As far as the fines go, it’s $200 for fouls one to three, $400 for four to six, and $800 for every one from seven up. While the money isn’t an issue for Clark, missing games would be. For that alone she’s gotta channel her emotion and frustration with how she’s being played another way. 

Fever Defense Non-Existent 

As it’s been most of the season, the Fever’s defense was pretty much no-show. The Storm were never made to feel uncomfortable while shooting a season-high 56 percent from the field (42-for-75) and 42 percent (8 of 19) from three. They also had 29 assists and just eight turnovers. That’s a recipe for success, and the Storm, led by star player Jewell Loyd and her 22 points, had plenty of that. It was Loyd’s second-highest scoring output, and both have come against the Fever; she had 32 in a win over them last week. 

Clark knows the team’s defense must improve, and she spoke about it. 

“The third quarter was when we lost the game,” Clark said. “I just thought our defensive rotations were bad. … It’s not really about our offense. It was our defense. You’re not going to win a basketball game giving up 103.”

Head coach Christie Sided says she wants her team to stop engaging with the referees so much. Maybe they should take heed and defend a little better. Their star player also needs to stop turning the basketball over. She leads the league with almost six giveaways per game. While the refs could be better with their whistle, the Fever isn’t helping themselves with porous defense and mistakes that stem from a lack of effort.  

Move Over, Ty Cobb, and Kiss The Ring: MLB’s Acknowledgment Of Negro Leagues Stats Elevates Josh Gibson, Weakens Babe Ruth’s Legacy

Move over, Ty Cobb, and kiss the ring. Josh Gibson is the biggest sheriff in Cooperstown now. 

Major League Baseball officially recognized Negro Leagues statistics in its record book on Wednesday, making Gibson MLB’s all-time batting average leader at .372 — surpassing Cobb’s .367. 

Babe Ruth’s legacy as the greatest power bat in history also takes a hit as Gibson also accomplished his incredible power feats during the same era.

Related: Babe Ruth’s Daughter Says Racism Kept Him from Managing A MLB Team (theshadowleague.com)

“It’s a great day,” Negro Leagues Museum President Bob Kendrick told Yahoo Sports. 

Larry Lester, a Baseball historian and Negro Leagues expert who served on the Negro Leagues Statistical Review Committee, said: “Stories, folklore and embellished truths have long been a staple of the Negro Leagues narrative. Those storylines will always be entertaining, but now our dialogues can be quantified and qualified to support the authentic greatest of these athletes. Every fan should welcome this statistical restitution towards social reparation.”

Negro Leagues Icon Josh Gibson Takes Over MLB Records

Several new major league records are now newly held by Hall of Famer Josh Gibson, who is being joined on all-time major league leaderboards by other Negro Leagues stars, Major League Baseball announced this week. Gibson is now MLB’s all-time career leader in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage, and he holds the all-time single-season records in all three of those categories.  

These historic changes to long-held baseball records follow an evaluation by the independent Negro Leagues Statistical Review Committee, whose public report is now available.

The Birth Of The Shadow League 

This monumental decision is also a proud day for The Shadow League, the longest-running Black-owned sports publication in the country.  

Started in 2012, The Shadow League name was masterminded in the spirit of the Negro Leagues, recognizing the racially-oppressed, supremely talented, charismatic, undervalued, and driven players that were forced to exist in the shadows of all-white MLB. 

It was this underdog concept that inspired TSL founder and former CEO Keith Clinkscales to name his cutting-edge digital sports, culture and entertainment site “The Shadow League.” 

A league of writers and creators who were talented enough to thrive in mainstream journalism, but instead exist as outliers — the true voice of the people — wielding a furious pen and speaking uncomfortable truths.

Underappreciated heroes on the front line in the battle against racism and oppression. Products of a movement born when the dark dagger of bigotry pierced through the heart of Black baseball, causing an explosion of talent and production that has stood the test of time and opened the doors of opportunity for others.

With the Negro Leagues generally running from 1920-1951, the committee went through box scores and other data in order to discover and validate various statistics, making way for the official move into MLB record books.

The merging of leaderboards was brought about by the Negro League Statistical Review Committee, a committee made up of former players, historians and writers tasked with uncovering and validating Negro Leagues statistics. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Supports Integration Of Stats

“We are proud that the official historical record now includes the players of the Negro Leagues,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Dodger debut.” 

The move is a monumental change to baseball statistics, giving the first Black baseball legends a chance to live on forever in major league history. The change comes just as the Negro League Tribute at Rickwood Field, the oldest standing field of its kind, brings the baseball world a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants in Birmingham on June 20. Willie Mays will be in attendance.

Negro League and MLB Stats Are Now One?

This week’s announcement is the first major step that makes the achievements of the players of the Negro Leagues available to fans via the official historical record.  

The statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues ballplayers from 1920-1948 — including this era’s three living Negro Leagues players: Bill Greason, age 99; Hall of Famer Willie Mays, 93; and Ron Teasley, 97 — launch in a newly integrated MLB.com database (career records here and season records here) that combines seven different Negro Leagues from 1920-1948 along with the American League, the National League and other major leagues in history. This effort will allow fans to view the statistics and records of Negro Leagues alumni as easily as all other historical Major League players.

Josh Gibson Becomes Single-Season Batting Leader

It doesn’t stop there, though. With the integration, Gibson will also be the single-season leader in batting average for his .466 batting average in 1943. Topping it off, he’s the single-season and career leader in slugging and on-base plus slugging percentage — overtaking Babe Ruth in the two career categories. 

Who Is Josh Gibson?

Gibson, a Baseball Hall of Famer, played from 1930-1946 where he became a 12-time Negro League All-Star and two-time Negro World Series champion thanks to his unprecedented power.

“This means so much for not only the Josh Gibson family,” Gibson’s grandson, Sean, told USA Today, “but representing the 2,300 men in the Negro Leagues who didn’t get the opportunity to play (in the Major Leagues).” 

Gibson is among the many Negro Leaguers who will see their Negro League stats enter the books, with Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige and living legend Willie Mays being some of the prominent players. 

Satchel Paige Is Officially One Of The Greatest Pitchers To Ever Do It 

Most notably, Paige moved to third in ERA in a season with 1.01, a mark he accomplished in 1944 with the Kansas City Monarchs. With the trio playing in both the MLB and Negro Leagues, their marks in MLB Leaderboards are set for a slight boost. 

Merging Statistical Leaderboards

The biggest part of the mission started in December 2020, when the MLB officially recognized Negro Leagues as a major league, allowing their statistics to be used in the books. 

MLB Acknowledges Negro League Stats 

Back in 2020, on the heels of the George Floyd “awakening,” commissioner Rob Manfred announced that MLB was officially elevating the Negro Leagues to Major League status.

The Leagues were rich with all-time great diamond-miners like Gibson, Monte Irvin, Cool Papa Bell and many others whose magnificence was lost in the oppression.

Via MLB’s press release:

“MLB credits all of the baseball research community for discovering additional facts, statistics, and context that exceed the criteria used by the Special Committee on Baseball Records in 1969 to identify six “Major Leagues” since 1876. It is MLB’s view that the Committee’s 1969 omission of the Negro Leagues from consideration was clearly an error that demands today’s designation.” 

Is Negro Leagues Recognition A Funeral Or The Future

“All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of our game’s best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice,” Manfred said in a 2020 statement. “We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record.”

MLB’s press release names the following leagues as those being elevated: the Negro National League (I) (1920–1931); the Eastern Colored League (1923–1928); the American Negro League (1929); the East-West League (1932); the Negro Southern League (1932); the Negro National League (II) (1933–1948); and the Negro American League (1937–1948).

John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, who chaired the Negro Leagues Statistical Review Committee, said: “Shortened Negro League schedules, interspersed with revenue-raising exhibition games, were born of MLB’s exclusionary practices. To deny the best Black players of the era their rightful place among all-time leaders would be a double penalty.”

The 10-Year Anniversary Of When Bobby Shmurda and Jabari Parker Went From Next Up To Forgotten Legends

Rapper Bobby Shmurda and former Milwaukee Bucks player Jabari Parker were rising stars in the lucrative worlds of rap and the NBA back in 2014.

Parker was the McDonald’s and Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of high school in 2012 and went on to play at Duke under legendary Coach K before becoming the No. 2 overall pick in 2014 by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Schmurda rose from Vine Sensation — when he spit his low-quality “Hot N*gga” single, in which he does the infamous “Shmoney Dance” over a free internet beat — to being signed by Sha Money XL and then landing a record deal with Epic Records at a time when it was probably harder to get a major label deal than it was to get a gun into the White House.

Where Are Bobby Shmurda and Jabari Parker Now?

These days, Parker is no longer in the NBA and is playing in Europe, finding a different way to love the game, forgetting the injuries and heartbreak that forced him out of a league he had intentions on rising to superstar status in.

Parker is currently playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He signed a $2 million one-year deal with Barcelona for the 2023-2024 season.

He says he’s having the time of his life in the Euroleague. 

“Basketball is bigger than the NBA. Basketball is global,” Parker said in an interview.

“I Love Euro League, it’s very competitive.” 

Shmurda, whose real name is Ackquille Pollard, hit a bevy of well-publicized legal problems and was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2016. Police said Shmurda was “the driving force” in a gang also known as GS9 (standing for “Grimey Shooters,” “Gun Squad” or “G Stone Crips.” The viral artist was freed on parole on Feb. 23, 2021. 

His first show back was at Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, Florida on Friday, July 23, 2021.

In 2022, Shmurda released his EP titled “Bodboy,” which features the summer bop “Hoochie Daddy. After a lukewarm return and years of requests, he was finally released from Epic Records that same year. 

Bobby hasn’t reached the fame he acquired after his hip-hop classic dropped prior to his prison stint of over four years. He was definitely next up, now he’s just a one and done who lost his musical connection to the public and his value to corporate hip-hop. He never got his shot to see how far he could really ride the wave of his first single that has been streamed close to one billion times.

The last Shmurda sighting was on IG on May 17 as he joined the band of celebrities condemning P.Diddy and hip-hop’s misogynistic culture. 

itsbobbyshmurda

y’all OdEeeeing 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂 nah yall Niccas is moving dusty this sh-t gotta stop ain’t no female worth yah freedom and ladies it should be no amount of money worth your respect 🫡 I seen one of my fav celebrities do some straight dayroom sh-t smh ( Prevention Before Cure ) #PBC young bulls These been day room a real one won’t ever you don’t see us in those positions smh leave the 🐱before you beat the 🐱 #shmurdaphilosophy

Though he was quickly reminded that his music isn’t offering any solutions to help break generational curses and society’s ills. 

yo_soy_la_sil86

Your music destroy kids too . So be a example of what u preach . Or be the change for everyone !!🔥🔥🔥

Both have to live with what could have been. Parker appears to be at peace. Shmurda doesn’t give the impression that his life is back on course.

How Did Bobby Shmurda Rise To Top Of Rap Game?

At 20 years old Shmurda became an overnight sensation; the epitome of a one-hit wonder and a sign of the times as Internet popularity dictates the cash flow of record labels struggling to stay relevant in a global and evolving hip-hop scene.

Shmurda was the equivalent of a baby in the game. He started rapping at age 10 and in 2014 his song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the industry showed much respect as the song was remixed and performed by a plethora of artists, including Lil’ Kim, French Montana and Juicy J. 

The “Hot N*gga” video posted on YouTube that August and immediately received tens of millions of views, and Shmurda performed the song for a national television audience on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

“My music is straight facts,” Shmurda told New York Magazine. “There are a lot of gangsters in my ‘hood.'”

With one hot joint and some social media love, he flipped a hard-nock Brooklyn Zoo life into mainstream fame and a future bright with limitless potential.

Jabari Parker Was Destined For Stardom From Childhood

In similar rising comet fashion, as a 6-foot-1 fifth-grade guard Parker had five D-1 scholarship offers. By 19, he was a projected future NBA star.  

In 25 games as a rookie, the former Duke Blue Devil averaged 12.3 points (second among rookies) and 5.5 rebounds (third) in 29.5 minutes per game (third) while helping the Bucks to a 13-12 record. He scored in double figures 17 times, including a career-best 23 points at BK — the highest-scoring game by a Bucks teenager in franchise history at the time.

Parker played a career-high 76 games the next year, averaging over 14 points per game.

In 2016-17 he started 50 games and averaged a career high 20.1 ppg. That was clearly his peak as Parker played 64 games in 2018-19 splitting time between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, and he never played more than 38 games again as he bounced around to Atlanta, Sacramento and Boston to end his NBA career, playing a combined 44 games his last five years. 

There was also some question about his style of play when he signed with his hometown Bulls, which he addressed in an interview, saying: “They don’t pay players to play defense.” 

Parallel Universes, Different Cultures

Shmurda and Parker were raised in contrasting parental environments and undoubtedly taught different values by their parents. Parker’s dad embraced everything that was golden about his South Side Chicago hood and ran a recreational sports organization for kids. That’s where Jabari and his brother Christian developed a passion for the rock and the rim.

While Shmurda’s pops was incarcerated and he grew up raised by the violent, criminal and influential street culture, Parker’s street corner was the basketball court at his local LDS Church meetinghouse in the Hyde Park community area, where he balled in order to avoid the hazards of urban playgrounds. Parker is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the son of former NBA player Sonny Parker.

The two youngsters flexed totally different styles but were in the same position as far as being “next up.” One kid had big dreams, but they were little in scope. He wanted to be the reincarnation of Tupac/T.I. Another was quoted as wanting to be an example for Black males from Chicago’s infamous South Side.

“Everything in my city is negative,” Parker once said of how he feels his hometown is portrayed in national media . “[The media] try to bring it down so much with the violence and I’m an African-American male in my community … going to college, and that’s big time. I want to represent them in the best form, the best manner, just to keep them close to my heart so they can see that there’s a young [guy] out on the South Side doing big things.”

Both of these guys were getting ready to embark on a legit journey for complete domination of their respective crafts, but the twists of fate are shifty and cruel. The future of a rising star can get washed away in the blink of an eye and with the force of a tsunami’s rolling waves. 

Both Lives Went Left In The Same Week: Parker Injured, Schmurda Arrested

Jabari Parker suffered a torn ACL left knee during the third quarter of a Monday night game in Phoenix on Dec. 15, 2014.

It was an unfortunate and premature ending to what was shaping up to be a Rookie of the Year season for young Parker on an upswing Bucks squad.

Shmurda, who had his share of run-ins with the law but was changing his life in light of his musical success, was arrested two days later (Wednesday) during a sting involving multiple shootings and drug trafficking in New York City. He was taken into custody by investigators as he sat in his car outside Quad Recording Studios on Seventh Avenue — the same studio that Tupac got blasted in back in 1994.

Law enforcement sources said Shmurda was under surveillance by police.

Two rising rockets struck down in one week. One by his own stupidity and ego and another by circumstance. Both rocked the social media monitor and Twitter and Facebook exploded with commentary on the rise and temporary fall of both torch-carriers.

Knee injuries are as prevalent in NBA culture as dunks and free throws. Getting arrested and stunting the growth of a potentially lucrative career is a common pitfall for rappers of all ages. It didn’t stop with Shmurda.

In both instances, it hurts a bit more when the person suffering the loss is a caterpillar. A vibrant symbol of the future. Older heads didn’t care for Shmurda’s complete lyrical package, but nonetheless they were all bopping their heads to the song and able to embrace the thug-popiness of “Hot N*gga.”

The “Shmoney Dance” was and still is a staple dance in hip-hop history; a combination of the’80s-famous “Wop” and “Smurf” dances. I give Bobby some credit. He drove his PR campaign like Earnhardt in the last lap of the Daytona 500. Problem is he forgot to step off the pedal when he got off the stage. He’s still making music, looking for that hit to take him back to the top.

Hopefully he stays out of prison and moves with purpose. Parker is still balling with a purpose.

“He Woulda Ended All Our Lives” | Isaiah Thomas Tweets About Almost Getting Shot By Kid With AK-47 In Tacoma, City With One Of Nation’s Highest Crime Rates

Isaiah Thomas is a player whose NBA journey is not only revered, but his diminutive 5-foot-9 size and Herculean feats on the court have garnered him a legion of fans who still enjoy seeing him in NBA action. 

Being one of the more soft-spoken, heroic and relatable NBA players has served Thomas well as he fights for his NBA career, which has spanned 12 years and 10 teams. 

After not playing since the 2021-22 season and finding it hard to get back on with a team, Thomas was killing in the G League and got picked up in March by the Phoenix Suns for an expected NBA Finals run, but he wound up playing just six games in his second stint with the team, as the Suns were eliminated by Minnesota in the first round. 

Thomas has always been a calming presence as a play who was quick on his feet and a great communicator. These skills reportedly served him well during Memorial Day, when he helped subdue a potentially fatal situation in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. 

Tacoma has one of the highest crime rates in America. The crime rate is 62 or 66 per 1,000 residents, depending on the source. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime is reportedly between one in 10 and one in 16.

Isaiah Thomas Gets AK-47 Pointed at Him By Kid

On Tuesday, Thomas detailed a terrifying encounter that seemingly unfolded in Tacoma in a now-deleted tweet where he said he and his party were approached by a “kid” who pointed an AK-47 at them, but backed down when he recognized the former NBA star. 

Thomas also referred to it as “my city” when he posted a picture he took with Lil Wayne when the rapper performed there earlier this month.

Isaiah Thomas Is Legendary 

For every aspiring athlete who wasn’t big or tall enough, for everybody who was ever picked last on the playground, for anyone who has dreamed an impossible dream, Thomas is a hero.

And that was before the 2017 NBA postseason, when Isaiah captured the nation’s attention by leading the Boston Celtics on an emotional and inspiring run to the Eastern Conference finals following the death of his younger sister, Chyna, who was killed in a car accident the day before the playoffs began. 

Literally shedding tears on the court and during postgame interviews, Isaiah played through his grief and had six games in which he scored 25-plus points, highlighted by a 53-point effort against the Washington Wizards in the conference semifinals.

The 2016-17  season was the one in which the 5-foot-9 bucket-getter became a certified superstar. He finished third in the NBA in scoring, second in fourth-quarter scoring, and fifth in league MVP voting. He led the Celtics to the best regular-season record in the East and he made the All-NBA Second Team.

For the short kid from the relatively obscure and overshadowed city of Tacoma, who wasn’t a five-star recruit in high school and was then taken with the last pick of the NBA draft, 2017 it was a year of unthinkable tragedy but also incredible triumph.

It’s why he will still get a phone call answered eventually by some front office in the league. 

Without knowing the details, in that instance, when he faced the barrel of an AK-47 he chose compassion and understood the moment. His endearing celebrity helped too, as he stated.

“If it wasn’t for who I was and him recognizing me in my own city, he probably woulda ended all our lives.” Thomas said in the now-deleted Tweet.

Those are character gems that he’s benefitted from his entire life.

Caitlin Clark’s First 30-Point Scoring Game and Angel Reese’s First Career Double-Double Set Up June 1 Matchup That Could Break WNBA Ratings Records

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese continue to establish themselves as leaders and cornerstone pieces with high-level performances, despite their teams’ struggles to compete with the upper echelon of the WNBA.

We can’t deny that these two highly publicized rookies have made significant contributions as players, vocal leaders and specific targets of opposing teams.

Caitlin Clark Has First 30-Point Game

Clark scored a career-high 30 points on 7 of 16 shooting with five rebounds and six assists in a tough 88-82 loss in a rematch with the L.A. Sparks featuring rookies Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson on Tuesday night. She was one of only two players with double-digit shot attempts on her team, so she’s being given every opportunity to shine, even with a 1-7 record.

The losses aren’t a good look right now, but the WNBA has to be seeing dollar signs with the games she’s been able to produce despite being the focal point of every team’s defensive game plan. Her turnovers are still high, but her logo threes are also still in effect.

Clark is performing well enough to keep this magical ride going for a while longer with the WNBA and the attention the league is getting from mainstream sports fans.

Angel Reese First Career Double-Double

Angel Reese continues to do all of the dirty work for the Chicago Sky, who have gotten off to a respectable 2-3 start without No. 3 overall draft pick Kamilla Cardoso, who is slowly returning from a bum shoulder. Reese had another solid all-around game, with 11 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and two steals and went 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.

It was the first double-double of her young WNBA career. You already know that she will be an integral piece in the franchise when Chicago Sky and coach Teresa Witherspoon ascend to championship contender.

The Sky lost a tough game to the Seattle Storm, 77-68 on Wednesday night. It was the team’s worst loss of the season, which proves how competitive they have been, with the signature win of Reese’s career coming against the New York Liberty on May 23.

Wednesday was her signature game to date. Her 3 million IG fans and her new fan base in Chicago will be eagerly awaiting her appearance on IG Live and ready to give her all of the love and praise a “Chi Barbie” deserves.

The two most polarizing players in college and now the WNBA aren’t 10 games in, have spent very little time getting to know their teammates before being thrown into the fire and are already two of the best in the league. The celebrity hasn’t gone to their heads. If anything, it has driven them to deliver on the big stage, while still figuring out the next level.

When the two popular stars meet on June 1, it will probably be a top 3 most watched regular season WNBA game ever. That’s what everybody is waiting for.

“He’s Not Respected By His Peers” | Kendrick Perkins Destroyed Rudy Gobert But Also Exposed Holes In NBA Awards Voting Process

Shaq has said it. Others NBA players have backed him up. Other so-called experts of the game have all said that Rudy Gobert is an overrated defensive player. 

Despite winning four Defensive Player of the Year awards, Gobert has been exposed as he’s traveled deeper into the playoffs for the first time in his career and played more formidable competition consistently. 

From Game 2 of the Denver Nuggets series when Gobert made the personal decision to ditch the game to be present for the birth of his son, the highly-touted defensive player has not been locked in. 

His performance in these Western Conference finals, where his team finds itself down 3-0, has sunk his reputation further, and now the same media types who voted him Defensive Player of the Year are seriously regretting it. 

Kendrick Perkins Regrets Voting For Rudy Gobert For Defensive Player of the Year

In fact, ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins says that the “biggest regret of his media career” was voting Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year this season. 

Perk was on “First Take” with Udonis Haslem and Shannon Sharpe airing Gobert out something terrible. 

“He has tarnished the Defensive Player of the Year award. He is not respected by his peers,” Perk ranted. 

“Molly,” Perk said, “I’m retiring from voting for individual regular season awards because I have done a disservice using my voting rights.” 

There were plenty of media who jumped on the Anthony Edwards bandwagon, referencing Michael Jordan when discussing the 22-year-old’s playoff exploits up to this point. Edwards’ play was at such a high level and the role players were doing so well that Gobert’s decreased production in points, rebounds and blocks kind of flew by the radar. 

Karl-Anthony Towns is only giving 15 points per game in this series. This series, the self-proclaimed “greatest shooting big in NBA history” has been in an historic shooting slump shooting 28 percent from the field and 14 percent from three. So naturally, with so many supporting pieces falling short, Ant-Man hasn’t been as dominant in the conference finals. The blame and hot seat has switched to the $200 million defensive force, who has not impacted the game or done anything to help slow Luka and Kyrie. 

“Me voting for Rudy Gobert is an embarrassment for me for Defensive POY,” Perk lamented. “He’s the first player we’ve seen that every single time in the postseason becomes a defensive liability.” 

Kendrick Perkins Says Rudy Gobert Has Tarnished DPOY Award

According to the numbers, Gobert is an elite defensive player. 

“Don’t come giving me these analytics.” Perk said. “Don’t come giving me these plus-minus stats. Because that’s the most overrated stats in the NBA. When I look at Rudy he has tarnished the Defensive POY award.”

“He’s not respected by his peers. In the Denver series he couldn’t even guard the person at his position. 

“What is he doing right now? Do we realize Rudy has three blocks in three games? He’s averaging one block a game at 7-foot-3. It’s unacceptable to say he’s the Defensive Player of the Year.”

Gobert is taking some flak for his team’s shortcomings, and it’s well-deserved. Gobert said back in January when he was being lauded for his impact on the defense that he acknowledged it as the key to his team’s success. 

“We’re able to understand what puts us in position to win,” Gobert told reporters. “How many games our defense won this year when we weren’t able to make shots and struggled a bit offensively. If we’re going to get where we want, that’s something we need.”

“It’s amazing when you feel that your work is paying off,” he added. “All the things we have been through, all the drills, all of it paying off on the floor. All this work is not going down the drain.”

A season with championship promise is now going down the drain and according to Perk it’s because everyone overrated the impact Gobert truly had on the game. 

The truth is probably somewhere in between, but either way, Gobert’s failure will be a narrative that will haunt him into next season.

‘I Can Feel The Energy’ | Steelers QB Justin Fields Is Talking Like The Pittsburgh Steelers QB Of The Future So Russ Better Cook Quickly

For months former Chicago Bears Justin Fields heard the rumors of the team possibly trading him if they actually landed the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

By virtue of the Carolina Panthers finishing with the worst record in the league, that came to fruition. With the Panthers trading away their 2024 first-round pick to the Bears to draft former Alabama Heisman-winning signal-caller Bryce Young No. 1 overall last year, the Bears received the top pick this season. 

That meant Fields would likely be moved if then-USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams declared for the draft. After months of speculation, Williams declared for the draft, which meant Fields’ time in the “Windy City” was up.

In late March the Bears traded Fields, their first-round pick in the 2021 draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is something that Fields hoped for. During a recent interview with reporters at team organized team activities, Fields opened up on his mindset and how the trade has affected him. 

Fields Happy To Be In Steel City

Changing teams and cities isn’t something Fields is unaccustomed to. The former five-star recruit began his college career at Georgia but transferred to Ohio State following his freshman season.

This time he ended up in Pittsburgh, making him 2-for-2 in moves. When asked how previous change of scenery has helped him going forward, Fields was upbeat.

“Just the culture,” he said last week to assembled reporters at the OTAs. “I really think Ohio State, I think there was a video that dropped with coach [Mike Tomlin]. I can just feel the energy and just the consistency throughout the years and the culture that Coach T and just the standards that the Steelers have set, this organization have set. So I think it was a big appeal for me. Our defense has always been a top tier and you can’t win games without defense. Just the culture, coach T, and, of course, the team itself.”

Strong words from Fields, who enters the team’s offseason program and season as the team’s backup behind starter Russell Wilson. After the trade for Fields, the well-respected Tomlin was quick to establish the quarterback room hierarchy, naming Wilson the starter and Fields his backup.

Justin Fields Doesn’t Plan On Being Backup For Long

For Fields this is a fresh start and gives him an opportunity to learn how to be a franchise signal-caller. He’ll get to see Wilson go about his business daily, and see how he handles everything as the starter, something Fields wasn’t shown or taught in Chicago. 

Fields is smart enough to know that he likely wasn’t in the Bears’ plans going forward, and that became even more plausible when the Bears landed the top overall pick. Fields did his best to not let the rumors of his future affect him, but he’s human, and after while even he was like “trade me already.” Now that’s its happened Fields is hoping to apply what he learned from the Athens-to-Columbus move to this one. 

“I mean, I’ve been dealing with people for a long time,” Fields said. “In my next meeting, we were in the same situation last year with having the No. 1 pick and it was just a little bit different this year. So I’m not naive to the fact that — I can read body languages and stuff like that. It wasn’t really a shock to where it was like, ‘Ah, I got traded.’ I knew what was going to happen beforehand. So I’m just glad I got traded to the spot I wanted to be at.”

The Bears did Fields a solid, sending him to his preferred destination, and that’s the least they could do when you consider how he handled all the chatter. Each week Fields brought his hard hat, and while the record doesn’t reflect winning, no one will ever question his desire to lead a  Bears team devoid of talent. 

Bears Didn’t Surround Fields With Talent

It’s no secret that Fields had some of the worst offensive playmakers around him for three seasons. That showed up in the results with Fields sporting an ugly 11-29 record.

Caleb Williams, however, has been set up with a plethora of weapons entering his rookie season.

Too bad team brass didn’t do the same for Fields. 

“Tired Of Hearing Men Talk About Our League” | WNBA Player Natasha Cloud Wants Men Like Charles Barkley To “Invest” In League Or “STFU”

The WNBA continues to be a hot topic for everyone from the average hoops fan to people looking for a good internet beef to get a piece of. 

Friday was the day after Charles Barkley called WNBA players “petty” toward Caitlin Clark and started a firestorm of opinions and video clips of people separating themselves from any perceived Clark hate, but also trying to tactfully and humbly explain that she’s not getting any free passes from players in the league on the court. 

Emmanuel Ocho pointed out that day on an episode of “Speak” that there’s “a thin line between hate and facts.” 

And this social media war that has ensued has its fair share of both. 

Natasha Cloud Tells Divisive Male Fans Invest In League Or Shut Up

Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud isn’t interested in either. Cloud, who has been a respected voice for the WNBA when it comes to social issues, women issues, community issues and any other important decision the league is involved in off the court, sent a message to male viewers and pundits who are just starting to notice women’s basketball.

“I’m tired of hearing men talk about our league knowing nothing about our history,” Cloud wrote. “Invest or stfu. Respectfully.”

Criticism and Drama Come With Fans: Sports Is Covered That Way Now

Cloud’s frustration is understandable, as the WNBA has longed for this kind of publicity and now that they have it, people seem more concerned with the soap opera drama and personal lives of these women than the product on the court. 

Go figure.

Welcome to bona fide celebrity life. You can only sell the actual game so much. The personality of the game is what keeps people connected and battling with other people on the internet about people they have never spoken to or met in their lives. 

It should be a beautiful thing for the WNBA, which is reportedly growing in worth and lining up sponsorship, chartered flights and preparing for an explosion in revenue, according to the record attendance that’s being reported for Indiana Fever games in particular. 

Cloud’s main area of lament is those aforementioned outsiders and new fans trying to cause controversy and stir up what she sees as a misogynistic trope of women resenting other women.

“Y’all want us to be pitted against each other so bad,” Cloud complained.

Two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson has continuously been addressing these lines of potentially divisive questioning while also trying to refocus everyone back on the task at hand during the season. Her responses are more deflective and less accusatory than Cloud’s

What Cloud is talking about and what the fans are doing are two completely different things. Fans are going to root for the players and team they like and against those they don’t. There’s no rule that fans have to be nice to people they don’t root for.

Sometimes fans boo and say terrible things about the players they love. So, if Cloud is going to keep count of every social media post that proclaims Caitlin Clark as the savior of women’s hoops and every post that says Cailtin Clark sucks and Angel Reese is queen, she’s not going to be able to focus on her job on the court. 

Because there’s a waterfall of that going on now, and the WNBA has to figure out how to capitalize on it, as should Cloud. 

WNBA Coverage Will Never Be The Same As Popularity Grows

This is a new day for the WNBA. Women wanted men to be interested in their game, and that seems to be happening for whatever reason. Cloud nor any other women in the league can dictate how male audiences will show their support for the league. It’s not something she should be concerning herself with or using language that will turn off male viewers. 

There have been many comments made perceived as pro-player and anti-player, and Caitlin Clark isn’t the only target. 

Adding to the theory that Barkley’s comments specifically sparked Cloud’s critique, she reposted a response from a fan who called out TNT’s NBA analyst.

“I would just like men to say less,” the fan wrote. “Talk with your wallets, go to games, buy jerseys, purchase a team, anything but this.”

After eight seasons with the Washington Mystics, Cloud joined the Mercury this offseason. The 32-year-old veteran scored 14 points and dished 10 assists in an 83-80 victory over her former team on Thursday.

The Mercury are currently 3-2 and in a dogfight in the Western Conference with some strong teams.

NCAA Keeps Control Of The Money, Power Fives Continue to Eat | What Happens With Title IX and Small Schools In Wake Of $3B Deal?

When the NIL madness began and we saw the reported amounts of money some players in women’s and men’s college athletics were making by leveraging their brand and being allowed to deal one-on-one with corporate investors under a “soft” and often unenforceable guideline of rules, the game changed right in front of our eyes. 

For years, the NCAA was known as a predatory governing body that generated billions for itself, coaches and university treasure chests off the backs of student-athletes who had to follow a strict and confusing guideline of rules that had many walking a highwire act trying to remain eligible while risking life and limb on the field for this notion of an education that will lead to a lifetime of success.  

The introduction of the NIL changed all of that. The ruling was a proverbial F-u to the NCAA, a body that had controlled the chessboard and the safe in college athletics for so long. 

Players were free to actually capitalize off of their talents, unconfined by the rules that kept them financially broke while coaches, athletics directors and administrators lived in million-dollar mansions. 

Shouts to Ed O’Bannon and the original pioneers and warriors who battled for justice in court for years and years so athletes could bask in this moment. 

With NIL running rampant, legendary coaches stepping away from the game unenchanted with the new way of doing business and recruiting and the NCAA losing control, it was only a matter of time before they came up with a plan to regain that lost control and be able to have a say in where the money is going and how it is spent. 

The only way to achieve that was to totally go against the grain, destroy their holy grail of college culture and philosophy and start over, basically admitting that college sports at its highest levels is purely a business and the student athletes are commodities that need to be compensated for their contributions to the economic strength of the school and the sport itself. 

NCAA and Power Five Conferences Agree On $3B Settlement, Revenue Sharing Plan

The nearly $2.8 billion settlement that has been approved by the NCAA and the nation’s Power Five conferences is believed to be a historic step toward a more stable and professional model for a college sports landscape that is ever-evolving and generates billions in revenue. 

The plan calls for paying damages to thousands of former and current college athletes who claim that now-defunct NCAA rules prevented them from earning endorsement money. Players who have already filed legal claims against the NCAA are reportedly first in line. 

How Does The Settlement Work ? 

Under the settlement, $2.77 billion in damages will be paid over 10 years for approximately 14,000 claims dating to 2016. The original plaintiffs included former Arizona State swimmer Grant House and current TCU basketball player Sedona Prince.

So the first part is righting some wrongs with back pay for services rendered and mansions purchased. 

Student-Athletes Finally Getting Paid In A Real System 

With that handled, the NCAA can move onto its future meddlings with a clear conscience. 

The real bombshell within the deal is the creation of an inaugural revenue-sharing system for college athletes, which will impact hundreds of schools across the country as early as fall 2025.

The Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and SEC will be making the strongest investment, according to the AP,  because the settlement includes a proposed revenue-sharing system that will allow schools to commit up to $21 million per year to be paid directly to athletes. The overall commitment, including damages, is expected to be about $300 million per school, spread across the 69 universities over 10 years.

A total revamping of the NCAA rule book will probably take place. 

How Is Money Distributed?

Under this revolutionary deal, the NCAA will cover 41 percent of the $2.77 billion total, with the biggest Division I conferences (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern) accounting for 24 percent. Each of its schools will commit about $20 million per year for 10 years to be paid directly to athletes. 

The the other five major college football conferences (American Athletic, Mid-American, Conference USA, Mountain West ands Sun Belt) are on the tab for 10%.

According to reports, conferences that compete in the second tier of Division I football, the Championship Subdivision, would cover about 14 percent and the non-football D-I conferences would be on the hook for 12 percent.

Smaller Schools Get Shafted By New Revenue-Sharing Deal? 

Under this new system, money that would normally be distributed to 352 Division I schools will instead be withheld.

So while the rich get richer essentially and are now part of a huge revenue-sharing situation where the little guys get less support from the NCAA and have to scramble for peanuts, there are two major dilemmas that the NCAA will face sooner than later. 

About $1.6 billion of the money the NCAA is pledging (or recycling) will be from withheld distributions to member schools — money that would normally be sent to the schools by the NCAA, according to reports. 

Withheld distributions from the Power Five conferences are slated to cover 40 percent of that $1.6 billion. The other 27 Division I conferences, currently comprising 283 schools, will cover the other 60 percent.

While the Power Five schools get the most money from the NCAA and generate the most revenue on their own, this is a win-win for them. 

The conferences that do not play big-time football and the ones who rely on basketball as a driving revenue sport and recruiting tool are far more reliant on those NCAA bags to support much smaller budgets.

According to Sports Illustrated, one administrator administrator said that in some smaller Division I conferences, NCAA money account  for more than 50 percent of a school’s athletic revenue, whereas at most power conference schools the NCAA money is extra, accounting for less than 10 percent of athletic revenue. 

Non-Bowl Subdivision Conferences Get Screwed 

Leaders of the smaller conferences sent multiple memos to the NCAA to raise concerns, but like their pockets, their voices are too small to be heard when big boys are conducting business. 

In one letter, obtained by the AP on Monday, the non-Bowl Subdivision conferences said they support the need for a settlement.

“However, as commissioners of non-defendant Division I conferences, we do not support the current model proposed by the NCAA for allocating back damages, which unreasonably impacts our conferences,” the commissioners wrote. 

Smaller schools see this as the beginning of phasing out many of their athletic programs due to an inability to fund or a need to allocate funds elsewhere. 

How Does Title IX Affect This New Deal? 

According to a story in WSJ on NCAA revenue-sharing: “The settlement doesn’t lay out how schools should distribute this money to their athletes. It’s possible that the teams that generate the most revenue – football and men;s and women;s basketball – would receive the most. 

However, several legal experts have suggested that such a mode might violate Title IX, the federal statue (implemented in 1972) that calls for opportunities, scholarships and benefits to male and female athletes. 

While necessary, the mandatory allocations towards often less lucrative women’s teams have caused men’s programs to cut back on teams as well.

It’s always a domino effect and nothing is written in stone. Expect more lawsuits like the one Jadan Rashada just levied against Flrida state for reneging on a alleged $13.85 million NIL deal, which he claims they had no inventions of respecting, but cost him $9.5 million in a deal with Miami. 

Expect nobody to be totally happy but the people who are getting paid. The saga continues.

It’s Still A Travesty That Barry Bonds and Pete Rose Are Not In Baseball Hall of Fame: Pittsburgh Pirates Do Right By MLB Home Run King

The MLB’s all-time home run king, Barry Bonds, has destroyed the record books as it pertains to offensive productivity over his career. His 762 home runs are more than any other player in MLB history. Some choose to belittle his greatness because of PED accusations that tainted the end of his unprecedented career.

For a five-year period with San Francisco pitchers were so afraid to throw to Bonds that intentional walks were pretty much the norm and drew boos from the crowd — when his team was on the road!

Naturally, Bonds had been kept out of Cooperstown simply for being the best player associated with PED use.

Back in 2022, MLBbro.com documented an opinion piece on baseball’s attempts to not only blackball Bonds from the Hall of Fame, but every home run discussion going forward…

The legend, who won two MVPs with the Pittsburgh Pirates and five more with the San Francisco Giants, will sadly be defined by his allegations of steroid use that some use to tarnish the superstar status he attained with the San Francisco Giants. Baseball fans, analysts and some MLB players forget (or choose to ignore) that Barry Bonds was one of the influential superstars in Pittsburgh Pirates history!

Barry Bonds Will Be Inducted Into Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame

Despite Bonds’ inability to gain enough votes for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (75 percent within 10 years on the ballot), the Pittsburgh Pirates superstar will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame on August 24th.

The Pirates drafted Bonds with the sixth pick of the 1985 MLB Draft and the next seven years were filled with awards, stellar play and championship contention for Pittsburgh.

Barry Bonds Stats With Pittsburgh Pirates: 

A hitting slash of .275/.380/.503 that adds to the OPS+ advanced stat of 147. He’s the only player in franchise history with two MVP awards. He was named to two All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger awards, three Gold Gloves and is ranked 5th on the Pirates franchise list in homers with 176.

Bonds is the only player in franchise history to have at least 175 home runs and 200 stolen bases.

The Pittsburgh Pirates also won three straight NL East titles in Bonds’ final three years with an organization that has never been the same since he left. Let’s not forget his 1992 NL Championship series matchup with the Atlanta Braves. It was classic, even though his team came out on the losing end.

Pittsburgh Pirates HOF Induction Another Step In Redemption Road For Bonds 

It’s a start for Barry Bonds’ road to redemption and the Pirates get credit for looking at his accomplishments instead of past scandal.

“As an organization, we are proud to add three significant members to the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “Included in this year’s class is a two-time MVP award-winner in Barry, a two-time Manager-of-the-Year-winner in Jim and a two-time World Series champion with the Pirates in Manny. All three inductees are very deserving of this prestigious recognition. We look forward to celebrating their induction with our fans and sharing their stories with generations to come.”

Barry Bonds was very appreciative when he shared his feelings on the induction.

Bonds will be celebrated with former Pirates player, Manny Sanguillen and his old manager Jim Leyland, with whom Bonds shared had good and bad moments. 

Will Barry Bonds Ever Get Call To Cooperstown?

The PED era has soiled the illustrious careers of many of MLB’s all-time greats.

The hypocrisy has always been sickening as there are steroids users right now sitting in the Hall of Fame.

Managers and a commissioner in Bud Selig, who oversaw the era, turned the other cheek and then received Hall of Fame honors.

Guys who couldn’t shine Barry Bonds’ shoes are getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame. How ironic and wrong is it that MLB’s home run and hits kings (Pete Rose) are both excluded from the Hall of Fame?

Rose admitted to gambling on baseball decades ago and has also said he won’t stop enjoying a bet here and there. He was banned for life by now-deceased Major League Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in 1989. Debates continue to rage about whether or not Rose should get his day in Cooperstown for all of the great moments he brought the game, but commissioners since Giamatti refuse to go against his final wishes.

At least the city of Pittsburgh won’t act as if Bonds and his 762 home runs don’t exist and embrace his legacy in baseball history. 

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