After a tough loss and playoff elimination at the hands of the surprising Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks guard and notorious NBA character Pat Beverley seemed visibly upset while fielding questions during his postgame presser, which lead to an odd exchange between Beverley and a female reporter, ESPN producer Malinda Adams.
“Did you subscribe to my pod”?
Adams replied: No
Beverley said, “You can’t interview me then. No disrespect.”
As the reporter continued to try and interview Beverley, thrusting the microphone into his face, Beverly halted the interview and pushed her mic away, asking her to “get the mic out of my face, please.”
The reporter continued to put the mic in his face, closer to his mouth than any of the other microphones, and she was standing at an odd angle in comparison to everyone else. Beverly asked her to remove the microphone and stand in the circle with the other reporters, if she has not subscribed to his podcast. it should be noted he did say “mam” and “please” several times.
Of course, opportunists and media trolls tried to make it a situation where Beverley disrespected the reporter because she was a woman. It also sparked a wide range of reactions on social media, from people who never stepped in a locker room or dealt with a losing team after a frustrating loss.
One social media post read:
“Disturbing: That @patbev21 acting like a fool to this female journalist. he directly impeded her & attempted to intimidate her. Flat out wrong. More disturbing: all her male counterparts stood by, allowed this & did absolutely nothing. That is some weak ass crap. Cowards!”
The incident also has raised questions about the intersection of sports, media, and personal branding,
ESPN producer Malinda Adams was the person Beverley refused the interview with. To assume that he did it because she was a woman and to assume that other male reporters trying to do their jobs as well were supposed to “come to her defense” is a reach.
It might have been unusual and even unreasonable for Beverley to ask the reporter if she’s subscribed to his podcast or to change the position from which she was conducting her recording, but we don’t know the history of the two or why he personally felt she should have been checking out his podcast prior to interviewing him.
Journalism is not an exact science and reporting takes ingenuity, flexibility and a thick skin. That’s just how the game goes for men and women.
Gender discrimination accusations seem to be a go-to complaint anytime something doesn’t happen for a woman reporter the way she likes. I’ve seen male reporters get stepped on, attacked, even get into a near fight with players, so Adams shouldn’t feel that bad.
Sometimes, getting disrespected by a player or not getting the reaction you want is called learning the game and paying dues. And we know Bevs can be an a-hole when he wants to. It’s part of his character.
Prior to the exchange with the reporter, cameras showed Beverley sitting on the bench and tossing a ball into the stands and hitting a fan with about 2:30 left in Milwaukee’s 120-98 Game 6 loss at Indiana that knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs.
A different fan threw the ball back to Beverley, who was holding his arm out for it and the Bucks guard fired it back at that spectator. He really doesn’t discriminate when it comes to his levels of frustration and instigating negative results.
On the bright side, this incident also brings said reporter a nice amount of national attention. Whereas nobody knew her before the exchange with Beverley, now Adams’ profile has been elevated and the sympathy will undoubtedly bring her more career opportunities.
He also apologized after the public pressure and Adams was more than glad to let everyone know.
Players aren’t going to smile at you and be accommodating after every big loss.
It was unfair for Beverley to single her out like that, but at the same time, she won’t be the first or last reporter to get some feedback they didn’t want or expect from a basketball player. Especially after a huge playoff loss.
That’s just part of the game. Players don’t have to answer every question from every reporter and aren’t obligated to interact with them in a forthcoming manner cooperate with any reporters. Sometimes the chemistry just isn’t there.
Adams will shake this off and be just fine. She’s a longtime veteran of the game and understands how difficult it can be navigating as a reporter in high intensity and emotional atmospheres.
It’s never too late for social media to start some trouble and start playing detective. It’s the offseason, and people are thirsting for some NFL drama and seemed to have found it with a photo from 2023, where the wives and girlfriends of Philadelphia Eagles football players took a photo at a holiday gathering.
Led by Jason Kelce’s wife Kylie Kelce, kicker Jake Elliott’s wife Annie Elliott and linebacker Rick Lovato’s wife Jordan Britt Lovato, the wives and girlfriends of the Eagles players celebrated the holiday season with a festive Philly-themed party.
The party was at Lovatos’ home, where Jordan decorated the place in green and white balloons and Eagles-themed decor.
The ladies enjoyed festive food and florals, and lavish gifts with products for attendees from brands like Stoney Clover, MAC Cosmetics, LoveSac and Mejuri.
Kylie, 31, posted a photo of the women posing in their festive outfits at the party on Lovato’s stairwell.
At the time, the party flew under the radar, but after the picture resurfaced, social media went crazy and the conversation about Black athletes and white women was off to the races.
To be fair, there was one Black woman in the back and a few of the women appeared to be Hispanic. Some Xers, however, were more focused on the perceived level of beauty of the women, as much as the race. The response suggested that the players not only dated out of their race, but the women are not drop dead gorgeous.
Other Xers just went in with no bathing suit on, with one saying, “If it ain’t snowing, I ain’t going” — some Black guy, probably.
Another said: “Not a Black woman in sight.”
We must remember this was 2023 and WAGs tend to change quicker than the momentum of a play following a fumble. It’s safe to assume that there are Black girlfriends on the Eagles. Maybe they just didn’t get invited to the party. Which opens up an entirely new can of worms. Why weren’t the Black girlfriends invited?
According to X investigators, star QB Jalen Hurts is not in an interracial relationship. Star wide receiver Devonta Smith’s girlfriend and defensive end Brandon Graham’s wife are both Black women.
So maybe there were several holiday parties and that one was void of melanin. In any event, it also sparked very personal opinions from Black men when it comes to dating Black women and why these athletes seem to prefer to date white women.
Some white participants took the time out to use the photo as a teaching lesson about “Black racism,” related this conversation to Rick Ross and Kendrick Lamar referring to rapper Drake, who is mixed, as a “white boy.”
This one photo seemed to captivate the masses and spark a conversation about race and relationships that’s as old as this country. It also perpetuated the idea that Black athletes chase white women or vice versa, however you want to look at it.
The photo ran wild with very little context, and coming on the heels of the NFL draft where its was common to see the white girlfriend sitting next to the family of the Black player who is about to get the bag, the conversation on this subject continues to bring opinions and personal philosophies about interracial dating and marriage to the forefront.
When the Los Angeles Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George prior to the 2019-2020 season the belief was Tinseltown’s other team would finally overtake the Los Angeles Lakers.
That’s been anything but the case as the Clippers have only advanced to the Western Conference Finals once. While the Lakers have also experienced moderate success, they did win the NBA championship in the 2020 “NBA bubble.”
A huge reason as to why the Clippers haven’t been able to get over the hump has been the lack of availability from Leonard, their franchise player.
Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, once with the Spurs and once with the Raptors, just hasn’t been available when his team has needed him most in the postseason. That’s exactly the case right now with his team facing elimination following a 124-94 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff matchup. It was the franchise’s worst playoff loss, and one that came at the most inopportune time, with Leonard once again nowhere to be found.
Prior to the Game 5 beatdown, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, “We’re not sure when he’s coming back. It’s a day-to-day thing, and when he’s feeling good and medical says he’s clear to go, that’s what we’ll do.”
For years Lakers superstar Anthony Davis has been the brunt of jokes concerning his health and missing games. Davis even garnered the nickname “Street Clothes.” But in the past two seasons Davis has played 132 of a possible 164 games, including a career-high 76 games this season. Davis was available for all five of the Lakers’ playoff games, just as he was available for all 16 of their playoff games a season ago.
Can’t say the same for Leonard, who despite playing in a career-high 68 games this season, has been rendered useless in the playoffs (knee injury). It’s the third time in his five seasons with the Clippers that he’s been unavailable for his team in the postseason. While some of Leonard’s regular season absences are of the load management variety, he just hasn’t been there for coach Tyronn Lue and his teammates.
As of now the Kawhi Leonard/Paul George pairing can he considered a failure, and it’s highly plausible they flame out in six games to the Mavericks despite adding James Harden to this year’s squad.
What makes matters even worse is they traded away any draft capital for the future in getting Harden when they probably should’ve cut their losses and traded Leonard and/or George.
With Leonard scheduled to miss Friday’s do-or-die Game 6, it’ll be his 14th missed playoff game in five seasons in L.A. Despite Leonard’s lack of availability, in January the Clippers handed him a three-year, $152 million extension.
The extension coincides with the team moving into their spanking-new arena which is adjacent to SoFi Stadium home of the Rams and Chargers.
As of now, that deal looks bad with Leonard getting older and the injuries to his knees continuing to mount. Trading him is likely off the table now, given his injury history and the huge extension he just signed, meaning owner Steve Ballmer is likely stuck with the man formerly known as “The Klaw.”
Trading for Justin Fields, who still has a ton of potential as a passer — and was more a victim of the Chicago Bears’ order of operations and lack of weapons, rather than his inability — was considered a great backup plan for Mike Tomlin‘s Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially if Russell Wilson can’t regain his All-Pro form.
Fields isn’t known as a great passer, but the prevailing thought is that in another offensive scheme, his talents could be better featured, and he would be a more productive quarterback, outside of his exceptional running ability.
Well, you know how the NFL goes. If a Black man is a quarterback with great athleticism and hasn’t proved that he can consistently throw the ball, then put him at another position.
According to Steelers RB Jaylen Warren, a recent guest on a live episode of “Not Just Football with Cam,” now that the NFL has even further revamped its approach to kickoffs, the Steelers are contemplating putting Fields back to return kicks and punts.
Warren said he would personally be open to the possibility while also revealing some surprising inside information: “Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. We were like, ‘Hold up! Hold up!’ We looked at him like Justin Fields is about to be back there?”
Fields ran a 4.45 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine in 2021, and all you have to do is go to his tape of his three seasons with the Chicago Bears to see how dynamic he is as a runner, in the open field and in close quarters.
The Steelers need a quarterback who can throw for 4,000 yards and hit some big plays through the air, not a backup who could possibly get hurt returning kicks. It’s not a progressive thought at all. Here we are in an era where teams are hocking their entire existences for quarterbacks and blowing draft picks on quarterbacks who aren’t guaranteed to perform at the next level.
If Mike Tomlin’s coaching staff is discussing turning a former No. 1 overall pick into a punt returner, then he needs to hold a couple of focus groups to get everybody in line with what’s important. Special teams duty can’t be what the Steelers had in mind when they brought int he 25-year-old.
Hopefully, that was Warren just blowing smoke. If the special teams coordinator did say it, then let’s assume he was throwing ideas around because these guys get bored in the offseason.
In any event, I seriously doubt Justin Fields would agree to it. He surely has his sights set on becoming the starter in Pittsburgh and is just waiting for any slip by Wilson to reassume his status as a No. 1 guy in the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t help themselves. No matter what offensive weapons they are gifted with, the organization always seems to find a way to turn the clock back 30 years and thwart any forward progress as it pertains to having a wide-open offense.
Since the departure of Ben Rothlisberger, the Steelers have been looking for a No. 1 signal-caller. Kenny Pickett didn’t work nor did any of the stopgaps used as the Steelers struggled towards playoff contention with one of the NFL’s most anemic offenses.
Signing two starting quarterbacks in the offseason in future Hall of Famer Wilson and former No. 1 overall pick Fields, has the fan base very excited about the potential upswing in the passing game.
Wilson, who had a terrible couple of seasons with the Denver Broncos filled with a poor roster and daily drama, is expected to provide the veteran passing efficiency the team has lacked.
It will be hard for Fields to sit and watch after starting for three seasons and throwing for over 6600 yards with 40 TDs and 30 interceptions. He’s surely looking forward to building on those numbers with a new team. If it’s not already there, he needs to add a no-special-teams clause into his contract.
While Michael Porter Jr. continues to hit clutch shots and contribute to the Denver Nuggets’ quest for back-to-back championships, more of his brothers keep showing up in the police blotter and bringing shame to the family name.
Here this man is trying to make NBA history every evening, playing alongside playoff legends such as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but his basketball-playing brothers are out here wilding.
The latest Porter brother to stain the good name his brother is building is Jevon Porter, a Loyola Marymount forward who has been hit with a DWI charge in Missouri.
Jontay Porter
MPJ’s brother Jontay, a reserve for the Toronto Raptors, was banned for life from the league for gambling, and helping bettors win by disclosing confidential information to bettors and also limiting his participation in certain games.
Jontay was hit with a lifetime ban in the wake of an investigation. He allegedly told a person he knew was a serial bettor inside information based on his own game that could be used in the bet.
An $80,000 bet was placed on a Raptors game versus the Sacramento Kings in which Jontay came off after three minutes with an illness meaning it cashed in.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said this ….
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our game rules are being met with the most severe punishment.”
Coban Porter
Jontay’s heartbreaking punishment was revealed just a few days before 22-year-old Coban (who played basketball at the University of Denver) was sentenced to six years in prison in the Colorado Department of Corrections for fatally killing a woman while driving drunk.
A remorseful Coban told the court and the victim’s family that he’d never gotten behind the wheel drunk, and the one time he did, he killed a woman.
“It wasn’t an accident,” he told the court. “I chose to drink and chose to drive home. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I hope you know that.”
“Nothing I say is going to change anything I did – or make any of you feel better. All I can really say is that I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope whatever comes with sentencing — it brings you all a little peace.”
Just like MPJ and Jontay, Coban also played basketball, the 6-foot-5 guard last played for the Denver Pioneers in 2021-22 averaging nearly 12 points, four rebounds and nearly 42 percent shooting from the three-point line in his freshman and lone season with the program.
Michael appeared in court for his younger brother and stated:
“As the oldest brother in the family, I wish it was me and not Coban.
“I know if there is anyone who will make it right, it is you. I love you, and I believe in you.”
According to KRCG, Jevon Porter — who played forward at Pepperdine last season before transferring to Loyola Marymount last month — was pulled over for speeding in his hometown of Boone County, Missouri around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday. He was arrested and charged with DWI.
MPJ has been able to play through the family drama, averaging 22.8 points per game during a convincing 4-1 series win over LeBron James’ Lakers.
He says he’s been trying to “compartmentalize” the issues his family members have been dealing with.
Michael has four brothers in total: Jontay, Coban, Jevon, and Izaak.
All four have followed in his footsteps, with aspirations of playing in the NBA after blossoming in college. Izaak plays HS hoops for Father Tolton as a guard and is known for his versatility and skill on the court.
Porter also has three sisters in Bri, Cierra and Jayda.
Bri Porter
Bri is Michael and Jontay’s elder sister who played college basketball at the University of Missouri. She played for two seasons between 2014 and 2016
Cierra Porter
Michael’s elder sister was teammates with Bri at the University of Missouri, playing four seasons and winning the SEC All-Freshman honors in 2016. In 2019, she earned the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year award.
Jayda is the baby of the bunch and has the benefit of learning from everyone’s journey and mistakes. She’s currently studying at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri, in the class of 2026.
That’s a big family, all using basketball to springboard them to better lives. Unfortunately, everybody’s path may begin the same in life, but it’s hard to raise a family of seven kids and have them all come out perfect. However, you do have to ask what was in the water for the Porter’s these past few months because that family is dealing with a lot of trauma right now.
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Look at the mess former Colorado Buffaloes prospect Cormani McClain started when, instead of just transferring out of Colorado, he threw some shots at Coach Prime’s program, he said:
“I feel like I just don’t wanna play for clicks,” McClain said. “I actually want to be involved with a great leading program that’s going to develop players.”
McClain’s comments fueled the fire for the anti-Deion Sanders crowd to go in, but the former five-star cornerback’s complaints were countered by some criticism as it pertains to his work ethic and accountability. He was known for missing team meetings and struggling to follow the overall program.
These revelations softened the blow of McClain’s beef and labeled him more of a malcontent than a victim. The fact that schools haven’t moved in to scoop him up is also a red flag.
As more Colorado players transfer out and Deion continues to build his team through the portal and social media, another former Colorado player decided to throw some dirt on Deion on the way out of Boulder.
On Apr. 29, The Athletic’s Max Olson wrote a story catching up with some of the 53 players that were told to enter the transfer portal by Deion Sanders and Colorado before the 2023 season started, and some of the quotes found their way back to Boulder, causing starting QB Shedeur Sanders to respond on social media.
Xavier Smith, a former player said Deion “was destroying guys’ confidence” and the coach forced him to transfer schools because he couldn’t take it.
Of course, Shedeur and other players came to Prime’s defense by belittling Smith as a player and competitor. Coach Prime responded to criticism of his treatment of his former player on Wednesday via “X.” It wasn’t a direct response, but everybody got the message in light of the recent drama.
“Folks don’t hate u because they really don’t know u,” he tweeted. “They admire u in a Negative way. They realize they can’t be u, think like u, talk like u or walk in your shoes. That Bothers them.”
Sanders came under criticism Tuesday after Smith accused Sanders of being a negative figure who didn’t uplift his players as his image suggests. Shedeur Sanders shot back, labeling Smith as an unknown.
Kaleb Mathis, a wide receiver and rising sophomore for the Buffaloes, made sure to get a word in as well. He tweeted a video of himself beating Smith, a defensive back, in a one-on-one practice rep.
Both later removed the Tweets, but the message was clear.
Jaheim Ward, a fellow defensive back at Smith’s new school, Austin Peay State, shot back at Mathis for his new teammate, pointing out that Mathis managed just 38 receiving yards last season.
Buffaloes social media content creator Dalvin Truth got in on it by posting a screenshot of Ward’s meager stats in 2023 (eight solo tackles and four passes defensed) while imploring Ward to “take a seat.”
That’s where Deion Sanders entered the chat, quoting Truth’s post and saying “Lawd Jesus” to mock Ward’s performance.
The gloves were off at that point.
Of course, some social media folks were for Sanders, and some were against him. Same old situation. But Coach Prime had time for the BS.
When Deion took over he brought in more than 80 new players, so there’s always going to be change as he strives for success. When you have a 4-8 squad, nobody is really safe.
College athletics in general is one big cycle of disgruntled athletes hopping in the portal and sometimes saying disparaging things about their former school and coaches to deflect blame for their shortcomings.
Sometimes what they say is true, but it doesn’t mean everyone will share their perspective.
Rapper, community activist and football coach Uncle Luke chastised the players trying to criticize their former program.
Deion is always going to be in the spotlight, and its going to get hotter and hotter as the season nears. If you expect someone to respond you already know how he serves it up.
Once the season gets in full swing and Colorado, now a member of the new Big 12 is winning games, all of the offseason mess will be forgotten.
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Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey gave Knicks fans Reggie Miller flashbacks on Monday, saving Philadelphia from elimination with seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation and finishing with 46 points in the Sixers’ 112-106 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.
ESPN’s “Get Up” crew was raving about Maxey’s MSG massacre, and panelist Andraya Carter had some incredible praise for the guard, who has played in the shadow of league MVP and two-time scoring champion Joel Embiid.
While Maxey’s performance was epic, it was in an elimination Game 5, not a Game 7. It’s the first-round of the playoffs. We are yet to separate the pretenders from the contenders.
“Tyrese Maxey has to be in the conversation, for the future face of the league. Who have we been talking about Anthony Edwards? People have talked about Victor Wembanyama and Chet (Holmgren). … All of that is great. Tyrese Maxey has to be in the conversation.
Carter continued: “Fifty-point performances, people weren’t talking about him being the face of the league. This performance, what did he say afterwards? ‘Mandatory.’”
“This performance in the Garden, the way he put the team on his back in the fourth quarter especially, the way Embiid struggled, and the way Maxey stepped up, he has to be in the conversation for the rest of the league, period,” Carter continued.
Whoa. And it’s crazy that nobody checked her on that. Monica McNutt, the radio voice of the Knicks and Mike Greenberg, kind of co-signed her statement.
“You’re looking at a seventh seed, so while Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous Alexander finished at the top of the Western Conference, because of the injury to Embiid,” McNutt said, “(Maxey) answered any questions about what he could do if he had to take the lead role.”
Yes, Maxey is a rising superstar in the league and the kind of wingman to Joel Embiid that Philly needs to make a serious run. But Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, all come to mind as guys who would be in line for future face of the NBA before Maxey.
He’s a dynamic guard and Philly values him because they wouldn’t trade him for Damian Lillard. However, they also didn’t give him an extension, so he’s going to be a restricted free agent and they are going to have to pay him a huge bag now.
If anything , this game and Embiid’s plethora of injuries, from Bell’s palsy to migraine headaches, makes sure Maxey is looking at a max deal.
Face of the NBA though? He has some winning to do before he might ascend to that lofty level as a player and a candidate for such a multi-dimensional title to hold.
Carter is a rising star as an ESPN analyst and talking head. She’s currently the only analyst covering NBA, WNBA and NCAA women’s and men’s basketball .
She is extremely knowledgeable on the game and was an elite defender and capable scorer at Tennessee, one of the flagship programs in the history of women’s basketball.
In 2024, she achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman desk analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” for men’s basketball. She also was honored as the 2023 Dawn Staley Excellence in Broadcasting recipient and winning the 2022 University of Tennessee Alumni Promise Award.
She was also named to The Athletic’s “40 Under 40: Rising Stars in Women’s Basketball” and “40 Under 40 in College Sports” lists. In addition, she earned a 2023 Sports Emmy nomination in the Emerging On-Air Talent category.
Carter’s name exploded throughout the industry due to her incredible work alongside Elle Duncan and Chiney Ogwumike in the ESPN studio booth, covering the most watched Final Four in women’s hoops history and then the historic 2024 WNBA draft night, featuring Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and a host of other popular women’s basketball players.
Now that Carter has the mic, especially in the mornings, she has to come with a hot take every now and then, and she definitely capitalized on the prisoner of the moment energy. If Maxey shoots 5-for-18 in Game 6, will Carter’s assertion still apply?
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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who was the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft, and fellow draft mate Angel Reese who went No. 7 to the Chicago Sky will forever be linked.
That stems from their battles on the hardwood in college, facing off in back-to-back NCAA Tourneys, with each securing a victory against each other. Now they’re both set to embark on their professional journeys, and while both are very deserving of being where they are, the two franchises that drafted them handled their introductory press conferences completely different.
Clark was drafted to a place where basketball is life, as those in “NapTown” eat, sleep and breathe the game. They’re hungry for a winner and will do whatever it takes to have one. That was evident in how her introduction presser was handled.
As for Reese, she was drafted to a city in “ChiTown” that also loves the game, but her presser lacked all of the fanfare of Clark’s. And based on the effect both have had on women’s basketball; the Sky could’ve done better.
Clark’s presser looked like it was planned since the team knew it would have the No. 1 pick and Clark would be the choice.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes star was driven to the presser in a luxury vehicle where the team laid out the red carpet. That wasn’t all, as the Fever had plenty of fans in attendance to cheer on the new face of their franchise.
It was a party to welcome Clark, whose rise to stardom has been nothing short of meteoric.
Clark took it all in stride and looked at ease despite the amount of pressure she’s already under to perform. Speaking with reporters following her first training camp practices, a confident Clark said this about the difference between college and WNBA.
“It’s definitely different, but that’s what you expect when you start a new chapter in your life,” Clark said.
But the sharpshooter says she loves it and can’t wait until the season begins.
“It’s fast, fast shot clock, but I think all of you know that’s how I like to play. So I think it suits my game pretty well. It’s a fast pace, lot faster than college, and you’ve got to learn quicker because you’ve got to get your mind on Friday.”
One Twitter/X user said: “I’m disgusted with the press conference put on by @chicagosky for @Reese10Angel
That was unacceptable on so many levels for so many reasons!!
Chicago Sky should be embarrassed!!!!!! Angel Reese deserves better than that!”
While Clark was treated like basketball royalty by the Fever, the Sky didn’t do much of anything to welcome Reese to the Windy City. The “Bayou Barbie” as Reese was often referred to at LSU, seemingly had her presser held in what looked like a high school gym somewhere in Chicago. To make matters even worse, there were only about three or four media members in attendance to welcome her.
One has to wonder if teammate Kamilla Cardoso who was chosen No. 4 overall also has one to forget. While it’s highly plausible that she did, she isn’t Reese in the form of visibility and exposure to the game. C’mon, Sky, Reese and Clark both sold out of their jerseys just days following the WNBA draft. Teams are even moving games to bigger venues in anticipation of Clark and even Reese coming to play their teams.
For this alone Reese deserved better, and it’s a shame that the folks in Indianapolis got the memo but those in Chicago didn’t.
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What kind of message are the NBA and the L.A. Lakers sending if reports of the Lakers using a first-round pick in the 2024 draft to select Bronny James are true?
Bronny isn’t even on any draft boards.
The Lakers are reportedly contemplating making such a move to capitalize on the pomp and circumstance and avoid LeBron from opting out of his $51.4 ,illion payday in order to find a destination that can accommodate the father-son tandem. The first in NBA history.
James could hit the free agent market, which does give him a bit of leverage as the team enters the offseason after enduring a hard-fought 4-1 playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
Now that the season is out of the way, the Lakers front office has quite a task ahead, figuring out how they want to handle LeBron James going forward. Let’s be honest. As long as he’s there he has that franchise by the neck. He’s worth twice as much as the team owner and as he continues to break all-time records, owner Jeannie Buss is sure to want him to do it in a Lakers uniform. Especially if the team isn’t a true championship contender.
Currently, Bronny is weighing his options after he entered the transfer portal on the heels of a swarm of media criticism after a subpar performance at USC, in which he lost several months of the season due to his recovery from cardiac arrest.
No reputable ranking or draft publication had Bronny James getting drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft. When he hopped in the transfer portal there were rumors of him going to various schools with connections to either LeBron James or the family. Now the plan seems to be to get Bronny drafted, which is a bad look for the NBA, but they are willing to ignore it in order to please LeBron and also have a storyline for NBA media to run with.
When asked about Bronny, after the playoff elimination, Bron wasn’t ready to talk about that.
“I just want to get home to the family honestly,” James said on Monday. “One of my boys is deciding if he’s going to enter the draft or go back to school. I got another kid [Bryce James] that’s playing AAU ball right now and my daughter [Zhuri James] is playing volleyball — and my wife [Savannah James] is doing so many great things, so it’s about family right now.”
Bronny only has a month (May 29 is the withdrawal deadline set by the NCAA) to decide to remain in the draft or return for his sophomore season.
The 2024 NBA Draft is June 26-27.
The Athletic reported on Monday that the Lakers are “open to the prospect” of drafting Bronny, which would solve everything.
LeBron would return, get a hefty bag and be able to ball with his son.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Lakers will have the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft and could use it on Bronny.
James made six starts during the 2023-24 season and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, endured widespread and often vicious criticism and then hopped in the transfer portal.
“I’ve had a year with some ups and downs, but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete,” James wrote on Instagram. “I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility and will also be entering the NCAA transfer portal. Thank you to USC for an amazing freshman year, and as always thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”
From LeBron’s perspective, the perfect situation for Bronny would be to enter the league with his dad and learn from him for a couple of years, before exploring the next level on his own.
If anything, it’s a lesson that privilege can get you a lot of places, and when you are the son of LeBron James you will end up in the best situation possible.
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Can LeBron James Pull Off One More Historic Series Upset? (theshadowleague.com)
Gilbert Arenas has captivated the NBA podcast landscape with his array of outlandish, shocking and revealing takes.
The former NBA sharp-shooter-turned media personality recently was a guest on Vlad TV with DJ Vlad, a popular podcaster in his own right with a who’s who of guests from throughout the “culture.”
It was finally Gil’s turn to bloviate for hours with Vlad and, as expected, Arenas raised some eyebrows when he accused every player in the 1990s of taking steroids. Sports fans got a kick out of it.
But his take on how he approaches a first date was surely one that caught the attention of ladies and gentlemen.
Arenas’ opinions on relationships have been called a bit throwback “jockish” in the past. And he’s been criticized for revealing past stories about career groupies who are now trying to clean their lives up and be good baby mamas for some young, rich baller who has no clue of their past transgressions or relationships.
Even though Arenas is big-ballin’, having made almost $164 million during his NBA career and currently sitting with a reputed net worth of between $20 million to $25 million, Arenas says he doesn’t pay for dinner the first night out with a lady.
According to Gil, his life as an NBA player has taught him that he doesn’t have to go out of his way to impress women because he is actually the prize. In addition to not paying, he isn’t going to be pulling out your chair for you or dressing up either.
“I’m going to be the person they don’t want,” Arenas said. “To see who they are. Obviously, you’re looking at me like the meal ticket, right. So, If I’m the meal ticket, I don’t need to impress you. I broke through those pressures. … I’m rich for real. We got to a restaurant …I’m wearing sandals. The only person who’s going to tell me I can’t wear sandals is usually the establishment. And for the most part they know me, so they are going to let me in anyway.”
Arenas took it a step further explaining that he makes it very difficult for a woman to make it to a second date on purpose. He wants to establish the lowest of expectations from jump street.
“I’m gonna play by my rules,” Arenas said.
“I’m not going to sit here and do this pandering. Pandering gets you f-kd up later because you pretend to be something that you really not inside and then they are judging you off this perfect pretend guy. Now when you come back to being normal …”
He had a very interesting take on dating, especially coming from a 42-year-old man, indicating that he’s still very much in the dating game and using his wealth and celebrity to manipulate his relationships and the women who cross his paths.
It’s not that devious, I suppose, because he’s admitting that he does it, but it comes off as a bit cringy and disingenuous. Obnoxious even.
Arenas continued: “Let’s say you’re pretending to be a 10. You’re a guy that’s seven. You go out only twice a week. You have a nice little budget, you’re a cool guy. So you really a seven, but you’re pretending to be a 10.
“When you can’t keep that up and go down to being a seven, you’re a disgrace. If you start off at seven, you’re f-cking amazing.”
Maybe Arenas and Uncle Shay Shay should team up and just do a relationship and gossip show, where they can share their philosophies, opinions and strategies on dating as middle-aged ex pros still trying to play the field with the young boys.
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Caitlin Clark hasn’t played a game in the WNBA, but her first training camp is underway amidst a whirlwind of media hype, pressure and expectations.
College basketball’s all-time leading scorer has already been anointed the savior of women’s basketball and been credited with “transforming” the entire landscape as record viewers tuned in to see the one-woman-band from Iowa lay waste to the Super Teams of women’s college hoops.
This is where things get tricky. Corporate America and fringe sports fans are looking for a wave to ride and bit hard on the Caitlin Clark’s All-American girl brand. The media coverage has been excessive, and the hyperbole and predictions and projections are all over the place.
Despite Clark’s captivating story, it has taken a massive brand push fueled by social media, race-baiting drama, the NCAA Tournament, Nike and an eroding men’s college basketball product, to position her at the top of the marketing food chain for women athletes.
Who knows if a run like this can last for a sport that traditionally turns off male viewers (according to the numbers).
With Clark finally meeting her new team and getting all of the fanfare out of the way, she’s finding that there will definitely be an adjustment from college where she ran roughshod over teenagers to the WNBA, featuring grown women who play for high stakes every night.
“It’s definitely different, but that’s what you expect when you start a new chapter in your life,” Clark said about her first Indiana Fever practice. “It’s a fast, fast shot clock, but I think all of you know that’s how I like to play. So, I think it suits my game pretty well. It’s a fast pace, a lot faster than college, and you’ve got to learn quicker because you’ve got to get your mind on Friday.”
That’s the next level that some people who are still not sold on Clark want to see her conquer before they join in the coronation.
Clark is known for having excellent end-to-end speed, but the WNBA moves even faster. It will be interesting to see how her speed translates and how long it takes her to adjust to the pace.
She hit some of her patented long-range jumpers off the fast break, but you could tell Clark was gassed.
“It’s hard. I got a couple of work outs in so I’m not coming into these practices completely blind. It’s hard, but that’s what you expect from these practices,” Clark told reporters.
Clark will make her WNBA preseason debut on May 3 against the Dallas Wings. She will have another tune-up game May 10th against the Atlanta Dream.
Neither team is considered a WNBA contender. Both are at least top 7 out of the 12 WNBA teams according to current championship odds.
Then it gets real as the season starts against the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty, both title contenders.
The assumption that Clark would come into the WNBA and destroy the greatest players in the world right away, might be premature.
To say she has already transformed the game is enthusiastic exaggeration because despite reports of higher ticket sales and sold-out merchandise, we still have to see what the ratings will be like in Game 22, compared to the first week of the season when the media will be on steroids, riding the Caitlin Clark wave.
The WNBA still has 143 other players who will be going at her hard every night. She surely has the talent to make an immediate mark in this league, but crediting her with changing or influencing a league she hasn’t earned her keep in yet might be overdoing it a bit.
The attention will surely put a bull’s-eye on her back but her current teammates, even those who stand to lose shots, playing time and starting jobs because of her arrival, are rallying around her already. Shes the “Big Meal Ticket.”
The heightened attention and increased branding opportunities for certain players the league has garnered entering its 28th season is undeniable, but we don’t know how this new energy for women’s basketball will translate into increased revenue for the league.
When the Caitlin Clark media rush fades or dulls, as far as the fringe fan is concerned, will this moment have been enough to sustain the league and reach its goal of doubling overall revenue from $60 million to $120 million?
With all due respect, when you put all of the talk and opinions aside, Caitlin Clark hasn’t transformed anything yet. Right now, she’s focused on learning how the league works, getting up to speed and realizing just how challenging it’s going to be.
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New York Knicks fans were rolling deep in Philly and took over the Wells Fargo Center during Games 3 and 4 of the Sixers’ first-round series against the Knicks, especially during Sunday’s 97-92, thrilling New York victory.
“It tells you that Philly fans don’t believe in Embiid and don’t believe in the Sixers that the process failed,” Fox Sports radio legend Rob Parker told The Shadow League.
The mob scene spoke volumes. The franchise player for the Philadelphia 76ers wasn’t happy about it. The fruits of “The Process” and the bearer of all opinions that come with the way the franchise set itself up for these moments has been unable to get his team to the promised land.
With everything at stake for this season and the city of Philly’s MVP playing his heart out on one leg, the city couldn’t even show up for him.
They had Allen Iverson, Dawn Staley and Dr. J in the stands, but, according to reports, they were surrounded by Knicks fans who made the 2.5-hour trip from NYC to see their team go up 3-1 in the series.
The “MVP” chants for Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who dropped 47 points, were the loudest chants in the arena. That also didn’t sit well with The Big Cameroon.
“I Love our fans,” said Embiid, who had 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a Game 4 loss. “I think it’s unfortunate, and I’m not calling them out but it is disappointing. Kind of pisses me off especially because Philly is a consummate sports town, and they always show up. So I don’t think that should happen.”
While Embiid shows love for the fans, that’s a damning indictment on them as well. There’s no way that Philly can be in a home game against a division archrival in a playoff game and have 3,000-4,000 of the 19,000 fans be Knicks fans. It’s a direct reflection on the city’s attitude toward the franchise right now.
You would have to assume that the deep city pride in the franchise is not there.
I was in Philly over the weekend, and if you didn’t know that the team was playing at the Wells Fargo Center, there definitely wasn’t anything special in the atmosphere. No buzz around town, not even downtown, related to the Knicks and 76ers playoff clash.
As successful as Embiid has been personally, he’s never been able to stay consistently healthy enough to help the Sixers get to a conference final. They made the playoffs the last six seasons and lost in the conference semifinals five of those seasons. The other loss was a first-round elimination in the 2019-2020 season.
The Knicks haven’t won a basketball championship since 1970, so the over-the-top enthusiasm included putting Knicks jerseys on the Wilt Chamberlain statue outside of the arena, and rabid Knicks fans congregating inside the arena to rejoice in the victory, without as much as a fight put up from one pissed-off Philly fan.
Chants of “F-k Embiid” rained down and echoed throughout the arena.
A city known for its grit and protecting the brand seemed to lie down in defeat. The Knicks can wrap the series up back at MSG on Tuesday night. Maybe the Sixers can muster some pride and get the series back to Philly for Game 6 and give the fan base a chance to redeem itself.
Usually when a superstar makes a plea to the fans for support, even going as far as saying he’s disappointed in them, the fans respond. A proud fan base like the 76ers, who last saw championship glory in 1983 under the leadership of Dr. J and Moses Malone and enjoyed a wild ride by Allen Iverson in the late 90s, early 2000s that fell short but earned him a statue, will probably pack the place out in a Game 6.
First Embiid will have to get them back there by using that “pissed” persona to stave off elimination from a Knicks team and fan base who smell blood.
Anthony Edwards’ poster dunk over Kevin Durant in Game 4 of a first-round playoff sweep, will be remembered as a defining moment in NBA history. As the young Minnesota Timberwolves star continues to dazzle the NBA with his explosive play on both ends of the court, helping his squad advance to the next round.
When he blew past Bradley Beal and delivered a facial on KD, in the words of the announcer, it was “a signature slam.”
The young baller drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, led Minnesota to its first playoff series win in 20 years. Edwards finished 13 of 23 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range.
It was the one-handed power slam that he executed to give Minnesota a 115-111 lead with 2:14 left, that shook the NBA and was reminiscent of when Jordan hit Bird with the cross over, between the legs, razzle, dazzle with a jumper in ya’ face, in the ’86 playoffs. Jordan lost that series, but he scored 63 points in the game, going heads-up with a legend in his second year in the league.
Or when Allen Iverson crossed Jordan and we saw the changing of the guard in front of our own eyes. Acknowledging that Iverson shook the GOAT out of his Air Jordans doesn’t diminish the legacy of MJ. It was, however, everything for Iverson, who wanted to test his skills against the giants that he idolized coming up. That’s what the all-time greats do.
While Kevin Durant seems to be sleepwalking through the last years of his career, presumably with legacy already intact, the young gunners such as Anthony Edwards are coming for the crowns. While many superstars are sidelined with max contracts and broken bodies, the 22-year-old, who notices the void being left with LeBron’s eventual departure, has seized the moment all season and continues to do so in these 2024 playoffs.
From Game 1, Antman let it be known he wanted KD’s head.
Phoenix compiled another superteam alongside Durant, who joined All-NBA guard Devin Booker in Phoenix, after the experiment with Kyrie and James Harden in Brooklyn failed before it could even get started. Adding Bradley Beal was, in their own words, supposed to give the Suns an “unguardable” Big Three that would seriously contend for titles.
Despite Durant’s legendary status, $500 million net worth and numerous accolades, the questions surrounding his leadership and legacy still remain.
“It is incredibly sad that we have to have the kind of discussion that we’re having about Kevin Durant considering how great and phenomenal this dude is,” Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” on Monday morning. But it’s a byproduct of him continuously finding himself in situations where people are looking at him and saying, “he is not happy.”
“NBA executives say religiously, ‘the guy never seems happy.’”
Co-host Shannon Sharpe says it’s KD’s own fault and if he leaves the Suns after this recent embarrassing sweep, then the whispers about him bolting when the going gets too rough will continue to be a stain on his all-time standing.
If KD, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker breakup that’s also $149M of “Big Three” money down the drain.
“If Kevin Durant were to leave Phoenix,” Sharpe said. “People are gonna say Kevin Durant keeps running from the grind. Because everywhere he went with the exception of Golden State it was a grind. OKC was a grind because he was going to have to get over Golden State. You join Golden State, and it becomes smooth sailing. That’s 67 to 68 games you’re winning a season. You got to Brooklyn, it starts to become another grind because here comes Boston and here comes Milwaukee, that’s a grind. In Phoenix, you got these young guns [in the Western Conference] … you got OKC, you got Antman, you got the Nuggets [to get through].”
KD stumbling to the side, like a defeated fighter leaning on the ropes after an explosive blow to his head, heart and ego, in the aftermath of Edwards flying past Beal and sending everyone to meet their makers, was also a sight we will never forget.
Sure, he’s been dunked on before. Everybody has, and KD went heads up with LeBron James in some classic matchups while winning back-to-back titles with Golden State during the Splash Brothers era.
This was different. The Suns were down 3-0 in the series and you definitely expected them to be the team ready to leap through the roof to get the job done. Or at least shoot through it.
Anthony Edwards is showing and proving — and hungry — something that we definitely don’t see enough of anymore.
Sunday afternoon WNBA legend and three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker announced her retirement via Instagram.
The only player in league history to win the MVP as a rookie, won those three titles with three different franchises (Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas). She says her injured foot, which hampered her all of last season, just hasn’t healed enough for her to feel comfortable continuing her playing career. As she’s said, she’ll “never cheat the game.”
Having just turned 38, Parker who was once the face of the league will leave a legacy unrivaled by most.
Parker also has the unique distinction of being one of only 13 WNBA players to ever have a signature shoe, debuting her signature Adidas shoe in 2010-11. She’ll now continue to be an “NBA on TNT” analyst while watching 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark attempt to lead a league that Parker was once the face of. Clark herself signed a huge shoe deal with Nike last week. The record-setting deal is for eight years and $28 million which is a $3.5 million payout.
It’s also the largest deal ever for any WNBA player.
Clark joins the likes of Breanna Stewart (Puma), Sabrina Ionescu (Nike) and Elena Delle Donne (Nike) as the only players on current deals. Parker was one of the last players to receive a shoe deal when she did, which was years prior to the aforementioned four more recent deals.
As pertains to Clark, whose deal is record-setting in itself, not everyone believes the deal is good enough. Former shoe executive Sonny Vaccaro told TMZ Sports this about Clark’s deal.
“She should have gotten a piece of everything, just like Michael Jordan.”
“I’m saying to you, he said. “They messed up. They should have held on to the last drop.”
Vaccaro believes Clark should’ve gotten more than the $3.5 million annually, plus a portion of each Clark-branded item that Nike sells. In other words, Vaccaro is saying Nike should’ve treated Clark like they did Michael Jordan when he signed with the shoe giant in 1984, creating the “Air Jordan” brand.
Related: Sonny Vaccaro On How “Amateurism” Was Created To Restrict Athletes (theshadowleague.com)
Hearing Vaccaro mention Clark and Jordan in the same breath proves just how much star power the former Iowa sharpshooter already has. Because of that, Vaccaro’s statement about a Jordan-esque type deal is something that should’ve been discussed.
When you hear WNBA Cathy Englebert say she’s looking to double the league’s revenue from $60 million to $120 million in the very near future on the strength of Clark and some other newbies, it makes Vaccaro’s statement even more plausible.
Remember, none of that would be possible without the showstopper Clark, and Vaccaro, who has never been one to hold his tongue, sounds like he wanted Nike to compensate her even more handsomely for.
Jalen Brunson had the most points in a playoff game in New York Knicks history on Sunday. Bernard King had 46 twice in the ’84 playoffs and Patrick Ewing had 45 in a 1990 playoff game.
That kind of PLAYOFF dominance has been far and few between for the New York Knicks.
Let’s be honest. New York basketball has been lying dormant for years as fans suffered through the LeBron James and Stephen Curry era and even lost defectors who just couldn’t bear to be a part of the MSG massacre anymore.
Despite the struggles, the best fan base in basketball never gave up coming to a packed Madison Square Garden and rooting for teams that were nowhere near ready to bring championship glory to New York for the first time since 1973.
When Patrick Ewing was holding it down and leading the Knicks deep into the playoffs every year, only to be beaten by the Chicago Bulls, and then by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994, Knicks fans were ambitious, optimistic, even cocky about their team’s standing in the NBA.
Ewing is gone. Carmelo Anthony was a stopgap, but the playoff glory was minimal at best. Who knew that a 6-foot-2 guard from Villanova, who played in the shadow of Luka Doncic in Dallas, would return to the East and elevate the Knicks back to serious players in the conference.
Analysts, such as recently-retired WNBA star Candace Parker, said Brunson wasn’t a No. 1 option, so the Knicks can’t win a championship with him. Maybe she’s right. Historically, the NBA has been a big man’s game and now it’s a pure shooter’s game. Brunson is neither.
He is championship built, chiseled by the military-style training that his dad, Rick, a 10-year NBA veteran and current Knicks assistant coach, implored him to endure in order to reach this point.
Brunson may not be Luka Doncic, but he is No. 1 in the hearts of every Knicks fan, and his 47-point explosion on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers solidified Brunson as the personification of the city he plays for. It also gave the Knicks a 3-1 lead in the seven-game series.
After Brunson totally annihilated Joel Embiid and the Sixers in Philly, Knicks fans took to the streets in droves. There were so many orange and blue shirts in the streets of Philly that you might think you were on 34th street in Manhattan.
Knicks fans not only briefly took over Philly, but they also put a Knicks jersey over the Wilt Chamberlain statue in celebration.
The Knicks sit just one win away from advancing to a second-round playoff matchup for the second season in a row under Brunson.
The fans and franchise are now at a point where they can seriously start talking about adding the few necessary parts to make a real championship run in the next two to three years.
It all starts with Brunson, whose uncanny shot-making ability and relentless aggression is a perfect fit for a team built on hard-nosed defense and hustle offense. The lone offensive powerhouse is Brunson. Everyone else plays their roles to perfection.
Take it from a Knicks fan. The last five years prior to Brunson and his two other Villanova teammates Donte Divincenzo and Josh Hart arriving, the team was becoming a running joke, even in New York.
The franchise had never been at such a low point. Knicks fans were going to the Barclays to see Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving for a brief second. That situation, as much potential as it had, was manufactured and would never be respected by New York fans the way an authentically-constructed Knicks team is.
The love affair with Brooklyn was short-lived.
Now the boys from MSG are back on top. The town is invigorated, and Brunson should be credited as the guard who saved New York basketball. There’s a pulse again in the city and only one man is responsible for that. When it’s all said and done, Brunson might surpass Walt Clyde Frazier, Patrick Ewing and the like as the most important player in New York Knicks history and the guy who saved hoops in the city.
LeBron James entered this season, his 21st in the NBA, supposedly on the decline and in the twilight of his career.
The Lakers struggled all season to find a championship rhythm, but Bron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. L.A. sneaked into the playoffs via the play-in tournament and then quickly fell behind 3-0 against the defending world champion Denver Nuggets in the opening round.
Most people wrote LeBron and the Lakers off and assumed Nikola Jokic and Denver would close out the series with an embarrassing sweep.
Instead, King James stepped up to salvage the season.
James scored 30 points, Anthony Davis added 25 points and 23 rebounds, and the Lakers avoided postseason elimination with a 119-108 victory over Denver in Game 4 of their first-round series Saturday night.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves chipped in 21 points apiece for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who snapped their 11-game losing streak against Denver with their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022.
James finally cracked the code. Now the question is whether or not the Lakers have dug themselves a hole that is too deep for even the great LBJ.
If history is any indication, then LeBron has been here before. So if anyone knows this series lead isn’t totally insurmountable it’s James, who led the Cleveland Cavs to the only 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history, against 73-9 team, who set the record for most wins in an NBA season and appeared invincible.
That was almost a decade ago, but Bron is still going strong even if his team success isn’t as impactful as it once was.
More than anything, what that historic achievement proved was that you can’t count out LeBron James under any circumstances.
Nobody gave the Lakers a shot to beat The Splash Brothers in the prime of their NBA dominance, but Bron and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love proved to be as formidable a Big Three as their championship adversaries, orchestrating the most improbable comeback in NBA history. The fact that Draymond Green was suspended is merely a footnote at this point. Bring a championship to the Cleveland Cavs and fulfilling the promise he made as a child of Akron coming home, then leaving and then returning to complete the mission.
In the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game, James, who has made it very clear that he’s only sticking around to play with his son Bronny, looked like a legend ready to shock the world one last time.
The 39-year-old James scored 14 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-8 shooting, stunning the hoops world and opening the door for social media and sports talk show conversation about the possibility of another comeback.
After the Game 3 loss, Bron, who has never been swept out of a first-round of the playoffs, addressed the strengths of Denver’s team.
“This team is definitely well-equipped, well-prepared, well-coached, they do not have a weakness offensively,” LeBron said.
“Every guy they put on the floor, especially their starting lineup they’ve been one of the best starting fives in our league over the last few years— they got shotmakers, they have playmakers, guys who can rebound, assist, things of that nature.”
Even when his back is against the wall and his team seems clearly outclassed, Bron still has a knack for coming up big in those moments and also inspiring elevated play from the rest of his teammates.
Win or lose, Bron is always studying the competition and trying to find ways to exploit any weaknesses he might find. Even though, “it’s just basketball,” James does it as well as anybody and you can’t ever count him out.
As 2024 WNBA No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark, who is known for her long-range bombing at Iowa, prepares to embark on her professional career beginning next month, the question surrounding her as the greatest shooter in league history will surely arise.
Clark, the do-it-all back-to-back AP and Naismith Player of the Year, did some things shooting the basketball that we haven’t seen on the college level, like Clark making 548 threes in her career at Iowa at a 38 percent clip.
Not even the greatest shooter we’ve ever seen, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry — who made 414 in his collegiate career at a 41 percent clip — was able to do what Clark did during her illustrious career at Iowa.
Clark’s elite shotmaking in many ways does mirror that of Curry’s when you factor in that she gets open through constant movement, step-backs and just breaking down her defender off the off the dribble.
It’s a sight to behold, but has she done enough to be declared the greatest shooter in WNBA history without playing a single game?
To call Clark the greatest sniper in WNBA history is disrespectful to greats like Diana Taurasi who’s still going strong at the age of 41. The UConn Huskies legend has made the most threes in league history (1,360).
A career 37 percent shooter from deep, Taurasi right now would have to be considered the shooting GOAT until proven otherwise.
Speaking on ESPN during the women’s Final Four, Taurasi, who’s known to have a nasty streak, had this to say about Clark and the WNBA.
“Reality is coming. We all went through it. That happens on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look super-human playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to have come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
While it may sound like hate from Taurasi, it’s definitely reality for Clark who’s gonna be tested by the best women’s players in the world every time she steps on the court. She’ll have her work cut out for her, but with her dynamic skill set and floor game she’ll adjust and be one of the league’s top players and eventually its best shooter.
While Lady D leads the way, there are some other great shooters who as of now are ahead of Clark as well. Taurasi’s close friend and former UConn teammate Sue Bird is one of them. In her career Bird knocked down (1,001) triples at a 39 percent clip. That type of shooting was a huge reason she was able to play 19 seasons and helped guide the Seattle Storm to four WNBA championships.
Then there’s also Katie Smith, the sharpshooter who helped lead now Detroit Shock, who are now the Dallas Wings, to WNBA titles in 2006 and 2008, taking home Finals MVP in 2008. In her career Smith who was a known marksman at Ohio State, shooting 37 percent from three in her career and making (906), which only trails Taurasi and Bird on the all-time list.
Honorable Mention Snipers
A few other deep threats are Becky Hammon (829), Tina Thompson (748) and Katie Douglas (727). Coming into the league, Clark is arguably a better shooter than all three of them because of her natural ability to create her own offense and make others better at the same time.
You don’t lead the nation in scoring, assists and three-pointers made per game and just become easy to guard at the WNBA level.
When it’s all said and done Clark will own the WNBA shooting records, just like Steph Curry has done in the NBA.
The 2024 WNBA season is set to kick off its 28th season on Tuesday, May 28,
In what will be arguably be the league’s most highly-anticipated season since its inaugural season of 1997 — and with names like 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark taking center stage — here are five other players who’s importance to the league is vital.
Wilson is the unquestioned best player in the league, having led the Aces to back-to-back championships the past two seasons, becoming the first team to do so since the 2000 and 2001 Los Angeles Sparks who were led by Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie.
In many ways, Wilson’s dynamic skill set mirrors that of the great Leslie on both ends, with both winning multiple league and WNBA Finals MVPs.
While Leslie didn’t win DPOY, she was a force on that end herself. Wilson has won the past two DPOY awards.
Wilson’s enthusiasm and infectious smile are huge for the league, and she has a chance to lead the Aces to a three-peat, which would be the league’s first since the Houston Comets led by the legendary trio of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson won the first four titles (1997-2000). The Aces will be the betting favorite, and it’s because of the dynamic former South Carolina Gamecocks star.
Stewie, as she’s affectionately known is widely considered the closest in talent to Wilson, and she leads the only team that could likely upset the loaded Aces squad.
The two faced off in last season’s WNBA Finals, with the Aces winning in four games. It was the second time the two megastars faced each other in the Finals, with Stewart leading her former Seattle Storm team to a sweep of the Aces in the 2020 WNBA Bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Stewart’s skill set in similar to Wilson’s, the difference being Wilson’s strength around the rim versus Stewie’s sniper-like touch from the perimeter.
Playing in New York, where the Liberty is hungry for a title having played in numerous Finals in the early years of the league, Stewart was seen as one the brightest stars before her arrival only elevated her status. She is the reigning MVP.
Stewart and Wilson will look to lead Team USA to its eighth consecutive gold medal at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
It’s not every day you train with the late, great Kobe Bryant or face off against Steph Curry in the three-point contest at NBA All-Star Weekend, unless you’re Sabrina Ionescu.
The Liberty sharpshooter’s star power has been obvious since she starred at Oregon. Now teaming up with the aforementioned Stewart, she’s being asked to bring the title-deprived Big Apple a basketball championship, something they haven’t seen since the 1973 Knicks did so.
For that reason alone she’s important to the game, but playing in NYC only magnifies the pressure.
Ionescu recently spoke to USA Today about the growth of the women’s game.
Speaking from an unveiling of a basketball court in Los Angeles, SI had this to say:
“I’m excited to see how teams do and how attendance and viewership and records just continue to get broken for us.”
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year is now the teammate of one Caitlin Clark.
That alone should help boost the exposure and visibility in and around Boston. The 6-foot-5 post player with the smooth jumper shot a league-high (57.8 percent) from the field as a rookie while averaging a very solid 14.5 points and 8.4 reboundsper game.
Playing with Clark, who brings the perimeter punch that the Fever desperately need, will only elevate Boston’s play and effectiveness.
Seattle Storm star Jewel Loyd recently raved about Boston’s play.
“I got to know her through USA Basketball,” Lloyd said. “She’s phenomenal. Great person. Works really hard. Sky’s the limit for her. The more you put in the time and believe in who you are, I think that helps a lot. And she definitely has the two aspects.”
Since we’re not including Caitlin Clark because that’s obvious, it’s only right that we include Reese, whose social media following of (2.7 million) followers dwarfs just about any WNBA player overall on her platforms.
That type of following makes her important in this era of social media, where clicks, views and impressions mean everything.
Reese’s toughness, grit and style is also something that Chicago will embrace, further elevating her exposure and visibility.
“ChiTown Barbie.”
Roger Goodell is probably the most hated commissioner in all the major North American sports. We were once again reminded of that on 2024 NFL draft night.
Major League Baseball fans have their issues with Robert Manfred, but his $17.5M per year salary is at least tolerable because he doesn’t make more than 99 percent of the league.
Adam Silver oversees the most player-empowered league so nobody really hates him or blames him for anything going on because the perception is that LeBron James and other NBA superstars have considerable control.
According to reports, the annual value of Goodell’s bag surpasses $40 million. Goodell also reportedly made $63.9 million annually in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which far exceeds the players.
The product is as popular as ever because people are addicted to football. The 17-game season and playoffs is the perfect length and just the right dose to keep people interested and locked in.
However, Goodell has overseen a firestorm of racial and player vs. owner confrontations in the last decade, including the Colin Kaepernick fiasco, player protests and political division based on financial and cultural disparities within the league.
No matter what Roger Goodell does, he usually gets booed at the NFL draft. Fans want him to know they love the product, but hate the way he manages the league, sides with the owners and takes home a bag that seems excessive to most.
On Thursday night, one of the most famous people in Detroit history, Eminem, joined Goodell at the podium, and not even the multi-platinum iconic rapper could help gather Goodell cheers.
Em appeared with other Lions legends alongside Goodell for the NFL draft opening video.
Eminem: “You know you’re still getting booed right”
Goodell: “I’m not afraid.”
Em was right, despite coming out with Goodell, the NFL commissoner still got resoundingly booed by the Detroit crowd.
The commish tried to manage the boos by bringing host city Detroit’s living legends and Lions greats Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, and Aidan Hutchinson onto the stage.
Goodell’s presence is always a mood killer as the guy who runs the league but never seems to get it right when it comes to fan appreciation. His major talent is making money for the billionaire owners, not managing or connecting with people.
Booing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell At Draft Is Ritual
It’s become a draft night ritual to boo Goodell, who walked onstage alone to Eminem’s hit song “Not Afraid” and received his usual chorus of boos from the crowd
However, jeers quickly turned to jeers as the 51-year-old rapper appeared seconds later and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Eminem pounded on his chest as he said, ‘Make some noise for the Detroit Lions, let’s go!’
The pair was subsequently joined by Lions legends Megatron and Sanders onstage.
Current Lions stars Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson also shared the stage as Brown started encouraging the crowd to chant Goff’s name.
It should have been an historic and viral moment in Detroit sports history if Goodell didn’t incite the fans to rage.
A fan base that is living a dream these days and have high hopes for 2025.
The Lions franchise, previously one of the losingest, finished with their best record since 1991 last season as they went 12-5 and won the NFC North for the first time.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has been a godsend for the once star-deprived franchise.
The former five-star recruit who helped the Villanova Wildcats win NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018 made his first All-Star team this season and helped the Knicks land the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite missing fellow All-Star Julius Randle since January.
Brunson is a perfectionist of sorts who’s been trained his entire life by his dad and former 10-year pro Rick Brunson.
In fact, the elder Brunson is an assistant for the Knicks making the duo the only one of its kind in the league. The push Brunson got from his dad has made him the player we see today, one who has become the Knicks franchise player in his second season in the Big Apple.
When you light up MSG nightly you become a wanted man, and that’s what’s happening with the normally quiet and reserved Brunson.
Following Game 1 of the Knicks current first-round playoff series against the rival Philadelphia 76ers, Brunson made an appearance on the hit morning show “CBS This Morning.”
Joining former NFL player Nate Burleson for the “Talk of the Table” segment along with his mom and dad, Brunson got into the dynamic of how he’s become the player we see today.
His mother Sandra says at an early age Jalen had a desire to be in the family business, but she thought her husband’s disciplinary approach would make her son hate basketball.
Instead, it helped him develop a tough shell and even stronger mental fortitude.
Rick Brunson started asking Jalen what he wants to do for a living in the seventh grade and his mom tells CBS, Jalen was “relentless and meticulous.”
“Even when we didn’t go to games, he would pack his bag… a duffel…we are talking about a four year old packing a duffel and wearing like a little vest or blazer, and say ‘mom I’m going to my game.’ And it would just be down the hall.”
When asked what it was like being trained by his former professional baller dad, Brunson didn’t sugarcoat his answer.
”Trauma,” he jokingly replied.
“He made me work out in the summer sun with a weight vest on. He’d always ask me how much I really wanted it and that there was no handouts.”
Brunson said at times it angered him a bit because Rick had the keys to an air-conditioned gym but refused to let him get comfortable by working out in there. Says his dad made him grind and want it, and because of that he doesn’t feel pressure.
“When it comes to basketball, I don’t feel pressure at all.”
Coming into the playoffs, Brunson was on a tear, but he shot a combined 16-for-55 in the first two games of the series, both Knicks wins. The dynamic scoring guard bounced back in Game 3 with a 39-point effort on 13 of 27 shooting in a loss. As the longtime rivals prepare for a huge Game 4 on Sunday, Knicks brass have to be excited to see Brunson find his footing in Game 3.
Now they’ll have to figure out how to slow down reigning MVP Joel Embiid who bounced back from two subpar performances to score a playoff career-high 50 points in the Game 3 win.
