Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has been in the news quite a bit since he stepped in to lead the Bucks following the firing of first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, who had led the Bucks to a 30-13 record and second place in the Eastern Conference.
In Rivers’ ten games at the helm, the Bucks are 3-7 as they head into their first game post All-Star break tonight versus the Western Conference’s top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
While things in Milwaukee haven’t gone as planned thus far with Rivers at the controls, the one-time NBA champion coach is coming under fire for some comments made about his time as the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Rivers was called out this week by ESPN NBA analyst J.J. Redick, a former Clippers player, for throwing his teams and players under the bus, and not taking accountability for his team’s shortcomings.
In ESPN’s Tim MacMahon’s piece on who won the trade that sent Paul George from the OKC Thunder to the Clippers in return for rising Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rivers sounded as if he did all he could to avoid trading SGA because he knew he’d be special.
In the same breath he makes it seem as if Leonard ultimately made the decision on what the team should do to have him sign as a free agent in 2020.
“I even brought it up to Kawhi (Leonard): Are you sure?. I think Shai’s going to be an amazing player. It may take a year or two, but I think you’re underestimating how good Shai’s going to be.’
“I didn’t argue the decision or anything, but I just brought it up, I just thought, is there any way without putting Shai in it?”
“If you did everything whatever amount of year later, you would never do that deal. You just wouldn’t. But who had a crystal ball.”
With the Clippers underachieving during Doc’s time as head coach, and still having not reached their full potential even with Ty Lue now in the lead seat, Rivers is reflecting on what might have been if the Clips had decided to keep SGA.
It likely means they wouldn’t have landed Kawhi Leonard that offseason. It also means SGA would quite possibly be the Clips’ franchise player right now, not starring and leading a rising Thunder squad that seems poised to be in championship contention for a while.
Unless the Clippers win the title this trade looks like a loss for them with SGA blossoming into a superstar while averaging (31/6/7 per game) and a league-leading 39 games with at least 30 points this season.
Second-year wing Jalen Williams who was drafted with one of the five first-round picks received from the trade is growing with him. The former Santa Clara star is averaging 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 54 percent shooting and 45 percent shooting from the three-point line.
Add in 2022 No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, and you can see why the future is so bright in OKC. In fact, things haven’t been this bright since KD, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden popped on the scene beginning in 2007.
In his recent appearance on the “Stephen A. Smith Show,” Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said that he wishes that today’s NBA players were more appreciative of what Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did back in the day to save the league.
Charles Barkley makes some very good points about the state of the NBA. It’s just that sometimes his delivery is a bit blunt, hard to digest and politically incorrect for today’s information-consuming pallet.
As the generations pass and the social media age rewrites history, Barkley’s recent appearance on the Stephen A. Smith’s show inspired more colorful commentary from Chuck, who decided to give flowers to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird by disparaging Black athletes of that era with some stereotypical dribble.
Sir Charles says what any basketball fan with knowledge of the league’s history knows: that the players of today wouldn’t be making the millions that they are earning today if not for the iconic Bird-Magic rivalry.
“Those guys saved the NBA. The NBA was too black, a bunch of thugs, a bunch of druggies, and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird changed the whole thing. Every time I see Magic and Bird, I say thank you, man, because everybody thinks the NBA is always like where you come in; you’re going to make a lot of money. No, when I got in at ‘85, the average salary was $250,000. That’s 250 like I say I told you 3-4 years later, I can’t remember exactly when I saw the first guy make a million dollars,” Barkley said.
We also know that Magic and Bird’s rivalry was fueled by the explosion of televised games, featured games of the week, radio and print media and cable TV. It was one perfect combination of events and evolution that took basketball from the sidelines to the thick of the pro sports money action.
Barkley also believes that players these days are too focused on money, which is also a common theme among basketball purists and OGs. The explosion of salaries has definitely created a different outlook on the game, for players especially. With the high salaries and exposure and the revenue the superstar players generate for teams and the league, they have gained more power when it comes to negotiating with owners and having a voice with issues inside and external to the league.
This empowerment, in the eyes of some, has led to the current load management controversy, an increase in players negatively interacting on social media, the lack of defensive intensity and the perception that today’s players are primadonnas.
“These guys are so lucky and blessed, and they can’t play basketball 3-4 days a week. I wonder if some of these guys are born into money, but they’re not great players; let’s be realistic,” Chuckster added.
The year Barkley won MVP (1992-93) he was the 31st highest-paid player in the league, making $2.42 million, when adjusted for current inflation still only amounts to $5.27 million. The highest paid player in the league, San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson made $5.72 million. ($12.45 million).
“It’s changed,” Barkley said in reference to the bad public reviews for the recent NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where a combined 397 points were scored.
“These guys make so much money. They talk about the old days. Well, I’m from the old days. Getting a nice chunk from winning or losing a game meant something, because we were only making a couple million dollars.”
Twenty years later and Steph Curry’s 2024 salary is about $52 million as the NBA’s highest-paid player. Durant is second and he’s making $47.7 million in 2024.
Chuck has done well for himself. During his 16-year NBA career, Barkley earned a total of $40.3 million in salary. His peak money year was his final season with the Houston Rockets in 1999 when he was paid $9 million.
In addition to a multi-million-dollar salary for co-chairing TNT’s “Inside The NBA,” Barkley has earned tens of millions from endorsements with companies like Nike, FanDuel, T-Mobile, McDonald’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Right Guard.
He’s very much iconic in his own right. His points are true about the effect that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had on the NBA, solidifying it as the supreme basketball league in the world and a globally marketable product. Which led to the fairytale lifestyles that players now enjoy, even before they ink their first NBA deal.
He didn’t have to go in and use a vicious racial stereotype against Black people to do it. Barkley has a history of saying what he would call “hard truths” about the Black community, he also proclaims to love.
Barkley is far too articulate and smart to say that. Yes, the NBA was a microcosm of larger Hollywood life at the time and cocaine was a popular drug of choice, especially throughout the celebrity world of sports and entertainment.
But the majority of the league were not druggies. There were also some white players and white stars in the league in the ’70s, from Rick Barry to Dave Cowens. Fights were more amped up across all pro sports leagues back then. Sometimes video wasn’t even available, so policing behavior wasn’t as important.
Around that time, the ABA was just clearing the way for the NBA to be what Magic and Bird made it. They didn’t do it alone. Dr. J was a brand that elevated the league tremendously. The Bad Boy Pistons were a whole movement. All the small market teams still had a superstar. Then MJ came through and the NBA became a full blown corporate gold mine.
The history lesson is admirable, but the way he went about it was highly questionable. That’s what Chuck gets paid the big bucks for. It’s a great life. He gets to clown around, talk basketball, golf and also be a well-respected voice of Black America.
His track record suggests that he’s more critical than anything of Black people, despite his unapologetic Blackness as a son of the South. He won’t stop talking either, because he’s made a legendary career of it, and he always makes time to give the media a worthy soundbite.
This month alone he’s gotten into a verbal war with his old nemesis Kevin Durant, saying: “Kevin’s a follower. He’s not a leader.”
Then he went on CNN talk show “King Charles” with co-host Gayle King and interviewed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Barkley let the former South Carolina governor know that he wanted to vote for her but implored her to clarify her comments on the campaign trail last year that America has “never been a racist country.”
“I’m dying to vote for you,” Barkley told Haley. “I mean that sincerely. I want to give all my energy and all my heart behind your campaign, but I was upset when you made the reference that you didn’t think America had racism.”
So you never know what Barkley will say or do when it comes to the world of sports, entertainment, politics and race. Once you understand that you can’t take anything he says personally … respectfully … you can really see the game in all of it. He hasn’t stopped playing since Auburn.
With Patrick Mahomes’ latest Super Bowl win, the NFL GOAT quarterback conversation (in commercial realms) has been reduced to two quarterbacks: Tom Brady and Mahomes. Anyone who put in work prior to the 2000s is pretty much placed on the outside of the conversation by today’s young generation of sports fans.
Miami Dolphins icon Dan Marino, an old school candidate for that honor, was recently asked to give his Mt. Rushmore of quarterbacks, and the first guy in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season decided to respect the ’80s and ’90s originators with his choices.
To many that may be surprising, but it really shouldn’t be because Marino played in an era where you could really kill the quarterback and the defense had a much bigger advantage than now, where the rules have changed to benefit open offenses, quarterbacks and receivers.
So, while GOAT QB arguments make for great debate and can fill up a sports show, it’s all still so subjective.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Marino, who’s arguably the most gifted passer of the football ever, said this about his four choices.
“I gotta go back to the guys I played against, I always loved Joe Namath, I always loved Terry Bradshaw, but to me Joe Montana, and John Elway, Jim Kelly … Patrick Mahomes he’s gotta be considered one of the best to ever to ever, too, and you got Tom Brady, a lot of guys.”
If you notice Marino didn’t include himself, he sounds as if he’ll let everyone make that choice. He instead tells us to decide between Brady, Mahomes or someone else.
Either way, his list is his list, but in most folks court of public opinion there’s no way you can have a Mount Rushmore without Brady, who’s won seven Super Bowls and owns every QB record known to man. As for Mahomes, he’s only 28 with three Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs and two MVPs, accomplishing something no QB ever did before the age of 30. So, the choice wouldn’t be an easy one at all.
The rule changes that went from allowing you to beat the hell out of the quarterback previously to now not being able to breathe on them the last 20 years or so makes it a tad bit difficult to decipher who should make the legendary list. But, if we’re going off winning, talent and pure natural abilities it’s definitely Brady, Montana, Marino and now Mahomes.
While, Marino may not have the hardware the other three have, no one threw a better ball. Marino was also shortchanged by his team often, as during his 17-year NFL career the gunslinger only had one 1000-yard running back, which made it difficult to win in his era when teams ran the football 55-58 percent of the time.
Yet somehow his teams still went 147-95. That was all Marino and not much else down in South Beach.
The great Allen Iverson dropped plenty of jewels when he grabbed the mic for the latest episode of “The Big Podcast” with Shaquille O’Neal.
In addition to saying he would average 43 per night in today’s NBA, AI also kept it a buck about the players that gave him the business during his illustrious career, like Phoenix Suns All-Stars Kevin Johnson, Steve Nash and Stephon Marbury.
While Iverson credits Ja Morant for being a player in today’s NBA with a high-flying, stylistic game, The Answer’s favorite player is Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. A devastating scorer from Slovenia, who Iverson blessed with the greatest cultural praise that can be bestowed upon a white basketball player.
“What the hell is wrong with Luka?” asked Iverson. “I’m talking about his style like it’s kind of like streetball mixed … like mixed in with the streetball and then I don’t want nobody to take this the wrong way: He plays like a black guy. He got swag. … He’s so cool out there. Everything is just slow images, just major moves and a wet ball. I mean, he shoots the blood out of that thing. Man, Luka is …”
Luka wasted no time proving Iverson right. The multi-talented assassin had a 41/9/11 slash in a convincing 123-113 win over the Phoenix Suns. The win was the seventh in a row for the Mavs who moved to a season-high 10 games over .500.
Ironically, Iverson’s enthrallment with Luka is driven by a lack of understanding pertaining to Luka’s unprecedented package. He’s literally something Iverson has never seen before in all his years of balling hard against the best players in the world. Iverson had that same effect on the unfamiliar eye back when he was a one-man-wrecking crew in the nasty ’90s and wildin’ 2000s. Just in a different way, as far as how he was off the court.
Luka is one in a million because he is not only one of the most lethal players in the league and has been since entering as the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He’s already won Rookie of the Year, he’s been an All-Star every year from 2020 to 2024 and he’s already been an All-NBA First Team selection. Let’s not forget the deep run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
There haven’t been many white superstars NBA players with game and swag since Larry Bird won two NBA Finals MVPs and three consecutive MVPs from 84-86, making him the only forward in league history to achieve that honor.
Not since Bird, has a white player garnered so much respect from the Black hoops community. Steve Nash won two MVPs, but he was never better than Kobe or LeBron. Dirk Nowitzki was the European GOAT in Dallas and brought the franchise its only title, defeating the Dynasty Miami Heat’s Big Three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh).
He has an MVP and is a Hall of Famer. Nikola Jokic is a superstar, but his style of play doesn’t resonate with the OGs who love the fundamentals but with some flair to it. And he doesn’t embrace the BS like Luka. Or want to be “that guy” in America beyond the court.
Jason “White Chocolate” Williams is the swaggiest, and his entire game looked like it was honed on the project courts of Brooklyn, but he was never considered a superstar of the league. More like a novelty.
Luka has the entire bag. His coach, Jason Kidd, a Hall of Famer in his own right, straight up said Luka is better than Dirk already and should be put in the “atmosphere with Michael Jordan, Kobe Brant and LeBron James” despite not having advanced to an NBA Finals yet.
So it’s not like Iverson is just embellishing Luka’s standing in the game. Luka seems to get everybody excited. He’s not just setting records, creating an exciting atmosphere in Dallas and putting it down for all of the Euro-ballers, but he does it while receiving the greatest compliment known to white ball players in America.
“He plays like a Black guy.”
If anybody would know how the game should look culturally it’s Iverson who was a face of the league with a chokehold on the culture during a transformative time in the NBA.
Last year’s women’s college basketball championship series between the LSU Lady Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes created a new rivalry for college basketball casuals: Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark.
Reese’s Tigers came out on top, but Caitlin Clark was and still is in the limelight this season, and she’s driving the narrative. Clark has already broken an NCAA scoring record, and with the Hawkeyes’ record at 23-3, better than LSU’s current 22-4, the two teams might see each other again in the postseason.
However, the media has kept what felt like an on-court rivalry between Reese and Clark alive and well, even though they have kept their competitiveness on the court. When Clark broke Kelsey Plum’s record as the all-time NCAA women’s scoring leader, Reese applauded her accomplishment publicly.
“Congratulations @CaitlinClark22, KEEP BREAKING RECORDS AND MAKING HER-STORY!” Reese tweeted in all caps with hearts and fire emojis.
The post proves that Reese respects and admires Clark, far from the “you can’t see me” hand gesture Reese did to Clark last year during the defeat of the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 to win their first-ever national championship.
The two athletes made history together on April 2, 2023, and the game is now also the highest-scoring championship game in women’s NCAA history.
However, when basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes gave her opinion on Clark’s chase to become the collegiate women’s all-time scoring leader, it created a potential new wedge in popular opinion between Reese and Clark.
“If Kelsey Plum set that record in four years, well, Caitlin should’ve broke that record in four years,” Swoopes said on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast before Clark broke the record. “But because there’s a COVID year, and then there’s another year, you know what I mean? So she’s already had an extra year to break that record. So, is it truly a broken record? I don’t know. I don’t think so. But yeah, that’ll go in the record books. And, I don’t think it should be.”
After Clark broke the record, Swoopes admitted a mistake in her statement. Clark is in her fourth year, not fifth, and beat the record with the same amount of time as Plum.
“A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to (Reese) and had a really good conversation with Angel over the phone and sent a message to Caitlin,” Swoopes said during Sunday’s Baylor-Texas Tech broadcast. “She responded. She and I went back and forth. I won’t share what she said, I’ll leave that to her if she wants to share. But I will say what I said to her was, ‘I made a mistake in saying it was your fifth year when it is your fourth.’
“I have nothing but respect for what she has done for the game. If she wants to share what her response was and how that conversation went, I’ll leave that to her. But it was a really good conversation.”
Still, the Iowa faithful let it be known that they heard Swoopes loud and clear and that she was now worthy of a disparaging catchphrase, “Don’t Be A Sheryl.” During the team’s 111-93 Penn State defeat, Hawkeyes fans proudly wore T-shirts with the phrase.
Midwest White Women Come Up With A New Term To Disparage Swoopes
To be clear, the fact that Midwestern white women are the driver of this phrase is rife with its own cultural problems that feel outside the lines of basketball, specifically an attempt at creating ‘Black Karen’ vibes around Swoopes’ name.
For the inaccuracy in her statement about Clark, this might not be too far off the mark but in this case, the messengers matter more than the message, especially after an admission of a mistake by Swoopes.
Reese caught wind of the “Karen-ization” of Swoopes’ opinion and replied on social media wearing a T-shirt of her own: “Be A Sheryl,” in a picture with Swoopes captioned:
“The Past & The Present I love you @airswoopes22,” with a crown emoji. This is after Swoopes also said that she doesn’t think Reese will come into the WNBA and dominate immediately on the same “Gil’s Arena” podcast.
Caitlin Clark has kept it quiet on Swoopes, focusing on having a blockbuster year and chasing a title to cap off her incredible college career.
While the two faces of collegiate women’s basketball today focus on the same mission, the great divide exaggerated by Sheryl Swoopes’ opinions, Angel Reese’s support, and Caitlin Clark’s defensive fan base will place these two in a new-age version of Magic and Bird; whether real or manufactured.
Usher’s Super Bowl performance with Alicia Keys created quite a firestorm on social media. As part of the NFL’s winning week, the two music stars put on a show for the ages, ensuring that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift weren’t the only duet that broke the internet.
Usher and Keys were so convincing that their embrace during the Super Bowl 2024 Halftime Show sent social media into a frenzy, with some viewers questioning how tight Usher clutched Keys, who has been married to music producer Swizz Beats since 2010.
It seemed to trigger men the most, as certain celebrities insisted that they would put hands on Usher if that was their “wife” up on the stage. These particular guys displayed an irrational and ignorant understanding of what performing is.
Everyone had an opinion, but as of Wednesday, we had not heard from Usher, who was probably honeymooning with his new wife and thought the entire hubbub was ridiculous — but also revenue-generating.
Appearing on “The Breakfast Club,” Usher said that he and Swizz Beatz laughed about the reaction.
“It’s crazy how people think,” he said. “It’s all about how you present things, man, it’s all about love.”
Usher described his interaction with Keys as “literally about having fun because of a song me and Alicia made many years ago and we celebrate it because of the legacy of it”.
To also help calm down all of the emotions flying around, Usher added that there was “no disrespect” intended toward anyone.
Swizz Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, already addressed the fallout from the Super Bowl performance, striking back at social media troublemakers:
“Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!!” he wrote on Instagram. “Y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium. Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants!”.
With the scandalous dust settled, Usher appeared via Zoom and was able to reflect on what his performance really meant. He shared his thoughts with Charlamagne, DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious.
“Most watched Super Bowl of all-time,” Usher said in amazement of the event that drew a record 123 million viewers. “More people watched that than Apollo 11 Landing, man. So I’m like blown away. Since 1969, there’s not been a greater viewing than what happened on Super Bowl Sunday.”
“It’s a 30-year plus celebration for me and it was hard as hell to put all of those 30 years into 15 minutes, and I wanted to introduce people to the culture of the past,” said Usher, who in addition to Keys, brought out a “Who’s Who” of Atlanta’s hip-hop history, including Lil Jon, Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri.
Making the whole fabricated social media drama even more embarrassing for the people who actually chose to comment on that part of the performance is the fact that Usher got married to his longtime fiancée, Jennifer “Jenn” Goicoechea, immediately after the show, in a laidback but intimate true Vegas-style ceremony.
“To put an incredible ending on this chapter of Las Vegas. I proposed to her last year, and she’s been wearing that ring, and I didn’t want to be that guy. We talked about the best time to do it. … Let’s go get officiated by an Elvis impersonator and make it fun. With all the pressures that come with getting married … you’re spending hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars on this moment that’s really about the union of two people and the love of our family. I was happy to have her family there and mine and we did it without the pressure.”
The only pressure, Usher says, was getting into his suit in time for the wedding.
Just days ahead of the Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas, the singer and Goicoechea obtained a marriage license in Clark County, Nevada.
Usher Raymond IV and the record executive from Miami, first sparked dating rumors when they were photographed together at producer Keith Thomas’ 40th birthday party in June 2019. Goicoechea was born to an Italian mother and a Puerto Rican father and grew up in Miami.
By 2020 they were welcoming their first child together, daughter Sovereign Bo, followed by their son, Sire Castrello, in 2021. Usher also shares two sons, Usher V and Naviyd Ely, with his ex-wife, Tameka Foster.
Former NFL running back Adrian Peterson enjoyed an illustrious NFL career which saw him rush for 14,918 yards (fifth all time) and 120 career rushing touchdowns (fourth all time). He also rushed for an NFL single-game record 296 yards in his rookie season of 2007.
The former Oklahoma Sooners star, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007), Offensive Player of the Year and MVP (2012), was also named an All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl seven times.
With accolades like that you know the dynamic back who put fear in many defenses and was nicknamed “Purple lJesus” was raking in the money
In fact, Peterson earned over $103 million in his NFL career, not bad for a guy from the small town of Palestine, Texas.
That brings us to the question as to why AP or AD (All Day), as he’s affectionately known, would be selling his memorabilia. The first thought is he was broke and needed some cash, but, per Peterson, that’s not the case at all.
After rumors quickly spread of some of Peterson’s most prized items being sold and auctioned off, the three-time NFL rushing leader and two-time rushing touchdowns leader was quick to kill the noise of him being broke.
In a video obtained by TMZ Peterson was adamant that he’s not in need of money and that things were being done without his approval.
“I want I clarify recent rumors and media reports. An estate sale company without my authorization included some of my trophies in a sale, despite clear instructions to leave personal items untouched.”
“I did not authorize the sale of my trophies and am taking legal action. Trusting the company without my supervision was my mistake. We allowed them to go into several of our storage units with clear instructions. They clearly did something unlawful.
“I want to emphasize that I am financially stable and would never sell off my hard-earned trophies or sports personal items.”
Peterson says his intent is to sue the estate sale company. His rep Denise White also told TMZ Sports that Peterson actually hired the company to get rid of the things he didn’t want located in a storage unit. White says they knew not to get rid of things that were most precious to the former star running back.
Per reports in 2019, Peterson had defaulted on a $5.2M loan, and a judge ruled that he pay $2.4M to one creditor and $600K to another in the matter.
At the time Peterson’s attorney mentioned that Peterson had trusted the wrong people in business deals, and it wasn’t the first time he’d done so.
Some believe that’s why he continued to play at the age of 35, even though his career was pretty much over. For a player to have made that type of money and still be suiting up at that age in a backup role does make it look as if he needed the paper.
He says he didn’t then and doesn’t now. Only AP truly knows. Things like this won’t help his public image as it relates to his financial situation.
Steph Curry’s brand is still booming after 15 seasons in the NBA. He has the No. 1 selling second-highest selling jersey entering 2024 and his battle of the sexes three-point shootout against WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu at All-Star Weekend has heightened his visibility and popularity even more.
Before Curry’s arrival, Golden State was far from one of the NBA’s premier clubs. The rise of the NBA’s greatest shooter brought four NBA titles to Dub Nation, elevating the franchise to a destination place and the center of the basketball world.
Often overlooked, when discussing Steph’s transcendent effect on the NBA and the Warriors franchise, is how much money Steph’s brand has brought the Warriors.
Because of the 6-foot-3 guard who changed the way NBA hoops is played, the Warriors franchise has surpassed even the most popular NFL franchises in value.
While the Warriors are struggling to compete with the elite NBA teams and find themselves in 10th place as they head into the season’s second half kickoff against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, the franchise itself is still bringing in championship money.
According to a report from Sportico: The Business of Sports, Golden State has the second highest value of any sports franchise.
Since Steph Curry’s Rookie Season Golden State Warriors Value Increased From $315M to $8.2B
When Curry entered the league in 2009 out of Davidson, Golden State was worth $315 million. Fast-forward to 2024, and the franchise is valued at $8.2 billion. Joe Lacob and his other co-owners owe that astronomical increase to Steph Curry and the consistent excellence that the Warriors have exhibited since the birth of the Splash Brothers.
One fan said on X: “Steph should get four billion.”
Sounds like hyperbole, but if Curry got paid exactly what he was truly worth to the NBA, the Warriors and the state of California, it would probably be in that ballpark.
Something as simple as being one of the shareholders would probably do the trick because those folks got rich beyond belief on Curry’s watch.
Curry’s salary will inflate to $59.6 million for a single season in 2025-2026 and that’s still a bargain considering how his charisma and iconic place in the game has definitely helped maintain basketball’s popularity as other superstars like LeBron James get closer to the end and aren’t as well-liked by fans.
Curry is showing no signs of slowing down at age 35, as he’s averaging 28.0 points per game and shooting over 42 percent from three-point land. People often want to debate who the face of the NBA is, but the answer has been a no-brainer for some time.
Curry has played on the same team his entire career, so his effect on the franchise financially and as far as popularity, notoriety and respect goes, is clear to see. Just follow the exploding numbers.
He didn’t change locations or go play with another franchise. Kevin Durant came to Curry to become a champion, but KD will never be half as beloved by the fans. LeBron James is the household name in the NBA, but his machine can’t hide that his popularity among young fans doesn’t resonate like Curry’s.
That’s what a brand is all about. Consistency, accountability, diplomacy and friend to the public. Curry’s insane brand value influence is also a sad reminder of how Black athletes continue to generate millions for themselves while filling the pockets of wealthy white owners with billions.
With Jordan selling the Charlotte Hornets, there are once again, no majority Black owners in all of the major pro sports, despite the unfathomable amount of money these players generate, they are unable to secure any ownership in the leagues that have built.
Former NBA player Matt Barnes enjoyed a solid 15-year NBA career playing for various teams, even winning an NBA championship as a member of the Steph Curry and Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors in 2017.
While Barnes enjoyed success on the hardwood, he was far from a choirboy. In fact, the heavily-tatted hooper racked up over $600K in fines during his career.
A player like Barnes is needed on every team, but even in retirement the former UCLA Bruins standout hasn’t learned when to tone things down. In his latest dustup Barnes went viral for berating a play-by-play game announcer at his twins sons’ high basketball game. The video from the incident has since gone viral, and on Tuesday Barnes was canned from his broadcasting gig.
The seemingly confrontational Barnes was dropped from his gig with NBC Sports California as a studio analyst for the Sacramento Kings following his reportedly threatening to slap Harvard-Westlake student Jake Lancer, who was the opposing school’s game announcer.
He also put his hands on Lancer and reportedly berated the referees and engaged in aggressive banter with other students and spectators.
In a recent interview on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” Barnes explained his side of the story, saying he was upset about a technical foul on one his twin sons.
“I was yelling at the refs, Dan. I’ve yelled at the refs my entire college career, my 15-year NBA career. I coach AAU in the summertime. I have high school boys, and I have a 5-year-old coming down the pipeline, so I’m going to be doing a lot of yelling at the refs.
“This particular incident — I will say my mistake was putting my hand on Lancer’s shoulder. A lot of people want to say I grabbed this kid or I did this — I literally put my hand on this kid’s shoulder because it was almost like I was talking to my son. … So he and I had a little back and forth, and obviously … for touching him, I was wrong. But I just didn’t like the disrespect that came with the entitlement where they felt like they could say anything to me.”
While Barnes may be right, he also knows in this era of social media and ultra sensitivity, everything is going to be blown out of proportion. That may be the case here, but Barnes can never lose his cool to the point that he physically touches someone. He’s supposed to be setting the example as the former NBA champion. Not acting a fool like a dad who never played the game before.
The strangest part of this story is Barnes’ twin sons are being coached by former five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher, who’s married to Barnes’ ex Gloria Govan.
Prior to this now cordial relationship between Barnes and Fisher — who were once teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers — the two ballers engaged in fisticuffs upon Barnes finding about Fisher’s and Govan’s relationship.
Barnes reportedly, once drove 95 miles at night to confront Fisher about the relationship with Govern.
Even with cooler heads in that situation now prevailed, Barnes is still letting his well-known bad boy image get the best of him.
In April of 2023, he settled a lawsuit in which he was accused of spitting at his fiancée Anasa Sims’ ex-boyfriend, David Patterson Jr.
Patterson is a former defensive tackle from Ohio State. He spent a season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 and some time in the Canadian Football League before retiring due to an injury. He and Sims were married for seven years but have been divorced since 2017.
The two men got into an altercation back in January of 2022 during the Cowboys-49ers game at Levi Stadium. The verbal altercation ended with Barnes spitting on Patterson before bystanders intervened to separate the two men.
Don’t feel sorry for Barnes. He made over $35 million in the league and is one-half of the very popular “All The Smoke” podcast with former NBA player Stephen Jackson. So he won’t miss too many meals.
Rumors have swirled about whether or not the Chicago Bears will trade quarterback Justin Fields and draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 in the 2024 NFL draft. This has been the talk for months now and it seems to be wearing on Fields, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021.
The Atlanta Falcons have been mentioned as a possible trade destination for Fields, who unfollowed the Bears on social media and then followed a few of the key Falcons offensive players, like Kyle Pitts, that he would be working with if he was traded to Atlanta on draft night.
On Wednesday, Fields addressed the speculation while speaking with the “33rd Team” podcast hosts the St. Brown brothers.
During the interview, Fields gave his honest feedback about all of the rumors, why he unfollowed his team and says he just wants this situation to be over.
“I just want it to be over,” Fields said. “Let me know if I am being traded. Let me know if I am staying.”
Fields told the St. Brown brothers that if he had a choice he would want to stay in Chicago and finish the job.
“Yeah, of course I want to stay. I can’t see myself playing in another place.. If it was up to me I would want to stay in Chicago.”
There’s still two more months until the draft, and all of the talk is clearly having a negative effect on Fields, who may want to stay in Chicago but definitely can’t feel secure considering the uncertainty involving his situation.
He’s clearly not a priority for the team outside of being a trade piece. Based on Fields’ statement, the front office and ownership have not given him a vote of approval. They also haven’t said publicly that they are committed to trading Fields, and he’s done with the back and forth.
“It’s something I don’t want to see on my timeline,” Fields said in explaining why he unfollowed the Bears. “I’m about to go on vacation. I don’t want to hear no football.”
“Every Bears post it’s either, keep Fields or we want Caleb. I’m, just tired of it.”
If the Chicago Bears don’t trade Fields, it will be almost impossible for him to trust the organization that told him he was the future then tried to dump him three years later, having never put any elite weapons around him so that he could reach his full potential.
Even if Chicago brings in a new quarterback next season — another rookie — there’s no guarantee that Williams will perform that much better than Fields with the team as currently constructed.
It really depends on how much GM Ryan Poles and the front office covets Williams, who has been called everything from the next Patrick Mahomes to the next “bust.”
As far as the Bears are concerned and the manner in which they are handling this situation, there’s a reason why some franchises seem to win and have the respect of their players, while others are always scrambling to catch up.
The top franchises hit rough spots, but because of the belief in a winning system and a progressive culture, hard times are often short lived.
When it comes to quarterback play, the Chicago Bears, who haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1985, have had some of the worst in league history. In fact, when a franchise has never produced a 4,000-yard passer, not sure that anyone can trust the front office to make the right move when it comes to a signal-caller.
In 2023, Fields ranked 22nd in passing yards (2,562), 20th in TD passes (16) with nine picks and a QBR rating of 46.1, good for 23rd in the league. So he ranked in the bottom half of quarterbacks offensively, although he did show flashes.
We can all agree that the Bears’ offensive identity is still very much a work in progress and putting any doubt in Fields’ head is a suicide move if they plan on keeping him. Going to a team like Atlanta, that has weapons all over the offense, is probably best for Fields. A major upgrade, if his ego can deal with it.
The easiest thing for an inept front office to do is blame the talent it drafted when things don’t work out. The draft rumors circulating around Fields’ future with the Bears has been one of the hottest “football-related” topics this offseason.
While the talk is exciting for the fan base, it’s disrespectful to Fields, who needs to prepare to be a starter somewhere next season. Clearly the Chicago Bears are burning both ends of the candle while they decide what they want to do with that No. 1 pick. Which is probably just based on which team is willing to allow Chicago to fleece them.
Fields, who has shown some improvement each season since being drafted and basically thrown to the wolves, isn’t happy about being left in limbo regarding his future.
Who can blame him?
Pro Football Hall of Famer turned media personality Shannon Sharpe has been in the news quite a bit lately.
From his short-lived spat with comedian Mike Epps (which was resolved via a face-to-face sit-down) during NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, to his latest back-and-forth verbal jabbing with former Bad Boy rapper Mase who’s now one-half of the hit “It Is What It Is” podcast with fellow Dipset rapper Cam’ron.
It’s safe to say Unc Shay Shay has had his fair share of tit-for-tat, and with ESPN extending his contract beyond football season and through the NBA Finals expect to see him stir up debates with controversial takes.
In fact, that’s what he did on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take,” when he insinuated that the face of the NBA needs to be in a stable relationship or, better yet, married.
During his take Sharpe asked:
“What about relationship status? Magic Johnson and Larry Bird was married. LeBron was in a relationship with Savannah. How do we look at it? Because when we look at presidential candidates, we look at candidates, we want them to be secure. We want them to be foundational pieces.”
His take drew the ire of fans all over social media, and even caused a stir on the set from co-host Stephen A. Smith and NBA analyst J.J. Redick.
Smith, looking at Redick, reacted, “I’m not gonna lie, I don’t know what the hell you’re asking.”
Show host and moderator Molly Qerim chimed in and did her best to help Shannon’s take prove to be valid.
“I know what you’re saying, like the ‘First Lady of Basketball,’” she said. “They would say Steph Curry and Ayesha Curry, we know them. The example, the role models. I get what you’re saying.”
Of course, Molly would get it, as she’s all for the women empowerment movement, which isn’t a bad thing, but Shannon is way out in left field with this odd take.
In his time as an NBA analyst for ESPN, Redick, the former Duke sharpshooter has never been afraid to speak his mind and he let his thoughts fly in response to Sharpe’s comments.
Redick a career 41.5 percent shooter from deep, who finished his career 20th all-time with 1950 career threes, has challenged everyone from the aforementioned Smith to Kendrick Perkins and many others.
Redick questioned whether Sharpe’s podcasts — where conversation at times goes off the rails — played a role in his take, because in his opinion one’s relationship status doesn’t play a role in being the face of the league.
With LeBron James on his way out sooner than later, the next face of the league could be anyone.
There are plenty of young candidates who are currently accumulating accolades and acclaim that could propel them to “face of the league” status.
It doesn’t happen overnight. Even with billion-dollar hype machines behind them, “face of the league” is a title that has to be earned on the courts and in the hearts of the fans. And contrary to what Shannon Sharpe thinks, marriage is not one of the criteria. The past GOATS happened to be married, but times are changing and after all, none of these guys are running for president. Besides, we don’t require that of WNBA players, so why move the goal posts for NBA guys?
Rapper Gloria Hallelujah Woods aka Glorilla is a member of the CMG (Collective Money Group) under rapper Yo Gotti.
The 24-year-old Memphis emcee’s fast rise to prominence came in 2022 when she released the song titled F.N.F. (Let’s Go) which was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
That rise has afforded Glorilla the opportunity to be at events such as this past weekend’s NBA All-Star extravaganza which took place in Indianapolis. Glorilla was able to meet other NBA stars not named Ja Morant, since she and her team usually frequents Memphis Grizzlies games at Fed Ex Forum.
In fact, one particular hooper seemed to really catch the attention of the female emcee, and of course she let us know about it.
Following Sunday’s 74th NBA All-Star Game won by the West 211-186, game MVP Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks was photographed with the steadily rising rapper, who wasted no time expressing her intentions with the eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection.
In a tweet posted to her account with the photo of the two, the caption read ….
“Who n—a dis is? Cause I want him”
“Whoever she is can’t whoop me so I really deaf.”
Is Glorilla telling whomever Dame is romantically linked to move chick get out the way?
Sure sounds like that, and she even threatened fisticuffs with her tweet.
In October, exactly one week prior to being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after spending 12 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard filed for divorce from his wife Kay’la.
The superstar who goes by the rap name of Dame D.O.L.L.A cited irreconcilable differences as to why he filed for divorce. The two began dating when Dame was a star at Weber State and tied the knot in 2021 only to have it end two years later.
So as of now he’s separated and soon to be divorced, meaning it’s highly unlikely Glorilla would need to beat up anyone unless Dame has a new love interest that we don’t know about.
While the two probably wouldn’t have much in common, rap is something they both do, and Dame is easily the best emcee of any of the current NBA players.
But Dame’s main concern should be on how to right the ship in Milwaukee, which is now 3-7 with Doc Rivers as the team’s head coach, followed the firing of Adrian Griffin who was (30-13) in his first season at the helm.
The NFL is still raking in on the Taylor Swift Bowl, which brought in record ratings and revenue for the most popular sporting event in America. According to Nielsen, an estimated record 123.7 million viewers tuned in to CBS’ Feb. 11 broadcast.
Patrick Mahomes Jr. is coming off a third Super Bowl MVP, and his wife is doing Sports Illustrated spreads, but both are flying under the radar since The Big Game.
Meanwhile, the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce PR train is rolling along into the offseason.
Taylor raced from her tour in Tokyo to the Super Bowl to be there with her man, Travis Kelce, as he hoisted his third Super Bowl trophy. Now the legendary pop artist, who has a net worth of about $1 billion has turned her head back to the bread and continues her international tour.
In fact, the couple, who have been inseparable this NFL season, wasn’t together on their first Valentine’s Day. Taylor was singing her hits in Melbourne for the Eras Tour, while Travis was in Kansas City ducking bullets at the Super Bowl parade.
According to reports, Kelce did go all out on the Valentine’s Day gifts, dropping a bag on luxury items for Swift.
An anonymous source “close to the couple” revealed the alleged presents Travis gave Taylor to The Sun, which included an arrangement of 250 Venus et Fleur roses that cost $2,199.
That was just the first gift and Swift probably would have been cool with that considering how affectionate she is with him publicly and how eager she is to support him at the job.
Reportedly, six hours later, Travis had another delivery of the flowers sent in hot pink, along with a rose sculpture from Perigold that cost $3,090.
We know Swift likes hats and berets, so Kelce apparently got Taylor a beret from Dior, which run $3400.
Kelce clearly put a lot of thought into these gifts, and we haven’t even gotten to the most luxurious ones.
The tight end topped off Swift’s Valentine’s Day abroad by sending her a Hermes scarf (probably the top-of-the-line, Cashmere and silk shawl worth about $1000), a Celine straw hat, probably the Chanel brand Straw CC Fedora Hat ($1,000) and a $5,100 Bottega Veneta purse.
He’s reportedly planning to join Taylor for the upcoming European leg of her Eras Tour— and there may be more gifts to come as the new celebrity power couple rendevous in between tour stops in Paris and Milan.
A source recently told People that the pair “are making plans for the summer and are excited to travel together in Europe when Taylor takes her tour there.”
Kelce says his relationship with Swift is “special.”
There are rumors that he might even be the inspiration and theme of her next album. Can the NFL keep this going into next season? They sure hope so.
Travis Kelce is taking advantage of his newfound fame, and as the years rack up in his football career he is starting to think about his future as well.
According to NBC Sports, multiple top filmmakers, including “White Locus” producer David Bernad, flew to Kansas City to talk to Kelce about a reality show that he hopes to produce and to appear in.
Kelce already serves as executive producer for the upcoming film “My Dead Friend Zoe.” He also produced the Jean-Michel Basquiat documentary dubbed “King Pleasure,” released last March. So now he has the pop star woman and he’s venturing into diverse content with his Hollywood productions.
The Taylor Swift Bowl will forever be the turning point for Kelce. When a popular football player began his ascension to mutimedia icon.
Russell Wilson has looked like the quintessential example of a great father since his marriage to pop singer Ciara in July 2016. Why? She already came with a bundle of joy in 9-year-old Future Zahir Wilburn (real name), the son she shares with her ex, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, aka the rapper Future.
From the outset, before the couple had their three children, Sienna Princess (6), Win Harrison (3), and the most recent edition, Amora Princess, born in December 2023, Wilson has been an outstanding stepfather to Future Zahir. Now, that love is circling back negatively for something Wilson didn’t even do.
During the NBA All-Star break, the NBA Instagram account put up a story showing Wilson and young Future wearing matching Kobe Bryant All-Star jerseys with the captions:
“Russell Wilson and his son rockin’ Kobe All-Star jerseys” and “Those throwback jerseys are tough,” with a flame emoji. However, another Atlanta rapper, Young Scooter, quickly jumped in and corrected a crucial piece of the narrative with one comment: “That’s not his son.”
In the following post, the NBA corrected itself by calling him Russell Wilson’s stepson.
Scooter is an artist under Future’s Freebandz record company and is close to the superstar trap rapper. They are so close, in fact, that for Scooter’s 36th birthday, Future Sr. gifted his protégé with $200,000 in cash to blow lavishly in a high-end retail store. Guess, Future means it when the chorus of one of his hit songs proclaims that he “f**k up some commas.”
Additionally, there is a video of young Future on the NBA All-Star game hardwood receiving a shooting lesson from Steph Curry himself. Wilson’s caption caught some off guard as well:
“Best Shooting Coach in the world. Believe It! Believe It! @stephencurry30 Grateful! #ProudDad”
This led to some social media users leaning in and giving Wilson his proper respect for providing an opportunity for young Future to have a teachable basketball moment from a currently active transcendent basketball star.
Since Young Future has been treated like a birth son by Russell Wilson, many commented that he has treated the young boy better than his rapping father has, and, semantics aside, Russell Wilson has the right to call himself Young Future’s “dad,” minus the “step.”
Then others wanted to ensure accuracy as Future’s role as the birth father cannot be trumped by the perks that come to children who live with the famous athlete.
Future and Ciara have been transparent and toxic when discussing their co-parenting relationship. During an interview with The Shade Room, when the singer was asked, “What is co-parenting like for you guys?” Ciara’s 15-second laughing response, which feels like an hour in social media attention, answered the question.
Future has also been vocal with tweets about his issues with child support, claiming to pay $15,000 monthly.
“This b***h got control problems…” Future said in a since-deleted tweet in 2016. “I gotta go through lawyers to see babyfuture…the f–kery for 15k a month. I jus want babyfuture that’s all,” Future tweeted in January 2016.
Ciara denied the $15k claim.
In February 2016, Ciara filed a $15 million lawsuit against the rapper, and by May 2016, a judge denied Ciara’s request for full custody, awarding Future joint custody of their son. The legal battles continued, with Ciara filing a $500K defamation suit based on Future’s posts about the situation, which she claims cost her a lucrative deal.
Last July, Future’s verse on Quavo’s “Turn Yo Clic Up,” left no doubt on where he stands regarding Russell Wilson:
“Big dawg status, bill hopper/ I ball in his mall for my brothers/ Goyard bag, tote the Corduroy/ I got it out the field, f**k Russell.”
The reality is that parents disagree, and children are spared the realities of adults. If rapper Future takes care of his child and provides love and attention to the best of his ability, that is what the job requires. Russell Wilson’s relationship with the child and the closeness the two are experiencing are also beautiful things.
The NBA made a mistake with the mislabeling, and Wilson’s view of the relationship is that he is a #ProudDad, and it shows. Future Zahir is the winner because he has three famous parents who all seem to care for his well-being and give him the best life possible.
The way the world decides to interpret it is irrelevant.
The Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-point shootout was probably the highlight of NBA All-Star Weekend. During the competition, which Ionescu lost 29-26 in the NBA’s attempt at their version of Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King, the always-entertaining Kenny Smith drew the wrath of X users and other media pundits when they apparently misunderstood one of his comments.
The WNBA 3-point line distance is closer to the basket than the NBA. The WNBA 3-point line is 22 feet and 1.75 inches (6.75 meters) from the center of the basket, whereas the NBA 3-point line is 23 feet and 9 inches (7.24 meters) at its farthest point.
Both shooters let it fly from the same distance. The only variable was that Ionescu was able to use a WNBA ball. It was an entertaining match, but it was clear that Curry was more comfortable shooting from the deepest part of the court.
After the contest, Smith angered some uptight basketball fans when he said Ionescu should have shot from the women’s 3-point line to make the competition more evenly matched.
“I think she should’ve shot from the women’s line, that would have been a fair contest, I still root for Sabrina, she should have shot from 3-point line that women shoot from,” Smith said.
“There’s a women’s tee in golf, and there’s a men’s tee for a reason,” he added.
But Smith’s reasoning indicated he didn’t intend to be chauvinistic or insulting or demeaning towards women athletes, as some took it. The tremendous pushback he got from another broadcasting character, former NBA great Reggie Miller, is what created the best TV drama of the evening and got more people riled up.
On Monday, Smith appeared on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” to defend himself by claiming people misunderstood what he was trying to say.
Smith says he was advocating for Ionescu, pointing out that Curry had an unfair advantage in that he practices shooting from a farther distance. Ionescu had to shoot from the NBA three-point line.
“I think it’s much ado about nothing, honestly,” Kenny Smith said. “Most people who know basketball understood what I was talking about. Actually, I was advocating for her, more than anything else, because basketball is muscle memory. So he practices from one range, she practices from another.”
“There’s even a study … the guy who throws darts. And if you move him out even one step, his accuracy changes dramatically. So I’m like, ‘Why is (Curry) getting the advantage, to shoot at his line? That’s an advantage. It’s not gender, it’s not genetics.”
Smith came under fire from all directions when he made his statement and the general public jumped to the conclusion that he was trying to disparage Ionescu — and women athletes in general — in some way.
Even if most listeners understood that Kenny was not trying to diss Ionescu in any way, it’s understandable that some could take it as a slight. And he had to know that his statement would at the most cause a controversy and ruffle a few feathers and at the least demand a further explanation.
Smith gave that explanation, but he wasn’t remorseful or regretful in any way. Plus, we know Smith is a full-fledged entertainer and NBA hoops legend as a media personality. He’s one cog in the legendary “Inside The NBA ” on TNT crew, and everyone knows that discretion is not usually their strong suit. Comedy is always in play, and brutal honesty is what has made the show a staple.
Everyone knows Ionescu can shoot the pill. Smith also has a point as far as muscle memory and distance is concerned. Maybe if she had three to four months to consistently shoot her three from NBA range, then she would have fared even better. It’s not like Curry blew her out.
He had to hit some clutch baskets on his last rack to edge Ionescu, who handled the increased distance in stride.
The confrontational podcast banter between rapper Mase and sports personality Shannon Sharpe has gotten more explosive by the day.
It started when Mase poked fun at Sharpe over his feud with actor and comedian Mike Epps. While that feud was quashed over a sit-down meeting by the two during All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, the podcast quarrel between Mase and Sharpe seems to be just getting started.
Things picked up after Sharpe referred to Mase as a “gangster pastor” following his jokes about Sharpe’s situation with Epps. Never one to hold his tongue, Mase the former Bad Boy rapper, sent out a warning to Sharpe, who recently topped Complex magazine’s list for most influential sports personalities.
During the most recent episode of his hit “It Is What It Is” podcast with fellow rapper Cam’ron, the “Horse and Carriage” rapper sounded off on Sharpe.
In telling Sharpe he’s not “one to play with,” Mase took it back to his Harlem MC roots with his response to the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
“Your boy chose to target me about the sets and the working out, and all that, he called me a fake pastor and all that,” Mase said with a laugh. “I don’t wanna say his name… When we were talking about the dips and the sets and all of that, and Mike Epps.”
An instigating Cam then asked Mase if Shannon said something to him. With Mase reiterating that Sharpe indeed did with his “fake pastor” remarks.
Mase then switched things to how Sharpe always wants to act tough when he’s dealing with someone Black, but when former colleague Skip Bayless (who’s Caucasian) and he got into it, he simmered down really quick.
Mase made mention of that in his response.
“You wanted to be tough with Mike Epps and you settled quicker than Diddy and Cassie,” he said. “You want to be aggressive with me, right? Listen, you showed poise, respect, wherewithal, resolve, compassion, reverence for Skip Bayless, why are you so aggressive anytime somebody Black say something? The man said, ‘Put your glasses on! And you put your glasses back on! Don’t play with me, put your glasses back on, Shannon.”
While saying all this Mase did reiterate he doesn’t want to see their feud continue to escalate. Unfortunately, it may be a little too late for that, but the silver lining could be how quickly Sharpe and Epps ended their feud.
Regardless, these kinds of verbal confrontations are great for the podcast culture, which is quickly becoming the go-to place for daily drama between celebrities who are seeking the excitement and popularity they once had when they were getting attention because of their talent and not the kind of back-and-forth, hair salon banter and scripted shock content that they rely on now.
You definitely can’t knock the hustle though. Both Sharpe and Mase have found impactful niches in a social media world that is as flooded as the rap game and pro sports game. They both managed to cut through the muck and make it to the top of their respective crafts. Now they have created an entirely new sub-culture of podcast fans and are on the cutting edge of the way celebrity content will be delivered.
Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons has never been afraid to voice his opinion. The two-time runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his three seasons has also been quick to defend his quarterback Dak Prescott when negativity is spoken about him.
With ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, that’s become a daily occurrence, and with both Parsons and Smith in Indianapolis for NBA All-Star Weekend, the two had a discussion about that very thing.
During an appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Parsons, who’s been quick to stand up for Prescott and other teammates, let Smith know that he didn’t appreciate the shots taken at his QB.
He called how Smith talks about Prescott “unfair” and didn’t change his tone at any moment during the interview.
He didn’t almost cry tears in front of reporters like Terrell Owens did when defending Tony Romo’s equally ineffective playoff record. Parsons was more militant in his tone.
Parsons told Smith that Prescott still led the league with 36 touchdown passes despite the Cowboys floundering out in the wild card round, subsequently becoming the first No. 2 seed to lose to a No. 7 in the new playoff format.
“Besides Patrick Mahomes what other quarterback in the AFC has accomplished anything to get more credit than Dak?”
Of course, Smith had a quick rebuttal, claiming that Bills quarterback Josh Allen led his team a round deeper before losing to the aforementioned Mahomes and the Chiefs. But that didn’t stop Parsons from calling out all other QBs besides Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl winner.
“It doesn’t matter how far you get, if you’re going home and you don’t have a ring, it doesn’t matter,” Parsons said.
“If you are not the Super Bowl champion, it does not matter what you have accomplished … if you do not win the big one, it does not matter … I’m not giving participation,” he added.
Good to hear Parsons step up and defend his quarterback who had a great season. And he’s correct.
Following a Week 5 42-10 loss blowout at the Niners, sports media everywhere were calling out Prescott, and Parsons was the first person to come to his defense. At that time he took aim FS1’s “Speak” personalities, LeSean McCoy (former Eagles star) and the well-spoken Emmanuel Acho, for what he dubbed hate and hypocrisy as pertains to Prescott.
While Parsons is correct, he must also know that until Prescott leads the team to postseason success, this is the treatment he’ll receive. At this point of Prescott’s career, regular-season success isn’t good enough anymore.
There has been much rewound attention on Taylor Swift since she entered the narrative of the NFL. Enter conservative pundit Candace Owens, who does not like Taylor Swift.
She believes that the pop superstar is “the most toxic feminist that’s ever existed,” and her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl-winning tight end Travis Kelce is, in essence, a fabrication.
Additionally, Owen amplified opinions she discovered on the internet that there is a consensus feeling among Black women that Swift, although beloved by many, is a “Karen,” and that is why Black women do not like her. As a conservative darling, Owens is not the most beloved within a considerable section of the Black community, but is this her attempt at being redeemable?
“If you’ve seen what she’s ever done in business and how she tries to manipulate her audiences to get out of deals and contracts, she’s totally insane,” Owens said on The Daily Wire’s Backstage Live show.
“She’s the most toxic feminist that’s ever existed, and what she does is, the threat is that basically if she doesn’t get what she wants, she writes a song about a guy and then has 15 million girls singing the songs and drops little clues so they know who it’s about. I don’t think you appreciate how psychotic that is that you can’t date her for two weeks without her writing a song about you.”
The “two weeks” reference was a nod to Swift’s brief relationship with recording artist John Mayer, which was between 2009 and 2010. The “two weeks” reference to their relationship is probably an Owens exaggeration. However, after working together and evolving into a couple, both singers released breakup songs when it was over.
In Swift’s “Dear John,” many believed she shamed Mayer for their 12-year age difference; Mayer was in his early 30s then.
One lyric read:
“Dear John, I see it all now, it was wrong / Don’t you think nineteen’s too young / To be played by your dark, twisted games when I loved you so?”
In Owens’ purview, this was one early example of Taylor demonstrating her Karenness.
“What she did to John Mayer as well …he was like, ‘I literally did nothing to her, like we went on one date, and I didn’t deserve this,’” Owens continued. “Then there’s a bunch of 10-year-old girls whose brains are not developed who then go and attack whoever it is.”
Owens also thinks that Travis Kelce is just here for the newfound business opportunities that come with being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend and not for true love. Why? Because he’s “only dated Black girls.”
“Travis Kelce has exclusively dated Black girls; he did a whole show only dating Black girls,” Owens continued. “This is not even his type; he just realized that this is like a good business move for him, and it is, it’s a genius business move for him. It’s going to be one album and then its over.”
The 2016 reality show Chasing Kelce showed 50 contestants in a quest to land the football player’s heart. Maya Benberry, a Black woman, won the show. The two dated for a few months in 2016 after the show before calling it quits, and Kelce pivoted in 2017 to dating Kayla Nicole. The two reportedly were on again, off again for five years.
Since their breakup and Swift being Kelce’s new boo, Kayla Nicole has been transparent about the online abuse she has taken from Taylor’s fans, aka Swifties.
Candace Owens’ distaste for Taylor Swift leans more toward her version of conservativism than an opinion rooted in Black solidarity. But will she be invited back to cookouts for this take remains to be seen.
With the 2023 NFL season now complete, the New York Giants and star running back Saquon Barkley are back where they were for most of last offseason: in a cloud of uncertainty.
The former Penn State Nittany Lions star and 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is once again without a deal as free agency looms beginning March 13. Barkley, who played on a one-year franchise tender at just over $10 million last season is hoping to sign a long-term deal with more security.
Unfortunately for Barkley, that’s unlikely to happen in New York with the team recently announcing they’re going to let him test free agency. If he does stay in New York, it’s likely Barkley will once again be tendered at just over $12 million for the 2024 season.
But the beauty of the NFL is there are 32 teams, and all a player needs is for one to see value in him. Barkley’s biggest admirer doesn’t seem to be the New York Giants, but there should be other attractive offers for the dual-threat back, where the offenses would better utilize his offensive versatility and explosive potential.
With the Los Angeles Chargers bringing in former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh — who’s fresh off leading the school to its first national title in 27 seasons — the belief is he’ll be looking to add an every-down back to the roster. Known for power running games in his offense, adding a player like Barkley to complement talented quarterback Justin Herbert would do wonders for the Chargers, who haven’t had a prolific back in some time.
With free agency looming and teams not wanting to get into trouble for tampering, there hasn’t been much dialogue, if any, yet. That still hasn’t stopped media outlets from speaking on the possibility of Barkley joining the Chargers.
In fact, the NFL Network’s Kay Adams didn’t waste any time asking Barkley about the rumors when she interviewed him in early February.
Adams ran with former Chargers quarterback and 1998 No. 2 overall pick Ryan Leaf’s comments that Barkley could be a top target of Harbaugh’s Chargers come March.
When asked about it that very thing Barkley had this to sa:.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for Coach Harbaugh. I’m a big fan of Justin Herbert. I think he’s one of the best quarterback in the NFL. But, hey, if the opportunity was able to present itself, definitely wouldn’t be against it.”
The team does have scatback, Austin Ekeler, who over the last three seasons has accounted for a total of 44 touchdowns (30 rushing and 14 receiving). That’s an average of nearly 15 paydirt touches per season, but, even with those numbers, Barkley is a better back, and a three-down back who’s more capable of shouldering the load in a Jim Harbaugh run-heavy offense.
After a great rookie season in 2018, Barkley was hit by the injury bug, and some started labeling him injury-prone. After some rough stretches, he’s shaken that negative tag, and in the past two seasons he’s had over 540 carries for nearly 2,300 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
He’s also been helpful in contributing to the passing game for an anemic Giants offense that hasn’t looked strong for a few seasons now.
In his six-year career Barkley has 288 receptions for over 2,000 yards and 12 more touchdowns. He’s also great at pass protection, which is a key to Harbaugh’s offense in the play action passing game. Being able to leave Barkley on the field on obvious passing downs will allow Harbaugh to keep defenses honest and guessing to a certain extent.
That’s a huge deal, as they’ll be looking to protect the aforementioned Herbert much better than he’s been thus far in his career.
Currently $40 million over the salary cap, the Chargers will need to make some drastic cuts to begin their roster rebuild or reload. But with a few shrewd moves they’ll be able to add some solid pieces to their 2024 roster, and one of those could and should be Barkley, who needs a fresh start.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J.Stroud’s decision-making has been his most successful trait since his emphatic NFL arrival last April. His mind and ability are the two main reasons the 22-year-old rookie passed for over 4,100 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
This instant success made him a new star face in the NFL and also put him on the radar of the super groupies such as Amber Rose. Now that decision-making is coming into question a bit following a picture released by the paparazzi as he left a charity softball event on Thursday night.
Following his participation in rapper Travis Scott’s celebrity charity softball event, Stroud was seen walking to his car with Amber Rose. That’s right, the one who use to date rapper/business mogul Kanye West and was married to rapper Wiz Khalifah.
Rose is 40 and has had her share of athletes, rappers and entertainers, Stroud is 23 and just getting started in his professional football career. So that’s why this is a big deal and actually surprising on Stroud’s behalf if there is indeed some going on.
Rose quickly denied that anything of those sorts is going on, saying via her Instagram page, “We literally don’t know each other and only met yesterday at a softball game. The sprinter van left me and he was nice enough to give me a ride to my hotel.”
While that could be the truth, Rose’s track record brings that into question, so that’s why the dating rumors quickly sparked.
Stroud, who’s yet to comment on the situation, was busy this weekend in Indianapolis participating in NBA All-Star Weekend events and even scored 31 points in the All-Star Celebrity Game.
With the Stroud/Rose rumors holding steady, another young, rising Houston athlete has been in the news himself.
Rockets guard Jalen Green, who just turned 22, is reportedly dating 39-year-old Draymond Michele who’s also been linked to her fair share of athletes and celebrities in the past. Per reports the former “Basketball Wives” actress is pregnant by Green, and of course that rumor just isn’t sitting right with most.
As for Stroud, all we saw was him leaving the stadium with Rose, and, yes, it very likely could’ve been an innocent ride back to her hotel, but he has to know being seen with her is going to raise eyebrows and bring a ton of unnecessary and for most unwanted attention.
It is, however, the offseason, so we must allow the young buck to have some fun and Rose is always a great choice for any successful brother looking to turn up for a few months.
