Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died at the age of 46 on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday night while at a private team dinner ahead of Golden State’s game against the Utah Jazz.
“We’re absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.”
Kerr continued, “In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy. We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”
Milojević was rushed to an area hospital after he reportedly collapsed at Valter’s Osteria restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. His family flew to Utah on Wednesday morning, according to multiple team sources.
Milojević had a lengthy pro coaching career as head coach of KK Budućnost in the Adriatic League in Montenegro, and previously served as head coach for KK Mega Basket in Belgrade, Serbia, for eight seasons.
Milojević, a former Serbian national team assistant coach, is noted for coaching two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in his formative years.
Three years after retiring from playing professional basketball, Milojević became the head coach of Serbian team Mega Vizura, leading his team to the Basketball League of Serbia playoff semifinals.
Milojević got his first taste of the NBA through a Summer League coaching stint in the 2018 season with the Houston Rockets.
In January of 2021, Montenegrin club Budućnost hired Milojević as their new head coach and in June of 2021, Milojević won the Montenegrin Cup. Later that month, he won the Montenegrin League Championship, making himself a hot commodity throughout the global coaching ranks.
He broke his 2.5-year deal early, exercising the NBA opt-out clause shrewdly written into his contract and left Budućnost in June 2021 to join the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State Warriors assistant (2021–2024)
On August 13, 2021, the Golden State Warriors hired Milojević as an assistant coach, reportedly signing him to a “multiyear deal.”
He became another sharp basketball mind in Steve Kerr’s diverse staff, alongside two more incoming assistant coaches Jama Mahlalela and Kenny Atkinson.
Milojević was assigned the task of maximizing the talents of the young big men who played closer to the rim, helping them become more of an asset when in stretch four, power forward, forward-center, and center positions.
Milojević was credited for his work with raw-skilled Kevon Looney, whose improved rebounding and basket awareness helped the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
In addition to his international experience Milojević also sharpened his US hoops acumen on NBA Summer League staffs with the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Born in Belgrade, Milojević was raised in the suburb of Padinska Skela.
He began playing organized hoops at the age of 13 and eventually put himself on the map as a rising star by becoming a member of the Yugoslavia junior national team (representing FR Yugoslavia), along with Igor Rakočević and Marko Jarić, that won the gold medal at the 1998 European Championship for Men ’22 and Under’ in Trapani, Italy.
He was a role player, averaging 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. From there, Milojević enjoyed a 14-year international pro career in various Euro Leagues and won multiple MVPs before becoming a pro coach.
Other accolades as a player include: All-Europe Second Team (2004), three-time ABA League MVP (2004–2006), two-time Adriatic League Top Scorer (2005, 2006), three-time YUBA League champion (2001, 2005, 2006) and Yugoslav Cup winner (2001).
At least Milojević knew what it was like to taste an NBA Championship before his premature departure from this earth. And in doing so he solidified himself in NBA and Serbian history, becoming the second Serbian assistant coach (after Igor Kokoškov) to win an NBA ring.
Dwyane Wade is living his best life, and the Miami Heat are memorializing his contributions to the franchise with a statue in front of the Kaseya Center. During Sunday’s game against the Hornets, Dwyane Wade was acknowledged in a special ceremony.
However, what turned heads were images of him wearing red nail polish on his fingernails. One of the more comical takes came from former rapper turned sports broadcaster Ma$e, who’s disappointed with Wade’s colorful embellishment.
“D. Wade, D. Wade…this is like seeing Jordan in lingerie its just crashing hard,” said Ma$e on his “It Is What It Is” podcast. It’s something you don’t want to see it just ruins everything for you. This is what I’d tell D. Wade, if you’re going to do your nails, do your hair, (then) do your lashes. Just go crazy. I would respect that more than just tip-toeing out. Go crazy.”
“You going viral today!” Cam’ron said laughingly about Ma$e’s take.
Wade has been a fashion-forward person for years and has shown his affinity for individuality with his style. Interestingly, if it were another top-tier former NBA player like Dennis Rodman, it wouldn’t even become a talking point, based on the eccentric lifestyle he leads.
Attitudes about men having colorful nails are polarized according to generation. The practice is generally frowned upon from late Baby Boomers to early millennials. However, with cultural shifts and an emphasis on mental health and self-awareness, Generation Z and others have accepted the fullness of individual expression.
Ma$e’s comments cement that point as he was a staple item for the ’90s pop culture. However, today’s stars, from hip-hop to sports, all push boundaries in clothing, where a rap artist like Young Thug wore a dress for his “Jeffrey” album cover.
In MMA, black-painted fingernails and toenails are signature items from the desire to intimidate your opponent from a standing or grappling position. However, in basketball, flamboyance is the culture, and D. Wade only expresses how he currently feels: free.
Look no further than current Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler, who has changed his hairstyle and overall look for NBA Media Day as an annual ritual. He’s gone from dread implants to an almost anime-character look, polarizing the senses.
D. Wade wearing red-painted nails is merely self-expression, and if it hurts your sensibilities about how to look at a basketball player, it’s you, not them.
Mike Tomlin has been winning since 2007 and hasn’t stopped yet. Since taking over as the Steelers’ head coach in 2007, Tomlin has taken Pittsburgh to the postseason 11 times, won seven AFC North titles, and secured one Super Bowl trophy.
He’s never had a losing season and continues to elevate average teams to higher levels of expectations.
Tomlin’s 31-17 wild card loss to the Buffalo Bills was disappointing but expected. Despite the loss, the season was a win for Tomlin’s legacy in more ways than one. Tomlin had to work wonders with this Steelers team to get them into a position to even make the playoffs. His ability to rally the troops and squeeze every ounce of talent out of them was a testament to his elite coaching abilities.
No Elite Quarterback In Pittsburgh
The common discussion surrounding the Steelers since the departure of future Hall of Fame QB Ben Roethlisberger has been about its never-ending search for a franchise QB.
Second-year player Kenny Picket has been wildly inconsistent, and Tomlin was forced to go against a stout Bills defense with journeyman Mason Rudolph, whose result reflected that of his team. Rudolph played with the guts of a champion, but his talent fell short of the game-changing variety.
Tomlin’s value as a leader of men and locker-room communicator had a lot to do with any positive performance that he was able to get out of Rudolph.
However, fans and media continue to ask Tomlin about his future with Pittsburgh as if his track record and the fact that the Rooney family has only had three head coaches since 1969 (Chuck Knoll, Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin) doesn’t already let you know that the franchise is happy with a perennial winner.
Tomlin’s players always have his back, and Cam Heyward, the player who has been with Tomlin the longest, lashed out at the media for questioning the coach about his future before he could even decompress from a tough season and playoff loss.
“Why are we so concerned with somebody that has a year on their contract, has been locked in, and has just wanted to coach football?” Heyward said, via ESPN. “We don’t ask anybody else if they need to come back for another year or anything else.
“I just think it’s doing him a disservice. This guy’s been locked in from the very get go, but yet we’re worried about if he’s coming back or not. He’s been locked in, and I appreciate it, because that’s only created more dissension for players and coaches. We only want to focus on one goal. He just wants to focus on one goal, and I just think that’s fair to him.”
The Steelers franchise clearly values Tomlin, whose 173-career regular season wins makes him 11th all time and his .633 winning percentage is up there as well.
Tomlin made $12.5 million last season while overseeing a flawed roster, juggling egos and having no real No. 1 quarterback to lead the offense. An offensive coordinator still needs to be hired, and a quarterback still needs to be found, so Tomlin will enter next season with the same problems if the front office doesn’t open the checkbook and give him the pieces he needs to build a championship-caliber team.
If Tomlin did leave Pittsburgh without being fired, his new contract would surely be one of the highest ever for a head coach. He can only do so much without the team making some necessary upgrades.
Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the game and probably should be the highest -paid, but going into the 2024 season, according to Sportico, he ranks third in salary behind Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton ($18M) and LA Rams head coach Sean McVay ($14M), who is the second-youngest coach in the NFL at 37, now that Jerod Mayo, who is a month younger, has taken over in New England.
Last season, Tomlin was fifth, as Bill Belichick took in $20 million per at the top of the list and former Seahawks coach Carroll raked in $15 million in his final season at the helm.
Payton had a disastrous season with Russell Wilson and eventually tried to lie about benching him.
Both McVay and Payton have Super Bowl wins, but their body of work can’t touch Tomlin’s consistency. McVay made the playoffs this season, but his teams have underachieved since winning the Super Bowl, going 15-19 since 2021.
In addition, McVay and Payton had Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks even during losing seasons. Sean Payton had five losing seasons with Drew Brees and Rusell Wilson at the helm. McVay has had Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford to lead his offenses.
With Belichick and Carroll retired for now, Tomlin, 51 and entering his 18th season in 2024, is the OG of the NFL coaching carousel and needs to be paid like it.
Travis Scott performed at Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, earlier this month and somehow the power of his music was caught up in another inadvertent moment of destruction that resulted in potentially $650,000 worth of damage.
The victim in this instance was not a person, but an NHL Stanley Cup.
According to reports, a few days after the show, CTV News reporter Kelly Greig shared a photo of the Stanley Cup case at the venue, where the Montreal Canadiens play their home games and one of the team trophies — copies of the iconic one-of-one official trophy — was missing from the case.
Greig explained, “Eagle-eyed viewers tonight might notice a missing Stanley Cup in the trophy case at the Bell Centre. Apparently the Travis Scott concert on Tuesday has such strong bass three of them fell and one was damaged. Security told me that’s a first.”
Scott’s music was bumping so much that he was knocking Stanley Cup trophies off the shelf at the stadium.
What Is The Stanley Cup?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup is priceless in terms of its historical and cultural significance and if sold at an auction would probably fetch over $20 million, but it does have tangible value, estimated to be worth around $650,000, if we are only acknowledging the craftsmanship that went toward making the cup.
The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, and it has a rich history. Commissioned in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada.
Over the years, the Stanley Cup has become the most prestigious trophy in professional hockey, and it has been awarded to the champion team of the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1926.
The cup is made of silver and nickel alloy and weighs 34.5 pounds. Standing at a height of 35.25 inches, or approximately 2.9 feet, the trophy is topped with a replica of the original bowl, which was made of silver.
For most people, a $650K bill would be a backbreaker and keep them in some sort of servitude for the rest of their lives and possibly their kids’ lives.
The cost of that Stanley Cup is only a dent in Scott’s net worth which, as of 2023, was listed at a whopping $60 million.
So if Scott did have to replace the damaged goods (which should be insured anyway), it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone who has emerged as a globally acclaimed artist and left a deep impression on rap and pop culture.
Scott has four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and he’s charted over 80 songs, producing 10 Grammy nominations, a Latin Grammy Award, a Billboard Music Award and multiple BET Hip-Hop Awards, among others.
Scott’s success in music and his relationship and co-parenting with Kylie Jenner has brought him great wealth and notoriety. He is living a lavish lyfestyle that saw him accumulate an empire in less than a decade.
Scott debuted in the game in 2014 and according to reports, by 2018 Scott had earned $20 million between Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 from a combination of touring, record sales, and his endorsement deal with Nike, which catapulted him into the Top 15 highest-paid rappers in the world for that year. He continues to collaborate with Nike on his special line of shoes.
Scott earned another $60 million from June 2018 to June 2019 as his Astroworld tour generated $65M in gross revenue.
The icon kept the money machine going, cashing in another $40 million between June 2019 and June 2020, highlighted by a lucrative brand collaboration deal he struck with McDonald’s for $20 million.
So what has Scott done with all of the millions he’s acquired?
In 2019, Travis Scott purchased a 12,000-square-foot property in his hometown of Houston for $14 million. The property was built in 2005, and sits on 1.5 acres within a gated community. The house holds sentimental value, because it’s where Scott retreated to in the aftermath of the Astroworld tragedy.
In June 2020, the “Highest In The Room” rap mogul purchased a mansion located in the hills of Brentwood in Los Angeles for $23.5 million in cash; an ultra-modern 17,000-square-foot paradise perched on a hilltop overlooking the Los Angeles hills. It’s definitely Scott’s most captivating property, a futuristic modern mansion with a design inspired by luxury yachts.
This home was originally listed for $42 million.
One year later, he also bought a smaller property next door for $5.8 million (mostly for the land).
He has also previously co-owned a Beverly Hills mansion with Jenner, the mother of his two children. The couple paid $13.5 million for a Beverly Hills mansion, which Scott flipped in October 2022 for just under $22 million.
Scott loves rare, luxury cars. In fact, he’s spent nearly 20 percent of his wealth on luxury rides and sportscars that are unique in the automotive world.
Scott’s impressive collections includes: 2020 Bugatti Chiron: $5 million, 2019 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta: $3.5 million, 2020 Mercedes-Benz Maybach G650: $1.2 million, 2019 Lamborghini Urus Mansory: $620,000, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: $700,000, 2015 Ferrari 488 GTB: $280,000, 2017 Lamborghini Huracan: $240,000, 2020 Land Rover Range Rover SVA: $120,000, and a 2021 Ford Ranger Raptor: $60,000
Scott, who was born in 1991, spent his early years living with his grandmother in South Park, Houston, before relocating to Missouri City, a middle-class suburb in the southwest of Houston, to live with his parents.
The songwriter and producer has hinted that he is looking to add more bank to the treasure chest and could be dropping another album in 2024. Fans seem to be eager to hear one. It might be optimistic to expect Scott to drop so soon after his latest album, “Utopia,” in July 2023.
“Utopia” received positive reviews from music critics and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, in which it earned 496,000 album-equivalent units (252,000 units were pure album sales)
A fan account recently tweeted, “Travis records before every show, and has consistently been previewing new songs at clubs. Wonder if he’s got something on the way.” Another X (formerly Twitter) responded, “Imagine an album where each song is the city it was made in on the tour.” Scott himself responded, “R u in my brain or what ????”
Regardless of the success of Scott’s music, his brand and talent and shrewd business sense will always keep the money flowing in. He’s still dealing with lawsuits from the Astroland tragedy that resulted in several deaths and injuries, but for now his net worth is still elite.
The list is short in the pantheon of recording artists/producers who are also fashion-forward, with Virginia hitmaker Pharrell Williams leading the pack. The more visible member of The Neptunes debuted his third Louis Vuitton show on Tuesday to kick off Paris Fashion Week.
Early last year, Pharrell Williams was named the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, and his latest collection pays homage to the American West. The collection also features a collaboration with Timberland where the traditional “butters” yellow suede features the Louis Vuitton print on the back of the boot tongue.
“First of all, it was an honor to get a chance to do something around the West and Western workwear vibes,” Williams said to GQ after the show. “I feel like when you see cowboys portrayed, you see only a few versions. You never really get to see what some of the original cowboys really look like. They look like us, they look like me, they look Black, they look Native American.”
Williams succeeded Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021 after significantly impacting streetwear. American musician and fashion entrepreneur Pharrell Williams has been named the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear.
Williams’s Louis Vuitton, spring menswear show, displayed American West outfits as the guiding motif for the catwalk. According to the show notes, “The Louis Vuitton dandy evolves through the American western tradition of dressing up.”
Beginning with traditional Native American drumming, models stormed the runway in cowboy boots dipped with silver embellishments, wide-brimmed cartoonish cowboy hats, denim chaps, and silky western shirts with pointed collars. Williams executes a silent protest of the traditional workman’s fabrics and understated ranch wear.
Handbags were designed by artists of the Dakota and Lakota nations, making them more inclusive by collaborating with Native American communities with limited visibility on the high fashion stage.
Then came the flashy turquoise studs adorning suits and the immediately recognizable Louis Vuitton logos sparkling on sequined jackets. Then there’s the formal wear: suits rimmed with pearls and crystals and accessories like the rebirth of the “Speedy Bag.”
“In moments like this, when you’ve been chosen to do something, the sun is shining on you,” Williams said to Highsnobiety. “The quintessential question that I ask myself all the time, and ask people I care about, is this: ‘Hey, if the sun is shining on you, what would you do with the light?'”
Williams’s journey through fashion started during his musical reign during the Roc-a-Fella Records era of the early 2000s. He first came out with the Billionaire Boys Club / Ice Cream label and collaborations with A Bathing Ape (BAPE) designer Nigo. Those designs were a convergence of skateboard culture and streetwear and cemented Pharrell’s unique animated vision of clothing.
Now, Pharrell is chartering a fashion path for the French luxury brand owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH, the world’s biggest fashion brand. Louis Vuitton opened about 50 temporary stores globally to showcase William’s new merchandise.
Williams’ LV debut occurred at the Pont Neuf in Paris last June. He set it off as a street party with performances by celebrity friends like Jay-Z and himself. The first designs were inspired by the video game Minecraft. The collection wasn’t without controversy, as his crocodile-leather version of Louis Vuitton’s classic Speedy bag has a price tag of $1 million. He reportedly caught shade from PETA, who invited him to tour a crocodile farm to rethink sourcing animal skins.
His second show was in November in Hong Kong, where Hawaiian prints and sailor wear graced the runway and a backdrop of a waterfront promenade that overlooked the city’s skyline after dark.
Williams affiliation is a brand enhancement that the fashion house hopes will reverse the trend of recent weak demand for luxury apparel as the cost of living is rising. LVMH will release annual financial results on Jan. 25, indicating if the trend is reversing.
The NFL playoffs are rolling along, and Super Bowl LVIII is scheduled to take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, Feb. 11. The No. 1 event in all of sports is going to attract all kinds of fans and celebrities to Las Vegas that weekend.
It’s not uncommon to see normal, hardworking people make the experience a vacation of a lifetime, taking in as much of the sights and nightlife as they can without risking the mortgage payments.
Spots like Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar at The LINQ Hotel & Promenade, Gordon Ramsey Steak, Spritz Restaurant & Bar, and Chickie’s & Pete’s Crabhouse & Sports Bar at SAHARA Las Vegas are places where a party can eat well and affordably and maybe catch a glimpse of some celebrity or athlete.
For the rich and affluent, or just somebody with some extra racks to blow, experiencing the finest cuisine is usually at the top of the wish list. Vegas has a dining experience for every palate and budget.
During Super Bowl weekend, there are certain restaurants where you will only find those with deep pockets and huge appetites. Pro athletes from all different sports are sure to be there with family, friends or significant others.
The movie stars, social elite, business moguls, tech executives and music artists will be frequenting these places to eat in intimate settings, away from the flocking fans, who probably can’t afford to eat there anyway.
If you are fortunate enough to have the paper to enjoy these restaurants, here’s a list of the most expensive. Being that it’s Super Bowl weekend, expect the prices to probably be even slightly higher in some of these establishments.
When you’re searching for delectable decadence look no further than The 777 Burger where you’ll find a $777 Kobe beef burger with pancetta, goat cheese, seared foie gras, arugula, Maine lobster and 100-year-aged balsamic glaze on your choice of bun, including caramelized onion, sesame seed and others.
You can pair your meal with a specialty BLT salad and a rich bottle of Dom Pérignon Rosé Champagne. The expression, “You could feed an army” really applies here because if you’re still not full, there are deviled eggs with poached lobster, mac n’ cheese, soups, salads, milkshakes and smoothies.
Located in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Joël Robuchon is an exclusive French restaurant. Chef Robuchon offers a 16-course extravaganza featuring small plates of pure French decadence.
Expect dishes like Le Caviar Imperial, L’Avocat (cannelloni and avocado with salmon), and La Crevette Rose (rose shrimp and bonito tuna). The dining experience costs around $500 per person or more, once you include the wine pairing.
Caesars Palace offers this Michelin Star award-winning restaurant, also centered around exquisite French cuisine. You can choose an à la carte menu or the 5-Star Tasting Menu, featuring fresh seafood and scrumptious proteins like Wagyu filet and Muscovy duck.
The big ballers can enjoy tasting menus ranging from $420 for Black Truffle Prestige to $555 for Year of Forbes 5-Star Celebration, with premium wine pairing.
Located at The Palazzo, Lavo Restaurant offers elite Italian cuisine and is known to be a VIP nightlife hot spot. High rollers frequent the establishment. Guests can choose from an à la carte menu or the 5-Star Celebration with premium wine pairing and a open view of the kitchen where the chefs create the magic.
Tucked inside the Cosmopolitan, É By Jose Andres is in a lane by itself as a provider of intimate and creative versions of Spanish avant-garde dishes. It starts off less expensive than the other restaurants on the list but once you complete the journey, you’ll probably reach the $450-500 mark per person.
Priced around $300 per person (to start), the incredible 20-plus course tasting menu includes a “Branches of the Desert” theme with dishes such as Morning Dew, Beet Rose, Edible Sangria, Foie Royal, Catalan Egg, Cherry Bomb and “More Things…”
The restaurant offers two “shows” each opening night. According to a description by a patron, “Diners share an enormous steel chef’s table where dishes are often cooked or composed in front of them. Wine pairings range from about $150 to $300 and a full bar from Jaleo, a sister concept next door, is also available — be sure to check out their famous gin and tonic menu.”
You get what you pay for Super Bowl Sunday in Vegas.
Now that the famed Alabama football coach Nick Saban has retired, the stories about the pigskin boss are starting to emerge. A new one describes how when the choice between stopping for the cops or bailing on them yielded an epic bail because, in Alabama, Saban is boss.
Former running back Bo Scarbrough played for Alabama for three years, winning two national championships with Saban in 2015 and 2017. He ran for 1,512 yards and 20 touchdowns on 267 carries in 31 career games. Scarbrough told a steely-eyed Saban story that involved a Mercedes, a determined coach, and a broken speed limit.
Scarbrough, Saban, associate athletic director of sports medicine Jeff Allen, and athletic relations coordinator Cedric Burns were driving home from a golf tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. While Burns was driving, he decided to let the engine on Saban’s Mercedes S550 rip.
“We had hit about 50 speed limit, so we hit it. You know me, I’m from the hood,” Scarbrough said on The Bama Standard Network this week. “So we speed, and I like that type of stuff. So Jeff’s like, ‘Ced, slow down.’ Coach Saban’s on the phone at the time and Ced didn’t say nothing. So I looked at Jeff, and Jeff looked at me, and he said, ‘Ced, slow down.’”
“Next thing you know, we zoomed past the police. I’m talking about like we’re going 90.”
At this point, the police pull behind with their lights flashing. It was then that Scarbrough realized that his coach was a savage.
“(Burns) calls somebody and then hung up the phone and they still was behind us,” Scarbrough continued. “Jeff was like, ‘Ced, you ain’t gonna stop?’”
“Coach Saban turned around and said, “‘Jeff, we’re not stopping.’ We just kept going. Police just backed up off us.”
If this is the first crazy story in a career of milestones, one can only hope for the Nick Saban roast in the future. In the state of Alabama, it is clear that Nick Saban got it like that, and if this story is true, he is the anti-hero the sports world needs.
Nothing says elite footwear like classic Jordans. With the Summer Olympics right around the corner in July, the streetwear giant is re-releasing the Olympic Air Jordan 6 with a blue/white colorway. The sneaker will be released on July 20, and was first unveiled for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Popular sneaker vendors are currently retailing retro versions of the sneaker for $500 to over $1000 online. The upcoming release will retail for $200.
The sneaker is a marvelous mix of white and navy blue color blocking throughout the leather uppers. The tongue logo and lace lock also display traces of red and are finished with an arctic blue outsole. Perfect for air time or just stunting as a habit.
There will be other variations of the Air Jordan 6 dropping ahead of the Olympic edition. The Air Jordan 6 “Reverse Oreo” is a new color scheme and will be released in June 2024. In addition, the “Yellow Ochre” Air Jordan 6’s with a yellow and white colorway and even a rumored “Aqua” pair reportedly arriving in October 2024.
The “Olympic” edition Air Jordan 6 also returns to the Dream Team energy that Team USA Basketball used to embody. Representing the country against the globe was once the highest honor, and the sneaker is back in time for this year’s summer game in Paris.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup saw Germany defeat Serbia 83-77 to win its first-ever World Cup championship. Team USA should have medaled, but injuries plagued the team, and overall lackluster performance from stars like Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero, and Jaren Jackson Jr. led to losing three games during the World Cup.
With young NBA stars like Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves, and Mikal Bridges on last year’s squad, there is a lack of the Dream Team spirit that made the U.S. team the most feared on the world stage.
The 2020 U.S. Men’s Basketball team, which was led in scoring by Kevin Durant and coached by Gregg Popovich, took home the gold medal with ten NBA players making their Olympic debut.
Michael Jordan played on the 1992 Dream Team and took home the gold medal, electrifying the world with his brand of American competitiveness. The Dream Team won a gold medal in Barcelona, and after the U.S. team’s poor showing at last year’s FIBA tournament, the Dream Team ethos the Air Jordan 6 conveys is a welcome accompaniment.
A Dallas Cowboys loss in a wild card game that they entered as heavy favorites is not unusual, but the way the Philadelphia Eagles floundered down the stretch this season is highly alarming.
Philadelphia lost 42-23 to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, going 1-6 in their final seven games. The team who made it to the Super Bowl last season and then dropped a record bag on their QB to get them back and finish the job this time, disintegrated right in front of our eyes. During the slide they averaged just 18.8 points per game.
Following the Eagles’ 32-9 wild card game loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said what everyone could clearly see.
“For us this year, I don’t think we played well,” said Hurts on Tuesday, Jan. 16. “Didn’t play well enough. The identity, the consistency, the execution for us, the turnovers — everything, all of those come into play when you talk about having the opportunity to win championships. Something we have to be able to learn from.”
It became increasingly clear that Philly wasn’t going to snap out of its slump. Hurts didn’t look anything like the confident, effective quarterback he was in the Super Bowl a season ago. His primary receiver, A.J. Brown, never seemed happy and had some public sideline battles with Hurts and the offensive coordinator.
It made you wonder if the locker room is as stable as it was last season. The chemistry just seemed off and there was nothing Sirianni, who was touted by many as the next genius head coach, could do to stop it.
The exchange between tight end Dallas Goedert and an unconcerned Hurts during the squad’s embarrassing playoff loss was telling.
ESPN writer Tim McManus said in a Jan. 15 story that “A disconnect between the visions of Sirianni, Hurts and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has affected the offense’s ability to land on an identity, the source said.”
Hurts repeated the word “identity”, which suggests that he doesn’t like the direction of the offense or how it is currently designed. If this is the case, that’s a major problem.
Gone are the days where coaches make exceptional talents fit into their game plans, without leaving some room for the quarterback to execute those plays that they are most comfortable running.
Hurts looked out of sync for that entire seven-game fizzle that ended about as miserably as possible for any Eagles fan.
The franchise will have to reevaluate the relationship between these three key figures in the organization and get everyone on the same page as quickly as possible.
Sirianni is locked in and probably won’t be leaving. He did make it to the Super Bowl last season, and that usually buys a head coach some time. Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million extension prior to the season so he’s locked in as the top dog for the foreseeable future.
That leaves Johnson who has to take the blame for the way the offense has sputtered despite the myriad weapons that the Eagles possess. Maybe he’s too rigid and isn’t as innovative as he should be. However you slice it, it’s not working and it’s deeper than guys not performing at the level they are accustomed too.
Jalen Hurts has been vocal about the internal struggles his team has faced and he uses the word “we” often. It’s better than pointing fingers, but it does show a lack of accountability from a guy who received a record contract, is supposed to be a leader in the locker room and a superstar who won’t allow a team that’s so talented to go into such a vicious mental and physical slump on his watch.
Hurts can refuse to say what he personally could have done to save this season, but that’s where he needs to start. Sending veiled shots at the head coach and offensive coordinator and other teammates isn’t really what franchise QBs do.
If you’re an All-Pro QB with All-Pro weapons readily available and entered the season as Super Bowl favorites, there’s no way you can allow your team to go 1-6 down the stretch and then get embarrassed by Baker Mayfield in the playoffs.
Many believe Hurts has lost the locker room. Has the money finally gone to his head? Hurts was always known for being a team guy and then he became a “superstar” — or at least that’s what he was anointed once his $179 million in guaranteed money hit the bank.
The Eagles have much to work out in the offseason, and it’s less about personnel and more about personalities.
Coco Gauff is looking to make history in this year’s Australian Open. The 19-year-old sensation is coming off her first Grand Slam championship, winning the US Open at the age of 19 in September.
Gauff advanced to the second round of the Australian Open in dominant fashion — 6-3, 6-0 over 68th-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia — in the American’s opener in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday.
If she can run through this field, Gauff can become the youngest player to win multiple slams since Maria Sharapova in 2006 and the youngest American to do so since Tracy Austin in 1981. With every win, her net worth continues to rise like yeast.
All of Gauff’s success has brought her tremendous fame and wealth on and off the court. In 2023, she emerged as the world’s highest-paid female athlete, earning a staggering $23 million, with roughly $16 million of that money coming from endorsements and some $7 million coming from prize money in various singles and doubles tournaments.
Gauff has filled the vacuum left by the departure of Venus and Serena Williams as far as being a captivating American women’s tennis player and a perennial favorite to win Grand Slams.
Gauff represents a fresh face in tennis and her elevating talent is coinciding with her exploding business brand, already creating a financial empire before hitting legal drinking age.
Let’s take a look at Gauff’s impressive endorsement portfolio in just five years as a pro. In addition to the eyeglasses company Ray Ban, Coco has been signed with New Balance since she was 14 years old.
Gauff starred in a new ad for Ray Ban x Meta smart glasses, which lets users livestream directly to Instagram and Facebook, capture video, listen to music, take phone calls, and other features.
Throughout the video, Gauff shows off the glasses’ capabilities as she reflects on her inner journey.
In her opening round on Sunday, Gauff rocked a yellow and blue two-piece tennis suit with athletic shoes matching the color theme of her outfit, which sported the New Balance logo and the Barilla logo. The Italian pasta company is also one of Gauff’s endorsement partners.
She also had a blue New Balance headband that pushed back her signature braids and a yellow hair tie to keep them neatly contained.
“I just told myself, ‘I feel good, I look good, so just have fun,’” Gauff told reporters after the match.
In addition to those endorsements, Gauff is raking in cash with:
Head: Gauff uses a Head tennis racquet in competition.
Bose: The speaker and headphones engineering company has collaborated with Gauff.
UPS: The logistics giant has partnered with tennis’ new “it” girl.
Baker Tilly: In 2023, leading advisory CPA firm Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) announced tennis star Coco Gauff as the major accounting firm’s new brand ambassador prior to the Australian Open.
Gauff represents the influx of money coming into the women’s game. Other rising stars such as Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu are also caking, following in the footsteps of other super marketable women tennis players such as Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Naomi Osaka, who topped Forbes’ ranking of the world’s highest-paid female athletes of 2022 with $51.5 million in earnings, leaving Serena a distant second ($41.3 million).
The quickest way for a female athlete to acquire a sports fortune is to be among the elite players in women’s tennis. There’s a trend that suggests this is not hyperbole.
The teenage tennis star has a slick Mercedes-Benz GLC, turbo charged and producing 190 horsepower. The GLC costs about $43,990. Any teenager pushing one of these either has rich parents or they’ve taken over the world of tennis.
When she’s not going back and forth to practice or traveling with the family, Gauff puts the SUV up for a step up in luxury. The Jaguar F-Pace SVR has all of the features of a top-of-the-line Jaguar, including a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine paired to a 8-speed automatic transmission delivering 550 horsepower.
Seven of the Top 10 richest women athletes are tennis players with the majority of their earnings coming from endorsements, not tournament play. That’s a very telling list about where the money resides in women’s sports.
Here’s the Top 10 list of Sportico’s highest-paid female athletes and what they earned in 2023, with the amount made from endorsements listed in parenthesis.
If Coco Gauf wins her second Grand Slam, she has a claim for No. 1 in the world, and her endorsements will continue to skyrocket as she brings more attention, money and interest to the sport. She’s already the biggest brand in tennis right now and her popularity is only rising.
True sneaker heads are often ridiculed for spending absurd amounts of money on various styles of kicks.
But as we know, sneaker collecting is also a hobby, especially for the rich and famous athletes and rappers who have the monetary means to buy any sneaker they want and also have the public appeal, popularity and connections to have exclusive styles and designs made just for them.
Now we’ve seen sneakers go for thousands of dollars, and some specialty joints even sold for hundreds of thousands on the market.
Enter rap superstar Drake, whose custom-made, 24K gold OVO x Air Jordan 10’s have an estimated worth of $2.1 million.
Gold-plated shoes are not for running, but totally for stunting.
Drake commissioned Matthew Sena to create the exclusive shoe. Sena, an acclaimed mixed media and conceptual artist who’s known for keeping his creative process very close to the vest, created the shoe for rap’s biggest star.
There have been plenty of custom Air Jordan’s made for various celebrities over the years. After all, it is the world’s most famous shoe.
Drake, who is known to do it up excessively, from his gambling to the gifts he bestows upon his loved ones, takes the cake at the top of the list, but there are other custom-made kicks that break the bank, ranging from $16K to just under the $2.1 million that Drake paid for his golden pair.
According to nicekicks.com, The Air Jordan 1 “Bred” colorway first released in 1985. Later referred to as the “Banned” Air Jordan 1, as the NBA reportedly fined Jordan for wearing the shoe since it did not meet the league’s uniform policy, as it was not composed of 51 percent white in its design. Nike offered to pick up the fines on Jordan’s behalf and the Air Jordan 1 “Bred” gained notoriety in commercials and even late night talk shows.
The shoe represents Jordan’s arrival as a defiant spirt and someone who would define the future of the game. The league eventually figured out that it could make more money supporting MJ and Nike’s new vision.
The original 1985 Air Jordan 1 Chicago is another classic Air Jordan. MJ rocked the Chicago colorway for most of his groundbreaking rookie season (1984-85), where he immediately established himself as one of the game’s brightest stars, averaging 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 82 games.
The fact that he was chosen to play in his first All-Star game, and won the Rookie of the Year award, makes this shoe design synonymous with his instant and early rise to NBA stardom.
Peep this. The Chicago 1 originally retailed for $64.99. Thirty-nine years later you can imagine how Jordan felt flying through the air in his first season of an iconic career.
Drake isn’t the only iconic rapper that partnered with Nike or had his own pair of Air Jordan’s made. In 2017, Stock X partnered with Eminem to re-launch the 2005 Air Jordan 4 Eminem Encore as part of a Marshall Mathers Foundation charity campaign.
Only 23 pairs were made, which made it one of the most exclusive pairs of sneakers to date. Money alone wouldn’t allow one to purchase the sneakers, which were normally priced at the time. You needed a lot of luck as well.
According to reports, the only way to take home a pair was to donate to the foundation and win a raffle from a pool of eligible donors. Those who won the raffle fell into a fortunate situation that has seen the value of the Air Jordan 4 Eminem Encore 2017 rise to $17,200 or more.
Travis Scott is another huge name in the rap industry, with several pair of custom made kicks priced above $20K.
While Air Jordan F&F colorways are usually presented as gifts exclusively to friends and family of the brand and their collaborators, occasionally these sneakers end up on StockX (or other sneaker providers) and go for a grip.
In 2023, Travis Scott’s Air Jordan 4 Travis Scott Purple F&F was resold for $23,000.
Air Jordan 4 Travis Scott Olive F&F is another Travis Scott Jordan 4 colorway that continues to rise in price because of its exclusivity.
Sneakers costing five digits is one level of decadence, but they pale in comparison to these game-themed kicks that are also a part of basketball lore. Sneakers with an appeal that’s less about who commissioned or created them, but more about when they were worn and what occurred in those games or historical moments.
When sneakers are mass produced the price of the shoe diminishes in value, but when there are only five pieces produced in the world then you end up with a collector’s item with thousands of dollars like the Air Jordan 11 “Jeter.”
Nike made the shoe in 2014, to honor The Yankees captain’s retirement from the game after 20 years, five championship rings and plenty of magical baseball moments throughout his Hall of Fame career.
Jeter’s jersey number (2) sits upon the heel of the sneaker, and anyone who is familiar with the iconic player understands the significance of the number.
The rap group OutKast has always been known for having a unique fashion sense, a pulse on Southern culture, and an easily recognizable musical delivery.
While Andre 3000 is the member most known for his eccentric and unorthodox fashion and artistic tastes (most recently putting out an instrumental album featuring just flutes) his partner Big Boi stays connected to the styles of the streets and is known as a sneaker and jewelry head.
These exclusive Nike Air Forces were designed by rapper Big Boi and flaunts a full 13 carats of encrusted champagne diamonds and gold accents.
These shoes were created as one of the featured items at a 2007 fundraising event that donated all proceeds of to Big Boi’s philanthropic foundation Big Bois.
What do you give a man who has everything?
In the case of Michael Jordan’s wife, she gifted these special shoes to MJ for his 32nd birthday.
What makes this Air Jordan Silver shoe so expensive is its uniqueness. It is also very rare, as there were only ten pairs released initially. These shoes are made of solid silver, weighing around 10 pounds and also feature an autograph of the legend himself.
Jordan led the league in scoring that season, averaging 30.4 points per game and won his fourth championship, the first of his second three-peat with the Chicago Bulls.
It was also his first full season since returning to the NBA after a brief season and a half retirement to play minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons.
So, it’s clear that every super expensive sneaker has a story behind it and the personality associated with the sneaker is probably more important than the actual design.
We know Allen Iverson was influential in changing the culture of the NBA and also connecting the hood and corporate. Even as Reebok’s prominence in urban markets faded as the mid-2000s rolled around, Iverson was the perfect athlete to keep Reebok in the game because he had the streets.
At the height of Iverson’s controversial popularity Reebok created these diamond-encrusted sneakers in 2004 in collaboration with the NBA superstar.
The most extravagant feature of this design is the 246 diamonds that shine against an all-black theme, pretty much a representation of what Iverson was to the NBA; a player who was unapologetically all-Black but shined like the brightest diamond when on the court. A few anonymous buyers bought these limited-edition shoes, priced to reflect Iverson’s long-lasting impact on hoops culture.
Drake actually has a second pair of exclusive sneakers on this list. Fans can generally buy them for $250, but the special edition Drake shoes naturally increase the price.
Reportedly, a fan of Drake’s was personally gifted these special sneakers at a Toronto Raptors event. She not only got to meet Drake and receive a gift from the music legend, but she flipped those shoes for $100K when she sold them.
It took a pair of Converse worn by MJ during his 1982 NCAA Championship run under legendary North Carolina Tar Heels Coach Dean Smith, to get this sneaker brand on the list.
Vintage is in and naturally after the iconic career that Jordan had as a player and now as a businessman — and his unwavering dedication to Nike — copping a pair of Converse that was once worn by Mr. Nike is an invaluable shoe that will only increase in value.
In June of 2023, the original game-worn Air Jordan 12 “Flu Game” shoes, laced and signed by MJ was sold at Goldin Auctions for $1.38M, elevating the shoe into the pantheon of the most expensive Air Jordans ever made or sold at auction.
Jordan’s historic flu game in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, where MJ dragged his team to victory despite fighting a serious illness, (which later was discovered to be food poisoning), is one of the most memorable moments of his incomparable career. It added to the legend of basketball’s most transcendent player.
Jordan personally gifted his Jordan 12s to Delta Center ballboy Preston Truman, who later auctioned the shoes off at a floor price of $5,000 and by the time they were sold the price had skyrocketed to over $104K.
The only sneaker that comes close to Drake’s gold-plated OVO’s is the Nike Air Yeezy Prototype. During the 2008 Grammy Awards, Kanye West performed in the unprecedented all-black pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s.
These shoes, later identified as the Nike Air Yeezy 1 Grammy (Prototype), never ended up releasing which elevated it to one of the most coveted and desired sample sneakers of all time.
Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 shoe, which he wore at the 2008 Grammys, set a new sneaker sale record when it sold for $1.8 million at a private sale at Sotheby’s in 2021.
According to Rolling Stone. “The sneaker investing platform RARES made the purchase, which reportedly broke the record for the most expensive public sale of a sneaker by almost three times (the previous record holder, per Reuters, was a pair of 1985 Air Jordan 1s, designed and worn by Michael Jordan, which sold in 2020 for $560,000).”
The Air Yeezy 1 prototype is also the first recorded sneaker sale for over $1 million. Initially pairs of the Grammy Prototype sold for between $50,000 to $75,00 and over the years with Kanye’s increasing popularity and his association with other brands such as Adidas, the price spiked, setting a new standard.
Quarterbacks Jordan Love and C.J. Stroud threw darts all over the field in leading their respective teams to wildcard round playoff wins. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a win over the Cleveland Browns with a performance for the ages.
The youngest QB to ever win a postseason game tossed for 260 yards and three TDs in the first half. Love was equally effective in leading the Green Bay Packers to a dominating, 48-32 whipping of the Super Bowl hopeful Dallas Cowboys by going 16-for-21 with 272 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
For much of the NFL’s existence as a professional sports league and more specifically since the merger of the AFL and NFL in 1970, the lack of Black quarterbacks and the false narratives surrounding signal-callers of color and their cognitive and leadership abilities, has been a thing. Most recently with Lamar Jackson, who some general managers suggested should be a running back instead of the MVP quarterback he is today.
Once a record 14 Black quarterbacks started this 2023 NFL season, which comprised nearly half of the 32-team league, it could no longer be disputed that the overall tone of the NFL toward Black quarterbacks had shifted. Almost to the point where identifying a quarterback by his color has no point.
Love compiled a near-max 157.2 efficiency rate. It was Love’s first playoff win in his first season as a starter. The 26th pick in the 2020 draft sat behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons and he came in and rocked America’s team.
“Man, Jordan Love, wow,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “That’s about all I can say is, wow.”
Unfortunately, that would be the same reaction if we compared the fits that each quarterback wore in his postgame presser.
Love came out for his postgame press conference in his Green Bay Packers uniform, minus the pads, helmet and jersey. His hair was just wild and unmanicured — which is not an unusual style — but with his sleeveless, Green Bay undershirt, he looked more like the losing quarterback after just stepping off the field.
CJ Stroud on the other hand came out looking like a quarterback that’s ready to become the face of the league. His braids sat neatly, he had a boisterous black and gold Louis Vuitton shirt with an array of images resembling a fleur-de-lis. He had the iced-out gold chain with his 7 pendant sitting prominently on a black T.
Not knocking Love’s choice to come straight from the locker room to the podium. He was probably excited to face the media for a change. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Packers, who are at their highest point coming off the win. But Stroud understood the assignment and executed with his postgame wears.
Both quarterbacks will get a shot to face the media for at least one more postseason game. Let’s see if Love can give us some of fashion flair befitting of a rising star in the NFL. We know he has a stash, but he rarely seems to show it postgame. Staying humble is cool, but it’s OK for the new Packers superstar QB to give us a bit of spice every now and then.
So race isn’t an issue, but fashion still is, and Stroud was definitely more culturally aware than Love in the way he approached his attire for his postgame presser.
Even after Doug Williams became the first Black QB to lead his team to a Super Bowl by tossing a single-game record of 340 passing yards in leading the Washington Redskins to a resounding victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII during the 1987-88 season, the African-American quarterback was still put in a box, in his own category. Judged by ridiculous racial standards as much as ability on the field.
The fact that the next Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl ring came with the unexpected rise of Russell Wilson — almost three decades later in the 2013-14 season — kept the conversation about a lack of opportunities for Black quarterbacks going.
Once Patrick Mahomes hit the scene and took the Kansas City Chiefs to three Super Bowls in four years (2019, 2020, 2022) and won two of them, it was clear that the game had changed.
Mahomes was able to put together a chill ensemble after playing in freezing conditions while leading his Kansas City Chiefs to a blowout win over the Miami Dolphins.
With the rise of Black quarterbacks taking the podium on the biggest stages in the game, expect to see the culture of quarterback wear change with it. Some are just a little late to the party.
Around this time of year, Michigan fans have their fingers and toes crossed that Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh will stay with the school. Although reports are making their rounds that Harbaugh is meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers, there is no word yet, leaving the Maize and Blue nation on pins and needles.
After all, who’s got it better than the Harbaughs?
Now that the confetti has cleared from the CFP championship game, we can look back at Michigan’s meteoric undefeated season and championship win, can we talk about the Buffs? Since 2022, the team has worn “Turnover Buffs” the high-end Cartier eyewear which features buffalo horn arms known colloquially as “Buffs,” as their signature gaudy sports item whenever there was a turnover.
If Miami has the “U” chain, in Michigan they rock Cartier and more specifically “Buffs.” The brainchild of Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, he utilized his NIL relationship with a jeweler, Ziedman’s Jewelry and Loan, to get the Buffs and the team started making it a staple item of their game.
After Michigan defeated Washington, Harbaugh was handed a pair of “White Buffs” on the field and he then switched over to the “wire” which are Cartiers that have wire arms versus the more opulent buffalo horn. Then there are “Woods” which are a combination of wood and wires usually accompanied with gold rims around the lens. The terms comes from Detroit and is a staple wardrobe item for a Midwest baller. Harbaugh joined in on the team’s fun which unites the state as urban centers like Detroit neighbors, only a 40-minute drive from the campus at Ann Arbor, had to feel that one.
With prices in the high $2000s for Buffs, high $1000s for Wires and more for wood-wire combinations, the Michigan flex is akin to the Shedeur watch-in-your-face moment. The biggest difference is Michigan is undefeated.
As an avid wearer of Cartier glasses myself, I salute Harbaugh for not only throwing on the White Buffs, which are also synonymous with the streets in Detroit, but also for showing his versatility within Cartier eyewear culture by switching up with the understated Wires on the winning stage.
However, there were so many Harbaugh-isms during that night we have to list them.
“It’s pretty great. You watch this confetti come down, it’s like thousands of confetti. It tells a story. There’s a story in every one of those pieces of confetti. Amazing blue confetti. Just so proud of our team,” Harbaugh said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
The 60-year-old coach caught hell from the Michigan faithful, who conjured up hilarious posts roasting his lack of poetic symmetry.
“personally i do not think there is a story in every piece of confetti but I did not go 15-0 and win the national championship myself,” posted @tapemachines on ‘X.’
Others chipped in for Harbaugh to leave the poetry to the poets but, in general were ecstatic that Harbaugh broke an almost three-decade championship drought.
Harbaugh also announced that he willingly lost a bet with the team that if they went 15-0, he would get a tattoo that said 15-0. He said he will get it on his right arm, his quarterback arm, along with the Michigan “M” which also signifies the over 1,000 wins they achieved.
Harbaugh penned an essay for The Player’s Tribune back in 1996 on his early life growing up in Ann Arbor. In the personal passage, Harbaugh talks about how his father’s favorite phrase to lighten up bad financial days was, “Who’s got it better than us?” and the response from the Harbaugh boys was always “nobody!”
Jack Harbaugh, the patriarch of the coaching family, won the first championship among himself and his sons when he led Western Kentucky to the I-AA championship in 2002. Next up was John Harbaugh, who led the Baltimore Ravens to their Super Bowl 47 win.
Now Jim joins the ranks of the Harbaugh championship legacy, and he let his father, who worked for a then low-paying coach/recruiter salary, yell out his motivational phrase on the biggest stage in college sports.
That’s epic.
He even made college football pundit Paul Finebaum eat his words.
“I was cheering for him last night, and I can’t explain it,” Finebaum said on ESPN. “I’m sure it goes back to some weird thing from when I was a baby. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more wrong about anything in my entire life.”
From confetti to Buffs, Jim Harbaugh is not just a coach; whether he’s aware or unaware, he has some energy for the culture.
Mos Def decided to set off a nuke spontaneously at Drake during a podcast, which immediately polarized fans of both artists. Although Mos Def makes a fair and infectiously comical point about Drake’s music being “pop” and inspiration for “shopping,” he has SKUs in other buckets of life that make him the perfect candidate for a pop pass.
Drake’s music is a pantheon of sports alliterations, allegiances, and homage.
“Kobe ’bout to lose a hundred fifty Ms / Kobe my nia, I hate it had to be him / B*h, you wasn’t with me shootin’ in the gym.” Replete with a Rick Ross ad lib echoing Drakes’s gym sentiments, Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin’” is a universal gesture of hurt that any man would feel if they were in Kobe Bryant’s shoes.
The opening intro sequence of the sports agency and football lifestyle show “Ballers” is Drake spitting his verse from “Right Above It,” and, frankly, there is no better substitute. The song drops you right in the middle of all the wealth, athleticism, sizzle, and glamour that defines South Florida.
With Kevin Durant serving as an A&R of Drake’s last album, “For All The Dogs,” the Toronto native is looking like the bridge for Durant and possibly others to dip their toe in music production at a high level. For the sports references, the evolution of sports relationships, and general quotables, Drake gets a pass.
P.S. DMX already gave a strong take on this, so the congregation already heard the gospel.
Exhibit B for Drake’s pop pass is a no-brainer: Range
Interestingly, Mos Def had this obvious take on Drake when what is readily more apparent is his range. Mos Def is a range master as an actor, part-time hook singer, and MC. However, claiming Drake is limited to his commercially viable hits is a mistake. Without a doubt, Drake is an MC. Look no further than songs like “5 AM in Toronto,” “Tuscan Leather,” or “O To 100” where he spits:
“I been Steph Curry with the shot / Been cookin’ with the sauce, Chef Curry with the pot, boy / 360 with the wrist, boy.”
Floss mode on swole while pairing sports references effortlessly.
Face it, folks, Drake is the collab king. From the newest breaking artists to seasoned vets, Drake raps with all of them. Adding Sexxy Red to his song, “Rich Baby Daddy,” or jumping on Migos’ “Versace” is par for the course in his catalog. Each one is memorable and becomes an anthem for a season. It is what it is.
Drake has no problem shouting out his OG’s and those who inspired him from afar. From Wu-Tang to Dipset, Drake has always shown love, and again, he constantly reaches out to the new generation for features. Drake is as much for anyone who loves rap as he is for those who only follow his commercial hits.
Mos Def pointed to the elephant in the room so to address it. Commercialization is as much an asset as it is a perceived detriment to the purity of the art form. Drake is showing artists how to become very successful, which is to be aligned with every audience, literally the definition of pop culture. There will always be a tradeoff with any immense success, and for Mos Def, Drake is now music for “shopping.”
However, the SKUs Drake has in the universe are only inspiration, and he deserves a pop pass for amplifying the culture as much as Mos Def feels he is cannibalizing it.
Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka is back on the tennis court and will be competing in the Australian Open beginning this Sunday. Osaka has been on a break, as she is a new mother and dealt with getting a better handle on her mental health. She has seemingly found a new perspective and is ready to get back to winning.
“Honestly, I’m feeling pretty positive,” Osaka said. “Giving birth to my daughter changed my mindset a lot. And it’s also made me realize that my world doesn’t have to revolve around me — which might also be a little selfish too. I guess I’ve just found outer happiness and inner peace.”
Osaka burst onto the scene in 2018, winning her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final. The match was marred by a partisan Williams crowd, an argument between Williams and the chair umpire, and a tearful trophy ceremony that Osaka really didn’t enjoy.
She won three more majors (Australian Open twice, U.S. Open) over the next 28 months, reached No. 1 in the world, became increasingly popular, and the media attention was fast and heavy.
Osaka was the highest-earning female athlete, and all of the demands of being famous on top of the expectations of being the next great tennis champion weighed on her. She openly struggled with issues and cited the need to better handle her mental health.
She struggled with injuries in 2022 and then missed all of the 2023 season while having her first child with her ex-boyfriend the rapper Cordae.
Late in the summer of 2023 Osaka began working tirelessly to get herself ready to return to the tour in 2024, and in early December everything started to click.
“She was suddenly flying over the court and destroying every ball,” her coach Wim Fissette said. “She was incredible. I don’t know if she was inspired by the camera and wanted to show off her movement but that was when I thought, ‘She’s pretty much exactly where she needs to be to compete.'”
Last week Osaka played the Brisbane International, one of the warmup tournaments heading into the year’s first grand slam. She won her first match, but lost in the second round in a tough three-setter to former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.
She’ll have two matches under her belt and a lot of on-court time as she heads to Melbourne.
Expecting a win for Osaka is too much. If she’s able to win a few matches and maybe advance to the third or fourth round that would be a major accomplishment.
She’s been off for 15 months, and the sport has changed. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is no joke. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff (Nos. 2-4, respectively) are all Grand Slam champions.
To pull off a win she’ll have to defeat a lot of seeded players and at least two of these women.
“It’s weird, my second tournament is going to be a Grand Slam,” Osaka said to ESPN. “Normally, I feel like people play way more tournaments to lead into that. But I guess doing well is knowing that there’s nothing more I could have done in that tournament and leaving with a sense of accomplishment — and leaving with a feeling that I can learn so much more.”
That she’s back on the court and in a new place in her life are all positive signs. She can springboard a good result in Australia into a good spring, summer and Olympics in Paris. Once she is match-tough and fit, anything is possible.
The Detroit Lions haven’t hosted a playoff game since 1993, but that will change Sunday night as they host the Los Angeles Rams during Super Wild Card Weekend.
Adding intrigue to the matchup is Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford returning to the Motor City, the place he called home from 2009 to 2021. Stafford was traded to the Rams for current Lions quarterback Jared Goff in a blockbuster deal. Now they’ll face off against each other in a playoff game.
The game holds special sentimental value for Lions fans who’ve suffered through some lean years but under third-year head coach won their first division title since 1993 and now host a postseason game. The game and who it’s against is also causing some real angst in and around the city, to the point a bar is saying anyone who attempts to watch the game there won’t be allowed if they’re wearing anything with Stafford’s name on it.
Thomas Magee’s Says No To Stafford Gear
Bar owner Erik Olson, a lifelong Lions fan, isn’t taking this game lightly. He even took to Facebook to make the announcement with multiple crossed out Stafford jerseys accompanying the post:
“PSA: please refrain from trying to enter Thomas Magee’s on game day with Lions Stafford jerseys. You’ll be turned away at the door. It’s our first home playoff game in 30 years, use some common sense. Regards, Ownership.”
When you’ve suffered as long as Lions fans have you can see why they’re taking extreme measures. Wouldn’t call that decision to be the best business practice, but based on Olson’s comments and post, he doesn’t care. The city is starving for postseason success, something they haven’t experienced since former head coach Wayne Fontes was stalking the sidelines of the Pontiac Silverdome and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders was juking defenders out of their cleats.
When the Detroit Free Press came to interview Olson the fiery bar owner didn’t change his tune. In fact, he reiterated why he’s taking such a strong stance.
“We haven’t had a home playoff game in 30 years and haven’t won one in 32 years. So my feelings are if you’re going to wear the jersey of the guy that is on the field trying to take our first opportunity at a home playoff victory in 30 years away from us, you’re just a different type of dude. Go hang someplace else that day.”
If adamant and standing on business was a person, it’d be Olson.
Some Lions Fans Want Stafford Jersey Banned At Ford Field
In an attempt to have no one attending Sunday’s game violate the protocol, Lions fans took to Instagram to say no one wearing a Stafford jersey will be allowed into the stadium on Sunday. While that is false, you get the drift as to how seriously the fans in the Motor City are taking this game.
The comment seemed to rub Stafford’s wife Kelly the wrong way, as the popular YouTuber made comments about the suggestion, calling it “sad” and saying her husband still has deep admiration for the city. While he certainly does, and the most in the city likely feel the same about Stafford, they just will not for 3.5 to 4 hours on Sunday.
Kelly Stafford is reading into this way too much and taking it out of context. They’re not supposed to cheer for Stafford. He plays for the team trying to beat them and end their season.
When Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban surprisingly decided to retire on Wednesday it sent shock waves throughout the sports and college football world. Gone was the face of college football who’d built the always proud Alabama football program into the standard program it has become in college football. With him Saban takes seven national championships (six at Alabama), 11 SEC championships (nine at Alabama), 12 SEC West championships (10 at Alabama) and so many other accolades.
Following a legend like that isn’t for everyone, and after Dan Lanning (Oregon), Mike Norvell (Florida State) and Steve Sarkisian (Texas) all turned down the Tide, Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, who just led the Huskies to the CFP national championship game is headed to Tuscaloosa to follow Saban. With all things considered, the Tide honestly couldn’t have done better when you consider what DeBoer has accomplished and what he’s been able to do in his coaching career.
DeBoer Is A Winner
Following Saban will be no easy feat, but one thing DeBoer has in his favor is the rate in which he’s won. In two seasons in Seattle the former Washington Huskies head coach went 25-3, winning the final Pac-12 conference championship this past season and leading his team to the final game of the college football season. Prior to that he led the Fresno State Bulldogs to a 12-6 record in two COVID-19 shortened seasons (2020 and 2021).
Before that DeBoer went 67-3 with three NAIA national championship as the head coach at Sioux Falls (2005-2009). One theme with DeBoer is he wins, and no matter level he did it at, he did it at the highest level, securing a career coaching record of 104-12.
Per 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, DeBoer was reportedly the top target for Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne from the get-go.
“There was some inaccurate reporting when the initial reporting came out about Dan Lanning, him being in Tuscaloosa and being on the verge of being Alabama’s head coach, Zenitz said, via CBS Sports HQ. “When you have a head coaching search of this magnitude, you’re going to have some misinformation that comes out during the course of the process. Based on what I’ve heard today, Kalen was a top target for Alabama throughout the course of this search. Kalen was at the top of the list for Greg Byrne throughout the course of this process.”
What DeBoer’s Hire Means For Alabama Recruits
The big question that’s lingered since Saban’s announcement was how would the Crimson Tide be able to keep recruits from entering the transfer portal. If you’re an offensive player you might wanna stay in Tuscaloosa, because offense is what DeBoer is known for. For two consecutive seasons at Washington his offense led the nation in total (569.0) and passing (446.4) yards per game with Heisman runner-up quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who is one of the projected Heisman favorites heading into next season, should be excited about the DeBoer hire, along with Alabama’s receivers and running backs.
Defensively they’ll be aggressive as they were this season with the Huskies, but the difference in Tuscaloosa is they’ll be much more talent on that side of the ball at DeBoer’s disposal.
DeBoer will have the legend himself Nick Saban to lean on as he makes this transition.
Michael Strahan‘s 19-year-old daughter, Isabella, is battling medulloblastoma. This is a a cancerous brain tumor that starts in the lower back part of the brain. The “Good Morning America” co-anchor appeared alongside his daughter as she opened up about a very intense, difficult and personal situation.
“I didn’t notice anything was off until probably, like October first,” she told Robin Roberts. “That’s when I definitely noticed headaches, nausea, couldn’t walk straight.”
Isabella Strahan is a freshman at the University of Southern California and began experiencing debilitating headaches in the fall.
According to the Mayo Clinic, medulloblastoma can happen at any age, but it most often occurs in young children.
Isabella initially thought she had vertigo but as her symptoms worsened she sought full professional help.
“I woke up, probably at like, 1 p.m. I dreaded waking up. But I was throwing up blood,” Isabella said. “I was like, ‘Hmm, this probably isn’t good.’ So I texted [my sister], who then notified the whole family.”
Isabella received the medulloblastoma diagnosis and immediately underwent surgery just before her 19th birthday. Following the surgery she underwent a month of rehab which included relearning how to walk, and several rounds of radiation treatment. She is now set to begin chemotherapy next month at Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Durham, North Carolina.
“That’s my next step. I’m ready for it to start and be one day closer to being over,” Isabella said. “I’m very excited for this whole process to wrap. But you just have to keep living every day, I think, through the whole thing.”
As with many forms of cancer the concern is recurrence. According to studies, relapse is the most adverse prognostic factor in medulloblastoma. Relapses occur in approximately 30% of patients and are almost always fatal.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer is happy that the tumor was caught and removed and believes his daughter is strong and will persevere.
“I literally think that in a lot of ways, I’m the luckiest man in the world because I’ve got an amazing daughter,” the former New York Giants defensive end said during their interview. “I know she’s going through it, but I know that we’re never given more than we can handle and that she is going to crush this.”
Michael Strahan has four children. Daughter Tanita Strahan, and a son, Michael Anthony Strahan Jr. from his first marriage, and Isabella and her twin sister Sophia Strahan from his second marriage.
As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Miami Dolphins in the AFC wild card game Saturday in what’s expected to be a very frigid Arrowhead Stadium, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wanted to make something clear. With all the coaching moves made this week, including the legendary Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, Reid let it be known that while he’s definitely focused on trying to beat the Dolphins, he’s also not ready to turn in his sideline-stalking badge.
The two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, who’s second all-time in playoff wins with 22 behind the aforementioned Belichick (31), is not ready to step away from the game. As he spoke to the media during his Thursday presser, the legendary head coach was quick to quell any notion that this could be his last rodeo. That has to make the Chiefs faithful smile, unlike those fans in Foxborough and Tuscaloosa who now have to begin coaching searches to replace legends.
Reid Jokes About His Age
Part of Reid’s response centered around his age. The 65-year-old is six years younger than Belichick and seven years younger than Saban. When asked about his plans for 2024, Reid had this to say.
“I haven’t even thought about that, I’m thinking about one thing. I figured that would come up when you guys were asking these questions because I’m old. But not that old.”
Reid’s answer pretty much tells you what his mindset is heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Fins and former Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill. The two teams played earlier this season in Germany with the Chiefs prevailing 21-14 in a defensive struggle type of game. This one will be played in extreme cold, and the Dolphins are 0-5 in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s coldest starts, with this one likely to be the coldest of his career.
Chiefs Find Themselves In Awkward Position
Since Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the starter in 2018, K.C. has had home field advantage three times (2018, 2020 and 2022). The other two times they were the No. 2 seed and after the top seed was upset they then secured home field, meaning they’ve never played a true road game in the postseason, minus their Super Bowl appearances.
A win on Saturday, and barring the Pittsburgh Steelers upsetting the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and they’ll travel to Buffalo in the divisional round. To reach the Super Bowl in Vegas they’re gonna have to go into a hostile environment at least once. For a team that’s usually nearly unbeatable at home, they had four home losses in the regular season, meaning having to go on the road might not be a bad thing after all.
Don’t bet against Reid or Patrick Mahomes.
Aaron Rodgers recently said something that stirred the media up and has a lot of fans and critics speaking unfavorably about him. But you know it’s serious when things go from comments to people wanting to fight him.
Charles Barkley is one of the guys who’s taking his disrespect for Aaron Rodgers a step further. The NBA Hall of Famer and media personality mentioned that if he were Jimmy Kimmel, he would’ve punched Rodgers in the face.
Now Rodgers’ remarks regarding “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host and producer Jimmy Kimmel has turned heads everywhere.
Rodgers went on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and insinuated that Kimmel was on the Epstein list that was released later that week. A court unsealed a file that detailed a history of connections between the late billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and hundreds of his associates, many of them public figures. Epstein, who is widely reviled as a pedophile who trafficked underage girls to his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, kept records that showed who accompanied him when and where on his jaunts.
“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said last week on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle.”
Many people, including Kimmel, took offense to that remark made by Rodgers, and while Kimmel had a long monologue on his show where he addressed Rodgers’ comments, others who weren’t even mentioned by the New York Jets quarterback had some choice words for him as well.
But the funniest one has to be NBA legend and current TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley, who went on “CBS Mornings” to air out his thoughts on the Rodgers-Kimmel situation.
CBS Morning host Gayle King asked Barkley how he would’ve reacted had he been in Kimmel’s shoes.
“I would have punched him in the face,” Barkley said to CBS Morning. “I think that when you’re in the limelight, people get to say things about you — that goes with the territory — but when you start comparing people, saying you’re hanging out with pedophiles and people having sex with underage girls, that’s dangerous.”
Barkley isn’t wrong either, the amount of secrecy and anonymity that the Epstein operation had means that any name mentioned in the same sentence as Epstein automatically gives that person a questionable reputation in the eyes of the public.
And Barkley’s comment isn’t just talk or clout chasing. This is the same Sir Charles threw a heckling fan through a bar window in Orlando, Florida, in 1997, when Charles Barkley was playing for the Houston Rockets.
Someone as famous as Kimmel, his name carries a lot of weight, and Aaron Rodgers carelessly tossing his name around with something as serious as the Epstein list could do permanent damage to one’s career.
While Barkley probably represented a more violent side of Kimmel’s resentment toward Rodgers, Pat McAfee’s response to Rodgers’ comments on his show was much more appropriate.
McAfee announced that Rodgers’ segment of “Aaron Rodgers Tuesday” will be discontinued for the remainder of the season, McAfee stating that Rodgers had become too much of a distraction.
“So ‘Aaron Rodgers Tuesday,’ season 4 is done,” McAfee said. “There are going to be a lot of people that are happy with that, myself included, to be honest.”
It looks like Rodgers is losing a lot of faith from all sides involved, and if he wants to save face for when he returns to play for the Jets next year, he is best off keeping himself quiet and working on making a comeback.
