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“Wow ESPN Y’all Have Really Lost Y’all Mind” | Claressa Shields’ ESPN Women’s Trailblazers List Snub Maker Her Want To Give Caitlin Clark Boxing Lessons So She Won’t Be “Bullied On National TV.” 

Women’s boxing GWOAT Claressa Shields has accomplished a ton of things in the sport of boxing.

The three-time undisputed and five-weight world champion is easily the most decorated woman in the history of the sport.

Shields is also one of the brash and outspoken athletes in any sport, who’s quick to tell you all about her accomplishments. While she’s correct, that could be part of the reason she was left off of ESPN’s list of women trailblazers in sports.

Claressa Shields Left Off ESPN’s List Of Women Trailblazers: She’s Not Happy

It could also be that the sport of women’s boxing just doesn’t get the love or support that other sports get. Either way, ESPN dropped the ball, and Shields was definitely quick to let them know about it. The self-proclaimed GWOAT took to X to express her feelings in a post that also listed her accolades as a boxer. 

“Wow @espn Y’all have really lost y’all mind!!!!! Do I have to run my resume down to y’all!!! 2x Olympic champ 3x Undisputed champion 5 weight world champion 15x world champ WOMENS BOXING Trailblazer.”

That’s exactly what Shields posted after seeing the likes of renowned gymnast Simone Biles, legendary swimmer Katie Ledecky and even 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark made the list, but why not Shields, who’s created her own lane in the sport of boxing as it pertains to women. 

Related: It’s Not Just Black Girls Who Think Caitlin Clark Is Overhyped | Four-Time NCAA Champion Breanna Stewart Says Clark Must Win Title To Be All-Time Great (theshadowleague.com)

Claressa Shields Doesn’t Have Ratings Or Following Of Cailtin Clark

Maybe it’s the lack of viewership that comes with Shields’ line of work. Not many are willing to pay to attend her fights or order them via pay-per-view. That’s the total opposite of Clark, whose rookie season helped change the WNBA from a viewership, merchandising and overall brand point of view. 

In fact, with Clark being eliminated from the playoffs in the opening round, the viewership has dropped considerably, going from a record 2.5 million viewers to just 929,000 for the highly anticipated WNBA playoffs semifinals match between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, a rematch of last year’s Finals. As for Biles and Ledecky, they’re blessed to have the Olympic platform to showcase their talent in front of the world. 

Shields Offered To Give Clark Boxing Lessons

Back in August Shields was asked about Clark and her impact on the WNBA, to which she said, “The way that girl is shooting I may have to give her a little foul or something. Cailtin is doing her thing. Shoutout to her and Angel Reese. They’ve brought much attention to the WNBA”

She also mentioned that she could help Clark, who experienced rookie initiation like we’ve never seen before in the league protect herself. 

“I want Caitlin to come sign up for boxing training with me,” Shields said. “Not to teach her how to fight but to give her confidence and not let anybody push her over. When you have the confidence of knowing you can protect yourself, you don’t have to be fearful or scared of anybody. Caitlin is a great WNBA player, but she’s a rookie and, to me, she’s being bullied on national TV.”

Related: “Didn’t You Black Her Eye and No Foul Was Called?”: DiJonai Carrington Gave Caitlin Clark A Shiner, Clark Smacked The Contact Out Her Eye, So It Should Be Even (theshadowleague.com)

Clark hasn’t revealed to anyone if she actually took Shields up on her offer, but she did seem to get more respect from other WNBA players as the season wore on. 

“Her Parents Poisoned Her Brain With Bad Information” | Jason Whitlock Challenges A’ja Wilson’s Claim That Black Women Have To Work Harder In WNBA To Get Respect

On Friday night WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson helped the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces stave off elimination in their semifinal matchup with the New York Liberty.

Wilson, who became just the second unanimous MVP, joining former Houston Comets superstar Cynthia Cooper, and went for 19 points, 14 rebounds and three assists in the 95-81 win in Michelob Ultra Arena in Sin City, forcing a Game 4. 

Wilson, whose work ethic and leadership have helped make her the league’s best player, described in an Oct. 3 ESPN feature why she works so hard.

She credits her work ethic to being a Black woman in America.

“I mean for us, as Black women, we grew up, a lot of time, with our parents telling us, ‘You got to work 10 times as hard just to get a foot in the door, let alone stand out.’ I felt that far more this year than ever,” Wilson said. 

A’ja Wilson Feels Overshadowed By Caitlin Clark

Sounds like the three-time MVP is insinuating that in many ways the media and fans’ infatuation with rookie Caitlin Clark (Caucasian female) often overshadowed career years by Wilson and other WNBA players. While it’s not like Clark didn’t earn or deserve all the attention, it definitely cast a shadow over anyone else in the league doing great things.

The 28-year-old Wilson was one of those players who set many records as well, and, considering what she accomplished, she feels she was shortchanged by the media. 

Jason Whitlock Calls Cap On A’ja Wilson Playing Victim

As he does often, Jason Whitlock, a longtime sports analyst who’s made a living by making shocking takes, especially as pertain to race, discussed Wilson’s interview Friday on his “Fearless” show on Blaze TV, offering a rebuttal to Wilson’s comments about having to work much harder.

“A’ja Wilson, who’s maybe 30 years old, maybe, she didn’t grow up in a time when you had to be 10 times as good to get half the credit or an equal amount of credit,” Whitlock said. “And she doesn’t even contend that. What she’s contending is that her parents poisoned her brain with bad information and made her feel like, ‘Oh my god, the world is out to get you and despite your effort, you’re only gonna get half the acclaim and credit that you deserve.’ That’s a myth that her parents put in her head. And we need to stop putting that myth in our kids’ heads.”

Whitlock, who is a 57-year-old Black man, explained that he got the same messaging from his own parents.

“And I’m talking about, even for me, when my parents — well-intentioned — when the told me that, when they repeated to me what was told to them — which was true to them about them and their generation — it was not true about me and my generation,” he continued. “And it damn sure isn’t true about A’ja Wilson and her generation. We’re poisoning the mind of young people. We’re telling them, ‘Prepare yourself. We’re gonna let you out of this cocoon, and you’re going to be a victim.’”

Whitlock isn’t in a position to criticize how A’ja Wilson’s parents motivated or enlightened her as a child. He also doesn’t know her personal experiences that have led to her current view on things.

Related: Caitlin Clark Fan Base Needs A Villain To Hate: With Angel Reese Out, MVP Leader A’ja Wilson Is New Target

Wilson Looking To Lead Aces Into History Books

As the Aces look to three-peat — which would be just the second time it’s happened in league history, and first time since Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson led the Houston Comets to the league’s first four championships — it’ll be an uphill task trailing the Liberty 2-1 after Friday’s do-or-die Game 3 win, but if there’s any team that can overcome an 0-2 hole and win three in a row to advance it’s the Aces. 

And they just so happen to be led by the best player in the league in Wilson, who exudes great confidence, work ethic and leadership. 

‘You Are Soooo Jealous and Ugly’: Caitlin Clark Fans Attack ‘Unapologetically Angel’ Reese For Not Congratulating Caitlin Clark On Her WNBA Rookie of the Year Award

The WNBA Rookie of the Year Award’s final vote made it seem like Caitlin Clark (19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebound) totally dominated the competition throughout the entire 40-game season. Anyone who watches knows this is a fallacy because Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was breaking rebound records and helping her young team fight for a playoff berth until she injured her wrist with six games left in the season. 

Caitlin Clark Wins WNBA Kia Rookie of the Year Award Getting 66 of 67 Votes

Media reports had the race neck and neck with less than a month left. Some had Reese leading at one point, as she ran off a record number of double-doubles. 

Clark was the mainstream queen who brought a new fanbase of white males and young girls to the game. Reese brought plenty of men of color to the WNBA through her immense social media presence and her “in the building” social schedule. 

Clark broke rookie records for points and assists and three-pointers, and Reese set a record for rebounding average (13.1). Clark is an offensive weapon and Reese is a defensive weapon, but both were equally as impactful and vital to the success of their teams and the timely elevation of the league’s brand. 

Related: Angel Reese Is Closing Hard On Caitlin Clark In WNBA Rookie of the Year Race: The Corporate Darling vs. The People’s Choice

Caitlin Clark Fans Mad Angel Reese Didn’t Congratulate WNBA Rookie of the Year On Social Media

When Reese got hurt, the Sky slowly faded from the playoff race, while Clark’s team finished strong and made the playoffs as a fifth seed. 

When Clark was announced as the WNBA Kia Rookie of the Year it was a foregone conclusion with Reese bowing out at the end that Clark would win. As we have come to understand, her fans are rarely happy, and instead of celebrating the win, of course they had to drag Angel Reese into the mix. 

Clark fans took to social media to destroy Reese, who received just one WNBA ROY vote, for not congratulating Clark on social media, but instead plugging her latest podcast, featuring NBA legend and Chicago native son Dwyane Wade. 

“NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!! WE DROPPED SOME GEMS,” Reese tweeted. 

She also posted a picture of her on the set of her podcast, prior to conducting the interview.  

Clark fans accused Reese of purposely not mentioning the award as a form of throwing shade. 

“You are soooo jealous and ugly.  Sad to be you,” one X user tweeted. 

“You lost rookie of the year but you’re tweeting this,” another X user said.

“1 vote,” laughed one X user in reference to the award’s final voting tally, which favored Clark 66-1. 

“You’re not gonna congratulate your fellow mate for rookie of the year?” someone asked.

“Make sure you shout out the ROTY,” a user added.

WNBA Fans Wanted Clark vs. Reese In WNBA Playoffs

Of course, the contentious relationship between Clark fans and Angel Reese fans played out in every game of this historical WNBA season. It was a blow to the WNBA when Reese got hurt and her team failed to make the playoffs. Clark vs. Reese is the matchup everyone wanted to see. 

Reese fans have been accusatory of Clark all season as well. Often referring to her disputes with referees over foul calls and her physical confrontations with other players. They also accused Clark earlier this season trying to copy off of Reese, when days after Reese was on stage twerking with Megan Thee Stallion at Lollapalooza 2024, Clark was on stage at a Jordan Davis concert, singing to the crowd. 

Related: “Why She Wanna Be Angel Reese So Bad:” Fans Accuse Caitlin Clark Of Going Onstage With Jordan Travis Because Reese Twerked With Megan Thee Stallion (theshadowleague.com) 

Reese’s injury and her hectic social schedule is always fodder for Clark’s social media pit bulls. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said several times that the rivalry between Reese and Clark, and their fans, is a positive one for the league and conjures memories of when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson took the NBA to a new level of entertainment value and brand recognition. 

Reese has downplayed the rivalry several times, claiming that she does not have a problem with Clark and their friendly rivalry dates back to AAU days and continued into college and the pros. They both understand that this monster has taken on a life of its own and afforded other WNBA stars a platform in the process.  

Did Angel Reese Congratulate Caitlin Clark Privately?

Maybe Reese offered Clark a public congratulations. Everybody doesn’t express everything they do on social media. Even a social media queen like Reese doesn’t let everyone in on all of her interactions and actions. 

You can bet that Magic Johnson wasn’t calling Larry Bird up and congratulating him for winning the 1979-80 season Rookie of the Year award, and Bird wasn’t calling Magic up to congratulate Magic on winning his first Finals MVP and NBA championship. 

Related: Angel Reese Put More Sauce On ‘You Can’t See Me’ Than Caitlin Clark, But “There’s A White-Black Issue Here” Like Magic vs. Bird ’79 Championship Game

Plus, Reese is very calculated with it. She also knows the benefits of being Caitlin Clark’s archnemesis.

It’s brought her a large group of fans who support her simply because they don’t like the Clark Hive or the white privilege her WNBA counterparts keep discussing as it relates to her rise. So, Reese may not like being overshadowed on the court by Clark, but she definitely makes sure that she juices their alleged rivalry in her own way when necessary.

“It Was 100% Stefon Diggs Or Tyreek Hill Who Took Cardi B From Offset”: Social Media Names The NFL Player That Cardi B Cheated On Offset With During Her Third Pregnancy

Rap superstar Cardi B and her ex-husband Offset had a very public back-and-forth that exposed further holes in their relationship that did very little to stop social media from talking about it. The “I Like It Like That” songstress has been trending lately.

Her new music isn’t the center of conversation, however, as her estranged husband accused her of engaging in relations with someone when she was pregnant. “U f**ed with my baby inside, tell the truth!!” he wrote in the comment section, interrupting her Instagram Live.

Cardi didn’t deny the accusations, which only heightened the drama, claiming, ‘You can’t buy me no more. It’s so crazy that a n*gga thinks that’s enough.” When pressed, she confirmed the accusation, posting on X, “AND DID!!!”

DJ Akademiks reported on one of his livestreams that Offset caught Cardi B with an NFL wide receiver, who recently scored a TD and might be on his fantasy football team.

Akademiks’ bombshell disputed the rumor that Cardi cheated with another rapper. The only clue offered as to the identity of the NFL player was Akademiks referencing him as a “dog,” one of those ballers with a large sexual appetite and extensive dating history.  

There was one NFL player who elevated to the top of everyone’s suspect list; Houston Texans flamboyant wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

One woman X user said: “I’d Cardi B is messing with Stefon Diggs…she’s the goat fr.”

Another said he was “Hearing rumors” that Diggs is the culprit.

Cardi and Offset were married for six years before she filed for divorce for the second time this summer. She admits that she began speaking to other men while she was indeed pregnant.

Her relationship with Offset was already on the rocks before she announced that she was preggo. They have three children together. 

It’s weird that Diggs would be the popular choice and not Tyreek Hill, who is reported have a basketball team of allegedly up to 10 children.

Related: Women, Beware. “Family Man” Tyreek Hill Might Have 10 Kids, Does Have New Contract: $90M Deal With $65M Guaranteed Ensures NFL Star Leaves No Child Behind

Reek was mentioned, but Diggs got all the smoke. Diggs has been in a public relationship with actress Lashontae Heckard since 2019. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she moved to America at 5 years old.

She started rising to fame when she made her debut as Busta Rhyme’s love interest in the 2002 video for “I Know What You Want” featuring Mariah Carey. Heckard has also appeared on BET’s “The Game” and the 2006 cult-classic film “ATL.” They have a blended family. 

We know Cardi B can be messy, and when she starts raging no man is safe. No private information is off the table to be shared with millions of followers. Cardi B and Offset’s fairytale relationship has made both parties plenty of money and gained them fans from all over the world.

The soap opera drama is still clearly a winner, as the conversation about Cardi and Offset and the dynamics between men and women and relationships has dominated the social media conversation surrounding hip-hop’s biggest celebrities. 

The 31-year-old Dominican mega star from the Bronx spoke about their relationship in a Live last month.

“Me and my baby dad, we were on very bad terms,” she explained. “I still called him and we kind of laughed about it because it was like, ‘What the fk? That sh*t is so random.’

It is odd that just as her popularity seemed to be declining a bit — especially after she promised a 2024 album in response to all of the artists taking veiled and direct shots at her, and then said she’s going to relax, travel and enjoy her summer — she went on this wild rampage against Offset online.

The engagement was undoubtedly through the roof, and Cardi is back at the center of celebrity gossip. She definitely knows how to sell her brand, and she knows how to gaslight her fanbase into action. The visibility doesn’t hurt Offset either. No matter how much thee two tell us they aren’t feeling each other anymore, they will forever be linked by family and fame. 

One X user didn’t beat around the bush, saying “it was 100% Stefon Diggs or Tyreek Hill who took cardi B from offset…lol”

Offset said as much when he tweeted out to Cardi and the world why he is the winner in all of this even if she did cheat on him. 

“U will be calling me after a couple of months u my bm I won” 

Considering Cardi B has a net worth of reportedly $80 million and her ex-husband’s net worth is listed at $28M (with much of that recent dough coming from his marriage to Cardi), Offset is right. He bagged the “Big Fish,” and it seems he’s content with how things have worked out. 

Related: Meet The New IG Models In The Lives Of Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, And Offset (theshadowleague.com)

Wide receivers are the most popular and charismatic woman magnets after quarterbacks. Names of other elite receivers such as Justin Jefferson and even retired NFL receiver Antonio Brown, were thrown into the mix. Maybe we will find out who it was when Cardi does “Club Shay Shay.”

“Jaws and Paws”: Daughter of Sacramento Kings $700M Owner Vivek Ranadivé Is Raising Wolves and Dating Former NBA Journeyman Jeremy Lamb

Jeremy Lamb was a journeyman as a pro basketball player, but he’s seriously upgraded in retirement, positioning himself to take over the $700M fortune of Sacramento King’s owner Vivek Ranadivé‘.

How Sway?

The Sacramento Kings have missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons from 2006-23, and just recently seem to be finally moving into that caliber under owner Vivek Ranadivé, who purchased the team in 2013.

Ranadivé’s heavily based analytic approach was often criticized early in his ownership, but it’s finally bearing fruit.

In fact, things have gotten so good that Ranadivé even made his daughter Anjali the GM of the franchise’s G-League affiliate the Stockton Kings, a position she stepped down from in January.

At the time of the move Ranadivé became the first woman to lead an NBA G-League team. 

Anjali Ranadivé, Daughter Of Kings Owner, Dating Former Kings Player Jeremy Lamb

Nine months after stepping down, Ranadivé gave some insight into why she has no time to run her Dad’s G-League team. She’s head over heels for an NBA player and has revealed that she’s doing well in her love life.

The heir to her father’s fortune is dating former NBA and Kings player Jeremy Lamb. The lovebirds recently took to social media to show their affection for another. 

Ranadivé posted a photo of herself, Lamb and her wolves from her foundation called “Jaws and Paws” with the caption “My pack,” a reference to the three animals in the picture.

Lamb also posted a video of the couple riding and singing the lyrics to “I’m Outside” by North Carolina-born emcee DaBaby. In another public display of affection, the two shared a kiss, pretty much signaling to the world that they’re definitely an item. Ranadivé even commented on the video, telling Lamb this in the comments:

“I love you tater.”

Can we say mushy? 

Prior to her trying her hand at running her dad’s G-League squad, Anjali was pursuing a music career and her dad’s arena was her stage.

Lamb And Ranadivé’s Dating Timeline Uncertain

While there was no recollection of the two dating during Lamb’s time with the Stockton Kings as Ranadivé ran the daily operations, many believe they’ve been dating since then. Either way, they seem to be happy and enjoying each other. Ranadivé stepped down from her GM position earlier this year to focus on gaining her Ph.D and to dedicate more of her time to her aforementioned foundation. 

As for Lamb he’s got plenty of free time following a 10-year NBA career that saw him play for the likes of the Thunder, Hornets, Pacers, and Kings.

Lamb Had Solid College and NBA Career

As a true freshman Lamb was a key member of the Connecticut Huskies’ 2011 NCAA championship squad, who were led by star guard Kemba Walker. Lamb went on to become the No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Rockets but was traded to the OKC Thunder prior to the season. For his career he averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and two assists per game. 

Related: “To Say I Grabbed This Kid … I Just Didn’t Like The Disrespect” | Matt Barnes Loses Sacramento Kings TV Job Over Incident At Sons’ Basketball Game (theshadowleague.com)

All in all, Lamb had a solid NBA career, and he is grateful for the opportunity basketball has afforded him. Now, Lamb, who was released by the Kings in 2023, is positioning himself to make more money with this new relationship than the $53M he made throughout his NBA career. Talk about a retirement upgrade.

“Basketball has been good to me throughout my entire life, so this decision didn’t come easy, but I have decided to retire from the game that has given me everything.”

Maybe even his future heiress wife.

‘A Thug Raised By A Thug’: Social Media Viciously Violates $6M Kansas City WR Rashee Rice and Momma Rice, Who Was Caught On Video Apparently Stealing Neighbor’s Chappell Roan Records

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice and his family are having a rough week. After establishing himself as Patrick Mahomes’ premiere weapon during the team’s 4-0 start, Rice tore his ACL when his leg was rolled on after Mahomes threw an interception and then dove into Rice’s knee while attempting to help tackle a defender.

The result was disastrous and an unexpected and crushing end to what was sure to be Rice’s breakout season. 

If the stress of that mishap wasn’t bad enough, social media is having a ball with recent developments concerning Rice’s mom.

According to reports, a video has been released of his mom apparently stealing a package from a neighbor’s porch, just hours after Rice went down for the season. 

BREAKING: #Chiefs star WR Rashee Rice’s mom is accused of STEALING a package with Chappell Roan records from a neighbor’s porch.

Just hours after her son’s Sunday injury. The theft was caught on video, with her wearing a “Momma-Rice” jersey.

(Via TMZ)

Rashee Rice Mom Caught Stealing Package Of Chappell Roan Records From Neighbor

The package allegedly contained records by outspoken pop star and songwriter Chappell Roan. Roan is known for her candid social media presence and has spoken out against fan behavior recently.  Her music is heavily inspired by 1980s synthesized-inspired music and early 2000s pop hits. Her music culture is heavily influenced by drag queens.

Roan, whose real name is Kayleigh Rose, wouldn’t be someone that we would consider Momma Rice a fan of, which makes the situation even more bizarre.  

Social Media Going In On Rashee Rice and Momma Rice

Social media isn’t cutting the family any slack. In fact, many X users used this latest incident and compared it to when Rice was in legal trouble earlier this season after fleeing the scene of an accident he caused.  

Back in March, Rice turned himself in to authorities and was booked into jail, more than a week after he was involved in a multi-vehicle collision in Dallas. Rice is a former Southern Methodist football player who grew up near Fort Worth and was facing eight charges related to a six-vehicle crash on U.S. Interstate 75. 

Related: Shannon Sharpe And Antonio Brown Finally Agree On Something | 4-Year-Old Boy Was One Of The Victims In Apparent Rashee Rice Street Racing Lamborghini Crash

After a video was released that saw him and his friends shamelessly leaving the scene of the crime, officials said Rice admitted to driving a Lamborghini Urus involved in the collision, which injured four people.

Rice eventually turned himself in to Glenn Heights police. Records show his bond was set at $40,000.

The 23-year-old Rice wrote in a story posted to his Instagram page and a statement emailed to USA TODAY Sports by his attorney Royce West, “I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities. I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday’s accident.”

Social media was relentless once the video of Momma Rice stealing emerged.

“Wow who could’ve guessed!!! Omg I’m shocked!!! The same mom who raised a son to drive 120 mph mid day drunk asf and then flee a scene after causing a 6 car pileup is stealing ppls packages when her son is rich? No way!,” said one X user.

One X user said: “This family is not the smartest.”

Another wrote: “I guess the apple don’t fall far from the tree

A thug raised by a thug.”

Others were confused as to why Momma Rice would have to steal anything.

“Son worth 6m and having to steal a package is bidenomics 101,” the commenter wrote.

The disrespect took a snowball effect, and nothing was off limits.

Rashee Rice Signed $6.5M Deal With Kansas City Chiefs

You kind of feel bad that Momma Rice is taking all of that abuse on social media, but she definitely set herself up for it by wearing the official “Momma Rice” jersey. That gave the entire situation a comical touch that only the piranhas and troublemakers on social media could capture. Along with TMZ of course, which gets all of the juicy footage.

Rashee has a four-year $6.5 million deal with the Chiefs and will be pulling in over $1.6 million this season, so his mom isn’t hurting for cash.

Related: Top 5 Rookies Following Week 6 | Kansas Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Is Patrick Mahomes’ New Weapon (theshadowleague.com)

Momma Rice should come out of this with at most a slap on the wrist. Rice is in worse shape. He was leading the Chiefs in receptions (24) and yardage (288) with two TDs before going down. Now he will have to fight for his spot again and watch on the sidelines until next season.

.

“Everyone Saying ‘Leave The Country, If You’re Unhappy In America,’ I Did”: Gabby Williams Made $23,491 With Seattle Storm Last Season, Then Social Media and Bigger Bag Drove Her Back To Turkey

Gabby Williams returned to the WNBA after carrying Team France to the gold medal match against Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Shortly after her heroic Olympic run, Williams, who spent the first 28 games of the WNBA season playing overseas for financial reasons, re-signed with the Seattle Storm for the remainder of the 2024 season. 

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound versatile wing averaged 10.3 points, four rebounds and 3.7 assists in her 12 games, helping the Storm finish with a top 5 seeding in the playoffs before losing to the two-time defending champion Vegas Aces in the first round. 

Williams is one of several star players who in the past had to play overseas in the offseason or during what would be the WNBA season, because of the low wages the league offers star players.

Gabby Williams Returns To Turkey, Says WNBA Hasn’t Met Financial Promises To Players

Until last weekebd, Williams hadn’t revealed her intensions. She’s clearly a high-caliber player in the WNBA, but even with Caitlin Clark and the WNBA rookie explosion, there are currently just 21 of 144 WNBA players making at least $200,000 per season.

Now she’s headed to Turkey to get the bag, and she feels fans don’t understand the real numbers because all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding Clark’s arrival and impact.

Williams recently signed a contract with Fenerbahçe S.K. of the Turkish Super League. The back-to-back FIBA EuroLeague Women champions are based out of Istanbul and will hope to three-peat during the 2024-25 season, which continues through at least June 1, 2025, depending on playoffs.

In 2018, Williams signed a four-year, $232,178 contract with Chicago Sky. Then she signed a one-year, $100,000 contract with the Seattle Storm, before leaving to play in Turkey most of the 2024 season. She only made $23,490 in her 12-game regular season stint with the Storm.

“Clark makes $70,000 in the WNBA,” Williams said this week in a TikTok video. “So I know all these Caitlin Clark fans are like, ‘Caitlin Clark makes $700,000.’”

”That’s off of endorsements. … To everyone saying ‘leave the country, if you’re unhappy in America,’ I did.”

The versatile baller has been very critical of the WNBA’s pay structure in the past, and her decision to play overseas rather than return to the WNBA was purely financial. She’s a talent that definitely helps raise the league’s profile.

Gabby Williams Says WNBA Thinks They Don’t Have To Pay Players A Livable Wage

Last summer she told The Next Hoops, “Unfortunately, [the WNBA] doesn’t pay the most. So I am happy to have other options to provide for me and my family.”

Williams repeated her criticism of the WNBA’s pay structure during her exit presser with the Storm at the end of the regular season.

“The W[NBA] thinks that they don’t have to pay us more in order for us to be here. And I think I didn’t express that when I first talked about prioritization,” Williams said.

“Our commissioner talked about us being able to make $700,000. That’s actually not true at all. There’s not one player who makes that.”

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said that the league was valued at $60 million entering the season and that number had jumped significantly this season, past the $120 million they hoped to haul in off the backs of the new batch of captivating rookies.

Assuming that’s true, it’s odd that the WNBA didn’t at least make it a point to mention that significantly higher pay scales would probably be in place by the conclusion of the next collective bargaining agreement. A show of good faith.

Related: “Women’s Sports Rights Fees Have Been Undervalued” WNBA Hopes To Double Revenue To $120M On Back of New Celebrity Ballers Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

With the booming ratings and and interest, particularly in Caitlin Clark, and the new $2 billion media rights check the NBA cut, chartered flights in position and several current players having shoe deals, players will expect the league to prioritize pay hikes commensurate with the increased revenue streams.

The WNBA’s current CBA started in 2020 and runs through 2027, but both the WNBA and the Players Association can opt out of the agreement by providing written notice by November 1, 2024.

Star players, such as Breanna Stewart of the NY Liberty have been saying they want to opt of the current CBA for years now. With the new revenue platform and increased brand valuation — one which some analysts such as Cheryl Miller insist is still being undervalued — it’s likely that both parties will opt out and player salaries will be a major point of negotiations.

How Much Do WNBA Players Make Overseas?

 According to The Athletic, in 2015, The New York Times reported that Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, a holder of an Italian passport, was paid close to $1.5 million per year by the Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg. New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones, who represents the Barbados but holds Bosnian citizenship, told ESPN last year that she made her annual WNBA salary in a month playing for Ekaterinburg.

Those salaries are reportedly outliers. The amount of Williams’ deal has not been disclosed, but you have to figure that it’s more than whatever Seattle was offering, along with living perks the WNBA doesn’t offer.

Overall, the players reportedly aren’t caking like that, although many of them, as of 2023, were still taking the check to go overseas and ball in the offseason and the overseas game is changing, with American leagues valuing foreign players at almost the same rate.

WNBA’s Highest-Paid Player Makes $252K

WNBA salaries are slowly rising. The average WNBA salary in 2024 is reportedly more than $130,069. This is considerably higher than the average salary in previous years.

The WNBA’s highest-paid player in 2024 is Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, who earns an annual salary of $252,450, as a part of a two-year, $504,900 contract.

Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm and Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury are the second- and third-highest earners in 2024, respectively. 

In comparison, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg has a current NIL Valuation of $1.4M, according to reports.

Despite what is being presented as this unprecedented moment in WNBA history and one of exponential financial growth in a short time, according to Williams, the league has yet to come through on promises to players concerning marketing and promotions and salaries. 

WNBA CBA Expires In 2027, Can Pull Out By Nov. 1, 2024

To be fair, under the last CBA, finalized in 2021, players were reportedly going to have the potential to earn more than $500,000 annually in cash compensation. Maximum salaries did climb to $215,000—nearly doubling prior max of $117,500.

There are currently 21 players making at least $200,000 per season. The top four picks in the first round earn the same amount of money, regardless of order. Those deals are four-year, $338,056 contracts, according to Spotrac.

Related: WNBA Players Get The Bag In Russia, But Angel McCoughtry Won’t Hoop There Again After Brittney Griner Release (theshadowleague.com)

Players and the league also agreed to share revenue 50-50 based on the league’s ability to meet revenue targets from marketing, broadcast, and licensing deals.

Williams says the players haven’t really benefitted from any of it and the league hasn’t seized the moment.

Brittney Griner Horror Highlighted Need For Higher WNBA Salaries To Keep Players Home In Offseason

With those failures, players have been forced to seek work elsewhere. This issue concerning the dangers for WNBA players going overseas to get a bag really became part of the national conversation when Phoenix Suns star Brittney Griner was imprisoned for nine months in a Russian jail for having vape cartridges in her bag at the airport returning home to the states after representing a Russian team in competition.  

“We were promised team marketing agreements and league marketing agreements, but they’ve fallen quite short,” Williams added. “So it’s still not enough for us international players to want to stay here. And that’s a choice of the players. If I make a choice to make more money, whatever, and then teams are mad that I don’t come back, but that’s how it is.

“The WNBA, if you want us to be here, you have to pay us more. It’s business, it’s how it works, and that’s all that means,” Williams concluded.

Fans Critical Of WNBA’s Lack Of Caitlin Clark Promotion

According to many fans, the WNBA has spent more time trying to temper the explosive popularity of Caitlin Clark and forcefully highlight other players that people simply aren’t as interested in, instead of focusing on capitalizing off the historic rookie class and the new audience that their presence has afforded the league. 

Related: “Y’all Mad Because That Cornfed Iowa Girl Busting Y’all a**: Shannon Sharpe Exposes Real Deal With Caitlin Clark Hate

More branding. More highlighting the most popular players. Listen to the fans and open up the books so there’s not this disconnect between what the players feel they should be making and what the league is paying.

The $200 million per year over the next decade for media rights should provide the WNBA with the ability to raise salaries significantly, but right now, any complaint is just that until the two sides get together and officially hash out these issues.

Opinions like Gabby Williams’ are really just to set the groundwork for future negotiations and garner the sympathy of the public in case of a work stoppage. The developments will be interesting going forward as far as the role Cailtin Clark, who usually stays clear of off court drama, plays in all of this.

“Caitlin Didn’t Bring Racism To WNBA. This Has Been Happening”: Legend Sue Bird Exculpates Caitlin Clark Fans From Blame For WNBA Racial Tension

The WNBA has faced a social dilemma all season as race and privilege has been at the center of conversations concerning rookie sensation and league cash cow Caitlin Clark. 

Sue Bird was one of the most highly-touted women’s basketball players in history coming out of Christ The King High School in Queens and then going on to become a legend at UConn and an icon in WNBA history. 

Related: ‘I Don’t Necessarily Want To Operate In That Space’ | Sue Bird Doesn’t Get To Decide If She Gets Farewell Tour

Over the years, she’s also been ally for her WNBA sisters in the war against racial and gender inequality. 

Sue Bird is not Black, so her basketball journey has been different than most of her teammates in many ways, but she believes racism in the WNBA has existed long before Caitlin Clark entered the league.

Related: ‘You Have Seen Hate-Filled and Racist Speech Skyrocket’: WNBA Players Are Fed Up With Hateful Caitlin Clark Fans’ Social Media Attacks and Wants The League To Stop It

Bird shared her thoughts about the unfair treatment of Black players in the league with her wife, soccer legend Megan Rapinoe on their podcast “A Touch More.”

Sue Bird Says Racism Has Been Around Before Caitlin Clark, Who’s Being Used As Pawn

“Racism has been impacting the WNBA well before this year,” the four-time WNBA champion said at the 30:30 mark. “This is not a new thing. In that way, I think Caitlin is being used as a pawn. Caitlin didn’t bring racism to the WNBA. This has been happening. And that, I think, has been a shock for all of us. That other people are surprised by this. We’ve been trying to tell you.”

Bird said she’s saddened by the fact that the conversations about the WNBA are more focused on Clark and how she’s treated by Black players throughout the league and not on the actual basketball being played.

Video Surfaces Of A’ja Wilson Comparing White Privilege Of Kelsey Plum and Paige Bueckers

Bird’s remarks come in the same week that video surfaced of Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson lecturing her white teammate Kelsey Plum about her “white privilege” and complimenting current UConn star and projected No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers on her acknowledgement of her privilege. Wilson said Paige reminds her of Plum in that regard.

Plum has acknowledged her privilege in the past and was married to a Black man, ex-NFL star Darren Walker,  so it was strange that Wilson would give her such a backhanded compliment. 

Wilson’s entire attitude doesn’t come out of nowhere. Clark’s presence has created a divide between the legions of new fans that she has personally ushered into the game and the old fans led by the old regime. 

Women who have paid there dues and feel overlooked because of the attention paid to the new rookie crop. 

Sue Bird Says Caitlin Clark Being Used As Pawn

Bird, who was once the “it” white girl in the WNBA, asserts that she has never seen an opposing player purposely try to hurt Clark out of petty jealousy.

The notion that Connecticut Suns guard DiJonai Carrington was intentionally trying to hurt CC was absurd to begin with, but social media kept flaming the fire to the point that Suns players accused Clark fans of racially charged and denigrating communication and demanded that the WNBA step in. 

A group of players, including NY Liberty two -time MVP Breanna Stewart, who is white, blasted commissioner Cathy Englebert for not directly denouncing any racism or misogyny or sexual discrimination against the league by fans on social media. 

The issues surrounding Clark’s year-long saga with Carrington, came to a head after Christine Brennan of USA Today asked Carrington if there was intentionality when she “swatted at” Clark and left her with a black eye.

“I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. That doesn’t even make sense to me,” Carrington said. “I didn’t know I hit her, actually. I was trying to make a play on the ball and I guess I followed through and I hit her, so obviously it’s never intentional. That’s not even the type of player I am.”

Brennan followed that by questioning if Carrington and Marina Mabrey were laughing later in the same game about what she did to Clark. “I can’t laugh about something I didn’t know happened,” she responded.

WNBA Players Union Strikes Down Hard On USA Today Reporter

The WNBA Players Association released a statement  accusing Brennan of “a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic and misogynistic vitriol on social media.”

Jackson also said Brennan “abused your credentials and do not deserve the credentials issued to you.”

USA Today issued a statement in support of Brennan who was “only trying to get the player’s perspective.”

Bird, the 2021 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, didn’t want the fact that she has seen race play a factor in the league since her arrival in in 2002 through her retirement in 2022 to be lost or downplayed by WNBA fans.

A player with four WNBA titles, 13 All-Star games and a spot on the WNBA’s 10th-, 15th-, 20th- and 25th-anniversary teams should at least be able to offer a valued opinion.

“People Started To Get A Little Testy Because They Couldn’t Get In”: Shaq’s Energy Incites Brawl Between Cops and Family Of Three At Big Chicken Event

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has a reported net worth of $400 million, and he loves to share his fortunate circumstances with people around the world. 

Some have wondered if Shaq is too generous at times, but honestly, if he didn’t give it away, he would spend it, as it was recently revealed that the Hall of Famer splurges, splashing out $1,000 daily on Amazon products. 

Shaq retired in 2011 after making a reported $286 million, excluding endorsements and new business ventures. He doubled that in retirement with various business franchises and chains while boasting a seat on Papa John’s Board and a position as President of Reebok, a company that Adidas bought in 2006 for $3.8B.  

Shaq Spends $1000 Per Day On Amazon and $1000 Per Pedicure

With “Inside The NBA” soon to be a legendary offering of the past, Shaq will have even more time on his hands and when rich folks are bored they buy stuff.  

According to a recent interview with Page Six, O’Neal spends $1,000 a day on Amazon, with one of his latest purchases being green laser pointers. Shaq revealed on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” back in May that he also spends about $1,000 on pedicures. Not for the year, per pedicure. 

Shaq admits that tackling his feet is a challenge, so he wants the people doing them to be well compensated 

 “I give about $1,000 because I know my feet stink, I know they’re ugly, and I like to paint them,” he said.

Related: The Big Fish? It’s All About Big Chicken | Shaq Is Coming For KFC With Expansion Of His Chain Of Chicken Spots

Shaq Has Exorbitant Spending Habits: Police vs. Civilians Brawl Outside Shaq’s Big Chicken Opening Event

Shaq’s spending habits aren’t surprising and being the level of celebrity he is can sometimes cause excitement when he’s in the vicinity. Especially at one of his chain restaurants. 

A security video of a brawl between police and several people outside a chicken restaurant being visited by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has been released by police.

Police released a three-minute video on Wednesday, Oct. 2, of the Sept. 27 incident when a huge crowd lined up to see O’Neal at the Big Chicken in Hartland, Michigan, turned into a brawl with deputies.

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office has released a new video showing the altercation outside the event last week.

“People started to get a little testy because they couldn’t get in, etc.,” Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy told Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK. “And then Shaq showed up. So that added a little bit to it.”

In the video, the sheriff’s office says you can see three suspects fighting with deputies during the fracas.

Holly Renee Strong was charged with an attempt to disarm a police officer and three counts of resisting and obstructing an officer. Abigail Selah Hope Strong was charged with three counts of resisting and obstructing an officer. William Jaymani Dmichael Prieto was charged with three counts of resisting and obstructing an officer, one count of carrying a concealed weapon, and one count of attempted strangulation.

Shaq In Hartland, Michigan, To Promote Big Chicken Chain: Once Couldn’t Control Spending

Shaq was in town to promote the Big Chicken restaurant. A crowd estimated by the sheriff’s department of as many as 300 gathered.

A man reportedly became confrontational with deputies on the scene. From the news release, “a bystander alerted Deputies that this same individual was making assaultive remarks about the deputies and was digging into a backpack. The Jim I i

When the deputy approached the 21-year-old man he swung an attempted blow at the deputy, Livingston County officials report. During the confrontation the deputy used his taser.

Sheriff‘s officials reported that two others attempted to intervene in the struggle between the 21-year-old man and the deputy. Police reported that a 48-year-old woman tried to take the deputy’s firearm and her daughter also joined in with her mother, interfering with the attempted arrest of the 21-year-old man.

Once police contained the culprits, they were transported to the Livingston County Jail on “multiple felonies.”

Excitement seems to follow Shaq wherever he goes and for good reason. You never know when he might be feeling generous that day. Shaq says he once spent $1M in one day on cars and other luxuries, and says he signed his first million-dollar trading card contract in the 1990s and blew the money like it was nothing. 

“[T]he president of the bank pulls me in and he says, ‘Sir, I love you. I don’t want you to be like all these athletes that go broke. You need to get your stuff together,'” O’Neal told “Shark Tank” star Daymond John at a Black Entrepreneurs Day event in 2020.

Shaq fell victim to the pitfalls and exuberant spending that most young athletes encounter, and it wasn’t until he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 that he started to begin focusing on making savvy business moves and being frugal and calculated with his spending. 

Magic Johnson was a mentor who helped Shaq get into an entrepreneurial mindset. 

The good news about the unfortunate incident during Shaq’s visit at one of his chicken spots, is that he continues to open them and create jobs for people in underserved communities. 

Shaq’s Big Chicken Chains No Stranger To Commotion

As reported by Findingfuel.com, Shaq also owns 17 Auntie Annie’s Pretzels restaurants, more than 10 Papa John’s, one Krispy Kreme and he started franchising his Big Chicken restaurants in 2023. 

Shaq is no stranger to his grand openings for his chain restaurants being events that attract plenty of people and can become a safety hazard. 

Back in June of 2023, Shaq opened the doors to his Big Chicken franchise in Houston and the event drew so many people the fire marshal had to shut it down.

The presence of Shaq and the free food items on the menu caused a traffic jam and overflow of the parking lots on both sides of Westheimer Road (where the restaurant is located) between South Gessner and Tanglewilde.

“I’ve been living here for 30 years,” the Hall of Famer said. “I just want to thank the people of Houston for coming out. I love the turnout but if it was ten people or one hundred people, I’m going to be thankful.”

Despite the fire marshal telling everyone to vacate the restaurant, Shaq continued to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and greet everyone who turned out.

Shaq Founded Big Chicken In 2018

Big Chicken was founded in 2018 by Shaq in conjunction with JRS Hospitality, and Authentic Brands Group. The goal was to combine Shaq’s home-cooked childhood favorites with popular flavors.

Each item on the menu has Shaq’s personalized touch with staples: chicken sandwiches, popcorn chicken, tenders, sliders, salads, fries, shakes, ice cream sandwiches, and cookies. All foods the TNT NBA analyst ate as a child.

“Shaquille’s palate and what he likes is really what our consumer likes,” Matthew Silverman, chef and managing partner of JRS Hospitality said earlier this year. “I think this holds a special place in his heart.”

Currently Big Chicken franchises are sold out in Arizona, Idaho, Florida and Utah. Opportunities remain in the rest of the U.S.

After a legendary 20-year career where he amassed numerous accolades and sponsorship deals, Shaq has continued his winning ways off the court as well. 

“I Don’t Think Y’all Heard Me! DIDDY, SNOOP, and Prime With A House Full Of Kids”: Old Tweet Deleted By Deion Sanders Discovered As Celebrities Scramble To Separate From ‘The Nerve Of The Elite’

With new information emerging every day from people who claim to have been victims of music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs‘ four-decade reign of terror, other celebrities are trying to distance themselves from the party animal and Bad Boy records CEO. 

Anyone who has ever been photographed, in a video with or spoken kindly of  the “Missing You” artist is now a target for social media fodder, jokes, scrutiny, accusations and comedy as they search to connect them to his freak offs.

Sometimes the in crowd seems incredible. The luxurious all-white parties with the finest women and champagne and a room full of million and billionaires having the time of their lives. When things go wrong, however, the people who once idolized you will turn on you quick and denounce the same privilege that made you larger than life in their eyes.

Social media is pulling no punches in that regard, and that’s why the public wants to know the names of people who attended Diddy’s parties, and they want video released if evidence of that nature truly exists. And definitely no mercy in their eyes for Diddy.

One X user wrote in response to Diddy’s third bond request getting denied, following reports he was suicidal and his stay behind bars wasn’t going too well:

“Not Diddy attempting a third time at bail after being accused of human trafficking, sex trafficking, and over 100 accounts of rape victims, prostitution, and racketeering. The nerve of the elite, thinking they are untouchable, thinking they have the right to escape justice.”

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has been known to reach across the table and bridge his athletics program with celebrities in the sports and entertainment world. 

Coach Prime even brought influencer Brittany Renner in to talk to his players about how to avoid becoming the victim of a groupie ploy. 

Related: “It’s Like A Nike Store, There’s Nothing But Blue Checks” | Deion Sanders Brings Notorious Clout Chaser Brittany Renner To JSU To Spit Some “Game” (theshadowleague.com)

In light of the recent developments, Sean Combs is obviously persona non grata in his former circles. Sanders’ Colorado Buffs are off to a great 4-1 start and most of the news is positive surrounding the team that had plenty of drama in the offseason. 

It seems Coach Prime got caught up in some of the P. Diddy drama that is causing increasing collateral damage for people Diddy formerly associated with. They already have the video circulating of LeBron James on with Diddy and his kids during his COVID marathon, and the four-time NBA champion saying “Ain’t no party like a P. Diddy party.” 

Coach Prime Wipes Tweet About Combs From His Social Account

Days after the arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was taken into custody in New York City last month and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, it was discovered that Coach Prime was one of the many celebrities trying their best to distance themselves from the disgraced mogul.

Sanders apparently wasn’t quick enough.

An internet sleuth rummaged through Sanders’ X account and found a post that social media described as “disturbing” from him that was created back in 2011 that said, “I don’t think y’all heard me! DIDDY, SNOOP, and Prime with a house full of kids. Report that media. Truth.”

There isn’t a celebrity who makes his or her living off media or the music and entertainment game who hasn’t crossed pasts with Combs, who has built a net worth of $600 million through his music empire and various entrepreneurial endeavors over the past 30 years in the game. His extravagant, over-the-top private parties became the stuff of legend because the invites were so exclusive. Those fortunate enough to be invited definitely felt honored to be there, initially anyway. 

By the turn of the century, Diddy’s parties were well-known throughout the industry, and he had different kinds of events, so every party he threw wasn’t a freak-off. In a resurfaced 1999 interview, Puff was prophetic, saying out of his own mouth that his elaborate, sex and drug-filled celebrations would “probably” land him behind bars.

In a resurfaced 1999 “Entertainment Tonight” interview, Diddy was heard saying, “They won’t even give me a permit for the parties. And they don’t want me to throw the parties no more.”

“You’re going to hear about my parties,” he added. “They gonna be shutting them down. They gonna probably be arresting me – doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time.”

But his relationship with other men and women in his celebrity space appeared solid. Coach Prime certainly has every right to do inventory on his own personal social media. We all should.

There’s been no confirmation of whether or not Deion ever attended any of these parties, but he undoubtedly liked to have a great time during his college days and his unique career as a Major League Baseball player and NFL legend. He’s also a self-proclaimed “Man of God” and if he did, there wouldn’t have been anything wrong with it up until a few weeks ago. How times change. 

Related: Sean P. Diddy Combs Pledges $1 Million To Howard And Deion Sanders’ JSU Football | “Because We Should Play For Us” (theshadowleague.com)

In any event, Deion wanted no parts of that old tweet, and you can’t blame him for scrubbing it away under the current circumstances.  

‘There’s A Major Issue There’: Former Jets QB Boomer Esiason Senses Serious Tension Between Aaron Rodgers And Jets Coach Robert Saleh After Devastating Home Loss

The New York Jets are still reeling in the aftermath of Sunday’s ugly 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos, there’s a reported rift between embattled head coach Robert Saleh and second-year Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’s a four-time league MVP, and someone who often rubs coaches and teammates the wrong way.

Former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason recently insinuated that there’s a major disconnect between Rodgers and Saleh, and if it isn’t sorted out the team will suffer because of it. 

Esiason Senses Major Issue Between Robert Saleh and Aaron Rodgers

During his daily morning drive program on WFAN, Esiason, who played three seasons with the Jets, spoke candidly about the body language of the toward each other, as well as their comments during interviews. 

“I try to watch to see if I see any interactions on the sideline or anything — nothing,” Esiason said. “Nothing. I see a guy walking right past the other guy. I can’t imagine that.”

Esiason then expounded on what he meant, and he believes it’s because Rodgers doesn’t trust Saleh. 

“Now, I remember those days, because I had those days, with two coaches in particular, and it was because I didn’t trust the guy,” the 1988 NFL MVP continued. “I didn’t like the guy. I don’t know what he was doing, and it pissed me off. If you read my body language back in those days, with those teams that I was on, you could tell I was pissed off. And when I see Aaron Rodgers on the sideline and I see him after the game in the postgame press conference …”

Esiason made sure to mention Sunday’s postgame presser as something that bothered him as pertains to the Rodgers/Saleh relationship or lack thereof.

“Yesterday’s postgame press conference — there is a major issue,” Esiason said.

“Both will deny it. I guarantee it. But there is an issue. It’s because you have this 40-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback to-be, dealing with a coach that I think he doesn’t respect.”

In many ways what Esiason seems to be true. Who can forget how Rodgers completely disregarded Saleh as he attempted to celebrate a touchdown with him during their Week 2 win over the New England Patriots.

Aaron Rodgers Shoved HC Robert Saleh while Celebrating A TD

Rodgers shoved Saleh back and then walked away. While both attempted to downplay the matter, it didn’t look good, and especially on “Thursday Night Football.”

Rodgers also recently openly disagreed with Saleh when he mentioned the team needs to figure out how to avoid the five false start penalties they had in Sunday’s loss. Rodgers didn’t agree with Saleh’s answer and even gave his own, saying players individually need to be held accountable.

Typical Rodgers, who’s been known to tell his coaches how they should run their teams. He did it to Matt LaFleur upon his arrival in Green Bay, so this is no different. 

Rodgers Balks At Esiason’s Comments

Speaking on the “Pat McAfee Show” during his weekly guest spot, Rodgers made the claim that he and Saleh are on good terms. He even said “f—k it” in regard to whatever narrative folks wanna believe. 

“Rob and I have a great relationship,” Rodgers said. “We have since day one, when I got here. You know, we have, you know, text message conversations, threads that were in conversations about a number of different topics outside of football, have a good friendship. We got a good friendship.”

If that’s really the case, Rodgers has a strange way of showing it. It sounds like Saleh doesn’t have much of a choice but to deal with the egotistical and selfish Rodgers, whom team brass has given the keys of the franchise to, despite his being on the downside of his career. 

“I Don’t Know How Long I Have Until She’s Buried In A Pauper’s Grave”: Mother Of Adriana Vieira, OnlyFans Fitness Model Found Floating Dead In Miami Harbor After Rapper’s Yacht Party, Cries For Help

An OnlyFans fitness model was found floating dead in a harbor off Miami after attending an exclusive yacht party hosted by a mystery rapper, according to reports. 

The body of Brazilian bombshell and mother Adriana Vieira, 31, was found on Sept. 22, various publications reported. The mother of the woman known online as LadyRichForever has demanded a full investigation into her daughter’s death.  

How Did OnlyFans and Fitness Model Adriana Vieira Die On Rapper’s Yacht?

“I want my daughter’s death to be investigated, and I need help bringing her body back,” the model’s mother, Antonia de Lourdes Vieira, told a Brazilian news outlet, according to one publication. “I don’t know how long I have until she’s buried in a pauper’s grave.”

Vieira portrayed her life on social media as one of luxury. Her Instagram profile showcases her luxurious jet-setting lifestyle, with photos from New York, Las Vegas, and luxury yachts. She was last seen swimming in the harbor the night before her death, when she attended a party on board a yacht that was hosted by a “rapper,” who is yet to be identified and is not a suspect in the death. Police are still gathering information on how the model wound up dead in the water, and the Miami PD hasn’t immediately responded to a request for a comment Tuesday.

Vieira’s body is reportedly being held for an autopsy.

Where Is Adriana Vieira From?

Vieira, originally lived in Sao Paulo Brazil, before reportedly relocating from São Paulo to Florida two years ago with her husband, Roberto Tesario, where she took advantage of social media and regularly shared risqué’ adult content on OnlyFans, promising “random free hot videos and pics and messages when you least expect them.”

Well sculptured, Vieira pitched herself as a “big ass and fitness girl,” while teasing subscribers: “Let me spoil you, baby.”

Tesario eventually went back to Brazil, leaving Vieira in the U.S. to support their 6-year-old son by herself. 

Related: OnlyFans Model Claims She Slept With Four NFL Players From Two Teams In Seven Days | Can’t Knock The Hustle? (theshadowleague.com)

Vieira shared her adult content on OnlyFans through a subscription service priced at $14 a month and she also reportedly worked as a dancer and model in the United States and participated in last year’s Miami Swim Week.

Her alleged Instagram account has one post, a photo that appears to be her and friends enjoying the very boat she somehow began her journey toward death on. It’s a peaceful evening with wine bottles being popped and the sun slowly fading. Stay tuned for more information about how this fitness model ended up taking her last breath. 

“You Can’t Do Nothing With 8 Toes Now”: Deion Sanders Abruptly Ends Travis Hunter Debate With Shannon Sharpe When Chad Johnson Cracks Joke On Coach Prime’s Toe Amputations

Travis Hunter has been getting heavy Heisman consideration for his performances as a wide receiver and lockdown cornerback for Deion Sanders‘ Colorado Buffaloes. When Deion flipped Hunter from Florida State, making him the highest-rated prospect in the modern college football era to ever commit to an HBCU, Coach Prime warned us of the unique greatness that lies within the two-way phenom.

Sanders is good friends with Chad Johnson, who since putting his pads away, has become a podcast star, teaming up with Shannon Sharpe on their “Night Cap” podcast. That’s where the two former All-Pro receivers cut loose and leave no stone unturned when it comes to subject matter.

On a recent episode, Johnson and Coach Prime went back and forth about Travis Hunter‘s coverage ability. Of course, Johnson, who has one of the biggest egos in the history of the NFL, has been pushing for a coaching position on the Colorado staff and believes he has a thing or two to offer Hunter to help him get to the next level and prepare to take on elite NFL cornerbacks and receivers. 

Night Cap Crew Cracks Jokes On Deion Sanders’ Amputated Toes

The conversation went left, and Sanders got the worst of it.

“The kind of teacher I am, I don’t do it with words. I’ll put the cleats on and actually show,” Johnson said. “I come out there, route Travis’ ass out there and then lock him up.”

“What if I get mad that you routed Travis up and I put my cleats on,” Sanders asked.

“You can’t do nothing with 8 toes now,” Johnson clapped back.

Some might consider Johnson’s joke a low blow, considering Sanders has had to have toes amputated due to potentially deadly blood clots, Sanders underwent multiple foot surgeries in 2021 and had two toes removed from his left foot. It was a serious situation, as Sanders spent several games away from Jackson State recovering from the surgery.

When he returned, he was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his final season at JSU, before bringing his Luis Vuitton luggage and ESPN-featured games to Colorado last season. 

At one point, there was even talk that the doctors would have to amputate Deion’s foot. People forget how touch-and-go that situation was and what kind of life-altering surgery the legendary athlete, who also played MLB, was facing.

Johnson, who is a go-for-the-jugular type of comedian, couldn’t help but go in on Prime’s lack of toes, even if the journey to how he got their almost killed him. They say the one’s closest to you do the most damage. Prime took the jab in stride. 

“See what I’m saying, I knew you was going to say that,” Sanders said. “I set you up for that. I didn’t think you was going to take the bait. Y’all ain’t no good. You know what? Bye. I’m going. Bye.”

Sharpe couldn’t help but also laugh hysterically during the exchange. 

This Isn’t First Time Somebody Cracked Jokes On Deion Sanders’ Eight Toes

This also isn’t the first time, someone close to Deion has made fun of his toes. Shortly after, his surgery, Sanders and his kids had an interaction that made light of his medical struggles. If you’ve ever seen Sanders interact with his children, it’s usually a lot of joking, subtle ribbing and, of course, plenty of laughter. His kids can easily slip down and move up in Deion’s favorite sibling rankings.

In a video of him and his children following surgery that’s now gone viral, Sanders’ middle son and Buffaloes safety Shilo, as he usually does, did his best to make light of the situation.

“I told them to give you a BBL [Brazilian Butt Lift],” Shilo told his father as he and the others laughed. Daughter Shelomi said his foot looked like “a turkey leg at the fair.”

Deion Is All Laughs As Colorado Is 4-1 And Proving Haters Wrong

Deion is all laughs so far this season. At 4-1, Colorado’s already equaled last season’s win total. Travis Hunter is doing things never seen before and Shedeur Sanders is performing like a top 3 quarterback off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. Both players are forcing themselves into the Heisman Trophy conversation.

After scoring a TD against UCF on Saturday, Hunter audaciously celebrated with the Heisman pose that former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard made popular. 

“He’s so much fun to watch,” said ESPN’s Sam Acho. “I think he can win it this year. And I would say he probably is the front-runner. Travis Hunter is doing it on both sides of the ball. He plays offense, he plays defense, got an interception last week, scored a touchdown.

“That’s what he does. And so if there’s anyone who could win the Heisman as a two-way player, as a defensive star? It’s Travis Hunter,” Acho added

Since Hunter’s arrival. Sanders has been ten toes down on what the dynamic player brings to the team. He’s not going to let two less toes and some stale jokes by the artist formerly known as Ochocinco rain on his parade, as the naysayers fall to the wayside and his team takes center stage among the legendary programs of college football once again.

Simone Biles Redeems Herself With Smoking Chicago Bears Outfit, After Green Bay Packers Fashion Gaffe Where Fans Accused Her Of Trying To Get “Her Husband Jonathan Owens Cut”

Simone Biles wasn’t going to risk the wrath of Bears fans by attending her first game of the NFL season in the wrong fits. 

Biles was in Chicago showing her support for husband, Bears cornerback Jonathan Owens and she was draped in a cute outfit, highlighted by a nice Bears ensemble. She rocked a white mini skirt, with white thigh-high boots and a midriff sweatershirt with the Bears logo emblazoned across her chest. 

Biles, who shared a quick kiss on the sidelines with Owens before the team’s huge victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Sept. 29, was sure to post the moment to her Instagram. 

Simone Biles Redeems Herself With Smoking Chicago Bears Outfit After Green Bay Packers Fashion Gaffe

The 11-time Olympic medalist did just that, marking her first appearance at Soldier Field attending a regular-season game since Owens signed with the Bears. Everything was perfect. Her presence hit with the uplifting celebrity jolt that it should.

This was a pleasant change from Biles’ first trip to Soldier Field to support her husband, during the preseason. She got quite a ribbing on social media for wearing a Packers jacket to a Chicago Bears game. Her husband previously played for the Packers, but the general opinion was that she needed to read the room better. 

The Bears and the Packers hate each other, are NFC North Division rivals with a history dating back 103 years. The gymnast rocked a custom jacket with Jonathan Owens’ image in a Packers uniform all over it.

The Chicago Bears fans weren’t feeling the jacket once they realized it was a Packers ensemble. If Simone was trying to endear herself to Bears fans at the time, she failed miserably, but some fans agreed that it was also her husband’s fault.

One Facebook user blamed Owens: “How Embarrassing for Simone that her husband let her come to the game in that.”

One X user said Owens was “trying to get her husband cut” (from the Bears).

She definitely was showing support for her husband, who has had a love-hate relationship with her fans ever since he said he was “the catch” in the relationship. 

While Biles was probably still basking in the historic glory of winning more gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics and establishing herself as the gymnastics GOAT, the jacket was almost a shot at Owens’ new team. That wasn’t her intention, but social media went crazy when the video dropped.

Social Media Reacts To Simone Biles Wearing Packers Jacket To Bears Game

When your name is buzzing like Simon Biles and your every move was studied all summer long, small errors become big deals. 

One X user gave her some grace and blamed the Chicago Bears organization for not sending a celebrity of her stature some damn team gear.

“I place the full blame on @ChicagoBears for @Simone_Biles being on the sideline at Soldier Field in a Packers jacket. Get her some Bears apparel before these people start a damn riot! 😂😂😂”

This time around, Biles nailed it with the perfect outfit celebrating her husband’s current team. 

Related: ‘Y’all Are Blatantly Being Disrespectful To My Relationship and My Husband’: Simone Biles Tires Of Fans’ Weird Obsession With Jonathan Owens

Now that Biles has made her peace with Bears fans, everything seems to be perfect in her world and the Bears are embracing her celebrity presence and showing love.

Simone Biles On Tour With Gold Over America, Owens’ Bears 2-2

In a clip, posted on X by the Bears, Biles, 27, was seen walking inside the stadium as she flashed a peace sign and some sass to the camera. 

Owens, 29, surprised his wife, who is still flipping for dollars and was touring with her Olympic friends a day earlier, by dropping in on her nearby Milwaukee stop of her Gold Over America Tour at Fiserv Forum. 

“THE BEST SURPRISE,” she wrote over the image.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, Biles seemed overjoyed and shared on her Instagram Stories that Owens had paid her a visit amid their busy schedules.

Everything seems to be going great for Biles and Owens. The Bears have already won two of the team’s four games behind No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback.

Biles is still getting her flowers on tour and the honeymoon for her marriage and her historic 2024 Olympic success continues without a beat missed as pertains to her fashion choices. 

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“It Actually Popped”: Caitlin Clark Says Her Left Eardrum Was Ruptured On Vicious Screen By New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones This Season

Caitlin Clark has gotten some time to reflect on her historic WNBA season and the positive affect her presence and those of an historic rookie crop made on the league.

Nothing was given to Clark, who battled through all of the social media noise and the flagrant fouls against her and the emotional moments that rookies fight through on their way to veteran status. 

A few weeks ago in Indianapolis, “60 Minutes” sat down with Clark and asked her to pinpoint the “signature moment” of this signature rookie season. One that rivals Candace Parker’s 2008 entrance, where she won Rookie of the Year and MVP with the LA Sparks. 

Jonquel Jones Breaks Caitlin Clark’s Eardrum Setting A Pick On June 2

Of all of the shining moments that led to the Indiana Fever making the playoffs for the first time sine 2016, Clark remembers her eardrum getting ruptured during a game against the WNBA title favorite New York Liberty on June 2. 

It’s a moment that resonates with the WNBA 2024 Rookie of the Year, because it was that true “welcome to the league, rook” moment, as Clark described it.

“I remember when we were in New York and (Liberty big) Jonquel Jones set a really good screen on me. It actually popped my eardrum, just on the screen. It was a really good screen for JJ. She’s a tremendous player, but I think that just speaks to physicality of the league that she got me in the right spot.”

Clark said she has plenty of signature moments but that’s the one she will probably remember above all.

She’s taken her fair share of bumps and bruises this season and rolled with the punches like a champion, but rupturing your eardrum for the first time and having to go back on the court and battle is elevation that can’t be taught or predicted.

Those are the kinds of revelations fans want to hear after a season where social media noise often overshadowed the athletic brilliance and toughness that we were witnessing from the 144 players in the WNBA. 

Clark’s Indiana Fever games attracted fans from as far away as Canada. Once the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship outdrew the men’s for the first tiem in history, it was only inevtable that when Clark and Angel Reese brought their rivalry into the WNBA, leaguewide attendance would experience this 48 percent boost.

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier dropped 80 points in her first two playoff games this season after winning the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She’s one of the undeniable stars of the game.

She was drafted in 2018, and her career bridges the pre-Clark WNBA with this new post-Clark WNBA, where engagement is up 150 percent and 5-star hotel stays and individual rooms are the norm.

When asked what the biggest difference is the former UConn star said, “People, which is what we want. It makes the game so much fun. (the crowd) is like your sixth man when you’re at home and when you’re away you can’t wait to silence the crowd and that’s the best feeling ever.”

Collier gave the ultimate props to the rookie class of Clark, Reese, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.

“They don’t act like rookies,” Collier told “60 Minutes.”

The WNBA is coming, and it’s known for its physical play and school of hard knocks. The media rights deal give the league an extra $200 million per season to play with for the next decade and the league is expanding from 12 teams to 16, with the one in Portland set to launch in 2025.

They have chartered flights and an incredible future with other college stars who are building household names on the court and online, prior to entering the NBA, such as Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins.

Despite Clark mania, WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert made it a point to ackowledge the other rookies’ impact as well as Clark’s.

”No league is ever about one player,” Engelbert said, while crediting Clark and Reese for creating the compelling narratives that rivals create and is needed for a league to grow.

It takes a league, but you can’t say Clark hasn’t carried the biggest burden this season. She took her bumps and bruises, ruptured records and even an eardrum along the way. 

Dikembe Mutombo Was “Star of One of the Most Iconic Commercials”: NBA’s First Global Ambassador, King of “No, No, No” Finger Wag, Leaves Legacy as Flame for NBA’s International Revolution

Dikembe Mutombo is one of the most beloved basketball players and humanitarians on the planet. Recognized as the NBA’s first global ambassador, the NBA Hall of Famer succumbed to brain cancer on Monday at the age of 58. Mutombo led the NBA in blocked shots for five consecutive seasons and blocks per game for a record three straight seasons.

When the world discovered that the former center, known for his now-outlawed finger wagging after rejecting shots in the paint, had a brain tumor, it was devastating.

His death naturally brought an outpouring of sympathy and support from the sports, entertainment and world humanitarian-based community.

The NBA released a statement:

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the court, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”

Dikembe Mutombo Helped Spark NBA International Explosion

Born to a family of eight children in a middle-class section of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo attended the Jesuit-run Institut Boboto to receive his high school diploma. He joined his older brother Ilo on the then-Zairean junior national basketball team in 1986, capturing the attention of U.S. development officer Herman Henning, who forwarded a videotape to Georgetown on the 7-2 center.

Mutombo’s success and celebrity as an international NBA player influenced the influx of African players into the NBA. In the 2022-2023 season, there were 16 players born in Africa, and the 2023-24 season began with 15 African players. Additionally, there are between 40-50 players and coaches with African connections, either born on the continent or having one parent born there. The NBA-infused Basketball Africa League is also producing talent at a rapid rate.

He not only succeeded on the court, but he crossed over as an international force. He had his serious side, but was also very cordial and comical, which lent itself to the camera.

One X user posted Dikembe’s most legendary Geico commercial, which introduced the ’90s OG and his “No, No, No” finger wag to today’s generation of basketball fans.

None of this success would have been possible without the tutelage of legendary Georgetown coach and hoops icon John Thompson.

Dikembe Mutombo: Another Georgetown Legend

When Mutombo arrived in Washington in 1987, he sat out his freshman season. Following Patrick Ewing‘s graduation in 1985, Georgetown had not secured a suitable replacement at the center. Mutombo’s height, attentiveness to defense, and solid fundamentals were a perfect fit, especially when top recruit Alonzo Mourning chose to join him at Georgetown in the fall of 1987. The two found success under legendary Georgetown University coach John Thompson as athletes and men.

“Under coach Thompson, I learned a lot about the game of basketball, but, most importantly, I learned how to be a man in society,” Mutombo said to the media when Thompson passed away in 2020.

Selected fourth in the first round of the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, Mutombo went on to become a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time All-Star. He played 18 seasons, including stints for Denver, the Atlanta Hawks, the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets.

He’s still second on the league’s career blocked shots list with 3,289, trailing only another African player, Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830).

However, off the hardwood, he is known for his humanitarian work. In 1997, two years before retiring from the NBA, Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with a mission to improve education and quality of life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Mutombo tried to line up a team of heavy hitters to invest in purchasing the Houston Rockets in 2017.

Mutombo Stepped Up During COVID Pandemic To Help Women Farmers In Congo

In 2021, after seeing many injustices firsthand in his native homeland; a country swamped with political instability and armed clashes and new COVID-19 Delta variants spreading through the area which compounded the many levels of problems the area was already experiencing, Mutombo stepped up again to help the farmers there who have little to no input on the distribution and sale of its valuable coffee beans, which continues a system of oppression.

Mutombo wanted to improve trade practices regarding coffee, and he had an admiration of coffee, which prompted him to launch his company, Mutombo Coffee. 

This move was made in hopes of providing economic sustainability to farming communities in Africa, especially women farmers, who must climb many miles to pick the most valuable beans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“I love to drink coffee and my country produces some of the best coffee, but the world doesn’t know about it. Coffee has historically been an important crop in Congo, but production has plummeted in the past 20 years as violence and civil unrest have racked the country. It almost destroyed the fabric of our society,” Mutombo said. “It destroyed our history and the way we are portrayed.”

Mutombo also partnered with the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) to benefit women coffee producers who are IWCA members in parts of eastern and southern Africa while driving forward Mutombo Coffee’s mission of supporting coffee producers throughout Africa. 

Mutombo was always dedicated to shining a positive light on his homeland, something he did often during his playing days when he twice won the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2001 and 2009. 

The Hawks retired the 56-year-old’s No. 55 in 2015, the same year Mutombo was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Nuggets did the same the following year.

Dikembe Mutombo Was A Part of NBA History: First 8th Seed To Beat 1 Seed In Playoffs

In addition to his defensive prowess and transcending celebrity, Mutombo was part of NBA history in 1994 when he helped lead the Denver Nuggets to a shocking upset over the Seattle Super Sonics in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

Denver shocked the basketball world by coming back from a 2-0 series deficit to defeat the top-seeded Sonics on their home court in Game 5. The victory marked the first time a No. 8 seed had won a series against a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs.

The clinching game was a riveting 98-94 OT win by Denver and the lasting image of Mutombo on his back on the floor and clutching the basketball is forever engrained in the minds of NBA fans from that era.

Last mention of Dikembe Mutombo in a sports-related arena was a serious “You played ya self” moment for former NFL running back LeSean McCoy. During a podcast, he may have inadvertently outed the NBA legend cheating on his wife.

They don’t call him Shady for nothing. 

Mutombo met his current wife Rose in 1995 and married her shortly afterward in 1996. They have two children, a girl and a boy. 

Back in May of 2024, McCoy told a story about an Instagram model he met in Atlanta about eight years ago. McCoy, who didn’t need to drop names to tell a personal story about his jock exploits back in the day, said the woman claimed she was hooking up with Mutombo and revealed that Mutombo would take her on lavish shopping trips to France.

“‘You know he takes good care of me. … He doesn’t take me shopping; he takes me to France. I was like who is the dude? Guess what she said his name was? Dikembe Mutombo,’” McCoy explained the woman told him. “I was like you’re taking him over me? But I get it, yeah, he’s taking you shopping from PJ to France, I said, babe, keep him.”

Dikembe Mutombo and Wife Rose Happily Married Since 1996: Social Media Says McCoy Violated “Man Code”

Social media didn’t take too kind to McCoy throwing such a respected figure under the bus. It reeked Of jealousy and hate. Plus he broke the man code among athletes.

One social media user said: “Well I’ll be damned. If this ain’t some sucker shi-t, so basically you was mad that she picked him over you and so mad that you remember that sh-t from so long ago and wanna open your goofy ass mouth talking about another man and his business. I lost all respect for Clown ass McCoy.”

“That’s why his name is Shady McCoy!!!! Typical man when a woman chooses someone better, wanna get mad and start name droppin!!! Snitch as B-tch!!!!” said another Newsbreak user named Wayne Carroll.” 

Dikembe Mutombo is one of the most influential characters in NBA history as a pioneer, ambassador and humanitarian.  We can safely chalk that up, if true, to the perks of the game.

Related: Dikembe Mutombo Eyeing A Bid To Purchase The Rockets (theshadowleague.com)

Before his transition, Dikembe fulfilled a lifelong dream by contributing $15 million and opening the doors to the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center. The 300-bed hospital provides health care to people in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He will be missed.

‘There Were A lot Of Mind Games Going On’: Tom Brady Savagely Checks ‘Bring The Joy’ Baker Mayfield Who Challenged Old Tampa Bay Culture

Through the first four weeks of the NFL season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have looked like one of the better teams in the league sporting a 3-1 record. With wins over the Lions and Sunday’s blowout 33-16 win over the Eagles, things are looking good in Central Florida.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is playing well for a second consecutive season, and the teammates seem to be enjoying one another.

In fact, Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, has seen a career rebirth since arriving in Tampa, and he’s so comfortable now that he’s even taking subtle jabs at the great Tom Brady.  

Baker Mayfield Takes Shots At Tom Brady

Mayfield’s never been one to shy away from speaking his mind. During a recent appearance on the “Casa De Klub” podcast, Mayfield compared his and Brady’s personalities and how it also affects their leadership styles.

“The building was a little bit different with Tom in there,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out. … They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football, for guys who weren’t having as much fun.”

“You hear some of the stories about if he didn’t like a certain play call and he didn’t like throughout the week and they still call it in the game, there might have a been a throwaway on purpose or throwing it at the running back or receiver’s feet. There were a lot of mind games going on,” he added.

Mayfield’s comments seemed to rub Brady the wrong way, as the legendary seven Super Bowl-winning quarterback took aim at the former Texas Tech walk-on during Sunday’s broadcast of the Bucs/Eagles game.

Brady Comes Out Swinging 

In response to Mayfield’s subtle jab, Brady didn’t deny that things around the Buccaneers facility during his time were intense, and he also clarified why it was that way.

Speaking during the broadcast of the Eagles/Bucs game on Sunday, Brady had this to say. 

“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings,” Brady said. “There was a mindset of a champion I took to work every day. This wasn’t day care — if I wanted to have fun, I was going to Disneyland with my kids. 

“There’s a way to approach this game, and it’s with the right mindset to push each other outside of our comfort zone, and great teammates do that,” he continued.

Brady finished with there are “no apologies” for being ultra competitive at all times.

It’s Brady’s way of saying he only played to championships, and fun was second nature. Brady was so locked in to winning that against his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen’s wishes he allegedly returned from retirement without her consent, which played a huge role in his divorce from the supermodel.

Mayfield Clarifies What He Meant

Following Sunday’s win, Mayfield, who went 30-for-47 for 347 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, addressed the elephant in the room.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner says his comments were misconstrued, and he in no way, shape or form was taking a shot at Brady. 

“I think a lot of that got taken out of context, and none of it was personal by any means,” Mayfield said. “It’s just what he demanded of the guys, and that’s the aura of Tom Brady. And that’s what he did to bring a championship here.”

Related: Tom Brady Has Retired — Again. How Can We Make It Permanent?

That competitive spirit that Brady speaks of and Mayfield seemingly took a shot at is exactly why he’s widely considered the GOAT and greatest winner the league has ever seen. 

Now let’s see if Mayfield’s style of leadership and play is capable of leading the Buccaneers to a trip to Super Sunday while Brady rakes in $37 million per season to analyze NFL games on Fox. 

“She’s 2nd Best”: NBA Player Grant Williams Is Tired Of The Candace Parker Disrespect, Says Caitlin Clark Is NOT Best Rookie Ever

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams has his work cut out for him with a young Charlotte Hornets squad that finished with the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference (21-61) last season and is getting ready to open camp.

With everything at stake, Williams still took the time to weigh in on the various Caitlin Clark debates. 

There’s been numerous opinions debates about the Indiana Fever and whether she’s the greatest rookie in WNBA history. While Clark, the WNBA Rookie of the Year, finished a distant fourth in the MVP voting, which is incredible for a rookie. 

Williams, however, believes that the legendary Candace Parker is the greatest rookie ever. Responding to an X post by DraftKings, which refers to Clark as being the “best rookie we’ve ever seen,” Williams showed his knowledge of WNBA history by correcting the post and adding his two cents. 

“2nd best*. Love her game and she’ll be an MVP when A’ja decides to hang it up but Tennessee legend Candace Parker won ROTY and MVP in the same season,” Williams wrote.

Grant Williams Says Caitlin Clark Is Second Best Rookie We Have Seen: Candace Parker Won MVP & ROY

This isn’t the first time someone has brought up Parker’s sensational rookie season to temper the enthusiasm some new fans and opportunists have for Clark’s unprecedented impact. The Clark Effect has left plenty of fans blind to the previous 27 years of WNBA hoops. 

For those who forgot, Parker burst on the scene in 2008 with the LA Sparks and won the Rookie of the Year and the MVP, as her versatility and multi-faceted game on both ends of the floor was considered the prototype for the next generation of WNBA players.

During that season, Parker averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. She also finished an impressive fourth in the WNBA in the Defensive Player of the Year voting

Clark elevated a down-trodden Indian Fever franchise, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point range. 

The Fever earned the No. 6 seed, making the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season. Indiana finished with a 20-20 record in the 2024 season, the first time it was at least .500 in the past eight seasons.

Hill gives Clark credit for the incredible season, but he still thinks Candace Parker’s 2008 campaign is the most dominant. It would be hard to disagree with him, although many Clark fans would try to dispute it. 

Despite Clark’s amazing achievements as a rookie, it’s hard to say that she was better than Parker.

After being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in 2008, Parker went on to win the Rookie of the Year and the WNBA MVP in her first season.

Why Did Candace Parker Win MVP? 

The LA Sparks went 20-14 in Parker’s first season in 2008 and advanced to the Western Conference finals after finishing 10-24 the previous season. Her impact was colossal, and it was tangible. 

While Angel Reese’s double-double streaks and rebounding records kept her in the race for most of the season, Clark had the biggest impact on her team and on winning. In addition to the gaudy statistics, Clark was the leader of the Indiana Fever team since day 1. Most rookies aren’t entrusted with that responsibility. 

With all of the fanfare, venom, interest, financial gain, popularity and pressure placed on Clark’s shoulders, along with plenty of smoke coming from established stars in the league prior to her ever getting drafted No. 1 overall, she’s done an incredible job of navigating her first WNBA season, while also changing the losing culture of a team that hadn’t had a winning record or made the playoffs since 2016, when they had Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings. 

Clark exhibited many of the leadership traits that Parker did during her illustrious rookie campaign. Both players entered the league with plenty of hype and were able to meet the challenge and expectations. 

Clark Had Her Share Of Doubters

Fever general manager Lin Dunn wasn’t one of the players, analysts and fans who doubted how effective CC would be in her rookie season.

There were plenty of warnings put out by players, from Breanna Stewart to Diana Taurasi about how challenging the transition to the WNBA’s physical style would be. 

Dunn recently shared her general thoughts with reporters on what her expectations and anticipation were when she drafted Clark versus where she’s at now.

“There was a lot about Caitlin Clark that I felt like I expected. Some people didn’t expect her to be as good as she was early. I did. I thought she would be. She handled all the pressure and all the tough defenses.” Dunn said.

NBA Players Talking WNBA

Even as the NBA season gears up for another run to the title, the WNBA and Caitlin Clark are part of the conversation. 

In February 2024, the Hornets acquired guard Seth Curry, forward Williams and a 2027 first-round pick (top-two protected) from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for forward P.J. Washington Jr., a 2024 second-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. The journeyman is hoping to help the Hornets revive the franchise that Michael Jordan sold in 2023. 

With Clark’s playoff elimination at the hands of the Connecticut Sun she will be taking a much-needed break from basketball for a few months.

Not sure if Clark could hide from the media if she tried, but if NBA players are going to keep bringing her name up then she will continue to stay in the news cycle. 

‘I’m Heartbroken’: Angel Reese May Want Trade To New York After Firing Of Teresa Weatherspoon and Posing For Photo With Knicks Star Karl Anthony Towns’ Girlfriend Jordyn Woods

In a surprising move, the Chicago Sky have decided to move on from head coach Teresa Weatherspoon just one season into her tenure as the club’s lead sideline stalker.

While the Sky didn’t finish the season the way they wanted, going 13-27, they were competitive and even had some big road wins at (Las Vegas and Seattle). T-Spoon’s firing comes less than one year after she was hired to lead the now middling franchise that’s just three seasons from winning a WNBA championship. 

In a statement released following the firing, team co-owner Nadi Rawlinson thanked T-Spoon for her contributions.

“After careful consideration, we have decided it is in our best interest of the organization to part ways with head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. We are deeply appreciative of Coach TSpoon’s contributions to the Chicago Sky, and the energy and passion she brought to the head coaching role.”

Angel Reese Might Want Out Of Chicago After Teresa Weatherspoon Firing

The move isn’t sitting well with Sky star Angel Reese whose relationship with her coach is very strong and goes beyond basketball. 

“I’m heartbroken,” she began. “I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me. Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black woman in sports when nobody believes in you. You had a tough job. All the crazy circumstances that we went through this year & when your back was against the wall, you always believed. I came to Chicago because of YOU. You were an unsung hero in my life. We built a relationship in a short amount of time that will last forever.”

In the aftermath of the news, the aforementioned Reese, who led the league in rebounding at (13.1) per game, took to social media to express her feelings. 

Coming into the league this past season, many questioned if Reese could actually play at the WNBA level. Reese quickly put that to rest, displaying the toughness, grit and rebounding prowess that made her a star at LSU.

One of her biggest supporters was TSpoon, who believed in her from the jump, and that helped propel Reese to leading the league in rebounding.

What’s Next For Sky: Angel Reese Trade?

Per reports, there was a disconnect between TSpoon and the players. Chemistry issues is also allegedly the reason the team moved sharpshooter Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun during the Olympic and All-Star break.

That move along with a noticeable change in style of play and some questionable in-game coaching decisions seem to be the two biggest reasons for TSpoon’s removal as head coach. 

Angel Reese Takes Photos With New Knicks WAG Jordyn Woods

Reese does always seem to be in the right place st the right time and ahead of the game.

Three days prior to the reporter Karl Anthony-Towns trade to the NY Knicks, Reese was spotted taking glamour shots with Towns’ model and entrepreneur girlfriend Jordyn Woods and he sister Jodie.

Woods grew to prominence (12M Social media followers) during her friendship with Kylie Jenner.

The photo of Reese and Woods has been going viral online, with over 1M views and 45,000 likes.

How is AR always around the celebrities in their biggest moments?

When Jaylen Brown was at the center of the news for being snubbed from Team USA, Reese was courtside with the 2024 NBA Finals MVP and his former WNBA/model girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick at Bronny James’ summer league game. Brown was captured on video with the ladies saying “I don’t think Bronny is a pro.” 

The moment went viral and guess who was on every video circulating? Angel Reese of course, just minding her business and watching her profile raise.

Angel Reese To The NY Liberty?

Maybe Reese had whiff of KAT’s impending trade and decided to position herself on the NY Liberty’s radar, knowing that her friend Woods would now be walking the isles of Bergdorf Goodman and other Fifth Avenue shops for the next few seasons, which only elevates Reese’s all-in mentality when it comes to building her brand off the court.

Her elite rebounding skill set would also fit perfectly on a team with bonafide scorers and All-Stars such as Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. Reese would also bring a toughness and tenacity that the Liberty could use. Someone who matches their coach’s energy.

Off the court, NY is perfect. A step up from Chicago as far as marketing is concerned.

Reese hangs out with as many celebrities and entertainers as she can and knows how to position her brand for success.

Unfortunately, her influence couldn’t save TSpoon’s job after just one season.

Not all is on the former New York Liberty legend and Basketball Hall of Famer. She unfortunately she walked into a no-win situation, where the Sky has been falling in Chicago since winning the 2021 WNBA title.  

Related: “I Just Want To Live A Normal, 22-Year-Old-Life”: Price Of Fame Might Be Too High For Angel Reese

Will Reese want to stick around to help build Chicago into a contender without a coach who was willing to make her a featured player on the team?

Karl-Anthony Towns and Girlfriend Jordyn Woods Reportedly Unhappy About Trade To New York Knicks Because $220M All-Star Just Bought Luxurious 18,000-Square-Foot $14M Mansion Up The Block From Kylie Jenner

The New York Knicks are going all out to construct a championship contender that can compete with the Boston Celtics. According to reports, the Knicks have reached a deal to acquire center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

The Knicks plan to send Julius Randle, fan favorite Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick to the Timberwolves as part of the blockbuster trade as training camps get ready to open. 

Homecoming For Karl Anthony-Towns 

The Knicks are getting one of the best-shooting big men in the game. Towns once declared himself the best-shooting big man in history. 

The four-time All-Star is entering his 10th season in the league and is averaging 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot 50.4 percent from the field, a career-high 41.6% on 3-pointers and 87.3 percent on free throws.

Joining the Knicks is a homecoming of sorts for Towns, who was born in Edison, New Jersey, and played high school basketball at St. Joseph in nearby Metuchen, New Jersey. 

Towns, 28, was the No. 1 pick out of Kentucky in the 2015 draft and Knicks fans aren’t ecstatic about breaking up the Villanova crew, but adding a player of KAT’s caliber is a chance the organization had to take. 

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Wood Just Moved Into Plush $14M Estate

So now that Towns is coming to the Big Apple, what is he going to do with the chunk of real estate he just completed out West? 

It was reported a few days ago that the 28-year-old Towns and his 27-year-old model girlfriend Jordyn Woods purchased a $14 million Los Angeles home just down the block from her longtime friend Kylie Jenner. 

Woods and KAT reportedly moved into the spacious palace, which is stocked with seven bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, back in May. 

According to TMZ, the 11,000 square-foot home sits on more than two acres of land and also comes with a two-bedroom guest house, a 7,200 square-foot spa and sport and gym/entertainment pavilion, a huge barn with “space for horses and garages to accommodate up to six cars.”

It also harbors a pastry station, walk-through pantry, 350-bottle wine collection, a tennis court, 13-seat home theater, mud room, and gift-wrap room. 

The works. 

If those weren’t enough amenities, the couple enjoys a pool with a waterfall and spa, personal gym, dance studio, racquetball court, batting cage, and 150-person nightclub with a bar and separate entrance.

It’s undoubtedly been lit at that spot since May. 

Towns Unhappy About Trade To Knicks?

Apparently, the party is over and Towns didn’t seem too happy about the trade on Twitter, posting an ellipsis in response to news of the trade. 

That’s the nature of the sport. It’s a business, and when the shock wears off he will have to move to New York and try to be a part of another potential championship team. 

Clearly Minnesota felt that he wasn’t the sidekick to help Anthony Edwards elevate to superstar levels. Whatever KAT showed them during their recent run to the Western Conference Finals wasn’t enough to keep him as a cornerstone of the squad. 

Life’s funny like that. 

Jordyn Woods Hooked Up With $220M KAT In May of 2020 After She Kissed Khloé Kardashian’s Kids’ Father, Fell Out With Kardashians

Woods will tell you. She’s living the dream as an influencer and model and future wife of a player who signed a four-year, $220 million contract extension with the Timberwolves in July 2022, which averages about $55.1 million per year. He’s scheduled to make $49,205,800 for this upcoming 20024-25 season. 

Coming to New York won’t mean any less drama or excitement for the couple, but they are far removed from the speculation and opinions that they entered into a relationship with. 

Woods had a falling out with the Kardashian family when in 2019, Woods and Khloé Kardashian’s children’s father, NBA player Thompson, shocked the world after it emerged, they had hooked up at a party. 

Woods admitted sharing a kiss with the NBA star during a “Red Table Talk” interview with Jada Pinkett Smith.

The kiss also allegedly was the major reason that Khloe split up with Thompson again. After the interview, Jordyn’s ”Red Table Talk” interview aired and all hell broke loose as Khloe insisted over Twitter, ‘You ARE the reason my family broke up!’

Woods and Jenner first hooked up back in 2012 after meeting through a mutual friend, Jaden Smith, and developed a close friendship. Back then, the pair was inseparable, living together and working on various projects together. 

Woods utilized her relationship with Kylie’s exploding brand and appeared on the reality series “Life With Kylie” and also launched the Kylie x Jordyn collection for Kylie Cosmetics in September 2018. 

That relationship, however, came to a sudden crash when Woods messed around with Khloe’s man and caused social media to go into a frenzy. The wild part is first Jordyn denied that anything happened, then she came clean about the encounter in March of 2019. 

‘I was drunk. I was not tipsy, I was drunk. But I was not beyond the point of recollection. I know where I was. But, on the way out [of Tristan’s house] he did kiss me,’ she recalled during the interview.

The model continued, ‘No passion, no nothing. On the way out he just kissed me. It was a kiss on the lips. No tongue kiss, no making out. Nothing. I don’t think he’s wrong either, because I allowed myself to be in this position.’

She then expressed her emotions immediately after the kiss, and revealed, ‘I didn’t know how to feel. I was like, “That didn’t just happen,” because I was leaving already so I walked out immediately after.’

The star remembered getting, ‘in the car and was like, “No, that didn’t happen,” I [told him] I need to go. I was in shock.’

Welcome To NYC: Kardashian Drama Behind Her, Woods Is Now Queen of KAT’s Castle

It took several years for the relationship between the Kardashians and Woods to heal, but she upgraded her man and her situation after. She is now the queen of Towns’ kingdom. 

They say she is his calming presence and the person he leaned on when he lost his mom and several other family members to COVID during the pandemic. That support forged a love that appears strong. 

She will need to be strong for him, especially if he doesn’t really want to come to New York, because playing in that town is hard enough when you embrace it. Minnesota is nothing like New York. In T-Wolves country the fans are different, they tend to be less knowledgeable and are more accepting of underachievers who make big money. 

What will Woods and Towns do with the L.A. mansion that they moved into this year? Now Woods has another job, to find a nice location in New York City to call home for the next couple of years. 

Her public profile should shoot up again, as she and her husband will become more and more popular as the NBA season approaches. 

Welcome to New York.

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