Rick Ross is the latest celebrity to respond to Bronny’s big news. The Maybach Music founder hopped on Instagram to let everyone know that he is not here for the nepotism talk surrounding Bronny.
“Who was he suppose to play for? Go get that Nike money! Y’all let me know. Bronny soon as you get out there on that court, make sure you throw that baby powder in the sky! And you run out there and do that leg pump,” Ross said.
Ricky Rozay also expressed his frustrations with the new words people create on social media, specifically pointing out nepotism.
“Nepotism, nepotism. Y’all make me sick, every two years y’all come up with a new word. Now it’s nepotism. 85% of all of you m***a f****s got a job, by somebody you know. And that ain’t even what I’m referring to. Little Bronny a bigger star than 95% of the m***a f****s in the league now,” Ross continued.
Instagram user @iamdariusalford wrote, “Nepotism new to you Rick Ross. We been knew that word 😂”
Instagram user @ra3ofsunshin3 wrote, “Bigging up someone else’s child while neglecting your own is nasty work.”
While Instagram user @bri_klassyy wrote, “Ross your son has a FULL Scholarship to a respectable HBCU and you on the internet talking about another man’s son accomplishments🤡… This what Tia be talking about!”
Then Instagram user @ shayonce._ wrote, “You didn’t even go to your sons graduation. We don’t wanna hear from you.”
Lastly, Instagram user @emeraldmarie wrote, “Him & his baby mom talk the same 😂”
Details On Bronny’s Lakers Draft
As The Shade Room previously reported, Bronny James has officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers. On June 27, it was confirmed that Bronny and LeBron James will make history as the first father-son duo to play in the NBA together.
At 19 years old, Bronny James secured the 55th overall pick and will don the iconic purple and gold colors alongside his dad in the upcoming NBA season.
It was the dream that LeBron James first floated a few years ago, the notion of playing in the NBA alongside one of his sons.
And it’s a step closer to reality now.
Bronny James – the oldest son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and four-time champion – was drafted Thursday by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that his father has played for since 2018. Bronny James was taken with the No. 55 overall pick, deep in the second round and with only three picks remaining in this year’s draft.
Adding further intrigue to the move: LeBron James can become a free agent next week, which means he could choose to leave the Lakers and sign elsewhere.
The draft move doesn’t guarantee that father and son will actually play in a game together, nor does it even guarantee that Bronny James will be on the Lakers’ roster next season. But it certainly raises the possibility that it could happen in what would be an NBA first – a father-son on-court duo in the league simultaneously as players. There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played, but those always came at least five years after the father’s career ended.
But LeBron James’ incredible longevity – he’ll match Vince Carter for the longest career as an NBA player ever this coming season, which will be his 22nd in the league – makes the father-son duo possible.
“With the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select Bronny James from the University of Southern California,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in announcing the pick, making the moment official for the 19-year-old, who was born just before the start of his father’s second NBA season.
Bronny James is a guard, one who was listed at 6-foot-4 on Southern California’s roster but measured at 6 feet, 1 1/2 inches at the draft combine. That would make him one of the shortest players in the NBA, but his athleticism and defensive ability helped give him this opportunity.
He played one year of college basketball at USC and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season. He played in 25 games, missing the start of the season after needing a procedure last year to fix what was diagnosed as a congenital heart defect, which was found after he went into cardiac arrest during a summer workout.
A panel of doctors cleared Bronny James for NBA play last month.
Day 2 of the draft saw 24 other players get taken before Bronny James, though none of them – not even close, really – got the attention that the No. 55 selection received, for obvious reasons.
The 55th pick rarely turns out to be a player who captures a slew of attention. The best 55th pick in NBA history would be current Miami Heat guard Patty Mills, selected in 2009 and someone who has scored 7,893 points in his 15-season career.
Some other notable No. 55 picks include Marc Iavaroni, Mark Blount, Kenny Gattison and E’Twaun Moore. There’s never been a No. 55 pick that was an NBA All-Star, an All-NBA player, an All-Rookie team player or an All-Defensive team pick.
Last season’s No. 55 pick, Isaiah Wong, scored exactly two points for Indiana as a rookie. Add up every No. 55 pick ever, and their NBA career scoring total is 28,364 points – more than 12,000 points less than LeBron James has scored in his career.
It was the dream that LeBron James first floated a few years ago, the notion of playing in the NBA alongside one of his sons.
And it’s a step closer to reality now.
Bronny James – the oldest son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and four-time champion – was drafted Thursday by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that his father has played for since 2018. Bronny James was taken with the No. 55 overall pick, deep in the second round and with only three picks remaining in this year’s draft.
Adding further intrigue to the move: LeBron James can become a free agent next week, which means he could choose to leave the Lakers and sign elsewhere.
The draft move doesn’t guarantee that father and son will actually play in a game together, nor does it even guarantee that Bronny James will be on the Lakers’ roster next season. But it certainly raises the possibility that it could happen in what would be an NBA first – a father-son on-court duo in the league simultaneously as players. There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played, but those always came at least five years after the father’s career ended.
But LeBron James’ incredible longevity – he’ll match Vince Carter for the longest career as an NBA player ever this coming season, which will be his 22nd in the league – makes the father-son duo possible.
“With the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select Bronny James from the University of Southern California,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in announcing the pick, making the moment official for the 19-year-old, who was born just before the start of his father’s second NBA season.
Bronny James is a guard, one who was listed at 6-foot-4 on Southern California’s roster but measured at 6 feet, 1 1/2 inches at the draft combine. That would make him one of the shortest players in the NBA, but his athleticism and defensive ability helped give him this opportunity.
He played one year of college basketball at USC and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season. He played in 25 games, missing the start of the season after needing a procedure last year to fix what was diagnosed as a congenital heart defect, which was found after he went into cardiac arrest during a summer workout.
A panel of doctors cleared Bronny James for NBA play last month.
Day 2 of the draft saw 24 other players get taken before Bronny James, though none of them – not even close, really – got the attention that the No. 55 selection received, for obvious reasons.
The 55th pick rarely turns out to be a player who captures a slew of attention. The best 55th pick in NBA history would be current Miami Heat guard Patty Mills, selected in 2009 and someone who has scored 7,893 points in his 15-season career.
Some other notable No. 55 picks include Marc Iavaroni, Mark Blount, Kenny Gattison and E’Twaun Moore. There’s never been a No. 55 pick that was an NBA All-Star, an All-NBA player, an All-Rookie team player or an All-Defensive team pick.
Last season’s No. 55 pick, Isaiah Wong, scored exactly two points for Indiana as a rookie. Add up every No. 55 pick ever, and their NBA career scoring total is 28,364 points – more than 12,000 points less than LeBron James has scored in his career.
Bronny James, the oldest son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader LeBron James, has been drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bronny was selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. He went No. 55 overall.
Bronny played 25 games for the USC Trojans last year. He posted a stat line of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. But LA didn’t take him because of what he did in college.
LeBron James has long publicly stated that he hoped to be able to one day play with Bronny by his side in the NBA. He tempered that sentiment this past NBA season, declaring that he just wanted his son to have a fair shot at an NBA career.
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The Lakers have had a whirlwind July. On Monday they introduced new head coach JJ Redick after firing Darvin Ham in May. On Wednesday during the first round, the Lakers drafted Dalton Knechtm with the No. 17 overall pick.
It’ll be interesting to see how much playing time Bronny gets with this new team. He’s a player widely considered to need tremendous development to compete at an NBA level. Bronny could find himself playing more G League minutes than NBA minutes throughout his rookie season.
Earlier today news broke that NBA teams were being “encouraged” to stay away from drafting Bronny. From Bleacher Report: “Agent Rich Paul is telling certain teams to pass on Bronny James in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, ESPN’s Bob Myers said during the event’s broadcast.”
Nearly two months after their season ended, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally found their new head coach.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the next voice of the Lakers is a familiar one in former NBA sharpshooter, podcast host and ESPN broadcaster JJ Redick.
ESPN Sources: JJ Redick has agreed on a four-year contract to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka offered job this morning and Redick’s started working on a staff to surround himself with experience. pic.twitter.com/G66eVFRALp
Redick, who has no head coaching experience at any level, is a bold choice for a franchise with a storied history such as the Lakers.
Redick’s rise in his post-playing career has been meteoric. During the bubble season in 2020, Redick’s first foray into broadcasting was with his own production company called ThreeFourTwo Productions. The company’s first content was a podcast hosted by Redick called “The Old Man and the Three.”
After retiring from the NBA following the 2021 season, Redick was hired as an analyst by ESPN and made his debut on Nov. 3, 2021, as a studio analyst for the network’s coverage of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks.
Redick’s rise was prominent. Inside the corridors of ESPN, his voice became synonymous with sharp analysis and insightful commentary. None of that came as a surprise for those like myself, who followed his playing career.
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Redick learned the game from Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke where he was a two-time All-American and the 2006 National College Player of the Year.
The Orlando Magic drafted him that same year and he quickly helped lead them to the 2009 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Lakers in five games.
Redick came to Los Angeles in 2013 with the Clippers where he played five seasons for the team, helping them reach the playoffs in all five. It was in the arena formerly known as Staples Center where we quickly learned that Redick’s basketball IQ was off the charts and that one day he would be destined for more than just the broadcasting booth.
On Thursday, just three short years after his retirement, that potential has been realized as the Lakers have named him the 27th head coach in franchise history.
Redick is considered a player’s coach, and many inside the Lakers’ organization have compared him to a young Pat Riley.
As a player, Redick’s career was defined by his precision and understanding of the game. Something that’s on fully display in his new podcast with his now star player, LeBron James. The podcast, which launched during the postseason, is called “Mind the Game” and it’s co-produced by Redick and James’ respective production companies.
Many believed it was those conversations with James on the podcast that put Redick on the Lakers’ radar. On the show, the two break down the X’s and O’s of the game and discuss late-game strategies and defensive positioning. Redick and James will now bring that same meticulous approach to the Lakers’ sidelines during the upcoming season.
Redick was a sharpshooter throughout his career and is expected to emphasize 3-point shooting, pace and space as he tries to rejuvenate the Lakers’ offense.
Redick interviewed with the Lakers over the weekend and was hired just a few days later. His hiring comes less than a week before the 2024 NBA Draft.
Redick will have to learn on the job as fast as possible. His first move will be to hire a staff, hopefully with some veteran head coaches as assistants. Redick knows all too well, the pressure that comes with the high-profile position as the Lakers head coach.
With stars like James and Anthony Davis on the roster, Redick will look to make the Lakers a championship contender both this season and into the future. In order to do so, he will need to foster a winning culture and understand the dynamics and roles with the star-studded lineup.
Lakers fans, known for their passion and high expectations, have greeted the news with a mix of excitement and curiosity. Social media is abuzz with reactions, with many optimistic about what Redick can bring to the team. His reputation as a hardworking, knowledgeable basketball mind has fans hopeful that he can lead the Lakers back to championship contention.
However, those same fans were ecstatic at the prospect of two-time NCAA national championship head coach Dan Hurley from Connecticut taking the job. But, Hurley turned down the Lakers’ offer to remain at UConn and chase a third straight title.
Redick may not have been the team’s first choice, but in his new role, the future looks bright. His blend of modern basketball philosophy and deep respect for the game’s traditions position him as an ideal leader for a team looking to reclaim its glory. With training camp around the corner, all eyes will be on Redick as he begins to shape the next era of Lakers basketball.
The journey from commentator to coach is complete. JJ Redick is ready to write the next chapter in Lakers history, and if his past is any indication, it’s going to be a thrilling ride.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James acknowleged a historic broadcasting moment ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Doris Burke, the longtime ESPN broadcaster, became the first woman to serve as a TV analyst for a championship final in one of the four major professional sports. Burke was working tonight’s Game 1 of the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
James noted the milestone just before the game started.
“Important moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and everything she does to elevate all of us!” James wrote, then added a GOAT emoji, denoting the Greatest of All Time.
“My focus is in preparing for the games in front of me. … But I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I am sort of mindful that there is something meaningful here, right,” Burke said. “And the meaning for me would be if, in some way, this assignment makes life for women in sports easier or somehow aids in their process, then nothing could be more meaningful.
“Anybody calling their first NBA Finals game would probably be nervous, and I think if I allow my mind to drift too much into that space, it will make that nervousness a little bit worse.”
In 2020, Burke was a radio analyst for the conference and NBA Finals, the first woman to broadcast that deep into the tournament.
Burke has worked for ESPN since 1990, and has been a sideline reporter for ABC’s NBA Finals coverage from 2009-19 before moving over to the radio booth.
She joins play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and fellow analyst JJ Redick in the trio’s first NBA Finals together.
Important moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and everything she does to elevate all of us! You’re a 🐐! 🙏🏾🤎🫡 https://t.co/eckUkkP2Bk
Our favorite WAG Savannah James opened up about why she was often found herself fighting in high school. The stunning 37-year-old said she had to defend herself because girls simply didn’t like her – but no one could ever tell her why.
“What was I doing in high school? Girl, fighting,” Savannah revealed on her and her friend April’s Everybody’s Crazy podcast. “No, I don’t [love to fight], first of all, but I had to defend myself.”
She explained, “Like I had a lot of that. I had girls who didn’t like me and couldn’t tell nobody why they didn’t like me. Like, my whole group of friends, it was like, tough. It was a lot.”
While she said she was often fighting on behalf of her friends, people still didn’t like her, so it was hard.
It was brought up that possibly other girls were jealous that Savannah was dating THEE Lebron James as a potential explanation for their hatred. And we wouldn’t be surprised if that were true.
Check out the clips below:
Back in Ohio, Savannah was a cheerleader at Buchtel high school while LeBron attended St. Vincent-St. Mary high school. And we already know anytime Bron rolled up to her school pushing an expensive car (he had a Hummer at the time and was even investigated for illegally taking funds because of that), the haters were in full force.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The state of Ohio has produced presidents, Oscar winners, music chart toppers, astronauts and best selling authors. But what about Northeast Ohio specifically?
Looking at FOX 8’s coverage area, we set out to mention some of the most famous people to come out of these parts (many of whom you’ll be familiar, but perhaps not all). Some were merely born here before moving along, others grew up here before heading out and a smaller set, stayed around.
Enjoy.
ACTORS
(Photo by Bonnie Osborne/CBS via Getty Images)
Drew Carey The comedian and current “The Price is Right” host grew up in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland. He let everyone know just how much Cleveland rocks during his tenure on “The Drew Carey Show.”
(Courtesy: MGN Online)
Halle Berry She won an Oscar for “Monster’s Ball,” but is also a graduate of Bedford High School (after being born in Cleveland).
(Photo by Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images)
Paul Newman An icon in every sense, Oscar winner/philanthropist/husband-husband/race car driver Paul Newman grew up in Shaker Heights.
Vanessa Bayer She made “SNL” funnier during her tenure there from 2010-2017, but got her start growing up in Moreland Hills. She also appeared in “Office Christmas Party” and “Trainwreck.”
Alan Ruck Finding a recent resurgence on the show “Succession,” the Cleveland-born Parma native is still probably most well-known for his portrayal of Cameron Frye in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage)
Lili Reinhart This actress grew up in Bay Village and rose to fame playing Betty Cooper on the CW teen series “Riverdale.”
Ed O’Neill The dad on “Married… with Children” and “Modern Family” grew up in Youngstown and eventually graduated from Youngstown State University.
(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen, File)
Luke Perry Playing teen heartthrob Dylan McKay on “Beverly Hills, 90210” for the better part of a decade, the actor was born in Mansfield and grew up in Fredericktown. He died in 2019 at age 52.
Molly Shannon The Shaker Heights native and Hawken School alum is most known for bringing the hilarity on “SNL” but has appeared in plenty of films and TV shows since.
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Patricia Heaton Patricia Heaton and her brother Michael (who’d go on to be a prominent journalist in the area), along with their other siblings, grew up in Bay Village. She was the mom on “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle.”
(Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images)
Yvette Nicole Brown The East Cleveland native who later graduated from University of Akron was a bright star on the show “Community.” She was nominated for an Emmy for “A Black Lady Sketch Show.”
Monica Potter A Euclid High School graduate, this actor got her start at Cleveland Play House. She’s known for her roles in “Patch Adams,” “Saw” and “Con Air.” She was also on the TV show “Parenthood.”
(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Kitty Bungalow)
Fred Willard Character actor Fred Willard, who grew up in Shaker Heights, died in 2020. He was known for his work in multiple Christopher Guest movies and also appeared in many TV shows, including “Roseanne” and “Modern Family.”
Carrie Coon This actor’s been nominated for an Emmy and a Tony and also grew up in Copley. She later graduated from University of Mount Union in Alliance, before going on to star in cable shows like “Fargo” and “The Leftovers” and “The Gilded Age.” You may have also seen her in the new Ghostbusters movies.
Gates McFadden, cast member in the Paramount+ television series “Star Trek: Picard” poses for a portrait during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
Gates McFadden She’ll forever be known as Dr. Beverly Crusher from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and other “Star Trek” entities, but she grew up in Silver Lake after being born in Akron.
Dorothy Dandridge, is shown on April 11,1956 at her press reception at the Savoy Hotel in London for a four-week singing engagement. (AP Photo).
Dorothy Dandridge She was born in Cleveland and grew up performing all over the country. Dandridge was the first African-American to be nominated for a best actress Oscar for her performance in the 1954 film “Carmen Jones.” She died at 42 years old.
MUSICIANS
(Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
MGK He wasn’t born here, but rapper/singer/actor Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly, now MGK) did attend Shaker Heights High School and often speaks highly of Cleveland. He even has a coffee shop in the Flats: 27 Coffee Shop.
(Ben Cohen/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Kid Cudi Another Shaker Heights HS attendee (and Solon High School attendee), Scott Mescudi went on to sell millions of records and won two Grammy Awards. In recent years, he’s gotten into acting.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony There’s no way you don’t know about this old-school hip-hop group, comprised of Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone — they’ve got a street named after them in Cleveland, after all. They started in the city back in 1991.
(Photo credit should read RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/GettyImages)
Chrissie Hynde Essentially one of the coolest women in rock ‘n’ roll, Chrissie Hynde grew up in Akron and attended Kent State University before hopping across the pond to help found the Pretenders.
Tracy Chapman A new generation learned about Tracy Chapman after Luke Combs’ recent cover of “Fast Car” took the country charts by storm. She was born and raised in Cleveland before moving east.
DEVO Time to put on your Energy Dome Hat, we’re here to discuss DEVO. The band formed in Akron in 1973, with ties to Kent State University. Thought of as a joke band by some who didn’t quite get it, the new wave group would go on to have a Top 20 hit in 1980: “Whip It.”
Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys perform onstage during the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
The Black Keys Is there something in the water in Akron? Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney met at Firestone High School and went on to create one of the most popular rock bands of the 2000s. They now reside in Nashville.
Eric Carmen Anytime you’re alone and the song “All By Myself” comes to your head, you have Cleveland/Lyndhurst native Eric Carmen to thank. The singer-songwriter, also known for his work with the Raspberries, died in March at age 74.
Ric Ocasek Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted The Cars got somewhat of a start right here in Cleveland. Frontman Ric Ocasek moved to the area with his family at 16 and eventually graduated from Maple Heights High School. He originally met bassist Benjamin Orr in Cleveland, before moving on to Columbus, Ann Arbor and Boston. He died in 2019.
Marilyn Manson The controversial musician, who has been accused of abuse, was born and raised in Canton and graduated from GlenOak High School.
Courtesy: Hope the Mission
Dave Grohl He doesn’t even remember his time being born in Warren, but one of the most famous drummers/frontmen in the world really came into the world in Northeast Ohio before making moves to the West Coast and later musical stardom.
INSANELY FAMOUS ATHLETES
15th August 1936: American athlete, Jesse Owens takes part in the long jump event in a USA versus British Empire meeting at White City stadium in west London. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Jesse Owens One of the world’s great Olympic champions moved to Cleveland when he was 9 years old, going on to meet the love of his life in junior high and graduating from East Tech High School. Owens (whose middle name was Cleveland) was an absolute track and field star at Ohio State University and eventually won four gold medals in Nazi-run Germany in 1936.
Stephen Curry Sure, he was the bane of Cavs fans’ existence for years, but the truth is, he was born in the same hospital as LeBron James (now called Summa Akron City Hospital) while his father Dell Curry was playing for Cleveland. He is known for his stunning three-pointers and his annoying habit of chewing on his mouthpiece during a game.
FILE – Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, poses with his son Bronny after Sierra Canyon defeated Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in a high school basketball game Dec. 14, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. Bronny James joined his Southern California teammates in a preseason fan event at Galen Center, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
LeBron James His name is LeBron Raymone James and he was born and raised in Akron. He not only is one of the best basketball players of all time; he helped end a decades-long championship drought for Cleveland teams when the Cavaliers won the NBA Championships in 2016. Following that life-changing game, he famously said, “Cleveland, this is for you.”
Jason Kelce, left, and Travis Kelce, right, watch a video during a time out at the Celtics-Cavaliers NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Cleveland .Jason Kelce was given a framed jersey. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Jason and Travis Kelce These brothers are two of the most famous athletes on the planet right now, due to their charismatic nature and excellent skills on the football field (although Jason has recently retired). While they weren’t born in the Cleveland area, they came up in Cleveland Heights and graduated from high school there.
OTHERS
Michael Symon He’s a famous Iron Chef/TV show host/cookbook author who loves Cleveland. Not because he stumbled upon it or anything, but because he grew up in the area and has worked hard over the decades to help bring the culinary scene here to new heights. Downtown’s Mabel’s BBQ even features Cleveland-style barbeque.
Russo Brothers Heard of the billion-dollar grossing “Avengers” movies? Brothers Anthony and Joseph Russo directed them and also “Captain America” installations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They grew up in Cleveland, graduating from Benedictine High School.
Bill Watterson Comic strips may seem simple, but it’s in their simplicity that we learn about ourselves. That’s what we gleaned from “Calvin and Hobbes,” about a 6-year-old and his tiger friend, created by Chagrin Falls’ Bill Watterson. The artist now lives in Cleveland Heights.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 08: Steve Harvey attends the second preseason NBA game between Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks at Etihad Arena on October 08, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Steve Harvey In recent years, he’s brought the longtime game show “Family Feud” to new hilarity, but the famous standup comedian grew up in Cleveland, eventually graduating from Glenville High School. For a time he attended Kent State University.
Wes Craven Did you have nightmares after watching films like “Scream” and “Nightmare on Elm Street?” You have director Wes Craven to thank. He was born and raised in Cleveland and died in 2015.
Bob Hope The consummate entertainer who would go on to have four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, moved to Cleveland with his family from England when he was 4 years old. He was known for hosting the Oscars 19 times, appearing in dozens of films and multiple comedy USO Tours.
James Garfield He wasn’t in the highest office for long, after being assassinated less than year into his first term, but James Garfield was the 20th president of the United States and he was from Northeast Ohio (born in a log cabin in Moreland Hills and attended Hiram College). There is a memorial to him at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.
Rich Paul In recent years he’s gained even more fame for being Adele’s partner, but Rich Paul, who grew up on Cleveland’s east side, is one of the most well-known sports managers in the country. Through his Klutch Sports Group, he has represented the likes of LeBron James, Myles Garrett, Darius Garland and many more.
FILE – American Nobel laureate and “Beloved” author Toni Morrison smiles during a news conference at the Louvre Museum in Paris, Nov. 8, 2006. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
Toni Morrison One of the great American authors of all time was born and raised in Lorain, Ohio. Although she passed away in 2019 at age 88, Toni Morrison’s award-winning works like “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved” live on.
Shohei Ohtani is still just playing baseball after being all but cleared in the Ippei Mizuhara scandal. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
If you were curious about what exactly happened to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s money after it was allegedly stolen by his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, a new report from ESPN’s Tisha Thompson has shed new light on the situation.
The man at the center of the alleged illegal gambling ring that received Ohtani’s money was Mathew Bowyer, who has been under investigation by federal authorities since last year. Ohtani was only roped into the scandal when authorities noticed his bank information among the payments to Bowyer.
Bowyer and the associate would then allegedly convert the money to playing chips, gamble with it and cash out if they won. Bowyer reportedly lost $7.9 million at Resorts World from June 2022 to October 2023, a span of time in which he was receiving money from Mizuhara.
This is all apparently part of a much larger trend in the gambling world in which illegal bookies in Southern California use Las Vegas casinos to launder money. Twelve people have reportedly been charged and convicted, while two Vegas casinos have agreed to pay fines.
There’s even a tangential connection to LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers star’s friend and business partner, Maverick Carter, reportedly admitted late last year that he bet on NBA games via an illegal bookie. ESPN reports that bookie, Wayne Nix, has since pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return. NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and former MLB star Yasiel Puig also reportedly made bets through Nix.
In the case of Bowyer, he reportedly boasted more than 600 bettors and was known as a whale in Vegas, with a reputation for bringing between $250,000 and $1 million with him as often as two or three times per month.
Where does the Shohei Ohtani scandal currently stand?
As far as Ohtani, the Dodgers and MLB, the Ippei Mizuhara situation is in the rear-view mirror.
Today Mr. Mizuhara voluntarily surrendered, made his initial appearance, and was released on bond as agreed to with the government. He is continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility.
He wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family. As noted in court, he is also eager to seek treatment for his gambling. We have no further comment at this time, but Mr. Mizuhara will be providing further comment as the legal process proceeds.
To date, no reports of a deal have materialized, but that doesn’t mean negotiations aren’t happening.
This is about as good of an outcome as Ohtani and his people could have hoped for after his name popped up on an illegal bookie’s ledger, but it remains a very sad situation. It has become clear that Mizuhara was both very close to Ohtani and suffered from enormous issues with gambling addiction.
LOS ANGELES — They showered Darvin Ham with boos as the coach was introduced before opening tip. They bombarded him with more pointed chants before time expired in an otherwise lifeless building.
“Fire Darvin!”
But is this Ham’s fault? D’Angelo Russell’s? The bench’s? All of the above? The Nuggets have infiltrated Los Angeles and sowed instability within an American institution. The Lakers’ superstar foundation is crumbling under the overwhelming pressure of Denver’s starting lineup, which is on the verge of securing a second playoff sweep of Los Angeles in as many seasons.
“To beat a team like that in the first round, who I think if seeded differently, they could make it to the Western Conference Finals or something like that, it’s definitely a challenge,” Peyton Watson said. “But we’re up to it every time, and we love going out there and winning games.”
With every successive win — every identical win — the unthinkable becomes closer to reality. The Nuggets might just own the Lakers.
If they finish the job Saturday in Game 4, they’ll accomplish what not even the Steph Curry-Kevin Durant Warriors could, eliminating LeBron James via sweep two years in a row. Golden State needed five games in 2017.
“They do not have a weakness offensively,” James said. “… Definitely one of the better teams that I’ve played in my career.”
Maybe Denver will need five games in 2024. But if there’s any reason to believe that now, it’s this: The Nuggets are clearly a danger to themselves in this matchup. They are prone to stretches, even entire halves, of complacency against an opponent that can’t hold a lead against them. The ongoing 11-game win streak features six double-digit comebacks.
“I think in this job as a coach, you always have to put on the hat of, ‘We have to fight human nature.’ And how do you do that when you’ve beaten a team 10 times in a row?” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before Game 3, a 112-105 victory. “… Well, we’ve been down 12, we’ve been down 20. We’ve lost the first quarter of both games. We’ve been down at halftime in both games. That’s cool in your home building when you have that crowd behind you, but now it’s just us.”
Those turned out to be hollow words. Denver spotted Los Angeles an 8-0 lead that grew to 12 before everyone other than Aaron Gordon decided to take Game 3 seriously.
What followed was a 24-point swing between the second and third quarters. Like clockwork.
“To be honest, I think every game is tougher and tougher,” Nikola Jokic said. “You can see, they were up 20 in Denver, in Game 2. They were up 12 today in the first half. But yeah, I think it’s really hard to play against the same team over and over again. You kind of get bored with the style of the play or whatever. So you just need to — especially for us, because we won the last three — just trust what we are doing and don’t get bored with success. Because it can (go) wrong really quick.”
Michael Porter Jr. (1) of the Denver Nuggets knocks down a mid-range jumper over Anthony Davis (3) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 112-105 win at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
The Nuggets are so bored of this matchup that they’ve inadvertently become thrill-seekers, dangling a win in front of the Lakers every night only to pull it out of reach at the last second when Anthony Davis tries to snatch it.
Moments of redemption for the Lakers are short-lived against Denver. Davis’s dominant first half against Jokic in Game 2 was forgotten because he didn’t score in the fourth quarter. Russell’s 23-point bounce-back was superseded by his scoreless Game 3. In the first and third games, he combined to shoot 6 for 27.
The variations of a Los Angeles second unit have failed to take any advantage of Jokic’s rest minutes. Before Game 3, Taurean Prince was the only Lakers bench player who’d scored a point in the series. Nothing from Spencer Dinwiddie. Nothing from Gabe Vincent.
They finally contributed more offense in Game 3 — but the bench was still an inefficient 8 for 19 en route to 19 points.
Davis has been the Lakers’ best player according to the box scores. Los Angeles is plus-25 points with him on the floor in the first halves of these three games — and minus-41 with him on the floor in the second halves.
“This team’s been having the type of run they’ve had against our ball club; I think it’s just a lot of disappointment,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “Have to do a better job of staying focused, staying positive throughout it all, because again, you have those disappointment moments, what we call disappointment lags — that disappointment can spill over two, three, four possessions. And you see that someone makes a mistake, drop our heads, and we start jogging back instead of sprinting. But we have to fight through all of that. This is a hell of a team. … They push you to the limit in order to try and beat them.”
Moreover, the Nuggets push themselves to the limit in order to beat the Lakers. Not because they have to; because they can.
Lakers star LeBron James was the most direct with his comments.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James said. “[D’Angelo Russell] clearly gets hit in the face on a drive. What the (expletive) do we have a replay center for if it’s going to go [like that]. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
The play James appeared to be referring to was when Michael Porter Jr. was assessed a foul for hitting Russell across the face on a drive to the basket with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged the call and won, giving the Nuggets the ball with the Lakers leading 79-69 late in the third instead of Russell getting a pair of free throws.
“It makes no sense to me,” James said. “It bothers me. … That (expletive) it like … And then I just saw what happened with the Sixers-Knicks game too. Like, what are we doing? … It’s (expletive) stupid.”
The Nuggets outscored the Lakers 32-20 in the fourth quarter to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after Jamal Murray hit a 15-foot step-back jumper at the buzzer over Anthony Davis’ outstretched right arm.
The Lakers led 68-48 early in the third before getting stunned by the Nuggets, who outscored the visitors 53-31 over the final 22 minutes.
The Lakers, who averaged 24.2 free-throw attempts during the regular season (the second-most in the NBA), took 13 free throws on Monday, making 10, including three free-throw attempts in the fourth (1 for 3).
James appeared to be especially flustered with officials multiple times in the fourth when he felt he was fouled on drives that weren’t called, adding to the frustration of blowing a 20-point lead.
“Making it about to work and knowing that you still have [an] abundance of life,” Coach Darvin Ham responded when asked about bouncing back for Thursday’s Game 3 in Los Angeles. “Still have an abundance of life. But we gotta make it about the work and keep it about to work. It’s tough, some tough calls, some tough non-calls. But you can’t use any of that as an excuse. You gotta go out there and be ready to make plays, whether the whistle gets blown or not.”
Ham continued: “It’s getting real tricky. Go through the season, games being officiated one way and then the playoffs, I guess it’s up left to the interpretation of the three individual guys that [are] doing the job out there. But all that said, you just have to know that yeah, it stings. Remember this feeling as we take it back home to L.A.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest… It makes no sense to me… Then I just saw what happened with the Sixers/Knicks game too, what are we doing?” – LeBron James pic.twitter.com/7OWLmuf8jn
If the Nuggets really want the title of “Lakers’ Daddy,” they’ll have the chance to earn it with an earlier-than-expected rematch.
Less than a year after their Western Conference Finals sweep, the Nuggets will face the Lakers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, tipping off Saturday at Ball Arena with Game 1. Denver (57-25) enters the series having won eight consecutive head-to-head matchups against Los Angeles.
The Lakers (47-35) finished the regular season in eighth place and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday to earn the matchup. Pelicans star Zion Williamson scored 40 points but mysteriously disappeared to the locker room with an apparent injury after scoring a game-tying floater with 3:19 remaining.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points on 6-of-20 shooting. Anthony Davis added 20 points and 15 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell, who shot a career-high 41.5% from 3-point range this season, scored 21, including a critical corner three that gave Los Angeles a four-point lead with a minute to go.
In the 2023-24 regular season, presumptive MVP Nikola Jokic averaged 29.3 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in three games against the Lakers. Jamal Murray averaged 24.7 points, five rebounds and 9.3 assists in the matchup. The Nuggets point guard seems more likely to thrive in this matchup than he might have against New Orleans’ scrappy wing defenders; he was a 32.5 point-per-game scorer in the four-game series last spring, while Jokic averaged a triple-double against Anthony Davis.
All three regular-season clashes involved a ceremony, by sheer scheduling serendipity. In the NBA season opener, the Nuggets won after receiving their 2023 championship rings and raising the title banner. The two games in Los Angeles coincided with the unveiling of a Kobe Bryant statue and the celebration of James’ 40,000th career point, which he scored by driving past Michael Porter Jr.
In a tale of meticulousness and dedication to perfection, the iconic Kobe Bryant statue outside Crypto.com Arena has undergone a transformation, correcting notable spelling errors that marred its initial unveiling just a month ago.
Misspellings on Kobe Bryant’s statue at Crypto.com Arena include Jose Calderon as Jose “Calderson.” Other misspellings are Von Wafer as “Vom” Wafer and Coach’s Decision as Coach’s “Decicion.” Photographed in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, March 11, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The word “decision” was also misprinted as “decicion,” casting a shadow over an otherwise immaculate tribute to the late Lakers icon. Additionally, there was an error on the side where Bryant’s career accomplishments were written.
Misspellings on Kobe Bryant’s statue at Crypto.com Arena. At the bottom, Von Wafer is misspelled as “Vom” Wafer and DNP – Coach’s Decision as DNP – Coach’s “Decicion” Photographed in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, March 11, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The scrutiny extended beyond the statue itself, with speculation swirling about the accuracy of the scorer’s report from that historic game. However, a signed scorer’s report auctioned in 2020 revealed no such errors, prompting questions about the source of the misspellings.
The Lakers organization, known for upholding Kobe’s legacy with utmost reverence, swiftly addressed the issue. “We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon,” they assured, signaling their commitment to honoring Kobe’s memory flawlessly.
Fast forward to today, and the Kobe Bryant statue has been restored to its rightful glory. Renovations were completed Tuesday morning, just in time for the Lakers’ final home game against the Golden State Warriors. The statue, a focal point for fans and a symbol of Kobe’s enduring legacy, now stands as a testament to the Lakers’ unwavering dedication to excellence.
As fans eagerly anticipate the unveiling of two additional statues honoring Kobe’s legacy, one can’t help but marvel at the resilience and devotion that continue to define the spirit of the Lakers and their beloved Mamba.
College basketball stars Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers face off in the women’s Final Four Friday night. Both Iowa’s Clark and UConn’s Bueckers are top-tier college basketball players, and their March Madness Final Four is expected to be both immensely entertaining as well as fiercely competitive.
Ask Clark and Bueckers their earliest impression of the other and you get generalities, light on details if heavy on respect. Their memories are blurry. Of AAU tournaments and Team USA practices. Of gold medals and deep 3s. Of the girl with the brown ponytail with the unlimited range who always seemed to know what was coming next and the blonde who never got rattled with the ball in her hands, by opponents or the sea of eyes constantly transfixed on her.
Maybe because those years shadowing each other on the travel circuit across the Midwest or teaming up for the occasional international competition seem so long ago. Maybe because in some ways — in the most meaningful of ways — they are.
The NCAA Tournament that Clark grew up watching in Iowa and Bueckers took in from the outskirts of Minneapolis doesn’t exist anymore. Back then, the inequalities between the men’s and women’s versions of March Madness were massive, from facilities to swag to TV ratings, even the branding.
It’s not that way anymore.
Not with Clark and Iowa selling out everywhere they go. Not with Bueckers finally healthy after spending the better part of two years recovering from knee injuries that left her fearful the generational skills that made her the first freshman to win the AP Player of the Year award would never return.
Only they have. Just in time for the two players who have helped propel interest in the women’s tournament to an all-time high to take center stage.
When Clark and the top-seeded Hawkeyes face Bueckers and third-seeded UConn on Friday night in the Final Four, they’ll do it not in some anonymous gym with nothing but parents, scouts and college coaches watching.
They will play in front of a packed arena with millions watching on television and millions more keeping track on social media, an ever-growing group that includes LeBron James and Steph Curry and Luka Doncic and aspiring ballers from all over.
It’s not that women’s basketball hasn’t had stars before. It has. Just never quite as many as this who play quite like this.
And while Iowa coach Lisa Bluder made it a point on Thursday to say she didn’t want the national semifinal to be pitted as “Caitlin vs. Paige,” everyone else involved seems to be OK with the arrangement because of what it means for not just their respective teams, but the women’s game in general.
“It’s a star-driven society that we live in,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s a celebrity-driven, star-driven, influencer-driven world that’s been created.”
One in which both Clark and Bueckers are comfortable traveling, perhaps because it’s the only world they’ve ever known.
The parallels to the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird that began when Johnson and Michigan State faced Bird and Indiana State in the 1979 NCAA championship are obvious.
“All of a sudden those two particular players came on and it just lit everything up, and it just took off from there,” Auriemma said. “So it needs some stars. It needs people that have the right personality, the right game. And we have that now.”
Thing is, Bueckers and Clark don’t view themselves as rivals. Not in a traditional sense. If anything, they believe they’re simply riding the crest of a wave that’s been building for years, long before they reached a first-name-only level of fame.
Ask Clark why interest in women’s basketball has spiked and she doesn’t point to her record-setting career or her “did she really shoot that” range or even her team’s success but simple exposure.
To Clark, the women’s game has always been great. It’s just taken a while, a long while, for the world to catch up.
“It’s the platforms that (we’re able to have now) that should have been there for a really long time,” Clark said. “We’ve had some amazing talents come through our game, over the last 10, 20 years.”
Talents that haven’t quite connected in the way that Clark and Bueckers have connected. The easing of rules surrounding name, image and likeness compensation has allowed them to market themselves and their game in ways once unimaginable.
It’s a history not lost on either of them. They understand and embrace the responsibility of being a role model, knowing they were once on the other end, looking up to the likes of college and WNBA stars Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen.
“They were everything that I wanted to be like,” Bueckers said. “And they won.”
A trait that has followed Bueckers seemingly from the first time she picked up a ball. It’s telling that when asked about Bueckers’ game, Clark didn’t talk about her impeccable court vision or precise midrange jumper but what the scoreboard says after nearly every game in which she plays.
“She’s always been dominant,” Clark said. “Every team that she’s ever been on, she’s led them to great success. It’s just what she does. She’s a winner.”
That hasn’t changed, though the dynamics around the way Clark and Bueckers are perceived have flipped over the last three years.
It was Bueckers, not Clark, who was the top recruit in the Class of 2020. It was Bueckers, not Clark, who was recruited by the Huskies, though Auriemma did point out this week “if Caitlin really wanted to come to UConn, she would have called me.” It was Bueckers, not Clark, who won that first meeting in 2021 and became the “media darling,” as Bueckers put it Friday.
Clark is in that position now. Setting the NCAA Division I scoring record and playing with a fearlessness that is equal parts thrilling and accessible will do that.
Security people had to clear a path deep inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday to make sure she could make it from one media opportunity to the next. When UConn and Bueckers came through an hour later, the throng was half the size.
Even for a player who says on the court she can see things before they happen, it’s been a lot. The 22-year-old Clark welcomes the attention because she understands it has brought new people to her sport. Yet she’s not here to be The Star, as much as people want to thrust that moniker on her.
Three years ago, it was Bueckers. The last two years, it’s been her. Next spring it might be Bueckers during her redshirt senior season. Bueckers is leaning toward this year’s blockbuster freshman class, a group that includes USC’s JuJu Watkins or Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. A decade from now, it might be some young woman who didn’t pick up a ball until she watched Clark hoist it from deep and Bueckers weave through traffic in the lane.
In that way, Clark doesn’t see herself or Bueckers as the end result of something, but simply the latest links in a chain growing ever stronger with each passing season.
“It doesn’t need to be one end-all, be-all (star) just like I think there doesn’t need to be one end-all, be-all team,” Clark said. “The young talent, it’s only going to get better.”
You know the lore behind many men’s basketball greats: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajewon, Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain…I could go on. We talk about shoe deals and the dominance of iconic brands like Nike and Converse thanks to the success of basketball.
I could name almost every team in the men’s National Basketball Association off the top of my head. I know star players like Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Steph Curry. I can argue with the best of them that Embiid is a better center than Nikola Jokic…but what about the WNBA?
Women’s basketball has scandalously been a fourth-world sport for close to 30 years. The salaries barely above a livable wage, the game attendance often lackluster at best, the buzz behind jersey sales and star players is minimal. In fact, you rarely see many front-page stories on women basketball professionals.
All it takes is one…as Nike told Michael Jordan: it’s not about the shoe, but who’s wearing the shoe. Over the past few years, it hasn’t been the WNBA that’s drawing attention to women’s basketball…but the NCAA Women’s Basketball League.
“The One” in question is Iowa Hawkeye, Caitlin Clark. During the month of March, NBA devotees ripped their attention away to the NCAA March Madness tournament. And while the men’s teams generally dominate our screens, the women have recently stolen the show.
Who Is Caitlin Clark?
Caitlin Clark
AP Photo/Abbie Parr
Hailing from Des Moines, Caitlin Clark quickly became one of the most talked about players in college basketball. This past season, the 6-foot guard averaged 32 points per game, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. She’s widely regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players of all time, and she’s only 22 years old.
As a senior with another year of eligibility due to the pandemic, Clark has options. She can continue to eviscerate all competition in her path and continue working towards an NCAA championship…or she can test her luck in the WNBA. And then there are the multi-million dollar offers from 50 Cent and Barstool’s Dave Portnoy to play in their respective leagues.
Clark is set to become the highest paid female basketball player, and for a good reason. A first team All-American, the recipient of the John Wooden Award, an NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer among both men and women — I could go on…
She’s making women’s basketball not only cool, but she’s had an effect similar to the one Taylor Swift had on football. The Caitlin Clark Effect knows no boundaries: the 2023 NCAA Championship game versus Coach Kim Mulkey’s LSU Villainesses was the most-viewed women’s college game in history. Each team that Iowa played saw their highest attendance ever, and Iowa’s home games were seeing equally sold-out successes.
Celebrities are suddenly flying to Iowa just to see Clark play. During April 1’s LSU-Iowa rematch, Jason Sudeikus cheered on Clark. Her fan base includes Travis Scott, Tom Brady, Billie Jean King, and Ashton Kutcher. A game in Iowa City now resembles the courtside section of Madison Square Garden.
Clark is a joy to watch. A true anomaly of a human whose basketball prowess borderlines on the robotic, it’s that impressive. She makes an NCAA game look like the prime Golden State Warriors…and she’s not alone in women’s college basketball superstardom.
Who Are The Women’s NCAA Basketball Stars?
Angel Reese taunting Caitlin Clark in the 2023 NCAA Championship
Tony Gutierrez/AP
It feels like there’s a superstar on every team in the women’s 2024 March Madness tournament. This made the tournament a thrill to watch, because every game has been a head-to-head matchup of some of the hottest young talent heading into the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark’s next matchup are the UConn Huskies, who have their own star in guardPaige Bueckers. Bueckers has garnered a host of awards and accolades throughout her college career: the 2021 Wooden Award recipient, Big East player of the year and freshman of the year, etc.
Bueckers and the Huskies just knocked off USC’s Trojans led by true freshman guard JuJu Watkins. Watkins is yet another thrilling name in the realm of women’s hoops and the face in Nike and AT&T Wireless commercials alongside NBA stars like Joel Embiid.
And then there’s the aforementioned “villainesses” at Louisiana State University. Led by power dresser and controversial coach, Kim Mulkey, the LSU women’s basketball team is constantly the talk of the town.
After LSU lambasted Iowa last year in the tournament, all eyes were on the trash-talking, bold LSU Tigers. Guard Angel Reesebacked up her trash talk with a killer performance on the court, and off the court, she embraces the villain role with open arms.
She’s not wrong. The LSU team undoubtedly gets a majority of the heat from the public. It’s not lost on me that it’s often a bunch of grown men trolling the women’s physical appearance on social media and harping on their “unladylike” behavior rather than their commanding presence on the court.
One more point Angel Reese wasn’t wrong about: they’re like The Beatles. There’s fervent support and a cult-like following surrounding women’s college basketball. And as these powerhouses progress in their careers, there’s been a WNBA resurgence. Men are opting to watch 22-year-old Caitlin Clark over 39-year-old LeBron James.
Welcome To The Women’s Basketball Takeover
Don’t believe me? The proof is in the numbers. Games featuring Iowa and Caitlin Clark during her final season are reported as the most-viewed women’s college basketball games of all time across platforms like ABC, Fox, and NBC. Clark’s final regular season game – when she broke the scoring record – was the second most-watched game (men or women) of the season.
Tickets for the Iowa-UConn matchup are currently going for over $1000, and the Iowa-LSU matchup on April 1 recorded 12.6 million viewers. That smashes last year’s previous record of 9.9 million…but, before that the record was in 2002, at 5.6 million.
To put that in perspective, they’re not that far behind men’s basketball – the NC State-Duke game peaked at 15.1 million viewers. The game was more viewed than the 2023 World Series and NBA Championship. And although you can’t yet bet on women’s basketball, I would say we aren’t far behind.
It’s a new era for women’s basketball. A new investment. And we can’t wait to see what happens next.
Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller (24) guards LA Clippers star Paul George during Sunday night’s game at Spectrum Center.
Photo courtesy of @hornets
The G.O.A.T. was in the building, creating an everlasting memory.
No, not the former majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, the guy who has the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award named after him. Some label Michael Jordan as the best to ever lace them up in the league, pointing to the six championships — including a pair of three-peats — along with his position as a global icon who changed the game in more ways than one.
Brandon Miller has a different take on the often nauseating debate centering around the greatest player of all time, tabbing LA Clippers star Paul George instead of Jordan or LeBron James. Miller never backed off his statement and caught flak for it. The Hornets rookie missed the team’s December meeting, a rarity for him, so Sunday night’s 130-118 loss represented Miller’s first opportunity to go up against his favorite player.
“That’s my guy, big bro,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to working out with him this summer. You know he’s going to be a tough match-up every time we play each other. And so I always look for a show when he’s on the court. He’s a great shot maker. And not just that. The whole season, he takes pride on the defensive side and that’s one of the things that stands out for him and his career. I think that’s why my favorite player is Paul George.”
Miller commemorated the night with a halfcourt jersey swap, grabbing a keepsake.
“Dream come true,” said Miller, who posted 22 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Clippers. “Just having one of our favorite player’s jerseys, just hanging (it) up in your house, I think that’s a great accomplishment. Really just out here being on the court with those types of guys — (Russell) Westbrook , PG, (James) Harden, Kawhi (Leonard) — I think that’s just a blessing. And I’m always going out there with the mindset of competing. And that’s what we do every night.”
Even when it’s not simply any old night.
“It was fun,” George said, standing in the Clippers’ locker room holding Miller’s uniform top. “He got a ton of game, and a ton of talent and I’m in his corner. So can’t wait to see him fully blossom and be one of those guys that carried the league for a long time.”
Miller already left a lasting impact on George. He raved about the 21-year-old’s skill set, giving him props for the variety he brings to the table for the Hornets.
“He can do a little bit of everything,” George said. “He can play make, score, shoot it from deep. He can put the ball on the ground, and he’s still figuring it out, figuring his body out. He really hasn’t grown into himself yet. So he’s got a ton of upside. But what’s most impressive is all the things that he can do for his age, and at some point he’s going to figure everything out.”
Matched up on each other for a hefty portion of the game, Miller got tested early and often by the nine-time All-Star, who pumped in a game-high 41 points. George took Miller to school a couple of times, even putting him on skates before failing to knock down a 3-pointer that surely would’ve been shared everywhere on social media had it fallen through the net.
Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller (center) chats with LA Clippers star Paul George after Sunday night’s game at Spectrum Center. The Hornets lost 130-118. Photo courtesy of @hornets
In similar fashion to how things have gone during these past five months, however, Miller more than held his own. Separating himself with George guarding him in the third quarter was a thing of beauty, displaying his mentality.
Miller said, “I was supposed to make that one. It happens.”
Was that a push off?
“For sure, for sure,” George said with a smile. “But it is what it is. They didn’t call it.”
From the opening quarter, it was crystal clear being on the court with George didn’t intimidate Miller one bit. Swatting George’s first-quarter jumper and throwing down a nifty fast-break alley-oop from Tre Mann over him certainly proved that.
“Yeah, I think (he’s) getting comfortable,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “ He said his idol is P.G. and he plays a lot like P.G. — off the dribble threes, when he gets in the pick and roll getting downhill, shifty moves. And just getting comfortable understanding how to play the NBA game. Like I said, (Coach Steve Clifford) has done a great job just bringing him along, making sure he plays the right way even though they want him to be aggressive scoring the basketball but also making the right play. And so he’s been doing that since I’ve been watching him on tape.”
Miller has put together a solid season, climbing up the rookie ranks in many notable categories. He drained his 160th 3-pointer of the season Sunday, moving him into ninth place, and is close to surpassing the 166 Charlotte’s prodigal son Steph Curry posted during his first year.
Leading into Sunday, Miller averaged 2.4 made 3-pointers per game, tops among rookies this season, and he’s on pace to set a new franchise rookie record for 3-point makes per game, topping LaMelo Ball’s 1.8 in 2020-21. In fact, Miller has drained at least five 3-pointers eight times, which leads all rookie and marks a franchise record.
Still, perhaps the most telling number is this: Seven. That’s the number of games Miller hasn’t been available, which is no small feat on the Hornets’ injury-ravaged roster that’s second only to Memphis in games missed because of injury.
“One thing that stands out after the other night is the durability piece,” coach Steve Clifford said.. “He turned his ankle badly, came in, went back out, one drive, hurts his other ankle, wanted to stay in. I asked him (Saturday), ‘You OK?’ ‘I’m good.’ And he’s done that two or three times.
“In a league where I’d say the value of durability isn’t what it once was, he is a guy, he wants to be out there, he wants to play with his teammates, and he’s shown a real toughness to do that.”
Opponents are taking notice, too.
“It’s huge, it’s huge,” Lue said, “especially having your best players on the floor every night, and you build some consistency with your team. With your best players on the floor, you can run things through your best player, especially a young good player. You can only get better and better. If he wasn’t on the floor all this year, I don’t know how much better he would have gotten. Being on the floor, being able to go through the experiences — end-of-game situations, blowout situations, close game situations, it’s no better experience than being on the floor. So that’s what Brandon Miller has been able to do.”
Which, in turn, should put him in position to keep ascending.
“I think that is just a mindset thing,” Miller said. “I know my teammates want me to play, so I’m just going to go out there and do everything for them. I know they are always going to have my back and I’m going to have theirs.”
Particularly when it comes to matching up with his G.O.A.T.
“When I stepped on the court it was all basketball, just business,” Miller said. “Going into the game knowing that it was a tough match-up, I was looking forward to this game. I was excited to play this game and I think it was a great game by both teams.”
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly. Support my work with a digital subscription
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – Following Wednesday’s 120-107 win over the Lakers, Harrison Barnes discusses the Kings series sweep of the Los Angeles, his own matchup with LeBron James, Keon Ellis stepping up in the starting rotation again, following up Tuesday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks with another dominant performance, Domantas Sabonis improving to 10-0 against Anthony Davis and the most impressive part of these back to back wins.
LOS ANGELES — The clutch-time Nuggets spoiled another landmark night for the Lakers.
On the night LeBron James became the first player to ever score 40,000 career points, Denver came back from an 11-point deficit for a 124-114 win, the team’s sixth consecutive since the All-Star break, on Saturday night.
Nikola Jokic went for 35 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. added an immaculate 25 without missing a single shot. He was 10 for 10 in the game, including 5 for 5 from beyond the arc.
The Nuggets (42-19) have won eight consecutive games over the Lakers.
They entered the fourth quarter of this one tied at 89 and needing a key stretch from the second unit. It mostly delivered, until the very end of Jokic’s rest minutes. Peyton Watson supplied four points and an emphatic block as the Nuggets took a five-point lead, but James nullified the block by absorbing contact with Zeke Nnaji for an and-one. He missed the free throw that would’ve tied the game, but a Denver turnover seconds later led to a go-ahead James three. Timeout Michael Malone, down two.
Enter Jokic. Cue clutch finish for Nuggets starters.
They trailed 108-105 as clutch time officially began in the last five minutes. Justin Holiday sank a 3-pointer while playing for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, out for personal reasons. Aaron Gordon finally cashed in on an open corner three for the lead. Then Jokic and Jamal Murray took over again. The game ended on a 19-6 run.
Public and media anticipation surrounding the final meeting of the regular season between these teams wasn’t particularly concerned with the matchup or its implications. Denver was going into a building sold out by box score watchers experiencing LeBron Fever. He entered the game an inevitable nine points away from the never-achieved milestone, and for the first quarter and change, that was the primary focus every time he had the ball. Malone was effusive in his praise of James while fielding a handful of questions about him pregame, but in terms of the moment itself, the ninth-year Nuggets coach was definitive.
“I’m just worried about us,” he said. “I don’t get into all the other stuff. We’ve won five in a row.”
He had plenty to be worried about in the first timeout huddle after James reached 40,000 by driving past Porter for a layup. The Nuggets had turned it over six times in 15 minutes, and their defense wasn’t rising to match the Lakers’ level of intensity. Los Angeles had 15 assists before its second turnover. All five starters had nine or more points at halftime, while Denver wasn’t getting efficient production from Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon.
Murray, a last-second decision to play after spraining his right ankle Thursday, looked like he was close to finding a rhythm late in the second quarter. His uptick in scoring and play-making after halftime was critical to Denver’s ability to quickly erase a double-digit deficit. He finished with a 24-point, 11-assist double-double.
LeBron James still wants to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer, sure sounds like extending his NBA career for at least a couple more seasons is an option and said he would like to see his playing days end as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.Of course, not even he knows if any or all of that is possible.James was playing in his 20th All-Star Game on Sunday, extending his record for appearances in the NBA’s midseason showcase, but arrived with a plan to not be on the court in Indianapolis for very long because of an ongoing treatment plan for his problematic left ankle.”The most important thing for me is definitely my health,” James said.Video above: LeBron James is not ready to slow down from his basketball careerAnd that will be the deciding factor in just about all of James’ basketball decisions for the rest of his career — short-term, long-term, however long he has left on his unprecedented resume. The first priority right now is the playoffs, with the Lakers currently 30-26 and ninth in the Western Conference even after winning six of their last seven games.”We’re trending in the right direction,” James said.He is 39, having played more minutes than anyone in NBA history. If he comes back this fall for a 22nd season — and he intends to — he’ll tie Vince Carter for the NBA record in that department. He insists that he doesn’t know how long he wants to play, either.For now, it’s all about the Lakers and their postseason push. After that, he’ll decide whether to play for USA Basketball this summer. At this point, Paris is in his plans.”I told myself before the season, when I committed to being part of the Olympic team, obviously it was all predicated on my health,” James said. “As it stands right now, I am healthy enough to be on the team and perform at a level that I know I can perform at.”The Olympic question is a bit tricky.The Lakers’ season could end in April, May or June. If it ends early, James will have tons of time to heal up and get ready for a U.S. training camp that starts in early July, then will have a number of exhibition games, followed by the Olympics that will end in mid-August. But if the Lakers make a deep postseason run, it might prompt James to say he’ll value time off and getting ready for the 2024-25 NBA season over jamming another five or six weeks of basketball into his summer schedule.”It’s more miles put on these tires,” said James, a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold medalist. “But if I’m committed — which I am — to Team USA, then I’m going to commit my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, being out there representing our country with the utmost respect and go out there and play.”He’s 132 points away from reaching 40,000 for his regular-season career, which means he’s likely somewhere around five games from hitting that milestone. There aren’t a lot of records left to chase; James is already the scoring king and his place in history was secured long, long ago. He’s long said he wants to play in an NBA that has one of his sons in it and USC freshman Bronny James would be eligible to enter the draft this spring.”I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left,” James said. “I know it’s not that many.”He hasn’t even figured out if he wants a retirement tour for a final season where he’ll be saying goodbye in every NBA city or if “Tim Duncan’ing it” — going out very quietly, like the San Antonio star who never wanted any attention — will be what he chooses.James could also be a free agent this summer if he chooses to go that route. He has a player option for more than $51 million for next season and most players wouldn’t pass up making that kind of money. But James’ net worth has been estimated to exceed $1 billion already, his off-court investments are varied, and it’s probably a safe bet that the size of the paycheck no longer is a top priority.”I am a Laker, and I am happy, very happy, being a Laker the last six years and I hope it stays that way,” James said. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is, or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization, with so many greats with it. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming for sure.”
INDIANAPOLIS —
LeBron James still wants to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer, sure sounds like extending his NBA career for at least a couple more seasons is an option and said he would like to see his playing days end as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Of course, not even he knows if any or all of that is possible.
James was playing in his 20th All-Star Game on Sunday, extending his record for appearances in the NBA’s midseason showcase, but arrived with a plan to not be on the court in Indianapolis for very long because of an ongoing treatment plan for his problematic left ankle.
“The most important thing for me is definitely my health,” James said.
Video above: LeBron James is not ready to slow down from his basketball career
And that will be the deciding factor in just about all of James’ basketball decisions for the rest of his career — short-term, long-term, however long he has left on his unprecedented resume. The first priority right now is the playoffs, with the Lakers currently 30-26 and ninth in the Western Conference even after winning six of their last seven games.
“We’re trending in the right direction,” James said.
He is 39, having played more minutes than anyone in NBA history. If he comes back this fall for a 22nd season — and he intends to — he’ll tie Vince Carter for the NBA record in that department. He insists that he doesn’t know how long he wants to play, either.
For now, it’s all about the Lakers and their postseason push. After that, he’ll decide whether to play for USA Basketball this summer. At this point, Paris is in his plans.
“I told myself before the season, when I committed to being part of the Olympic team, obviously it was all predicated on my health,” James said. “As it stands right now, I am healthy enough to be on the team and perform at a level that I know I can perform at.”
The Olympic question is a bit tricky.
The Lakers’ season could end in April, May or June. If it ends early, James will have tons of time to heal up and get ready for a U.S. training camp that starts in early July, then will have a number of exhibition games, followed by the Olympics that will end in mid-August. But if the Lakers make a deep postseason run, it might prompt James to say he’ll value time off and getting ready for the 2024-25 NBA season over jamming another five or six weeks of basketball into his summer schedule.
“It’s more miles put on these tires,” said James, a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold medalist. “But if I’m committed — which I am — to Team USA, then I’m going to commit my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, being out there representing our country with the utmost respect and go out there and play.”
He’s 132 points away from reaching 40,000 for his regular-season career, which means he’s likely somewhere around five games from hitting that milestone. There aren’t a lot of records left to chase; James is already the scoring king and his place in history was secured long, long ago. He’s long said he wants to play in an NBA that has one of his sons in it and USC freshman Bronny James would be eligible to enter the draft this spring.
“I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left,” James said. “I know it’s not that many.”
He hasn’t even figured out if he wants a retirement tour for a final season where he’ll be saying goodbye in every NBA city or if “Tim Duncan’ing it” — going out very quietly, like the San Antonio star who never wanted any attention — will be what he chooses.
James could also be a free agent this summer if he chooses to go that route. He has a player option for more than $51 million for next season and most players wouldn’t pass up making that kind of money. But James’ net worth has been estimated to exceed $1 billion already, his off-court investments are varied, and it’s probably a safe bet that the size of the paycheck no longer is a top priority.
“I am a Laker, and I am happy, very happy, being a Laker the last six years and I hope it stays that way,” James said. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is, or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization, with so many greats with it. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming for sure.”
