Basketball
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The Men’s U.S. Basketball team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is being rounded out. Some of your favorite NBA superstars will be partaking in the event this summer while others will remain in America to cheer on their professional peers from the comfort of their own homes.
According to ESPN, Team USA will be featuring some of today’s icons and legends on the roster as the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid will be taking the court to represent the red, white and blue. Pacing on the sidelines to coach the upcoming superstar roster will be the Golden State Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr. Kerr’s no stranger to leading his team to the promised land as he’s helped his Warriors bring home four NBA Championships but has no Olympic gold in his illustrious trophy room. (The man also won a few championship rings alongside the GOAT, Michael Jordan).
The rest of the roster will feature some pretty big names who’ve been making much noise this season and seem Hall of Fame bound when it’s all said and done.
ESPN reports:
U.S. basketball is planning to formally announce this 11-man roster that also includes Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Suns guard Devin Booker, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards, Boston forward Jayson Tatum, Boston guard Jrue Holiday, Miami center Bam Adebayo and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton, sources said.
James is playing in his fourth Olympics, a career that includes a bronze medal in 2004 and gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
Haliburton and Edwards are the only players from the non-medalist 2023 FIBA World Cup team who were selected for the Olympic Games.
Naturally, Knick fans were outraged that the team’s MVP, Jalen Brunson, wasn’t added to the team given the standout year that he’s been having thus far. Averaging 28.7 PPG and 6.7 assists per game, Brunson has carried an injury ridden Knicks team to its first 50-win season in more than a decade while helping them secure the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
But with Team USA managing director Grant Hill keeping one roster slot open ahead of a July training camp and exhibition games in Las Vegas, Brunson might just make the cut. But we’ll just have to wait and see.
What do y’all think of Team USA’s current roster? Who would you add or replace? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Online gambling may be all the rage amongst sports fans, but pro sports players themselves are finding out that there are repercussions for placing bets on games, especially in their own profession.
Such is the case with NBA player Jontay Porter who’s facing the real possibility of being permanently banned from the league as he’s currently under investigation for “multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months.” According to ESPN, Adam Silver has bluntly stated that if the Toronto Raptors forward is found to have committed the “cardinal sin” of “playing” down or up to the over/unders set around his personal performances.
After multiple instances in which Porter’s performances (or lack thereof) in games between Jan. 26 and March 20 led to some big money making nights for betters, the NBA began an investigation. And Silver isn’t shy about laying down the law on Porter should it come to that.
Per ESPN:
“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said at a midtown Manhattan hotel, after the league’s annual board of governors meetings. “But it’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game.
“That’s the level of authority I have here. Because there’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe.”
One has to wonder if Porter actually did play up or down to the bets placed on his performances, but should it turn out that he did, it could be a wrap for the man’s young NBA career. That being said, it felt like it was only a matter of time before a professional player got caught up in such a scandal. Adam Silver is not going to hesitate to make a prime example of someone who isn’t exactly the cornerstone of an NBA franchise.
More from ESPN:
“At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said. “And so, any issue raised around that is of great concern to me and to all commissioners, to all people who are safeguards, who are all people who are in a position and have a responsibility to safeguard the game. Again, this is a burgeoning industry in the United States. It’s been legal in other places in the world for decades. There’s lessons to be learned from the way that sports betting is monitored and regulated in other jurisdictions.
Should be interesting to see how this one ends up playing out. You can bet it’ll be ugly if Silver’s biggest fear is confirmed.
What do y’all think? Should Jontay Porter be permanently banned if he’s found to have committed the “cardinal sin” in sports? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Former NBA player Nate “The Great” Robinson is currently fighting for his life, and if he doesn’t get some help real soon, the two-time Slam Dunk Champion knows that his days are numbered.
Two years after announcing his renal kidney failure diagnosis, the former New York Knick told Mail Sports that his search for a new kidney hasn’t gone well and that if he doesn’t get a replacement soon, he won’t be with us too much longer. Having to rely on weekly dialysis to keep him going, Robinson hopes to find a new kidney before it’s too late.
Mail Sports reports:
“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,’ Robinson exclusively told Mail Sport. ‘I know I’m not going to have long to live. So I just want to make the best of it as much as I can.
He continued, ‘Some people’s body reject dialysis. And thank God that mine accepts it and I can live… if I didn’t go to dialysis, I wouldn’t live probably longer than a week or two. So it’s serious, can’t miss a day. I go in for four hours, three days a week, four hours a day. And they clean my blood to get my toxins out. And they help me out a lot because that’s how I’m living.’
Robinson, who spoke on behalf of Bet365, shared that he deals with frequent, painful vomiting as a result of his dialysis treatment, which often leaves him hospitalized for a day or two.
This is sad.
Prayers up for Nate Robinson as he searches for a kidney and a new lease on life as he currently goes through his struggle. We’re just glad the man is keeping a positive attitude and his spirits up as he continues to keep hope alive that he’ll get his wish fulfilled. More from Mail Sports:
‘The [dialysis] machine has been helping my longevity and my life right now,’ he said. ‘So I’m just enjoying the times where I do feel healthy. I try to get out there with my kids, see my family and play basketball, do the things that I love.
And I still try to do all the things that I can to stay and feel normal as I can, stay as human as I can.’
In the meantime, Nate says he’s changed his diet to help keep his health in check. He eats fruits and grilled protein such as chicken and fish while staying away from processed foods.
Keep up the good fight, fam.
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Looks like embattled NBA superstar Ja Morant has just dodged another legal bullet as a judge has ruled in his favor in a case involving a physical altercation with a teenager during a pickup game in 2022.
According to TMZ, Ja Morant was handed a legal win when the judge overseeing a case where Morant was accused of putting hands on a then-17-year-old Joshua Holloway ruled that Morant was actually acting in self-defense when he hit Holloway when the two got into a scuffle on the court in Morant’s Eads, Tennessee, home. While many assumed this was another incident demonstrating Morant’s descent into the “thug” lifestyle he was seemingly embracing at the time, the judge felt Morant was justified in his actions, hence, handing the NBA player a victory in the case brought to him by the then-minor.
TMZ reports:
Joshua Holloway, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, sued Morant back in Sept. 2022, alleging the Grizzlies point guard roughed him up while the two were competing on a basketball court at Ja’s Eads, Tenn. home.
Holloway claimed that during an in-game argument, he threw a ball at Morant and accidentally hit him in the face. He alleged Morant then became enraged, and socked him with a closed fist.
Morant, however, later argued he was acting in self-defense … explaining during December court proceedings that he was simply trying to protect himself from harm.
Luckily for Ja, the Shelby County judge judge felt the same way and said as much in his 44-page ruling. The case will move forward with the trial set to get underway later this month, but with this ruling it seems like Ja might be able to get out of this situation without having to cough up much of his $197 million salary.
What do y’all think of the judge ruling in Ja’s favor? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Ice Cube made waves by offering University of Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark $5 million to play up to 10 games in the Big3, which would certainly shift things for the popular 3-on-3 league. Ice Cube says that as of now, Caitlin Clark has yet to respond and even said he’d move things around to not interfere with the WNBA schedule.
Ice Cube sat down with The Pat McAfee Show to share the finer points of the deal and how he hasn’t heard back from Clark presumably because the Hawkeyes are in the middle of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. As Cube explains, Clark, 22, can earn major coin for just 10 weeks of play within the Big3 and he realizes it’d be a big boost for the league he co-founded.
Clark is no doubt going to be a top selection heading into the 2024 WNBA Draft, in which the Indiana Fever owns the top pick overall. Considering Clark’s massive star power and ice-cold game on the court, the Fever’s choice should be a no-brainer.
Check out Ice Cube breaking down his offer to Caitlin Clark with Pat McAfee below.
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Source: Miami Dade PD / Miami Dade PD
The allegations against Diddy continues to get wilder and wilder. A former Syracuse University athlete has been arrested in connection to a drug investigation into the mogul.
According to Syracuse.com Brendan Paul was apprehended on Monday, March 25 at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. Miami-Dade Police Department officers claim they found cocaine and marijuana candy on his person. The affidavit details that this bust was a collaborative effort between the Miami-Dade Police Department, Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. “The defendant had the contraband inside of his person travel bags, which he claimed prior to being searched,” the document reads.
He was released on $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear at Miami-Dade Criminal Court on April 24. Brendan Paul played for the Syracuse University basketball team as a guard during his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Fairmont State University for his final two years. After college he pursued a career in music and worked on Diddy’s The Love Album: Off the Grid album which was released in 2023. Brendan Paul was named as Combs’ drug mule in Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr.’s civil lawsuit against the Bad Boy Entertainment mogul. Police did not comment on whether the illegal substances had any connection the Diddy.
This week federal agencies raided the “I Need A Girl” rapper’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami in connection to an sex trafficking investigation. He maintains his innocence via a statement from his lawyer. “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” attorney Aaron Dyers said. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
Since the tipoff of the 2023-2024 season, women’s college basketball sensation Caitlyn Clark has been buzzing. Her historic play not only has her seated to be the future No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft, but even maybe the next superstar of Ice Cube’s BIG3 league after the West Coast rap legend reportedly offered […]
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March Madness is back! The 2024 NCAA men’s basketball championship began with the First Four on Tuesday (March 19).
Keep reading for the schedule and ways to watch and stream March Madness games.
March Madness Schedule
March Madness officially started during Selection Sunday on March 17. The First Four in the men’s tournament will be held from March 19-20 with four games scheduled: Wagner vs. Howard at 6:40 p.m. ET on truTV, Colorado State vs. Virginia at 9:10 p.m. ET on truTV, Grambling vs. Montana State at 6:40 p.m. ET on truTV and Colorado vs. Boise State at 9:10 p.m. ET on truTV.
Friday’s games will broadcast across CBS, truTV, TBS, TNT and ESPN. Game day begins with Florida Atlantic vs. Northwestern airing Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS. Baylor vs. Colgate is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET on truTV, San Diego State vs. UAB at 1:45 p.m. on TNT, Marquette vs. Western Kentucky at 2 p.m. ET on TBS, and UConn vs. Stetson at 2:45 p.m. ET on CBS.
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The men’s Final Four is slated for April 6.
Sacred Heart and Presbyterian College will kick off the First Four women’s games on Wednesday (March 20) at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. The women’s basketball schedule includes Vanderbilt vs. Columbia at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU on Wednesday. Thursday’s schedule will feature Auburn vs. Arizona at 7 p.m. on ESPNU and Holy Cross vs. UT Martin at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
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North Carolina vs. Michigan State, Ohio State vs. Maine, LSU vs. Rice, Virginia Tech vs. Marshall, South Carolina vs. Sacred Heart/Presbyterian are on the schedule for Friday. This week’s women’s games will air across ESPN, ABC, ESPNU and ESPN2.
The women’s Final Four championship will take place on April 5.
How to Watch March Madness Games Without Cable
Whether you’re watching March Madness on your computer, phone or TV, streaming gives you plenty of variety and the ability to watch from anywhere.
Sports fans who already have access to ESPN, TNT, TBS, truTV, ABC and CBS through cable, satellite, internet (or an HD antenna for local channels), can watch March Madness games live, but for those who haven’t settled on a TV streamer, we’ve put together a few different options that are actually worth the money.
Fans can watch and stream March Madness games through DirecTV and other platforms that provide live television such as Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo, Sling TV and Max.
New customers can join DirectTV for just $69.99/month when you subscribe for 24 months. DirecTV is a good option because it offers cable channels and local channels including ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, alongside TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU.
Subscribe to Max and stream NCAA games for as low as $5.83 per month when you prepay for a year. This is the first time that the steamers has offered access to all 2024 NCAA Division Men’s Basketball Championship games live in addition to studio coverage airing on TBS, TNT and truTV, including the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Semifinals and the 2024 Men’s National Championship.
This is the first time that Max will stream all the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship live games and studio coverage airing on TBS, TNT, and truTV — including the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four® National Semifinals and the 2024 Men’s National Championship. All tournament games on Max will be available to stream in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
In addition to game coverage, Max will debut the sports programs Max Bracket Breakdown on Thursday and Max Daily Replay on Friday. The tournament games will be available to stream on Max in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
The limited offer save you over 40% off Max streaming plans and applies to new, returning and existing customers.
Interested in more streaming deal? Sling TV starts at just $20 for the first month, and streamers like Fubo and DirecTV Stream offer free trials for up to a week.
With Sling, you can stream dozens of channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT, TBS, FS1, FX and more. Furthermore, Sling’s Ultimate Basketball Offers will save you $40 over four months.
Thinking about joining Philo? Unfortunately, channels like CBS, TNT and TBS are not available on Philo, but subscribers can stream 60+ channels for just $25/month and a free trial for 7-days.
You can stream select March Madness games and other CBS programs with Paramount+ with Showtime for $11.99/month after a free trial for the first week (click here for ways to land free Paramount+ for more than a week).
Watch TV shows, movies and more including Paramount+ Originals such as Halo, The Family Stone, Star Trek Picard, Special Opps: Lioness, 1883, Mayor of Kingstown, and CBS shows such as Ghosts, NCIS, CBS Mornings and Survivor.
In addition to movies and TV shows, documentaries, concert specials and CBS, Paramount+ subscribers can also watch other live sports such as soccer. And if you’re an Amazon Prime member, Paramount+ with Showtime is available on Prime Video.
Can you watch March Madness games on ESPN+? Although you won’t find the NCAA March Madness tournament on ESPN+, there are plenty of college sports games available including basketball, football, soccer and more.
Streaming internationally? Use ExpressVPN or NordVPN to access CBS, TBS, TNT, ESPN, Paramount+ and other platforms from outside the U.S.
March Madness Merch & Tickets: Where to Buy
And now, it’s time to talk merch. If you’re looking for March Madness merchandise you can find lots of gear at retailers such as Fanatics, FansEdge, Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods and the NCAA Shop.
You can find tickets available at StubHub, Vivid Seats, StubHub and Gametime.
Click here for the full 2024 NCAA men’s March Madness schedule and here for the women’s schedule.
Need a March Madness bracket? Download a printable bracket here.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
The men’s college basketball postseason is upon us, with March Madness kicking off next week.
The First Four play-in games are set to take place Tuesday (March 19) in Dayton, Ohio, while the Final Four games will see the last remaining quartet of teams go head-to-head at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., April 6-8. Cord-cutters don’t have to hunt for their nearest sports bar to watch March Madness live: For a limited time, Sling TV is offering up to 50% off the first month with access to all the 2024 March Madness games.
Selection Sunday takes place this weekend, on March 17, to determine the 68 teams competing in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Once the bracket has been revealed, March Madness will commence with teams competing across the U.S. in cities including Brooklyn, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Spokane and Memphis.
Keep reading to learn when and how to livestream March Madness 2024 on Sling TV.
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When Does March Madness 2024 Start?
After Selection Sunday, March Madness will start on Tuesday (March 19) with two play-in games. Then the 64-team tournament games begin Thursday (March 21) and go until the Final Four games that begin on Saturday (April 6). See below for the full breakdown of the schedule.
First Four games: March 19-20
First Round (round of 64): March 21-22
Second Round (round of 32): March 23-24
Sweet 16 (regional semifinals): March 28-29
Elite Eight (regional finals): March 30-31
Final Four (national finals and championship): April 6, 8
How to Watch March Madness 2024 on Sling TV
Sling TV offers a variety of affordable streaming options that will allow you to stream March Madness 2024 live online. The live TV streaming platform is offering a limited-time promotion on eligible plans that will earn you up to half-off the first month, saving you as much as $20. Click here or the button below to start your subscription.
Sling TV has three different sports packages to choose from: Sling Orange, NBA League Pass and Sling Orange + NBA League Pass. With Sling Orange, you’ll receive a discount of 50% off for the first month, dropping the price down to $20 (reg. $40); national coverage on ESPN, TNT and more channels; access to ABC through ESPN3; and up to 50 hours of DVR storage. After your first month is up, you’ll be charged the regular subscription price of $40/month.
For even more basketball, NBA League Pass is slashing $5 off the first month, which takes the price down to a wallet-friendly $10. You’ll be able to watch all the out-of-market games (subject to local blackouts), more than 400 channels of free movies and TV shows through Sling Freestream, a $5 Sling credit toward your first month and 24/7 access to NBA TV.
And, if you want both plans, you can bundle the two together with Sling TV + NBA League Pass, which is on sale for only $50 for the first month (reg. $55).
Drake’s son Adonis Graham had the opportunity to meet one of his favorite hoopers when the Charlotte Hornets visited the Toronto Raptors. While his father is on the road for tour, Adonis pulled up to the Scotiabank Arena’s visiting locker room on Sunday (March 3) to spend some time with Hornets star LaMelo Ball, who […]