EDITORIAL
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Source: Minnesota Department of Corrections / Minnesota Department of Corrections
George Floyd’s murderer, Derek Chauvin, is reportedly in the hospital after he was assaulted by a fellow inmate. Apparently, the disgraced ex-cop got shanked.
Reportedly, Chauvin, 47, got stabbed on Friday (Nov. 24) in Arizona.
Reports the Associated Press:
The attack happened at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson, a medium-security prison that has been plagued by security lapses and staffing shortages. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson at around 12:30 p.m. local time Friday. In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and performed “life-saving measures” before the inmate, who it did not name, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Chauvin Chauvin is serving a 22-year sentence for second degree murder and a 21-year sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
News of Chauvin catching an L was met with what you should expect in the social media universe; from kudos to obliviousness to any suffering the convicted murderer may have to endure. We compiled some of the best in the gallery.
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It’s almost universally understood that Pardi fumbled the ball when he cheated on Meg Thee Stallion. Well, in order to up the struggle, he dropped a diss track aimed at his former flame, and he’s getting cooked for the tomfoolery.
Keeping it a been, we knew this inevitable after Meg dropped “Cobra” and made Pardi public enemy no. 1 when she rapped that he cheated on her in her own home. So there was Pardison Fontaine hopping on Al Gore’s Internet talking some ish about this is for Megan Thee Person and it only went downhill from there, respectfully.
Pardi’s suspect retort is getting slandered for a myriad of reasons including the audacity to say he actually didn’t cheat on her in his crib or his use of the usual “loose woman” rhetoric. X users clearly aren’t falling for the okey doke and are dragging Pardi for all the filth.
And if you’re saying Pardi ate, we’re just going to assume you think Tory Lanez is a political prisoner. Good luck with that.
We compiled some of the best bombs aimed at Pardi, for archival purposes.
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André 3000 caused a stir in the news this month after announcing a new solo project that leans into the Outkast rapper’s musical interests of late. I know that some of tired of the discourse around 3 Stacks and his current decision to move on from rapping, but he made an excellent point in explaining why he put down the microphone.
In a recent GQ profile, André 3000 mentioned that at the age of 48 along with his current state of being, rapping isn’t a priority for him as it once was. 3000 also added that the content he’s hearing doesn’t reflect the concerns of those approaching middle age, and he isn’t entirely wrong about that.
Although some took his words as a jab toward some of his veteran peers, the artist born André Lauren Benjamin believes that Hip-Hop artists near or around his age should rap about the reality of where they are and not the fanciful parts of life that most listeners will never obtain.
Sadly, the knee-jerk reaction to 3000’s statement will render some to think he’s dumping on older Hip-Hop acts or calling into question their maturity. Recently, Joe Budden caught the ire of Drake over his For All The Dogs album due to the content seeming to be aimed towards a younger demographic, certainly younger than the 37-year-old Canadian superstar.
Like most discussions around Hip-Hop, which I try to avoid because most people have the communication skills of an agitated wasp, people didn’t hear what 3000, or Budden, for that matter, tried to convey. Even stranger to witness was the entitlement of fans demanding Stacks get back to rapping, even with his Outkast brother Big Boi fully supporting his partner’s new direction.
In the same GQ conversation I referenced above, Stacks didn’t rule out rapping; he just wants to be inspired to do it on his terms. That said, if he never raps again, good for him. He doesn’t need to. And when he does, it’s going to be a body of work that won’t lack substance and will wow us like all the spare verses he’s done over the last decade.
People are saying online that André 3000 saying he has nothing to rap about at 48 seems like a cop-out and I get what some are saying considering how good of a lyricist he is. But if you’ve moved on from something that once served you, it was probably for the better good.
My only countering point to those disappointed in 3000 not rapping — even though he’d probably body the “Grown Man Rap” lane — is to go listen to Little Brother’s 2019 album, May The Lord Watch, or Phonte’s 2018 solo album, No News Is Good News, and Rapper Big Pooh’s 2022 solo album, To Dream In Color, which I named as one of my favorite albums of last year.
I recently caught wind of a rapper out of Detroit by the name of Paradime, an artist who was new to me but epitomized what I meant when it comes to the term “Grown Man Rap.” It’s a phrase I don’t really enjoy, hence the quotes, but it’s clear what I’m trying to convey. The rule that Hip-Hop is a young man’s game is changing as veterans are rapping longer and still great at their crafts.
Speaking of greats, Joell Ortiz, who shares the same Mello Music Group label as the aforementioned Paradime, routinely shows his writing range as a man in his early 40s. Ortiz, if anyone is unaware, will also bar your face off so it’s not just old man on the porch raps going on these days with the vets. Hip-Hop as a whole has so many artists making “mature” (again, lack of a better term here) music you can play in front of your friends and not be accused of trying to keep up with the youngsters.
Acts like Solemn Brigham, Oddisee, Atmosphere, Homeboy Sandman, Rapsody, Sa-Roc, McKinley Dixon, Che Noir, Skyzoo, Homeboy Sandman, J-Live, Open Mike Eagle, and even grittier rappers like Conway The Machine can reach into those chambers to deliver poignant bars to the people. And that was just off the top of my head because I’m sure there are dozens of other rappers who have this said ability.
Hip-Hop is what you make it and what you need from it. And, for what it’s worth, André 3000 doesn’t need to be seen as an elite rapper anymore. Like any of us, he is just a person trying to figure out his life and artistry without compromising his integrity or his purpose.
Check out André 3000’s solo project, New Blue Sun, at your preferred digital outlets.
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Photo: Emma McIntyre / Getty
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World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10 and was established to call attention to the need for awareness, education, and support for those contending with issues surrounding mental health. On X, formerly known as Twitter, several people are sharing their journey with mental health along with tips and tools for coping.
“To break the wall here a bit, I am someone who suffers from mental health issues and I am in constant search of tools and expert assistance to push me to a greater version of myself. I fail often, and sometimes to the point of despair. But with the help of great therapists, family, and friends, I’ve found ways to stay afloat even on my hardest days. I hope that all of you reading are doing your best because that’s all we can do. Just know that you’re not alone in climbing the mountain.” – D.L. Chandler, Senior Editor.
World Mental Health Day was first established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. Around the world, mental health professionals and those suffering from mental health issues come together in support of improving the station of those in flux.
On X, several individuals are sharing parts of themselves with amazing vulnerability and encouraging others to take charge of their mental health using the various avenues available. As some note, the ups and downs of mental illness are not easy to contend with but there are more ways to get help than ever before.
To learn more about the World Federation for Mental Health and the day itself, please follow this link. Keep scrolling to see the reactions from X and do remember to be kind to yourselves during this time,
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For most music lovers, the cover art is the visual gateway to their sonic sojourn. Before the first beat drops or word is uttered, that first impression is often the packaging for the album or cassette. Album art in itself often tells a story and sets the tone for the auditory journey. While the cover art’s impact has been diminished a tad in the digital times, in the analog era of tapes and vinyl, music fans would spend as much time dissecting the cover as they did the music. And in Hip-Hop in particular, crate diggers have elevated cover art to near mythic status.
So, in celebration of HipHop’s 50th Anniversary, HipHopDX and HipHopWired have collaborated to present the 50 Greatest Hip Hop Album Covers Of All Time, spanning all five decades. There are some surefire fan favorites on the list, as well as some more recent installments they may stir some convo, but it’s all for the love of genre we hold dear and to recognize the efforts of art directors, photographers, artists and the musicians who inspire them.
J. Cole, KOD
Cover art: Kamau Haroon
Whether you go with “Kids On Drugs,” “King Overdosed” or “Kill our Demons” as the meaning behind J.Cole’s KOD title, there is no debate that artist Kamau Haroon nailed all three interpretations with his vibrant yet haunting portrait.
Known artistically as Sixmau, the artist was in the studio with J. Cole watching the NBA All-Star game when he created the cover. Evidently, the on-screen spectacle did little to distract him as the theme captured Cole’s vision: a monarch in the midst of a narcotic-induced daze shepherding equally dazed youth under his royalty capes.
“It was definitely a collaboration,” Kamau said of the creation. “It was a marriage of art and music. He told me what direction he was going in and then he gave me freedom to portray it how I wanted.”—Jerry Barrow
Tyler, The Creator, Flower Boy
Designer/Photographer: Eric Wright
Tyler, The Creator is always hands on so his Flower Boy album cover was no different. After peeping artist’s work in one of his books, the rapper commissioned Eric Wright to create the cover brought him his own sketches with ideas of what he wanted. “I was really impressed with his drawings and especially with his use of color. I think he has a much better innate capacity for working with color than I do,” White, who happened to be an Odd Future fan, told Complex in 2017. The final work is a jarring mix of color and weirdness, so it’s perfectly aligned with the Tyler, The Creator ethos. —Alvin aqua Blanco
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly
Photo: Denis Rouvre
Art Direction: Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free, Vlad Sepetov
Kendrick Lamar’s cover art for his third studio album encapsulates the inherent rebelliousness of simply surviving in America. Even with the achievement of having an actual Black man in the White House, K.dot and his people posted up at the gate relegating the President’s residence to a backdrop, taking the directive to “paint the white house black” a defiant remix.
“It’s me and my homeboys in front of the White House,” Kendrick explains. “It’s really taking people from around my neighborhood and taking them around the world to see things I’ve experienced. [the baby he’s holding] is one of the homey’s kids, people I grew up with since elementary school all the way up to now. A lot of the individuals I talk about on Good Kid, Mad City is on this cover. It all spins around full circle.”
As for the judge laying on the ground with his eyes crossed out: “The one person that represents their lives negatively is a judge. Only God can judge these individuals.”—Jerry Barrow
Lil’ Kim, Hardcore
Designer/Photographer: Michael Lavine
The cover for Lil’ Kim’s debut Hardcore album went viral before doing so was ever a thing. “When I did the Hard Core photo shoot, I was just posing to do them. It wasn’t like I’m just going to pose and squat and show my kitty cat; that was not on my mind at all. For me, it was just being a model and posing in a cute, sexy way,” the Queen Bee told XXL in 2016. The album is considered a proper classic and its art kept it a keepsake for fans; male, female or wherever on the spectrum you may land. That promo photos may have gotten more run than the actual music, though.—Alvin aqua Blanco
Outkast, Stankonia
Art direction and design by Mike Rush.
Photograph by Michael Lavine.
After adorning their previous offerings, Atliens and Aquemini with illustrious illustrations, the two dope boys took a more direct approach for their fourth album, posing in a white tee and black leather pants against an ebony and ivory symbiote of the American Flag.
“The flag cover, that came to me when I was on an airplane,” Andre 3000 tells veteran journalist Craig Seymour in an 2000 interview. “I was thinking of a fly way to use the flag…make it a black and white flag. No color. More than anything. Like America is a no color state and we bring splashes of color.” Andre composed a drawing as an alternate cover to be a collectors item, but considers this image the “official” Stankonia cover.
Art Director Mike Rush was hired by L.A. Reid to head the urban music art squad and calls the monochromatic flag with its stars titled drunkenly in an almost demonic salute as “one of the most iconic album images in hip hop history.”—Jerry Barrow
Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die
Designer: Cey Adams
Photographer: Butch Belair
Before you even think it, Raekwon and Ghostface have admitted they went too far with their infamous “Shark Niggas (Biters)” skit where they accused the Notorious B.I.G. of “biting off of Nas sh*t!” Also, the baby with the afro was not a seed of Sean “Diddy” Combs or Christopher Wallace as an infant but actually Keithroy Yearwood, who is now about 30 years old. Apparently, the kid was found during a casting call, and his mother caught a cool $150 for two hours of the child’s cuteness to be forever imprinted on Hip-Hop.—Alvin aqua Blanco
Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Album package photographer: Eric Johnson
Art Director, Sony Music: Erwin Gorostiza
Sampling and remixing is at Hip-Hop’s core, so it only makes sense that the debut album from one of the genre’s most revered artists, Ms. Lauryn Hill, would take inspiration from several places. The soulful center of The Fugees had her own visage carved into a desk because she knew she was about to school an entire industry.
“She already had some great ideas that were inspired by the album title. I don’t think I ever had an artist so involved with their imagery before this point. I insisted that the art direction credit be given to her along with myself,”Art Director Erwin Gorostiza, told Okayplayer.com.
A photograph of Ms Hill taken by Eric Johnson at her alma mater, Columbia High School in South Orange, New Jersey, was “carved” into the desk by retoucher Will Kennedy.
“In 1998, Photoshop was not anywhere near as powerful. Retouchers made up for it with all their skills and talent. Will had a knack for getting the art to look just right.”—Jerry Barrow
Nas, Illmatic
Designer/Photographer: Aimée Macauley
Illmatic’s cover was designed Aimée Macauley and a features a well-worn photograph of a 7-year-old Nas that was taken by his father, Jazz musician Olu Dara. The city photo young Nasty Nas’ face is superimposed over was taken by Danny Clinch. The legend goes that Nas originally intended for the album cover to be a picture of him holding Jesus Christ in a headlock. While the nod to his Live at the BBQ verse where rapped “When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus” would have been welcomed by Hip-Hop diehards, the chosen cover option was for the best.—Alvin aqua Blanco
ODB, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
Art Direction: Alli True
Photography: Danny Clinch
ODB draped himself in truth like a North Face Denali Fleece. “I came out my momma pussy, I’m on welfare. Twenty-six years old–still on welfare,” he growls on the quixotic confessional “Raw Hide” from his 1995 debut. So it’s no surprise that Dirty would use his own food stamp card to adorn said release, creating the most iconic Hip Hop album cover of all time.
“That album cover was completely his idea…he literally came to my office with his welfare card,” A&R Dante Ross confirms in an interview. Thanks to a color Xerox machine (an expensive favor in the pre-scanner days), the head of the art department, a Wu-Tang fan, was able to mock up a 10×12 cover long before the album was even finished. “He was like ‘I’m the realest…I grew up in poverty and I’m not ashamed of who I am’…he was making a conscious decision to be the polar opposite of the shiny suits and to do it in a way that was funny.”—Jerry Barrow
A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory
Designer/Photographer: Nick Gamma, Jean Kelly & Dave Skillken aka ZombArt
The legend goes that Q-Tip wanted a painted woman, akin to something you would find on an Ohio Players album cover [https://rockthebells.com/articles/low-end-theory-midnight-marauders-a-tribe-called-quest/] The live photos, taken by Joe Grant, were just a start and the proper artwork was created by Jean Kelly aka ZombArt JK while Nick Gamma aka ZombArt NG handled the lettering. Along with Dave Skillken they all worked in the art department of Tribe’s record label Jive’s parent company Zomba Recordings. Since Jive was on 4080-mode when it came to getting credit, they were known as the Zombart collective as a compromise. While the music spoke for itself, the classic cover with its afrocentric pallet of colors made the cipher complete.—Alvin aqua Blanco
Check out the full list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Album Covers of all time over at HipHopDX.
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Kathy Griffin is once again heading back to cancel court after posting a video accusing Kanye West of abusing his wife, Bianca Censori.
In the lengthy clip, shared widely on social media, a pale-faced Griffin shares her thoughts on Kanye West, who has been the punchline for many of her jokes. According to the d-list comedian, Ye is allegedly abusing Censori based on her attire and recent actions since the two wed. In the unhinged video, Griffin asserts that West is abusing his wife, claiming that she has no voice, saying:
“While it’s easy to make fun of Kanye because he is crazy and nutty. We’ve all seen those photos of Kanye and his new wife Bianca Censori, right? I see those photos when she is in those pantyhose and like not even a bandeau top, it’s really all about being see-through. I’ve heard that she has a master’s degree in architecture from a university in Australia, she’s gorgeous and she seems to have no voice whatsoever,” she said, adding that while Censori had a “banging body,” she looked “almost identical” to Ye’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.
Despite having NO evidence to support her assertion, the 62-year-old continued her allegations stating that if Ye “wasn’t physically abusing [Censori] then he was ‘psychologically abusing’ her,” using the example of the couple’s recent visit to Italy that led to a viral video of them allegedly engaging in lewd behavior on a boat in Venice, while locals complained about the scantily clad Censori causing mayhem with an impromptu fashion shoot in Florence.
“When they were in Italy and he had her drop to her knees and give him a ‘service’ and we saw his bare butt — knowing there were paparazzi photographers all the way around and people with just phone cameras — that to me just reeks of abuse,” Griffin continued. “Like ‘get on your knees and do this now on a freaking water taxi.”
Griffin doubled down on the “Carolyn Bryant Donham” styled accusation, adding in her video: “I don’t know her, I’m never going to meet her, but I just want to know what you guys think, because it just looks like something a really controlling dude would do.”
After a clip of Griffin’s TikTok was shared to X, formerly Twitter, many people came to the defense of Kanye, calling for the half a chuckle-worthy comedian to be sued over the slanderous video.
“Ye and Bianca Censori need to sue Kathy Griffin for all she’s got after this libel and slander,” one person wrote on X.
With another writing: “As much i know she is probably worried. Throwing out allegations like this is NOT OKAY.”
As previously reported, Yeezy and Censori got married at a ceremony in Beverly Hills in January, just two months after his divorce from Kardashian was finalized.
Neither West nor Censori have responded to the allegations.
Check out the video below, and more reactions in the gallery.
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Jason Aldean got involved in America’s silly culture war after Country Music Television removed the video for his controversial song “Try That In A Small Town” from its platform. Because the MAGA Nuts and the “Respect My Rights” crowd are sensitive little cherubs, they’re complaining about the takedown while dragging Garth Brooks into the beef.
Let’s take our time with this one.
Jason Aldean, a popular country music star who once notched a big hit with Ludacris, has gone on to sell millions of for Nashville, Tenn’s Broken Bow Records. His latest single, “Try That In A Small Town,” pretends to be a song about the resilience of working-class America but the video makes no secret of its nefarious aims. It is a vehicle to take shots at the perceived lawlessness in big cities, most especially protests against police and public demonstrations decrying racism.
We usually don’t center tweets from goofballs in the body of a story but here’s an example of what the minds of proud Americans are focused on instead of, we don’t know, human decency and common sense, maybe?
Here are the lyrics and hook for “Try That In A Small Town”:
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalkCarjack an old lady at a red lightPull a gun on the owner of a liquor storeYa think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like
Cuss out a cop, spit in his faceStomp on the flag and light it upYeah, ya think you’re tough
Well, try that in a small townSee how far ya make it down the roadAround here, we take care of our ownYou cross that line, it won’t take longFor you to find out, I recommend you don’tTry that in a small town
It is clear what Aldean is communicating and the video, reportedly shot in front of a former site where lynchings took place, speaks to the fragility of white conservative America and the silly attack on the “Woke Left” or whatever else these nutballs come up with.
Tacked onto Aldean’s controversy is some discussion from the MAGA weirdos about Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. Over a year ago, Brooks and Yearwood made a public appeal to help refugees caught up in the ravages of war in Ukraine. That video was resurfaced and the strawman arguments have only intensified.
Adding to this, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made an explosive goof even by his lowly standards after sharing an article from the satirical website Dunning-Kruger-Times (which should’ve been a dead giveaway but here we are). The article was about a fictional moment featuring Brooks being booed offstage for supporting Bud Light. Before deleting the tweet, Gov. Abbott used the tired phrase “Go Woke. Go Broke.”
On Twitter, the dumbassery of MAGA is on full display over Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, and all things ‘MURRICA. Check out the reactions below.
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President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which ended the legal practice of slavery, went into effect on January 1, 1863, a reluctant move on his part that satisfied the wants of abolitionists. On June 19, 1865, enslaved Blacks in Texas were finally alerted that they were freed and thus, Emancipation Day, better known as Juneteenth, was born.
Lincoln’s path to signing the proclamation was wrought with barriers that were mostly political, if not racially motivated. Slavery was a big business and with the Union victorious over the southern Confederate states, there was some resentment for the North’s desire to do away with one of its best money-makers in slavery. Lincoln treaded carefully but signed the law in 1862 before it went into effect.
On that day in 1865, Union troops made their way to the coastal city of Galveston, Texas. Texas, like many southern and non-battleground states, was resistant to ending slavery. However, the law of the land prevailed and the slaves being held in bondage finally enjoyed true freedom. But as expected, the newly emancipated were given their “Freedom Day” with a bit of a warning.
From Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
From that point, Juneteenth became a moment of pride and togetherness for Blacks in Texas and across the South. The celebration eventually spread to other states and cities, primarily in rural areas before expanding wider.
Public figures and celebrated Black writers such as Maya Angelou and Ralph Ellison both have centered their work on the holiday as well. Juneteenth even found itself in the crossfire of Hip-Hop angst at a time.
In 1992, Geto Boys rapper Wille D’s “U Still a aggiN” references the holiday, although not positively.
“Mama’s outside, barbecuing ribs and links/It’s Juneteenth, but to me it don’t mean stink/It’s a day of emancipation, but everybody wonder why Willie ain’t celebrating/But things ain’t perfect, I’m looking beyond the surface/So instead of drinking beer, and playing Dominoes/I’m sitting in the room with my eyes closed,” Willie D rapped.
Today, 28 states recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday, which means state government offices are closed. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, with some states offering the day off as a paid holiday or a day of observance.
Learn more about the Juneteenth holiday here.
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Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games by the NBA thanks to his love of waving firearms on social media. The vibe on Twitter is that the high-flying point guard got off light.
ESPN reports that on Friday (June 16), the NBA announced that the Memphis Grizzlies point guard had been suspended 25 games for “conduct detrimental to the league” at the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season. The formal suspension comes after a second incident in which Morant was seen brandishing a gun on social media, this time in May.
Back in March, the NBA suspended Morant for 8 games for a similar incident where he showed off a firearm on Instagram Live while in a club in Denver. In response to that situation, Morant reportedly enrolled in counseling.
After the second incident, NBA Twitter fully expected NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to drop the hammer on Morant, with many speculating at least a half a season on ice for the talented player. Now it’s a question of Morant staying on the straight and narrow after his second strike.
“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver n a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”
Silver added, “For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty
In response, Morant issued his own statement which address his assigned homework.
“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” said Morant in a statement he released on Friday. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman and Robert Pera — who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me — I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”
Peep Twitter’s reactions to Ja Morant’s punishment in the gallery.
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LeBron James will have to endure a long offseason of people questioning his greatness from the comfort of their couches and game controllers despite willing the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. The Denver Nuggets, the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, swept the Lakers in their best-of-seven series and some NBA fans are unfairly making LeBron James the fall guy.
LeBron James, who turns 39 this year, spent years carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers on his shoulders and doing so at an elite level for years. After two decades of basketball, wear and tear is natural and the high-flying exploits aren’t there every night but all of the greats have off nights.
James didn’t have an off night on Monday, leading all scorers with 40 points and remaining on the floor for the entire game. James supporting cast of Davis and Reaves did what they could but they were outmatched by Nikola Jokic, who led all Nuggets scorers with 30 along with 13 assists and 14 rebounds, and Jamal Murray, who poured in 25 points and was electrifying in the WCF.
You don’t even need to be a fan of James or his team to realize what he was able to do while pushing the age of 40 is incredible. There are a few NBA players who spent 20 seasons in the league and many of them are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. James will join those ranks once he decides to hang up his sneakers for good and hopefully, he holds off on doing so after the bitter sting of the loss settles down.
The comparisons to the great Michael Jordan are inevitable and people making a case for LeBron being an inferior player will have all their stats ready for an imaginary showdown neither man asked for.
The jeers from the armchair athletes of the world will cease to matter and besides, anyone who needs to take off their shoes and then put them in their laps to tie them can’t rightly call LeBron James a bum.
But they’re certainly going to try.
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