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The Emirates NBA Cup semifinal bracket took shape Wednesday night, and this weekend, the quest for in-season championship gold continues. Although critics of the Emirates NBA Cup concept have their thoughts, fans were treated to a pair of great games en route to Las Vegas for the title game.
The Atlanta Hawks took on the New York Knicks in a game that looked to be going the way of Jalen Bruson and the Bodega Boys until “Ice Cold” Trae Young stepped up to deliver a double-double, pouring in 22 points and 11 assists in a second-half comeback win. The Hawks took the game 108 to 100 at the famed Madison Square Garden, cementing Young’s growing legend as a star in this league. Karl Anthony Towns showed up big for his team with a 19-point, 19 rebounds double-double, but the Hawks’ bench production and efficiency wore down the Knickerbockers.
The surging Houston Rockets faced off against the Golden State Warriors and this game was decided by one point with a last-second miracle shot from Stephen Curry not going his way. The Rockets, a young team full of explosive athletes, relied on their big man Alperen Sengun, who led the Rockets with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The Rockets have lost 15 games straight to the Warriors, snapping it with their 91-90 win in a thriller of a game in Houston.
If the action on the court is any indication, the players are certainly taking things seriously when it comes to the Emirates NBA Cup, which comes with a $500,000 payday for each player and in-season bragging rights.
The bracket and game times are as follows from NBA.com:
Saturday’s Semifinals
East: (1) Bucks vs. (3) Hawks (4:30pm ET, TNT)
West: (1) Thunder vs. (2) Rockets (8:30pm ET, ABC)
Tuesday’s Championship
East Winner vs. West Winner (8:30 ET, ABC)
From our side, we’re liking the top-seeded East team Bucks over the Hawks in the early game this Saturday (Dec. 14). For the West, it’s hard to imagine anyone getting past the stacked and top-seeded Thunder team, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander commanding the point. Don’t take any advice from us, we’re just sharing our opinions! It all goes down this weekend. We can’t wait.
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It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers are putting father and son on pause. The team has assigned Bronny James to the G League.
As per NBC News the rookie will split his time honing his skills in a developmental division of the NBA. ESPN is reporting that organization will have the son of LeBron James join the South Bay Lakers. Originally launched in 2001, the G League serves as the National Basketball Association’s minor league. According to sources Bronny will still suit up in the purple and gold for Lake Show home games but will not travel with his father and the rest of the team so he can play for the G League.
This should not come to fans as a surprise as head coach JJ Redick made it clear this was the strategy for Bronny all along. “The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one. [General manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I have talked about that. LeBron’s talked about that” he said to sports news network last month. While he made history by being the first NBA talent to play on the same team with his father, Bronny has only averaged about one point per game and a 16% shooting average in four games.
In 2023 he suffered a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout. He was soon admitted to the ICU at the University of South California and was treated by the medical staff. Bronny then underwent a procedure to treat congenital heart defect; months later he was cleared to play.
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NBA star center Joel Embiid received a three-game suspension from the league after shoving a reporter after a game over the weekend.
On Tuesday (November 5), the National Basketball Association announced that Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid would be suspended for three games after an altercation with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Haynes after the team’s game last Saturday (November 2). The suspension means that he will miss the Sixers’ games against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Charlotte Hornets.
“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”
The incident was initiated because of Haynes’ column, which made a reference to Embiid’s late brother and his son, both named Arthur while questioning the center’s effort during the preseason and during his multiple absences during his career. Embiid, who was on the United States men’s Olympic team that won the gold medal in Paris this past summer, has been out tending to minor swelling in his knee. “The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I’m going to do to you and I’m going to have to … live with the consequences,” Embiid said to Hayes when confronting him.
Embiid, who was slated to make his season debut in the Lakers game, will instead appear with the Sixers as they square off against the New York Knicks on November 12, in the first round of the NBA’s in-season tournament now known as the NBA Emirates Cup. Haynes has apologized for the comments and removed them from the article, but Embiid rejected the apology.
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It seems the game of musical chairs continues with ESPN’s staff. Shams Charania has announced he is now the brand’s NBA Insider following Adrian Wojnarowski’s exit.
As reported by Deadline, the popular basketball personality has taken his talents to the global sports network. On Monday, Oct. 7 he made the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I am honored to join ESPN as the company’s Senior NBA Insider. I can’t wait to be part of an incredible group of colleagues at ESPN and serve the sports audience worldwide,” he wrote. This news comes on the heels of Adrian Wojnarowski’s recent departure from the brand after serving as an NBA reporter since 2017. Last month, the Bristol, Conn., native revealed he was retiring from journalism to take the general manager position of the men’s basketball team at St. Bonaventure University, his alma mater.
When asked about his replacement Woj made it clear that the position is a once in a lifetime opportunity. “I hope he has as fulfilling and as rewarding of a career as I’ve had,” he said. “And I certainly wish that for him and he’s right about the incredible group of colleagues that he is going to find at ESPN. For me that was always the best part of working at ESPN.”
2024 has been a bumpy year for ESPN with relation to employee turnover. Back in August, the network had a reorganization that resulted in several on air personalities being terminated. Some of the personnel who were impacted included Robert Griffin III, Sam Ponder, Zach Lowe and others. You can see Woj discuss Shams Charania below.
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Dikembe Mutombo, the shot-blocking NBA legend and member of its Hall of Fame, has passed away. He was only 58.
NBA analyst Shams Charania reported that Mutombo passed away from brain cancer. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement announcing the eight-time NBA All-Star and philanthropist’s death.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA,” said Silver. “Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”
OG NBA fans remember Mount Mutombo blocking shots and famously waving his finger at anyone who tried him when he was protecting the rim.
Even before his playing days were over, Mutombo began helping the people of his native Democratic Republic of the Congo, a passion that saw him open a school and hospital via his charity. He also served as a Global Ambassador for the NBA.
As soon as news of his passing broke, Xitter began going up for Mutombo, saluting for his exploits on the court and a life well played. Rest in powerful peace Dikembe Mutombo.
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Charles Barkley shocked the sports media world after announcing that he would retire from broadcasting at the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA season much to the dismay of many. The Hall of Fame hooper has since walked back those comments, saying that he intends to stick around in the booth for the foreseeable future.
Charles Barkley, 61, shocked viewers during this year’s NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, citing the current shakeup in the media landscape regarding the NBA rights going to other networks and reportedly ending the deal with TNT and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months and I just want to say I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley said during a postgame chat during the Finals.
The comments from “The Chuckster” were fueled by the NBA’s expiring deals with ABC/ESPN and Turner Sports, the latter of which Inside The NBA airs on its TNT network. As has been widely reported, the NBA reached agreements with NBC, ESPN, and Amazon, effectively ending the Turner Sports connection although the company says it will continue to try and retain some rights beyond next season.
Via a statement, Barkley stated his intentions to work beyond the following season while giving praise to his current network:
“I love my TNT Sports family. My (number one) 1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me, Barkley said. “I have to say — I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”
Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT Sports, has filed a lawsuit against the NBA, as reported by the Sports Business Journal. In the suit, Warner says that the league neglected the company’s matching offer, which Warner belives forcibly denied them the opportunity to obtain a package from the NBA.
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While he’s leading Team USA men’s basketball to win gold during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, NBA superstar LeBron James and The SpringHill Company’s Maverick Carter launched their own men’s grooming line called The Shop this year.
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From face wash to lotion and shaving to beard creams, The Shop men’s grooming line cleanses, refreshes, exfoliates and hydrates all skin and hair types without feeling harsh and tough. All items are exclusive to Walmart and go for $9.97 each. That’s less than $10 for premium men’s personal care products.
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And because its from Walmart, you’ll get any of these men’s grooming products from The Shop shipped to your home for free, if you’re a Walmart+ member.
If you’re not a member, then you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of everything the retailer’s rewards program has to offer with perks such as free, fast delivery; fuel discounts’ streaming access to Paramount+ to watch hit originals such as Halo, Evil, 1883 and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; additional savings with early access deals and much more. Learn more about Walmart+ here.
Scroll down and check out The Shop’s Men’s Grooming Line at Walmart, below:
The Shop
The Shop Face Wash
The Shop
The Shop Face Lotion
The Shop
The Shop Shave Cream
The Shop
The Shop Aftershave Toner
The Shop
The Shop 2-in-1 Hair Wash
The Shop
The Shop Beard Cream
The Shop
The Shop Nourishing Hair Pomade
Check out men’s grooming items from The Shop, which is also the name of his barbershop-set talk show on HBO and YouTube, at Walmart here. In the meantime, watch LeBron James open up about The Shop and his own personal skincare journey, below:
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Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Southern California’s newest arena is pulling out all the stops to stand out in the crowded market. On Friday (July 19), Intuit Dome (home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers) unveiled its advanced center-hung board, which spans nearly a full acre. The flexible board will be utilized for basketball games, concerts and special events held at the Inglewood venue.
The Halo Board, as it has been dubbed, is one of the largest double-sided halo displays in an arena setting, curving around the top of the dome at 38,375 sq. ft. It is the equivalent of nearly 3,600 60-inch TV screens with 233 million LEDs.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer told the media at a press conference on Friday (July 19) that he traveled around the globe looking at various scoreboards to develop his vision for the Dome’s Halo Board. He admired the board at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and told Halo Spots & Entertainment CEO Gillian Zucker to “make it bigger.”
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With a video board, “you could say, ‘Hey, it’s just a thing that’s supposed to be there to be impressive’ – almost like some artwork,” said Ballmer. “But I didn’t want that and wanted to make sure that thing was totally functional, that it really added to the game.”
Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, explained that he wanted the board to be functional for every fan. In order to reach every seat in the house, Zucker explained, “We actually had to map every single pixel and every single seat.” The Halo Board hangs high above the basketball court, leaving enough space between itself and the floor to avoid obstructing sightlines for any seat in the 17,700-seat arena. Every seat in the house will be able to see both exterior and interior screens on the board, allowing for a wide range of visible content.
The Halo Board will display gameplay, statistics, instant replays and audience moments for sporting events, and fans can interact with it via a light-up, four-button controller situated on their armrests.
Intuit Dome’s Halo Board
Courtesy of LA Clippers
The Halo board can also be utilized for concerts at the venue; artists can use the entire board or fold up the ends on either side to enhance sight lines.
“It is available for artists to use if they want. We have some standard software [where we] tried to make it easy for them to put their content up,” said Ballmer. “We think some artists will use it and some artists may well not use it because it doesn’t fit the way they think about things. But we wanted to have some extra area for acts to be able to enhance their concert experiences.”
Prior to the Clippers’ home opener, Intuit Dome will host more than 20 concerts. The venue’s grand opening will feature a two-night residency from Bruno Mars on Aug. 15 and 16. That will be followed by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, Marc Antonio Solis and two nights of Olivia Rodrigo. Peso Pluma, Twenty One Pilots, and Future and Metro Boomin will close out the month of August.
Looking ahead, NCT DREAM, Slipknot, Grupo Frontera, Bujo Banton, Usher, Weezer, Billy Joel and Ana Gabriel are also scheduled to appear at the new arena.
Intuit Dome’s Halo Board
Courtesy of LA Clippers
More than a dozen NBA teams are facing copyright lawsuits from Kobalt and other music companies over allegations that the basketball teams used songs in social media videos without permission.
In 14 separate actions filed in federal court Friday, Kobalt and others accused each club of using copyrighted music in promotional videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) to “increase viewership” and “engage its fanbase.”
In the case against the New York Knicks, the music companies accused the team of using songs by “New York legends” Jay-Z and Cardi B. The case against the Philadelphia 76ers cited use of songs by Philly native Meek Mill. In the action against Atlanta Hawks, the complaint said the club had used music by “Atlanta’s own” Migos and OutKast.
But in each case, the overarching allegation was the same – that a sophisticated corporate entity had stolen music that it knew it was supposed to pay for.
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“Defendants are acutely aware of the protections that the copyright laws of the United States afford,” lawyers for the music companies wrote in language that appeared in each lawsuit. “[The team] utilizes the full extent of legal protections available for its own intellectual property while simultaneously knowingly and willfully infringing on the intellectual property rights of the plaintiffs.”
In addition to the Knicks, 76ers and Hawks, the lawsuits targeted the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs.
A spokesman for the NBA did not immediately return a request for comment.
The other music companies who signed onto the lawsuits include Artist Publishing Group, Notting Hill Music and Prescription Songs.
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok provide huge libraries of licensed music for users to add to their videos. But there’s a key exception: The songs can’t be used for commercial or promotional videos posted by brands. That kind of content requires a separate synch license, just like a conventional ad on television.
In recent years, music owners have cracked down on brands that blur those lines on social media. All three major labels sued drink maker Bang Energy for using hundreds of copyrighted songs in TikTok videos, with Universal and Sony eventually winning judgments. The owner of the “Space Jam” song has filed several lawsuits over the past year, including suing a minor league baseball team that used the famed 1990s track in a Facebook video. And earlier this month, the Beastie Boys sued the owner of Chili’s for using the trio’s “Sabotage” in social media clips that spoofed the song’s famous music video.
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There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the “Not Like Us” wave. DeMar DeRozan has explained his cameo in the video.
As reported by Hype Beast the Sacramento Kings shooting guard recently paid a visit to Fox 40. During his conversation with Sean Cunningham he discussed joining the team after being traded from the Toronto Raptors. He made it clear that he is here to win. “I want to be one of those guys that hits the beam,” he said. “I will work my butt off more than ever to make sure the city gets what it deserves. I just want to win at the highest levels.”
While the focus of the interview was his future with the team he did speak to why he briefly appeared in the “Not Like Us” video. “Kendrick been a friend of mine, family — damn near family, for a long time, for a while. We’re from the same city, we grew up damn near in the same neighborhood,” DeRozan said. “So it’s always been there. It hasn’t always been publicized, but, you know, that’s basically family.” Even though he seemingly has a strong bond with K Dot he says Drake’s music will still airplay at the Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center. “We love Drake. We love Drake. We can always play him” he said.
You can watch DeMar Derozan’s interview below.
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