Kyrie Irving is getting some love from a prominent former teammate amid the recent firestorm that he has generated.
Ex-Cleveland Cavalier JR Smith tweeted a supportive message to Irving on Thursday. “Extremely proud of you bro!” Smith wrote. He also included a GIF with the message, “If we support one another, we rise together!”
https://twitter.com/TheRealJRSmith/status/1448638418846732294
Irving and Smith were teammates on the Cavs for two seasons from 2015 to 2017. They were the starting backcourt for Cleveland’s title team in 2016.
Irving’s decision to be unvaccinated, which for now will prevent him from playing for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2021-22 season, has created significant division in recent weeks. The seven-time All-Star took to Instagram Live on Wednesday to address the situation for himself.
As for Smith, he has not always gotten along with Irving in the past. But he clearly believes that Irving is on the right side of the aisle here.
Photo: Feb 1, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Richard Sherman’s NFL return has not gone as he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoped.
Sherman was picked on by the New England Patriots in Week 4, which marked his season debut. He played against New England despite only signing with the Bucs days ahead of the game. He then had three tackles in Tampa Bay’s Week 5 win over Miami.
Then on Thursday night against the Eagles, Sherman did not last eight minutes.
Midway through the first quarter, Sherman exited the game because of a hamstring injury. The Bucs immediately ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
The injury happening so quickly is likely a sign that Sherman was not quite in playing shape for NFL games.
What’s interesting is that Sherman’s comments to FOX’s Erin Andrews ahead of the game seem to contrast his injury. Andrews reported Thursday that Sherman said he physically felt good but was working hard on learning the team’s playbook. Against the Eagles, it was the physical aspect of the game, not the mental, where Sherman experienced a problem.
Sherman, 33, played in five games last season. He was playing in his third game this season when he suffered his injury.
There was some concern that the Philadelphia 76ers would not get a motivated Ben Simmons if and when he did rejoin the team. Those worries appear to have been warranted based on one early report.
Simmons unexpectedly rejoined the 76ers on Monday after initially staying away from training camp to try to force a trade. As Simmons must go through protocols, the team has had him doing individual work during the week.
It sounds as though it has not gone that great. A source told Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice that Simmons has been “going through the motions” since returning to the team. The source did add, however, that the situation has improved with each passing day.
The real test will come if and when Simmons plays in games, and how he looks doing that. His teammates seem unhappy with him, and he’s not going to get a warm reception from Philadelphia fans. Simmons definitely still wants to be traded. It’s hard to see him going all-out as long as that remains the case.
Photo: Jan 30, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) talks to fans before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady’s status entering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night was a topic of interest throughout the week.
Brady suffered a thumb injury on his throwing hand in the Bucs’ Week 5 win gainst the Miami Dolphins, though he played through the injury. He showed up to a press conference on Tuesday with his thumb heavily wrapped.
There was never a question about whether Brady would play against Philly in Week 6. There were just questions about whether his thumb injury would impact his effectiveness.
The 44-year-old had a special bandage on his thumb against Philly to help keep everything bound together.
The wrap was so small that it was barely visible even when the FOX telecast zoomed in on it.
The bandage didn’t seem to be an issue for Brady, who went 5/6 with a touchdown pass on Tampa Bay’s opening drive against the Eagles.
Due to MLB rules, Jose Iglesias can’t play in games for the Boston Red Sox during their playoff run. The team has found a way for him to be involved anyway.
Iglesias joined the Red Sox on Sept. 6 after being released by the Los Angeles Angels. However, players that join a team after Sept. 1 are not eligible for the playoff roster, meaning Iglesias can be around the team but not in the game.
Iglesias has found a different way to contribute. According to Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press, Iglesias has designated himself the official chauffer of the team’s home run laundry cart, or “carrito.” Whenever a Red Sox player hits a home run, Iglesias is in charge of the celebratory dugout ride in the laundry cart.
“They kept me very, very busy,” Iglesias said. “And I hope I get busier over the course of the playoffs.”
Cart duty had formerly fallen to catcher Kevin Plawecki, who initiated the tradition in 2020.
For the uninitiated, the cart tradition is actually quite fun. The Red Sox have embraced it so much, they have a custom cart for it now. Even former players want the chance to ride in it.
Photo: Sep 15, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Jose Iglesias (12) hits an RBI-double against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady has already defied the aging process and still looks at the top of his game even at age 44. He won a Super Bowl at age 43. He’s having an MVP-caliber season so far for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Many people thought Brady was crazy when he started talking several years ago about playing into his 40s. It was pretty shocking to hear him say he would play until he was 45. But Brady doesn’t even think that’s a challenge. He thinks he could play well past that age!
Brady spoke with Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer and shared some information about how long he thinks he could play. Brady says he could play until he’s 55 without an issue.
“I could literally play until I’m 50 or 55 if I wanted to,” Brady told Storm and Kremer. “I don’t think I will obviously, but my physical body won’t be the problem. I think it’ll be I’m just missing too much of life with my family.”
Now that is nutty. Brady playing until he is 55? He thinks he could do it physically without an issue? All it takes is one injury for his body to start breaking down, and it could all come to an end quickly. But don’t tell Tom that.
Maybe he could keep it going and make it to 50. Then we could call him Satchell Brady. And maybe his family would let him do it too.
What’s interesting is how much more confident Brady sounds about it now compared to during the summer.
Talk about Ben Simmons’ trade demand has dominated the NBA preseason. The saga has apparently become so big that it could lead to significant changes in the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the frequency of trade requests — and the lack of consequences star players have to consider when making them — is becoming an even bigger concern for teams around the league. Another issue is that supermax contracts, which were meant to keep stars with their current teams, have seemingly had the opposite impact.
Fischer’s story states that NBA teams have taken issue with the speed with which some players demand a trade after signing a long-term contract. This problem is exemplified by Simmons, who requested a trade just one year into a supermax deal he signed with Philadelphia.
Fischer says there is a desire among ownership to see penalties introduced for players who demand trades. Some penalties suggested in the story included financial repercussions to draft pick compensation for teams. The players union would be unlikely to accept this without a significant concession, perhaps in the form of additional basketball related income going to players.
One NBA capologist outlined the issues the supermax has caused for teams, arguing to Fischer that handing out that kind of contract either leads to the luxury tax or the player ultimately being traded.
It’s clear that the supermax has not worked. It limits the ability of teams to build strong supporting casts for stars. Then those players become frustrated as the team does not contend and they seek a trade elsewhere. That cycle has repeated itself multiple times, and has sparked concerns for years. It sounds like Simmons may well be the last straw from the league’s perspective.
Photo: Dec 27, 2019; Orlando, Florida, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
There won’t be as many students in attendance for Virginia Tech’s football game this weekend due to “embarrassing” behavior.
The university said in a statement that student attendance will be limited starting this Saturday against Pitt due to “selfish, inappropriate, and embarrassing student behavior” at previous games. Student attendance will be restricted to season ticket holders and a limited number of lottery winners, along with new guidance for gate entry and an increased security presence.
While the school didn’t specifically say what kind of behavior prompted the move, there had been growing concern about the stadium experience among students. According to WTVR in Richmond, one student recently shared a video describing a stampede of people moving toward student section entrances, in part due to students without tickets getting in. The student added that the chaos caused his girlfriend to have a panic attack, and the heavy crowds left paramedics unable to reach her.
We’ve seen things get rowdy at Virginia Tech games before. This sounds a bit out of control, though. The school likely wouldn’t do this without having good reason to.
Photo: Oct 9, 2021; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; A view from the stands of a game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Zion Williamson’s health is now officially a cause for concern, and the New Orleans Pelicans’ statements about it are complicating matters even further.
Pelicans executive David Griffin announced Thursday that Williamson will miss the start of the regular season with his foot injury. The All-Star forward will be re-evaluated in two weeks and currently has no timetable to return.
The injury is not a new one, as Griffin told the media roughly three weeks ago that Williamson underwent surgery to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot suffered earlier in the summer. But at the time, Griffin said that Williamson’s timeline “should get him back on the court in time for the regular season.”
On Thursday though, Griffin tried to backtrack by saying that he had meant Williamson would be back some time during the regular season, not at the start. Griffin also said that “nothing has gone wrong” with Williamson in terms of a setback since his earlier comments.
Any reasonable person would take Griffin’s “in time for the regular season” comment to mean the start of the regular season. If player was expected out until March (still technically the regular season), nobody would say of him before the season began, “We expect him back on the court in time for the regular season.” Thus, Griffin’s comments come across as confusing and self-contradictory, especially since Williamson did not suffer a setback.
What is even more concerning is that Williamson reportedly was already unhappy with the way that Griffin and the Pelicans handled an injury that he had in his rookie season. The Pelicans’ conflicting comments about his latest injury bring to mind the Grand Theft Auto “here we go again” meme.
Photo: Mar 4, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) laughs while warming up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Gavin Lux inadvertently made himself a meme during the team’s Game 3 loss on Monday. He may not have enjoyed the circumstances, but the good news is he’s not bothered by the jokes.
Lux’s stunned reaction memorably summed up a lot of emotions from Dodgers fans in what was a 1-0 loss to San Francisco in Game 3 of the NLDS. Lux drove a fly ball to deep center and appeared to have hit a dramatic game-tying home run with two out in the 9th, but the wind knocked it down for a flyout. The loss put the Dodgers down 2-1 in the series, though they rallied to force a Game 5 one night later.
Lux was asked about the inevitable memes that spawned from his reaction, and he was pretty cool about it.
It sounds like he’s used to it. Being the butt of teammates’ jokes is probably decent preparation for going viral on the internet.
Lux being a goof certainly checks out when you consider how he got hurt earlier this season.
