Oct 23, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury during the Milwaukee Bucks’ game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, but the two-time NBA MVP has received some positive news since.
Antetokounmpo has been diagnosed with a strained left calf muscle, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. The injury typically requires a recovery period of 1-2 weeks, which means Giannis has a chance to return for the start of the playoffs on April 20.
That is the best Antetokounmpo and the Bucks could have hoped for. Giannis fell to the floor and grabbed his left leg during the third quarter of Milwaukee’s 104-91 win over the Celtics at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. The injury was of the non-contact variety, which is usually not a good sign. The big concern was that Antetokounmpo suffered an Achilles injury, but that was fortunately not the case.
The Bucks hold the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with three games remaining in the regular season. Giannis is having another outstanding year with 30.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. It would be a surprise if we see him on the floor again before the playoffs begin.
Mar 28, 2019; Kansas City, MO, United States; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks during a press conference for the midwest regional of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
John Calipari stunned the sports world over the weekend when he parted ways with Kentucky to take the head coach job at Arkansas, and Razorbacks fans should be grateful that chicken money allowed them to make the big hire.
In their initial story about Calipari finalizing a 5-year deal with Arkansas, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello noted that Calipari has “long-standing ties” with John H. Tyson, an Arkansas benefactor who is the chairman of Tyson Foods. The connection between Calipari and the billionaire was said to be “the key relationship to help the deal come together.”
Tyson’s grandfather, John W. Tyson, founded Tyson Foods. John H. is estimated to be worth nearly $3 billion.
Calipari will reportedly have a base salary of less than the $8.5 million he was making at Kentucky, but his contract includes incentives that will allow him to surpass that number. That is likely where Tyson and other prominent Arkansas Donors — one of which is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — come in.
In addition to his salary, Calipari has been offered access to NIL resources that exceed $5 million per year. That was another factor in him taking the Kentucky job, and it is one that Tyson probably had a hand in.
The 65-year-old Calipari had some obvious reasons for wanting to leave Kentucky, but it sounds like having friends in high places steered him toward his new job.
The Chicago Bulls on Tuesday ran a fastbreak play they would probably want to be erased from the internet.
The Bulls trailed 36-27 against the New York Knicks to start the second quarter at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
The Bulls had a 3-on-0 fastbreak after a clean steal on Knicks wing Bojan Bogdanovic. Bulls forward Torrey Craig had a clear runway for an uncontested finish. But Craig decided to get fancy with it by lobbing up an alley-oop to himself off the glass. Bulls center Andre Drummond mistakenly thought Craig’s lob was a pass for him. Chaos ensued.
Drummond jumped right behind Craig and accidentally ran into his teammate, who botched the dunk due to the contact.
Craig’s decision to go for a showboat play while down nine points was bad enough. But to get denied by his own teammate made it a blunder of epic proportions.
Chicago eventually lost 128-117 to the Knicks, who entered Tuesday’s contest battling for homecourt advantage in the East.
Both Craig and Drummond finished with four points apiece. The Bulls center finished with zero blocks but technically had one against Craig that didn’t count in the box score.
Dec 26, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) prior to a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs isn’t exactly endearing himself to his old fan base.
Diggs on Tuesday liked a post on X that branded Buffalo Bills fans as the “worst fanbase” and “bitter.” The Texans wideout’s social media activity didn’t go unnoticed for long.
“Bills lowkey got the worse [sic] fanbase y’all bitter asf in the comments,” the post read.
“asf” is an acronym for “as f–k,” so Diggs was trying to say that the Bills had negative and bitter fans.
The post was in response to Diggs expressing condolences for former Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis, who had tragically died earlier this month.
A few Bills fans had replied negatively to Diggs’ post about Davis.
The minor social media move spoke volumes for some members of Bills Mafia. A few expressed their strong disapproval of Diggs dissing his former fans.
https://twitter.com/marvtobflo/status/1777889250584809978
The Bills traded Diggs to the Texans earlier this month. The lead-up to Diggs’ eventual exit from Buffalo was far from drama-free.
Diggs had a successful 4-year run with the Bills. He was named a Pro Bowler and tallied over 1,000 receiving yards in all four seasons.
But after starting off the 2023 campaign with 100-yard totals in five of his first six games, Diggs failed to reach the century mark in a single game for the rest of the season.
Perhaps Diggs’ reported early-season blow-up with Josh Allen played a part in the wide receiver’s eventual departure.
Mar 3, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer in the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Michelob Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer is calling it a career.
The legendary Stanford Cardinal coach on Tuesday announced her retirement via the team’s official X account.
Former Stanford player and current assistant coach Kate Paye is slated to replace VanDerveer as head coach.
“The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct,” said VanDerveer in the official statement.
“I’ve loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I’ve been able to give at least a little bit back.”
VanDerveer exits as the all-time winningest coach in women’s college basketball history with 1,216 victories to her name. Her stacked resume also includes three NCAA championships and 14 Final Four appearances. She last led the Cardinal to the national title in 2021.
VanDerveer started her head coaching career with Idaho from 1978 to 1980 before moving on to Ohio State from 1980 to 1985. She began her 38-year run as the Stanford women’s basketball head coach in 1985.
VanDerveer coached all but one Stanford Cardinal season from 1985 to 2024. She missed the 1995-96 season to coach the 1996 US Olympic women’s basketball team, a decision she agonized over but ultimately led to a gold-medal finish.
VanDerveer’s Cardinal bowed out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in a 77-67 Sweet 16 loss to NC State. She will remain involved with the program in an advisory role.
Kicker Jake Bates of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers has recently gotten himself on the NFL radar. His coach Mike Nolan issued a warning against teams trying to contact Bates too early.
Bates made waves late last month when he comfortably connected on a 64-yard field goal to win a game for the Panthers.
The successful 64-yarder was Bates’ second successful attempt after the first one was wiped away. The opposing St. Louis Battlehawks had called a timeout to try to ice Bates on attempt No. 1, but it didn’t work.
The field goal was Bates’ first since high school. He was used exclusively as a kickoff specialist in college while playing for Arkansas and Texas State.
One week later, Bates proved his kicking prowess wasn’t a fluke by converting a 62-yard field goal for the Panthers.
It’s no surprise that there’s rumored NFL interest in Bates. But his Panthers coach knows NFL teams aren’t allowed to contact his star kicker just yet.
Nolan alleged to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that some NFL teams have been “trying to make efforts” to prematurely contact Bates.
“With Jake, somehow some of them are trying to make efforts to do that, to be honest with you, and hopefully that backs off a little bit because that’s not — they’re not supposed to do that,” said Nolan.
NFL teams are barred from contacting UFL players or their agents until the end of the UFL season.
Nolan said that he sees Bates and the rest of his players like his own kids. Nolan added that he wants nothing more than to see Bates get a shot at making an NFL roster. However, the Michigan coach wants his player to focus on the UFL season first and play well enough to keep NFL teams interested until season’s end.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Mar 15, 2022; Peoria, AZ, USA; Stillwater High School shortstop Jackson Holliday during a team practice at the San Diego Padres Spring Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Jackson Holliday Show is now officially on the air.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Tuesday that the Baltimore Orioles have decided to call up their top infield phenom Holliday. The stage is now set for the 20-year-old Holliday to make his MLB debut in the coming days.
Holliday, the son of ex-MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and is widely regarded as the best prospect in all of baseball right now. He can play both middle infield positions and torched major-league pitching in the spring, hitting .311 with a .954 OPS (including two homers, six RBIs, six runs scored, and two stolen bases in 15 games).
Despite that blazing spring for Holliday, the Orioles made the surprising decision to have him begin the year in the minors (which openly irked some of their players). Holliday quickly made the team regret that call however, blasting a monster homer in his very first at-bat of the year and posting a .342/.490/.605 slash line over nine games at AAA Norfolk.
At 6-4 on the year and with infielders like Jordan Westburg and Tony Kemp struggling to produce, the Orioles are now finally ready to let Holliday loose.
Milwaukee Bucks fans on Tuesday held their collective breath as superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo fell to the floor due to a non-contact injury.
Antetokounmpo checked out of the Bucks’ marquee matchup against the Boston Celtics with under four minutes left in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.
The 2-time MVP inbounded the ball to Bucks teammate Damian Lillard following a Celtics three-pointer. As Antetokounmpo jogged up the floor, he suddenly crumpled to the ground and grabbed at his left leg.
Antetokounmpo was helped by teammates to the locker room but was eventually seen walking under his own power.
The Bucks called the injury a left calf strain, which is positive news given the possibility of more severe issues stemming from a non-contract injury. Antetokounmpo will reportedly undergo further testing on his calf.
The Bucks were able to hold on without their best player in a 104-91 win over the Celtics. Antetokounmpo exited the contest with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 7/11 shooting.
The Greek Freak is in the midst of another strong campaign in his 11th season. The 29-year-old has averaged 30.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game across 72 games played.
May 24, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter in game four of the 2022 Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Purdue star Zach Edey on Monday put together a historic performance in a loss to UConn. It wasn’t enough to impress Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, though.
The Boilermakers fell short 75-60 against the Huskies in the national championship game at State Farm Stadium
Edey was dominant in defeat, accounting for nearly two-thirds of his team’s final point total. He finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 15/25 shooting from the field.
But despite Edey’s monster stat line, Green believed he saw Edey give up right after halftime. The Warriors forward posted on X late in the second half to compliment UConn big man Samson Johnson for making Edey “quit” mid-game.
“Job Well Done 35! You did your job tonight. It was him that made Edey quit with about 19 mins (sic) to go in the 2nd half,” wrote Green. “There was a turnover and I saw Edey body language walking back. He was done. Now rewatch the game from that point on. #FreeGame.”
Edey’s supposedly poor body language could have very well been due to fatigue. The Purdue center played all but one minute of action, lugging his 7’4″, 300-pound frame around and carrying the Boilermarkers’ offense the entire time.
The Purdue star’s 37 points were the most scored in a national championship game loss and the fourth-most in title game history.
Green has never scored 37 points in the NBA nor in college as a member of the Michigan State Spartans.
Lightning has unfortunately struck in the same place thrice for the Chicago White Sox within the first two weeks of the season.
White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada was injured in the second inning of Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. He was attempting to beat out a groundball to the third-base side but pulled up lame before he could make it to the bag.
Moncada went down in a heap and eventually had to be helped off the field by training staff. Here is the video.
The White Sox announced that Moncada had suffered a left adductor strain and would be re-evaluated the next day.
This is bad déjà vu for White Sox fans as it has happened to the team multiple times already to begin the new season. Eloy Jimenez had also strained his adductor running to first base on March 31 against Detroit (video here).
Then on Friday against Kansas City, it was Luis Robert’s turn to suffer a similar mishap. While he was rounding first base during the ninth inning, Robert suffered a hip flexor strain.
Jimenez and Robert are both now on the injured list, and Moncada looks poised to follow them. For three such non-contact injuries to occur on the basepaths in the span of about ten days is just unbelievably rotten luck for the White Sox.
Chicago is also off to a miserable 1-9 start to the season to top it all off. White Sox fans already suffered greatly through the team’s brutal 61-101 season in 2023, but now the 2024 campaign may somehow end up being even worse.
