Apr 4, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts to being called for a foul against the Utah Jazz in the last minute of the fourth quarter at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Former Los Angeles Lakers champion Michael Cooper was critical of the way LeBron James acted during the Lakers’ preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
James scored 12 points in nearly 18 minutes played in the game — all during the first half. The Lakers star then changed into street clothes for the second half and sat at the end of the bench. James was even shown on TV eating some fruit salad.
James’ behavior didn’t sit well with Cooper.
Cooper, who played for the Lakers from 1978-1990, was critical of James on his “Showtime with Michael Cooper” show.
Cooper said he had no problem with James changing clothes, but it was the eating that bothered him.
“I didn’t like that,” Cooper said of James eating at the end of the bench (around the 18:00 mark). “Again, he’s LeBron James, but still, you’ve got to have respect for the game, man. He’s over there – I don’t mind the guy eating, but go eat in the locker room, and then when you come out, come out and be part of the team, not just sit on the end of the bench eating.”
Cooper thought James looked like a spectator.
Cooper did praise James plenty during the episode, even admitting he wouldn’t have wanted to guard LeBron. Cooper was an 8-time All-Defensive player in the NBA and won a Defensive Player of the Year award. He won five championships with the Lakers.
Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman during Notre Dame Fall Camp on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Irish Athletics Center in South Bend, Indiana. Photo Credit: John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman showed off a new look this week.
The Fighting Irish QB was shown on Notre Dame’s X account looking mostly clean shaven, save for a mustache.
Hartman had been wearing a thick beard this season, so having that shaved off will be something for Irish fans to get used to.
Hartman is in his first season with Notre Dame after spending the previous five with Wake Forest. The graduate transfer has completed a career-high 64.5 percent of his passes. He also has 1,838 yards and 18 touchdown passes this season.
Notre Dame is 6-2 with losses to Ohio State and Louisville, but wins over Duke and USC. They will hope that the new look brings them good luck.
Jun 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to media before game one of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Adam Silver could be going back to playing the hits.
The NBA commissioner Silver appeared Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” During the interview, Silver noted that the league is considering a major change to the annual All-Star Game. He said that the format could go back to Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference, thus doing away with the player draft at All-Star Weekend.
“I think we’ve lost sight a bit that it’s about the game at the end of the day,” said Silver. “Maybe [we will do] a return to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented. We went to, sort of this captain-draft notion, but clearly, historically, it was East vs. West. That is something we are looking at.”
The All-Star draft is a fun little spectacle for the fans and has produced some really incredible (and often times awkward) viral moments over the years. But it was something that was only implemented five years ago in 2018. From the inception of the NBA All-Star Game in 1951 all the way through the next six-and-a-half decades, the format was always East vs. West. From Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas as begrudging teammates in the 1980s to the Detroit Pistons teaming up to lock down the entire Western hemisphere in the 2000s, many of the greatest moments in NBA All-Star history have been born out of the East-West format.
In terms of pure watchability, the NBA All-Star Game seems to get worse every year (with even some stars voicing their unhappiness with it). While a return to the East-West format won’t suddenly make the players start caring (or start playing some defense for that matter), it could be a step in the right direction for the floundering event.
Feb 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Ja Morant is still riding with his old man through it all.
Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon of ESPN released a lengthy feature Wednesday on the Memphis Grizzlies star Morant and the whirlwind last year-and-a-half that has seen him get into a lot of trouble. The feature also touched on Morant’s controversial dad Tee, who has been a courtside fixture at his son’s games. Holmes and MacMahon say Tee’s presence at games and his tendency to make headlines while there have “dismayed” some within the Grizzlies organization. They even quoted one unnamed team source as saying that Tee has been a “driving force” behind his son’s behavior.
“Tee has been a major driving force in all of this,” the source reportedly said. “He never made the NBA, but this was his chance to live like he’s an NBA superstar. That’s been a problem from the beginning.”
The full Holmes-MacMahon feature touches on many other of Ja’s ups and downs and is well worth reading in its entirety (which you can do so here).
Later in the day Wednesday, Ja appeared to issue a response to the report. He posted a picture to Instagram of himself with his dad in the background.
“keep LIVIN the dream OG,” Ja wrote in his caption. “this hoopin shii started wit you, I just continued it.”
Indeed, Ja’s success in the NBA has helped his father become a viral star in his own right. Tee used to have some very wholesome courtside moments in front of the cameras. However, that eventually devolved into a number of heated mid-game arguments between Tee and others (including Grizzlies opponents and even Shannon Sharpe). With Ja getting himself suspended multiple times since then for brandishing weapons on social media, some have blamed Tee for supposedly enabling his son’s antics.
Tee did recently have a notably strong comment about Ja’s issues. But he is still a popular target of criticism for many, even if Ja doesn’t seem to think that it is warranted.
Nov 15, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) arrives to Toyota Center prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
James Harden did not show up at Philadelphia 76ers practice on Wednesday in what was an unexcused absence. Now we know why he did not report — he was apparently pouting.
FS1 personality Nick Wright reported on Wednesday that Harden was bummed that the Los Angeles Clippers apparently rejected the Sixers’ latest trade offer involving the veteran guard.
According to Wright, the Sixers had offered Harden for a first-round pick, pick swap and Terrance Mann. The Clippers reportedly rejected that offer.
Harden has been seeking a trade to the Clippers all offseason. Though he has mostly shown up to 76ers camp to avoid fines, he has only participated in one workout. The Sixers reportedly are determining potential discipline for the three-time scoring champion.
Harden has said that he will play even if he is not traded. But it’s obvious he is really hoping a deal will eventually be struck.
Aug 19, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay on the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football set before the game against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sean McVay’s first child is due any day now, and the Los Angeles Rams coach fully intends to be there for the birth. Despite that, he is not worried about having to potentially miss a game.
McVay gave reporters an update on Wednesday, saying that wife Veronika is still doing well as they await the birth of their son. However, he played down talk of potentially missing a game, and had a good reason for it.
“I think there was a lot made about me missing a game. I’m not going to miss a game. My son knows better than to come during a game,” McVay joked.
McVay made it clear last week that he would not coach if his wife went into labor on gameday, but that was not an issue on Sunday. Obviously, the Rams coach is confident that his son will be smarter than to pull a move like that.
The Rams play Sunday at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. McVay will be on the sideline as long as his son respects the sanctity of the NFL schedule.
Nov 7, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodger president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman addresses the media at a press conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers had another disappointing finish to a strong regular season, but don’t expect them to make many changes this offseason.
Dodgers president Andrew Friedman met with the media on Tuesday to talk about the team’s season. Friedman agreed that the comments he made about the 2022 season applied to the 2023 season. Friedman had said the 2022 season, which ended in the NLDS, was an “organizational failure.” He said the same comments applied for the 2023 season.
Friedman also said he did not expect the team to remove Dave Roberts as manager or make any changes to Roberts’ coaching staff.
“I think Doc and our coaching staff did an incredible job this year. And none of us did a good job for those three games against Arizona,” Friedman said.
The Dodgers won 100 games in the regular season, which was the third-most in MLB. They won the NL West for the 10th time in 11 seasons. But just like last year, they lost in the NLDS to a team that had just won a Wild Card Series. They were among the three division winners that clinched a bye in the wild card round but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The news about Roberts returning might not be great for Dodgers fans who are sick of seeing the team repeatedly put up great regular seasons and burn out in the postseason. The Dodgers have made the World Series three times under Roberts but only won it in 2020 — the shortened Covid season.
Dec 11, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins have been the talk of the NFL for a good portion of the season due to their dynamic offense, with much of the credit going to coach Mike McDaniel and his system based on speed and athleticism. That has led some detractors to question how much quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is actually responsible for its success.
McDaniel fielded that sort of question on Wednesday, when he was asked about whether any quarterback could find success within his system. The coach’s response was a firm one.
“I’m about to push this podium over,” McDaniel joked. “My answer to that would be who the F cares? It is a team. We’re working together. And I know one thing: I’ve coached a long time. I haven’t seen people do what our guys do.”
McDaniel has a good point. Tagovailoa is leading the league with 1,876 yards and 14 touchdown passes through just six weeks. Yes, he has a lot of weapons, but he makes the most of them.
Tagovailoa is having a fantastic time playing for the Dolphins this year. Don’t expect him to care much about the critics, because McDaniel certainly does not.
Dolphins fans! It’s time to roll in a new era in Miami. This Roll Fins shirt is a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
Nov 27, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) warms up before action against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Joel Embiid is eschewing the giants of the basketball shoe industry in favor of a slightly more humble name.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Philadelphia 76ers reigning MVP Embiid is nearing an endorsement deal with Skechers to be their star pitchman. Skechers is launching a new basketball division, Charania adds, and they are expected to sign Julius Randle of the New York Knicks and Terance Mann of the LA Clippers to endorsement deals as well.
The six-time All-Star Embiid had previously been signed to Under Armour. However, he is now set to make a change just one season after winning the first MVP award of his career.
With a $7.6 billion market cap, Skechers is still a major player in the footwear game. But that pales in comparison to the likes of Nike (with their $157.9 billion market cap) and Adidas ($33 billion). Skechers has not had a presence specifically in basketball sneakers either to this point (other than some savage ad campaigns geared at rivals). But Embiid will be helping to change all of that.
February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Michael Jordan is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Somebody in the Utah Jazz marketing department apparently forgot about what happened in the 1990s.
A photo from a Jazz fan went viral this week of a curious item for sale in Utah’s team store. The photo, which you can see here, showed that the Jazz were selling Jumpman T-shirts with the iconic Michael Jordan logo placed above the words “Utah Jazz.”
The viral image led to strong backlash from fans of the Jazz, and the team has apparently adjusted accordingly. A Jazz team spokesperson confirmed to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday that the team has now pulled the shirt from the shelves in response to the outcry.
Larsen notes that the NBA has a partnership with Jordan Brand and that the Jumpman logo features on team jerseys around the league, including Utah’s black Statement jersey. Additionally, Larsen says, the Jazz T-shirt was derived from a leaguewide design, which many other teams also use.
Nevertheless, it was obvious that the Jumpman shirt was not going to go over well with Utah fans. The Jazz have still never won a championship in their nearly five-decade existence, and it was Jordan and the Chicago Bulls who spoiled their best chance at winning one in the 1990s. Utah produced back-to-back 60 win seasons and back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998 … only to be defeated by the Bulls in the Finals both times. Jordan ensured that franchise legends John Stockton and Karl Malone (as well as the Jazz franchise as a whole) stayed ringless. Since then, Utah has never again won 60 games in a season or made it to the Finals (with only one lone conference finals appearance back in 2007).
At 60 years old now, Jordan is a bit more of a sympathetic figure these days, especially after exiting as an NBA owner. But it is still probably in Utah’s best interest to mail those Jumpman shirts halfway to Siberia instead.
