Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from torn ACL, homers on first pitch
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. returned on Friday night, nearly one year removed from suffering a torn ACL, and he didn’t appear to miss a beat.
On the first pitch from San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta, Acuña, batting in his customary leadoff spot, turned around a four-seam fastball, sending it 467 feet to center with an exit velocity of 115.5 MPH, which is the hardest hit ball by a Brave this season.
RONALD ACUÑA JR. FIRST PITCH BACK IS A HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/WMqUpxFPWz
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 23, 2025
“I had a feeling,” Acuña said of his dramatic homer, via ESPN. “To me, that’s just the culmination of all the work I put in.”
Acuña singled in his next at-bat, finishing the day with two hits, one run, and one RBI in four plate appearances. He also shined on defense, throwing out Elias Díaz at second base in the eighth inning.
“He’s one of those players that you better not go get a beer or whatever because you might miss something really cool, you know?” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, he’s that type of force, I think, in the game. I think he’s going to energize everybody. Going to energize the fans. Going to energize his teammates.”
Acuña, 27, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee nearly one year to the day of his return, on May 26, 2024. He underwent a successful surgery on June 6 and appeared in just six rehab games before returning to the Braves lineup.
“It’s huge,” third baseman Austin Riley said. “The talent is there. The energy he brings, having Ronald up there at the top of the lineup. … He can change a game at any point.”
The 2023 NL MVP has torn the ACL in both his left and right knee, with the previous injury coming in 2021. However, if Friday is any indication, Acuña appears healthy and ready to contribute to a Braves team in need of a spark.
Max Muncy called for controversial infraction rarely seen in baseball
One of the joys of watching Major League Baseball is that you’re likely to see something you’ve never seen before on any given day. That’s precisely what happened on Friday night during a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, much to the dismay of Max Muncy.
The bottom of the fourth inning had already started poorly for Muncy, who allowed Mets designated hitter Starling Marte to reach second on a throwing error following a bunt single, but things got much worse from there.
Two batters later, with Marte on third after a Juan Soto ground out, Pete Alonzo sent a towering fly ball to right field. Teoscar Hernandez fielded it cleanly for the out and then fired a rocket to home, beating Marte for the double play.
However, the home plate umpire’s punchout was overruled by third base umpire Tripp Gibson, who cited an obscure rule that precious few have ever seen called before.
Gibson argued Muncy had violated MLB Rule 6.01(h)(2), which states “if no play is being made on the obstructed runner, the play shall proceed until no further action is possible. The umpire shall then call ‘Time’ and impose such penalties, if any, as in his judgment will nullify the act of obstruction.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he had never previously seen that called in his three-decade career, but Muncy claims he was aware of it although he, too, had never seen it implemented.
“The way you explain it is, if the ball gets cut from the first baseman, you have to be there to make a play. And [Gibson] felt that I wasn’t far enough away,” Muncy said after the game, via MLB.com. “He felt that I was purposely doing it, and he felt that I made a conscious effort to stand in the way. Every third baseman in the league does that. Never seen it called, and it was actually called twice tonight.”
Although the Mets clawed back and sent the game into extras following a three-run ninth inning, Max Muncy’s pair of blunders will become nothing more than a footnote as the Dodgers ultimately survived, 7-5, in 13 innings.
Embarrassing baserunning blunder costs Braves in stunning loss
Atlanta Braves outfielder Eli White would love nothing more than to find a place to hide for a few days, and justifiably so.
Following an Alex Verdugo single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night, the Braves, trailing the San Diego Padres, 2-1, sent White in to pinch run. A Sean Murphy bunt quickly positioned him at second base as the tying run.
All was going according to plan until Ozzie Albies singled to center.
Ideally, that’s exactly what the Braves would want to happen. But White misread the ball and instead of turning the corner at third and potentially setting up a play at the plate, he inexplicably turned around and headed back to second base.
White apparently thought Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill had caught the ball, but he fielded it after a hop. The relay throw was cut off and White was embarrassingly gunned down at second.
Eli White thought Jackson Merrill caught the ball and then gets thrown out at 2nd base!😬😬 pic.twitter.com/O8j0ZqS2nx
— Baseball’s Office (@baseballsoffice) May 24, 2025
Video of the play from a different angle shows Braves third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo calling for White to hold at third and then reacting with stunned shock as he headed back to second.
The next batter, Michael Harris II, grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game.
“It’s just a terrible mistake in a huge situation,” White said after the loss, via MLB.com. “It’s a tough one to swallow.
“I saw it go over the second baseman’s head, and I thought it was low, which ended up being a good read. I just didn’t trust it for whatever reason. I just got confused.”
That confusion likely cost Atlanta the game and will undoubtedly cement White as a meme for the remainder of the season.
Rockies security embarrassingly mistakes Phillies player for fan
The Colorado Rockies organization continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons.
The Rockies hosted the Philadelphia Phillies this week for a four-game series at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. Thursday’s series finale did not go smoothly for Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas.
Before the game started, Rojas reportedly went into the stands to take a phone call. But as he tried to make his way onto the field to rejoin his team, the security guards at Coors Field mistook him for a fan and would not let him back through. Phillies ace pitcher Zack Wheeler had to talk to security staff to vouch for his teammate.
An all-time moment this morning at Coors Field. Johan Rojas went into the stands to make a phone call. Security guards wouldn’t let Rojas back onto field. They did not believe he was a player. Zack Wheeler had to fetch him. Rockies forever.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 22, 2025
Rojas does not have the name or face recognition that his star teammates Wheeler and Bryce Harper have. But the 24-year-old does have over 200 games of MLB experience across three seasons under his belt. Had Wheeler not intervened, one can only imagine the lengths Rojas would have had to go to convince Coors Field security that he was part of the opposing team.
While Rojas did not get an at-bat during the Phillies’ 2-0 win on Thursday, he did take the field as a pinch runner in the top of the 9th inning. Rojas wreaked havoc on the basepaths, swiping second base and getting to third on a throwing error. But he wasn’t shifty enough to avoid getting tagged by Rockies security guards.
The Phillies left Colorado with a four-game sweep of the Rockies, which felt like business as usual amid Colorado’s season from hell.
Will Howard shares his honest thoughts on Steelers potentially adding Aaron Rodgers
Will Howard sounds ready for the Aaron Rodgers experience in Pittsburgh.
Rodgers is largely expected to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the coming weeks. But as things stand, Howard is currently seen as the backup quarterback behind returning veteran Mason Rudolph.
During a recent appearance on “Up and Adams,” Howard was asked about Rodgers potentially pushing him down the depth chart. Howard expressed interest in soaking up wisdom from the 10-time Pro Bowler.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Howard told Kay Adams, via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. “That’s all over my head. But I’d love to be in a room and learn from him. Again, who knows what’s going to happen. I have no idea and that’s above my head.”
Steelers owner Art Rooney II has openly talked about waiting “a little while longer” if it meant that the team would be able to land Rodgers. Rodgers himself has been dropping little hints about eventually signing with the Steelers.
But with Rodgers on retirement watch after each season, Howard will likely get his shot with the Steelers sooner or later. Learning behind Rodgers in the meantime wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Ohio State alum. Just ask Jordan Love.
Michael Malone clears the air after Nuggets fans crucified him for MVP comment
Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has gone into damage control mode after drawing the ire of his ex-team’s fan base.
Malone, who has transitioned into an analyst role with ESPN, made waves after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when he called Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “the MVP” after OKC blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Some fans felt like the veteran coach sounded bitter about the Nuggets firing him with three games left in the regular season. Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander were the top two vote-getters for the NBA MVP award, with SGA besting the Joker by a narrow margin.
Malone addressed the issue Thursday before tipoff of Thunder-Timberwolves Game 2. He clarified that Jokic was still his MVP despite Malone’s unceremonious exit from the team.
“I did vote for Nikola Jokic [for MVP] this year, if I had a vote,” Malone said. “I want to make sure the people of Denver know that. Because I’m getting a lot of heat back home.”
“I did vote for Nikola Jokić (for MVP) this year if I had a vote. I want to make sure the people of Denver know that. Because I’m getting a lot of heat back home.” 😅
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 23, 2025
– Michael Malone
pic.twitter.com/2Pa1o9FPyG
In all fairness to Malone, Gilgeous-Alexander had been considered the favorite to win the award throughout the regular season. Calling SGA “the MVP” during postgame commentary does not automatically equate to Malone forgetting about Jokic — the man who led the Nuggets to a championship two seasons ago.
Despite voter fatigue and a worse regular-season record working against him, Jokic still received 29 of the 100 first-place votes for MVP. Jokic also got Malone’s unofficial vote.
Knicks fans in shambles after going down 0-2 to the Pacers
New York Knicks fans were not in a good place Friday after watching their team drop the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Indiana Pacers withstood every Knicks punch to win Game 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y. The Pacers overcame a 36-point, 11-assist outing from Jalen Brunson to win the road contest 114-109.
The loss puts the Knicks in a historically precarious position. Teams that have gone down 0-2 to start the conference finals are 1-33 to come back and win the series. In the 17 times that the higher-seeded team has dropped their first two home games, they have never gone on to advance.
While the Knicks are very much still alive in the series, the team’s fan base was understandably in poor spirits. Several fans were shown late in the broadcast looking like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Knicks fans are going through it right now 😬
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 24, 2025
They are currently down 0-2. pic.twitter.com/ojq1a06SQR
Hollywood A-lister Timothée Chalamet, who has turned into the unofficial face of Knicks fandom in this postseason run, could not hide disappointment from his courtside seat.
Timothée Chalamet and celeb Knicks fans all disappointed.
— JD, J.D. (@JoshDhani) May 24, 2025
Inject this into my veins. pic.twitter.com/ene0FerifC
Knicks fans were riding high entering the series after breaking a 24-year conference finals drought. The celebrations from the fan base throughout this postseason alone have been legendary.
But with the team two games away from crashing out short of an NBA Finals appearance, the euphoria has died down quite a bit.
Fans stunned by Kevin Harlan’s freaky call on wild Knicks-Pacers sequence
TNT announcer Kevin Harlan turned off his filter as the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers got down and dirty in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks and Pacers were diving for loose balls and running at a breakneck pace in the second half at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y.
With about 2:37 to play in the third quarter, Knicks star Jalen Brunson got a steal by saving the ball from going out of bounds along the sideline. Brunson ended up crashing into the announcers’ table.
Josh Hart recovered it for an uncontested layup to give the Knicks a 74-72 edge. New York’s lead didn’t last long as Tyrese Haliburton inbounded the ball well past halfcourt to Obi Toppin, who galloped his way to the rim for a layup.
Harlan and Reggie Miller could not contain their excitement on the broadcast.
Miller: “That’s what I’m talking about. Good action right there.”
Harlan: “I’m wet! I’m dirty! Oh my, stuff all over the place!”
Miller: “Are you okay, Mr. Harlan?”
Kevin Harlan is a freak 😲pic.twitter.com/CBw4eG4X6i
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) May 24, 2025
Harlan is no stranger to ratcheting his commentary up a notch when the situation calls for it. He’s the voice behind some of the most iconic moments in NBA history.
Fans on X were bewildered by Harlan’s commentary, to say the least.
Kevin Harlan that going crazy out of context
— Aligned RB (@RyB_311) May 24, 2025
WHAT DID KEVIN HARLAN JUST SAY
— Denver📈🇵🇸 (@doubledworth) May 24, 2025
“IM WET IM DIRTY” – kevin harlan pic.twitter.com/9Xw57aimzE
— demonio celestial™ (@UnoCincoUno) May 24, 2025
Harlan is the same announcer who had an Emmy-worthy call on a chicken wing being thrown onto the court during a New Orleans Pelicans-Sacramento Kings game. The 64-year-old broadcaster also once lost his cool over a Green Bay Packers fan wearing a cheese bra.
While Harlan has his fun every so often, he is no stranger to elevating his commentary up a notch when the situation calls for it. The man is the voice behind some of the most iconic moments in NBA history.
Harlan is clearly an announcer who can do both.
Aaron Rodgers drops cryptic hint about his NFL future
Aaron Rodgers has continued to tease his next NFL destination without actually committing to a team.
Rodgers has been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers all offseason long. It’s gotten to the point that Steelers owner Art Rooney II has publicly commented about Pittsburgh “waiting” for Rodgers as the veteran quarterback takes his time deciding on his future.
Rodgers dropped an interesting hint this week about where he plans to end up. The four-time MVP recently fielded questions at an event in Austin, Texas.
One young fan asked Rodgers if he would ever sign with the Chicago Bears. Rodgers was quick to shoot down that possibility, but did provide some insight on which team he’s interested in.
“No,” Rodgers responded, via Mike Nicastro of Behind the Steel Curtain. “But I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year, on a road trip. I don’t know. Not sure. Better check it out.”
MUST SEE🚨: Aaron Rodgers just dropped a MAJOR HINT that he’s going to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year: ⬇️🔊
— Jack Sperry (@jack_sperry) May 23, 2025
“I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip” 👀#HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/SNKsAvw6dn
The Steelers just so happen to be among eight teams with a scheduled 2025 regular season game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill.
Three teams, the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers, all have established QBs on their roster. Two others, the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, already have messy QB depth charts to even consider Rodgers. The Minnesota Vikings seem prepared to hand the reins to JJ McCarthy.
The New Orleans Saints just had starting QB Derek Carr suddenly retire. While many instantly tied the Saints to Rodgers following Carr’s announcement, the team reportedly plans to give 2025 NFL draftee Tyler Shough a chance to win the job.
That leaves the Steelers as the likely landing spot Rodgers was hinting at.
Every indication points to the union happening before the season begins. But fans and reporters can only speculate until Rodgers puts pen to paper.
Notable update emerges about Shohei Ohtani
Two months have already gone by in the 2025 MLB season, but there is still a glimmer of hope that Shohei Ohtani will return as a pitcher at some point during it.
The Los Angeles Dodgers sensation Ohtani will progress this weekend to facing live hitters, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported on Friday. Ardaya notes that this is the very first time that Ohtani will face live hitters ever since his Sept. 2023 surgery on his right elbow.
Ohtani, who turns 31 years old in July, has not pitched at all for the Dodgers ever since his arrival before the 2024 season. The Dodgers are also exercising significant caution with Ohtani, especially since this is his second major surgery on his throwing elbow (after a 2018 Tommy John procedure).
The four-time MLB All-Star Ohtani continues to be a world-beater, even as just a one-way player for the time being. As the Dodgers’ full-time designated hitter, Ohtani won NL MVP last year on the strength of MLB’s first-ever 50-homer, 50-stolen base season. Ohtani is still ripping this season as well with 17 home runs and 31 RBIs on a .304/.398/.655 slash line through 48 games.
As for his status on the mound, Ohtani recently progressed to throwing bullpen sessions and is reportedly sitting at around 94-95 mph on his fastballs while incorporating some breaking balls in there as well. You can read Ardaya’s full report on the situation here.
The Dodgers have mostly been mum on Ohtani’s progress towards a pitching return, particularly manager Dave Roberts’ most recent comments on the topic. But the expectation is that Ohtani will be back on the hill at some point after the All-Star break with an ultimate goal of being at full strength as a pitcher for the postseason.
Jordon Hudson has angry response to Ring camera video being released
Jordon Hudson lashed out on Friday after a report about the infamous Bill Belichick video came out.
Journalist Pablo Torre did some investigative work regarding Belichick and Hudson, and he tried to get more of the story behind the infamous Belichick video.
A video spread in November 2023 that purported to show a shirtless Belichick exiting a home. Torre found out that the video originated from security camera footage from a home that Belichick and Hudson had rented via Airbnb. The owners of the home claim they sent the footage to a friend, and then the video somehow got leaked from there.
Hudson is not pleased about the situation and called out Airbnb via X.
“Hey @Airbnb – Quick question.
How do you feel about Airbnb owners publicly distributing security footage and information about tenants / their stay?” Hudson wrote on X Friday.
Hey @Airbnb – Quick question.
— Jordon Hudson (@Jordonbella) May 23, 2025
How do you feel about Airbnb owners publicly distributing security footage and information about tenants / their stay?
Hudson further criticized Torre via her Instagram Story in a since-deleted message.
Hudson wrote that Torre’s findings were “factually incorrect, slanderous, defamatory, and targeted.” She then asked people to stop giving credibility to Torre.
Belichick famously tried to avoid distractions and keep the focus strictly on football when he was the head coach of the New England Patriots. Now he has a 24-year-old girlfriend who has him involved in headlines and gossip constantly. Many people are befuddled and can’t believe how Belichick got to this point.
Kendrick Perkins takes apparent shot at Kevin Durant on ESPN
Kendrick Perkins still apparently has some smoke for his former teammate Kevin Durant.
The retired former NBA big man Perkins, who is now an analyst for ESPN, appeared Friday on “NBA Today.” During the appearance, Perkins reacted to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals and made the bold claim that Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the greatest player in franchise history.
Many interpreted that as a shot at Durant, who is widely considered to hold the title of the greatest Thunder player ever (not counting the franchise’s Seattle SuperSonics era). Here is the video of Perkins’ comments.
Kendrick Perkins on SGA: "Greatest Thunder (player) of all time"@KDTrey5 This guy really hates you or what? pic.twitter.com/RucDKXBogk
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 23, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been on the Thunder since 2019, is bolstering his argument, especially after winning NBA MVP this year and bringing OKC to within two wins of the NBA Finals. But he may still have more work to do to catch Durant, who was on the Thunder from 2007-16. Durant led OKC to four conference finals appearances and an NBA Finals berth in 2012, also winning MVP himself to go along with seven All-Star selections and four scoring titles. While Russell Westbrook is likely the most beloved Thunder player of all-time, Durant (at least unless Gilgeous-Alexander wins the NBA championship this season) is still generally regarded as the overall greatest player in Thunder history.
That said, there were probably some personal undertones to Perkins’ comments here. Perkins was teammates with Durant on the Thunder from 2011-15, but their relationship has really unraveled in more recent years.
Since at least 2020, Perkins and Durant have been taking personal swipes at each other online. Even as recently as last February, Perkins and Durant were trading profane jabs in public. Now Perkins is rekindling their beef this week with yet another shot at Durant.
Ole Miss outfielders hurt in brutal collision
A couple of Ole Miss outfielders were hurt after colliding while attempting to catch a ball hit in the gap on Friday.
The Rebels were facing the Arkansas Razorbacks in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., on Friday and leading 5-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Riley Maddox had a full count on Cam Kozeal, who swung and drove a ball to right-center field. Ole Miss center fielder Isaac Humphrey and right fielder Ryan Moerman both dove for the ball, and they collided.
Well, it goes down as an inside-the-park home run but we just hope everyone's ok pic.twitter.com/oHv7wb5lDW
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 23, 2025
Humphrey rolled over on the ground and put his head in his arm. Moerman was able to get up and throw the ball back in, though Kozeal scored on an inside-the-park home run.
Though Humphrey appeared to be injured more in the collision, he actually remained in the game. Surprisingly, it was Moerman who exited with a knee injury and had to be replaced.
Humphrey and Moerman are two of the biggest bats in the Ole Miss lineup. Humphrey has 29 extra-base hits this season, while Moerman has 26.
Lakers linked to former teammate of the Ball brothers
After previously employing Lonzo Ball, the Los Angeles Lakers could now be turning to one of Ball’s former high school teammates.
The Lakers are being linked this week in trade rumors to Atlanta Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu. Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported during an appearance on the “Straight Fire” podcast that the Lakers made calls to the Hawks about Okongwu’s availability around the trade deadline in February. McMenamin further indicated that Okongwu remains a potential fit for the Lakers heading into the summer.
Okongwu, 24, is a bit undersized for a center at 6-foot-10. But he has superb defensive upside with his roughly 7-foot-2 wingspan and his impressive jumping ability. Okongwu also averaged 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 31.2 minutes per game this year after displacing Hawks teammate Clint Capela in the starting lineup.
There are strong ties to the Los Angeles area for Okongwu as well. As a teenager, Okongwu played for Chino Hills High School alongside Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball. The quartet won a state title together as a part of a 35-0 season in 2015-16, quickly becoming one of the greatest shows in basketball with their up-tempo, deep-three-happy style of play.
Okongwu eventually led Chino Hills to two more state titles after the departure of the Ball brothers and was twice named Mr. California Basketball (in 2018 and 2019). From there, Okongwu played one collegiate season at USC (making First Team All-Pac-12) and then went with the No. 6 overall pick to the Hawks in the 2020 NBA Draft.
As for the Lakers, they badly need the size upgrade. They axed a trade for another Eastern Conference big man at the trade deadline, only to watch as their center duo of Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len became completely unplayable down the stretch of the playoffs. A move for Okongwu, who has three years and $48 million left on his contract, looks to be a real option on the table (though the Lakers likely won’t be parting with one notable piece for him).
H/T HoopsHype
Mike Sainristil pranks Commanders teammates with ‘goodnight’ phone call
Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil had some fun with his teammates by participating in a prank phone call trend.
Sainristil’s girlfriend Seliana Carvalho shared a video via her TikTok page that showed Sainristil pranking his teammates. The cornerback was shown making late-night phone calls to various teammates to wish them goodnight, and laughing about their reactions. Many of the teammates were confused and thought Sainristil had lost his mind. But at the very end was an exchange with quarterback Sam Hartman, who knew what Sainristil was up to.
😂 @Commanders Mike Sainristil got in on the TikTok trend and called his teammates
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 22, 2025
(via selianacarvalho/TT) pic.twitter.com/ns78iKDO5j
Sainristil very clearly has a class clown side to him.
The 24-year-old Sainristil was the No. 50 overall pick in the draft last year. He had 93 tackles and two interceptions as a rookie, and he’s working hard on his teammate bonding skills.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pulled a Ricky Bobby before Game 2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently believes that if you ain’t first, you’re last.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander hilariously pulled a Ricky Bobby before Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. Gilgeous-Alexander was signing autographs ahead of the game at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, O.K. when one young fan made an unusual request.
The fan requested that Gilgeous-Alexander sign his forehead. Gilgeous-Alexander obliged, and the moment was caught on video (which was posted by the NBA’s official X page). Take a look below.
SGA signing a young fan's forehead before Game 2 #KiaMVP and man of the people…
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2025
MIN-OKC | ESPN | 8:30pm/et pic.twitter.com/aNbw2ViKLk
That was all too reminiscent of the iconic scene from the 2006 film “Talladega Nights.” You may recall that Ricky Bobby, played by Will Ferrell, went deep into autograph mode and signed the forehead of a baby (before also proceeding to accidentally sign the forehead of his personal assistant).
As for the fan whose forehead Gilgeous-Alexander signed, he knew exactly what he was doing there. The fan told the camera that he had already gotten forehead autographs from Thunder players Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams to go along with the one from Gilgeous-Alexander.
Meanwhile, the newly-minted NBA MVP Gilgeous-Alexander went into full “shake and bake” mode during Game 2 against the Timberwolves. He finished with 38 points on 12/21 shooting in a 118-103 win for the Thunder (even frustrating Minnesota to the point that they started committing flagrant fouls on him).
Report: 3 key Celtics players expected to stay put this offseason
The Boston Celtics are facing a reckoning this offseason, but it looks like they already know which players they intend to keep at all costs.
Neither Jayson Tatum nor Jaylen Brown will be on their way out of Boston this summer, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported on Friday. The Celtics still reportedly view both players as part of the “foundation” of their team.
Additionally, Siegel notes that Boston guard Derrick White is viewed as “an essential core player” alongside Tatum and Brown. As a result, White reportedly isn’t seen as a player whom the Celtics will be forced to dump in a salary-saving move.
Indeed, both Tatum and Brown are a part of the longtime fabric in Boston and would not be easy to trade anyway since the former is in the middle of a five-year, $314 million deal and the latter is in the middle of a five-year, $285 million deal. Tatum will likely miss the vast majority of next season as well due to his Achilles tear, so the Celtics obviously would not be able to recoup anywhere close to fair trade value there.
White, the two-time All-Defensive selection, poses a more interesting question. He is on a more affordable four-year, $118 million contract and would probably be able to command a sizable return as one of the NBA’s premier 3-and-D role players. But as a 30-year-old who is integral to what the team does on both ends of the floor, it makes more sense for the Celtics to keep White around if possible.
That said, Boston needs to do something to save money this summer as they are facing the likelihood of an over $500 million tax bill next season for a roster that just lost in the second round of the playoffs and is also now down their best player in Tatum for the foreseeable future. As a result, Jrue Holiday (who is in the middle of a four-year, $134 million contract), Kristaps Porzingis (two years, $60 million), and Payton Pritchard (four years, $30 million) could be some of the pieces who are more likely to get moved by the Celtics this offseason instead.
Curious video of Julius Randle from Game 2 loss draws attention
Julius Randle had a game to forget on Thursday, and a video of him from the game is sparking attention online.
The Minnesota Timberwolves big man Randle turned in a nightmare evening in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, O.K. He finished with six points on 2/11 shooting (missing all three of his long-range attempts too) as Minnesota got blown out 118-103 to fall behind in the series 2-0.
Making matters worse for Randle was that he was benched by Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch for the entire fourth quarter. Randle subbed out at the end of the third quarter and did not return to the game from there.
User @rexkwondo54, who was apparently in attendance at the contest, shared a video on X of Randle from the middle of that fourth quarter. With just over six minutes left, Randle was gesturing towards the stands, moving his arm in a sideways direction.
The user said that Randle was motioning towards his family in the stands, telling them to leave. However, others who viewed the video thought that Randle was actually motioning for his family to sit down instead. You can see the video for yourself here.
In any case, it looked like Randle’s head was not at all in the game on Thursday. Over the course of his 32 minutes, Randle was a -15 and also committed four costly turnovers.
To his credit, Randle did well in Game 1 against the Thunder with 28 points and eight rebounds on 9/13 shooting. The former All-Star has also enjoyed an excellent postseason overall with nine outings of 20 points or more (out of 12 total games). But Randle, who has been criticized in the past over his attitude, will need to find his groove again if the Timberwolves want to have any chance of coming back to win against the Thunder.
Rich Paul responds to swipe Michael Jordan’s agent took at LeBron James
Michael Jordan’s longtime agent recently took a swipe at LeBron James, and Rich Paul has now issued a response on behalf of his client and close friend.
David Falk, who represented Jordan throughout the Chicago Bulls legend’s entire NBA career, discussed a wide range of topics in an interview with Rob Schaefer of Sports Business Journal that was published on Tuesday. When about the long-running greatest of all time debate, Falk obviously said he ranks Jordan No. 1.
But it got interesting after that. For Falk, it seems there is no Jordan vs. LeBron debate. Falk said he views either Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Kobe Bryant as the second-best player of all time. He did concede that James is in his top 10, but Falk mentioned how LeBron has jumped from team to team.
“I really like LeBron. But I think if Jordan had cherry-picked what teams he wanted to be on and two other superstars, he would’ve won 15 championships,” Falk said.
Falk was referring to the fact that LeBron teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win two championships with the Miami Heat. James then returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers when Kyrie Irving was already an established star. The Cavs also acquired Kevin Love before James helped his hometown team win a title.
LeBron won his fourth championship with the Los Angeles Lakers while playing alongside Anthony Davis.
Paul was not happy with Falk’s comments
Paul was bothered by what Falk said about James. During an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” Thursday, Paul brought up Falk’s comments unprompted and said he took exception to the “cherry-pick” remark.
“When you look at that, right, again the cherry-pick, I’ve discussed that. The two other superstars — Michael never had to leave,” Paul said, as transcribed by Bryan Fonseca of the New York Post. “Michael’s never been the underdog in any Finals. Not one time. Michael never had a 24-hour-365 news cycle. He never had shows built strictly to criticize him. People made millions of dollars criticizing LeBron James. That was their entire job.
“And when you talk about the difficulty of it all, Michael played for Dean Smith, Michael played for Phil Jackson, and Michael had Jerry Krause. I’m the biggest Michael Jordan fan ever, love Michael Jordan, and I don’t think Michael Jordan would’ve used the term ‘cherry-pick,’ so I’m not up here to discredit Michael Jordan. I think Michael Jordan transcended our game to a level that we all benefited from.”
Paul felt the argument was “beneath” Falk and noted how the agent benefitted from having relationships with legendary former coaches Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski and John Thompson. Paul said those coaches funneled star players to Falk and helped Falk’s career, so Paul felt the “cherry-picking” comment was hypocritical.
It is almost impossible to compare players across different eras, which is why most prominent members of the NBA community take the high road when the LeBron vs. Michael debate comes up. We could have told which side of the argument Falk and Paul would be on.
Charles Barkley makes surprising revelation about his gambling habits
Sports gambling has become increasingly popular in recent years as more states legalize it, but Charles Barkley is still placing his bets the old-school way.
Barkley made a guest appearance on TNT’s alternate broadcast of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. He admitted to studio hosts Paul Bissonnette and Will Arnett that he thought the Toronto Maple Leafs were “a lock” in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals despite their lengthy history of choking in that exact situation.
Barkley said he told his bookie that “Game 7 is a lock for Toronto.” He called the loss, which was the Maple Leafs’ sixth straight in a Game 7, “demoralizing.”
But Bissonette and Arnett seemed more fixated on Barkley saying he has a bookie. The Hall of Fame former NBA star elaborated.
“Hey, FanDuel only lets me bet so much, so I gotta have a bookie on the side,” Barkley said.
Charles Barkley's gambling is apparently too much for FanDuel to contain.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 23, 2025
"FanDuel only lets me bet so much so I gotta have a bookie on the side." pic.twitter.com/FTLLpX2odG
FanDuel, DraftKings and all other major sportsbooks should give Barkley a call after hearing that and offer to raise his limits. We certainly know he is good for the money. Though, Chuck probably has other reasons for not wanting to use one of the mainstream sports betting apps. The IRS probably took note of his comments as well.
Barkley has long been open about his love for gambling. He revealed years ago that he bet five figures on a game and was furious with the NFL over the way he lost.
If you want to know why bookies will never go out of business even as legal sports betting becomes more widespread, just ask Barkley.
