Month: August 2021

Carmelo Anthony has announced that he is joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, sparking an uproar on Twitter amongst NBA fans. Users were left debating whether this makes the Lakers the title favorite going into next season.

“Damn Lakers, got AD, Westbrook, and Melo. Lebron collecting free agents like they infinity stones,” one fan joked.

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

With the addition of Westbrook as well as Anthony, many fans are predicting a Lakers-Nets NBA Finals collision course.

One fan explained: “If the Lakers and Nets don’t make the finals this year, it’ll be the biggest busts in NBA history. Both teams have superstar Big 3’s, amazing depth, quality on both ends of the floor and competent coaching. No excuses anymore, finals or embarrassment for these superteams.”

“Wasn’t a fan of the Russ deal for the Lakers but adding some defense in Howard and Ariza with some shooting with Monk, Melo and Bazemore makes them the favorite out west right now in my opinion,” another fan wrote. “Health is their biggest hurdle.”

Even Stephen A. Smith posted a video on Twitter reacting to the news, in which he says he’s “rooting for the Lakers, now more than ever.”

Check out more reactions below.

Things have been looking quite grim for R. Kelly. Despite dodging decades’ worth of sexual abuse allegations, the release of Surviving R. Kelly presented these heinous accusations against the singer on full display. His relationship with Aaliyah, specifically, was explored in-depth, revealing that the singer had bribed a state official to sign off on a marriage certificate that read Aaliyah was 18-years-old when she was actually 15.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Per New York Daily News, Kelly’s attorney Thomas Farinella was asked about allegations surrounding Kelly’s marriage to Aaliyah during a pre-trial hearing in the embattled singer’s Brooklyn Federal Court sex trafficking case. Farinella was asked whether the defense was “going to deny that there was sexual contact with Jane Doe 1,” who New York Times identified as the late Aaliyah. Farinella reportedly took a deep sigh before responding “no” after Judge Ann Donelly said that Kelly and Jane Doe 1 were married. It was unclear whether Farinella was addressing Aaliyah’s age or Kelly’s relationship with the “Rock The Boat” singer. 

“Are they not going to dispute that at the time Jane Doe 1 was 13 to 15 years old?” Federal prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes asked the court. Farinella said that they “do dispute” these allegations before adding that the legal team was not “prepared to concede that right now.”

The report adds that another one of Kelly’s attorneys requested free court transcripts since the singer’s “funds have been depleted.”

We’ll keep you posted on any more updates regarding the case. 

[Via]

Ben Simmons is fed up with the internet”s jokes about his poor shooting record. After months of memes clowning the Philadelphia 76ers point guard for his disastrous basketball shooting ability, at the hands of fans and NBA personalities, a troll in Simmons’ most recent Instagram post prompted the player to finally clap back with insults of his own. Suffice it to say, this jokester won’t be returning to Simmons’ comment section any time soon. 

“He really acting like he was about to shoot in that second pic,” Instagram user @worldwidechad commented on Simmons’ post yesterday in reference to a picture of the player posting up at the free throw line. The joke itself already seems played out, as the peak of its use came during the player’s let-down performance in the 76’ers failed playoffs series against Atlanta.

Still, Simmons took the time to respond with an unbothered roast, commenting: “Ya lips look like ya got stung by a [bee] nutty professor a**,” with the bee emoji. Fans spammed his replies with laughing emojis and declared defeat for the troll, as it seems the joke was a hit.

Simmons has been clowned not only by fans, but by NBA insiders. Stephen A. Smith and Shaquille O’Neal have both blasted the player as untalented, with Smith saying in June: “Not just that he missed shots, but he didn’t take them. Ben Simmons is literally scared to shoot the basketball,” and Shaq offering “Get right!”

Simmons is expected to be released from the 76ers before the upcoming season, though it remains unclear where he’ll end up.

Check out the post below and the back-and-forth comments below.

Screenshot via Instagram

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have agreed on a massive contract extension that will see the legendary point guard earning $261 million over the next five seasons. Curry is now the first player in NBA history to sign multiple $200 million contracts in his career.

The new deal is for $215 million over four years, but stacks on top of Curry’s current $45.8 million salary for 2021-22.

Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Curry, 33, will now possibly be tied to Golden State through the end of his career. The star guard was drafted by the Warriors with the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He’s won three NBA Championships with the team, in 2015, 2017, and 2018, while also winning two Most Valuable Player awards, in 2015 and 2016.

Before the 2020-21 season, Curry told Anthony Slater of The Athletic that retiring with the Warriors is a “huge goal” of his.

“It’s just understanding what the landscape is and what the situation is going into the future,” Curry continued. “We want to be competitive, we want to be in a situation where we’re competing for championships every single year. I want to be a part of it.”

Curry is coming off of a career-best year in scoring with 32 points per game, in addition to 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

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