From Jan. 2 to Jan. 4, 2025, adidas Basketball honored Derrick Rose with a heartfelt celebration in Chicago, recognizing his illustrious career, deep ties to the city, and dedication to giving back. The event-filled weekend highlighted Rose’s journey from a young Chicago hooper to NBA MVP and community advocate.
The festivities began Thursday with a one-day pop-up flower shop, Rose’s, at Tortoise Supper Club. Fans could send roses on Rose’s behalf to individuals who positively impacted their lives. That evening, Rose hosted the premiere of his short film, Becoming a Rose, at Soho House Chicago, a tribute to his hometown and supporters. A panel discussion followed, where Rose expressed gratitude to the city that shaped him.
Friday featured an alumni basketball game at Simeon Career Academy, Rose’s alma mater. Joined by fellow alumni and former Chicago Bulls teammates, Rose played against the varsity team, raising funds for charitable causes.
Saturday saw a floral art installation at Clybourn Park, offering fans commemorative adidas x Derrick Rose merchandise, symbolizing Rose’s enduring bond with Chicago.
The tribute concluded with a halftime ceremony at the Chicago Bulls game against the New York Knicks. The United Center crowd celebrated Rose’s contributions to Chicago basketball and his lasting legacy, cementing his place as a hometown hero.
The Tennessee Titans hold the top selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, set to take place April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The NFL announced the tentative first-round draft order today, with adjustments pending postseason results.
Several factors determine draft positioning. Teams not making the playoffs are ranked 1-18 based on their regular-season record, with ties broken by the aggregate strength of schedule each team faces. For playoff teams, the order reflects postseason performance: Super Bowl winners pick last, with runners-up, conference finalists, and earlier playoff losers following in reverse order of standing.
The top of the NFL Draft order shuffled around after Week 17.
Will we see any more shuffling around in the final week of the regular season? pic.twitter.com/v7xbEImIx8
Ties in draft order are resolved using additional tiebreaking criteria, including divisional or conference standings and rotations between rounds for multi-team ties. Denver, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay, all tied in record and strength-of-schedule, await postseason outcomes to finalize their draft positions.
The Titans’ selection marks an opportunity for the franchise to rebuild after a challenging season. The draft’s location in Green Bay underscores the league’s efforts to celebrate football traditions, with fans eager to see how teams leverage their picks.
The finalized order will be confirmed post-Super Bowl, setting the stage for one of the NFL’s most anticipated annual events.
Is Will Smith entering The Matrix? A social media post would believe you to think so.
Hitting Instagram, Smith revealed the creators of The Matrix, The Wachowskis, originally wanted Smith to star in the film. He chose not to, so he opted for Wild Wild West (what a bummer), and Keanu Reeves became “The One.” But on Instagram, Smith retells the story.
“In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in ‘The Matrix.’ Smith turned it down,” the video reads. “He chose ‘Wild Wild West,’ believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would ‘The Matrix’ have been like with Will Smith as Neo?”
It closes with, “Wake up, Will. The matrix has you.”
So, he’s in a new one, right? Well, not quite. Or so Variety thinks. The publication believes it is a call to his return to music as he preps his first album in 20 years.
If it is music, we already have a taste of what’s to come. Last month, Will Smith joined rapper Joyner Lucas for their powerful new single, TANTRUM, released via The Orchard. The track serves as a raw letter to their inner children, addressing past struggles with high-energy production co-created by Leo Son and Lucas. Trading impactful verses, the duo channels anger and resilience, delivering an anthem of determination and growth.
The TANTRUM music video, directed by Joyner Lucas and Matthew Bordenave, features vibrant animation by Cartuna Cartoon. The visuals portray cartoon versions of Smith and Lucas overcoming symbolic obstacles like falling skyscrapers and desert mountains, mirroring the song’s theme of personal perseverance.
Following his triumphant return to music earlier this year, Smith continues his inspiring streak with TANTRUM. Earlier releases like “You Can Make It,” featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Gospel chart, while “WORK OF ART,” a collaboration with Russ and Jaden Smith, showcased his versatility.
Former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is being held in contempt for not providing information to Georgia election officials, which he defamed.
According to CNN, the officials continue to pursue $150 million in damages, and Giuliani is clutching on to the ownership of a $3.5 million Palm Beach, Florida condo that he resides in.
The information requested by the officials, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, is to aid in their trial preparation. Giuliani is accused of “running the clock” before their trial.
Giuliani has also placed hurdles in providing collateral. He recently turned over a 1980 convertible Mercedes Benz but not the title to the car. Many of the transfers in the deal are still incomplete.
SZA is ready to bow out of the music industry. While the success of Lana floods her, SZA is honest about being ready to live a different life.
“To fulfill my last 2 album requirements I think I just wanna make peaceful children’s music n get outta here,” SZA wrote. “Then go be a farmer n donate the produce to underserved communities.”
We better enjoy her while we can.
SZA says she wants to complete her album contract agreement by making children’s music:
“I think I just wanna make peaceful children’s music n get outta here . Then go be a farmer n donate the produce to underserved communities.” pic.twitter.com/6kH67Mp0lO
SZA’s SOS has made history, logging its 12th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200. The album, bolstered by its recent deluxe LANA edition, earned 130,000 equivalent album units in the week ending January 2, including 125,500 streaming units (166.31 million on-demand streams), 4,000 album sales, and 500 track equivalent units.
This milestone makes SOS the first R&B/hip-hop album by a woman to spend 12 weeks at No. 1 in 38 years, a feat last achieved by Whitney Houston’s self-titled album in 1986, which reigned for 14 weeks.
Kendrick Lamar ascends to No. 2 on the chart, followed by Sabrina Carpenter at No. 3, the Wicked film soundtrack at No. 4, and Billie Eilish rounding out the top five.
This week’s episode of Podcast P with Paul George featured five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher, who revisited a historic moment from the 2001 NBA Finals. Fisher reflected on Allen Iverson’s unforgettable Game 1 performance, where Iverson scored 48 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to an overtime win against Fisher’s Los Angeles Lakers.
Fisher also took responsibility for the infamous moment when Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue after hitting a clutch jumper.
“That whole week in practice leading up to game one, I was getting frustrated with myself because I felt like my timing and rhythm wasn’t the same as it was leading up to the finals,” Fisher said. “So game one starts, we start off strong, I start off strong and then I basically tanked. I didn’t have the energy and the force that I normally play with. So Phil Jackson had to make a choice for the team to like, okay, sure, let’s get [Tyronn Lue] out here and see if he can use his speed to try to impact what AI [Allen Iverson] was bringing to us that night.
“I put Ty Lue in that position where he had to deal with that because I wasn’t at my best. That moment has always been a part of me and Ty Lue’s relationship anyway because we were super close and still are, but I respect AI like crazy and there’s nothing about that moment of that series that would change that, but I really feel like it was just all about me not being ready. Unfortunately, Ty Lue had to live through that man. So I personally feel responsible for it even though again, it’s not like Ty Lue didn’t deserve to be out there either.”
If there is an American symbol that can cause a bit of chatter, the Confederate flag is it. It’s been widely regarded as a mark of division, treason, racism, and oppression—but for others, it represents Southern Pride. It isn’t uncommon to see the Confederate flag touted in genres like Rock ‘n’ Roll or Country, but Hip Hop also has artists who connect with the red, white, and blue banner. Often, rappers spit disparaging bars about the flag and its history, yet sometimes, we see emcees draping themselves in the imagery for fashion’s sake.
In light of Cee-Lo Green recently going viral for wearing a Confederate flag-inspired ‘fit, we thought we’d take a walk down Hip Hop memory lane. These rappers found themselves tied up in controversy after sporting the look, and like Green, they faced off with fans following public outcry. However, while the Dungeon Family star opted to stay tight-lipped about his choices, others answered why they decided to sport their polarizing looks.
As previously stated, Goodie Mob icon Cee-Lo Green stirred the pot on Instagram days ago after sharing a picture of himself wearing a Confederate flag hoodie. The photo quickly went viral and it didn’t take long for Green to be on the receiving end of backlash. What audiences didn’t take into consideration was that it was one of a series of images, including the rapper-singer posing with a red, black, and green American flag and sporting a patriotic sweater.
Green is known to turn heads with his fashion choices, so his creating a bit of fuss is on par. Further, he didn’t offer up much commentary about the ‘fit, only providing the hashtags “#soul” and “#rebel.” His Instagram comment section lit up with pushback from those professing to be longtime fans who weren’t happy with the jacket. Many stated they would unfollow Green, while others simply shared messages of disappointment.
Ye has never shied away from tossing his name into debates, and he’s often used the Confederate flag to do so. On several occasions, the Donda idol has been photographed wearing jackets with the image, wrapping himself in the flag, and even including it in his Yeezus Tour merchandise. According to the Washington Post, Kanye West previously detailed his use of the contentious flag. He seemed to want to reclaim its meaning and hold it for himself.
“React how you want,” he reportedly stated. “Any energy is good energy. The Confederate flag represented slavery in a way. That’s my abstract take on what I know about it, right? So, I wrote the song ‘New Slaves.’ So, I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It’s my flag now.” This explanation was met with mixed reviews from Ye’s peers, but he still found favor among his closest allies.
While his views on the Confederate flag may have changed in recent years, rapper Yelawolf has defended the banner throughout his career. Most notably, in 2015, the Alabama native hopped on his Facebook page with scathing words to his critics. “Ain’t no way I’m letting some ones ignorance tear me from my roots,” he wrote at the time. “You f*** f*** boys can save it with this anti Dixie S!! You media succubus in fashion and news are taking full advantage of yourself’s business.”
“Not knowing at all the damage you’re creating by giving a false impression of who we are in the South .. We’re GOOD PEOPLE !!!” he added. “We love our small towns and we love our folks. For me and me only I’ll tell you like this. Rip DIME BAG DARRELL !! and Long live PANTERA !! Long live Lynyrd Skynyrd !!… Long Live Dukes of Hazard. And mother F**ER. The DIXIE WILL NEVER DIE !” He even went on to name fellow rappers Pastor Troy and André 3000 for wearing Confederate flag fashions, going so far as to share a photo of 3 Stacks.
Later, on his track “To Whom It May Concern,” Yela wrestled with his love of the Southern flag and its violent history. He penned lyrics about his upbringing and acknowledged the Confederate past and its impact on Black Americans. He also said he recognized why people were upset with his previous remarks.
If you blinked while watching the music video for Outkast’s “Sorry Ms. Jackson,” you may have missed André 3000’s belt buckle. The Confederate emblem is only seen briefly, but it still made quite an impact following the video’s 2000 release. The Georgia icon has long carried his home state on his back during his lengthy duo and solo careers and has consistently captured attention for his eclectic style. After naysayers questioned 3000 on why he would wear such an item, Vibe magazine reported he stated, “I wear the belt for Southern pride and to rebel; I don’t take the confederate flag that serious as far as the racial part is concerned.”
