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Both Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and Pheonix Suns veteran Chris Paul have opted to enter free agency ahead of Monday’s 6:00 PM ET start time. Despite declining their respective contract options, both players are expected to return to their former teams after negotiating new deals.

“Multiple teams I’ve spoken with have said the message from Phoenix is abundantly clear that Chris Paul will re-up with the #Suns and therefore have little reason to pursue him in FA — despite the immense interest CP would command,” ESPN’s Jordan Schultz reported on Twitter.

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Paul joined the Suns in 2020 and was set to make $44,211,146 for the 2021-22 season. With the Suns, Paul led Phoenix to the team’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1992-93.

As for Leonard, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says the superstar turned down his $36 million salary for the 2021-22 season, but also will likely return to L.A.

“Kawhi Leonard has declined his $36M player option for next season and becomes a free agent, per source,” Woj tweeted. “Now, the expectation is that Leonard will negotiate a new deal to stay with Clippers.”

Now being a 10-year veteran, Leonard will be eligible for the 35 percent max extension worth at least $39,344,970 per season. 

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Kevin Abstract reacted to DaBaby’s recent homophobic rant on Twitter, Saturday, and commented on having to perform on the same stage at Lollapalooza. DaBaby has since been removed from the festival’s lineup.

“wow brockhampton and dababy really play the same day on the same stage tomorrow,” Abstract tweeted.

“Heath ledger wit some dreads I just gave my n***a head wow,” he continued, referencing Brockhampton’s 2017 song, “STAR.“

“JUS SUCKED A HUGE DICK IN PARKING LOT,” he added.

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Ahead of both artists’ sets, Sunday, Lollapalooza announced on social media that DaBaby had been removed from the lineup and Young Thug would now be performing in the 9:00 PM time slot.

“Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love,” the festival’s Twitter page posted. “With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight. Young Thug will now perform at 9:00pm on the Bud Light Seltzer Stage, and G Herbo will perform at 4:00pm on the T-Mobile Stage.”

DaBaby has yet to comment on the festival’s decision; however, earlier this week, he released a new music video for his song, “Giving What It’s Supposed To Give,” in which he addressed the controversy.

Check out Abstract’s tweets below.

The Miami Heat are reportedly exploring a way to bring in former teammates Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Heat are exercising the $19.4 million option on Goran Dragic for the 2021-22 season, as part of a plan to send him to Toronto.

“The Heat’s decision to pick up the $19.4M option on Goran Dragic’s deal is a possible precursor in utilizing him as part of a potential sign-and-trade with Toronto for Kyle Lowry, sources tell ESPN,” Woj tweeted, Sunday afternoon. “A Dragic sign-and-trade would need to include assets — such as draft picks and/or young players — to incentivize Raptors’ involvement. TOR could decide to keep Dragic, or work a buyout, save money and allow him to play elsewhere.”

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He added that the situation is “all fluid.”

DeRozan is set to become a free agent on Monday and Marc Stein reports that Miami has significant interest in the former San Antonio Spurs star in addition to Lowry. As for DeRozan, other reports have stated that he is more interested in taking a pay cut to join LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook on the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Ex-Roc-A-Fella Records rapper Beanie Sigel says that he nearly bailed on his first meeting with Jay-Z to bet on a dog fight that he felt was a “sure shot.” Sigel discussed the story of his first meeting with Roc-A-Fella in a new interview with REVOLT’s Drink Champs podcast.

“So we wound up battling in the crib,” he explained. “Well I wouldn’t call it a battle — we just started going in and Boo-Bonic was crazy with it. But my man Murder Mill, he had a thing about them. So when we rap and it was over, he pulled me to the side and we exchanged numbers. I’m like, ‘Yo you hot,’ so he told me he was like, ‘Yo, we got a meeting with Roc-A-Fella,’ I mean they had deals on the table like black and white.”

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He went on to explain that Mill’s dog Mikey would fight and Sigel was sure he was about to win.

“So the day that they was going to go to Roc-A-Fella Records, Murder Mill had a dog named Mikey — grand champ, Mikey was killing shit,” Beanie recalled. “Mikey was biting so hard he bit the dog. When the blood come out and hit the ground, it’s blue then it turned red. I just got something from my folks and you know I’m like, ‘This is a sure shot,’ but I’m trying to go bet this money on Mikey. I’m not even trying to rap.”

He added that he would have bailed, had they not already been at his house when he decided to ditch: “I ain’t trying to go there. I’m trying to go to this dog fight. I’m tryna bet — this a sure shot. So long story short, I tried to duck him. I’m trying to get out the crib. They sitting downstairs waiting. I’m like, ‘Oh they outside the crib,’ so I gotta take the ride.”

Check out the interview below.

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Cassidy fired off a diss track at Tory Lanez, Sunday, after a week of back-and-forth with the Canadian rapper who used a Cassidy beat in a recent freestyle. Hip Hop Twitter had mixed reactions to the diss track, “Perjury” and argued over who the better rapper is.

“Canada got free healthcare you gonna need some/Its stolen bars in all the records that he done/None of his shit is original, shit pitiful/I was selling records for the game went digital,” Cassidy raps in his diss track.

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Many users on Twitter praised Cassidy for his bars. One fan argued: “Ppl that say Tory lanez would body Cassidy in a diss song have no idea what they talkin about. Cassidy is cold. Don’t let the fact he don’t do a ton a of mainstream stuff these days get it twisted.”

Other felt the track was boring: “He just ruined what has been a great week for hiphop with his boring ass diss track which Tory won’t even respond to cos he already addressed him 2years ago. We want more Lupe & Royce.”

Check out more responses to the diss track, below.

Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah is now the fastest woman in the world after taking Gold in the women’s 100-meter race with an Olympic record time of 10.61.

Thompson-Herah led a sweep of the race by the Jamaican team as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took silver with 10.74 while Shericka Jackson landed the bronze medal with a time of 10.76. It’s a monumental win for Thompson-Herah who was not poised as a favorite to win as she came off an Achilles injury and only placed third during the Jamaican trials.

“This is really special. Super special. I knew I could have run this from like 2016, but I think I celebrated early too much and I knew one day it would come, hopefully,” Thompson-Herah said. “Two months ago, probably a month-and-a-half, I didn’t think I would be here today. And I held my composure, I believe in myself, I believe in God, and the team around me is very strong, I get that support. I didn’t expect to run this fast, even though I felt great during the rounds.”

Notably missing from the race was the United States’ Sha’Carri Richardson, who was suspended from the games after testing positive for cannabis use.

The ban didn’t keep her from applauding the Jamaican team, however, as she took to Twitter to congratulate them

“Congratulations to the ladies of Jamaica for the clean sweep,” Richardson penned. “Powerful, strong black women dominating the sport.”

After placing first in the U.S. Olympic trials, Richardson was pegged as Team USA’s best bet against the talent concentrated in Jamaica. With Richardson out of the running, the sole American to make it to the finals was sprinter Teahna Daniels who finished seventh in 11.02 seconds.

Matt Damon says he continued to use “the f-slur for homosexual,” until just months ago when his daughter scolded him for using the homophobic word. Damon told the story of when he last used the word during an interview with The Sunday Times, on August 1st.

“I made a joke, months ago, and got a treatise from my daughter,” he recalled. “She left the table. I said, ‘Come on, that’s a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!’ She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, ‘I retire the f-slur!’ I understood.”

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Damon explained that the slur “was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application.”

He added that he’s learned that he needs to “shut the f*** up more,” when speaking about dealing with controversy in the past.

Damon’s comments, which he admitted unprovoked according to the Times’ author, come after a homophobic rant from DaBaby at Rolling Loud, last week. In response to the rant, DaBaby faced backlash from fans online and across the industry, prompting him to be removed from the Lollapalooza lineup, Sunday.

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Fetty Wap is currently mourning the loss of his 4-year-old daughter, Lauren Maxwell.

It was Lauren’s mother, Turquoise Miami, who confirmed the news on Saturday, July 31 via Instagram. While she offered no explanation, Hot 97 reports that Lauren was sick for a few months and ultimately died in her sleep.

“This is my amazing ,beautiful , funny , vibrant, loving ,talented , smart, and hardheaded princess mermaid Aquarius,” she captioned a video of Lauren in the pool. “If you see this post scrolling by with her comment or just say to yourself ‘ i love you LAUREN ‘ because they say that souls can feel your love #rip.”

Before her confirmation, Fetty Wap hinted at the difficult news after his performance at Rolling Loud the past weekend.

“Lolo daddy did that shit last night for you baby girl,” he originally penned after his performance.

Wap, who is often the subject of criticism for his perceived parenting, was once again catching flack from Internet strangers about his presence in his children’s lives. Turquoise was quick to jump to his defense, urging the public to direct any negative energy elsewhere.

“The internet had very negative energy towards our child which bought me distress reading, so please stop any negativity towards him,” she said. “Lauren love her daddy too just like she love me and he mourning hard just like me.”

In addition to Lauren, Fetty Wap has fathered 5 other children. On Father’s Day, he shared photos of them all with the note: “Pieces of my heart ❤️ ….. It’s them over anything or anybody.”