basketball

Donovan Mitchell Reveals How Utah Fans Were “Draining”

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Donovan Mitchell is currently thriving on the Cleveland Cavaliers. There have been some growing pains along the way, however, it is clear that Mitchell is in a better place. The Cavs have room to grow into the best team in the East, and he is definitely the future of the franchise.

Mitchell is coming from a situation in Utah that was detrimental to his growth. Alongside Rudy Gobert, it was becoming quite clear that the duo couldn’t contend with the upper echelon of teams out West. Additionally, the Jazz seemingly had a rebuild in mind.

Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is fouled by Tre Jones #33 of the San Antonio Spurs as he drives to the basket in the first half at AT&T Center on December 12, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

Recently, Mitchell spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his transition from Utah to Cleveland. During this conversation, Mitchell was open and honest about how Jazz fans were exhausting to deal with. He felt like many of them didn’t respect him as a black man and that he feels much happier and safer in Cleveland. Overall, it’s easy to empathize with Mitchell as Jazz fans have a less-than-stellar reputation.

Donovan Mitchell Speaks His Mind

“It’s no secret there’s a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor,” Mitchell said. “If I’m being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining. It was just draining on my energy just because you can’t sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I’m not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things. A [Utah] state senator [Stuart Adams] saying I need to get educated on my own Black history. Seeing Black kids getting bullied because of their skin color. Seeing a little girl [Isabella Tichenor] hang herself because she’s being bullied.

“Man, it was just one thing after another. And I will say, it’s not the only place it happens. But for me, I’m continuing to be an advocate for [racial equality] and to receive the amount of pushback I got over the years, it was a lot.”

Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers lies on the floor after his last second shot against the San Antonio did not go in at AT&T Center on December 12, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

Now, Mitchell is in a much friendlier environment, which will set him at ease from week to week. The worst feeling as a player is to think the fanbase hates you, and now, Mitchell will not have to worry about that.

Let us know what you think of Mitchell’s honesty, in the comments below. Also, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from the NBA world.

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Chris Paul Jr. Dazzles During Middle School Showcase

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Chris Paul Jr. is the young son of Chris Paul. As we have seen lately, the sons of famous NBA stars are making quite an impression on the court. For instance, Bronny and Bryce James are making LeBron proud. Additionally, Kiyan Anthony already has an offer to go to Carmelo’s Alma Mater, Syracuse.

Paul Jr., on the other hand, is only in middle school. He still has a lot of time to grow into an amazing basketball player. However, he is certainly making great strides. For instance, the Phoenix Suns star’s son was on the court recently for a middle school showcase that will turn heads.

Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns controls the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on December 13, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Chrs Paul Jr. Highlight Tape

In the video clip down below, you can find the highlight tape for Chris Paul Jr. This video was posted by Ball Is Life on Twitter, and it runs for about a minute. Additionally, it appears as though this was part of the National Middle School Combine. Chris Paul was in attendance, as this is an event put on by the man himself.

Chris Paul Jr. could be seen displaying some solid handles, as he had defenders second-guessing themselves. Moreover, the young ballplayer made some impressive shots at the rim, and we’re sure CP3 was proud. Overall, his son has a ton of talent and will definitely excel at the high school level.

When Chris Paul is your father, it can be said that you are receiving some amazing coaching. Of course, it is too early to tell just how far his son will go, however, the future is certainly bright for him.

Let us know what you think of Chris Paul Jr.’s highlights, in the comments down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from the basketball world.

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Amar’e Stoudemire Denies Striking His Daughter

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Over the weekend, former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and domestic violence. According to TMZ, this all stems from allegations that he struck his daughter multiple times inside his own home.

In the report, it states that Stoudemire allegedly hit his daughter after she gave him and her grandmother “attitude.” Stoudemire reportedly didn’t like how she was talking to him and hit her in the face. Furthermore, this reportedly caused the daughter to bleed. She then showed a picture of the injuries to her mother, who called the police.

Amar’e Stoudemire looks on in Game One of the First Round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center at Barclays Center on May 22, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Amar’e Stoudemire Responds

The mother of Stoudemire’s children picked them all up, including the daughter that was hurt. From there, police took Stoudemire away, however, he has since been released. Today, Stoudemire followed this story up by posting to his Instagram account. As you can see below, he is denying the accusations, noting that he would never do such a thing.

“As the investigation unfolds, the facts will show the allegations to be groundless as my daughter’s medical condition is not the result of being assaulted by a father who is nearly 7 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds,” Stoudemire said. “I could never see myself assaulting any person, especially my children. I respect, protect, and love my family, particularly my children.”

Overall, this is a very distressing story as you never want to see a child get hurt in any capacity. There are still a lot of facts that have yet to be revealed, and we imagine there will be some updates on this case soon.

Stay tuned to HNHH as we will continue to bring you the latest news and updates from around the sports world.

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Anthony Davis & Lakers Get Upsetting Injury Update

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Anthony Davis has consistently been one of the most injury-prone players in the entire NBA. It has been difficult for Davis to garner much momentum, even when he is playing the best basketball of his career. For instance, Davis was delivering monstrous performance after monstrous performance as of late. However, he is now dealing with a right foot injury.

This injury took place against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Although the Lakers ended up taking home the win, Davis’ impending absence certainly makes the next stretch of ball that much tougher. Now, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook will have to carry the load.

Anthony Davis To Miss Time

According to Shams Charania, the Lakers’ biggest fear has come true. Davis is going to be out indefinitely with his foot injury. As it stands, we do not know what the exact diagnosis is, however, it cannot be good. Overall, Davis will certainly have to miss over a month of action.

The Lakers were finally starting to build up some momentum, so this news will definitely hurt. Over the course of the season, Davis had averaged 27.4 points per game, as well as 12.1 rebounds. That is significant production that the Lakers simply will not have over this Holiday stretch.

Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 11, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

As it stands, the Lakers are 12-16 in the Western Conference. They are not in a playoff position, however, they had been steadily gaining on their rivals. Needless to say, they can expect to regress without AD on the court.

This is devastating if you’re a Laker fan, so let us know what you think of all this, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news from around the basketball and sports world.

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Ja Morant FaceTimes Fans Courtside After Being Ejected

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Ja Morant FaceTimed fans sitting courtside during the Grizzlies’ game against the Thunder on Saturday night. Referee Ray Acosta ejected the star guard earlier in the night.

“I got my first tech for saying I got hit in my fucking face. Didn’t curse at him,” Morant said after the game. “Another situation where he’s in my conversation and I get another tech for talking with a fan. I feel like when these fans came here, went online to buy these tickets, they didn’t say Ray [Acosta’s] name to come watch.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 30: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts to a call on the floor in the second quarter of the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Target Center on November 30, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Crew chief John Goble said that a first technical was issued for “use of profanity directed at an official.” The second was “for making a comment questioning the integrity of an official.”

As for FaceTiming the fans, Morant explained: “They came to support us. They came to watch us play. I don’t care about getting fined.

The fan Morant called was named Lisa and wore a Morant-themed sweatshirt to the game.

Morant finished the game with just six points while hitting 3-of-10 attempts. The Grizzlies went on to lose 115-109, snapping their seven-game win streak.

When asked whether he feels he’s been singled out by officiating crews, Morant said, “I don’t know. Probably so. Probably don’t like me.”

Refs also tossed him from a game on December 1 for making similar comments about officiating. Additionally, the league fined him $35,000 for the incident.

Check out the moment the referees ejected Morant below.

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Amar’e Stoudemire Arrested For Punching Daughter Hours After Receiving Master’s Degree

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Authorities arrested Amar’e Stoudemire the night of December 17th for allegedly punching his daughter in the jaw and slapping her several times. Police charged the former NBA player with battery and stated that the incident came from an argument between Stoudemire’s daughter and her grandmother. Moreover, officers reported that his daughter was “giving attitude” when he struck her. Officers set his bail at $1,500. Also, this happened just hours after Stoudemire posted that he received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Miami. He celebrated his 40th birthday mere weeks ago.

MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 29: Amar’e Stoudemire attends the 2022 ABMB Art Fair Preview on November 29, 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

According to police reports, the former basketball star’s daughter told them that her father struck her hard enough to draw blood. However, it’s unclear whether this was his 17-year-old daughter or his 14-year-old daughter. An officer working the case wrote “I observed blood stains on the victim’s sweater and sweatpants” on the arrest report.

“The mother of the victim, Alexis Welch,” they continued, “showed me the photo she received from her daughter, which shows the victim crying and blood running down her face.”

Welch told authorities that after her daughter sent her a picture, she rushed to get her and her two sons. Also, Stoudemire allegedly asked Welch to pick their daughter up because she was “being disrespectful.”

Reportedly, at around 8pm on Saturday (December 17th), the grandmother called Stoudemire’s daughter. She responded, “What?” Then, her father “rushed inside her room and asked her why she was giving attitude.” Later, his daughter said she wasn’t having a tone, and she said her father told her “You’re talking back again.” The daughter reported that the 40-year-old then struck her.

Meanwhile, the UM graduate said that his daughter called Welch to pick her up. She was sad “because she received a whooping from him for being disrespectful and a liar.” When authorities arrived on the scene, they saw bloodstains and arrested Stoudemire for punching his daughter. His bond is set at $1,500.

The last we heard of Amar’e Stoudemire, he was calling on Kyrie Irving to apologize for his antisemitic comments. Stay tuned to HNHH for the latest updates on this story.

Kyrie Irving Delivers Huge Donation To Howard University Student

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Kyrie Irving has not been having a great couple of months. Back in November, the Brooklyn Nets star shared a documentary on Twitter. This documentary was available for purchase on Amazon, and it contained some Anti-Semitic tropes. Subsequently, Kyrie was suspended from the Nets for a couple of weeks.

Since then, Kyrie has returned to the squad, albeit without a Nike deal. Irving is a sneaker free agent, and there are plenty of brands out there looking to work with him. Despite all of this, Kyrie is looking to go back to business as usual. Overall, he is a charitable guy, and he has been showcasing that as of late.

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the fourth quarter of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on December 07, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Kyrie Helps Student

For instance, Kyrie is now going viral on social media following the revelation that he helped a young student at Howard University. As the story goes, the student needed $6,000 to pay for her tuition. Consequently, if she didn’t pay up, she would ultimately be expelled.

The student made a GoFundMe for herself, however, it wasn’t long before she got a massive donation. As you can see in the Instagram post down below, Kyrie sent the girl $22,000 which is $16,000 more than she asked for. Needless to say, she will have some extra money for the next semester.

Irving has consistently donated to GoFundMe over the years. Whenever he sees someone in need, he seeks to help out, which is a beautiful thing. While Kyrie has certainly made his fair share of mistakes, it is important to point out when he does something good.

Stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the sports world. Additionally, let us know what you think of Kyrie’s good deed, in the comments down below.

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Kyrie Irving Gaining Interest From These Sneaker Companies

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Kyrie Irving has been dealing with quite a bit as of late. Of course, he lost his deal with Nike following his unfortunate post on social media. Although Kyrie has apologized for his actions, Nike has decided to drop him from the brand. Now, Kyrie will have to look elsewhere for a sneaker deal.

There are plenty of amazing sneaker brands out there. Nike isn’t the only fish in the sea, although they are the biggest one. Having said that, there are plenty of up-and-coming brands that aren’t as mainstream, who could use Kyrie’s services. Simply put, the point guard has options.

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets and head coach Jacque Vaughn talk during a pause in play during the first half of a game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on December 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

Brands Want Kyrie Irving

According to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports, Kyrie is being pursued by quite a few imprints. For instance, Adidas, New Balance, and Puma are all keeping their eyes on him. Furthermore, independent sneaker brand SIA has already met with Kyrie.

“I can tell you that last week, Irving and his representation did meet with independent sneaker owner SIA, and there’s no imminent decision on whether or not Irving and his team will sign with the company.,” Robinson reported. “But I’m told everybody is paying attention to the Nets point guard. Everybody’s reached out, and that’s including, I’m told, Adidas and others.”

No matter what Kyrie does, there will certainly be people out there who want to follow him. He remains a popular figure, and he has always delivered some dope sneakers. Whether or not another brand can execute his vision, still remains to be seen.

Let us know which brand you think Kyrie should work with, down in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for updates on this developing story.

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Skip Bayless Recalls Awkward Blake Griffin Encounter

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Skip Bayless is one of the most hated men in sports media. Right now, he is public enemy number one in the football world thanks to his blatant Shannon Sharpe disrespect. Having said that, Bayless still has a large voice in the sports world, and he isn’t scared to use it.

Overall, Bayless is just a troll. At times, it is hard to tell whether or not he actually believes in what he’s saying. However, he gets people to tune into his show, and that is really all that matters. When you can get ratings for your network, you’re going to have longevity on TV.

Sports journalist and television personality, Skip Bayless is featured on First Take, ESPN2’s daily sports talk show. On Friday morning, August 30, 2013, Bayless participated in debate with Stephen A. Smith as he does everyday, during their two hour morning program from 10am – noon. (Photo by Christopher Capozziello/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Skip Bayless Story Time

On the most recent episode of his new podcast, Bayless told a story about how his reputation caught up to him. Below, you can hear him talk about meeting Blake Griffin for the first time. Skip has always been critical of the Celtics star, and subsequently, the big man was cold to him at first. However, Skip noted that Griffin has since warmed up to him as they see each other often at a local golf club.

“Blake was just pretty much awkwardly nonresponsive,” Bayless explained. “In fact, I wondered if it was possible if he just didn’t know who I am. Awkwardly, I told Blake Griffin I’ll see you down the road somewhere and I’ll let you get back to practicing. About a week later, Blake rolled past me in a golf cart and he stunned me by saying ‘hey, Skip.’

The story is definitely an interesting one, although it is clear that Griffin isn’t too salty about Bayless’ slander. However, we would love to know how LeBron would react to Skip. That would be a truly hilarious meeting.

Let us know what you thought of Skip’s story, in the comments down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the sports world.

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James Harden Gets Brutally Honest About His Time With The Nets

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James Harden had a brief tenure with the Brooklyn Nets. While paired with the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets were expected to do big things. In the end, however, they fizzled out as Harden requested a trade. Eventually, he was moved for Ben Simmons, who is still trying to get into a rhythm.

Overall, the Nets’ big three turned out to be extremely dysfunctional. There were rumors that Harden and Kyrie could not get along. Additionally, the team just wasn’t going anywhere in terms of the playoffs. Needless to say, both sides needed a change.

James Harden
James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center on December 11, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

James Harden Speaks

Recently, Harden spoke to Fox Sports’ Yaron Weitzman about his time with the Nets’ organization. As you will read, he was quite honest about how the team had no structure. Additionally, he felt like Kevin Durant’s trade request was all he needed to know about what was going on.

“I don’t mean to, like, just down talk to anybody or whatever,” Harden said. “It was just, there was no structure and even superstars, they need structure. That’s what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations.”

James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center on December 13, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

“I just feel like, internally, things weren’t what I expected when I was trying to get traded there,” he added. “I think everybody knows that. And I knew people were going to talk and say, ‘You quit’ and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there [Durant] wanted to leave. So it’s like: Am I still the quitter?”

Now, Harden is on the Sixers who have a lot of pressure to win. They have yet to make it past the second round with Joel Embiid on the roster, and there is a win-now mentality going around.

Whether or not Harden can get that first championship, still remains to be seen.

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