ESPN

Watch Jack Harlow Bring A ‘First Class’ Performance To ESPN College Gameday

by

The start of the NCAA college football season is an exciting time for many and having live music always enhances a sporting experience. Jack Harlow was tasked with hyping up the crowd on ESPN’s College Gameday broadcast on Saturday (September 3), and brought none other than his popular 2022 record “First Class.”

While the song itself is undeniable to the people, so is Harlow’s charisma and personality. Thus, the commentators had to bring him on set to make predictions for the weekend’s football games as well. In the case of Sunday’s (September 4) game featuring LSU versus Florida State, the Come Home The Kids Miss You rapper cited how he was hanging out with former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow the night before, thus he chose LSU to win on Sunday night.

As for Cincinnati versus Arkansas, he stated how he was previously involved with a woman from Cincinnati so it only made sense to select them. Predictably, the commentators flanking him could not get enough of his humorous, unconventional prediction strategies.

It has been an exciting summer for Jack Harlow, as his “former foe” Brandy joined him on stage during his BET Awards performance in June, Fergie joined him on stage at this past Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, and he left that same show with the Song of the Summer award for “First Class.”

Check out Jack Harlow’s ESPN College Gameday performance and predictions above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SOURCE SPORTS: Pelicans’ CJ. McCollum Joins ESPN As An NBA Analyst

by
CJ McCollum

New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard CJ. McCollum will be doing double duties as a player and now as an official ESPN employee. McCollum will begin his new gig at game 1 of the NBA Finals.

As part of his analyst role, McCollum will work closely with ESPN to develop a new podcast that will be available on all streaming platforms throughout the year. Additionally, McCollum will serve as game analyst for ESPN’s coverage of NBA Summer League, while also contributing studio analysis on a year-long basis.

READ MORE: SOURCE SPORTS: Pelicans and Grizzlies Swap Big Men, Draft Picks in Trade

“It is my honor to be joining the ESPN family in this new role and I am excited to bring what I feel is my unique perspective, based on my vast knowledge of the game that I’ve gained during my nine years as a player in the NBA,” said McCollum. “To have an opportunity to put my journalism background to use on the largest stage with the many talented professionals at ESPN is a dream come true.”

McCollum joins the likes of Draymond Green, juggling media jobs while continuing to play in the NBA at a high level. McCollum and the Pelicans gave the Phoenix Suns a tough first round series. With a healthy Zion Williamson next season, McCollum and the Pelicans should expect a much longer NBA Playoff appearance.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Pelicans’ CJ. McCollum Joins ESPN As An NBA Analyst appeared first on The Source.

ESPN’s ‘The Greatest Mixtape Ever’ 30 For 30 Will Tell The Story Of The And1 Mixtape Tour

by

For kids that grew up in my generation, the And1 Mixtape Tour was appointment viewing. You’d come home from school, turn on ESPN2, and then go outside in your best tall tee and oversized basketball shorts and try to replicate what you saw from Hot Sauce, The Professor, Alimoe, Escalade, Skip To My Lou, and everyone else in the driveway.

Streetball’s boom in the early-to-mid 2000s was formative for a generation of hoopers, influencing the style and skills of players who would go on to play in the league and bring some of that flair from the hardtop to the hardwood. While legendary streetball courts like Rucker Park have been curating basketball culture for decades in cities like New York, the And1 Mixtape Tour brought that to people nationwide, and ESPN’s latest 30 for 30, The Greatest Mixtape Ever, will tell the story of the meteoric rise and legacy of the tour.

Jadakiss will narrate the documentary, with interviews with NBA players like Iman Shumpert, as it will take a look at the impact of the And1 Mixtape Tour on both hoops and hip-hop, and how it bridged those two worlds together in a beautiful marriage of basketball and music that redefined an era of both.

The Greatest Mixtape Ever will premier on May 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

SOURCE SPORTS: Shakur Stevenson Talks Oscar Valdez, Trailblazing & More

by
shakur stevenson smile

An 0 must go.

Undefeated WBO junior lightweight titlist Shakur Stevenson (17-0), one of the best pound-4-pound boxers in the world and self-proclaimed “smartest boxer in the sport,” faces his biggest challenge yet this Saturday night (April 30) when he fights WBC champ Oscar Valdez (30-0) to unify the super featherweight titles in Madison Square Garden.

MORE: Floyd Mayweather Makes Boxing Return With Exhibition In Dubai This May

After capturing the WBO title following a dominating TKO victory over former champ Jamel Herring last October. Stevenson, 24, not only puts his title on the line but also his undefeated streak against Valdez – who is also undefeated and eager to erase his past cheating allegations behind him. The unification bout is a career-defining fight for both fighters.

The Source’s Bryson “Boom” Paul spoke with the Newark, New Jersey native during fight week, discussing training for Oscar Valdez, who he’s listening to right now, being a new first-time father, the importance of trailblazing a path in boxing that the future will follow, women’s boxing, and so much more.

Watch the full interview above.

Stevenson, the two-weight world champion, welcomed a daughter last December with girlfriend Michelle Ragston, also known as recording artist Young Lyric. The Top Rank boxer has been identified as the future pound-4-pound by various co-signs, which includes Terrence “Bud” Crawford – who is currently ranked #4 overall in boxing. Shakur Stevenson is a Southpaw and heads into Saturday night a 5 to 1 favorite over Valdez.

MORE: Triller Announces Boxing Competition Series ‘So You Think You Can Fight’

Stevenson-Valdez, plus a full supporting undercard, will be broadcast on ESPN, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT. The show will also air on Sky Sports in the U.K.

Watch the full interview above and check out the Stevenson-Valdez preview “Blood, Sweat and Tears: Valdez vs. Stevenson” below.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Shakur Stevenson Talks Oscar Valdez, Trailblazing & More appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Troy Aikman and Joe Buck Join ESPN To Become the New Voices for Monday Night Football

by

After two decades working together at Fox Sports, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are taking their talents over to ESPN to become the new voices of Monday Night Football.

“The opportunity to be a voice on Monday Night Football, adding to its legacy and being a part of the future of the NFL on ESPN, has me motivated and reflective,” Aikman said in an ESPN press release.

Buck and Aikman will be working together for the 21st season (the same number of seasons that Pat Summerall and John Madden worked together) and will be joined by sideline reporter Lisa Salters, plus John Parry as the officiating analyst.

It’s been no secret that the worldwide leaders in sports have wanted to improve their Monday night broadcast for some time now. With the two biggest broadcasters in the game, it’s safe to say ESPN has achieved that goal.

Monday nights will continue to include the alternate Peyton and Eli “Manningcast” for 10 games, with the Mannings’ contract with ESPN currently running through the 2024 NFL season.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Troy Aikman and Joe Buck Join ESPN To Become the New Voices for Monday Night Football appeared first on The Source.

Drake Signs On To Curate Music For ESPN’s Monday Night Football

by
Getty Image

After going a little over a year without a new full-length project, Drake finally delivered his sixth album, Certified Lover Boy, But it seems he has more music on the way. The Toronto native just signed on to curate music for ESPN’s Monday Night Football for 10 games during the NFL’s upcoming season. The music includes tracks from Certified Lover Boy, albums the rapper previously released, plus work from other artists that Drake will personally select.

“Now we are here, the kickoff of the football season and who better to curate music for Monday Night Football than Drake who sits firmly at the intersection of music and sports?” Emeka Ofodile, Vice President Of Sports Marketing at ESPN, said in a statement according to Billboard. “We couldn’t be more excited for this upcoming collaboration. The music curator role has been a big hit with our fans with Diplo and DJ Khaled in previous years and this season, we will be living inside the moment with Drake as our NFL on ESPN soundtrack.”

The announcement comes after Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which features appearances from Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Future, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, and more, set first-day records on both Apple Music and Spotify.

Certified Lover Boy is out now via OVO Sound/Republic. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

These 5 Memes Explain The Current Rachel Nicols ESPN Nightmare Right Now

by

The Internet never misses a beat even on Independence Day. Social media has jumped at the opportunity to provide comical explanations over ESPN personality Rachel Nichols claiming Black colleague Maria Taylor received a key NBA Finals job because of her race. These 5 Memes Explain The ESPN Rachel Nichols Drama It initially started with 2020 […]

Cordae Funds Scholarships For HBCU Students With Help From Disney And ESPN

by
Getty Image

Cordae isn’t just a critically acclaimed, hit-making young artist on the rise — he’s also an outspoken activist and advocate for social change in America and the world. Last year, he was arrested at a sit-in protest of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home to push for Cameron to file charges against Breonna Taylor’s killers (a felony charge against him was dropped) and now, he’s partnered with Disney Dreamers Academy and ESPN’s The Undefeated to stand up for education by funding scholarships for HBCU students.

His efforts are being fueled by his participation in the upcoming compilation project Liberated / Music For the Movement Vol. 3, set to be released June 18 in honor of Juneteenth, the Black American holiday celebrating the official end of slavery in the United States. The Music For The Movement series, sponsored by The Undefeated, celebrates Black history and accomplishments of Black American activists, artists, and athletes, spawning records like Tinashe’s cover of “I’m Every Woman.”

Cordae, who appears on the track “What’s Life” with Common, committed to donating his proceeds from the track to funding scholarships for HBCU students. The Undefeated and Disney Dreamers Academy matched his donations. Cordae explained his decision in a press release. “So many people need the money more than I do,” he said. “I feel as though when you’re in such a blessed position, it’s important to pay that forward to be a blessing to others. It’s especially important to me to invest in our youth and the future. Young people are the future of our society and the world, so we must do all we can to ensure they are properly positioned to succeed. If I can spark the brain of a few future world leaders and geniuses, I’ll die a happy man.”

Liberated / Music For the Movement Vol. 3 also features Chloe Bailey, Kamasi Washington, Lucky Daye, and Yara Shahidi, and is due 6/18 on Hollywood Records.

Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.