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Lil Wayne Remixed ‘A Milli’ With A Slew Of Sports Lines In A Performance At The ESPY Awards

July 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Lil Wayne has successfully straddled the line between rap and sports for decades. The 2023 ESPYs were last night, July 12, and some athletic figures walked away with a higher honor than a trophy: An improvised name-check from Lil Wayne during his performance of “A Milli” to open the broadcast.

Lil Wayne seamlessly altered the song’s famous bars to include nods toward LSU women’s basketball standout Angel Reese, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, San Antonio Spurs 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, and NFL Hall Of Famer-turned-Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

The mad dash ended with Wayne spitting, “I want my NIL so I’m goin’ back to college / Tattoos on my face, you can call me Dennis Rodman.” Wayne thanked the crowd before leaving the stage and welcomed everyone to the 2023 ESPYs.

If such a category existed, Wayne would have been the frontrunner for Best Sports Analyst In Rap. The New Orleans icon recently ranked LeBron James as the best basketball player of all time while visiting Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s All The Smoke and weighed in with empathy on Ja Morant’s public slip-ups. Perhaps most stunningly, Lil Wayne praised Eli Manning’s rapping during an appearance on ManningCast last December.

Watch Lil Wayne’s custom-made “A Milli” performance for the 2023 ESPYs above.

Damar Hamlin Awards ESPY To Team Who Saved His Life

July 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who collapsed during a game in January 2023, made an appearance at the ESPYs on July 12. Hamlin was there to present the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The recipient was the Buffalo Bills athletic training staff that saved his life. The Bills staffers’ response to Hamlin’s acute cardiac arrest, through the use of an AED, saved Hamlin’s life. It gave external medical staff time to arrive at the scene. The Tillman Award goes to a group or an individual with a strong connection to sports that has served others. It is named for, and in memory of, Pat Tillman. Tillman was an NFL player who joined the Army Rangers after 9/11. However, Tillman was later killed in a friendly fire incident. His family has long argued that Tillman was murdered due to his increasingly anti-war beliefs.

“Damar, first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother,” said Nate Breske, head trainer for the Bills. “We’re not used to having the spotlight on us,” he said. “We were just doing our job, but the idea of service is definitely something that is ingrained in our profession and that we take great pride in. Learn CPR and how to use an AED because they save lives.”

Hamlin, Bills Continue AED Awareness Campaign

Since that shocking incident in January, Hamlin has become a vocal advocate for the wider acceptance of AED in schools and athletic spaces. He even visited Congress and met President Biden to discuss the issue. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. A number of insidious conspiracies sprung up after the incident. These namely centered on the idea that Hamlin being vaccinated was the cause of his sudden cardiac arrest. This anti-vax conspiracy, which is completely fictitious and not based on any objective science, was also spouted after the death of former NFL QB Ryan Mallett. The other conspiracy, which is tangentially linked to the anti-vax one, is that Hamlin actually died on the field and was replaced by a clone. This conspiracy purports this occurred to cover up Hamlin’s vaccine-induced death.

As Hamlin himself, he continues to prepare to return to the NFL. According to Batavia Daily‘s Alex Brasky, Hamlin participated in “stretches, agility and conditioning work, along with individual drills” while “wearing a jersey, without pads” in late May. He is expected to be ready to start Week 1 against the Jets. However, the team are keeping their expectations tempered. “We’re taking it one day at a time and just support Damar in every way possible,” head coach Sean McDermott told reporters in May.

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LeBron James Confirms Return To NBA

July 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

LeBron James will not retire this offseason. The 38-year-old Laker confirmed this while accepting an award at the ESPYs on July 12. Comments made after the Lakers’ Western Conference Finals exit led many to believe that LeBron was at least considering retirement. “I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said. “The real question for me is: Can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”

“Tonight, I want to use this moment to just say something that I’ve said a million times and I will never get sick of talking about it: I love this game. I love the game of basketball,” James said. “There’s a video going around right now on the internet of me coaching Bryce’s team last weekend, and it’s actually pretty funny. I saw a lot of posts with people talking about, ‘LeBron brings the energy to a high school AAU game the same way he would do to a Finals game.’ And to me, that’s the ultimate compliment. In my 20 years playing this game and all the years before, I’ve never, ever cheated the game, and I will never take it for granted.”

LeBron Back, But Lakers Future Uncertain

The confirmation of LeBron’s return will be a sigh of relief to the LA Lakers. Darvin Ham‘s team has invested a lot of resources into a “championship or bust” roster led by LeBron and Anthony Davis. The team has signed Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Heyes, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish this offseason. Furthermore, they retained Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. However, 2024 might be their last chance to win with LeBron.

The consensus opinion among pundits is that LeBron will likely push for a trade next offseason to join his son Bronny on whatever team drafts him. It’s unlikely that the Lakers will have the chance to grab him. If they pick too high in the first round, the Pelicans will likely use their option to take the pick for themselves. However, too low a pick in the first and it’s unlikely that Bronny would still be on the board. Essentially, the Lakers would have to aim for a first-round playoff exit or low lottery finish to acquire Bronny. The eldest James child is preparing to play at least one season of college basketball for the USC Trojans.

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