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Team USA reportedly never made an offer to Knicks star big-man Julius Randle, amidst struggles at the center position and disappointing losses to Nigeria and Australia. Earlier this week, the team announced they’d be bringing in JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson.

The New York Post reports that the All-NBA second team power forward was snubbed because the team was searching for a true shot blocker and felt he wasn’t it. The two positions opened after Bradley Beal was made ineligible due to COVID-19 and Kevin Love dropped out with a calf injury.

“We decided that was the most logical and appropriate choice,’’ Team USA coach Gregg Popovich said of adding McGee on Sunday night. “Given the choices we had, he fit the best.”

“[Johnson] just played a really solid basketball game — a very, very good night,’’ Popovich added.

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Randle put together the best season of his career in 2020, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, while leading the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since 2013.

Comparatively, McGee averaged 7.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists last season. He did, however, average 1.1 blocks per game while Randle only recorded 0.3.

Despite not adding Randle, Team USA secured a much-needed win, Sunday night, after beating Spain 83-76. The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 23th and run through August 8th.

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Legendary music executive J. Prince spoke out against police harassing him on social media, this weekend, saying that feds are blaming him for the actions of others. In a video posted online, Prince shows text messages from an alleged drug deal that shows someone using his name.

“Let me say something to you clowns, who in my opinion, lie on my name and are trying to set me up,” he says in the clip. “In my opinion, some of y’all are doing things out of ignorance, and others like Daryl D-Town Lewis, Ronni Bookman, Slyvester Brown are, in my opinion, snitching, trying to get themselves ahead in life or out of trouble.”

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“I don’t knock no man’s hustle. But don’t put my name in none of that law-breaking shit,” he says later in the video. “I have enough problems on my own.”

As for his history of being falsely targeted and harassed, he says, “I’ve had drugs planted on me on two different occasions by dirty cops and had to beat those cases in court.” He also references being targeted by crooked DEA agents and harassed by the IRS.

Prince ended the video by telling his followers to stay tuned. Check out the video below.

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A post shared by DJ Akademiks (@akademiks)

Lil Nas X is continuing to joke on TikTok about his upcoming court appearance against Nike on Monday, regarding his infamous “Satan Shoes” that he tried to sell earlier this year. 

“The judge tomorrow when I try to flirt with him to avoid going to jail,” Nas joked in a post uploaded Sunday.

The new post comes days after Nas began making light of his ongoing legal trouble online.

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“When you have court on Monday over satan shoes and might go to jail,” he wrote in another post earlier this week, in which he tries to dance through tears. “but your label keeps telling you to make TikTok videos.”

The controversy began in March when Nas and the clothing company MSCHF tried to sell customized Nike Air Max ’97s with red ink and one drop of human blood in its sole. The sneaker was released after the premiere of his single “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”

Nike announced that there would be a recall of the shoe back in April: “MSCHF has agreed to initiate a voluntary recall to buy back any Satan Shoes and Jesus Shoes for their original retail prices, to remove them from circulation.”

Check out Nas’ TikTok below.

@lilnasx

 

♬ industry baby by lil nas x – lil nas x

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Ruby Rose, who announced that she was quitting CW’s Batwoman series ahead of season 2, last year, says that being “allergic to latex” played a significant role in her decision. Rose discussed her departure in a new interview on the Kyle and Jackie O Show.

“I did find out that I was allergic to latex,” she told the hosts. “I was getting worse and worse, because as you get more contact with it, I guess you get more reactions. I took off the [mask] at the end, and my face was just hives. My throat was all messed up.”

“It was like it was out of a scary movie,” she added.

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Rose also sustained injuries on set while filming for the show. Last August, she referenced not taking enough time off to recover being another reason for her exit.

“I had my surgery and then 10 days later I went to work, which maybe wasn’t the best idea,” she said back then. “Most people take about a month or three off before they return to work, so it was definitely made more difficult by that. But as far as being a lead of a show or a film—regardless if it’s action or if it’s emotional—in whichever ways it’s taxing.”

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Justin Laboy says Kanye West debuted his new unreleased album for himself and Kevin Durant in Las Vegas, Saturday night. Laboy didn’t get overly specific regarding details from the project, but did declare it “album of the year.”

“Kanye played his new album for me & @KDTrey5 last night in Vegas,” he announced on Twitter, Sunday. “Man listen! The production is light years ahead of it’s time, and the bars sound like he’s broke & hungry trying to get signed again. Any artist who plan on dropping soon should just push it back #Respectfully.”

“ALBUM OF THE YEAR. DONT @ ME,” he added in a follow-up post.

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As for the scene when West played the new project, in addition to posting a picture from the meet-up, Laboy says that “Kanye had Kevin Durant at 7 feet tall dancing while the album was playing,” and that “Shit was crazy.”

Earlier in the day, West was spotted with Laboy hanging out at Ice Cube’s Big3 tournament.

Responding to a follower, Laboy added that “ITS about to be a #YeezyEra A season only lasts a couple months. The man changed the sound of music on this project.”

Check out Laboy’s tweets below.

Wack 100 says he wants a face-to-face with Tekashi 6ix9ine and that “he has yet to be held accountable.” Wack asked DJ Akademics to help with him get in contact with the controversial rapper on Instagram, this weekend.

“YO @akademiks I have some real questions for @6ix9ine,” he wrote in an Instagram story. “I need dude to look me in my eyes when I ask these questions. He has yet to be held accountable. Let me be the judge and the culture will be the jury.”

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Wack also posted a video threatening to fight an unidentified man he referred to as “some neighborhood crip dude” who was harassing him online.

Wack previously spoke on 6ix9ine last week, saying that he wants him to fight Blueface after Tekashi dissed the “Thotiana” rapper.

“@6ix9ine @bluefasebleedem was one of the #Violators whole lotta #smashing going on just ask Sarah,” wrote Wack 100 on Instagram.

He included a video where 6ix9ine speaks about beating up his ex-girlfriend. “Now come take it out on him I got the bag bet you go to bed the 1st round — it’ll be good for the culture you owe the world redemption anyways.”

Check out Wack’s post below.

Athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics will be subjected to sleeping on cardboard beds, which are allegedly designed to discourage sexual activities in the Tokyo Olympic Village. The cardboard will collapse under the weight of two people.

American distance runner Paul Chelimo tweeted out pictures of the bed frames, Friday.

“Beds to be installed in Tokyo Olympic Village will be made of cardboard, this is aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes Beds will be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports,” he explained, before joking, “I see no problem for distance runners, even 4 of us can do.”

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“At this point I will have to start practicing how to sleep on the floor; cause If my bed collapses and I have no training on sleeping on the floor i’m done,” he added.

The Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee released a statement to Japan Today explaining that they are also handing out condoms to the atheletes, as has been a norm at the Olympics since 1988, but say they are not to be used during the event.

“Our intent and goal is not for athletes to use the condoms at the Olympic Village, but to help with awareness by taking them back to their own countries,” the committee said.

The Tokyo Olympics are set to kick off on Jul 23th and run through Aug 8th.

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Mark Wahlberg stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Thursday, and revealed his intense weight gain transformation for his upcoming film, Stu. Wahlberg says he ate 11,000 calories a day while filming the upcoming movie.

“Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, and then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories. And it was fun for about an hour,” Wahlberg told Fallon. “It’s such a hard, physical thing to do. Losing weight, you just kind of tough it out, you just don’t eat, and exercise. And this, even when you’re full, I would wake up after a meal and have another meal. I was eating every three hours. It was not fun.”

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He added that, despite trying to get the movie done for years now, they only had a month to film it: “Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really difficult. I was trying to get this movie made for six years — we only had 30 days to shoot it — and so, I wanted to really make it happen.”

Stu follows the story of Long, a failed boxer who moves to Los Angeles to try a career in acting. A release date for the movie has yet to be announced.

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Idris Elba wants all social media users to be forced to get verified and use their real names and information, a solution he poses to fix a problem of “cowards” who “spout racial rhetoric,” behind vague usernames. Elba explained his proposal in a statement uploaded to his Instagram, Sunday.

“People in the public eye get verified on social media, (symbolised by a blue tick), the process of verification requires them to prove their IDENTITY, so everyone knows WHO is speaking,” he prefaced his take.

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“SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES SHOULD MAKE THIS MANDATORY FOR ALL USERS,” he added in all caps.

He continued: “Currently, social media is like boarding a plane and not having to show I.D. THAT would never happen. If cowards are being supported by a veil of privacy and secrecy, then social media is not a safe space. It is an aeroplane that allows travellers to wear balaclavas. If cowards want to spout racial rhetoric then say it with your name, not your username.”

As of now, Twitter says that their blue check feature exists to let “people know that an account of public interest is authentic.”

Elba will be starring in James Gunn’s highly anticipated film, The Suicide Squad, releasing later this summer.

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