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The so-called novelty fight of the century is up in the air. Jake Paul has expressed doubts about his fight with Mike Tyson happening after the boxing legend withdrew due to a stomach ulcer flare-up. The highly anticipated bout, initially scheduled for July 20, has been postponed to November 15. In the meantime, Paul will face former UFC star and bare-knuckle boxing champion Mike Perry next month.

Iron Mike Tyson intends to resume training soon for the rescheduled fight, but he has remained relatively silent since pulling out. Paul provided an update to The New York Post, saying, “If Tyson wants it, I’m down. The keys are in his hands. It would be such an honor to step in there with him. Mike Tyson is the one who wanted it to be a professional fight. He’s saying he’s fine [despite the problem], he’s saying he’s ready, and all of these things. We’re not Mike Tyson’s dad. We’re not his boss. If Mike Tyson wants the fight, it would be my honor, and I’m down to do it.”

The YouTuber turned boxer added, “He’s ready to go; he just needed a couple of weeks, so he’s back to training. We’re all just praying and hoping that everything is good and that he stays healthy. That’s first and foremost. He’s Mike Tyson at the end of the day. He has lethal knockout power and is very, very experienced. I think it is going to be a brawl regardless.”

Whether the fight will ultimately take place remains uncertain, but Paul remains open and enthusiastic about the possibility.

The post Jake Paul On Whether Mike Tyson Fight Will Ever Happen: ‘We’re all just praying’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Jake Paul On Whether Mike Tyson Fight Will Ever Happen: ‘We’re all just praying’ appeared first on The Source.

Unless you were under a rock in the sports world or distracted by that gawd awful presidential debate, Bronny James was drafted by Lakers. The same team his father leads on the court. But before the Lakers brass publicly announced their selection of Bronny with the No. 55 pick, they made a phone call to inform the 19-year-old personally about their intentions to draft him. 

All captured behind-the-scenes draft-night, the phone call, made by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick, showed a heartfelt conversation with the  USC Trojans guard.

First, Pelinka praised James for his dedication, saying, “I think first and foremost, you’ve worked incredibly hard, man. You’ve put in a ton of work. When we had lunch up at the facility for your workout, we talked about your work ethic, and that means a lot to us. Second to that, you’re a player of high character and a person of high character, and that is valued at the Lakers. And so it’s important for Coach Redick and I to let you know those qualities really stand out.”

New head coach Redick added his congratulations: “Bronny, this is JJ. I just wanted to say congrats, man. Your hard work’s paid off. You’re going to have a long NBA career and I can’t wait to coach you, man.”

Pelinka concluded the call with, “We’ll see you soon, Bronny. The work begins.”

“Yes, sir,” James cordially responded.

ICYMI, Thursday, James joined No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht to complete the Lakers’ 2024 draft class. Assuming and hopefully he makes the Lakers’ roster, Bronny and his father, LeBron, will become the first father-son duo to play together on an NBA team. But Bronny’s first test will be during the NBA Summer League, starting July 6 in San Francisco.

The post Lakers Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick Called Bronny James Before Making Historic 55th Pick first appeared on The Source.

The post Lakers Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick Called Bronny James Before Making Historic 55th Pick appeared first on The Source.

The 2024 NBA Draft picked up where it left off with Wemby last year, showing love to French players out the gate. Three of the first six picks hailing from over the pond in France. 

The European trend didn’t stop there. Pllayers from Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland were also selected alongside additional French talents.

French star Zaccharie Risacher, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward, was chosen as the No. 1 pick by the Atlanta Hawks. 

Following him was 7-foot Alex Sarr, a standout from Australia’s Perth Wildcats, who was picked second by the Washington Wizards. 

The third pick was guard Reed Sheppard from Kentucky, a 6-foot-2 shooter.

But the million dollar question of the night was whether Bronny James, son of LeBron James, would make it into the first round. He didn’t. This is not so surprising. Depending on what sources or scouts you listened to, his combine and workouts were more than decent but perhaps not quite worthy of taking a first round spot. 

Not hearing Bronny’s name, left the James family to wait for the second round on Friday, with the Lakers holding the 55th pick.

Gotta root for the kid, right? The pressure. The heavy weight on his shoulders to make to the association in the shadow of arguably the greatest of all time. Has to be tough. 

Get this, ESPN faced an awkward moment when they mistakenly identified Tidjane Salaün of France, who was picked sixth by the Charlotte Hornets, as Dalton Knecht, who is actually the Lakers’ selection.

Anyway, here is the first round draft board from NBA.com:

The post NBA Draft Night 1: French Players Taken Top 2, Bronny Undrafted in First Round first appeared on The Source.

The post NBA Draft Night 1: French Players Taken Top 2, Bronny Undrafted in First Round appeared first on The Source.

Drake’s bad luck in sports betting continues. 

The Six God recently lost a sizable $500,000 bet on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. 

His hopes were dashed when the Florida Panthers clinched Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory. Had the bet hit, Drake would have netted $1.025 million. Sheesh. They call that a bad beat in the betting world.

Drake’s latest betting loss follows another high-stakes wager where Drake bet $500,000 on the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. 

Unfortunately for Drake, the Celtics triumphed over the Mavericks in five games, securing their 18th NBA title. If the Mavericks had won, Drake stood to gain $1.375 million. SMH.

But hey, the sports gods have their own agenda. And Drake is a grown up with a lot of bread to risk. 

Nevertheless, his gambling L’s add to the growing narrative of the “Drake Curse,” a phenomenon where teams and athletes seem to lose when Drake either publicly supports them or places bets on their success.

Not for nothing, the Oilers showed promise by nearly overcoming a 3-0 series deficit. Connor McDavid, who earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL playoff MVP, played a significant role in their comeback with three goals and five assists in Games 4 and 5. However, the Oilers couldn’t complete the historic rally, leaving the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs as the only team to have ever rebounded from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.

FTR, we don’t really pay too much attention in curses and superstitions, especially when it comes to betting. Here’s what it is. Drake made some bets and lost. It’s that simple and it happens. Unfortunately with a gambler of Drake’s caliber and scale, when he loses, he tends to lose big. But in the average mere mortal’s eyes, because the numbers are enormous it looks devastating. But for Drake, let’s be real. He’s more than likely betting with play money. Does it really hurt him? Eh, probably not. 

The post SEE IT: Drake Loses $1 million Betting on Oilers, Mavericks to Take Stanley Cup, NBA Finals first appeared on The Source.

The post SEE IT: Drake Loses $1 million Betting on Oilers, Mavericks to Take Stanley Cup, NBA Finals appeared first on The Source.