Jayson Tatum Reportedly Scores Largest Contract in NBA History: $314 Million Extension With Boston Celtics

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Recently minted NBA champion Jayson Tatum is gearing up to sign the largest contract in NBA history. Read that again. The Boston Celtics have reportedly agreed to a five-year maximum contract extension worth $314 million. The deal, as reported customarily by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, includes a player option for the final season and a trade kicker. So that all means he’s about to get the ultimate bag minus a ton of taxes but whatever – it’s still a huge win for the young star forward, who just turned 26 in March.

Essentially, Tatum secured every possible benefit a star player can receive in such a deal. It was all earned if you think about it. The five-time All-Star led the Celtics to their 18th championship last season. 

Get this, the extension will keep him with the Celtics through the 2029-30 season. If Tatum exercises his player option, he could earn $71.4 million in that final year, making him the first player in NBA history to surpass $70 million in a single season. Wild. 

What’s crazier the deal is close to home as Tatum’s new contract surpasses the previous record held by his teammate, Jaylen Brown, who signed a five-year, $304 million extension last summer. Unreal. However, the record may not last long, as Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks will be eligible for a projected five-year, $346 million extension next year. The trend of increasing salaries highlights a lucrative era for perennial All-Stars in the NBA. Don’t hate the player or the game, the new TV deal with the NBA is serious. 

Let’s talk stats. In the 2023-24 season, Tatum averaged 26.9 points (on 60.4% true shooting), 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 35.7 minutes per game. He led the team with a 29.6% usage rate, his lowest since the 2019-20 season, due to Boston’s abundance of playmaking options. 

As a team, the Celtics scored an impressive 121.7 points per 100 possessions and outscored opponents by 11.2 points per 100 possessions with Tatum on the court. He had the best passing season of his career, finished sixth in MVP voting, and made the All-NBA First Team.

So in other words, the kid is a stud who worked for that payday.

He’s not the only won winning this week. Prior to Tatum’s deal, the Celtics also extended Derrick White’s contract by four years, worth $125.9 million. 

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Celtics’ payroll is projected to exceed $200 million in 2025-26, excluding the substantial luxury-tax bill that ownership will face. 

Depending on the moves by the Phoenix Suns, Boston could become the most expensive team in NBA history. So wait, the Suns payroll is higher? The take out the broom Suns? Hilarious. 

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NBA Free Agency: Celtics’ Derrick White Reportedly Agrees to Contract Extension of $125.9M

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Two-way Celtics wingman Derrick White has $125.9 million reasons to smile after reportedly signing a four-year contract extension with Boston, as reported by top NBA journalist Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Get this, White’s extension represents the maximum amount Boston could offer under NBA rules, starting with a 40% raise on his 2024-25 salary. Including the final year of his current contract, White is set to earn approximately $145.4 million over the next five seasons.

If you recall, the Celtics acquired White from the San Antonio Spurs at the 2022 trade deadline, and he has since become a crucial player for the team. What a steal that was. 

Initially brought in as a bench player, White’s role and performance have significantly expanded in Boston.

Even though he is known for his stellar defense, White has also improved offensively, increasing his three-point shooting percentage from 34.4% with the Spurs to 38% with the Celtics. All where it counts.

Boston has also given him more responsibilities as a ball-handler, making him their starting point guard on a team that recently achieved the best offensive rating in NBA history. No easy feat with ball dominant players like Tatum and Brown on each wing.

This extension indicates that the Celtics will face substantial luxury tax bills starting in the 2025-26 season. Jaylen Brown is beginning his super-max extension this season, and Jayson Tatum is expected to follow with his own super-max extension next year. Additionally, Jrue Holiday received a similar four-year, $135 million extension during the season, and Kristaps Porzingis is secured for about $60 million over the next two years.

With White’s contract now locked in, the Celtics are positioned as championship favorites for the upcoming season. However, maintaining this roster will come at a significant financial cost.

Let’s be real, would the Celtics have won without White hitting big shots, locking down the other team’s best players at times and diving for loose balls? He even lost a tooth in the finals, didn’t he? Congrats White, you deserve every penny.

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Stephen A. Smith Applauds Bronny James Bouncing Back From Cardiac Arrest to Being Drafted to the NBA

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Outspoke ESPN star analyst Stephen A. Smith has entered the chat. Amid Bronny James, barrage of criticism and negative opinions since the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, many fans and media members alike argue that he doesn’t belong in the NBA. They attribute his selection to nepotism due to his father, LeBron James, being one of the league’s most influential players. Yea, yea, yea. They don’t know the half of nepotism in American sports, which has been going on since basketball was invented. 

Anyway, Stephen A. Smith took a different approach to discussing LeBron’s eldest son.

The First Take host reminded everyone of the serious challenges Bronny faced just a year ago when he suffered cardiac arrest during a USC Trojans practice. He emphasized the significance of Bronny’s achievement, considering there were grave concerns about his overall future at that time.

“We didn’t know what his status was, we didn’t know what his health was like,” Smith said on his show. “We didn’t know whether or not he’d be able to play basketball again. And I remember when we first heard it that we didn’t know if he was going to survive.”

Fortunately, Bronny survived against the odds of having a professional basketball future and managed to return for the latter part of USC’s 2023-24 season, gradually increasing his role as he regained his form.

Whether or not his draft selection was merited, remains to be proven but the fact that Bronny was able to recover and reach a position to be drafted is noteworthy to say the least. Time will tell how successful he will be in the NBA and how long his career will last, but for now, we can celebrate that he is living his dream after facing such a daunting challenge just a year ago. Big facts. 

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SOURCE SPORTS: Latin Baseball Legend, San Francisco Giants Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda Dies at 86

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Orlando Cepeda, the San Francisco Giants first baseman nicknamed “The Baby Bull,” died Friday in his home. He was 86.

“MLB mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda at the age of 86,” Major League Baseball tweeted. “Known as ‘Cha-Cha’ and ‘The Baby Bull,’ Cepeda slugged 379 home runs, batted .297, and made 11 All-Star teams over 17 seasons. He was unanimously selected as the NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 with the Giants. He was also a unanimous selection for the the NL MVP Award in 1967 when he helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series championship.”

Cepeda was the son of Puerto Rican baseball player Perucho Cepeda, who was not allowed to play in the major leagues because he was Black. Cepeda’s own career began after Pedro Zorilla convinced his family to send him to the United States to try out for the then-New York Giants. He passed the team’s tryout but was sent to the Salem Rebels.

The San Francisco Giants brought Cepeda onboard in 1958, and he closed out his first season as the National League Rookie of the Year. After spending a few more seasons with the Giants, Cepeda was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966. Though he was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year after his first season, his performance suffered throughout the following two seasons and he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1969.

Cepeda retired from baseball in 1974. He was arrested at San Juan International Airport for drug possession the following year after he attempted to pick up two boxes containing marijuana that had been flown in from Colombia. Cepeda served 9 months of a 5 year sentence, but was never able to fully shed his criminal conviction.

Cepeda was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

The baseball great was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 17, 1937. Despite his father’s success in baseball, the family grew up “very poor,” he said in an interview. “My father [legendary player Pedro Cepeda]… was a great baseball player. In those days, a black player didn’t have a chance to play in the big leagues,” Cepeda explained. “So my dad used to go to Cuba, used to go to Dominican Republic, Venezuela… I think he went to Mexico one year.”

Cepeda’s survivors include his wife Nydia and 5 sons, Hector, Orlando Jr., Carl, Malcolm and Ali.

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Jake Paul On Whether Mike Tyson Fight Will Ever Happen: ‘We’re all just praying’

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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.

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NBA Offseason Begins: Hawks to Trade Dejounte Murray to Pelicans For Solid Role Players and Picks

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And we’re off! The NBA offseason has officially begun. Atlanta Hawks are trading All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick, according to ESPN. 

This move ends the brief partnership of Murray and Trae Young, who played together for two seasons, leading to a first-round playoff exit and a 36-46 record this past season. Despite the team’s struggles, Murray had a strong season, averaging a career-high 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of nearly 46% and a career-high 36.3% from three-point range on over seven attempts per game.

The trade is seen as beneficial for both teams. For the Pelicans, Murray will strengthen their backcourt alongside CJ McCollum, allowing McCollum to return to his natural position of shooting guard, a role in which he thrived with the Trail Blazers alongside Damian Lillard. 

For the Hawks, the trade brings two first-round picks and a promising young player in Daniels. Although the 2025 pick comes from the Lakers and the 2027 pick will be the worse of either the Bucks or Pelicans, next year’s draft is expected to be deep, offering potential high upside for Atlanta.

This trade provides clarity for the Hawks’ offseason strategy. 

They need to decide whether to aim for competitiveness next season, considering their limited success with Young as their centerpiece. 

Young, 25, was instrumental in the Hawks’ trip to the Eastern Conference finals but has seen a decline in efficiency over the last two seasons and remains one of the league’s worst defenders.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Minority Baseball Prospects’ Ty Wyche Set To Even Out Opportunities On The Field For Black And Brown Players

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Regardless of the sport or field of expertise that anyone decides to pursue, in order to advance and thrive in that said field, must first be recognized for their talents by those who make executive decisions before any sort level up can occur. In any professional level sport, getting seen by scouts and coaches while among the amateur ranks seems likes a million to one shot, especially for Black baseball players. Black players make up less than 10% on the baseball diamond on the professional level, while their basketball and football counterparts are an overwhelming 80% of professional rosters.

Enter into the world of Minority Baseball Prospects’ Creative Director and VP Tyrone Wyche. The Atlanta native started the mission of magnifying a focus on Black and Brown baseball players along with his brother Alex during the pandemic, when national baseball showcases broadcasted white players while all but shunning minority players who boasted better stats in tougher leagues. There is no doubt that Black players have made unprecedented history in baseball, but with baseball being predominately white since its inception in 1890, back when Black players were totally excluded from competing on a professional level, Black baseball players’ opportunities to gain national exposure are not even comparable to their white counterparts. Also, the racism faced by Black players in the early 20th century that forced them to create the Negro Leagues are the same hurdles that have now forced people like Wyche into a niche to properly expose Black baseball prospects.

Minority Baseball Prospects and its sister organization, Minority Softball Prospects, have literally spread over half of the country and have produced unparalleled results. MBP is currently facilitating events and showcases in 26 states, have showcased 565 collegiate signees including 2024 NCAA D1 Collegiate Champions Tennessee Vols’ Christian Moore, Kavares Tears and Ariel Antigua, 47 MLB Draft Picks including Pittsburgh Pirates’ Temarr Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks Druw Jones, Reds’ 2022 1st Round Draft Pick Cam Collier, Padres’ 2023 1st Round Draft Pick Dillon Head, Yankees 2023 1st Round Draft Pick George Lombard Jr., Rangers’ 2022 5th Round Draft Pick Chandler Pollard and hundreds of HBCU All-American and All-American Game Black players.

In this exclusive interview with TheSource.com, this Black baseball executive speaks about the importance of having showcases and tournaments exclusively for Black and Brown baseball players and his plans to expand the Minority Prospects umbrella into other sports.

Wyche stated his purpose for establishing MBP: “At the end of the day, me and my brother felt like this void needed to be filled…it’s never been talked about. So for us, it just felt like the right timing. It showed us that it really needed to be done because it happened so fast…we did it for the passion. We didn’t do it for the money. We did it for the representation.”

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Minority Baseball Prospects’ Ty Wyche Set To Even Out Opportunities On The Field For Black And Brown Players first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Minority Baseball Prospects’ Ty Wyche Set To Even Out Opportunities On The Field For Black And Brown Players appeared first on The Source.

SOURCE SPORTS: Minority Baseball Prospects’ Ty Wyche Set To Even Out Opportunities On The Field For Black And Brown Players

Screenshot 2024 06 28 at 11.53.50 PM

Regardless of the sport or field of expertise that anyone decides to pursue, in order to advance and thrive in that said field, must first be recognized for their talents by those who make executive decisions before any sort level up can occur. In any professional level sport, getting seen by scouts and coaches while among the amateur ranks seems likes a million to one shot, especially for Black baseball players. Black players make up less than 10% on the baseball diamond on the professional level, while their basketball and football counterparts are an overwhelming 80% of professional rosters.

Enter into the world of Minority Baseball Prospects’ Creative Director and VP Tyrone Wyche. The Atlanta native started the mission of magnifying a focus on Black and Brown baseball players along with his brother Alex during the pandemic, when national baseball showcases broadcasted white players while all but shunning minority players who boasted better stats in tougher leagues. There is no doubt that Black players have made unprecedented history in baseball, but with baseball being predominately white since its inception in 1890, back when Black players were totally excluded from competing on a professional level, Black baseball players’ opportunities to gain national exposure are not even comparable to their white counterparts. Also, the racism faced by Black players in the early 20th century that forced them to create the Negro Leagues are the same hurdles that have now forced people like Wyche into a niche to properly expose Black baseball prospects.

Minority Baseball Prospects and its sister organization, Minority Softball Prospects, have literally spread over half of the country and have produced unparalleled results. MBP is currently facilitating events and showcases in 26 states, have showcased 565 collegiate signees including 2024 NCAA D1 Collegiate Champions Tennessee Vols’ Christian Moore, Kavares Tears and Ariel Antigua, 47 MLB Draft Picks including Pittsburgh Pirates’ Temarr Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks Druw Jones, Reds’ 2022 1st Round Draft Pick Cam Collier, Padres’ 2023 1st Round Draft Pick Dillon Head, Yankees 2023 1st Round Draft Pick George Lombard Jr., Rangers’ 2022 5th Round Draft Pick Chandler Pollard and hundreds of HBCU All-American and All-American Game Black players.

In this exclusive interview with TheSource.com, this Black baseball executive speaks about the importance of having showcases and tournaments exclusively for Black and Brown baseball players and his plans to expand the Minority Prospects umbrella into other sports.

Wyche stated his purpose for establishing MBP: “At the end of the day, me and my brother felt like this void needed to be filled…it’s never been talked about. So for us, it just felt like the right timing. It showed us that it really needed to be done because it happened so fast…we did it for the passion. We didn’t do it for the money. We did it for the representation.”

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Minority Baseball Prospects’ Ty Wyche Set To Even Out Opportunities On The Field For Black And Brown Players first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Minority Baseball Prospects’ Ty Wyche Set To Even Out Opportunities On The Field For Black And Brown Players appeared first on The Source.

Lakers Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick Called Bronny James Before Making Historic 55th Pick

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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.

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SOURCE SPORTS: The Incomparable Savannah Bananas’ Brandon Crosby Drops His Lengthy Playlist Courtesy Of Black Baseball Mixtape

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This week’s playlist comes from a Virginia native as well as a former Norfolk State University baseball standout who took his skills on the diamond down to Georgia to play for the world famous Savannah Bananas. Known affectionately by his name on the field “Showtime”, Crosby was originally drafted into the Pioneer Baseball League, which is a MLB affiliate league in the Mountain states and Showtime was drafted by the Northern Colorado Owiz.

The former All-American was signed to the Bananas as a “utility player” at the top of 2024, meaning that Savannah could use Crosby at any position on the field. The Bananas’ Number 17 appreciates his opportunity to play with the Savannah Bananas this year as he continues to pursue his career in baseball and represent his home town of Richmond.

Now Crosby has a unique playlist, consisting of HUNDREDS of tracks that last a total of more than seven hours. Also, Showtime’s music selection isn’t Hip Hop centered, but he definitely has some classics from the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Kanye West and DJ Khaled, however, his audible palate is select, iso he’s ncluded songs from the likes of Roy Ayers, Willie Hutch, Janet Jackson and even the late, great Rick James. So sit back, grab your favorite indulgences and check out Showtime’s playlist courtesy of the good people at Black Baseball Mixtape!

The post SOURCE SPORTS: The Incomparable Savannah Bananas’ Brandon Crosby Drops His Lengthy Playlist Courtesy Of Black Baseball Mixtape first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: The Incomparable Savannah Bananas’ Brandon Crosby Drops His Lengthy Playlist Courtesy Of Black Baseball Mixtape appeared first on The Source.