Lakers star, LeBron James is expected to opt out of the final year of his current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers to become an unrestricted free agent. Now this might not be earth shattering news but according to Dan Woike of The LA Times, the move grants James two significant advantages: the ability to sign with any team and the eligibility to receive a no-trade clause due to his tenure with the Lakers and his overall NBA career length.
Opting out may slightly reduce his potential earnings on a new contract with the Lakers compared to extending his current deal. As a free agent, a three-year max contract would be worth about $162 million, starting at a max salary calculated as 5% above his previous $47.6 million salary and including 8% raises in subsequent years. In contrast, opting in and extending would result in over $164 million, as it would start from his $51.4 million player option figure.
If unfamiliar, the Over-38 Rule limits James to a maximum of a three-year contract. Despite the minor financial difference, the security of a no-trade clause might be more valuable to him. Historically, James has preferred short-term deals to maximize flexibility and take advantage of the rising salary cap, which is expected to increase by the maximum 10% annually starting next offseason.
Don’t get too excited at the prospect of King James donning another uniform to end his career. Remaining with the Lakers is anticipated, other teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder might show interest. Sign-and-trade or opt-in and trade scenarios are also possible, with a decision deadline of June 29.
ICYMI, the Lakers, having hired James’ podcast co-host JJ Redick as head coach and expected to draft his son Bronny, are favored to retain him. However, James’ free agency will allow him to explore all potential opportunities before making a final decision.
Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100 meters with a world-leading time of 10.71 seconds, securing her spot in the Paris Olympics. Despite a sluggish start, she accelerated past the other sprinters at 60 meters, finishing well ahead.
“This time around, I feel as if it was more — definitely still confident, still my exciting, normal self, but more so the overwhelming feeling of joy,” Richardson said after the race.
Richardson, the reigning world champion, overcame a bad start and a loose shoelace in the opening round and continued her dominance in the semifinals and final. Melissa Jefferson finished second with a personal-best 10.80, and Twanisha Terry took third with 10.98. All three train together and will advance to the Paris Olympics.
“It definitely confirmed the year we’ve been training for. We’ve been preparing for this moment, it’s a full circle moment,” Richardson said. “We’re grateful and appreciative and I’m super excited to grow and build from this momentum that we’ve already established. It’s more than exciting to continue to go forward with my girls. We didn’t put the world on notice, the world already knew…We knew this moment could be possible if we put our minds, body and spirit into it.”
ICYMI, Richardson is in the midst of an impressive career stretch, having won gold at the 2023 world track and field championships and the Prefontaine Classic. Her consistent performances have made her one of the brightest stars heading to Paris.
Get this, the race marks Richardson’s second time qualifying for the Olympics in the 100 meters. In 2021, she made international headlines after testing positive for THC, resulting in a one-month suspension that kept her out of the Olympic 100 meters. This time, she is poised not only to compete in Paris but also to be the early favorite in the 100 meters.
“Everything I’ve been through is everything I’ve been through to be in this moment right now,” Richardson said. “And I would say going into the (Olympics), I don’t put a time on myself, I just know that if I execute and run the race that I trained and prepared for, the time comes with it. I’m just excited to go out there and run a well-executed race.”
Boston Celtics Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is enlisting Boston’s help following Friday’s championship parade.
The Celtics star wing shared on social media that he lost a ring during the festivities.
“Reward for whoever finds this ring lost it at the parade ,” Brown wrote in an Instagram story.
Get this, the ring Brown lost had the logo for his personal brand, 7uice, in the center and appears to have diamonds. Brown didn’t share what the reward would be for finding the ring. But one would figure whoever finds it could get a decent payday as Brown is entering the first year of his supermax deal that’s worth nearly $300 million.
“Big reward for whoever find this ring lost it at the parade if you find it lmk please ,” Brown wrote in another post to his Instagram story.
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Just for clarification, the ring isn’t the Celtics’ championship ring. Members of the team will likely get those rings on the opening night of the 2024-25 season, as is tradition in the NBA.
One the brighter side, even though Brown lost a prized possession Friday, he did pick up some more personal hardware earlier in the week. He received the Bill Russell Trophy for Finals MVP, being rewarded for his performance over the Celtics’ five-game series win over the Mavericks.
Brown was second on the team in scoring in the series, averaging 20.8 points per game. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game. Defensively, he had a team-high 1.6 steals per game and was the Celtics’ catalyst in slowing down Luka Doncic. The Mavericks star scored just 21 points on 9 of 22 shooting while committing five turnovers when Brown was the primary defender, per NBA.com’s tracking data.
Outside of losing his personal ring, Brown seemed to enjoy Friday’s parade. I mean he’s the MVP of the finals and just won a chip. Not to mention he quieted all the naysayers after he signed the most lucrative contract in NBA history. He hyped up fans from the duck boat he was on, wearing a shirt that read, “State Your Source.” At one point, he caught a basketball and spun it around his finger. He also paid tribute to his late friend and Dorchester native Terrence Clarke, holding up his jersey.
Brown continued to soak in the celebration of the championship win on social media Saturday. He shared several images from the parade on Instagram, tagging Stephen A. Smith with the caption, “State your source.” He also reposted several posts from the NBA Finals and the Celtics’ celebration on X before posting an image of him hugging his mom after he was named Finals MVP.
Good luck finding the ring but if he doesn’t, he has a new, bigger and better ring coming next season. Just sayin.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum described his team’s five-game first-round victory over the Miami Heat as an “easy” part of their NBA title journey. “They’re always easy,” Tatum told analyst Brian Scalabrine about the Heat before the Celtics’ championship parade. Full stop. Jimmy Butler didn’t play. Tyler Herro wasn’t 100%. Let’s knock it off.
This win came a season after the Heat had upset the Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, ending Boston’s title hopes.
In the first-round series, Tatum averaged 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds, finishing with a decisive 118-84 win in Game 5 against a weakened Miami team. This marked a significant improvement from the previous year’s Game 7, where Tatum’s ankle injury limited him to 14 points and the Celtics were eliminated.
Immediately after last year’s loss, Tatum had called it a “tough” game, highlighting turnovers and poor shooting by Boston, while praising the Heat’s performance: “We didn’t shoot the ball well. They shot the ball extremely well.”
Reflecting on the 2024 first-round win, Tatum mentioned he wanted to face Miami for a greater challenge: “I wanted to play Miami… Knowing the history… how hard they play, how well-coached they are… we were going to have to be ready to play and be ready to fight.”
Tatum’s “easy” comment contrasts with his earlier respect for the Heat, but serves to energize Celtics fans and ensure the Boston-Miami rivalry remains one of the NBA’s most exciting.
Guess we have to endure this until the 2024-25 season begins in four and half months or so. Fun times.
This weeks exclusive playlist comes from Corona, California native Samad Taylor, a 2016 10th round Draft Pick of the Cleveland Indians straight out of Corona High School at 18 years old. Taylor debuted in the MLB last season with the Kansas City Royals, however, made his way to the Mariners organization this season after only appearing in 31 games for the Royals.
The 25-year-old right-handed OF/2B/SS has played 63 games for the Tacoma Rainers(AAA) and in 65 ABs, gained a .215 batting average, with 14 hits, banging in four RBIs and racking up eight stolen bases.
The SoCal native gives his fans and supporters a peek into his musical taste, which is really heavy on the grown and sexy side, so check put this “pull up and cool out” playlist from Taylor courtesy of the one and only Black Baseball Mixtape!
The Lakers search for their next head coach is over. The storied Los Angeles franchise just hired former NBA guard JJ Redick as their new head coach. Feels like they got the man they wanted from jump street and Hurley was just a one off exploration that ultimately did not go anywhere.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the hiring, confirming Redick’s four-year deal with the Lakers. Insiders Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic revealed that Redick’s salary is approximately $8 million per season.
“Redick is signing a four-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $8 million per season with the Lakers, according to sources briefed on the deal,” they reported.
This contract is fairly standard for an NBA head coach, but it is considered a good deal for a first-time coach with no prior experience. So basically the Lakers aren’t breaking the bank but are still paying fair market value for Redick.
Despite the risk, the Lakers’ front office is confident in Redick’s potential. His name surfaced as a candidate after the dismissal of former head coach Darvin Ham. Although other teams had shown interest in Redick over the years, the Lakers secured him for his debut coaching position.
Redick’s immediate challenges include navigating the upcoming NBA Draft and preparing for free agency. While the Lakers face significant tasks ahead, they now have a new leader to guide them.
Now, we all want to know. What does LeBron feel about the deal that many think he pushed for and how does this move affect his future as the 4-time champion winds down his career. Time will tell.
TMZ reports that a man named Abdullah Ali is suing rapper Lil Uzi Vert, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, and several employees of Mayweather’s Money Team, claiming they were involved in an assault on him last summer. Yikes.
Get this, according to the lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York, Ali alleges that on June 27, 2023, members of Mayweather’s TMT team and Lil Uzi allegedly attacked him after he tried to catch a glimpse of a Mayweather-owned trailer near a New York City hotel.
Ali’s attorneys, Matthew Blit and Michael Rose, told TMZ Sports that Ali was filming a Rolls-Royce being unloaded from the trailer when Uzi and TMT members noticed him and aggressively demanded he stop.
This sounds damning, if true … Following a verbal confrontation, the situation escalated into violence. The lawyers claim Ali was hit with a barrage of punches and kicks that knocked him to the ground, with at least ten men, including Lil Uzi, taking turns assaulting him for over a minute.
The wasn’t me and I wasn’t there defense is in full effect from Uzi’s team. The “XO Tour Life” rapper’s representatives deny his involvement, stating, “Lil Uzi Vert doesn’t know Floyd Mayweather or have any form of affiliation with Mayweather’s Money Team, and was not at the site of the alleged incident.”
FWIW, it remains unclear whether Mayweather himself was present during the altercation. Ali’s attorneys report that Ali suffered injuries, including knocked-out teeth, and required hospital treatment for his injuries. Ali is suing for unspecified damages.
Adversity seems to be the key motivating factor in the career-high comeback that Sterling Marte hass made this season and while the Amazins are on fire, winning six of their last seven games, their on fire right fielder has reached. an MLB milestone that seems to be unattainable for any else in the league.
Marte had a rough time after coming off the IL in 2023, but has accomplished a very rare career milestone when he stole the 350th base of his career, making him the only active player in baseball to reach this feat. Marte is no. 112 on the all-time list of base stealers, and no current MLB player is close to catching him.
Check out Marte grab his 350th stolen base of his career against the Padres HERE
The 35-year-old’s first season in 2022 was of All-Star pedigree, but after missing close to a month of action for a fractured middle finger in early September, Marte only managed to grab 18 bags that season. Last year, he appeared in 86 games, mainly due to double groin surgery, but still was able to rack up 24 stolen bases Already in 2024 the red hot Met has 12 SBs in 61 games, while he boasts .391/.440/.630 at the plate with a 1.030 OPS, two HRs and 10 RBIs in his last 15 games. In the past week, Sterling has kept himself on base, hitting .440 with a 1.180 OPS.
As for the team, the Mets are 10-4 in their last 14 games, won 8 of their last 10 and have climbed back to a record of 32-37, just two GB for the final Wild Card spot in the NL. Are the Mets a potential post season team this season? Of course. With Edwin Diaz and Francisco Alvarez back from the IL and Marte along with J.D. Martinez keeping the ball in play, the Mets have a shot at the NL Wild Card. Like the New York Lottery saying goes, you never know.
If you believe super agent Rich Paul, LeBron James and his son Bronny James are not a package deal ahead of the 2024 NBA draft. Paul told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, “LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny. If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t.” Seems fair. But is that the real situation?
He emphasized that there is no guarantee LeBron will re-sign with the Lakers if they draft Bronny, stating, “If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn’t re-sign.”
To double down, Paul made it clear that LeBron will not join another team on a minimum deal to play with Bronny, dismissing speculation about a move to the Phoenix Suns. This stance has been reiterated in multiple interviews, with Paul telling Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, “LeBron said he wanted to play with his son. Bronny can’t do anything about that. But again, I have a job to do representing Bronny and LeBron. If it aligns where he can play with his dad, great. Am I necessarily focused on that? No, not at all.”
Get this, Bronny’s approach to the draft suggests a strategic move. He has only worked out for the Lakers and the Suns, which typically indicates leverage reserved for lottery prospects, despite being projected as a second-round pick. This move might hint at a desire to join a team where his father could potentially follow.
Now the thing is franchises like the Lakers and Suns, focused on winning championships, may not provide the ideal environment for a rookie’s development. The Lakers’ first-round pick in 2023, Jalen Hood-Schifino, played only 109 minutes in his first year, and the Suns traded their second-rounder, Toumani Camara, to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Even though Paul’s statements suggest no guarantees that LeBron will join a team just because they draft Bronny, the selective workout strategy might imply an attempt to engineer a father-son partnership on their terms.
The best way non-baseball fans can understand is to describe him as the “Michael Jordan of Baseball” on the field, but off the diamond, his personality rivaled his performance. This is just a glimpse into why the commemoration of the Negro Leagues by Major League Baseball at the legendary Rickwood Field will be a three-day celebration of the life of baseball legend Willie Mays.
Not only is Rickwood Field one of the premiere stadiums of the Negro Leagues, where Mays began his professional baseball career as a member of the Birmingham Black Barons, but Birmingham, Alabama is also the birthplace of Mays, who’s commonly known among baseball enthusiasts as the “Say Hey Kid”. There will be an inaugural Juneteenth event that proceeds the big game between Mays’ MLB alma mater San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. Wednesday’s “Birmingham Barnstorm” Fam Jam Celebrity Softball Game is a face-off between Derek Jeter’s “Hammers” honoring the late home run king Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds Jr.’s “Sey Heys”, who are playing in the name of Bonds’ godfather, who is none other than, you guessed it, Willie Mays. Bonds’ who is currently Major League’s asterisked all time home run leader, has always told intimate stores of his late godfather and because of their close relationship, this could be the reason that Bonds may not be able to serve as the Sey Heys’ team captain today.
The main attraction will, of course, be tomorrow’s game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at the historic Birmingham field and to properly recognize the contributions of the Negro Leagues to what we know today as Major League Baseball, the two MLB teams will be wearing replicas of the Negro League uniforms. The Giants will be playing as the “SeaLions”, which was a West Coast Negro League team based in San Francisco in 1946. West Virginia-born Marcenia Lyle Stone aka Toni Stone, began playing for the Sea Lions in 1949, becoming the first female to ever play in the Negro Leagues.
The St. Louis Cards will be donning “St. Louis Stars” uniforms, repping for the Negro National League’s three-time champions, the St. Louis Stars. Playing from 1922-1931, the Stars’ roster included several Negro League Hall Of Famers including Willie Wells, James Thomas Bell aka “Cool Papa Bell”, Mule Nettles and others.
As described by MLB.com., “fans will witness another kind of history as stars of entertainment, sports and baseball descend on Birmingham” as the celebrity softball game, which will include notables such as Karen Civil, DC Young Fly, Terrell Owens, Omari Hardwick and a host of MLB legends including former Phillies star Jimmy Rollins, the Yankees’ CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez, “Big Papi” David Ortiz, Adam Jones and countless others. The game will conclude with a feature performance by ATL super producer Metro Boomin, who will definitely bring out the crowds who aren’t necessarily baseball fans.
Arguably the best all around player in baseball, the Birmingham-born “King of the Diamond” will definitely be honored in regal baseball fashion at Rickwood. The Negro League Baseball Museum will notably recognize Mr. Mays in all of the ceremonies, as the President of the NLBM Bob Kendrick gave this statement about the passing of Mays.
“All of us at the Negro League Baseball Museum are devastated by the news of the passing of the great Willie Mays. Willie so beautifully represented the heart and soul of everything that made the Negro Leagues special on the road to becoming a Hall of Famer and in the hearts and minds of many, the greatest Major Leaguer of all time. While our hearts are heavy, we’ll remember and celebrate him for the unbridled joy he brought to the game! We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Mays family and his legion of fans worldwide.’”
The Birmingham Barnstorm celebrity softball game wil begin tonight at 7PM EST while the Negro League Tribute will be held tomorrow(June 20) AT 6:15PM EST and can be seen on FOX Sports.
MLB is extending the Rickwood Game “Beyond the Ballpark” to the Birmingham community at four local bars and restaurants on Thursday, June 20. The official “Beyond the Ballpark” watch parties start at 5 p.m. CT at the following locations:
Continental Drift 2201 7th Ave S Birmingham, AL 35233 RSVP HERE
Denim on 7th 2808 7th Ave S #105 Birmingham, AL 35233 RSVP HERE
Uptown Jazz Lounge 2250-B 9th Ave N Birmingham, AL 35203 RSVP HERE
SLEEK Sports Bar 1005 20th St S Birmingham, AL 35205 RSVP HERE
,” Brown wrote in an Instagram story.
