Master P‘s son and basketball star, Hercy Miller, will not face any charges in the alleged Utah University theft case by prosecution, according to local news. Miller, 24, was among three students arrested on theft charges just before Thanksgiving after allegedly taking refrigerators from a campus loading dock. Each had faced a single count of theft for items valued between $1,500 and $4,999. TMZ Sports reports that prosecutors have filed a motion to dismiss the case against him, citing undisclosed reasons. A judge is expected to rule on the matter next week, potentially clearing Miller of any involvement.
According to police reports filed in Iron County, the trio reportedly removed two refrigerators, each worth $1,500, from the loading dock of the university bookstore on November 11. Security footage captured the students loading the appliances into two vehicles before driving off. Authorities identified the suspects and their vehicles using the university’s directories. One refrigerator was later discovered inside an apartment shared by two of the students, visible through the front door, while the second was located in the garage of the third suspect’s home.
The theft was initially reported to university police on November 22, and arrests were made on November 27. According to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, Master P’s son and other students were released from custody the following day. Master P would share with the press that the arrest was a misunderstanding that would be dropped soon.
When questioned, the suspects offered conflicting explanations. One claimed the theft was another suspect’s idea, stating he only assisted in loading the refrigerators. Another said the group assumed the appliances were being discarded, as they had been sitting on the dock for nearly a month. However, according to the police, none of the suspects sought confirmation from campus staff before taking the items. Miller, #15, plays Guard for Southern Utah University.
Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball finally returned to an NBA court this season. He missed two full seasons with a litany of leg injuries and surgeries. Ball has not yet been quite as dynamic as he was before the injuries. He also missed a month of action after an unrelated wrist injury kept him out of the lineup for 15 games. But, once he gets back into game shape, he will be a valuable contributor to an NBA team. Whether that’s in Chicago or on a contending roster looking for the piece that can make them a championship-winning team.
On Thursday, ESPN published an extensive piece detailing Lonzo Ball’s 1000-day road to recovery. For the first time, Ball spoke at length about the effect that playing in the Big Baller Brand sneakers had on his body. He compared the first version of the sneakers to “kickball shoes.” He only played in them twice during Summer League games. The second version of the shoe, which was manufactured by Skechers, were better. But Ball was still not a fan. His first major knee injury came in January 2018, when he wore the shoes as a rookie. “I think it’s a possibility for sure, to be honest with you,” Ball said when asked if the Big Baller Brand shoes contributed to his knee problems. “I wasn’t really getting hurt like that until I started wearing them.” The injuries and surgeries piled up until Ball opted for a cartilage replacement surgery, an unknown procedure in the athletics world. This meant that there would be no precedent to look to. It worked, and now Ball is back to doing what he loves.
NBA fans will recognize “Big Baller Brand” as the basketball apparel brand that the once-ubiquitous LaVar Ball started while his sons were still playing at the amateur level. BBB existed to compete with other major brands and to separate the Ball brothers from the rest of the NBA. The ZO2s, which launched concurrently with BBB itself, first hit the market with a staggering $500 price tag. Ball previously recalled the sneakers being so poorly made that he’d have to change into a new pair every quarter because of how easily they ripped.
In the new ESPN profile, Lonzo Ball also recalled wanting to sign with Adidas in high school. He decided to bet on the success of Big Baller Brand instead. Though the brand still exists, Ball plays his NBA games in Nikes now. However, he has not signed an exclusive contract anywhere. In 2020, his younger brother LaMelo inked a nine-figure deal to become the face of Puma’s re-entry into the basketball market (under the creative direction of Jay-Z). Hopefully, the rest of Lonzo’s NBA journey is without any significant injury.
The Toronto Raptors played host to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, which meant that the best Canadian basketball player in the world got to take the floor in Toronto. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s star guard who is right in the thick of the league’s MVP race, is a Toronto native and put on a show in front of his hometown, which led to one very notable Raptors fan showing him some love while the teams went to the locker room at halftime.
With the Thunder up by the emphatic score of 67-42, the two teams started to head into the back for the halftime break when Gilgeous-Alexander noticed Drake sitting in his usual courtside seat. Gilgeous-Alexander made it a point to head over there and showed Drake a bit of love before he went to the back.
Now, it’s worth mentioning that Drake is probably the most famous fan of an NBA team that there is, other than maybe Jack Nicholson with the Los Angeles Lakers. Having said that, Drake is also a global ambassador for the Raptors, and he might be the only person officially affiliated with an NBA team who can get away with dapping up an opposing player while their team is getting carved up on their home floor like this.
New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor reportedly tried to get police to evict his ex girlfriend, Draya Michele, from the Los Angeles home he bought for them. Moreover, there are a lot of conflicting claims here, primarily the idea that they had an arrangement in which Michele would rent out and eventually purchase the property. But it seems like once she started dating Houston Rockets hooper Jalen Green, Taylor changed his mind and allegedly filed an eviction lawsuit against her. However, Michele claims that he never properly served her, so she suffered a default judgement. As you can probably tell, it’s all pretty complicated right now. But Mase and Cam’ron are here to make it easy for you.
Moreover, the two addressed this situation on their sports talk show It Is What It Is, roping in the highly publicized relationship between Draya Michele and Jalen Green. Mase posited that, if Michele has a new boyfriend in Green, then he should be the one who lets her stay over, not Tyrod Taylor. Cam’ron seemed to agree, but he couldn’t help but understand why the basketball player would want to keep Michele at a distance.
cam’ron and mase from Itiswhatitis react to QB Tyrod Taylor reportedly filed an eviction lawsuit against his ex-Draya Michele, who is refusing to leave the house he paid for Draya is dating Houston rockets nba player Jalen Green and has a kid with him. pic.twitter.com/wkZ328tcqo
Overall, they had some other jokes and assessments about the Draya Michele eviction situation, which at least did not turn out to be as controversial as other sports headlines recently. In fact, Cam’ron and Mase even took a little responsibility for LaMello Ball making a homophobic joke on air recently. “I blame myself, I really do, man,” Cam shared. “I blame the east side of Harlem. You got this in Jefferson Projects probably in 1996 when we were saying this. And before that — what the f**k? God damn, we did this a long time. To be honest with you, this is why we started saying ‘Pause.’ We used to say what Melo said, but we were like, ‘The people are sensitive, you get fined.’ And that’s why we don’t say it anymore.”
Meanwhile, Draya Michele has her own scandals to handle, and they don’t even have anything to do with Tyrod Taylor or Jalen Green. We’ll see how all these sagas continue to evolve and maybe even inform each other.
Cam Newton says that marriage with Jasmin Brown is not his “ultimate goal” for their relationship although he does want them to get married. He discussed his future plans with Brown during an interview with Sarah Fontenot on the latest episode of his Funky Friday podcast. Additionally, he argued that couples “trauma bond” over the idea of marriage and children.
“That’s the way that the propaganda of life that everybody has been putting in our faces to say, ‘ok get married, have kids, whatever.’ Not overlooking or not identifying that, that’s still a way for the devil to look or dwell in,” Newton explained. He added that he sees his relationship with Brown as the two “growing together.” He explained: “When you’re living in your truth, a lot of people want the benefits without also accepting the bulls**t. But when you cite the source of who that comment is coming from, you’re not mine either.”
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton and broadcaster Kaylee Hartung pose for a photograph on the red carpet ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft at Detroit’s Fox Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images
When The Shade Room shared clips from the interview on Instagram, fans were not happy with the former NFL quarterback. “May this love never find me or anybody else watching,” one user wrote in the comments section. Another added: “So having numerous children out of wedlock, creating single mother households is not trauma?”
Cam Newton Discusses His Relationship With Jasmin Brown
It’s not the first time Newton has made headlines for his controversial takes on marriage. Back in August, a similar conversation with Cheyenne Bryant on his Funky Friday podcast went viral as he argued that his “desire to get married” is lower than his “fear of divorce.” Check out Cam Newton’s full discussion with Sarah Fontenot below.
Stephen A Smith and ESPN are reportedly closing in on a historic contract that would give the popular sports television pundit access to more of Disney’s entertainment properties. The update comes as his current contract is set to expire in 2025. He earns $12 million a year under that deal.
Smith has previously suggested wanting to be the highest-paid personality on the network. ESPN recently signed Troy Aikman and Joe Buck from Fox to lead their Monday Night Football program. Additionally, they spent a massive amount to add Pat McAfee to their roster and even announced Jason Kelce will be getting his own late-night show in January.
Stephen A Smith & Bill Maher Attend A Los Angeles Lakers Game
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 23: Bill Maher and Stephen A. Smith attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on November 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
During an interview with Chris Wallace for an episode of his Max series, earlier this year, Smith joked about wanting a bigger salary than Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. “I’m not getting specific as it pertains to numbers, because only a fool discusses his own negotiations while negotiating,” Smith said at the time. “So I’m not going to go that far. What I would say to you is, I would ask, respectfully, pay attention to the industry. See what people are getting paid. See how much money they’re making and what they’re bringing to the table. Look at look at their ratings, look at their revenue that they’re generating, and look at mine. And so we all want what the market bears. Dak Prescott just signed a contract for $240 million he’s making 60 million a year.”
The update on his upcoming ESPN deal comes as Smith has been making headlines for his commentary on politics in recent months. He discussed the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election during an interview with Bill Maher on the Club Random podcast, last week.
Serena Williams firmly shot down rumors about bleaching her skin while discussing her beauty routine during a recent Instagram Live session for her Wyn Beauty brand. The clarification comes after a recent video from her daughter’s school play went viral and sparked all kinds of fan theories.
“And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” she said. “There is a thing called sunlight and in that sunlight, you get different colors. And, if I’m not posting and recorrecting my pictures and posting from my daughter’s– she had a play that I was volunteering on and had stage makeup on. Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous that everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she bleaches her skin.’ I’m a dark Black woman and I love who I am and I love how I look. And, that’s just not my thing. If people do it, that’s their thing and they have every opportunity and they should. I don’t judge. But you guys do. That’s what this world is about and I stay in my lane, the non-judgy one.”
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 04: Serena Williams attends the Men’s Singles Gold medal match on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
The explanation wasn’t enough for some fans. When DJ Akademiks reposted the comments, one user on Instagram wrote: “Shawty is 3 shades lighter than she was in the 90s and early 2000s. She cappin.” Another remarked: “Am I tripping or is her face two different colors in this very video?”
Serena Williams Clarifies Rumors About Skin Bleaching
Williams has been open about the beauty treatments she’s gotten in the past. Back in June, she revealed she had work done on her stomach scars after welcoming her two daughters. Check out Serena Williams’ full response to the accusations below.
Kyrie Irving is facing a $390K lawsuit from a wellness company that accuses him of leaving a hefty bill unpaid. The company made the allegation in a lawsuit filed on Monday in New York, according to TMZ Sports. The company, Elite Mind Solutions, claims Irving asked them to cater to 50 to 60 attendees for a family retreat from June 28 to July 2 but upped the headcount to 115 just days before. Then, on the day of, he allegedly brought 150 people.
Elite Mind Solutions further claims an attendee unexpectedly died during the event, which prompted the use of crisis intervention services. The filing notes that “continuation was only possible due to Plaintiff’s extraordinary efforts.” They say that altogether, the event racked up a bill of $390,710, which the Dallas Mavericks star has allegedly completely ducked paying. “[Irving] knowingly accepted these services and derived significant benefits from them,” the complaint reads. “Yet they refuse to compensate Plaintiff.”
Nov 27, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) walks back up the court during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Part of the reason Elite Mind Solutions trusted Irving’s promise to “handle all costs” was because they had a good relationship with him since 2020. “Defendants made false representations… with the intent to induce Plaintiff to continue performing services,” the lawsuit claims. “Mr. Irving and his company benefited enormously from Plaintiff’s services, including the continuation of the retreat in the wake of a tragic incident.” Altogether, the lawsuit accuses him of unjust enrichment and fraud.
Irving has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit. He’s currently focused on his season with the Dallas Mavericks as the team stands at 13-8 and in 5th place in the Western Conference. He and the team will take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
The NBA is heading to the Bay Area for All-Star weekend in 2025, as the Golden State Warriors and the Chase Center will play host to the league’s annual midseason showcase. The weekend is a celebration of the very best the NBA has to offer, and even as Adam Silver and co. seem hell-bent on fixing some perceived problems with the All-Star Game itself, the opportunity to gather and acknowledge how great the game of basketball can be makes the whole weekend worth it.
Beyond the celebration of the sport, All-Star weekend doubles as an opportunity to celebrate the host city. This time around, that means celebrating the Bay Area as a place that has made countless contributions to the worlds of basketball, music, and culture, and one way that’s happening is an upcoming project via Golden State Entertainment, the Golden State Warriors’ record label: For The Soil, a full-length, All-Star themed album that features some of the most prominent names from the Bay.
That includes P-Lo, who is spearheading the project in conjunction with Golden State Entertainment. So far, we’ve gotten one song that will appear on the album, “Players Holiday ’25,” which features P-Lo and a who’s who of big names from the Bay: Saweetie, G-Eazy, LaRussell, Larry June, Kamaiyah, Thuy, and YMTK. Other Bay Area icons, like E-40 and Too Short, will also appear on the album when it releases in 2025 — P-Lo was asked by GSE if he wanted to get any artists who weren’t from the Bay Area, but he wanted to “make sure we’re all represented.” And besides, it’s not like booking talent was hard once he started to ask around.
“Oh, no no no,” P-Lo responded when DIME asked if it was at all difficult to recruit artists from the Bay. “I think it’s a testament to all those great artists and my relationships with them. It was nothing but a, ‘Hey, I’m doing this, doing this with the Warriors, I need you on this.’ And everyone just kind of like jumped on board. And I think that’s something so special about the Bay, because I think people understand the bigger picture of what’s going on, everyone’s down to do it. So, it was dope, especially, like, ‘Players Holiday,’ for all those artists to come together on one day, I don’t think that ever happens — just everyone’s schedule and all that stuff. And it was perfect.”
P-Lo — a longtime Warriors fan who has done everything from providing in-arena music to enjoying Hennessy on Klay Thompson’s float during one of the team’s championship parades — described the environment on the set for the “Players Holiday ’25” video as “amazing,” as the opportunity to get that much talent and creativity into one place with a collection of “good people” is not something you see every day. He offered an anecdote to show just how special this project was, as he said Kamaiyah and G-Eazy couldn’t believe Larry June was part of the track because both of them reached out to him with songs in the past, and both times, they were left on read.
It was, of course, an opportunity to create something cool that represents the culture of uniqueness and innovation which defines the Bay — P-Lo wants the entire album to showcase that exact thing. But as you watch the video for “Players Holiday ’25,” you can’t help but notice that a core value that has come to define Steve Kerr’s tenure as head coach of the Warriors is prevalent. Kerr has spent years talking about the importance of joy in how Golden State operates, and P-Lo confirmed that the feeling of joy was everywhere on set.
“That’s literally what it was — literally, everyone was like, happy to be around each other, everyone was just happy just to see unity,” P-Lo says. “And I think we’re taking from the team, and strength in numbers, and being this deep team. And I feel like that’s what the Bay Area rap scene is — we’re deep, we’re strong, and we want to represent the Warriors.”
As for those Warriors, the team is doing an excellent job of generating some excitement ahead of the All-Star Game. The team is currently 12-7, which puts them in fourth place in the Western Conference at this early point in the season. All P-Lo wanted was for the team to get off to a hot start, one that would afford them a bit of a cushion once the slog that is the middle of the season rolled around.
He’s especially happy with the team’s depth, even after De’Anthony Melton tore his ACL. Despite the fact that they weren’t able to pull off a big swing for a star on the trade market, P-Lo expected that the Warriors would win a bunch of games due to the veteran additions they made in the summer — Melton, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson — and of course, having things like an Andrew Wiggins bounce back, Draymond Green still being Draymond Green, and Steph Curry playing at an elite level this late into his career helps, too.
“I knew this was going to be a deeper team, especially with all those veterans coming in,” P-Lo says. “But I didn’t expect us to start out this fast, though. Like, I knew we were going to be a good team, but I didn’t expect us to be first in the West off the rip.”
Curry is almost certainly going to play in the All-Star Game, and if the team keeps winning, there’s a chance Kerr ends up coaching one of the teams under the NBA’s new format in his home building. Maybe someone like Jonathan Kuminga will do the Dunk Contest, maybe there will be a Warriors team during the Skills Challenge, and at the very least, it sure seems like Curry is going to run back his shooting competition with Sabrina Ionescu, with Caitlin Clark and a familiar friend joining this time around.
Hometown teams are usually well-represented at All-Star, and the Warriors certainly will be. But whether it was J-Cole performing in Charlotte, Chance the Rapper performing in Chicago, or any number of other examples, the music that is synonymous with a city is an important part of the weekend, too, and P-Lo will play a major role this time around in making sure that happens.
“I just want to showcase all the talent we have, all the great, unique artists that we have,” P-Lo says. “And really, because I feel like the Bay Area is always like underrepresented — whether it’s media or hip-hop or anything, we’re always like the underdog. So, one of the main things that I wanted to do is just make sure that we’re represented during that time, and we made sure that we’re having our stuff being played during All-Star, because All-Star is such a big event, not only for basketball fans, but just in general.
“So it’s like, there’s going to be so many people, so many different companies, everyone’s going to be out here for All-Star. And I just wanted to make sure that we’re represented and make sure that we’re heard.”
Bronny James is getting plenty of love from his new teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers’ G-League affiliate team. 21-year-old Armel Traore caught up with TMZ at LAX and in doing so, praised the son of NBA legend LeBron James. “He’s my guy,” the small forward said. “And I like everyone on the team, we’re a family.”
Of being in the G-League himself, Traore added: “I’m blessed to be here. Just wanna keep going, it’s just the start. Every time I get my chance in the big gym, I’m showing my stuff, and in the G League, play my game.” Traore signed a two-way contract with the South Bay Lakers after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He’s from Créteil, France.
Bronny James & LeBron James During The Lakers-Grizzlies Game
Nov 6, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) sit on the bench during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th overall pick in the same draft in which Traore went unselected. After Bronny started out the season with the main team, head coach JJ Redick adjusted his standing to being a “fluid” member of the G-League. “Our plans are always fluid based on real time,” Redick told reporters, earlier this season, as caught by ESPN. “I believe we have two guys dressing today that as of yesterday we’re not dressing out. The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one. [General manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I have talked about that. LeBron’s talked about that.”
Armel Traore Discusses Playing With Bronny James
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 12-8, leaving them in 6th place in the Western Conference. They’re set to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. Check out Armel Traore’s full comments on playing with Bronny James below
