Sports

Victor Wembanyama Has Monster Game Against Portland

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Victor Wembanyama produced the first 30/5/5/5 game by a teenager in the NBA in a monster night for the Spurs. The French superstar rookie finished the night with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 blocks as San Antonio snapped a five-game skid. Furthermore, Wembanyama’s star night game against fellow high-flying prospect, Scoot Henderson. “It’s always important to me to play against great players, especially players my age,” Wembanyama said after the game. “His length alone is just weird, it’s like he hovers over you. You can’t really feel him or bump him off because of his length,” Henderson said of playing against Wembanyama.

The win, just San Antonio’s fifth of the season, showed what a team built around Wembanyama was capable of. “We were never stopping the ball, always moving and sharing it. The defense, we were all locked in on the shifts. We had a lot of deflections, especially in the first half. It’s details, but when you get it all together, this is what it looks like,” Wembanyama said.

Read More: Victor Wembanyama Reveals His Favorite Off-Court Hobby

Jersey From Victor Wembanyama’s NBA Debut Sells For Over $700K

Wembanyama is averaging 18.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks a game in a stellar start to his NBA career. Despite the Spurs’ struggles, the hype on Wembanyama remains high. The jersey from his NBA debut has sold for $762K, nearly eight times the estimated price. The auction, handled by Sotheby’s, opened last week and closed yesterday with an anonymous bidder coming away with the one-of-a-kind item. Of course, the price tag is nowhere close to the record set by Michael Jordan‘s 1998 Finals jersey ($10.091M). However, it’s an amazing price for the jersey of a player less than 20 games into his NBA career. Furthermore, it did set a new record for the sale of an NBA rookie debut jersey. The all-time record for a full rookie uniform was set in 2021 with the sale of Kobe’s rookie kit.

A major contributing factor to the auction, which reportedly drew 62 bids alone, is how Wembanyama has gone from strength to strength over the course of his young career. Of course, Wembanyama is no ordinary rookie. The Frenchman has been professionally in the well-regarded French league since 2019. While many European players come to the NBA with prior professional experience, few have that experience at the same level or hype as Wembanyama. By comparison, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who played three years in Serbia before the NBA, was a mid-second-round pick in 2014.

Read More: Chris Paul Tries To Look Taller In Photo With Victor Wembanyama, Social Media Goes Wild

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Shaq Speaks On Retiring League-Wide Jersey Retirements

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Shaq has said he doesn’t necessarily agree with league-wide retirements of certain player jerseys. “I hate the fact that they hang up other people’s jerseys. I hope I’m not disrespecting anybody by this term. This thing is ours. This is what we built. Michael Jordan ain’t never play for the Heat. Bill Russell ain’t never play for the Heat. You did your own thing with your little Celtics family and Chicago family. But this Miami thing? I was one of the original championship families… this is our thing. So, I don’t like that personally,” Shaq said.

The Hall of Famer, whose jersey is retired by the Heat, was opining on the retirements following the news that the team would be retiring Udonis Haslem’s jersey in January. Haslem’s jersey will be just the sixth jersey retired by the Heat. The other jerseys of Heat players that have been retired are Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Read More: Shaq Bet Money On Episodes Of Maury During His NBA Career

Udonis Haslem Explains Shading Bill Russell

However, Haslem himself has found himself in hot water this week for comments about Bill Russell. Haslem explained why he had once said “F-ck Bill Russell” during a huddle speech. “I had to repent that. I love Bill. There’s no disrespect to Bill. I love Bill. He just caught that stray,” Haslem admitted. However, he went on to explain that it wasn’t a pointed comment. Instead, it was an off-handed remark as part of a large rallying cry about the Boston-Miami rivalry.

“Will you ever see a Miami Heat jersey in hanging the Boston rafters? Ever? In life? I wouldn’t give a f-ck if a Miami Heat player was on the basketball. Who’s that motherf-cker on the basketball? What’s his name? Jerry West. That motherf-cker played for the Heat, he would never hang in the rafters. He would never. They would never hang Jerry West’s Miami Heat jersey in the Boston rafters. Never in life. Respect to Bill Russell. I love him. Why the f-cker he got to hang in here?” Haslem explained.

Read More: Pistons Tie All-Time Losing Streak After Blowing 21-Point Lead To Boston

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Russell Wilson Trade Branded “Worst Of All Time” By Former GM

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Experts have started to declare the Broncos’ decision to trade for Russell Wilson “the worst of all time”. The moniker comes after Wilson was benched and reportedly expects to be cut in the offseason. “When you add the contract and the trade, it’s the worst of all time,” former Browns GM Micheal Lombardi told TMZ. The Broncos gave up multiple first-round picks, multiple second-round picks, and three players to acquire Wilson. The Broncos then gave Wilson a $245M contract.

But Wilson was not the player that the Broncos thought they were trading for. Wilson struggled massively in 2022 and while he has improved in 2023, he has not turned the Broncos into a playoff contender. While there are front-office financial issues, the Broncos have claimed benching Wilson was purely a football decision. “I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that. I can tell you — look, we’re desperately trying to win. Sure, in our game today there are economics and all those other things. But the No. 1 push behind this — and it’s a decision I’m making — is to get a spark offensively,” head coach Sean Payton said.

Read More: Pistons Tie All-Time Losing Streak After Blowing 21-Point Lead To Boston

Jarrett Stidham Taking Over For Russell Wilson

With Wilson benched, for football or financial reasons, Jarrett Stidham takes over for the rest of the regular season. Stidham signed a two-year, $10 million contract with Denver in the offseason but will be making his first start of the season this week. “Obviously it’s difficult and all of us feel like, ‘Man, we didn’t do well enough’. But one of the things we saw when we signed Stidham in the offseason is not only film from preseason games, but regular-season games. He’s a guy that I’m anxious to see play,” Payton said.

After stints at Baylor and Auburn, Stidham was a fourth-round draft pick in 2019 by New England. After appearing in eight games over three seasons, he was traded to Las Vegas in 2022. There he made his first two career starts, replacing Derek Carr for the final two games of the regular season. Despite going 0-2, Stidham impressed the league, especially as he helped take the 49ers to overtime in his first start. His first start in Denver comes against the Chargers.

Read More: Aaron Rodgers Says He Didn’t Ask To Be Taken Off Injured Reserve

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Pop-Tart Mascot Becomes Instant Highlight Of Bowl Season

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Fans have a new favorite part of Bowl Season. However, like Edna St. Vincent Millay’s candle, the Pop-Tart Mascot cast a lovely light but did not last the night. The popular breakfast brand had been teasing the “world’s first-ever edible mascot” for weeks prior to the Orlando-hosted game. Despite this, no one was quite expecting how loveable the dancing Pop-Tart was going to be. As NC State and Kansas State battled back and forth, most viewers kept having their eyes drawn to the mascot. Perhaps it’s because everyone knew that its lifespan was tied to the final whistle. Perhaps it’s because a dancing, human-sized Pop Tart is a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

But then came the end of the game. Kansas State claimed victory, 28-19. However, once again it was the Pop-Tart that was the center of the attention. 31,000 people in Florida, and hundreds of thousands more at home, watched as the giant Pop-Tart was lowered into an appropriately-sized toaster. If the sight was not already surreal enough, the Pop-Tart was holding a sign that read “Dreams really do come true” as he was lowered out of sight. Later, the victorious Wildcats would consume handfuls of the baked mascot. And the world loved it.

Read More: Florida State Considering Raising Banner If Undefeated Season Continues

Pop-Tart Mascot Consumption Rivals Mayo Bath

However, a human-sized, pro-vore Pop-Tart being consumed on ESPN isn’t the only food-related oddity of Bowl Season this week. On Wednesday night, Charlotte played host to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Bowl game sponsors since 2020, Duke’s, a southern staple of the condiment realm, have long been the kings of bizarre bowl game promotion. Duke’s has readily embraced chaos and memery, especially on social media.

This culminates in the thing that the Pop-Tart Bowl was trying to one-up. Prior to Wednesday’s game, a fan was seen chugging the “sandwich-elevating” condiment outside the stadium. And after West Virginia dominated North Carolina, it was time was the thing ever viewer was really there to see. Mountaineers head coach was seated in an impromptu throne before a sentient jar of mayo gave him a Gatorade cooler bath of the condiment. But as the week, and year, ends, does that really compare to watching the Mayfly life of a 6ft Pop-Tart whose only goal in life was to be eaten?

Read More: Mikal Bridges Reveals He Eats Chipotle Every Day, Speaks On Nets’ Load Management

Fans Commemorate The Pop Tart

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Pistons Tie All-Time Losing Streak After Blowing 21-Point Lead To Boston

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The Pistons extended their losing streak to 28 games, tying the all-time North American record, in heartbreaking fashion. The Pistons had a 19-point lead over the Celtics, 14-0 at home, going into the half. However, the Celtics surged in the third quarter, completely erasing the deficit entering the final frame. Despite this, the Pistons managed to hang with the Celtics throughout the final quarter, forcing overtime. But an end to the losing wasn’t to be as Boston outscored Detroit 20-14 to stay undefeated at home.

“I just told them that it takes a lot of character and integrity to do what they’re doing. I’ve been in the league for a while, and I’ve seen teams give into circumstances that are less than what we’re dealing with. That was admirable. I hurt for them. We feel like we’re just getting so close to not just winning one game but winning a lot of games if we play that way,” Pistons head coach Monty Williams said. Cade Cunningham had 31 points, with Jaden Ivey also reaching 22. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the combined 66 from Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis.

Read More: Pistons Losing Streak Has Fans Clowning Wingstop Promotion

Pistons Keep Searching For Next Win

With the game wrapped up with a Porzingis dunk, the Pistons went back to the drawing board. “I’m not interested in just winning one more game this year, to stop this. That would be soft, in my opinion. I think our goals are a lot higher than that. We have what it takes to win a game. That’s nothing. But to put games together and to find our system, find what’s clicking, and allow us to sustain winning. That’s what we’re looking for right now,” Cunningham said after the game.

Next up for Detroit is a home game against the Raptors on Saturday. In a rebuild of their own, Toronto is 12-18 entering the matchup. While the Raptors are largely at full strength, the Pistons have one major advantage over the Raptors. Detroit has a rest day before they host Toronto. Meanwhile, the Raptors will play Detroit as the back-end of a back-to-back after playing Boston on Friday. Maybe that’s the edge that will stop the Pistons single-handedly taking the infamous record for themselves.

Read More: Ja Morant Trolled Pelicans With New Orleans Dance, Not Gun Celebration

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Shaq Bet Money On Episodes Of “Maury” During His NBA Career

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Shaq recently revealed that he used to place huge bets on who the father was in episodes of Maury. “Every morning at 10 a.m., we’d wake up with thousands of dollars and we’d watch The Maury Povich Show. And we’d make bets on who the father is … Every day. So, like, we watch it, we let them talk, and then we pause and then we pull that money out. ‘I’ll bet you a thousand he’s not the father!’ So, that was my thing,” Shaq told The Big Podcast.

Maury broadcast over 5500 episodes between 1991 and 2022. Meanwhile, Shaq’s career spanned from 1992 to 2011. That means that feasibly, Shaq could have won and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars just from watching the popular, if controversial talk show.

Read More: Shaq Says Draymond Green Should Only Be Suspended Two Games

Shaq Sides With Giannis On Pacers Game Ball Dispute

However, Maury isn’t the only controversial topic that Shaq has weighed in on recently. Speaking with TMZ, Shaq said he sided with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the debate over who should get the game ball from the Bucks recent game with the Pacers. “I think by the letter of the law, if you’re playing at home, you should get the ball in both circumstances. But, you know I think Giannis had the right to be upset. [Speaking as Giannis] ‘Hey, We’re in Milwaukee, I just made history, I want the ball.’ And you know, he went after the ball,” Shaq explained.

Tensions flared between Giannis and members of the Indiana Pacers after the Pacers seemingly took the game ball from Giannis’ record-breaking night. A scuffle ensued in the corridor outside the visitors’ locker room as Giannis confronted Tyrese Haliburton amongst others. This led to two versions of events. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said the team took the ball to mark Oscar Tshiebwe’s first career points. Meanwhile, Giannis said he went looking for the ball to mark Damian Lillard moving into fifth place on the career three-pointers list. However, both Giannis and Carlisle agreed that the confrontation was “unfortunate”.

Read More: Shaq Shows Zion Williamson No Mercy, Pelicans Star Cops To Bad Performance

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Von Miller Denies Assault On Pregnant Girlfriend

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Von Miller has made his first public statement after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend in suburban Dallas. “Obviously, there are things that I can’t talk about but everything that was out is completely wrong and blown out of proportion. Me and my girlfriend, we have problems just like any other couple does. But there has never been any of those things that was alleged against me. Hopefully over time, all of this stuff will get cleared up. Sometimes life just … be life-ing. You’ve just got to keep pushing and keep moving. The people who know me and the people who have been around me know my character, they know who I am,” Miller told reporters.

Furthermore, he said all reported details of the incident were wrong. “All of it is incorrect. The only thing that is true is we do have a third son on the way. Everything else is untrue. Me and my relationship with my girlfriend is the same. We’ve got three kids, and everything is normal in that respect. And everything was blown out of proportion that day. It was just a crazy day, whatever happened, I hate it happened, I hate my name is attached to anything like that and it’s just a matter of time until I can clear it up,” Miller continued.

Read More: Terrence Shannon Jr, Illinois Basketball Star, Arrested On Rape Charge

What Is Von Miller Accused Of?

Miller surrendered to police in late November after a warrant for his arrest was issued. Per TMZ, Miller was booked and released on bond soon after. According to ESPN, Miller’s bond was set at $5000. He had been wanted by police in Texas since late morning Wednesday. The warrat came after they responded to a “major disturbance call” concerning Miller and his pregnant partner. According to an affidavit, an argument about Miller’s partner’s travel plans had allegedly turned violent. Miller allegedly shoved her, pulled her hair, and placed his hands around her neck on two separate occasions.

Miller was previously investigated on similar accusations in Colorado in 2021. However, that inquiry did not lead to any sort of formal police intervention. However, the report of his assault by his alleged victim paints a disturbing picture. According to the alleged victim, Miller had demanded that she leave their shared apartment as a result of their argument. However, she claims that as she tried to collect her things, Miller repeatedly assaulted her and smashed her laptop. Miller, who signed a six-year deal with the Buffalo in 2022, continues to play limited snap counts as he rehabs from an ACL tear.

Read More: Ja Morant Trolled Pelicans With New Orleans Dance, Not Gun Celebration

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Terrence Shannon Jr, Illinois Basketball Star, Arrested On Rape Charge

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Terrence Shannon Jr, a star guard for the Illinois Fighting Illini, has been arrested on an outstanding rape warrant in Kansas. Shannon Jr turned himself in to police in Lawrence over an alleged sexual assault incident that reportedly occurred in September. Shannon posted a $50,0000 bond and returned to Illinois, where he was subsequently suspended from team activities. This was in accordance with university policy. “The University and [the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics] have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties,” Illinois’ athletic director said.

The charge stems from an alleged incident when Shannon Jr traveled to Kansas to attend an early-season football game. Illinois officials noted that Shannon Jr was “not in Lawrence on official University business, nor was he a member of the University’s travel party.” Police in Lawerence have been investigating the allegations since September but only chose to charge Shannon Jr this week.

Read More: Ja Morant Trolled Pelicans With New Orleans Dance, Not Gun Celebration

Terrence Shannon Jr Proclaims Innocence

Since posting bond, Shannon Jr proclaimed his innocence through his attorney. “Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning. Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday in Lawrence, KS. In less than 24 hours, my client responded, and he voluntarily surrendered to local authorities for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial,” Mark P. Sutter said.

Shannon Jr is the nation’s 8th-best scorer at 21.7 points per game. However, with Shannon Jr suspended, Illinois will need to play around his absence as conference play begins. Ranked No. 11 in the latest AP poll, Illinois is 9-2 on the season, only falling to then-No. 4 Marquette and then-No. 17 Tennessee. Illinois ends their non-conference slate against Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday. They then properly open Big 10 play against Northwestern on January 2.

Read More: Florida State Considering Raising Banner If Undefeated Season Continues

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Alex Rodriguez Finalizing Purchase Of The Timberwolves

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Alex Rodriguez and Marc Love are finalizing the purchase of a majority stake in Minnesota’s basketball franchise. Rodriguez and Love have been purchasing the Timberwolves and Lynx in installments from Glen Taylor since April 2021. This latest purchase will see A-Road and Love control 80% of the two teams. Taylor, who has owned the franchise since 1994, will retain the remaining 20%. However, he can choose to sell this to Rodriguez and Love at a later date.

The ownership change comes as the Timberwolves are in the midst of their best start to a season in franchise history. The team is 22-7 and first in the West. This is a reaping of the benefits sown by A-Rod and Love’s influence. Moves such as acquiring Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and players such as Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley are paying major dividends. However, it remains to be seen if the Timberwolves can maintain their pace and push themselves towards a title.

Read More: Mikal Bridges Reveals He Eats Chipotle Every Day, Speaks On Nets’ Load Management

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Star, Gets Roasted By Kevin Durant

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant was recently brutal in his response to a question about whether he would wear Anthony Edwards’ signature shoes. “Won’t EVER see me put a big toe in them Mfers,” Durant wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Even more brutal was the fact that Durant was responding to a video of Edwards himself saying that Durant was the player he most wanted to see wearing his signature shoe. Edwards has never been shy to express his admiration of Durant.

The comments largely supported Durant’s sharp sense of humor and unapologetic honesty. However, some people warned that Durant had best watch out as Edwards and the Timberwolves will “bake” Durant and the Suns. If that’s the case, those fans will be waiting a while. The Suns and Timberwolves don’t play again until April. Edwards is yet to respond to Durant’s comments. Durant recently posed for a photoshoot involving Drake‘s own signature shoe. Maybe it’s something about wearing a rival’s shoe that Durant is opposed to.

Read More: Adidas Hilariously Claps Back At Kevin Durant For Anthony Edwards Comments

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Jets Fans Lament Wasted QB Opportunites As Team Prepares To Face Joe Flacco

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Joe Flacco, who has become a playoff push hero for the Browns, is preparing to face his former team the Jets on Thursday Night Football. Flacco was waived in favor of Zach Wilson reclaiming the starting role after Aaron Rodgers went down with injury. However, as a result, Jets fans have begun to lament all the times that their franchise has seemingly gone out of its way to miss out on a franchise-altering quarterback.

This trend started in 1983 when the Jets passed on Dan Marino. Decision makers later said that they skipped Marino due to the Steelers passing on Marino. Marino was a hometown hero in Pittsburgh. However, Marino would then become a divisional nightmare after being picked by the Dolphins. Less than a decade later, a last-minute trade fell through, preventing the Jets from picking Brett Favre. Later in the 90s, the Jets, holding the No. 1 pick in the draft, didn’t do enough to convince Peyton Manning to forgo his senior year at Tennessee. Even as recently as 2018, the Jets passed on Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to take Sam Darnold.

Read More: Aaron Rodgers Making Millions To Appear On “The Pat McAfee Show”

Aaron Rodgers Addresses Criticism For Coming Off IR

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers, who is expected to be QB1 for the Jets next season, has spoken out after being activated from injured reserve. “I assumed I was going to go on IR. I asked to be put on IR, but then there was a conversation. ‘Do you want to practice?’ I said not at the expense of somebody getting cut. I know how this works – I didn’t feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab. I could do on-the-field stuff on the side, but, obviously, I got overruled there. It is what it is. This was an interesting situation,” Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show this week.

Rodgers was activated on December 20, when his 21-day practice window closed. If he had been kept on IR, he would not have been able to practice with the team for the rest of the season. Despite having been eliminated from playoff contention and with no plans to feature Rodgers in a game, the Jets moved him to the active roster. This led fullback Nick Bawden to be waived and later signed to the practice squad.

Read More: Jets Praise Aaron Rodgers For “Unbelievable” Recovery

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