Sports

Angel Reese: “I Want People To Underestimate Me”

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In a lengthy profile for ESPN, Angel Reese revealed the mentality that drives day-in, day-out. “I want people to underestimate me. I’m telling you, I have everything bookmarked for the right moment when everything just falls right into my hands,” Reese told Katie Barnes. However, for Reese – there is a fine line between being underestimated and being disrespected. “That game, that was one that was on my calendar, because when somebody tells me that they think that somebody else is better than me, and supposedly Kamilla was supposed to just dog-walk me all night, and mop me with the floor, and all this stuff,” Reese said of LSU’s regular-season matchup against South Carolina.

Additionally, Reese takes every scrap of hate as a new source of motivation. “They said I was too worried about social media, my GPA was low, I was pregnant. Yeah, my stats have gone down maybe four to five points because I’m on a way better team this year. But I’m still averaging a double-double every game. I think people don’t realize I can do 10,000 things and still be good at all of them. And I can’t wait till just everything just falls right into place,” she noted.

Read More: Angel Reese Calls Out Barstool Sports For “Double Standards”

Angel Reese Reveals Breakup, Says She’s “Not Ready To Mingle”

Elsewhere, Reese recently revealed that she has broken up with her partner, FSU basketball player Cam’Ron Fletcher. “I’m single. I don’t got no man. Don’t attach me to no man. That’s all Imma say. That’s it. I’m not ready to mingle. I am single, but I’m not ready to mingle. I’m just focusing on my college career. I’m focusing on school. That’s all I’m focused on right now and I’m focused on me. I’m not focused on nobody else,” Reese announced on Instagram. The couple had been together since June 2023.

However, Reese won’t have much time to be in her feelings about the breakup. Reese will lead LSU into March Madness this week, where they will look to defend their 2023 title as a three-seed. However, after they open their tournament against Rice on Friday, things will only get harder for the Tigers. Their quarter of the bracket includes UCLA as a two-seed and Iowa as a one-seed, teams that LSU will have to beat to progress to the final four.

Read More: Angel Reese’s Pep Talk For Hailey Van Lith Draws Draymond Green & Kevin Durant Comparisons

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Dawn Staley Thanks The “Basketball Gods” Ahead Of March Madness

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Dawn Staley has said that “preparation” has earned her South Carolina Gamecocks the favor of the “basketball gods”. “Sometimes the basketball gods favor that [preparation]. Preparation has allowed us to get lucky sometimes. I think our players play free. They play as if there are no consequences, and that’s a gift and a curse for someone like me. If you have a conversation with [players], it’s like they have short-term memory. They only think about the winning part of it. They don’t really think about how we won or how we could have lost. It’s worked for this team thus far. I don’t know if it’ll work throughout the tournament,” Staley said.

South Carolina, the only undefeated team left at the Division I level and the top overall seed in the women’s tournament, start their March Madness campaign on Friday. They face first-time dancers Presbyterian in a rematch of a game South Carolina won 99-29 back in December. However, the team will be without leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, who is suspended for her role in a fight at the end of the SEC tournament title game. With South Carolina heavily favored to win, Cardoso will be cleared to return for their second-round game against either North Carolina or Michigan State.

Read More: South Carolina Star Becomes Steph Curry’s First NIL Signing

Elizabeth Kitley To Miss March Madness, Virginia Tech’s Hopes Of Final Four Repeat Fade

Dawn Staley
(Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Elsewhere, the basketball gods aren’t so kind. Virginia Tech star Elizabeth Kitley will miss March Madness due to a torn ACL. “On March 3rd I suffered a knee injury that is keeping me out of this year’s NCAA tournament. This is not at all how I anticipated ending this year with my team, but I’m so proud of all of our accomplishments, and I’m excited to see my girls continue to compete. Thank you to all of Hokie Nation for being so supportive during this tough time. I’m looking forward to making a strong comeback,” Kitley wrote on Instagram. She is expected to declare for the WNBA Draft after a standout career in Blacksburg.

However, the news is a devastating blow for the four-seed Hokies. Kitley forwent the WNBA Draft last season to play one more year in college. Becoming the all-time ACC leader in rebounds, Kitley catapulted the Hokies to a historic regular-season title. However, she missed the conference tournament due to the aforementioned ACL tear. With Kitley gone, it is unlikely that Virginia Tech will make back-to-back appearances in the Final Four. The Hokies reached that historic benchmark for the first time last year. Virginia Tech’s tournament begins against Marshall. However, the road back to the Final Four is guarded by a matchup against USC as well as the potential threats of UConn and Ohio State.

Read More: Paige Bueckers Forgoes WNBA Draft To Play Another Year At UConn, Basketball World Stunned

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Dawn Staley Thanks The “Basketball Gods” Ahead Of March Madness

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Dawn Staley has said that “preparation” has earned her South Carolina Gamecocks the favor of the “basketball gods”. “Sometimes the basketball gods favor that [preparation]. Preparation has allowed us to get lucky sometimes. I think our players play free. They play as if there are no consequences, and that’s a gift and a curse for someone like me. If you have a conversation with [players], it’s like they have short-term memory. They only think about the winning part of it. They don’t really think about how we won or how we could have lost. It’s worked for this team thus far. I don’t know if it’ll work throughout the tournament,” Staley said.

South Carolina, the only undefeated team left at the Division I level and the top overall seed in the women’s tournament, start their March Madness campaign on Friday. They face first-time dancers Presbyterian in a rematch of a game South Carolina won 99-29 back in December. However, the team will be without leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, who is suspended for her role in a fight at the end of the SEC tournament title game. With South Carolina heavily favored to win, Cardoso will be cleared to return for their second-round game against either North Carolina or Michigan State.

Read More: South Carolina Star Becomes Steph Curry’s First NIL Signing

Elizabeth Kitley To Miss March Madness, Virginia Tech’s Hopes Of Final Four Repeat Fade

Dawn Staley
(Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Elsewhere, the basketball gods aren’t so kind. Virginia Tech star Elizabeth Kitley will miss March Madness due to a torn ACL. “On March 3rd I suffered a knee injury that is keeping me out of this year’s NCAA tournament. This is not at all how I anticipated ending this year with my team, but I’m so proud of all of our accomplishments, and I’m excited to see my girls continue to compete. Thank you to all of Hokie Nation for being so supportive during this tough time. I’m looking forward to making a strong comeback,” Kitley wrote on Instagram. She is expected to declare for the WNBA Draft after a standout career in Blacksburg.

However, the news is a devastating blow for the four-seed Hokies. Kitley forwent the WNBA Draft last season to play one more year in college. Becoming the all-time ACC leader in rebounds, Kitley catapulted the Hokies to a historic regular-season title. However, she missed the conference tournament due to the aforementioned ACL tear. With Kitley gone, it is unlikely that Virginia Tech will make back-to-back appearances in the Final Four. The Hokies reached that historic benchmark for the first time last year. Virginia Tech’s tournament begins against Marshall. However, the road back to the Final Four is guarded by a matchup against USC as well as the potential threats of UConn and Ohio State.

Read More: Paige Bueckers Forgoes WNBA Draft To Play Another Year At UConn, Basketball World Stunned

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Lions Release Cornerback Wanted By Police

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The Detroit Lions have released cornerback Cameron Sutton, who is the subject of an active police search in Florida. An arrest warrant was issued for Sutton on March 7. He is wanted on a charge of domestic battery by strangulation, which carries a five-year prison sentence. However, police have been unable to locate Sutton, nor contact his attorney. Sutton fled the scene of the alleged battery, a house in Lutz, on the morning of March 7. Furthermore, a police source told ESPN that there was “evidence of wounds” on the alleged victim’s body.

Sutton joined the Lions as a free agent in 2023 after six years with the Steelers. Furthermore, he started all 17 regular-season games for the Lions last season, registering 60 tackles. Additionally, Sutton played his college ball at Tennessee before being drafted in the third round in 2017. Carlton Davis III and Emmanuel Moseley are currently listed as the Lions’ starting cornerbacks. This remains a developing story at the time of writing.

Read More: Von Miller Denies Assault On Pregnant Girlfriend

Eminem Scraps Diss Track After Lions OC Stays In Detroit

Meanwhile, Eminem opted not to release a diss track about Lions OC Ben Johnson after the highly-regarded coach recommitted to Detroit this week. “Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!! Lol!! @ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!…I’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super bowl!!! 😄,” Eminem wrote on X.

For the second year in a row, Johnson was widely considered one of the hottest head coaching prospects in the NFL. However, despite being a leading candidate for the vacancies in both Seattle and Washington, Johnson once again chose to remain part of Dan Campbell’s staff at Ford Field. Furthermore, per ESPN, several teams were reportedly put off by Johnson’s asking price. As a result, Johnson will return to the team with the third-most per-game yardage and fifth-highest-scoring offense in the league this season.

Read More: Eminem Is Ready To Suit Up For Lions

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Third Man Charged With Murder Over Chiefs Super Bowl Shooting

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A third man has been charged with second-degree murder over the death of a woman at the Chiefs‘ Super Bowl parade last month. The 20-year-old from Kansas City was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is currently jailed on a $1 million bond and doesn’t have an attorney. “Everyone we’ve identified who discharged a firearm in response to the verbal altercation detailed here has been taken into custody,” Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker said in a statement.

The charges follow two others already handed down. Lyndell Mays and Dominic Miller were both charged with second-degree murder. Authorities determined that it was a round from Miller’s gun that killed local radio host Lisa Lopez-Galvan. She had been in a nearby crowd of people watching the rally. Lopez-Galvn, also known as DJ Lisa, hosted a food program on a local radio station.

Read More: Taylor Swift Donates $100K To Family Of Kansas City Radio Host Killed In Chiefs Parade Shooting

Three Men Charged Over Chiefs Super Bowl Parade Shooting

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – FEBRUARY 14: Law enforcement responds to a shooting at Union Station during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Several people were shot and two people were detained after a rally celebrating the Chiefs Super Bowl victory. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Elsewhere, three men were charged with federal firearm offenses over the shooting that occurred at the Chiefs‘ Super Bowl Parade. Unsealed documents showed that investigators concluded that at least a dozen weapons had brandished firearms. Additionally, at least half a dozen had opened fire at the event. One person was killed and over 20 were injured, including 11 children. Meanwhile, the shooting occurred just minutes after members of the Chiefs squad had left the stage. A crowd of thousands was gathered around a stage set up outside Union Station in downtown Kansas City.

Furthermore, per the Associated Press, “Named in the new federal charges were 22-year-old Fedo Antonia Manning, Ronnel Dewayne Williams Jr., 21, and Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, 19, all from Kansas City. Manning is charged with one count each of conspiracy to traffic firearms and engaging in firearm sales without a license, and 10 counts of making a false statement on a federal form. Williams and Groves are charged with making false statements in the acquisition of firearms, and lying to a federal agent.”

Read More: “Chiefsaholic” Pleads Guilty To Bank Robbery Charges

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Ronda Rousey Finally Reveals True Reason For Retirement

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Ronda Rousey has revealed that her sudden MMA retirement at just 29 was due to her history of concussions. “I’d like people to understand my reasons and motivations behind things. I was forced to leave fighting when I was faster, stronger, more skilled and had a better understanding of the art than ever before. It was a really hard decision to understand, one that my body made for me. So much had to do with having so many concussions when I was in judo before I even got into MMA. I couldn’t talk about it at all when I was doing MMA because it would literally put a target on my head and I might not have been allowed to compete any farther,” Rousey said on Instagram Live.

Rousey retired after back-to-back knockout losses to Holly Holm. Prior to MMA, Rousey was an Olympic medalist in judo, taking bronze at the 2008 Games in Beijing. After leaving the UFC, Rousey turned to professional wrestling for a time. However, she also forged a film career for herself, appearing in Mile 22 after roles in The Expendables 3 and Furious 7.

Read More: Ronda Rousey Expresses Admiration For Conor McGregor

Ronda Rousey Focused On Motherhood, Not Wrestling

Elsewhere, Rousey told TMZ that she has no immediate plans to return to wrestling, instead focusing on motherhood for the time being. There was speculation that after her contract with the WWE expired, she might move to the rival AEW promotion. However, that does not appear to be the case. “[I’m] just trying to be home with the family, and be a full-time mom,” Rousey said. The speculation arose after Rousey made an appearance on Ring of Honor, a promotion owned by AEW, in November.

Rousey has mostly stepped away from sports since giving birth to her daughter, La’akea. She’s been out of MMA since leaving the UFC in 2016. Furthermore, his time on the WWE, which began in 2018, has never been consistent. She has been used as a surprise gimmick here and there. The primary stint of her wrestling in 2023 has been with independent promotions such as Lucha VaVoom and Wrestling Revolver.

Read More: WWE News: Ronda Rousey Expresses Her Frustration At Changes To Money In The Bank 2023 Match

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Shannon Sharpe Tears Into Kobe Bryant’s Parents For Selling Championship Rings

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Shannon Sharpe has voiced his disgust that Kobe Bryant’s parents sold the late NBA legend’s championship rings. Sharpe found the decision distasteful, greedy, and disrespectful. Furthermore, Sharpe noted that his mother “wouldn’t get another dime from me ever again” if she sold any of his memorabilia. However, Sharpe finds himself at the opposite end of the issue to Gilbert Arenas. Arenas has defended the parents of Kobe Bryant from critics, such as Sharpe, who have taken issue with their decision to sell their son’s championship rings. “They broke. They got no money. You can’t be mad because they’re selling the rings. The money wasn’t left to them. They tryna eat,” Arenas argued. While Kobe’s will has never been made public, it is believed that almost all of his money went to his wife Vanessa.

Of course, that decision in itself has been criticized online. Dr. Umar took aim at Vanessa last year for not spending the money she inherited on the Black community. Umar pointed to a “sports initiative” that Bryant recently started with “six predominantly white colleges”. Umar’s anger came as a result of Bryant not “choosing a single HBCU”. Umar was referring to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. In September, the foundation announced partnerships with UConn, USC, Kentucky, Oregon, Duke, and LSU. Of note – UConn was seen as the frontrunner in the recruitment of Gigi Bryant before her death.

Read More: Saucy Santana Checks Gilbert Arenas For Laughing About Friendship With Nick Young

Kobe Bryant Statue Outside Crypto.Com Arena Revealed To Contain Glaring Typos

Elsewhere, the recently unveiled statue of Kobe Bryant outside Crypto.com Arena has been revealed to contain several egregious typos. German basketball journalist Andre “Dre” Voigt published photos on social media showing that the engraving of the box score for Kobe’s 81-point game was riddled with errors. Jose Calderon’s name is misspelled as “Calderson”. Von Wafer’s name is misspelled as “Vom”. Finally, an instance of Coach’s Decision is misspelled as “decicion”. A subsequent report by ESPN noted that the Lakers had been made aware of the errors and would rectify them in the near future.

The statue, just the eighth in Lakers history, was unveiled on February 8 as part of a larger celebration to commemorate the team legend. The Lakers also wore their Kobe-designed Black Mamba jersey variant for the first time since Kobe’s death in early 2020.

Read More: Shaq Narrates Tribute To Kobe Ahead Of Lakers Statue Unveiling

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Jalen Hurts Or Dak Prescott? Stephen A. Smith Picks Which QB He Has More Faith In

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Stephen A. Smith didn’t pass up an opportunity to dunk on the Cowboys when Mina Kimes stopped by First Take today. After Kimes posed the question of whether the desk had more faith in Jalen Hurts or Dak Prescott, Smith was quick to answer. “Jalen Hurts got Saquon. Jalen Hurts got an offensive line that I would absolutely say is better than the Cowboys. I don’t see any reason why I would pick Dak over Hurts in this particular question,” Smith reasoned.

The Eagles and Cowboys really have been the tale of two offseasons this year. As Smith mentioned, the Eagles added a number RB1 in Saquon Barkley. Despite losing Jason Kelce to retirement, the team still has a premier offensive line. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have added Eric Kendricks, Jourdan Lewis, and made some depth re-signings.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Hypes Biggie As The JAY-Z Who Never Was

Stephen A. Smith Or Barack Obama? ESPN Host Reveals If He Thinks He Could Beat The Former President In A One-On-One Basketball Game

Elsewhere, Smith believes that he could beat President Barack Obama in a one-on-one basketball game, as long as he had prep time. “It depends. If we’re talking about Stephen A. right now, Barack Obama is going to smoke me because I got bad knees. But give me a week, and make sure my knees are healthy, and I would take him out. I’d beat him. I’d beat Barack Obama, say 21-7. It would be a romp. I love the President, I voted for him twice. I love the First Family and he can shoot but he doesn’t look like he’s accustomed to resistance. I’m gonna get his face, get on that left hand, not let him shoot. He’s gonna have to go low, take the ball to the hole,” Smith explained.

Of course, both Smith and Obama are avid basketball fans, although Smith backs the Knicks while Obama roots for his hometown Bulls. Furthermore, Obama was regularly seen shooting hoops at various events, as well as at the regulation-size court on the grounds of the White House. Meanwhile, Smith admitted in his answer that he only plays basketball “once every two or three years”. Who are you taking in a first-to-21 competition? Let us know in the comments.

Read More: Charles Barkley Says He’d Vote For Stephen A. Smith For President

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Ryan Garcia Seemingly Questions Abdul Wahid’s Sexuality

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Ryan Garcia has taken shots at Abdul Wahid, formerly known as Gervonta Davis, for a post the latter made on social media. Taken from Wahid’s Instagram, the image appears to show Wahid hugging a friend from behind as the friend makes a kissing face at Wahid. “I love my brothas” can be seen as a caption to the image. “WTF Abdul” Garcia added in a screenshot he posted to his own Instagram story. A number of people have alleged the other person in the image is Adrien Broner.

Of course, there is no love lost between Garcia and Wahid. Wahid soundly beat Garcia last year. However, comments from Wahid in recent days appear to indicate that he would be open to a rematch. That is a fight that Garcia has been hoping for since his defeat. “Obviously I’m disappointed. I tried my best but he caught me with a good body shot. I’ll come back stronger and yeah man, one day…rack up a couple wins and maybe we could do a rematch at maybe 140, 147,” Garcia said immediately after their fight.

Read More: Is Ryan Garcia On Cocaine? Cam’ron Certainly Thinks So

Ryan Garcia Threatens To Drop Devin Haney Fight Over “Satanic” PRIME Sponsorship, Makes Bizarre Claim About Knowing Who “Killed 2Pac”

Elsewhere, Garcia has threatened to drop out of his fights against Devin Haney after his opponent accepted a sponsorship with PRIME. “Does not surprise me Who else would satan support other then Devil Haney. More confirmation. Yall support this I’m out. Kids are in danger from drinking this “allegedly”,” Garcia wrote in response to the sponsorship announcement. PRIME, the high-caffeine energy drink owned by Logan Paul and KSI, came under intense scrutiny last year. Several children were reported to have suffered heart attacks after consuming the beverage. Then illegal distribution in Canada led to the country banning the product.

Furthermore, Garcia’s post came after a string of posts that appeared to go against his promise to only tweet about his April 20 fight with Haney. This included a bizarre post about one of the biggest hip hop conspiracies of all time. “Would you believe me if I told you I know for a fact who killed Tupac, a lot of yall know the answer but I can prove it,” Garcia wrote on X. Duane “Keefe D” Davis is currently awaiting trial for his alleged role in Tupac’s murder. However, conspiracy theories have long connected Diddy to the case, amongst others.

Read More: Andre Ward Warns Ryan Garcia To Stay Off Social Media

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Gilbert Arenas Has No Problem With Kobe Bryant’s Parents Selling His Championship Rings

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Gilbert Arenas has defended the parents of Kobe Bryant from critics who have taken issue with their decision to sell their son’s championship rings. “They broke. They got no money. You can’t be mad because they’re selling the rings. The money wasn’t left to them. They tryna eat,” Arenas argued. While Kobe’s will has never been made public, it is believed that almost all of his money went to his wife Vanessa.

Of course, that decision in itself has been criticized online. Dr. Umar took aim at Vanessa last year for not spending the money she inherited on the Black community. Umar pointed to a “sports initiative” that Bryant recently started with “six predominantly white colleges”. Umar’s anger came as a result of Bryant not “choosing a single HBCU”. Umar was referring to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. In September, the foundation announced partnerships with UConn, USC, Kentucky, Oregon, Duke, and LSU. Of note – UConn was seen as the frontrunner in the recruitment of Gigi Bryant before her death.

Read More: Saucy Santana Checks Gilbert Arenas For Laughing About Friendship With Nick Young

Cam’ron Blasts Gilbert Arenas For Approving Of Saucy Santana’s Twerking

Elsewhere, Cam’ron once again showed his deep-seated homophobia as he reacted to Gilbert Arenas speaking positively about a video of Saucy Santana twerking. The It Is What It Is host told Arenas to focus on “female a–es” instead of praising Santana. As mentioned, this is just the latest example of Cam’ron very publicly having issues with men expressing an attraction or appreciation for other men. He and fellow host Ma$e cried with laughter about Dwyane Wade painting his nails. Furthermore, the pair has gone as far as to suggest that queer athletes should be segregated from their straight teammates.

However, Cam’ron also gets very upset if you suggest he is gay. “You know how long I had to hear, ‘Cam’s gay, he wears pink’? Bring your mother around, n-gga. See if she gives a f-ck, n-gga. See if your mom gives a whole f-ck, n-gga. I’ll tell her how gay I am. I’ll f-ck her in the pink mink,” Cam’ron said on a July 2023 episode of It Is What It Is.

Read More: Is Ryan Garcia On Cocaine? Cam’ron Certainly Thinks So

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