New Hip Hop News

Lakers star LeBron James did not confirm or deny whether he plans to get the vaccine when asked by a reporter ahead of Sunday’s controversial All-Star Game. The comments come just days after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he expects most players will choose to get vaccinated.

“That’s a conversation my family and I will have. I’ll keep that to a private thing,” James said, according to Mark Medina of USA Today.

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Earlier Sunday, it was reported that both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had been ruled out of the All-Star Game, after their barber tested positive for COVID-19.

“Ultimately these are personal decisions that players need to make,” Silver said when asked if he plans to require players to get vaccinated. “And yet…. My hunch is that most players ultimately will choose to get vaccinated.”

“The CDC has already announced when you get vaccinated, you don’t need to quarantine as a close contact. As you know, many of our players have had to sit out not because they tested positive but because they were required to quarantine because of a close contact,” Silver said. “In addition, right now as we operate under this so-called work quarantine protocol, where players are largely only going between their homes and the arenas, once they get vaccinated they’ll be able to do more in their communities. That’s something we’ve already begun talking to the Players Association about.”

The All-Star Game is set to tip-off at 8:00 PM, Sunday.

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Free-agent forward Blake Griffin, who was released by the Detriot Pistons earlier this week, is expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Griffin is reportedly most interested in pursuing a championship and believes Brooklyn to be the best fit.

“Interested teams have expected Griffin to pursue a championship in Brooklyn alongside Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden,” Charania confirmed on Twitter, Sunday afternoon.

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Griffin was bought out of his contract with Detriot on March 5th, and it was reported that he hoped to end up with the Nets. It appears he will be getting his wish.

The 11-year NBA veteran has been selected to six All-Star teams throughout his tenured career. He most notably found success with the Los Angeles Clippers after being drafted by the organization with the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. After being joined by Chris Paul, the Clippers found success, making it to the playoffs in six straight years. They were infamously unable to make it past the Western Conference Semifinals.

Griffin joined the Pistons in 2018. This season, he averaged 12.3 points on 36.5 percent shooting, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game for the Pistons.

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CNN’s Chris Cuomo joked that he is “Black on the inside,” during a conversation with Don Lemon, earlier this week, a remark that has resulted in public backlash on Twitter. The comment followed Lemon’s inquiry as to how Cuomo could recite the theme song from the popular ’70s sitcom Good Times.

‘How do you know all the words to Good Times?’ Lemon asked.

“You know I’m black on the inside,” Cuomo responded.

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The new controversy comes as the CNN anchor’s brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, faces numerous accusations of sexual harassment from former staffers as well as a massive scandal regarding his mismanagement of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Obviously I am aware of what’s going on with my brother,” Chris said on-air earlier this week. “And obviously I cannot cover it, because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so.

“I have always cared very deeply about these issues and profoundly so,” he added. “There’s a lot of news going on that matters also, so let’s get after that.”

Check out the clip from CNN below.

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Jay-Z doubles as one of the greatest rapper’s to ever hit the scene and one of hip hop’s most recognizable moguls. The Brooklyn native is the ultimate hustler, managing to amass his billion-dollar fortune through various projects and holdings. The 51-year-old executive recently struck two deals, one selling his streaming service Tidal to Sqaure, Inc. and another selling half of his champagne brand Armand de Brignac, both contributing to the whopping 40% jump in his net worth. 

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As reported by Forbes, Jay’s recent $297 million deal with Jack Dorsey’s mobile company Square, Inc. to sell a majority stake in Tidal valued the company at around $450 million. Tidal’s “artist shareholders” will continue to have a stake in the company and Jay-Z will own a small percentage as well. 

This news comes about a week removed from news that he sold off half his luxury champagne brand Armand de Brignac champagne to LVMH in a deal that valued it at about $640 million. 

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Both these deals helped Jay’s net worth jump from an already impressive $1 billion to a whopping $1.4 b billion. Of course, this is just the start for the mogul. His diverse and growing business portfolio includes his new marijuana start-up company MONOGRAM, the remaining 50% stake in the $300 per bottle Armand de Brignac, as well as D’Usse cognac and smaller stakes in different companies.

A brief breakdown of his billion-dollar net worth is as follows: Cash and Investments make up about $425 million of his wealth, while his $320 million stake in Armand de Brignac contributes the next largest chunk of his cash. Money from Roc Nation, D’Usse, his music catalog and his art collection makes up about $140 million, $120 million, $95 million, and $70 million of his wealth respectively.

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Lastly, his real estate portfolio makes up about $50 million of his massive fortune. Congrats to Jay-Z on the great news!

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Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players in the NBA and as a result, he is currently in Atlanta where the best of the best will be duking it out in the All-Star Game. This season is a big one for Kawhi, who is trying to lead his Los Angeles Clippers to the NBA Finals, for the first time in the franchise’s history. If the team makes it that far, Leonard will have a difficult choice to make, as the Tokyo Olympics are immediately after the Finals in late July.

While speaking to reporters ahead of the All-Star Game, Leonard made it abundantly clear that he wants to play for Team USA, which will be coached by his former boss, Gregg Popovich. Leonard noted that he was down to play in 2020 but COVID-19 put a complete damper on that.

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“My plan is to go,” Leonard said. “If I feel up to it and feel ready to go around that time, then I’m going to play.” Team USA is set to be pretty stacked, although it remains to be seen if the Olympics go as planned as COVID continues to be a real threat.

Let us know who you would like to see on Team USA, in the comments below. Also, stay tuned for more NBA news as we will be sure to keep you informed.

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