NBA
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Misery Loves Company. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, It Just Won't Be the Clippers Joining Them—Yet
For the second consecutive season, the Los Angeles Temecula Clippers have laid waste to the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the playoffs. Last year, during the unprecedented gauntlet that was the NBA Bubble, it was unsurprising. This postseason, however, their triumph has served as a statement to the rest of the league that the…
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Calm App Rides for Naomi Osaka, Offers to Pay Fines for Players Declining Media Interviews: 'Mental Health Is Health'
Not all heroes wear capes, but they may develop apps. In light of the ongoing Naomi Osaka saga, in which the four-time Grand Slam champ withdrew from the French Open after she was fined for declining to participate in media interviews, much has been said about mental health and how fiercely it should be protected—both…
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Respect the Villain
Madison Square Garden has a lengthy history of transforming mortal men into full-fledged villains, and in standing on the shoulders of notorious tormentors like Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan, Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young is the latest to embrace such infamy. Prior to Atlanta’s first-round series against the Knicks, there were serious questions about whether…
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Sorry, Portland, But Y'all Don't Deserve Dame Lillard
In high school, there are two words that anyone who actually gives a shit about their GPA fears more than death itself: group project. I have vivid memories of sacrificing my evenings to bust my ass and complete a group presentation, only to discover that the idiots I was cursed with barely lifted a finger…
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Serena Williams, Steph Curry Among Athletes Who Lend Support After Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open
We’ve all been there. Sometimes the demands of our jobs become too much, and before we’re able to preserve our well-being in whatever ways we deem fit, our mental health suffers as a consequence. Professional athletes are no different. But in a cruel twist of fate, the immense scrutiny they face that often contributes to…
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If There's a Such Thing as Rage-Quitting In the NBA, Devin Booker Did Exactly That Last Night Against the Lakers
If I busted my ass all season to earn the second-best record in the league, and in turn, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference NBA Playoffs, only to face the reigning champs—who are technically the No. 7 seed, but not really—in the opening round, I’d probably be pissed, too. And if that same…
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Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre: Directors Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams Reflect on 100 Years of Racist Terrorism
This year, it’ll be 100 years since the extremely grotesque act of domestic terrorism known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred on May 31 and June 1, 1921. Presented by the History Channel, Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre is directed by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders, Crack: Cocaine, Corruption…
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The Hell Is Wrong With Y'all?
Who raised y’all? No, seriously. On Wednesday night, Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook was minding his Black-ass business while trying to avoid another embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers—SPOILER WARNING: he failed—when this happened with about 10 minutes left in the game: After suffering an apparent ankle injury, Westbrook limped off the…
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Don't Wanna Be a Player No More: J. Cole's Pro Basketball Career Ends Just as Quickly as It Started
Most artists promote a new album by making the media rounds, doing meet and greets and other promotional appearances, and hitting the stage to debut their new music. But J. Cole isn’t most artists. So instead of bothering himself with any of the above, in the immediate aftermath of the release of his latest project,…
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The Milwaukee Bucks Are Out Here Breaking Generational Curses in Real Time
The last time we saw the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs, they were getting bullied and manhandled by a Miami Heat team that would eventually make the 2020 NBA Finals. Maybe the Bucks’ championship veneer was merely a facade, maybe this unprecedented pandemic (and the NBA’s indefinite suspension) knocked them off their game, or maybe…