As detailed in a story by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Timberwolves and Lynx minority owner Meyer Orbach has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis that alleges that majority owner Glen Taylor’s sale of the Wolves to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez violates the franchises partnership agreement.
The complaint filed by Orbach includes a significant revelation: Despite Taylor’s public statements to the contrary, there’s no provision in the $1.5B sales agreement with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez that requires the new ownership group to keep the franchise in Minnesota. https://t.co/BXaIPJetwK
Per the complaint, obtained by ESPN, Orbach alleges that Taylor has failed to honor what are called “tag along rights” for minority owners in the franchise. “Tag along rights” are supposed to allow minority owners to sell their shares before the majority owner (Taylor, in this case) sells his own.
Orbach owns more than 17 percent of the Wolves and the Lynx. In his complaint, he also alleges that despite Taylor saying differently publicly, there is no clause in the deal to prohibits the Lore-Rodriguez group from moving the teams.
The sale, per ESPN, still requires a vote of the NBA’s Board of Governors for final approval. It also expected to be completed by July 1. The language, per the report states that new ownership would have to present to an Advisory Board to relocate, but that it does not need the Advisory Board’s approval to make a move. So, in basic terms, Lore and Rodriguez could buy the team, ask the board about moving to Seattle or Las Vegas or wherever they wanted to, and can do even if the board doesn’t recommend it. Based on what Taylor has said publicly, this should, in theory be something that isn’t in line with what he wants.
This story is still developing, so it’s unclear if this will hold up the sale in any way or be altered to keep the Timberwolves and Lynx in the Twin Cities, but this certainly could complicate the process and will also make Minnesota basketball fans more nervous than they already would’ve been about the future of the franchise. Still, if there’s a silver lining for Wolves fans it is that almost all discussion about Seattle or Las Vegas getting a team has focused on expansion, as the NBA wants to use that to boost revenues. Relocating might prove difficult even if the Lore-Rodriguez group even wanted to do so, but it certainly seems as though there are few internal obstacles being placed in the way of them exploring those possibilities.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson had a one-and-done stint as Pietro Maxmiof, playing Marvel’s speed freak superhero in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Age of Ultron only. He was introduced alongside his onscreen sister, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda, aka the Scarlet Witch, but he didn’t survive till film’s end. But the actor is poised to return to the MCU, though it’s not as Pietro. It’s as one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains.
As per Deadline, Taylor-Johnson has been cast as the lead in Kraven the Hunter, a solo outing for the beloved anti-hero, who in the comics has brushed shoulders with Venom, Black Panther, and, of course, Peter Parker. Often depicted as big game hunter, he doesn’t like an easy defeat. Rather, he wants his adversaries to put up a good fight. The movie will be helmed by J.C. Chandor, of Margin Call, All is Lost, and A Most Violent Year, as well as the star-studded Netflix actioner Triple Frontier.
Does this make Taylor-Johnson the first actor in the MCU to play two characters? If so, it’s fitting. After all, he’s already played a character played by someone else. One of the most notable moments in WandaVision earlier this year was when Pietro paid an unexpected visit to Wanda’s home — where he was played by Evan Peters, who played the same character, under the name Quicksilver, in the X-Men films, back when Fox and Disney were separate entities, cranking out separate franchises. The Fox-Disney merger allowed for a fun inside baseball joke, but at least those who wished it was Taylor-Johnson who knocked on Wanda’s door know they’ll see be seeing him soon — or on Jan. 23, 2023, when the film hits theaters.
The Europa League final took place on Wednesday evening, and after 120 minutes of action, things needed to go to penalty kicks between Villarreal and Manchester United. It was at this point that goalies were put into the spotlight, both because they could not stop any outfield player’s attempts and because they had to face one another, which decided things.
Gerard Moreno kicked off the scoring on the evening, slotting one past Manchester United’s David de Gea in the 29th minute.
— Champions League on CBS Sports (@UCLonCBSSports) May 26, 2021
Villarreal held onto the lead for nearly half an hour, but 10 minutes into the second half, United’s Edison Cavani did what he’s done so well this season, drawing the team level by finding himself in a perfect spot to clean up a mess amid the chaos of a corner kick.
— Champions League on CBS Sports (@UCLonCBSSports) May 26, 2021
And then, neither team could break through. United kept pushing, Villarreal kept resisting, and neither team was able to break the deadlock. As such, things went to penalties, where all hell broke loose.
The outfield players for both teams were flawless. Villarreal went first, United went second, and every time, the goalies were unable to stop anyone. Each team went 10-for-10 among their outfield players, with neither de Gea nor Gerónimo Rulli able to protect their nets, although in fairness, some of these PKs were extremely good.
— Champions League on CBS Sports (@UCLonCBSSports) May 26, 2021
Things turned to the goalkeepers, both of whom had to make the walk from the net to the penalty spot, only in passing directions. Rulli went first, slotting a clinical effort past de Gea. Then, it came time for de Gea to step up where this happened.
Turnstile, the Baltimore rock band that dazzled music critics with its ear-melting major-label debut Time & Space, is back and in full-on shred mode.
The band’s new song, “Mystery,” begins with a fluttering, futuristic synth that fades into a wall of distortion courtesy of guitarists Brady Ebert and Pat McCrory, as well as bassist Franz Lyons.
The loud/soft dynamic — paired with lyrics about fighting for a love that’s running out of gas — gives the song an urgent, Sleigh Bells-meets-“Motorcycle Drive By” kind of vibe, with singer Brendan Yates whooping out the words against a battering of drums (Daniel Fang). “There’s a clock in my head, is it wrong is it right / I know you’re scared of running out of time,” Yates howls.
Noted for their high-octane live shows, Turnstile will perform at Firefly Music Festival (September 23) in Delaware, and at the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky (September 24). Additional shows and tour information will be released on the band’s website.
During the pandemic, Turnstile teamed up with Australian producer Mall Grab on a collaborative EP called SHARE A VIEW, which reworked three of Turnstile’s singles from Time & Space — “Generator,” “Real Thing,” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Blind” — into highly-produced, dance-pop.
Time & Space was included on a number of “Best of 2018” lists (New York Times, Rolling Stone, New Yorker, Billboard), and GQ called it one of “The Best Albums That Shaped the 2010s.”
Turnstile is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Two celestial events collided last night and people around the world did their best to capture the cool phenomena on film.
The “super flower blood moon” was one of the few supermoons this year, when the moon appears to be much larger and brighter in the sky due to its position closer to Earth. The “flower” part of the moniker is simply because it’s a full moon happening in the month of May. The “blood” part comes from the reddish hue cast over the moon due to a total lunar eclipse that happened to coincide with the supermoon. (The total eclipse was only visible in some regions, including the Western U.S.)
In other words, the moon was a huge red ball in the sky last night, creating a natural show for us earthlings.
If you missed it in real life, these photos of the super flower blood moon are the next best thing.
A few clouds couldn’t completely cover the glowing orange moon over Stonehenge in the U.K.
Stargazers of Hawaii captured a tri-tone moon that looks positively otherworldly. The reddish tint is caused by sunlight filtering through the earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, according to NASA.
Ankara, Turkey didn’t get the blood part of the supermoon, but it was still stunning.
The Statue of Liberty got quite a show in New York.
If that’s not cool enough, NPR shared a time-lapse video of the supermoon setting over Lady Liberty.
For those of us who slept through the Super Flower Blood Moon: Here’s a quick time lapse taken early this morning 🌷🌕 https://t.co/Q38GJ4WrWH
Joshua Tree National Park enjoyed its moon blended with an ethereal sunset or sunrise.
Sometimes a camera lens can capture things that the naked eye cannot. Astrophotographers with the right equipment and skills can give us a glimpse of what’s really out there—celestial beauty blocked by light pollution and the limitations of our own visual abilities.
The photographer who created this image, Kaleb Johnston, said on Twitter that it was a composite taken with two exposures, one to highlight the Milky Way and the other to highlight the details of the moon.
Last nights moon was not only rare because it was a super flower blood moon, but also because of its positioning, r… https://t.co/KSJ44H1LxM
While supermoons aren’t all that rare and lunar eclipses aren’t that rare, the two happening at the same time is something special. With all of the challenges facing humanity, the fact that we can—and do—all marvel together when nature puts on a sky show for us is a cosmic reminder of how connected we really are.
Men everywhere are missing out on the benefits of manicures and pedicures because they’re seen as something only women do. Mani-pedis are great for blood circulation, healthy nails, treating contagious skin problems, and taking care of diabetic foot issues.
They’re also wonderful for one’s psychological well-being because they’re a fantastic way to destress.
That’s why Shana Soberanis, owner of StyleMeUp! Salon Suites, decided to open The Man Cave, a nail shop that caters solely to men 13 and over. According to Soberanis, her new nail salon in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is the only one on a 50-mile radius that caters to men.
“I saw a need for nail care for men. They’re an underserved population when it comes to nail care. For some reason, men sometimes believe that it’s kind of emasculating and I wanted to dispel that myth. I wanted them to know that it’s okay, it’s a part of hygiene and wellness care,” Soberanis said.
“Men are often overlooked when it comes to nail care. Some believe that this kind of self-care is a sign of weakness,” she wrote on the Man Cave’s website.
She came up with the idea after doing her fiancé’s feet. “He enjoyed getting pedicures and massages and he suggested that I go to nail school. I enrolled and realized that I really liked doing feet,” Soberanis said.
So she created a salon that resembles a barbershop or cigar lounge, complete with a pool table. “Women have their ‘me-time’ this is for the men. This is what we need,” Shad Byrd, a Man Cave client, told WSPA.
Men who stop by The Man Cave can get manly-sounding packages such as the He-Mani-Care, the “Hail the King” Pedi-Care, and the “Bro-Swag” Pedi-Care package. Some men probably aren’t comfortable buying a package for themselves, so she encourages the women in their lives to buy one to show them how great a mani-pedi can make them feel.
The Man Cave is a place where men can go to relax and talk about what’s happening in their lives, much like a barbershop. The business also has a strict code of confidentiality, so men can discuss real issues as well as health problems they may have on their hands or feet.
“It’s always busy, they get you in and out. Not saying that they should get to know their customers but at least talk to them and ask them how their day is going because it could be the stop that changes someone’s life,” Byrd said.
Taking care of one’s mental or physical health should never be something that’s solely for men or women. Kudos to Soberanis for not only realizing that men need a place where they can relax and have their hands and feet cared for but for putting her heart into it and bringing the business into reality.
Elizabeth Warren didn’t become our 46th president, but maybe that’s okay: as a senator, she arguably has more time to feud with CEOs. On Wednesday, the chamber held a hearing in which they spoke to the CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks, among them the heads of Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, CitiBank, and more. But it was a testy tête-à-tête between Warren and JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon that got the most attention.
The purpose of the two-day hearing is to see how banks handled customers during the pandemic. Warren didn’t think they did a good job. She focused on overdraft fees, asking those present how many automatically granted overdraft protection to patrons during a public health crisis that saw an alarming spike in unemployment. Warren said she wasn’t surprised when nearly no one raised their hand.
Warren singled out Dimon for scorn, dubbing him “the star of the overdraft show,” pointing out that his bank collects “more than seven times as much money overdraft fees per account than your competitors.” She asked him, point blank, how much money they made in overdraft fees during the pandemic. Dimon claimed he didn’t have the number at hand.
But Warren did: JP Morgan Chase made $1.46 billion in overdraft fees alone. She then asked him if they “would have been in financial trouble” had they automatically waived those fees. He responded by claiming they “waived the fees for customers upon request if they were under stress because of COVID.”
Warren wasn’t having that. “I appreciate that you want to duck this question,” she shot back, then informed him that his profits would have “only” been $27.6 billion, adding, “I did the math for you.”
She then accused all of them of profiting off of customers during a once-in-a-century calamity. “You and your colleagues come in today to talk about how you stepped up and took care of customers during the pandemic, and it’s a bunch of baloney,” she said. “In fact, it’s about $4 billion worth of baloney.”
Warren then offered Dimon a chance to make things right, asking him, “Will you commit right now to refund $1.5 billion you took from consumers during the pandemic?” Dimon quickly said no. So she twisted the knife. “No matter how you try to spin it, this past year has shown that corporate profits are more important to your bank than offering just a little help to struggling families, even when we are in the middle of a worldwide crisis.”
Will Dimon and those like him suffer any pangs of guilt? Will they try to do the right thing, if not now then next time? Probably not! But for now, people enjoyed watching her publicly shame the powerful.
— Jason Overstreet (@JasonOverstreet) May 26, 2021
Watching Elizabeth Warren utterly OBLITERATE Jamie Dimon today by calling out the fact that Chase made billions in overdraft fees during a pandemic, is all the proof we need to know that she & Katie Porter must be best friends
If the nearly countless game delays announced over the past few years have got you down, we have fantastic news for you: all three Pokemon games previously announced during this year’s Pokemon 25th anniversary celebration now have release dates, and best of all, they’re soon. According a press release published by The Pokemon Company earlier today, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl — the highly-anitipcated remakes of 2006’s Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl — are coming to Switch on Nov. 19, 2021. In addition, the open-world action-RPG Pokemon Legends: Arceus is scheduled to launch on Jan. 28, 2022.
In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, veteran Pokemon trainers will get the chance to return to the Sinnoh region and take on the area’s gym leader challenge all over again while series’ newcomers are invited to experience the adventure for the very first time. While the first trailer for the games reveals a much fresher look and feel, The Pokemon Company stated the original story has “been faithfully reproduced,” and “trainers can expect an adventure through the Sinnoh region that feels both nostalgic and fresh.”
However, if you’re not quite feeling the nostalgia, Nintendo is offering an exciting new Pokemon experience with open-world, action-RPG Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While the upcoming game also takes place in Pearl and Diamond’s Sinnoh region, it’s drastically different from the previous games in not one, but two ways. For starters, it’s set hundreds of years in the past, during what appears to be Japan’s feudal period. In addition, the Pokemon Legends largely departs from the established Pokemon formula. According to the press release, Pokemon Legends “takes a bold new direction, fusing action with RPG elements.”
Both titles will be available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
The world of music critique is nearly two decades removed from the rise of poptimism, but recent years have scratched the veneer of pop music’s apparent acceptance thanks to the vocally surprised reactions to projects like Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour — not to mention the whole freakout over Phoebe Bridgers smashing her guitar on SNL. Miley Cyrus highlighted the problem with the apparent disconnect between the critiques and the actual discourse as it relates to her music with a slyly humorous meme that had her laughing herself incontinent on Twitter.
The irony of poptimism is that critics are still hectoring readers about not liking underselling artists, just as the blasted rockists did.
The meme, which uses the classic format of text labels on a funny or unusual photo, makes use of a behind-the-scenes pic from the making of Adam Sandler’s stressful 2019 film Uncut Gems to poke fun at the reactions of skeptical men perpetually expressing surprise at Cyrus’ musical prowess. The photo depicts Sandler labeled “Grown men saying, ‘I’m not a fan, but…’” chasing a screaming young woman labeled “Miley Cyrus singing an old rock song” down the street. “I am peeing,” Miley herself added. “Who done did this?!”
For some context: Miley is rapidly becoming just about as well known for her classic rock covers as she is for her own modern pop hits, but it’s only when she performs the former that many of the aforementioned “grown men” come out of the woodwork to acknowledge her. The obvious implication of the photo is that their input is neither needed nor wanted and, considering the scummy vibes Adam Sandler’s Uncut Gems character spent most of the movie giving off, that these men would do well to mind their own dang business if they aren’t going to give Miley all the credit she deserves all the time.
LOS ANGELES – Robbie Hummel chips golf balls into a pool at a house in Beverly Hills. However he imagined this exact moment happening, if he imagined it at all, I doubt it was with this context: He’s sharing this house with other basketball players, with a fully customized court and workout facility, to safely train for the Olympics. Hummel is one of four members of the USAB men’s 3×3 team who are trying to win gold in Tokyo, and as he skies shots in a game of closest to the pin photographer, a career’s worth of hard work is crystalized into one extremely silly moment.
We all saw what the pandemic did to major sports. Empty stadiums, bubbles, compressed schedules, injuries, protocols, and more have become part of the general lexicon. But for those who were fighting and clawing to make the Olympics, the pause somehow added even more questions. The men’s 3×3 team hasn’t actually qualified. FIBA rules have changed. The team is not eligible, despite the various tournaments that they have won. But the qualifying standards have changed, and now, they have one more shot of making it to Tokyo in Austria, starting Thursday at 7 a.m. EST. (The women’s team — featuring Kelsey Plum, Katie Lou Samuelson, Stefanie Dolson, and Allisha Gray — will also have one shot at qualifying.)
The team hadn’t trained or practiced together in over a year. So these moments, as surreal as they are, are absolutely necessary in some form or fashion to get the team ready. To build the chemistry that just isn’t possible on Zoom, corners cannot be cut with a Cool Runnings-style montage before their trip to Austria.
“We all away from our families and our loved ones and stuff like that,” guard Dominique Jones says. “We got to kind of stay in a bubble. We just learn each other, you know what I mean? Just get to spend a lot of time with each other. A lot of these countries been doing this for years. Maybe not in such an intricate house, but they live next to each other and get to practice together all the time and on the world tour we play against each other. Just building that cohesiveness and living together, just getting a workout together every day, just seeing each other’s habits and pushing each other day by day was really big for us.”
Adrian Rudd
So the house, complete with cold tub, outdoor weight room, art installations, Red Bull coolers, and yes, that pool, was a way to take the edge off and balance the heightened stress of the goal with the natural decompression that’s needed when four individuals have to learn what makes one another tick, on and off the court.
“What are our best five plays that we think we’re going to be able to run in a game?” guard Canyon Barry asks. “Or if we need a bucket, what play are we going to? Out of transition offense, what are the keys that we’re trying to focus on doing at a high level? Defensively, what’s our scheme going to be? How are we going to guard ball screens? Are we switching? Are we not switching? What actions are going to give us trouble? Can we get the Select Team guys that are scrimmaging against us to run those actions so we can get the reps?
“I think stuff like that has just been the biggest benefit of us being here and being together,” he continues. “There’s only so many plays you can run with three people. Plus, I think just being able to watch film together, not via Zoom has been great. You should have heard our Zoom calls. It was a nightmare, man. All right, go to 16:04 on the clock. Wait, is it on the game clock or is it on the YouTube clock? It was just a sh*tshow trying to watch film together, excuse my language.”
The results, to this point, speak for themselves. The team operates a bit more like a crew team, or by their own admission, a beach volleyball team. In 3×3, mistakes are heightened, but memories need to be even shorter than in a 48-minute, five-on-five game. Any lingering doubt, any head hanging, or any attempt to beat the mistake through sheer will could lead to a snowball effect and the team is doomed. If traditional basketball is chess, 3×3 in a lot of ways is Connect Four — sure, anyone can play it, but it takes a true lifetime to master.
And the players needed are different, too. While in a full court, 10-man game, there’s specialization: a guy could be a 3-and-D player, you could have a traditional post player, you could get a speedy defense-first guard, or a scoring wing who sags on defense. There’s no real room for that in 3×3. If anything, each member of the USAB team stressed the same approach: switchability, an eclectic skillset, and killer cardio.
Adrian Rudd
But of all the things that make for a great Olympic 3×3 player, it’s one that doesn’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet at all that makes all the difference: persistence.
Each of the players on the men’s team has a circuitous, Odyssey-like journey to get to this point. Kareem Maddox worked in radio and for a startup while keeping his toes in the international game. Hummel almost went entirely into broadcasting before the 3×3 opportunities presented themselves. All of them in some form or fashioned were helped by the “Godfather of 3×3,” Princeton grad John Rogers, who has been instrumental in helping push the game forward in the states (both monetarily and from an organizational standpoint). Tournaments are in far-flung places, requiring budget teams simply don’t have. The phone will stay dead for months, then an alternate spot will open up, or a tournament will pop up in South Korea, or yes, Austria.
This all builds an appreciation for the game but also a never say die mentality that’s perfect for 3×3 in general. Sure, it might be easier to have Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James and Kevin Durant out there in theory, but the way FIBA operates, it’s not feasible (or enticing to those guys right now anyway). That’s where the pioneers come in, especially stateside. And those pioneers are Kareem, Canyon, Robbie, and Dom.
With one shot left, it’s not a question of if they’ll do it. It’s just the last stop in a very long road.
“Every day throughout the pandemic, I have to weigh the options,” Maddox says. “I have to look at my bank account. I have to figure out if there’s probably still a chance that the Olympics doesn’t happen. That was even more realistic as things were unfolding late last year, early this year. So I was like,’Whatever. It’s better to be ready.’ And either way, my job doesn’t change. I have to be ready. I have to be the best basketball player I can be. The fact that it’s finally here is great. I’ve woken up like every day, those 16 months, weighing those options, trying to make decisions with this goal in mind. So the fact that it’s here is incredible.”
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