The Los Angeles Lakers’ season and title defense is on the line tomorrow night. Down 3-2 to the Suns in the first round, the Lakers need a win at home in Game 6 to survive and force a decisive Game 7.
It’s also unclear right now whether Anthony Davis will be active for Game 6. Davis missed Game 5 with a groin injury and is currently listed as day-to-day. According the Lakers coach Frank Vogel, he isn’t sure if Davis will be active for Game 6, saying “we’ll see” when asked about his star big man’s status.
Frank Vogel, when asked about Anthony Davis’ availability for Game 6, said “we’ll see.” Vogel said Davis will be a gametime decision. “He’s doing everything he can to get back out there,” Vogel said.
Ultimately, the Lakers need Davis back to have a shot at winning this series, much less repeating as champions. As it stands right now, Los Angeles needs someone to provide a difference alongside LeBron James against a very good Suns team. Davis is the best bet for that to happen, even if he’s not at 100 percent, as we saw in Phoenix’s blowout of L.A. in Game 5 without him.
Davis is almost certainly not going to be at full strength if he plays in Game 6 or in a possible Game 7, but he is one of the few genuine offensive threats the Lakers have beyond LeBron even if he’s not as dynamic as he normally is. After a poor first game, Davis was dominant in Games 2 and 3 before suffering the injury in a Game 4 loss, and he’s simply not had a long enough rehab period to get back to full strength. The best case scenario here is that Davis can be close to his best just enough to take the Lakers forward. It also seems like the Lakers won’t decide if he’ll play or not until just before Game 6 tips at 10:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, so Lakers fans will have to hope he continues improving over the next 24 hours.
Griff is a 20-year-old singer/songwriter of Jamaican and Chinese heritage who grew up just outside of London. Currently blowing up off the strength of her 2021 single, “Black Hole,” which is one of the best songs of year so far, she’s also already collaborated with heavyweights like Zedd and Honne. During this year’s BRIT Awards, Griff even took home the Rising Star trophy, a vote of confidence from the UK that seems very auspicious. Now, just a few days away from the release of her debut mixtape, One Foot In Front Of The Other, out June 18, Spotify has also given the young artist another massive co-sign.
Griff will be the next Radar artist for the streaming giant, getting a boost of support from them in the form of a mini documentary, a Spotify Singles recording, and massive billboards in both New York’s Time Square and in her native London. She’s one of the first RADAR stars to be supported by them in both the US and the UK, indicating her popularity in both realms. So what’s the reason so many people are ready to get behind Griff’s songwriting? Well, it cuts to the quick with a certain kind of vulnerability like Julia Michaels, but she also utilizes a single-minded sound with glitchy, unexpected production like, say, Charli XCX. Given the fact that her vocals are on par with either of those two stars, it’s obvious why she’s earned global attention. Keep your eyes out for her mixtape coming soon, and if you haven’t heard it yet check out “Black Hole” above.
The Knicks face a win or stay home scenario in Game 5 as they play host to the Hawks for the third time in their first round series, trailing 3-1 after splitting the first two at Madison Square Garden and then getting pretty much dominated in the two games in Atlanta. As the series shifts back to Manhattan, the Hawks have started to get more vocal about how they feel about the series, with Clint Capela saying they’re going to send the Knicks on vacation in Game 5.
New York’s stars chose to shrug that off and not get into a war of words, but after how things went in Atlanta, it’s hard to blame the Hawks for feeling very confident they can close the series out. On the other side, the Knicks are desperate to figure things out, particularly offensively, for Game 5, and that will start with Julius Randle and RJ Barrett simply making some of the tough shots they had all regular season. Those two have struggled so far, combining to go, on average, 10-for-31 each game from the field, which just isn’t a pathway to success.
Even so, Barrett and company are keeping the mindset that they’re going to find it and win Game 5. When a reporter posed a question to Barrett after shootaround on Wednesday about how he’ll view this season should the Knicks lose, he shut down that line of thinking saying he’s not thinking about that and that they’re winning tonight.
RJ Barrett on how the Knicks will view their season if the series ends tonight:
As we have entered a space where we are talking more about the press conference/scrum experience for players, it is questions like this that draw much of the ire from players. This is a solid exit interview question after the season posed too early — one that maybe would play with a coach who is more likely to be willing to talk big picture at this time of year — but a player is always going to scoff at any notion of a question that starts with “if you lose” because their entire mindset is to focus on how they’re going to win not the ramifications of a loss.
Barrett was understandably not pleased with it and shut it down with that “we’re winning tonight” to keep it moving.
The San Francisco Giants have made Major League Baseball history by becoming the first team to wear rainbow-themed uniforms to honor the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month. The team will wear Pride-themed logos inspired by the 11-color Pride Progress flag on the sleeves of their jerseys as well as their hats.
The uniforms aren’t just a one-off nod to Pride Month either. They’ll be wearing them throughout the entire month of June. The Giants will debut the uniforms against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
The team will also donate some of the proceeds from the game to the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration Committee. The Giants will also host a “Pride Movie Night” at Oracle Park on June 11-12.
via San Francisco Giants
The decision is powerful in a league that has only had one openly gay player and that was in the ’70s. Glenn Burke, who played for the Dodgers and A’s from 1976 to 1979, was out to his teammates although he kept his sexuality a secret outside of the clubhouse.
To see an entire team of men wearing Pride-themed jerseys represents a sea change in attitudes toward the LGBTQ community in the sport.
“We are extremely proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community as we kick off one of the best annual celebrations in San Francisco by paying honor to the countless achievements and contributions of all those who identify as LGBTQ+ and are allies of the LGBTQ+ community,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer tweeted in a statement.
The Giants on June 5 will become the first MLB team to wear on-field hats and jerseys with Pride Month colors 🏳️🌈… https://t.co/cpvP8aMjIQ
“I’m very proud that the San Francisco Giants are taking this step,” team manager Gabe Kapler told MLB. “I’m very, very proud to be a part of it, and looking forward to the impact and the support that we can provide for the LGBTQ+ community.”
It makes sense for the Giants to be the first MLB team to wear Pride-themed jerseys on the field. San Francisco has historically had the highest percentage of LGBTQ citizens in the country and has been at the forefront of issues facing the community.
During Pride Month, most MLB teams have a pride game. Since 2003, 29 of the 30 teams have done some form a pride ga… https://t.co/M8NTDiCscQ
A little more than half of all MLB teams are hosting Pride events this year. Some teams have had to rethink promotional nights this season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Best-selling TV brand Vizio has finally unveiled their shiny new 2021 TV lineup, and buyers of all budgets should be thrilled by both the price and quality, of the new models. The announced lineup included four series of models, each offering different specs and price ranges for consumers. However, whether or not your shopping for a top-of-the-line P-Series or the budget-friendly D-Series, each model is a pretty good value. If you’re in the market for a new TV, here’s a breakdown of what each line offers, as well as prices and release dates.
VIZIO
P-Series
Out of all the series announced, the P-Series is the highest quality — and priciest — option. If you’re looking to pick one of these bad boys up, we know you want the nitty-gritty so here are the specs for you. Each one of these TVs comes with up to 1200 nits of brightness and 210 local dimming areas, allowing dynamic range tech like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG.
If you’re wondering what it might be like to game on such a display, you’re in luck: Vizio had gamers in mind when building the P-series. Both models feature four HDMI 2.1 ports and a ProGaming Engine that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and 4K at 120 frames per second (fps).
VIZIO
M-Series While not as decked out as the P-Series models, the M-Series are also some top-of-the-line options for buyers. Just like the P-Series, the M-Series has quantum color technology. While these models don’t come with the dual-purpose TV stand the previous TVs have, it does still include the Vizio smart remote.
V-Series
So far, the V-Series seems to be the best value on this list and a really impressive mid-range option for consumers. Each of these TVs are 4K Dolby vision HDR compatible, with full-array backlighting and enhanced brightness and contrast. In addition, the series promises to handle next-generation gaming performance with ease, boasting the ability to run games in 4K@60Hz VRR.
D-Series
While these TVs are the lowest quality on this list, they’re markedly better than similarly priced TVs and are billed as smart TVs that “fit anywhere and do it all.” Each one of the models is now equipped with a new 2021 IQ processor and V-Gaming engine, making for faster UX, VRR, and even AMD FreeSync on select models. With a variety of sizes, both 1080p and 720p models, full array LED backlighting, this is a solid and budget-friendly series.
Ted Lasso had great timing. The Apple TV+ show dropped in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic, when people were scared, angry, and cooped up inside with little to do. Here was not only a show but a show about an aw-shucks American football coach hired to coach an English soccer (which is to say, football) team. Bad things happened to him — a lot of bad things — but his pep was relentless, even inspiring. Would people have reacted so strongly to it had it not dropped in the middle of an out-of-control global public health crisis? Its co-creator thinks so.
In a new interview with The Wrap, Bill Lawrence — who created Scrubs as well as co-created the likes of Cougar Town and Spin City, and teamed up with star Jason Sudeikis for his latest — was asked, point blank, if the show would have had the same impact if released in, say, 2019?
“I’ll tell you why I think so, and hopefully it won’t sound self-aggrandizing,” he replied. “When we started coming up with what we were going to do with the show creatively, we were not in a quarantine and not dealing with a pandemic. But we had reached a point in time, the discourse on social media, when you overhear your kids talk — it was so pervasively cynical and edgy and negative and hopeless.”
He continued:
And really, in an era where people were seeming to actively take glee in not forgiving mistakes and in the downfall of others, I would be lying if I told you we were sure it would work. We weren’t. But what we did think was that it was going to be a positive and therapeutic gig for all of us. So I don’t think this is tied to the pandemic, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say it was definitely tied to the times, with your kids being as pessimistic as anybody in the world. It was a bummer.
Lawrence also discussed how some people glom onto Ted’s unerring positivity, which he says he gets but which doesn’t do justice to the full breadth of the show:
But I will tell you, in a fascinating way, we get many positive interactions from people who go, “I checked this show out because I was told people would be vomiting sunshine on me and making me feel better. And Ted’s in love with a woman that doesn’t want to be with him anymore. And she’s left him and is with his kid. And the other lead has been left alone in her 40s and thinks she’s going to be alone her whole life. And the other star guy is realizing that he can no longer do the one thing, playing soccer, that he’s always been good at. Where’s all the cheerful stuff?”
Will Season 2, which was greenlit mere days after the show’s premiere, be so chipper? You’ll see when it drops on July 23.
The PGA Tour headed to Muirfield Village this week for Jack Nicklaus’ tournament, The Memorial, and as is often the case, Jack’s event draws some bigger than usual stars for the pro-am on Wednesday. Among those who teed it up with the PGA Tour’s best on Wednesday were Stephen Curry and Eli Manning, who got to show off their talents on the golf course.
Curry’s abilities on the course are well known, but hearing that someone is good at golf and seeing just how well they hit the ball are two very different things, even for a PGA Tour pro. Curry was playing with Masters champion and former Memorial winner Hideki Matsuyama in the pro-am, who couldn’t help but give an impressed “Wow” after the two-time NBA MVP’s drive on the first hole.
Curry isn’t a stranger to playing at golf events, teeing it up on the Korn Ferry Tour previously and also playing in The Match last year, although the latter didn’t go as well as he hoped. A pro-am is a little bit of a looser environment, and he was clearly feeling comfortable with his swing and being out there. During the round someone asked him for his pick between the Suns and the Lakers and he gave a pretty matter of fact, “gotta be the Suns now” pick after Phoenix took a 3-2 lead in the series.
Playing golf and getting some love from a Masters champ seems like a pretty ideal day for Stephen Curry.
This is all great news for most of us because, in general, 10-year-old bourbons aren’t crazy expensive. In fact, they’re often quite affordable. And, when it comes to the big brands, 10 years are often widely available without getting caught up in crazy after-market hysteria.
Since 10 years is the sweet spot, we decided to do a blind tasting of bottles that are (mostly!) easy to find. As always, the results surprised us… but also some of them didn’t — with an award-winner grabbing the #1 spot. Check our winners and see if they surprise you — if you feel inspired to buy a bottle the prices are linked!
Part 1: The Taste
In order to get the most out of this taste test, I selected eight of my favorite 10-year-old bourbons. While you can’t guarantee anything based on the allotment and where you live, all are fairly easy to find at your local liquor store or online. On top of being eight of my favorites, these are also some of the most widely awarded whiskeys on the market. It’s a very mainstream list, is what we’re saying!
Russell’s Reserve 10
Eagle Rare 10
Michter’s 10
Widow Jane 10
Rebel Yell Single Barrel 10
Basil Hayden’s 10
Bulleit 10
Henry McKenna 10
Ready? Let’s go!
Taste 1:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Right away, I noticed that the aromas were a little muted for a ten-year-old expression. While I noticed long woody, oak scents and just a hint of vanilla, that was about it. There was more going on with the flavor on the palate, as I noticed hints of raisins, caramel corn, and just a wisp of smoke.
All in all, not a terrible whiskey. It was just a little thin for my liking.
Taste 2:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
I was struck by the depth of aromas on this whiskey’s nose. I found candied orange peels, light oak, buttercream, and sweet toffee. The flavor followed suit, with notes of wood char, buttery caramel, clover honey, and just a hint of cinnamon sugar at the very end.
Overall this was an extremely memorable sip.
Taste 3:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The first thing I noticed on the nose was the earthy, nutty, sweet caramel aromas. This was followed by candied orange peels and the toasted vanilla beans that so many bourbon drinkers expect (especially when you’ve been in the barrel 10 years). The palate was similar with a lot of sweet corn, vanilla, and buttery caramel flavors that all lead into a nice kick of charred oak.
Overall, this felt like a very well-rounded dram.
Taste 4:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot going on with this nose and I really enjoyed it. Upfront, I found a good deal of cinnamon and sugar mixed with dried fruits, wood char, and sweet caramel. The flavor is spicier than most bourbons on the market with notable hints of ginger and cracked black pepper. But there was also the caramel and vanilla I expect in a well-aged bourbon.
All in all, a very complex, unique flavor that deserves extra attention.
Taste 5:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Immediately, I was struck by how fruity the nose was. While I expected more corn sweetness, there were ripe berries and sour cherries that melded into toasted vanilla beans. I have “a very unique nose” written in my notes.
One taste revealed cinnamon sugar, citrus zest, and buttery caramel. There are also more ripe fruit flavors dancing on the palate, as well. All in all a decent sipper. That being said, the overall fruitiness of this bourbon isn’t exactly what I’m looking for in a sipping whiskey.
Taste 6:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
This nose was massive. I found hints of clover honey, caramel, cinnamon, and candied orange peels. The flavor was similar with more citrus zest, vanilla beans, and the addition of maple syrup and almond cookies. It ends with a nice, elegant oaky, caramel flavor that I definitely savored.
Taste 7:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
This whiskey had a veritable bouquet of aromas like spicy cinnamon, buttercream frosting, caramel corn, and just a hint of smoky, charred wood. Taking a sip propelled me into a world of candied orange peels, more cinnamon sugar, maple candy, almond cookies, and a nice oaky finish. This is a complex, easy-to-drink whiskey that I’d gladly sip all summer long.
Taste 8:
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Nosing this whiskey immediately made me think I was nosing a rye whiskey as opposed to a bourbon. On top of cracked black pepper, there was a ton of oaky, vanilla, and buttery caramel flavors usually associated with bourbon. The flavor was more of the same, with butterscotch and cinnamon joining in. But while I enjoy a nice rye whiskey, the peppery flavor was a little overwhelming for a summer sipper.
Part 2: The Ranking
If you just went by label alone, there would be no surprises. Your preconceived ideas about the juice inside would make unbiased opinions impossible. That’s why blind taste tests are the only real way to pick the best 10-year-old bourbon sipper. The best part? No labels mean there are bound to be some unexpected twists.
When it comes to beginner bourbons, you can do a lot worse than Basil Hayden’s. One of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection whiskeys, Basil Hayden’s is a staple in home bars throughout the country. If you want to step it up, you’ll grab a bottle of its 10-year expression. Released every fall, it has the same high-rye recipe as the original but is aged for a decade in charred, American oak casks.
Bottom Line:
Tasting eight well-made whiskeys and ranking them isn’t easy. The only thing that made this whiskey drop to the last spot was the high rye flavor. If I wanted this much rye in a sipping whiskey, I’d grab a bottle of actual rye whiskey.
Like Basil Hayden’s, Bulleit is a great beginner bourbon that you’ll continue to purchase as a mixer for the rest of your life. But just like Basil Hayden’s, you can take a step up to the brand’s 10-year-old expression. This smooth, highly-awarded bourbon was aged for ten years in charred, American oak casks.
Bottom Line:
The lack of nuanced, bold flavors makes this whiskey more of a mixer than a sipper. For that reason, I couldn’t possibly rank this very high.
First released in 2016 (and rebranded this year), Rebel (formerly called Rebel Yell) is a sourced whiskey. But even though Lux Row doesn’t disclose where this bourbon came from, that doesn’t mean it should be disregarded.
Aged for ten years, every bottle of this bold, rich, 100 proof bourbon lists the bottle number and when the whiskey was bottled.
Bottom Line:
While this is a very complex whiskey that ticks all of the bourbon boxes, there are almost too many berry and cherry flavors. For me, that made it taste more like a dessert whiskey than a bold, 100 proof sipping bourbon.
Wild Turkey is a big name in the bourbon world. But sometimes it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. This is why it launched Russell’s Reserve a few years ago. The shining star of the brand is its 10-year-old expression. This 90-proof, high-corn bourbon is the culmination of almost 100 years of distilling experience between father and son duo Jimmy and Eddie Russell.
Bottom Line:
Ranking these whiskeys is starting to get really tricky. I loved my Russell’s Reserve 10 sip. But compared to some of the higher-ranking whiskeys, it was a little sweeter than I would like for a daily sipper.
Interest in Henry McKenna 10 exploded a few years ago when this previously little-known bourbon was named as the best whiskey in the world at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Named for a whiskey-making Irish immigrant, this bottled-in-bond bourbon is known for its spicy, bold flavors.
Bottom Line:
A spicy bourbon isn’t always an easy sell for me. If it’s more of a one-trick pony, that doesn’t fly. But, this whiskey not only has bold cinnamon and cracked black pepper flavors, but it also has mellow caramel and sweet vanilla notes.
“Sourced” shouldn’t be a bad word in the whiskey world and brands like Widow Jane are proving it. Its 10-year-old expression has won numerous awards over the years. The brand’s flagship bourbon, this expression is a marriage of Widow Jane’s rarest and most exciting sourced whiskeys.
Produced in 5-barrel batches, it’s unfiltered and proofed with locally sourced mineral water.
Bottom Line:
At first, I was surprised that this whiskey landed so high on the list. But then I remembered that I’ve always enjoyed the whiskeys produced by Widow Jane (including The Vaults). This 10-year-old expression would be a welcome addition to any home bar for the summer months.
One of the most highly regarded 10-year-old bourbons on the market, Eagle Rare 10 has been distilled, aged, and bottled the same way since its inception in 1975. This award-winning (and audience favorite) bourbon was aged for ten years in charred, American oak barrels. The result is one of the most mellow, easy-to-drink bourbons on the market and a bargain if you can manage to grab it for retail.
Bottom Line:
This pour was really hard to beat. It was so smooth and rich that I went back for a second sip after the blind taste test. If you can get your hands on a bottle, use it as your end-of-the-day sipper all season long.
It might be surprising that a 10-year-old bourbon would be so sought after. But Michter’s 10 is regarded as arguably the best 10-year-old bourbon produced today. Besides the bold, rich, caramel, vanilla, and subtly spicy flavor, the reason it’s garnered such attention and become such a popular bottle is the fact that this single barrel bourbon is only produced in extremely limited quantities.
This bottle, of the whole bunch, is the one where the actual price is sure to outpace MSRP.
Bottom Line:
This highly complex, bold whiskey is truly something unique. Everything you could ever want in a whiskey is included in this bourbon. There’s the mellow corn sweetness and vanilla flavors, but they’re tempered with a good deal of spice.
With tons of layers and nuance, my palate seemed to side with the whiskey hypebeasts on this one. It’s a hell of a dram.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
The Connecticut Sun are the WNBA powerhouse everybody should’ve seen coming. Led by MVP frontrunner Jonquel Jones, All-Star wing DeWanna Bonner, and a fleet of impressive rotation players, the Sun have quickly emerged as the team to beat three weeks into the season. A convincing 74-67 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday should frighten the league.
Nine games into a 32-game regular season, Connecticut is 7-2 with a pair of wins over both the Aces and Phoenix Mercury. Each win has come by two or more possessions including three double-digit blowouts. The team’s only two losses both came in overtime to the Minnesota Lynx and reigning champion Seattle Storm.
Fans, media, and even the league’s general managers largely overlooked Connecticut. That’s probably because Alyssa Thomas, the Sun’s defensive anchor who led the franchise to a five-game semifinals series to the Aces last season, tore her Achilles overseas and won’t play in the WNBA in 2021. Bonner and Jones had also never shared the court prior to this season as Jones opted out of the 2020 bubble.
There was plenty of reason to be cautious picking Connecticut to win it all, but the Sun are showing why you should buy into them now. Bonner, Jones, and forward Brionna Jones make for one of the most intimidating interior units in the world. Their combination of quick foot speed, long arms, and towering height are a nightmare for opposing guards and bigs at the rim.
The fancy stats agree: According to Synergy Sports, the roll-man in pick-and-rolls has scored just 18 points on 43 tries against the Sun. Good freaking luck getting a clean look over 6’6 Jonquel Jones, or through the outreach of 6’4 Bonner. In 25 put-back attempts, opponents have also scored just 18 points. Connecticut leads the league in both categories while ranking second in defending the rim in non-post-up situations.
To stand a chance against Connecticut, you’re going to have to shoot a tremendous percentage from distance or run them in transition. Overall, Synergy pins Connecticut as the second-best team in halfcourt defense in the league. That’s translated to a defensive rating that’s more than five points per 100 possessions better than last year. Their 94.2 points per 100 possessions allowed leads the league, and would rank second-best of all teams in the last seven years.
All of those numbers are to say this: Connecticut is disciplined, quick, skilled, and has a gameplan to cut off a few elite options even if one player gets their numbers. Take Tuesday night for instance — while Liz Cambage poured in 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting mostly through post-ups, the rest of the Aces scored 39 points on 17-for-47 shooting. That’s just 36.2 percent.
It also helps that Jonquel Jones is inevitable, and it’s becoming clear no team can stop her. Jones was the league’s Most Improved Player in 2017, and in four short years, she might be the most hard-to-guard two-way player in the WNBA. The 6’6 center is averaging 20.6 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting — including making 21 of her 43 attempts from three — with 10.1 rebound, three assists, 1.7 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 2.9 turnovers per game.
She’s also doing very normal center things such as euro-stepping floaters through the lane and launching back into contested three-point shots. (Read: that’s not normal. Only unicorns make those types of shots.)
The question is no longer what Jones could be, because she already is. The WNBA has a limited supply of players tall enough to match her, and those that have the size rarely have the athletic gifts to follow her every move. In two games against reigning MVP A’ja Wilson’s Aces, Jones scored 42 points on 13-for-26 shooting. Against reigning Finals MVP Breanna Stewart’s Storm, she scored 28 points on 10-for-19 shooting.
In so many cases, a defense’s best option is to hope she misses. Jonquel Jones is the key to the Sun continuing their winning ways.
Jones’ play has had a positive impact on Bonner, too. In the Wubble, Bonner proved she was more than an historically great sixth woman, leading the Sun with 19.7 points per game and falling just one game short of the WNBA Finals. But her numbers are improving in 2021, which should come as no surprise now that Jones is luring away some of the defensive attention.
She’s had a rough time finishing around the basket, but Bonner has made 18 of her 42 three-pointers, raising her effective field goal percentage by nearly two percentage points. Last season, she made just 27 out of 107 tries. With Bonner conserving a bit of energy next to Jones (her usage rate is down 2.9 percent, and she’s taking 3.4 fewer field goal attempts per game), she’s having a stellar defensive season, too.
In 86 possessions guarding the shooter, she’s allowed just 52 points (17-for-70 shooting), according to Synergy Sports. Of all players who’ve defended 40 or more shooting possessions, only four players have allowed fewer points per possession.
It’s super early in the season, even if we are nearly one-fourth of the way through most WNBA teams’ schedules. The Chicago Sky haven’t settled yet with Candace Parker and Allie Quigley each playing in just one game so far, the Mercury are without Diana Taurasi for a month, and the Washington Mystics haven’t had Elena Delle Donne on the court yet. The Aces will get another chance to play Connecticut in August, too.
Right now, though, the Storm, who beat the Sun in the second week of the season, look like their biggest challenger. Seattle’s lost just one game and sits atop the league by percentage points at 6-1. Even after losing two starters from last season in Natasha Howard and Alysha Clark, the Storm are rolling behind the big three of Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, and Stewart. Plus, they got the best of Connecticut in their first matchup by three points in overtime.
Leave your calendar open. We’ll see those teams play again on June 13.
Lake Highlands High School valedictorian Paxton Smith made waves with her commencement speech this week, as she discarded her approved remarks and spoke about Texas’s anti-abortion “heartbeat bill” instead.
Smith told D Magazine that the speech she had prepared and submitted for approval was about media consumption and how it had shaped her view of the world. But she had also prepared a different speech, one that addressed something far more important to her.
When the time came to step up to the microphone, she took out a folded piece of paper tucked into her shirt and delivered the second speech instead. Clips of her remarks have since gone viral on social media.
“As we leave high school we need to make our voices heard. I was going to get up here and talk to you about TV and content and media because those are things that are very important to me. However, in light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state.
Recently the heartbeat bill was passed in Texas. Starting in September, there will be a ban on abortions that take place after 6 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. 6 weeks. Most women don’t even realize they’re pregnant by then. And so, before they have the time to decide if they are emotionally, physically, and financially stable enough to carry out a full-term pregnancy, before they have the chance to decide if they can take on the responsibility of bringing another human into the world, the decision has been made for them by a stranger. A decision that will affect the rest of their lives.
I have dreams, hopes, and ambitions. Every girl here does. We have spent our whole lives working towards our futures, and without our consent or input, our control over our futures has been stripped away from us. I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail me, that if I’m raped, then my hopes and efforts and dreams for myself will no longer be relevant. I hope you can feel how gut-wrenching it is, how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you.
And I’m talking about this today, on a day as important as this, on a day honoring the students’ efforts in twelve years of schooling, on a day where we’re all brought together, on a day where you will be the most inclined to hear a voice like mine, a woman’s voice, to tell you that this is a problem. A problem that can’t wait. I refuse to give up this platform to promote complacency and peace, when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights. A war on the rights of your sisters, a war on the rights of your mothers, a war on the rights of your daughters.
We cannot stay silent.”
Smith told D Magazine that it “feels great” to have said what she wanted to say to her graduating class.
“It also feels a little weird,” she added. “Whenever I have opinions that can be considered political or controversial, I keep them to myself because I don’t like to gain attention for that kind of stuff. But I’m glad that I could do something, and I’m glad that it’s getting attention. It just feels weird for me personally, that I’m linked to the attention that the speech got.”
As of yesterday, Smith had not faced any direct consequences from school administrators, though a couple of them had told her that they could withhold her diploma. She will be headed to UT Austin in the fall and encourages everyone to register to vote and stay involved in local elections.
Brava, Ms. Smith. Thank you for using your voice and moment in the spotlight to speak up for the right all people should have to make personal medical decisions without government interference.
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