Month: June 2023

Around 4:45 p.m. EST on Thursday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced that Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden would be exercising his $35.6 million player option to work with the team on a trade elsewhere. Yet Charania and Wojnarowski didn’t break the news to certain corners of NBA Twitter. A day earlier, an account with the username “@droppingdimes20” and display name “The Amateur NBA Analyst” tweeted “Other thing is James Harden will opt into his contract and request a trade. Don’t know which team he wants though”

While the tweet gained some traction initially, it didn’t explode, given the fact that random folks emerge from the woodworks to try and cosplay as newsbreakers around free agency every year. Plus, the account had only about 1,000 followers at the time and generally posted clips analyzing Draft prospects. After Charania and Wojnarowski confirmed the news, the tweet and account took off, reaching a high point of roughly 3,500 likes and over 43,000 followers. It tweeted “IM HIM” and trolled Wojnarowski a few times while basking in the moment — and also cryptically tweeting about other stars that could be in the news soon, including Kyrie Irving.

Then, @droppingdimes20 vanished. The account was scrubbed away. They deactivated, only briefly returning to clarify that other accounts popping up with similar usernames were merely imitations and not the real @droppingdimes20. NBA Twitter went into a frenzy over @droppingdimes20 when news of Harden’s decision made waves and that frenzy exponentially grew once the account disappeared. Plenty of funny reactions and memes graced the Twitter sphere as to why they had suddenly left.

We may never again hear from @droppingdimes20, who was, in fact, HIM — briefly. We may knew never what their Twitter fate is or what they’re up to. But we’ll always have those fascinating two hours on June 29, 2023 in the immediate aftermath of Harden deciding to depart from the City of Brotherly Love.

Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley were back on TNT’s airwaves on Thursday evening for a rare mid-summer broadcasting gig together, as they went out to Las Vegas for the latest installment of “The Match,” this time pitting Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Before the stars of the hardwood and the gridiron competed on the golf course, Charles Barkley asked if he could have the floor to say something, to which Ernie joked he already was saying something. Their usual banter was followed by a surprise announcement from Chuck that Ernie was going to be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame later that year, leading to a stunned Johnson asking if that was real news from the Chuckster before offering a heartfelt thanks for the honor.

It’s a very cool moment and it’s great that Chuck got to make the announcement to his longtime broadcasting partner and friend, even though it came down outside of the NBA season. If anything it’s fairly surprising that Johnson wasn’t already in the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame given his legendary career with TNT, but he’s certainly a worthy recipient of the honor and I’m sure a celebration will be in order later tonight in Las Vegas.

Latto‘s latest single, “Put It On Da Floor” has proven to be one of the buzziest hip-hop tracks of the year. Though she doesn’t specifically diss any rapper by name (despite a line many took as shade toward Coi Leray), she keeps all of her opps on notice. Additionally, several rappers have dropped freestyles over the track.

The latest comes from Latto’s fellow Atlanta rapper Omeretta The Great, who leaves no name unchecked.

On her freestyle, she addresses rapper Lil Baby dissing Gunna over rumors he took a plea deal, as Lil Durk, and New Orleans rapper Boosie Bad Azz, both of whom also dissed Gunna.

“They talking bout Baby making disses, I guess he picking a side / But this Atlanta business, someone tell Boosie be quiet / I heard that Durk all on the ‘gram tryna boost up his pride / He sending disses at lil Gunna when Lil Y be outside,” she raps.

This isn’t the first time Omeretta’s bar have been the subject of controversy. Last February, her song “Sorry Not Sorry” caused quite a stir, as she questioned the legitimacy of people from certain neighborhoods who claim to be from Atlanta.

You can hear a snippet of Omeretta The Great’s “Put It On Da Floor” freestyle above.

Gunna and Young Thug are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In his fourth full season in Sacramento, Harrison Barnes got to finally return to the postseason as the steady, veteran presence on the young, upstart Kings. Barnes started and played in all 82 games, averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 47.3/37.4/84.7 shooting splits, but entered this offseason with his future in question.

Sacramento used the Draft to open up a bit more cap space, with the expectation that they would use that to seek out some upgrades after their shooters, including Barnes, went ice cold in their seven game series loss to the Warriors and they struggled on the glass with Kevon Looney. As such, Barnes found himself potentially as the odd man out if Sacramento could find an upgrade the four spot, and while he had a dreadful shooting series, he still figured to have plenty of interest as a solid two-way presence on the wing.

But as it turns out, a parting of ways won’t happen. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN brought word on Thursday night that Barnes and the Kings agreed to a 3-year contract extension that will pay him $54 million over the life of the deal.

There’s no word on any sort of options or non-guarantees as the deal goes on. Regardless, Barnes and Sacramento know one another quite well, so it makes sense that he would stick around as the team tries to continue its ascent in the Western Conference.

The Barbie soundtrack proves to be the gift that keeps on giving. In the latest bop from Barbie The Album, Charli XCX takes us on a “Speed Drive.”

On “Speed Drive,” Charli taps into her glimmery, pink energy, giving the Barbie universe the bop of the century.

“Ah-ah, Barbie, you’re so fine / you’re so fine you blow my mind / Jump into the driver’s seat and put it into speed drive / Hot, ridin’ through the streets, on a different frequency / Know you know just what I mean, we’re runnin’ through the red lights / Ah, Barbie, you’re so fine, you’re so / fine you blow my mind / Jump into the driver’s seat and put it into speed drive / Hot, ridin’ through the streets, on a different frequency / Know you know just what I mean, we’re runnin’ through the red lights,” she sings on the song’s chorus

The song clocks in at less than two minutes, but delivers on pure fun, feminine mystique.

Earlier today, Charli took to TikTok to share a clip from the movie, in which “Speed Drive” appears.

Barbie The Album will arrive next month, in tandem with Barbie the movie.

You can check out “Speed Drive” above.

Barbie The Album is out 7/21 via Atlantic. Find more information here.

A bombshell dropped 25 hours before the NBA’s free agency period begins. On Thursday afternoon, multiple reports indicated that James Harden is going to pick up player option in his contract for the 2023-24 season and then work with the Philadelphia 76ers on finding a potential trade. Almost immediately, it became clear that the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks are among the teams that are interested in bringing the former league MVP on board.

It’s quite the change in direction for the Sixers, at least, as reports indicted the team wanted to bring back the player they acquired at the 2022 NBA trade deadline. But now Harden appears to be on his way out, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there is a pretty simple reason why.

“The 76ers made it clear throughout the process that the franchise did not see a long-term future with Harden, sources said,” per Charania.

Harden, who will turn 34 during the offseason, was eligible to sign a 4-year, $213 million extension with the Sixers this summer. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said “it was unlikely that they were going to make such a robust commitment to him.” Harden spoke during the season about sacrificing his role and money to help Philly put together its roster last year.

The Days Of Summer Cruise Festival has added another rising star to its upcoming slate. Sexyy Red will board the Norwegian Sky cruise ship in Miami along with previously announced headliners Future and Lil Baby and fellow new addition Fat Joe. In addition to her performance duties, she’s also signed on to help out at one of the other activities: a mental health workshop hosted by the founders of SoMypolar, a nonprofit organization that services the mental health community.

The workshop is scheduled for July 4th, with the cruise itself running from July 2nd to July 5th, sailing through Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay. The festival debuted in 2019 with Cardi B, City Girls, Dej Loaf, and Post Malone. There are still a few cabins left and way more activities on the itinerary, including a beach party on a private island, a pajama party, an all-white party, a hip-hop comedy show, and a hip-hop workout class. You can find more info here.

Sexyy Red’s addition to the cruise is just one more example of how quickly her star has risen this year after her breakout singles “Born By The River” and “Pound Town” took the internet by storm. In just a few short months, the St. Louis star has received a co-sign from Nicki Minaj, stole the show at the BET Awards, and irritated conservatives — all signs that she’s doing something right.

We are nearing the halfway point in the tenth series of Love Island UK and this season has been filled with drama and unexpected turns. As of episode 25, the remaining couples for the summer 2023 series are Catherine & Scott, Zachariah & Kady, Montell & Leah, Mitchell & Jess, and Tyrique & Ella with Whitney and Sammy standing as the single islanders. Whitney and Sammy became single their respective partners, Medhi and Mal, were sent home in a fan vote, and that came after Molly was dumped from the island (and separated from Zach) in a surprise twist. If that’s a lot of drama for you already, we suggest that you buckle up as Casa Amor is set to kick off this week.

At the conclusion of episode 25 on Thursday, June 29, Love Island UK teased the start of Casa Amor in a preview for Friday’s episode. Though the entirety of Friday’s episode will not be dedicated to launching Casa Amor, you can assume that the week-long event will at least be introduced to the islanders by the end of the episode. In other words, next week will be a hectic week for Love Island UK series 10.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Casa Amor in Love Island UK is a week-long event that removes the islanders from their couples. They are split in half by gender with one half being placed in a separate villa. During this time period, a new batch of islanders is brought into both villas with the goal of sparking a connection with the original islanders. By the end of the week, the original islanders must decide to either return to their original couple and pick up where they left off before Casa Amor or start fresh with the person they may have connected with in Casa Amor.

‘Love Island’ series 10 premieres on the ITV2 channel on June 5th at 9pm GMT/4pm EST/1pm PST.

Travis Scott won’t face criminal charges as a result of the 2021 Astroworld tragedy after a Texas grand jury declined to indict him for the events that led to 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to the Associated Press. AP cites Travis’ lawyer Kent Schaffer, who said that he wasn’t sure what criminal charges were being considered, but was adamant that Travis did nothing that could have prompted the crowd surge that led to the slew of injuries.

While calling the decision a “great relief,” Schaffer said, “He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt… Travis is not responsible. Bringing criminal charges against him will not ease their” — meaning the victims and their families, many of whom believe the rapper should be held liable, as his name was on the festival flyer and the injuries occurred during his headlining set. Travis and promoter Live Nation are being sued in hundreds of cases that were ultimately combined to be tried as one case.

An official investigation by police and federal officials was held to determine if Live Nation and Travis had been criminally negligent in the safety measures in place at the festival. For his part, Travis maintains that he did not have any idea anything was wrong — which is why he continued performing for nearly 30 minutes. Victims’ families have cited him encouraging dangerous behavior at past shows as a sign that he should be held responsible anyway.

It’s (finally) sunny in LA again, and the latest collab between Compton rappers Tyga and YG is perfect for the festivities to come. It’s a fitting time to drop the video for “West Coast Weekend” featuring Blxst as the sort of lavish pool parties depicted in the clip is coming around the corner for the rest of us. And although the sun wasn’t quite shining yet when they filmed this in the Hollywood Hills, that doesn’t stop their bikini-clad guests from having a ball, lounging on Lambos, taking a dip in the pool, and playing Twister on the lawn.

“West Coast Weekend,” which shares the same unforgettable Cameo sample as Tupac’s “All About U,” Beyoncé’s “Before I Let Go” cover, and Mariah Carey’s “Loverboy,” is just latest single from YG and Tyga’s upcoming collaborative album, which they announced during Tyga’s set at Rolling Loud in Los Angeles earlier this year. The two Hub City natives previously built chemistry on tracks like Tyga’s “Go Loko” and YG’s “Run,” and kept it going with another joint single, “Platinum.”

Both are experienced with collaborative album rollouts; in 2015, Tyga worked with Chris Brown on the album Fan Of A Fan, while YG recently dropped their joint album Kommunity Service — which, funnily enough, also featured a single with Blxst.

Watch Tyga and YG’s “West Coast Weekend” video featuring Blxst above.