Month: June 2024

Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends is the hottest ticket in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, June 19, to commemorate Juneteenth. Luckily, The Pop Out will be livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch, so fans everywhere can follow whether Lamar debuts any one of his Drake diss tracks.

Here Are The Set Times For Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Concert

On Tuesday, June 18, DJ Hed posted the lineup on X (formerly Twitter): DJ Hed & Friends (4 p.m. PT), Mustard & Friends (4:45 p.m. PT), and Ken & Friends (5:45 p.m. PT).

It remains to be seen who all of the friends will be joining DJ Hed, Mustard, and Lamar during their respective sets, but rap’s biggest names are presumably all possibilities — except for Drake, of course.

As of this writing, DJ Hed’s set is underway. TDE’s Ray Vaughn popped out to perform “Problems.” DJ Hed quipped, “They say the West Coast can’t rap? That’s crazy.” Then, he proceeded to welcome Cuzzos for a short stint on stage before Rucci and Azchike ran out to perform their collaborative track “Light It Up.” The revolving door of guest performers continued with Jay Worthy & Meet The Whoops.

You can watch the rest of The Pop Out — Ken & Friends here.

Kendrick Lamar has kept rap fans fed since late March, when his feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” ignited a rap beef and diss track inferno (is that a phrase?) with Drake.

Peak excitement hit when Lamar, pgLang, and Free Lunch announced The Pop Out — Ken & Friends, a one-off concert at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Wednesday, June 19.

When Will Kendrick Lamar Be On Stage For The Pop Out — Ken & Friends?

On Tuesday, June 18, DJ Hed posted the show’s lineup on X (formerly Twitter).

DJ Hed & Friends is scheduled to kick the show off at 4 p.m. PT, followed by Mustard & Friends at 4:45 p.m. PT and Lamar at 5:45 p.m. PT. It appears that the “& Friends” part of DJ Hed, Mustard, and Lamar’s respective sets will remain a surprise until show time.

Mustard, Sounwave, and Sean Momberger co-produced “Not Like Us,” Lamar’s ether of Drake that became his fourth-career No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Earlier Wednesday, June 19, Mustard shared five facts about “Not Like Us” with Billboard, including that he “did not sample” Nas’ “Ether.”

“I heard the song when everybody else heard it,” he said. “I never heard it before. I wasn’t in the studio with him. I had never heard that song.”

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” listed among Uproxx’s “Best Songs Of 2024 So Far,” might get its live debut during Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends concert, presented by pgLang and Free Lunch, at Kia Forum in Los Angeles tonight (June 19). Regardless, “Not Like Us” is featured at Lamar’s The Pop Out merch table.

Here Is Kendrick Lamar’s Merch For The Pop Out Concert

Several outlets, such as Complex and XXL Magazine, have begun circulating photos of merch available for purchase at Kia Forum.

It cannot be definitively stated whether the photos capture all of the merchandise available, but this is what we have to go off of so far.

There is a black “Not Like Us” graphic tee available for $50, and a white pgLang graphic tee for $50. Another $50 “Not Like Us” graphic tee displays a bowl of New Ho King rice, a nod to the Toronto restaurant and unlikely beneficiary of the Drake-Kendrick beef. As relayed by The New York Times, New Ho King received “a flood of five-star reviews on Yelp and Google” after Lamar rapped on “Euphoria,” “I be at New Ho King eatin’ fried rice with a dip sauce and blammy, crodie.”

There is also a black pgLang graphic hoodie available for $120, and a $70 white long-sleeved shirt with a graphic displaying, “SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA POP OUT AND SHOW.”

The Pop Out — Ken & Friends will be livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch.

Chick-fil-A has just launched a new chicken sandwich! It’s not often that Chick-fil-A adds something truly new to its menu so this is kind of a big deal. Sure, it has seasonal drinks, but drinks are relatively safe and risk-free for both the customer and restaurant. But new food? That’s a risk, and it doesn’t always pay off (just look at the KFC Chizza).

Last year, Chick-fil-A gave us the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich. And while it wasn’t for everyone — Pimento cheese is easily the most divisive cheese — we thought it was pretty tasty.

Now, in 2024, Chick-fil-A has something a bit more exciting in store for us — the Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich. With all due respect to pimento cheese, this sounds a million times better. I mean it has “bacon” in the name and that alone is enough to pique our interest. And it’s grilled, which is exciting because it’s our opinion that we need more good grilled chicken sandwiches out there in the fast food landscape.

So is the Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich any good? Here’s the verdict.

Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

The build features grilled chicken breast on a toasted maple-flavored brioche bun, pepper jack cheese, green leaf lettuce, pickles, and bacon that is covered in brown sugar and pepper.

Holy shit is this sandwich good. The flavors work in perfect harmony with one another, the chicken breast is tender with a mix of charred, herbal, and slightly lemon-y flavors with pepper jack cheese bringing some mild heat, and a smokey sweet, fragrant peppery aftertaste courtesy of the maple bacon. The maple bacon is a definite highlight, it’s perfectly rendered with an addictive mix of smokey and sweet flavors. It’s crunchy, yet melts in your mouth.

I’m taken aback by how good this sandwich is. Before I tried it, I thought that on paper it would probably make sense to be made with a spicy fried filet rather than the grilled option because it would be a combination of spicy and sweet but having actually tasted the thing, I have to suggest that you resist the temptation to get the fried chicken.

The bacon already provides all the textural crunch that you need. I’d also like to highlight the brioche bun that this sandwich is served on, it’s light, airy, and buttery. It’s easily the best bun on any Chick-fil-A sandwich, and I hope they swap out the original white bread for brioche on all of their sandwiches.

My only gripe with this sandwich is the pickles. They seem out of place on this sandwich. Don’t get me wrong it didn’t ruin my experience, but there is so much flavor in this sandwich from the bacon and chicken filet alone that you don’t really need that briney-tang the pickles bring.

Still, this is currently my favorite grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food and if it doesn’t earn permanent menu status then Chick-fil-A is making a huge mistake.

The Bottom Line:

A must-order. This is easily one of Chick-fil-A’s best chicken sandwiches and by far the best grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food.

Prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, word dropped that Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis suffered a rare leg injury that would keep him sidelined. It was a brutal turn of events for Porzingis, who missed most of the playoffs leading up to the Finals, but he was eventually able to get on the floor during the team’s series-clinching Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The injury came up on NBA Countdown, and at one point, Stephen A. Smith leaned into the fact that Paul George was the guest player on set to take a shot at Kawhi Leonard, who Smith frequently criticizes for his inability to remain healthy and play.

George laughed while he pushed back against Smith’s comment. As it turns out, he had a lot more to say about this, which he went into on the latest edition of “Podcast P.”

“I didn’t like that moment, just because — and I rock with Stephen A., obviously,” George said. “But just, let it go, you know what I mean? Just let it go. Kawhi wants to play, I will keep beating that over the head until I’m out of breath — he wants to play. He keeps making it something that Kawhi doesn’t wanna play, or he doesn’t wanna be there. I think we rode Kawhi a lot this year to where it kinda got to the point of, like, there’s only so much my body can take right now. We, shit, exhausted a lot out of Kawhi this season.

“And so, I just think at some point, your body breaks you down,” George continued. “And that’s just the case there. But, I didn’t appreciate that moment. I know I laughed, just cause the situation, it was lighthearted. But deep down, it was just like, man, you gotta let that go, Stephen A.”

Leonard appeared in 68 games this regular season, his most since 2016-17 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. However, injuries limited him to only two games in the Clippers’ 6-game first round series against the Dallas Mavericks.

While everyone is discussing the recent shoegaze renaissance, there has been another subgenre resurgence brewing in the 2020s. Post-punk, with its talky cadences, labyrinthine song arrangements, and, dare I say, angular guitar work, has been thriving, with groups like Dry Cleaning, Black Country, New Road, and Fontaines D.C. at its helm. English Teacher, a four-piece from Leeds, formed in 2020 to make their own contributions to this scene.

Only recently, however, have they shared their full-length debut, This Could Be Texas. Expanding on the framework of their 2021 EP, Polyawkward, English Teacher takes a wide-screen approach to the post-punk foundation, presenting a live-band feel rife with lush string arrangements, complex time signatures, and a dynamism that keeps you on your toes for 50 straight minutes.

Following the record’s release in April, drummer Douglas Frost sat down with Uproxx to talk about LCD Soundsystem, Robert Pattinson, and doing crow impressions in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Really makes you think.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

I’d like it to just simply still be there. Still be sitting proudly in record collections (physically or digitally). Still be music that people frequently return to, whether it’s been a week, a month or five years. I just want it to still be enjoyable, in whatever capacity.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

All of our mothers, for without them there would be no work.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?

New York. A chicken cheddar club sandwich from a deli in Brooklyn at 3 a.m.

Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.

LCD Soundsystem at Brixton Academy, London. You dance, you cry, and you sweat (buckets). I sincerely believe it’s impossible not to enjoy their shows. Period.

What song never fails to make you emotional?

“Someone Great” by LCD Soundsystem.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Full body deep stretch for tight bodies.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

A hostel with a sewage problem.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?

Honorable mentions include Manchester, Glasgow, and Dublin. However, the hometown shows in Leeds will always have a huge place in our hearts.

I’m aching to get myself to Japan so fingers crossed Tokyo appears on a tour schedule one day.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Everyone is more afraid of you than you are of them.

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Crow impression.

If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support?

Humanitarian aid in Gaza.

What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?

Music is such an innate part of human life that I do believe people will forever choose human-made music over AI, but perhaps I’m being too optimistic and a little naive.

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.

Location: the moon!!!!!!!

Doja Cat
Natasha Bedingfield
Radiohead
Sixpence None The Richer
Philip Glass

Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?

@superpedjason

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

My one and only tattoo is of a fetus baby wearing a cowboy hat and using its umbilical cord as a lasso. A friend did it randomly one night and now this little guy is just there hanging out on my ankle like a yeehaw guardian angel.

What is your pre-show ritual?

Dance to pop music from 2010.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Robert Pattinson.

You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?

I’m going on a 30-day hike across a mountain range anywhere in Europe, and I’ll be taking absolutely nobody.

What is your biggest fear?

Losing your memory, or maybe small talk with a stranger in public toilets.

This Could Be Texas is available now via Island Records. Find more information here.

Kevin Costner finalized a divorce earlier this year, while Jewel has been divorced since 2014. So, when the two were spotted together, dating rumors flew.

Are Jewel And Kevin Costner Dating?

In an appearance on The Howard Stern Show yesterday (June 18), Stern said he “heard rumors,” and Costner replied with, “That’s what they are.” He continued, “Jewel and I are friends, we’ve never gone out, ever. She’s special, and I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship, because that’s what we have. She’s special. I mean, she’s beautiful enough to go out with.”

As USA Today notes, the rumors started when Costner and Jewel were both at Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the Caribbean for a fundraiser. Costner explained, “The rumor was I went down on a private plane with her, I went back on a private plane. I was on with nine people, and I don’t want the press to ruin this for us, because I’ve had conversations with her, text-wise, and she’s so smart, and she’s been through a lot herself. We have a friendship. We don’t have a romance. We’ve not dated. She’s beautiful and smart enough for all those things. It just has never happened for us.”

Jewel was less direct when she addressed the rumors in an April interview, saying of Costner, “He’s a great person. The public fascination is intense, for sure.”

The United States men’s national team looked like it was in a bad place earlier this month. With the eyes of the football watching world preparing to focus on the U.S. when it hosts Copa America in June and July, the Americans went out and got steamrolled by Colombia, 5-1. It was a drubbing — Colombia, one of the hottest teams in world football entering this summer, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes. While the Americans grew into the game admirably and Timothy Weah scored a goal to cut into the deficit in the second half, the team completely let go of the rope over the final 15 minutes, as Colombia put three goals past Matt Turner due to their ability to pounce on mistakes.

Gregg Berhalter — who got the usual calls for his job from fans that any international manager receives following a shambolic performance — was brutally honest about the performance in the aftermath, and with a test against world power Brazil in their final friendly before the tournament days away, spirits seemed to be low. And then, something funny happened: the USMNT dug deep and drew the No. 5 team in the world, 1-1, behind a gem of a free kick by Christian Pulisic.

“Whenever we’re at our best is whenever everyone’s playing at a high intensity and has a maximum effort,” USMNT star Weston McKennie told Uproxx over Zoom about the lead-up to the game. “And so, we didn’t even want to focus on the result against Brazil, we were just focused on the performance. We said that we want to give our maximum performance, we want to give a performance that we’re happy with, that we can walk off feeling good about. And in return, if we can do that, then the result should be in our favor.”

McKennie is heading into this summer off of the best year of his career as a midfielder for Serie A giants Juventus. While he did not score in the campaign, McKennie led the team with 10 assists across all competitions and became a stalwart in the midfield, which was quite the turn of events considering how he described his return to the club after a loan spell with English side Leeds United last year that didn’t go especially well.

Now, McKennie is preparing for an important stretch, which goes well beyond a rumored return to the English top flight. He’ll be one of the leaders of the USMNT, someone who shoulders a gigantic load as a player and a personality both on and off the pitch. And if he’s showing off the mix of playmaking chops and good old fashioned American tenacity that have come to define him as a player, the aspirations of making noise on their home soil ahead of the 2026 World Cup won’t seem all that far-fetched for the young Yanks.

Prior to the start of Copa America, Uproxx caught up with McKennie to discuss his partnership with Puma, living at the intersection of sport and culture, his year at Juventus, all things USMNT, and that one video clip where he told an all-time great Italian footballer that he puts ranch dressing on his pizza.

What do you have going on with Puma?

We have a lot of stuff, actually. I just came from Miami, was at Christian’s stomping grounds in Little Havana. One of my buddies actually was just walking around because when I first started my journey with Puma, I always said I really love the marketing aspect of it, and just like the visibility of everything. And one of my buddies sent me a picture in Brickell City Center of me, Yunus [Musah], and Christian’s posters and stuff up in Brickell’s space, it’s pretty dope.

But no, we have a lot. I was just actually with Puma and Ferrari in Monaco recently, before I came here. It was amazing.

What was it about Puma that stuck out before you joined them, when you’re just seeing other athletes in Puma gear, or seeing Puma outside of the world of football?

Honestly, I’m someone … I love football. But I’m also someone that loves many other things, as well. I love golf, I love cars, I love fashion. And Puma is one of those brands that I started to notice that was very big in all these other things.

And that’s what I love, I love a brand that is well-connected in those aspects of things, because it represents me. I identify with that a lot. And honestly, also, I’ve been wearing Puma, I think probably six months before I even signed with them, because it was just a comfortable ass cleat. The traction whenever I cut, I have really bad plantar fasciitis, my problems were kind of going away whenever I was starting to wear Puma. So, I just figured, hey, it’s a brand that’s growing a lot. It’s big. I really love streetwear and the baggy kind of look and everything.

So, it was a brand that just fit with me, that I identified with a lot, and just their thought process of where they want to grow the game, how they want to help grow the game, as well. That is right in line with the motto that we have with the national team with change soccer in America forever. So, it linked up pretty well.

I know a big thing with you joining Puma was sitting at that intersection of culture and sport. What is so appealing to you about being able to merge those two worlds together?

It’s very big, honestly. I think one of the leading guys, I want to say, that really helped merge and kind of bring a big eye to culture and sport was Memphis Depay. He was very big into fashion, very big into music. You have people like Rihanna, as well, that were a part of the brand that, merging the music industry and sport, as well.

So, it was one of those things that, you know, I go to fashion week, I go to events, I do all these things. And even right now, for instance, whenever I’m going around and I’m walking around the city and whatnot, I actually enjoy wearing Puma gear. And I haven’t had that in a long time where I’ve enjoyed wearing something and it just identifies with me very well, and my style, and my comfort, and my personality.

I’m talking to you on the heels of a big year for Juventus where you led them in assists, towards the top of Serie A, a lot of your general passing stats were the best in your career. What was it about this Juve team, or what did you do, that really unlocked that creative side of your game to the extent that we saw?

Honestly, I think it was just one of those things where my back was against the wall and I had no other way to go but forward, and so that’s what I kind of did. We can also say that maybe it was the FUTUREs from Puma that helped me with the accuracy and everything, because honestly, when I started wearing those, everyone was looking at me like, oh, keep wearing those, bro, you look like a baller, actually. Now when you have those on your feet, people are maybe afraid to approach you versus whenever you have other shoes on. It’s like, okay, it’s whatever, I can go take the ball from them.

But nah, it was it was one of those things where, like I said, I had my back against wall, I had no other way to go. And I think I perform best whenever I have everyone doubting me and kind of pushing me on the way out. So, I just put my head down and do what I do best, and that’s work.

If I may ask, how did you feel your back was against the wall? Did you really feel like it was coming to a big fork in the road moment in your career, where it’s like, “I gotta perform, or I don’t know what that next chapter is going to be”?

I think honestly, yeah. I think it was one of those, even coming back, it was difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard, I’ve had all the problems that I had with Juventus when I first came back, and yeah, it was one of those things where it wasn’t the first time in my career — it was the first time in my pro career, but not the first time in my career in general — where I’ve been doubted and been kind of pushed on the way out of things. And that’s whenever I became me and reverted back to the things that I know best, which is believing in myself, cutting out all the noise, putting my head down, going to work, and doing 100 percent in everything that I do. I think honestly, if I didn’t do that, then where I’m at right now, it’d be a little bit different.

Right now, you are getting ready for a huge summer for the national team. I want to start by asking you what I asked Tim Weah a few weeks ago: Just generally, how are the vibes around the team heading into Copa America?

They’re amazing. Literally as we’re speaking, we have Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Brenden Aaronson walking by. We have a team lounge, we all get along so well, it’s like a big family. It’s family away from my original family from home, it’s amazing. The guys, we’re starting to click a little bit more on the field, as well, because this is the longest period of time that we’ve been together.

The last game against Brazil, you can kind of see it, that it was a little bit piecing together. You can look at the Colombia game and say, well, that was the complete opposite. But I think it was just a lot of mistakes on our own that caused the game to turn out the way it did. But I think we’re a team that, we kind of have our bases and the American culture in general has its bases — whenever you think of U.S. Soccer, you think they’ll fight til the end, play hard and honest and everything. And so, we have those anchors, but we also have our own little way of adding some things to it, as well.

So, I think it’ll be an interesting Copa America for us, and a big chance for us to show ourselves against other top level countries again.

You mentioned those two friendlies, and you guys really did show some serious resiliency against Brazil. And I guess want to know what happened in the three days between Colombia and Brazil, because it would have been very easy to just go through the motions in a friendly against Brazil, but I got the sense all 11 guys were hell bent on putting forth the best effort they could.

We spoke about it, obviously. And we realized, we asked ourselves questions in meetings, and we said, look, what does it look like to be successful? We named off a bunch of things, and kinda came to a realization that all those things that we named off to become successful was everything that we could actually control. Because there’s some things you can’t control in the game — you can’t control the referee, you can’t control the pitch, you can’t control the weather.

But the things that we named off — our effort, our intensity, knowing our roles, doing our roles to the best ability that we can, those are things that we can control. Whenever we’re at our best is whenever everyone’s playing at a high intensity and has a maximum effort. And so, we didn’t even want to focus on the result against Brazil, we were just focused on the performance. We said that we want to give our maximum performance, we want to give a performance that we’re happy with, that we can walk off feeling good about. And in return, if we can do that, then the result should be in our favor. The way that it ends up, obviously, sometimes doesn’t work like that. But that’s what we wanted, and that’s how we went into that game, as well.

So something you mentioned to me, and I heard you mention in other interviews, is that you guys have never been in the camp this long together. And I’m interested in how you guys have taken advantage of that, either on or off the pitch, to get yourselves in a place where you are locked in and ready to go come June 23.

I think there’s a balance that needs to be had whenever you’re in camps, as far as like, you know, freedom whenever we’re not training and freedom whenever things are close to the game and stuff. I think the coaching staff and Gregg do a very good job in terms of not making it feel like we’re in a prison. We have things around the hotel that we can do, we have a lounge, we have mini basketball hoops, we have a screen projector, we have Jenga, we have a ping pong table, kind of free flowing. We can leave the hotel after training and go just visit around and whatnot and come back for dinner, and sometimes we have dinners on our own, as well.

I think it’s really important in terms of the mental aspect of the players to feel like this is a family environment. It’s like you’re going home and visiting your family. So that’s how it is whenever I, at least, come into camp. I just feel like, yeah, maybe I’m not with my family, but I’m with my other family, because I’m spending time with these guys a lot throughout the year. And sometimes I see these guys more than I do my own family.

So yeah, I think heading into Copa America, it’s really important to keep that balance and make sure that everyone is happy and has enough energy to go into these games.

I want to ask about Gregg, because any national team manager is always going to be under a ton of pressure from people on the outside. And then I watch you guys, and there’s a clear connection with him and the players — someone scores and guys are running over to him and celebrating, you doing that during the Nations League in 2021 was the first time I noticed guys do that. What is it about Gregg that makes you guys go out there and give it your all for him?

Obviously, it’s a journey that we’ve been through together. A lot of us, we didn’t start our journey with him, but our four-year build-up to the World Cup started with him. And also, just because he’s a relatable coach. He was a player himself. He’s a coach that listens to the players in terms of, if he asks us things or asks our opinions on things, he’ll listen to it actually, and take into consideration, and try to accommodate for those things.

So, I think that’s what ultimately makes it easier to go out run through a brick wall for him. And he’s a very good player’s coach. He’ll talk to you about life in general. I’ve had moments in my career, and I’ve had heartbreaks in my career, and I’ve confided in and talked to him, and I’ve cried in front of him. And he holds everyone accountable — he really puts forward the whole thing, no player is bigger than the team. And I think that’s what also is valued in terms of the way players view him.

My last question, you famously stunned Giorgio Chiellini by saying you like ranch dressing on pizza. Do you know if he has tried that since he has come to the United States?

Honestly, I don’t know if he’s tried it, to be fair. Every time I see him, I just ask him how he’s liking America and what’s his plan and everything. And honestly, he loves it in America, which I was very surprised about because he’s a very traditional Italian type guy. But he came to America, and he’s actually, I think, he’s still in America right now working with LAFC a bit. It’s lovely to see that, his English is getting better, he’s just an all-around good guy. And hopefully if I see next time, or if I know that I’m gonna see him, I’ll just bring him a ranch bottle.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Caitlin Clark didn’t make the USA Basketball Women’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The news surfaced nearly two weeks ago, but people are still fixated on it — read: outraged by it — because it’s Caitlin Clark, and people love to sensationalize anything involving the Indiana Fever’s stellar rookie.

Kevin Durant is the latest to enter the discourse, but only because he was directly asked about it by The Wall Street Journal‘s Emma Tucker at Cannes Lions 2024.

“I still think it’s proper steps you gotta take in our world to be considered an Olympian,” Durant said around the seven-minute mark of the 34-minute conversation. “I think she’s gonna definitely be on one of these teams going forward, but right now, there was better candidates out there, I think.”

The 2024 USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team will be Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young. Head coach Cheryl Reeve will look to guide the program to its eighth-straight Olympic gold medal. Meanwhile, Durant will make the trip to Paris to represent USA Basketball for a fourth consecutive Olympics, as the men seek their fifth-straight gold.

To Durant’s point, a subset of women’s basketball fans were upset that Arike Ogunbowale missed the cut, despite starting the 2024 WNBA season by recording at least 20 points in each of the first 11 games. However, Ogunbowale revealed on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe, Ochocinco, and Gilbert Arenas that she had withdrawn her name from the Olympic pool “months ago” because of how subjective it is.

Clark’s fervent fan base was very upset that she didn’t make the team for too many reasons to list out here, but a through line in the outrage was the belief that nobody would watch the USA Basketball Women’s team compete without her because Clark drives ratings.

On June 11, USA Basketball Selection Committee Chair Jen Rizzotti explained “the basketball criteria” involved in finalizing the roster.

“When you base your decision on criteria, there were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes,” Rizzotti told The Associated Press. Rizzotti additionally noted that choosing a player can depend on “position, style of play for [Reeve], and then sometimes a vote.”

Rizzotti emphasized, “It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl.”

Clark gracefully addressed missing the squad, acknowledging that “it’s the most competitive team in the world” and clarifying that she wasn’t disappointed because “it just gives you something to work for.”

A new documentary tracking the rise and fall of music mogul Lou Pearlman will stream on Netflix this summer. In Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam, viewers will learn how Pearlman formed some of the biggest boy bands of the ’90s, including Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and O-Town. The documentary will also explore allegations against Pearlman, who, in his lifetime, was accused and charged with racketeering, money laundering, and ponzi schemes.

“Lou Pearlman changed music culture forever,” reads a description of the documentary on Netflix’s publication, Tudum. “The architect of an extraordinary era of pop, he launched the careers of The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, O-Town and so many more. But he also carried a dark secret. With never-before-seen archive and unique access highlighting the artists’ epic rise to global stardom, this series uncovers Pearlman’s web of lies, revealing the harsh realities of fame, power, exploitation and greed.”

Dirty Pop is directed by David Terry Fine, known for his work on documentaries like Can You Read My Lips? and Salaam Dunk. The title alludes to the 2001 song “Pop” by *NSYNC.

Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam will stream on Netflix beginning July 24, which, coincidentally is the 23rd anniversary of *NSYNC’s Celebrity album.