Category: News

Happy Friday, Bubble bloodhounds, and welcome back. Things heated up in the Bub this week, there were losses and triumphs as teams faced elimination and stared down into the shrinking doorway of the Western Conference’s 8-seed. If only they were trapped in the geographical representation of the place that had come up with the potion Alice had to drink to shrink herself, that would be something.

The biggest surprise of the week? Not much fishing! The other surprise? Jaylen Brown loves to be a spicy little rascal. The other surprises? Not telling, that’s what the rest of this professional report is for.

LeBron James

James has been on the quiet side of the sharing spectrum since arriving in Orlando. First, the guy is busy. He’s got More Than A Vote ramping up its work with the U.S. election draws closer, work with his I Promise school, and a lot of regular media. And then, well, it’s tough to be in the mood to lounge poolside with your guys if those same guys are not really delivering where it counts? Nobody wants to judge an underwater handstand contest just to discover it’s been the laws of gravity making a fool of them all along, and then multiply that by your entire roster. Anyway, James gave an up close look of his mask this week featuring none other than fellow artisan and all-timer, the painter Bob Ross.

Rating: Maybe he’s also been busy in his room, quietly painting???

Russell Westbrook

Here we go, the weekly heartbreaker, spirit lifter and shatterer, you knew it was coming. Westbrook FaceTimed his son Noah and both help up their Sheriff Woody dolls with a lot, a lot of earnest and total joy. Sorry if you keep thinking you’re going to get through this column unscathed, this is just what happens when you ride the lighting.

Rating: Now picture Westbrook packing that doll in his bag before he left home and take an additional moment of privacy.

Luka Doncic

Maybe you heard Hot Girl Summer was last year, and that was true, right until Luka Doncic got in this pool and decided to bring it the hell back.

Rating: Hot Girl Summer also lives in your mind, you can have it whenever you want it.

Jaylen Brown (ft. Donovan Mitchell and Enes Kanter)

You already knew Jaylen Brown was a passionate, outspoken, extremely intelligent dude when it came to his politics and activism, but did you know he was all of those things when it came to being a rogue? Brown is not your average, lackadaisical prankster, this guy is as committed to remaining relentless to riffs as he is to aptly shattering Raptors records on court.

First, he kept “running into” Donovan Mitchell one afternoon this week. In the hotel ballroom where the guys go to eat, and then outside at the pool, with Brown popping up over a natural fence feature to menace Mitchell from afar. Brown first just stared and smiled in the way you do when you know you’re really annoying somebody, then he started to literally flex upon the flabbergasted Mitchell who pleaded for Brown to “Get outta here, bro!”

Proficiently charged up, Brown then took to the pool for a race alongside Enes Kanter. Kanter won, but I really think it comes down to the angle this was being filmed. In any case I’m going to need to see several rematches, because this was great.

Rating: It’s comforting, to know you share a fixation for annoying your friends with someone as talented as Jaylen Brown.

Tacko Fall

Fall hit the links with Mo Bamba this week and for a novice dinger he was looking pretty comfortable out there! Remember, I know nothing about golf but ran this by our resident expert, Robby Kalland, who said “we’ve got some things to work with, but lots to work on” and is now here to tell us where Tacko should start:

Let’s start with the positives. For a guy his height, Tacko’s posture in his golf swing is surprisingly good. Tall guys tend to get too hunched over which makes it hard to turn properly and they end up swinging with all arms — part of this is not having the right size clubs, which it appears the Disney Bubble came prepared for with some longer options for the NBA players. Fall, instead, has pretty nice posture and a good, full hip turn (key to getting power out of the swing). Now, we need to work a bit on the footwork as he looks like he might be sliding around a bit and we could use a little more stable of a base. The position at the top of the swing is actually pretty nice. He’s got the club at parallel, but that left arm is too bent and that’s going to make it tough to stay on plane. If we can get Tacko to be a little quieter with his foot movement and keep that left arm straightened out so when he pulls down he’s staying on plane, we will have ourselves a serious talent on our hands.

Rating: The consensus among our colleagues at Dime is that the NBA brought tall clubs into the Bub for guys who didn’t bring, or don’t have, their own. Open to further expert insight here.

P.J. Tucker

Tucker continues to live a life of exceptional taste, great notoriety and utmost courtesy, an example to us all.

Rating: You know he tipped whomever delivered this well.

CJ McCollum

Look, McCollum posted this before we knew he was literally playing basketball with a broken back. Which is, obviously, incredibly tough but out of control! So when I first saw this I was like, geeze, CJ, I hope not. But now it seems like he was just literally telling the truth?

Rating: I would say this was taken from inside an ice bath if he wasn’t in a robe. But even then!

Marc Gasol

Gasol has set up his own bubble within a Bubble, a little bio dome of miniature cuttings and seedlings. The big plant to the right is basil, but I’ve simply no clue what these tiny, precious little buds are he’s tending to so tenderly. Is one a geranium?

Rating: The Raptors have CULTURE and HORTICULTURE and IT’S A PROBLEM!

Danny Green

Even if this is an endorsement, go get it Danny! You’re gonna be cooped up in that room for a while yet, make it your own. Picturing this coming down the hall and wondering whether any of Green’s teammates saw it is a pretty fun exercise in reverse team building.

Rating: The Lakers have LUMBAR support but no BACKCOURT support and IT’S A PROBLEM!

Josh Richardson

It was revealed this week that not only does Richardson mix his cereals — no big whup, right? Like, this only offends children who are purists about which benevolent sugar mascot they identify most with? — but he has set up a toaster oven and microwave on top of his mixer. Just really thinking about the outlet situation here, how many things are plugged in at any given time.

Rating: And there’s a lamp atop the microwave too? Please, get him another night table or dresser to space this whole situation out.

Hassan Whiteside

Quickly, for the sake of context, may I draw your attention to this photo:

Whiteside like this phrase immensely. For him, it’s as applicable to the ups and downs of an NBA career as it is to inclement weather, but it has probably never been as applicable as it was this week seconds before he stepped into the ice bath being prepared for him.

Rating: This must be how Mozart felt seconds before ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’ dropped live.

Dion Waiters

Waiters is undertaking something huge in the Bubble. No, not a new training regime: He’s started Game of Thrones. Dion my dude, I know it seems like smiles and plans and promises now but you better steel yourself for a whole fantasy world of hurt.

Rating: You know it’s really early on too because Jon is still smiling.

Aaron Gordon (through the eyes of Evan Fournier)

Fournier filmed the back of Aaron Gordon’s head for quite a while over breakfast this week, asking the question on anyone’s mind who saw this clip once it was posted.

Rating: And potentially the question many are asking of the Magic, in general.

Malcolm Miller

When you think of how Disney may portray the entire experience of the NBA Bubble in a few years time, do you picture it with a literal rainbow sprouting from the swamp, encasing the entire thing?

Rating: It’s in the golden hour, there’s a dramatic, flinty-silver sky?

Jordan Clarkson

And it connects on the other end, just perfectly? There’s even some blue sky showing at the horizon, reminding us that nothing so bad can last forever?

Rating: And James Earl Jones is reading all of this out loud, inside your head?

Patrick Patterson

2Pats can get some guff for the amount that he spends relaxing vs. the time that he contributes on court, and man is that absolutely true.

Rating: Good mint-lime ratio in that mojito.

Kyle Guy

Well, the Kings are officially out but do you know what’s always in? Celebrating milestones. Kyle Guy got a really nice Bubble birthday, this cake has a basketball protruding from it, it’s in Kings colors, this is nice.

Rating: Just like a classic vanilla slab cake in the middle of a pandemic for what ails you.

BONUS: The Grand Floridian Mallard Duck

Huge news! The Grand Floridian Mallard Duck, the one that Luka Doncic has become obsessed with, that intrigued Malcolm Brogdon to no end, has become a mother. She was spotted waddling away from Terrence Ross with two little ducklings in tow. I hope these guys are looking out for her.

Jimmy Butler loves country music. He also enjoys leaning on its twangy tropes. The outlaw, the cowboy, the sheriff who is here to crack down on the younger townspeople squandering all their talent on video games, Butler has pulled each one of these personas on like a pair of worn-in cowboy boots, of which he has many beautiful pairs.

In a recent in-Bubble interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Butler was asked about some of his more notable moments in Orlando thus far and how he’s been spending his time. It turns out that Butler has “barely” left his room (he’s been toiling over his retirement plan and making coffee — Butler came equipped with a French press and other equipment and is willing to part with his cups of liquid gold for $20 each) and doesn’t seem to mind the isolation.

“I don’t care,” Butler tells Nichols, “I don’t need friends here in the Bubble.”

The desperado-sounding answer came after Nichols had asked whether Butler had seen Chris Paul since wailing into him on court in the Heat’s close loss to OKC earlier this week, and whether there were any hard feelings.

But the biggest anticipated dust-up, the high noon of meetings, came when the Pacers played the Heat for the first time. Back in January, Butler and T.J. Warren got into a back and forth on court that ended with Butler blowing kisses to Warren’s back as he got ejected.

“I don’t know, I guess there’s some history between Miami and the Pacers,” Butler mused when Nichols asked him why the two teams have been so chippy, “and you inherit that the second that you put on a Miami jersey.”

On Warren specifically, Butler is coy. He gives a wry smile when asked what people can expect between him and Warren on court, assuring only “a high level of competition.”

The bravado carries through to the conclusion of the short sit-down. Butler is adamant on the Heat’s chances of making it to the Finals, on taking the title.

“We can win this,” Butler grins.

“You know you’re not favored to,” Nichols says.

“I don’t care, I don’t care,” Butler smirks, “The thing about myself, I don’t give a damn what anybody says, and I think I can speak for my teammates when I say they don’t give a damn either.”

Maybe it’s because classic western gunslingers live by a certain moral code, akin to the highly regimented way Butler structures his work and the Heat system that Butler has so evidently thrived in this season, but where he shows the most restraint is when outlining the problems the Bubble’s proximity present to his own competitive mentality and drifter’s persona. Butler admits it’s tough to play somebody you know you’re going to have to walk by on the way to frequent COVID-19 testing, or to practice. That there may be a “mean mug here or there”, but no punches thrown.

And still, when the conversation comes around to free agency and whether or not Butler expects players to be drawn to Miami given what he and his young team have established this season, he’s sure. With vets, youth and shooters, the team really is looking rounded out and ready to compete well into this postseason and grow into the next. And, Butler adds with a smile, “Miami sunshine never hurt anybody.”

It sounds lonely, the world Butler is living in in Orlando, and every cowboy can use a sidekick. Somebody to look out for you, to get along the little doggies with. For Butler it feels like he’s found a degree of this in his teammates, but it wouldn’t be so bad if he got a quick swim in here or there, would it? You can wear your boots to the pool, Jimmy, even cowboys get to schmooze.

The lengths people will go to discredit a political figure—especially a Black female politician—is pretty astounding. Since Kamala Harris was announced as Joe Biden’s running mate, we’ve seen “birther” claims that she wasn’t really born in the U.S. (she was), alternating claims that she’s too moderate or too radical (which can’t both be true), and a claim apparently designed to be a “gotcha”—that her ancestor in Jamaica was a slave owner.

According to Politifact, the claim that Harris descends from a slave owners is likely true. In their rather lengthy fact check on her lineage, which has not revealed any definitive answers, they conclude, “It seems possible that Kamala Harris is as likely a descendant of a slave-owner as she is an enslaved person.” But that doesn’t mean what the folks who are using that potential descencency as a weapon seem to think it means.

It’s a well-known historical fact that many people with Black ancestry in the Americas have lineage that extends directly to white slave owners. It wasn’t uncommon for enslavers to rape the people they enslaved—a tragic but true reality that may very well have been the case in Harris’s family tree.

Writer Lauren-Ashley Howard expounded on this fact on Twitter, writing, “I have news for you about the descendants of enslaved Africans—damn near ALL of us have a Hamilton Brown in our family tree. Because enslaved women were regularly raped by the white men who owned them. You tried it, though.”

According to a deep dive into the topic of American bloodlines in Pacific Standard magazine, many Black Americans have European ancestry stemming from the century of sexual exploitation of enslaved Africans before the Civil War. Slavery in the Caribbean, where Harris’s Jamaican ancestors come from, has a similar history.

As a Black person, being descended from a slave owner is not proof of some kind of historical hypocrisy, but rather a not uncommon result of a historical tragedy. Enslaving someone is a heinous enough affront to their humanity. Raping them while enslaving them is the stuff of nightmares and horror movies. That’s a lineage fraught with uncomfortable questions and painful stories—not something to be used to attack a Black candidate for office.

Racism isn’t just hating people with a different skin color. It’s also being willfully ignorant of racial history and using a person’s skin color to spin a narrative that paints them in a negative light. Trying to make Harris look bad by pointing out her enslaver ancestry—as if a Black person with such ancestry is somehow hypocritical—betrays a woeful lack of historical understanding and a gross desire to use her race as a weapon.

There may be legitimate criticisms one could make about Harris, but this isn’t one of them.

Nothing signals the beginning of summer quite like hearing the infamous ice cream truck jingle out the window. The popular jingle actually has a name, “Turkey In The Straw,” but ice cream brand Good Humor is looking to shake things up after finding out the tune has racist connotations. To quell the song’s problematic past, Good Humor tapped Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA to make a new but equally catchy ice cream truck jingle.

Written in the early 19th century, “Turkey In The Straw” originally didn’t have any racial undertones until the tune was adopted by blackface-wearing minstrel show performers and set to racist lyrics. Fast-forward many years and “Turkey In The Straw” became the most recognizable ice cream jingle, but RZA aims to “make a new ice cream jingle for a new era,” he said in a Good Humor promotional video. “We want to make a melody that includes all communities that’s good for every driver, every kid.”

Good Humor echoed RZA’s inclusive attitude in a statement. “While these associations of ‘Turkey In The Straw’ are not the only part of its legacy, it is undeniable that this melody conjures memories of its racist iterations,” the ice cream brand wrote, adding: “As a leader in the industry, and the creator of the original ice cream truck, we want to be part of the solution on this issue, particularly since we work closely with so many ice cream truck drivers across the country.”

Listen to RZA’s Good Humor ice cream truck jingle above.

After releasing his concept album Colores in March, J Balvin has stayed highly prolific. Along with sharing a video for nearly every track on the record, Balvin recently collaborated with Dua Lipa for the club-ready “Un Día” and has been confirmed to perform at this year’s VMAs. But Balvin may be taking a pause on his busy life as he recently revealed he contracted coronavirus.

During a pre-recorded speech where he accepted a Premios Juventud 2020 award for his “Rojo” video, the Colombian singer told fans he is recovering from a “bad” case of COVID-19. The singer warned his fans about the seriousness of taking precautions, saying there have been a number of “difficult days.”

“At this moment, I’m just getting better from COVID-19. These have been very difficult days, very complicated,” Balvin said. “Sometimes we won’t think that we’ll get it but I got it and I got it bad. My message to those that follow me, young fans and people in general, is to take care. This isn’t a joke. The virus is real and it’s dangerous.”

Watch J Balvin’s full acceptance speech above.

Colores is out now via Columbia. Get it here.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Sacramento Kings are in the market for a new general manager. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Vlade Divac, who has held the job since August of 2015, will step down after the team failed to make the postseason for the 14th season in a row, the longest active playoff drought in the NBA. Amick also reports that longtime NBA executive Joe Dumars will take over in the interim and help select Divac’s replacement.

Amick’s report was soon confirmed by Sean Cunningham of ABC10, while the Kings eventually announced the decision in a statement.

Divac, who famously played for the team during their halcyon days in the late-90s/early-00s, joined the franchise in March of 2015 and was promoted soon after. With him at the helm of the front office, Sacramento went 162-238. His tenure was marked by several major moments, namely the decisions to trade DeMarcus Cousins and, most notably, the decision to take Duke’s Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft over Luka Doncic. The teams also had three head coaches during Divac’s five years in charge.

Whomever takes over in Sacramento will inherit a roster with plenty of talent, although it is a franchise with a fan base that is starved for a playoff berth. This season, the Kings went 31-41, and despite being invited to the NBA’s Bubble in Orlando were unable to maneuver their way up the standings in the Western Conference.

Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a scary looking injury on Friday afternoon during the team’s final seeding game in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble against the Indiana Pacers. Jones, during the third quarter of action, was chasing Pacers forward Doug McDermott off of a screen set by rookie big man Goga Bitadze.

Jones collided with Bitadze, with his shoulder appearing to crash into the big man’s frame. He immediately went down, laid on his stomach, and held onto the back of his neck for several minutes while in visible discomfort.

It didn’t look like Bitadze did anything dirty, nor did it look like Jones was being overly physical. But the collision left Jones in some apparent pain, and eventually, a stretcher was brought out and the reining dunk contest champion was brought to the back.

Prior to his going down with the injury, Jones played 16 minutes and registered three points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals for the Heat, which are locked into the four seed and will play Indiana in the first round of the postseason. Hopefully Jones will end up being ok, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted as more information comes in about his status going forward.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion teamed up last Friday to share their internet-breaking song, “WAP.” Just about everyone had an opinion about the raunchy track, from random Twitter users to Republicans, PETA, Tiger King’s Carole Baskin, and even Ben Shapiro. No matter the take, there’s no denying the song went instantly viral. In fact, “WAP” was played so many times that the single has already hit a major milestone.

Just one week after its initial release, “WAP” has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The rappers reacted to the news, with both Megan and Cardi thanking fans for showing their love. Cardi even teased something else up her sleeve, writing: “I’m thinking about doing something special I just gotta put it together.”

The Gold certification arrives after Cardi has shared several insights into the iconic track’s video shoot, revealing several road bumps during production. Because the video was shot amid the pandemic, Cardi had to ensure her whole team was safe. In order to do so, the rapper spent a whopping $100,000 on COVID testing alone. On top of dropping major coin, the rapper was also peed on by a snake during a specific scene.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Los Angeles Clippers went through the NBA’s seeding games without the services of Montrezl Harrell. The favorite to win the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season had to leave the Orlando Bubble as he mourned the passing of his grandmother, and upon arriving at Disney earlier this week, Harrell had to quarantine.

According to a report by Ohm Youngmisuk and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Harrell’s quarantine will end at an opportune time, as he’s expected to clear quarantine and potentially be activated ahead of the Clippers’ first playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks.

While doing this in a playoff series can be tricky, the Clippers should use the series against Dallas — one that they’d be favored to win regardless of whether the former Louisville standout could suit up — as an opportunity for Harrell to work off some rust and get into game shape. His energy and desire to battle against opposing big men is a huge boost for Los Angeles, particularly as the postseason goes on.

In 63 games played this season, Harrell has posted career-highs in scoring and rebounding, going for 18.6 points and 7.1 boards in 27.8 minutes a night. While he’s always found ways to make an impact on games, Harrell has only registered two starts, as he’s been a crucial piece for the Clippers’ bench.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Kaash Paige released her debut album Teenage Fever with features from Don Toliver and 42 Dugg. Also, Trey Songz finally shared his latest single “Circles” and Summer Walker delivered the music video for “White Tee” featuring No1-Noah. Check out the rest of the best new R&B this week below.

Kaash Paige — Teenage Fever

Dallas singer Kaash Paige exploded on the scene with her viral single “Love Songs” and she’s since has followed up that momentum with her smooth EP Parked Car Convos as well as an appearance on Travis Scott’s Jackboys compilation project. This week, the burgeoning star released her highly-anticipated debut album Teenage Fever with 15 deep cuts filled with brooding heartbreak, pain, and reconciliation.

Trey Songz — “Circles”

Trey Songz has been spending a copious amount of time back home in Virginia getting back to his roots mentally and musically. His latest release “Circles” is evidence of this and shows the talented R&B singer’s growth and maturation as an artist. The music video is an ode to Black love and celebrates a lifetime of devotion in intimacy and adoration.

Summer Walker — “White Tee” Feat. No1-Noah

“White Tee” is a such a glorious track off Summer Walker‘s Life On Earth EP with its bouncy production and chill vibe. The slow song featuring No1-Noah finally has a music video dedicated to it and is a tribute to BET’s legendary after-hours television show Uncut with lots of booty shaking.

Ciara — “Rooted” Feat. Ester Dean

Ciara takes it back to her roots with her aptly titled single “Rooted” feature accomplished singer-songwriter Ester Dean. Ciara celebrates her melanin and Black excellence on the track, which was produced by StarGate and Hudson Mohawke.

Kingdom — “No More Same” Feat. Luvk

Ahead of Kingdom’s album Neurofire, which is slated for release sometime next month, he shares his latest creation “No More Same” featuring Luvk. The Los Angeles-based producer delivers a pop of slice coated with R&B goodness for Luvk to dip her serene vocals in.

Ne-Yo — “U 2 Luv” Feat. Jeremih

Ne-Yo is making his return this week with a music video for his song “U 2 Luv” featuring Jeremih. The song is peak traditional R&B and Ne-Yo delivers nothing but love and affection with assistance from Jeremih.

Arjaysoul — “Put It Down”

Arizona native ArjaySoul is coming through this week with latest track “Put It Down.” “She loves the way I put it down, I give that body more rounds”, he sings on the melodic cut. “Put It Down” is expected to live on his upcoming EP that is set for release later this year.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.