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The 2023 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup will get underway this Friday, August 25, with games being played in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia for this year’s event. As is the case at most every international basketball event, Team USA is the heavy favorite at -125 to win it all, but the Americans finished seventh at the 2019 World Cup (where Spain beat Argentina in the finals) and are bringing a young team without much of any international experience, meaning the outcome of this year’s tournament is far from a certainty.

As such, a number of teams have hopes of making a run at the World Cup crown, while plenty of others are looking to take a stride forward with the best result in their country’s recent basketball history. For USA Basketball, their road to redemption starts in Group C, where they are the prohibitive favorites to win the group ahead of Greece, Jordan, and New Zealand (odds via DraftKings).

USA -2500
Greece +900
New Zealand +3500
Jordan +10000

Still, this is a young American team that is still trying to find a rhythm, and will look to use the three group games to get on the same page and try to create more flow for the knockout stage. Behind them in the group is a Greece team without its top superstar, as Giannis Antetokounmpo is taking this World Cup off, and New Zealand and Jordan battling for a knockout stage berth.

Here we’ll look at some players to watch, the biggest game, and the full schedule for Group B.

Players to Watch

Georgios Papagiannis (Greece): Most American basketball fans will remember Papagiannis as having a very brief and unspectacular NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, but since returning to Greece he’s regained the form that made him an intriguing prospect years ago. In three games with the national squad in qualifiers, Papagiannis averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 71 percent shooting. Against Team USA in tune-up play, Papagiannis had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and figures to play a prominent role for the Greek side, with the other familiar name on the roster to NBA fans being Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Jordan): Like Kyle Anderson on China, not many would’ve expected to find Hollis-Jefferson on Jordan’s national team, but he will be the most (and probably only) recognizable name for NBA fans tuning in to the World Cup and watching Jordan. Hollis-Jefferson has played all over since last appearing in the NBA in 2021, but was not part of the roster for qualifiers. Still, one would think he will be a focal point for the team and will look to help Jordan to a stunning run to the knockout round.

Finn Delany (New Zealand): Delany has led New Zealand in scoring in three of their four tune-up games against China, Canada, and Italy. The 6’7 forward gives the Tall Blacks (which, as an aside is an incredible nickname for a national team) some floor-spacing from the frontcourt, having shot 37.6 percent from three last season in his first year playing in Germany’s top league. There aren’t any NBA names on New Zealand’s squad for the World Cup, but Delany is among the names you’re likely to hear most when the Tall Blacks are in action.

Jalen Brunson (USA): Early on it’s looked like the top two players for Team USA are going to be Anthony Edwards and Jaren Jackson Jr., with Edwards taking on the role of lead scorer and Jackson as the defensive anchor. However, if the Americans are going to avoid a similar fate to a few years ago, they’re going to need others to step up around them. It is clear that Steve Kerr holds Jalen Brunson in high regard, talking about him being a natural leader and, thus, handing him the keys as the starting point guard for Team USA. However, Brunson has some serious competition for that spot with Tyrese Haliburton playing very well in exhibition play and there will be plenty of eyes on how Kerr handles the point guard rotation. In their tune-up against Spain, Brunson was terrific, scoring 23 points and leading the offense, but we saw against Germany how the starting unit could get bogged down at times in the halfcourt. It’ll be incumbent on Brunson to keep things humming along with that group, because if not, there will be plenty of pressure from the outside for there to be a lineup change.

Brandon Ingram (USA): On the wing, Brandon Ingram is the player who could be another dynamic scoring option alongside Edwards, but to this point he hasn’t quite found his stride in tune-up play. Given there’s not a ton of competition in Group C, group play should provide an opportunity to try and get guys like Ingram going and help them find their comfort level on the team. His skillset as a shot-maker is something they’ll want to be able to lean on down the road against stiffer competition, but they need him in rhythm to be able to do so. If he can’t find that level of comfort, we might see Kerr have to shake up the lineups to go with some of the more complementary wings who don’t need the ball in their hands as much to get a bit more flow into the offense.

Schedule/TV Info (all times EST)

Aug. 26
Jordan vs. Greece, 4:00 a.m., ESPN+
USA vs. New Zealand, 8:00 a.m., ESPN2

Aug. 28
New Zealand vs. Jordan, 4:30 a.m., ESPN+
Greece vs. USA, 8:00 a.m., ESPN2

Aug. 30
USA vs. Jordan, 4:30 a.m., ESPN2
Greece vs. New Zealand, 8:30 a.m., ESPN+

Game to Watch

Greece vs. New Zealand: There isn’t supposed to be a real stern test for the Americans in this group considering they beat Greece by 22 in exhibition play this month, but the final game of the group figures to be a play-in opportunity to the knockout rounds. Greece will be favored as the bigger squad and with New Zealand having some defensive woes in their tune-up action, but if the Tall Blacks can find it from three-point range on August 30 they can make things interesting.

It’s all “Good Good” in the hood in Usher‘s latest video, which finds him teaming up with fellow ATLiens 21 Savage and Summer Walker for a nostalgic ballad about remaining friends after a relationship ends. “Usually my exes turn to enemies,” Usher croons in his verse, “But this is different / ‘Cause we don’ got closer now that you ain’t with me.” Summer, meanwhile, wishes her ex “good sex and good sleep,” while 21 jokes that he’ll still “have you grabbing them sheets” while offering to “help pay for the wigs and I help with the lease.”

The video itself opens with the three artists standing on a bridge overlooking the highway with the city’s downtown skyline as a backdrop. Usher, dressed in a classic Atlanta fit — a baggy sweatsuit, complete with a wave cap, chains, and gold teeth — does his choreo solo while the scene around him changes from day to night and back (he also dances in a waistcoat, which is some wild styling, even for him). Walker lounges in a well-appointed hotel room in her scenes, bedecked in a bathrobe (with matching slippers!) and a headwrap. For his part, 21 Savage eats solo at a restaurant with a mirror image of himself, each side chowing down on a seafood meal representing his rags-to-riches status.

Watch the video for “Good Good” above.

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Dave Grohl, Chad Smith, and Shane Hawkins held a truly wild set at the Rock N Roll Pizza Bar in Simi Valley, California earlier this week. The three musicians had appeared as a set from the cover band Chevy Metal.

The group had been formed by the late Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Taylor Hawkins, who would play with them as a continued side project. This made the set all the more emotional, as his son Shane played alongside Smith and Grohl.

It featured 17 songs, including the opening performance of The Police’s 1978 song, “Next To You,” as Grohl contributed guitar and backing vocals. Other tracks that were included on the setlist were Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak,” The Rolling Stones’ “B*tch,” Van Halen’s “Everybody Wants Some,” “Jamie’s Cryin” and “Unchained,” and additional rock anthems from Led Zeppelin, Mötley Crüe, David Bowie, Queen, and The Kinks.

During another performance of a Van Halen cover, the group was also joined by Stephen Perkins from Jane’s Addiction, which only added to the already-rocking night.

By the end of the evening, Smith was commanding the drums as the set finished with AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.”

Check out some videos from their performance below.

New music from Soccer Mommy is on the way. Earlier this summer, she released a cover of Sheryl Crow’s hit single, “Soak Up The Sun.” Today (August 23), she’s announced that she will drop a new EP called Karaoke Night, filled with covers of some of her favorite songs by her favorite artists.

Upon the announcement, Soccer Mommy has shared a cover of a Taylor Swift deep cut — “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” from Swift’s self-titled debut album.

“I really wanted to cover this song because it’s one of my favorites from Taylor’s first album,” said Soccer Mommy in a statement. “I listened to that record so much when I was a kid and I think it had a lot of influence on me then.”

In addition to the covers of “Soak Up The Sun” and “I’m Only Me When I’m With You,” Soccer Mommy will also share covers of songs by Pavement, R.E.M., and Slowdive on Karaoke Night.

You can listen to the cover of “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” above and see the Karaoke Night cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Here (Pavement Cover)”
2. “Soak Up The Sun (Sheryl Crow Cover)”
3. “Dagger (Slowdive Cover)”
4. “I’m Only Me When I’m With You (Taylor Swift Cover)”
5. “Losing My Religion (R.E.M. Cover)”

Karaoke Night is out 9/22 via Loma Vista. Find more information here.

On social media, Donald Trump is boasting about how he’ll “proudly” be arrested in Georgia on Thursday. But in private, the seriousness of the situation is reportedly sinking in.

An insider told Page Six that the former president, who plans to turn himself to face charges that he deliberately sought to overturn the 2020 election results in the state, is “showing signs that it’s wearing on him.” The indictment has “brought about a change” in Trump. “He’s not so confident anymore. He’s not acting so cocky anymore. He’s not lashing out so much. The arrogance is gone,” the insider said. If Trump is only drinking nine cans of Diet Coke a day, not his usual dozen, we’ll know he’s Going Through It.

Trump has called the charges a “witch hunt” and “politically-inspired.” But behind closed doors, our source says that Trump is “nervous,” because “there are so many defendants, he believes that a bunch of them are going to make deals and flip on him.” Trump’s bond has been set at $200,000, and he has been ordered to refrain from intimidating his co-defendants or witnesses, and not communicate about the facts of the case with them.

Rudy Giuliani has the chance to do the funniest thing ever.

(Via Page Six)

Sexyy Red has been having an incredible year. Her viral hit “Pound Town” led to some impressive opportunities, from an invite to the BET Awards to an “iconic” booking at Rolling Loud Miami. Her dreams keep coming true — including one in which she meets Tyler The Creator, apparently. The 25-year-old naturally would have grown up on Tyler’s grungy hits, so it makes sense that she’d be so excited to meet him in real life:

However, once the photos of their meetup hit social media, fans found that they could only focus on one thing: Tyler’s rump. The two rappers both poked it out for an irreverent middle finger pose, but users were bemused to learn that T’s been packing one ginormous pooper. Of course, Tyler’s been into skateboarding and biking practically his entire life, so it makes sense that his glutes would be well-developed — it’s just that nobody was aware just HOW well-developed.

The responses are as hilarious as they are varied, with fans comparing Tyler’s backside to other famously rotund derrieres like those of Kim Kardashian and Cardi B. Naturally, the jokes flew fast and furiously, with one user cracking, “They having a bake off.” Another common claim was fans wondering if Tyler had joined the BBL trend, getting a Brazilian butt lift for added badonk. You can see just some of the funny responses below.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

I guess this is the new normal. Migos, as a group, is definitely gone. The trio’s surviving members, Quavo and Offset, may have resolved whatever bad blood caused the split in the first place (or at least resolved to move forward in the wake of tragedy), but with Takeoff no longer available to offer the third dimension to their music, even a reunion between them just wouldn’t be the same. A few years ago, this might have spelled disaster for both Quavo and Offset as solo artists. This may be harsh, but Quavo’s 2018 solo debut Quavo Huncho just didn’t display the sort of depth to suggest that his artistic output would continue to match his personal charisma for very long.

But Quavo’s latest solo project, Rocket Power, showcases a tremendous amount of growth. Here, he sounds hungry and engaged again, and he has just enough to talk about outside his typical range of wealth and gang talk to carry the majority of the album’s 17 songs. Unfortunately, that “just enough” includes the recent violent death of his close friend, nephew, and bandmate, Takeoff. It feels vaguely icky to attribute his artistic evolution to personal trauma — something the journalism industry does way too much of to begin with, if you ask me — and yet, there are now undeniably added facets and shades to Quavo’s music that weren’t there before.

Of course, in the five years since Huncho, Quavo, like all of us, had a lot of time to sit around, and it could be that he just spent that time sharpening his craft. He also got into a high-profile relationship with a fellow rapper, Saweetie, as well as an equally public breakup. He has, in short, lived a bit, and I think that has always been the primary component of constructing a long-lasting and compelling catalog of albums. The other half of that is, of course, technique. Quavo always came in third among the Migos’ brotherhood in that respect, with Takeoff coming off more practiced, and Offset sounding more wise. The songs on Quavo’s debut just wound up sounding hollow by comparison, and it didn’t help that the album was weighed down by so many guest stars.

On Rocket Power, Quavo pares back the call list, restricting the invites to Atlanta natives. Future makes two appearances, as does the late Takeoff (on one song, together), while the incarcerated Young Thug reminds us why he has such a passionate following on “Focused.” Two younger artists, BabyDrill and the fortuitously named Hunxho, show up on “Stain,” reflecting Quavo’s willingness to pick up the torch once passed to him by Gucci Mane and mentor the next generation of his hometown’s rap talent. Otherwise, Quavo is the sole voice on Rocket Power, which puts greater pressure on him to actually hold the listener’s attention for almost the full 50 minutes. Miraculously, that’s what he does for much of the runtime, although the album is still somehow a hair too long, even clocking in at under an hour.

Quavo manages this feat by employing a new tool in his increasingly diverse kit: vulnerability. He’s always been a bit vague as a storyteller, more prone to setting up pristine tableaus from a rags-to-riches story, but on songs like “Mama Told Me,” he finally provides the connective tissue to fill in the blanks. On “Greatness,” he directly addresses the fate of his band and admits “I don’t got all the answers.” “Hold Me,” while unfolding an otherwise rote “gangsta’s pain” style meditation, lines like “lost my nephew to gunplay and smoke sh*t” lend the song an air of authenticity. It sucks that we can’t necessarily buy such expressions without seeing the physical and psychic damage for ourselves, but that’s what happens when they usually only warrant one or two songs and a couple of throwaway lines amid a non-stop ball-off.

The celebration songs, like “Turn Yo Clic Up” with Future and “Who Wit Me,” have the benefit of Quavo’s gift for writing quirky, inescapable hooks, but the songs worth returning to are the more reflective ones like “Rocket Power.” That certainly says something about when Quavo — or really, any rapper — is at his best. Flexing is fine, but the element that makes us fall in love with these artists, that makes them so intrinsic to the fabric of our everyday lives despite the differences in circumstances with the artists themselves, is their ability to tell us who they are. With Rocket Power, Quavo finally offers a glimpse of the man behind the ad-libs, and gives us more reason to follow along as he keeps Takeoff’s memory alive.

Rocket Power is out now via Quality Control Music / Motown Records.

As Ron DeSantis‘ campaign continues to lose momentum and the Florida governor gets dragged even further into a nasty fight with Disney, one of his major donors has reportedly started to back Chris Christie in the Republican primary.

The former New Jersey has consistently trailed behind in the polls and struggled to escape the single digits, but he has relentlessly hammered Donald Trump at every opportunity. DeSantis, on the other hand, has been more cautious about attacking Trump for fear of angering a MAGA base that will be crucial in the general election.

However, the Florida governor has failed to spark excitement on the campaign trail, and at least one of his biggest donors has started backing the more pugnacious Christie.

Via Tampa Bay Times:

A prominent Ron DeSantis donor wrote large checks to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign and a super PAC supporting Christie’s bid for the White House, campaign finance records show.

Paul Tudor Jones II, a billionaire hedge fund manager who lives in Palm Beach, donated $150,000 to a pro-Christie super PAC, Tell It Like It Is, on June 15. At the end of the month, he also gave the legal maximum of $6,600 to Christie’s campaign committee.

According to the Times, Jones “has been considered one of DeSantis’ deep-pocketed supporters” and donated $1 million to his 2020 gubernatorial campaign. Jones’ donations to Christie have not been disclosed until now, and it’s not exactly the type of news that DeSantis needs at the moment. The Florida governor is set to square off with Christie, a fiery former prosecutor, during the first GOP debate on Wednesday night.

If DeSantis comes out of the evening looking battered, it will not bode well for his campaign.

(Via Tampa Bay Times)

In case you missed the disastrous experience the first time, it’s clear people still want to see what Fyre Fest was like — as Billy McFarland’s 2.0 return of the event allegedly sold-out of the pre-sale tickets almost instantly.

There’s still no lineup or no clear details about what Fyre Fest 2.0 will hold, but the “First 100” of the passes opened up to the public for $499, according to a new interview he did with TMZ.

“They sold out very very quickly,” he said.

For those who don’t remember, McFarland was recently released from prison after the failings of the fest’s first run. He also had to pay millions back to investors, after the original festival went horribly wrong. There were even viral scenes of those attending struggling on the island, which sparked a few documentaries.

This time, he has promised that it will take place somewhere in the Caribbean at the end of 2024. The rest of the Fyre Fest 2.0 tickets, if anyone was sad they didn’t get them the first time, will go back on sale at a later date. However, some of the higher ticket tiers reportedly reach above $7000.

McFarland has also teased that he has plans for a Broadway musical as well, so the general public should probably take his ideas as far-fetched by now.

So, if you feel like getting stranded at a festival with no performers and limited supplies just for a viral moment, definitely keep an eye out for the next Fyre Fest 2.0 ticket drop.