Category: Viral

Trap rap pioneer T.I. is walking back earlier comments he made on Instagram Monday after a fan backlash connected his words to the recent shooting of King Von, who died from his injuries on Friday. T.I. tried to explain that he didn’t mean his post to refer to King Von and that he was just speaking generally. “I don’t speak ill of my allies,” he wrote today. “My last post had nothing to do with King Von.”

He continued, “Y’all grossly mistaken. I have no motive or intention to do harm or malice to cats I’m cool wit. My family’s hearts go out to them and I’ve expressed this to the people in his life that matter most in this situation. That’s all I’m concerned with.”

The original tweet was interpreted as a jab toward the Chicagoan King Von, who was shot during an altercation at an Atlanta lounge that escalated from a shoving match to a shootout, involving police Atlanta police officers and leaving three dead, including Von. “Atlanta is a beautiful progressive city filled with black excellence,” his original post read. “We uplift each other & win together. Stop coming here to kill each other. That sh*t is played out.” The caption, which read “Handle YOUR beefs in YOUR city,” prompted Von’s sister to lash out via her own Instagram story and even 50 Cent chimed in.

King Von was fresh off the release of his debut album Welcome To O-Block, released via Lil Durk’s Only The Family Entertainment just one week before his death. Meanwhile, T.I.’s own new album, The L.I.B.R.A., was released in October.

The free agent class of 2020 is a much different looking one than we had last summer when the league saw a number of stars change teams both through free agency and by way of trades. This offseason sees few bonafide stars available and the best players seem very likely to stay put, but there are plenty of good players on the market that could make for some intriguing upgrades for squads looking to vault into the conversation of playoff contenders.

Beyond the lack of top-end talent, there aren’t a lot of teams with significant cap space this offseason (even with the cap staying steady at $109 million), which further mutes the excitement for this crop of free agents as most all of the top teams will be shuffling around to do work on the margins with minimum contracts and filling exceptions, while the few teams with space are those currently well outside the contender circle. As such, expect to hear sign-and-trade chatter — it’s already begun with some like Davis Bertans — as teams look to get creative to upgrade their talent.

There’s also a hefty crop of players with player options that could really boost this class’ appeal, but until they opt out we are choosing to leave them off of this list, given the expectation with the financial uncertainty of the league right now is for those players to pick up their player options. That list includes DeMar DeRozan, Gordon Hayward, Tim Hardaway Jr., Andre Drummond, Evan Fournier, Otto Porter Jr., and Jerami Grant, all of whom would immediately be coveted targets this offseason should they choose to hit the market.

For now, we’ll move on with the unrestricted and restricted free agents, looking at the 20 players that top this year’s class that will be available on November 20.

1. Anthony Davis (UFA, Lakers): Davis is going to stick in L.A. barring something completely unforeseen, but he’s technically a free agent until pen hits paper and if he were to choose to shockingly move, it’s the one chance for a seismic shift of power in the league this offseason. That won’t happen and he’ll be back with LeBron to chase back-to-back titles in 2021.

2. Brandon Ingram (RFA, Pelicans): Given he’s a restricted free agent, it’d be a stunner to see the All-Star forward who flourished in New Orleans be allowed to go elsewhere this offseason. He should get a look at max money and the Pelicans will almost assuredly bring him back as a centerpiece of their young core alongside Zion Williamson.

3. Fred VanVleet (UFA, Raptors): Finally, the first real interesting player to watch when free agency opens later this month. VanVleet exists on that near All-Star level and will be looking to get paid as such. Whether Toronto is willing to do that remains to be seen, and if not he could have suitors like the Detroit Pistons who are very much in need of a point guard and are one of a few teams with significant cap space.

4. Danilo Gallinari (UFA, Thunder): Gallinari was terrific for the pleasantly surprising Thunder last season and he seems ready to move on to a contender. He’s said this offseason he will prioritize winning over another monster contract, but that, of course, has to be within reason. He’s an elite wing scorer in the NBA and that’s a skill that’s always in demand, so he’ll have plenty of teams calling on him, we’ll just have to see what kind of discount he’s actually willing to hand out to chase a title or if someone else will make an offer he can’t refuse.

5. Davis Bertans (UFA, Wizards): Bertans may be the most coveted free agent this year based on the number of teams that will express interest and the price tag he’s likely going to be available at. Make no mistake, the sharpshooter is going to cash in on his incredible 2019-20 campaign, but he seems like one of the most attainable players this year and there’s already the aforementioned sign-and-trade buzz happening as contenders drool over the prospects of adding one of the league’s best three-point shooters.

6. Bogdan Bogdanovic (RFA, Kings): The Kings are in a very interesting spot this summer as they could see both of their young shooting guards push to move elsewhere. Buddy Hield has made his position clear in hoping for a trade and Bogdanovic clearly thinks he’s worth more than what the Kings have been willing to offer in extension talks. We’ll see what the market says about the young wing, but if a team is willing to splurge a bit and put up a big offer, Sacramento may very well let him walk.

7. Montrezl Harrell (UFA, Clippers): Your guess on Harrell’s market is as good as mine. The Sixth Man of the Year seemed destined to cash in big time this offseason until the playoffs rolled around and he was, at times, unplayable in the Nuggets series. Teams will have to figure out whether that’s because he’s just not a 16-game player or if that had more to do with the real-life circumstances that kept him away from the Bubble right up until the postseason. In any case, Harrell’s a fascinating player to watch this offseason to see who is willing to pay him and how much they’re willing to give him.

8. Goran Dragic (UFA, Heat): Miami will surely want the veteran point guard back on the roster for next season after what he did for them in the playoffs, but they have also made it their stated goal to have max cap space in 2021 to make a run at some of the stars that could come available then. That means if another team is willing to pony up a long-term deal for Dragic, he might have to move on from Miami and his buddy Jimmy Butler.

9. Joe Harris (UFA, Nets): Brooklyn has a ton of decisions to make this offseason as they look to position their roster for a run at the East crown now that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will both be healthy and back on the court. The first of those is whether they want to bring back their sharpshooting wing who would certainly fit well between Irving and Durant as a floor-spacer. Shooting is always in demand so he’ll have other suitors, but the Nets can likely give him more money than other contenders if they want. What they do with Harris will likely tell us what they plan to do with the rest of their guards and wings as they have a bit of a logjam with the likes of Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Caris LeVert, with Dinwiddie possibly available on the trade market.

10. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (UFA, Lakers): KCP made himself some money in the conference finals and NBA Finals as he was, oftentimes, the third best player on the floor for the Lakers. L.A. will surely be looking to keep him and it’s a good chance he sticks around with LeBron and company, but like the last time he hit the market, there will be others that make impressive offers to try and pry him away for his abilities as a shooter and defender.

11. Jae Crowder (UFA, Heat): Like KCP, Crowder made himself some money with his playoff performances for Miami as he shot the ball very well (something he did last time he was in a contract year as well) and his defensive reputation precedes itself. I think the difference in his shooting from Memphis to Miami further proved the importance of fit for Crowder, which is something he and prospective teams will have to keep in mind.

12. Christian Wood (UFA, Pistons): The 24-year-old big man finally got an opportunity for regular minutes in Detroit and is set to cash in on that big time. Wood was one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, as he stepped up in a major way for the injured Blake Griffin. Detroit, as mentioned earlier, has ample cap space but might chase a guard like VanVleet and Wood will be the best young big man on the market and should have some serious interest.

13. Serge Ibaka (UFA, Raptors): It was a resurgent year for Serge Ibaka in Toronto, as he flourished in the Raptors run to the conference semis. In that series with Boston, there were times where he was the one keeping them in games with his shooting and defense, and he vastly outplayed his frontcourt partner Marc Gasol in the seven-game set. The Raptors will have to decide if they’re going to re-rack things and push forward with another run as an East contender or turn attention a bit more to the future. How serious their pursuit of keeping Ibaka is will be telling in that regard.

14. Marcus Morris Sr. (UFA, Clippers): Both Morrii will be free agents this summer and Marcus is likely to get the most attention for what he did in New York and L.A. this year. He has become a terrific three-point shooter and teams love having that floor spacing option from the 3/4 spot that he gives you.

15. Jordan Clarkson (UFA, Jazz): Clarkson was extremely important for the Jazz this season, especially in the Bubble with Bojan Bogdanovic out, and he showed what he’s capable of as a sixth man for a playoff squad.

16. Paul Millsap (UFA, Nuggets): Millsap was uneven at times for Denver this season, but in the playoffs his defensive presence was huge for the Nuggets in their run to the conference finals. He’s entering a point of his career where his role will get a little more defined and a move to the bench is likely to come sooner than later, but he’s still a very capable defender, solid scorer, and a universally beloved presence in locker rooms.

17. Dario Saric (RFA, Suns): Saric has very firmly established what he is in the NBA, which is a very solid offensive player, likely best served in a bench role. He’s put up consistent production everywhere he’s been and is the sort of malleable talent that can find a fit in most any situation. There’s real value in that and one would think given his role in Phoenix’s 8-0 run in the Bubble, barring someone coming with a stunning offer, the Suns will likely have interest in bringing him back.

18. Tristan Thompson (UFA, Cavs): Tristan Thompson is only 29 years old, which seems almost impossible, but he’s still going to bring some serious value to a quality basketball team. He’s still very good on the glass and rolling to the rim, and can provide rim protection on the other end. It seems almost assured that his time in Cleveland is done, but he could be an exception level type target for contenders hoping to add some size, particularly those in the West knowing the Lakers will be standing in the way eventually.

19. Malik Beasley (RFA, Timberwolves): I’d expect the Wolves to keep Beasley around, but the young shooting guard flourished in Minnesota this season and despite some dubious goings on this offseason what he produced in his brief stint in Minnesota once given a green light and more opportunity was impressive. He’s a strong three-point shooter and showed the ability to be a very useful wing fit alongside D’Angelo Russell, at least offensively, in a short 14-game run with the Wolves.

20. Carmelo Anthony (UFA, Blazers): Alright, here is where I hedge things because, in all honesty, this year’s free agency class has a tier from about 14 on this list down where you could include a ton of people. Melo was terrific this year for Portland, playing at a high level offensively and giving them much needed help on the wing, an area they were very thin at. In this spot you could include any number of guys, such as (and in no particular order): Alec Burks, Hassan Whiteside, Aron Baynes, Justin Holiday, De’Anthony Melton, Jeff Teague, DJ Augustin, Langston Galloway, Markieff Morris, Derrick Favors, Nerlens Noel, Rajon Rondo, Mason Plumlee, or Jakob Poeltl.

All of those guys could find their way onto this list and it’s really dependent on team need, whether that be positional or whether they’re looking for veteran players or to add youth. For example, Rondo has immense value for the Lakers who would never consider swapping him out for, say, De’Anthony Melton, but for a team like Memphis or another young squad, they would probably prefer Melton to Rondo. So, yes, this is a top 20 for 2020 because it’s a pretty and round number, but really there’s about 20 guys who exist in just about the same middle tier after that top 10-15, pending player option decisions.

Zendaya made Emmys history by becoming the youngest person ever to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, beating the previous record-holder, Killing Eve‘s Jodie Comer, by two years. The 24-year-old Euphoria star told Timothée Chalamet, who she appears in Dune with, that it was a weird experience for probably obvious reasons.

“There were these people in hazmat suits that went around to all the nominees’ houses with awards. So basically if you won, you’d grab it quickly from them and have it. If you didn’t win, they’d just take it with them and leave,” she said (we know what this looks like thanks to Ramy Youssef). Zendaya didn’t have a full speech prepared, but “I was like, ‘OK, let me just write down a few little bullet points.’ Usually I would just go up there and say what’s in my heart, but everybody was like, ‘No, I think you should definitely write something down.’ But then I worried maybe that’s bad luck to have something prepared, because it’s like, I don’t know… So the day of, I just wrote a little thing down to have just in case. And that was very helpful. I was very nervous, but I’m glad my family was there.”

She didn’t need a speech. Her viral reaction said more than words could.

Chalamet also asked Zendaya to name her favorite memory from shooting Dune. “I guess it was the dance parties that I hosted in my room,” she answered, adding that Javier Bardem “popped in” one time. Throw some Momoa in there, and baby, you got a dance party going.

(Via Elle)

It would appear that Tucker Carlson, who recently stated that President Trump should ultimately blame himself for losing the election, is feeling salty about that same election now. He’s also not taking a balanced approach to covering the loss, unlike his colleague, Neil Cavuto, who yanked a lie-filled Trump campaign speech from Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany off the air on Monday. I do wonder if Cavuto and Tucker ever run into each other in the Fox news breakroom because, later that evening, Tucker made his stance clear. He came for CNN’s Jake Tapper, who’s spent a lot of on-air time fact-checking Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

At around 5:30 in the above video, Tucker takes issue with one of Tapper’s tweets, which acknowledged the precarious career situation that some Trump staffers might be feeling. (It’s notable that Sean Spicer has been warning about the difficulty of finding work after Trump, and Spicer only helped Trump spread lies about one election, which Trump complained about despite winning.) Tapper’s point was that spreading baseless conspiracies for a leader who’s acting like a dictator isn’t the greatest career move for the future, whether that’s in the private sector or government employment. Fair.

“I truly sympathize with those dealing with losing — it’s not easy,” Tapper tweeted. “But at a certain point one has to think not only about what’s best for the nation (peaceful transfer of power) but how any future employers might see your character defined during adversity.”

Tapper continued while alluding to how the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press-conference debacle included Rudy Giuliani talking to a sex offender.

Carlson only latched onto the first tweet, for which he began comparing Tapper to, uh, the Sicilian mafia:

“Got that? Your character is on trial here. Future employers, take note. In other words, accept Joe Biden now or you will never work again. Do what CNN tells you to do or good luck feeding your family. Did the Sicilian mafia ever make threats that explicit?”

The Fox News host then suggested that the FBI had hopped aboard the plan, and that they, along with CNN and the rest of the mainstream news, want to scare people into ignoring Trump’s (unsubstantiated) claims that he’s a victim of election-stealing.

That wasn’t all. At 6:50, above, Tucker then trashed a CNN ad that urged the nation to come together after Biden’s victory. “CNN released an ad commanding its viewers to accept Joe Biden as their lawful president and holy savior.” Well, someone ate his Wheaties before broadcast time last night.

In recent weeks, Foo Fighters have been cryptically teasing a new album, but things got more clear last weekend when they performed on Saturday Night Live, premiered “Shame Shame,” and formally announced Medicine At Midnight. The studio version of the single was released after the SNL performance, and now they have debuted a new visual for the song. The black-and-white clip features the burning coffin with which fans became familiar through the advance teasers.

Back in February (about a year ahead of the album’s now-announced release date), Grohl said that the band had finished recording the record, saying, “We just finished making a record. Some of those songs, the best ones happen in 45 minutes. Then there’s other songs — there’s a riff on the new record I’ve been working on for 25 years. The first time I demoed it was in my basement in Seattle.” He also previously compared it to David Bowie, saying, “To me, it’s like our David Bowie’s Let’s Dance record. That’s what we wanted to make, ’cause we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s make this really up, fun record!’”

This isn’t the only new music Dave Grohl has in the pipeline, as he and his 10-year-old drum battle partner are working on a song together.

Watch the “Shame Shame” video above.

Medicine At Midnight is out 2/5/2021 via Roswell/RCA. Pre-order it here.

Music is a core part of the Peloton experience, and now the fitness platform has teamed up with one of the medium’s biggest stars, Beyonce, for a new multi-year partnership that will benefit Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

As part of the partnership, Peloton and Beyonce will give two-year Peloton Digital memberships to students at ten HBCUs: Bennett College, Clark Atlanta University, Grambling State University, Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, Texas Southern University, and Wilberforce University. These memberships provide access to a library of fitness classes through the Peloton app, which can be enjoyed with or without equipment. Additionally, Peloton “will build on its relationships with each of these schools to pursue long-term recruiting partnerships at both the internship and undergraduate levels,” as press materials note.

On top of that, Peloton is also hosting Beyonce-themed classes, the Beyonce Artist Series, over the next few days that feature her music, including yoga, meditation, and running.

Beyonce says of the partnership:

“Peloton and I both believe that the power of music can help uplift, motivate and inspire those on their fitness journeys. I’ve been a Peloton member for several years, and I’m excited to partner with a company that helps people, young and old, be the best versions of themselves, in an innovative and adaptable way. I’m proud to celebrate the students at HBCUs with this donation, to encourage them to find and embrace their own wellness regimens.”

Peloton’s Head of Music Gwen Bethel Riley also said of the partnership, “Beyonce’s commitment to empowerment and artistic expression is an inspiration to the entire Peloton community. It is a privilege to be able to work closely with her and her extraordinary team to broaden access to our platform and collaborate on incredible offerings we think our members will love.”

Check out the upcoming Beyonce Artist Series class schedule below.

On Demand
30 min Beyonce Two for One Ride with Alex Toussaint & Tunde Oyeneyin

Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET
30 min Beyonce Yoga Flow with Chelsea Jackson Roberts
10 min Beyonce Meditation with Chelsea Jackson Roberts

Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET
20 min Beyonce Full Body Strength with Robin Arzón
20 min Beyonce Outdoor Run with Robin Arzón (Audio Only)

Friday, November 13 at 5 p.m.
30 min Beyonce Ride with Ally Love

Saturday, November 14 at 10 a.m. ET
60 min Beyonce Bootcamp with Jess Sims

Stephen Colbert kicked off Monday’s episode of The Late Show with a bottle of bubbly and a grin as wide as the smile face emoji. “Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Biden did it,” he said after handing his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert a glass of champagne. “He’s our next president!” He sure is, and Colbert was in a celebratory mood. Not only for the state of the country, but also for himself and his wife.

“After we heard Joe clinch the Electoral College, we were on the porch, I sat down and just started crying with relief. And Evie said, ‘You never have to talk about him again.’ And then I cried with joy,” Colbert said. “For the last four years, if you were up late doomscrolling, you knew the president was up douche tweeting.” One of the things that Colbert is looking forward to over the next four years is people being nicer… possibly:

“One of the things I’ve found about this job is that I tend to reflect back the national tone ― and that tone comes from the top. The president’s only emotions are ‘angry,’ ‘look at me,’ and ‘I’m angry you’re not looking at me.’ And because he was the only thing we were focused on for the last four years, and this is entirely my responsibility, I’ve done harsher jokes than I’ve ever done in my entire life. This is why they say don’t wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get filthy and the pig likes it.”

But Colbert is mostly looking forward to the idea of “knowing things again. The last four years have been an assault on objective reality. He doesn’t want you to know anything… We’ve spent the last four years debating the value of of the enlightenment of a reality show host.” Americans can finally exhale, “unless you’re near other people then please don’t because of the pandemic,” he joked. Watch the clip above.

John Legend has been as active as any musician during this election season, and he continued to make his presence known on yesterday’s Late Night With Seth Meyers. On the show, he delivered a pre-taped performance of “Wild,” the most recent single from his new album, Bigger Love.

Legend also sat down for a brief interview, and he told Meyers about how he and wife Chrissy Teigen celebrated Joe Biden’s election victory: “We were feeling the energy around us and seeing on social media so many people out honking their horns and celebrating. We were like, ‘Let’s get out of the house! Let’s go and interact with the people.’ So we went out to West Hollywood, Santa Monica Boulevard, and there was an impromptu dance party happening. We just drove through for a little bit and celebrated with the crowd.”

He also told Meyers a little about “Wild,” saying, “It’s a song about being in love and being passionate, and the video of course featured my wife and our family, and it’s a really powerful song. It also features the great Gary Clark Jr. on guitar. He’s not on our performance tonight, but he’s on the album version. It’s really one of my favorite songs on the album, one of Chrissy’s favorites, and hopefully everyone loves it tonight.”

Watch Legend on Late Night above.

On the day I watched the screener for Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy, the real life version of the protagonist of this movie, J.D. Vance, tweeted some weird thing about fertility rates and daylight savings time. For the life of me, I still can’t figure it out. But I kept staring at it, thinking to myself, why on earth is there a whole movie about this guy coming out? Look, I know people who love his book, which the film is based on. Honestly, I suspect I’d like it, too. And I was at least open to the whole idea, I suppose: the guy who came from modest roots, went to Yale Law School, and became a national pundit. That’s not nothing. I speak from experience that it is difficult to get out of these Midwestern/Southern small towns. But is this enough for a movie? No, it is not enough for a movie.

Yeah, I know, “Um, east coast media lib doesn’t like the Hillbilly movie.” I have no doubt I’ll get some of those accusations thrown my way on social media. (By the way, I’m from Missouri.) Remember, a huge talking point about this movie is, well, we need to figure out why Trump won in 2016. But I’m so over it at this point. I watched this movie before the election. I’m writing this after Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election. Under both circumstances, my reaction to this movie is, “I am not in the mood.” A big part of the film centers around Vance being the first person in his family to go to college. It’s a point of pride for him. And that’s great. Seriously. But my dad told me the same thing about his side of the family when I went to college. I remember my reaction was, “Oh, that’s weird.” And by the time I moved to New York City, at no point did I think it warranted a Ron Howard movie about my life. At most, it warranted a Blogspot blog. And even that’s up for debate. Now, to be fair, I’d certainly agree to a Ron Howard movie about my life. So, I certainly don’t begrudge Vance for this movie existing. But I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to find it interesting.

The film crisscrosses back and forth from Vance’s time in law school (played by Gabriel Basso) and as a teen (Owen Asztalos) in Kentucky and Ohio, as both versions deal with his mother (Amy Adams), suffering from addiction and her relationship with her mother (Glenn Close). It’s a sad struggle to watch, but will be familiar probably to anyone who spent any time at all in small-town America in that region. Vance’s story doesn’t feel particularly unique, which does amplify the sad state of affairs people feel right now.

But the problem here is, from what I know about the book, it goes into the history of this region and explains why things are going the way they are. The film bypasses all this and just focuses on Vance’s family, which, at times comes off really tone-deaf. There’s a scene when younger J.D. spends some free time with his buddies demolishing a hardware store in the middle of the night. They are caught by the police, but it smash-cuts to the next day with some sort of explanation that J.D. could have gone to jail if it had not been for someone being there that did something or another to save them. Yeah, if there’s ever a point to be made about white people getting away with stuff others wouldn’t, without even realizing it, well this movie sure accomplishes that.

It’s hard to figure out who this movie is for. Adams and Close are, of course, very good in their respective roles. And there are a few moments that hit home with me: like the snobby guy at Yale Law School who asks J.D. where he went to undergrad, then when he answered Ohio State, it was casually dismissed as a “state school.” (This actually happens a lot. When I mention to Ivy League people I went to the University of Missouri, I get a lot of that, “There are many fine state schools,” thing. I try to do my best and not point out that in a lot of cases I have the same level job as that person, only without the massive amount of debt. But okay!) But then I remember J.D. is actually at Yale, so why should he care? And Ohio State is a terrific school. These are all dumb slights and don’t really matter anyway. And if it feels like I’m struggling to come up with specific plot details to discuss here, you would be correct. The whole movie is just J.D. getting upset with his mom, for pretty valid reasons, and how that might derail his future.

And look, I’ve lived in New York for 16 years now, but it’s pretty obvious from that last paragraph I have some pent-up emotions, still feeling like I have something to prove because of where I come from and the micro-slights over the years. Yeah, I totally get it. And, no, I don’t think the media really understands what goes on in middle America. And, yes, I think they should try to understand. But there’s a difference between that, empathizing with someone who is really struggling, and just a blanket “Trump voter.” There are many successful people who are Trump voters. And, at this point, I really don’t care at this point what makes them tick. So, if this movie was going to hit with people, I think I would be one of them. I know the people in this movie. Many of the people remind me of people in my own family. But it didn’t hit. Again, I don’t know who Hillbilly Elegy is for. Well, except maybe J.D. Vance.

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ will stream via Netflix on November 24th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

At the stroke of midnight on the east coast, the NBA and NBPA formally announced they had reached an agreement on CBA adjustments for the 2020-21 season (and beyond) that will allow the new season to begin on December 22. The salary cap for this season will be $109.1 million, with a tax line of $132.6 million — effectively unchanged from the initial projections — allowing teams to operate this offseason as they had planned in free agency and more.

This agreement also finalized key dates, such as a November 20 start date to the free agency moratorium period, two days after the NBA Draft, with signings able to become official on November 22. As for how they will handle the dip in revenue, the league and the players association has agreed to a new system to handle their agreed upon basketball related income split, with players taking necessary salary reductions up to, but not exceeding, 20 percent in a given season should player salaries go over the 10 percent escrow set aside in a given year. The salary cap, meanwhile, will be guaranteed to increase by three percent and no more than 10 percent each season, to allow teams to continue to operate as planned going forward even understanding the potential for financial losses. The tax will raise in proportion to the cap, but tax payments will be decreased proportionate to decreases in BRI — i.e., if the league is losing money, teams won’t have to pay as stiff a tax.

As for the 2020-21 season, it will be as reported previously a 72-game season beginning on December 22, with the schedule and broadcast slate to be released in the near future. This puts a bow on what seemed to be a rather amicable negotiation period between the league and union, with the NBA getting its desired start date this season while players got a lower escrow number and guarantees for salary cap increases and a maximum amount of salary taken back should the league fall short of BRI expectations.