Category: Worldwide

When LeBron James gets new teammates there is always a process of learning to play with the legendary star, especially when putting other stars next to him. From Miami to his second stint in Cleveland, there was always a bit of time where he and his new teammates had to learn about each other and understand one another both on and off the court.

This period of learning about one another can lead to some points where James and other stars grate against one another. So it should come as no surprise that when talking about Anthony Davis, following the Lakers 4-1 series victory over the Nuggets, James said that he sometimes annoys Davis. He compared it to the movie Step Brothers.

For anyone that hasn’t seen Step Brothers, two full grown adults still living at home with their mom and dad, respectively, are suddenly forced to live together when their parents get married. There’s great animosity between the two as they seek to establish dominance over one another, but eventually, they find some common ground between one another and become best friends.

This is actually a very fitting description for how James has traditionally interacted with fellow star teammates. They grate on each other until a common ground is found. Once they’ve gotten past what annoys them about each other they form a true contender. The Lakers are four wins away from an NBA title and Davis has been spectacular in these playoffs with LeBron supporting him the entire way. It certainly seems like they just became Best Friends. Bring on the bunk beds!

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer, were at their home in Malibu, California on Saturday when a 39-year-old woman reportedly entered their home and attempted to kidnap their baby grandchild, per TMZ Sports.

The woman apparently entered through an unlocked door of the house and picked up the baby, before being confronted by the Montanas, who “wrestled” the baby away from her.

Our law enforcement sources say the intruder walked away with Montana’s grandchild to another part of the house where she was confronted by Joe and Jennifer. They wrestled the baby away from the woman. The intruder then ran out of the house.

The woman was eventually arrested and charged with kidnapping and burglary charges after L.A. Sheriff’s deputies who were already in the area were alerted and found the woman after she had left the Montana residence. It’s a pretty terrifying situation, but thankfully Joe and Jennifer Montana were both home and nearby, and were able to thwart the attempted kidnapping in progress before something terrible happened.

The 49ers legend has four Super Bowl rings and is one of the all-time greats, but nothing he did on the football field will ever be as important as what he and his wife did on Saturday at their home.

Blackpink is gearing up to drop their upcoming full-length project The Album next month, but before they do so, the K-pop announced a new live event to precede the album’s release. Making the announcement on their social media pages, Blackpink said they’ll hold a “Comeback Live” event to commemorate the release of The Album. The event will take place October 1 on VLIVE, the day before the album’s release, at 2 am BST or 9pm EST on September 30.

The rollout for the album, which the flyer promotes as Blackpink’s “1st full album,” began with their “How You Like That” comeback single, which broke the record for the biggest video premiere ever on YouTube as 1.65 million viewers arrived to see the new video. Shortly after, the group would perform the single on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and release its follow up weeks later with “Ice Cream” featuring Selena Gomez. The single was also highly-anticipated as fans waited weeks before its arrival to find out who the guest feature would be due to Blackpink keeping it a secret.

In addition to the live event, Blackpink also announced an all-access documentary entitled BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky. The documentary will premiere exclusively October 14 on Netflix.

The Album is out 10/02 via YG Entertainment/Interscope Records. Pre-order it here.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, like the other seven NBA franchises that did not join the Disney Bubble, have begun minicamp in their local bubble, but are currently without impending restricted free agent forward Malik Beasley.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski, Beasley was arrested over the weekend at his home and charged with possession of marijuana as well as receiving and concealing stolen property.

Police arrived at Beasley’s home in Plymouth, Minnesota, on Saturday night and took the 23-year-old into custody. Beasley was being held without bail at Hennepin County Jail until he sees a judge, which could be another 24 hours, sources said.

Beasley’s attorney would release a statement to Charania and Krawczynski indicating that they will be fighting the charges by noting that there were a number of people at Beasley’s residence when the arrest was made.

In any case, it’s not the ideal situation for Beasley to find himself in going into an offseason in which he will be on the free agent market, but whether this impacts the market for his services may very likely depend on the outcome of the case. Beasley averaged 11.2 points per game this season, however after arriving in Minnesota at the trade deadline from Denver he averaged 20.2 points per game in 14 appearances for the Timberwolves.

LeBron James earned a trip to the NBA Finals for the 10th time in his career on Saturday night, as he carried the Lakers down the stretch in a 38-point performance that saw L.A. bounce the Denver Nuggets in five games. For James, making the Finals is something he’s very accustomed to, but for the majority of the others on the Lakers roster, this will be a new experience — or at least, something they haven’t seen in a long time.

It’s the first trip to the Finals for a number of players, most notably Anthony Davis, who will now play in his fourth playoff series with the Lakers after appearing in just three series over his time with the New Orleans Pelicans. Thus far this postseason Davis has acquitted himself quite well, as he often has in the playoffs, but the difference is that he has a superstar teammate capable of balancing the immense load asked of stars in the postseason.

After the Lakers Game 5 win, LeBron James was asked what was going through his mind when the confetti was dropping from the rafters in Orlando, signaling the Lakers had reached the Finals for the first time in a decade, and among the things he mentioned was getting Davis to the Finals, noting it’s “why I brought him here.”

“One, just getting my breath back together after a hard fought series with one of the most well-coached teams I’ve played against in the postseason. One of the most respected teams I’ve played against, you guys know how much I love Mike Malone. He’s just incredible, he’s the reason why that team’s so damn good. So I was thinking about that. I was also thinking about some of my teammates, it’s their first appearance in the NBA Finals. Obviously AD, had a lot of my thought process, this is the reason why I wanted to be a teammate of his, why I brought him here. I wanted him to see things he hasn’t saw before in this league, and to be able to come through for him means a lot, personally. Then I started thinking about our next opponent. Boston had a few moments in my head, Miami had a few moments as well, on how challenging that’s going to be, whoever wins that next series and how challenging that’s going to be. And then I just started thinking about my journey as well. All that went through my mind.”

The “I brought him here” line will certainly turn some heads, particularly in New Orleans where many have felt LeBron and Klutch were pushing for him to make the trade request, specifically to the Lakers, all along and now James just seems to admit as much now. That will further upset Pelicans fans, but then again, they already loathed James and the Lakers for working to pull Davis away.

As for his partnership on the floor with Davis, they’ve gelled in a way few superstar duos have in their first year together. You just have to look at their Staples Center roommates in the Clippers for an example of how even the best laid plans with a pair of stars can fizzle out if the chemistry isn’t right, but they’ve become inseparable in the Bubble and the on-court product has benefited. They each seem to recognize when it’s their time to take over and when the other needs them to, with Davis doing so in what was a critical Game 2 in this series, and LeBron closing things out in Game 5.

James is already thinking of their next opponent, whether Boston or Miami, and whichever team emerges from the East, they’ll have a tall order in figuring out how to slow down the Davis-James pairing and keep them from winning a title in their first season together.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris gained a very notable ally on Sunday, days before Biden’s first debate with Donald Trump and weeks before the presidential election in November. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a self-described centrist who has voted for both parties in the past, officially threw his support behind the Biden/Harris ticket in a lengthy video posted to social media that included a conversation with the Democratic leaders.

The moment is notable for a number of reasons, starting with some very public overtures from Johnson about possibly running for president himself at some point. That clearly isn’t happening in 2020, as Kanye West is doing his best to fill the celebrity quota on this year’s ballot. Still, Johnson hadn’t made a public endorsement for president in the past, but isn’t staying on the sidelines this year and the video makes it clear he is supporting Democrats against Donald Trump.

“As a political independent and centrist for many years, I’ve voted for Democrats in the past and as well as Republican,” Johnson wrote in the caption and reiterated in the video. “In this critical election, I believe Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the best to lead our country, and as my first ever (public) Presidential endorsement, I proudly endorse them for the presidential office of our United States.”

The video includes a conversation between Biden, Harris and Johnson, and it’s very generous to both candidates and their qualifications for president. Johnson said he wanted to “go big” with his first public endorsement, and a seven-minute video doubling as a campaign ad for the Democratic ticket is certainly a splash.

It has been over 180 days since the last episode of The Walking Dead, and typically, when there is a layover that long, it’s in between seasons. Here, because of the pandemic, it’s six months between the penultimate episode of the season and what used to be the season finale (an additional 6 episodes have since been added to the tenth season, set to air in the Spring). There are a number of things that viewers may have forgotten that will be important to remember ahead of the 16th episodes — in fact, I have seen it, and it’s very good. However, it’s also a little disorienting because most of it obviously builds on storylines that we haven’t seen in six months.

So, to help prepare you for the not-finale 16th episode of the 10th season, here’s what you need to remember:

1. Carol and Negan orchestrated the death of Alpha — It was a long con, obviously, but Carol released Negan from Alexandria’s jail cell so that he could work his way into the Whisperers, gain the confidence of Alpha, and then kill her. It did not gain him any new friends, exactly, but Carol and Daryl at least respect and tolerate him. Begrudgingly. However, he does remain close with Alpha’s daughter, Lydia, despite the murder of her mother. Carol and Lydia’s relationship, however, remains strained. Carol, after all, orchestrated the murder of Lydia’s mother, who also murdered Carol’s son, Henry, who was also Lydia’s boyfriend.

2. Beta has gone insane — After the death of Alpha, Beta completely loses his mind, starts hearing voices, and decides to attack the Alexandrians with The Whisperers’ full horde, which is thousands of zombies. He no longer has a connection to reality. It’s also worth noting that, in the universe of The Walking Dead, the character underneath the mask of Beta is a famous country musician. This will matter in the finale.

3. Maggie is … somewhere — Maggie’s return is no secret. It’s been talked about for well over a year now, and even promoted in the ads for the 16th episode. She does return, and I’ll just say this: It’s not just as a character in a distant land reading a letter. She will be an active participant in the the episode’s action. Maggie’s not just back, she’s really back.

4. Some of the episode is set at Grady Memorial — This is not actually that important, but I still think it’s funny that the series is reusing old sets.

5. Michonne is gone, but Virgil is not — Virgil came into Oceanside, and left with Michonne, who discovered that Rick is still alive, and set out to try and find him. Virgil — who has a little off his head, too, after the death of loved ones — decided to return to Oceanside, and that will be more important than you might think in the finale.

6. Dwight went out to meet Stephanie — Dwight has spent much of the season in radio contact with someone named Stephanie. He left with Ezekiel and Yumiko to meet Stephanie, and along the way they met a great new character, Princess. It’s also worth remembering that Ezekiel has cancer, and that the next storyline in Robert Kirkman’s source material is The Commonwealth. All of this will be important in the finale.

7. We met a bad-ass ninja dude — Aaron and Alden are rescued from a Whisperer horde by a masked person with some serious knife skills. The masked person will return in the finale.

8. Remember Connie? — It seems like eons ago now, but remember when Connie and Magna were trapped inside a Whisperer cave with a horde of zombies? Magna eventually made her way out and returned home, but we haven’t seen Connie since. We will find out what happened to her in the 16th episode, probably because Lauren Ridloff (who plays her) needed a break to film The Eternals.

In a battle of unbeatens, Israel Adesanya (20-0) proved yet again why he’s the best middleweight in the world with a decisive TKO victory over Paulo Costa (13-1) to retain the middleweight championship Saturday night at UFC 253 from Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Adesanya spent much of the first round shredding Costa’s lead leg with varied kicks, seeing the cupping behind the challenger’s knee and going after a potential a perceived weakness. Costa was stuck on the receiving end, landing less than 15 total strikes in the round.

Costa opened things up in the second, but it was Adesanya yet again tearing the Brazilian’s leg apart with low kicks. The champion was surgical through the end of the round, tossing feints, watching where Costa went, then landing shots as the challenger attempted to evade. He opened a cut on Costa’s eye with a head kick, then put him to bed with a left hook to the temple and ground-and-pound, forcing a referee stoppage.

After wrapping up an impressive 2019 that saw him knock off Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastellum, and Robert Whittaker, Adesanya sleepwalked through his first title defense against the heavy-handed Yoel Romero in March. Adesanya’s move to fight Costa was expected to be one of his toughest fights to date, but the champion made quick work of the challenger to remain unbeaten.

Costa suffered a torn left biceps in a separate decision win over Romero, but he refused to take a tuneup bout before fighting for the belt. He was simply no match for Adesanya, who extended his middleweight win streak to nine. After the fight, Adesanya announced he’d like to fight Jared Cannonier if he can knock off the former champion, Robert Whittaker, when they fight on October 24.

For the first time since 2011, a fighter not named Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier is the light heavyweight champion. After Jones relinquished his top spot over the UFC’s light heavyweights, Jan Blachowicz (27-8) earned a TKO finish over Dominick Reyes (12-2) to claim the division crown Saturday night at UFC 253 from Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

The tense first round opened with Reyes and Blachowicz feeling their way out. The duo traded shots, with Reyes more tentative to move forward and strike. Blachowicz was precise with his legs, bruising Reyes midsection and lead leg with brutal shots to finish off his combinations.

Reyes opened the second by getting inside and landing a slew of shots on Blachowicz. Blachowicz continued to push forward, targeting Reyes with a flurry of combinations, baiting him in and counterstriking often. At the end of the round, the pair traded heavy shots before Blachowicz dropped Reyes with an overhand left to the temple and the ref quickly jumped in to stop the fight.

Reyes dropped a five-round decision loss to Jones in February, but couldn’t make good on his second opportunity at UFC gold against Blachowicz. At 37 years old, Blachowicz extended his five-fight win streak to win his first UFC belt. Blachowicz will savor the big win for now, with the winner of Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos slated for Nov. 7, likely the next contender for his light heavyweight belt.

The Lakers are headed back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 after beating the Nuggets, 117-107, in a deciding Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. A tremendous performance from LeBron James capped off with yet another postseason triple-double set the tone for the Lakers, while the Nuggets could not overcome an injury to one star and foul trouble by the other.

The result was a bitter end to Denver’s stellar playoff run and the crowning of the Lakers as the West champions in James’ second season with the franchise.

There’s still no answer for LeBron James in an elimination game

Two portions of this game were dominated by James, and they both showed us what he’s still capable of when he has to reach into his bag in tight moments. In the second quarter, Nikola Jokic hit the bench for the final 10 minutes of the half due to foul trouble, giving the Lakers a perfect opportunity to increase their lead. But rather than put the finishing touches on a blowout, Los Angeles’ offense sputtered like it has been prone to doing all season. That meant the Lakers needed every one of James’ forceful downhill drives. Needless to say, with James playing aggressively in the paint, the combo of Mason Plumlee and Michael Porter Jr. did little to stop him.

The second time we saw vintage James was in the fourth period. After a run by Denver late in the third, James came out determined to end the series. James quickly finished off his triple-double with his 10th assist, then slowed the game way down to pick apart the Nuggets’ defense and nurse the lead. It’s been a long time since we saw James reach deep down and completely dominate as a scorer, but he got better and better over the course of the game before hitting the dagger with less than two minutes to go.

James finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in finishing the job to get into his 10th NBA Finals.

Jerami Grant showed up in the biggest moment of Denver’s season

On a night in which Jamal Murray was hobbled by serious right knee soreness, Jokic struggled with foul trouble, and Gary Harris and Paul Millsap stayed quiet, Denver needed someone to step up. That became Grant, who scored 14 points in a close-fought third quarter and played with a level of confidence on both ends that came as a surprise considering his typically complimentary offensive role. Whether it was making open threes, taking on mismatches in the post, or even guarding James and Anthony Davis, the soon-to-be free agent Grant played assertively and finished as Denver’s leading scorer.

This game being the NBA’s lasting memory of him heading into free agency is pretty nice, too. Grant already figured to be in high demand because of the rarity of competent three-and-D forwards in the league, but showing in the playoffs that he can check superstar play-makers and score capably will only improve his market more. The Syracuse alum can be a free agent this offseason if he opts out of his contract.

The game was decided inside and the Lakers’ bigs won

Denver head coach Mike Malone made headlines when he drew attention to the physicality on the interior after Game 4. Malone criticized foul calls on the part of the referees but also his own team’s inability to rebound against the Lakers’ bigs. That came back to bite the Nuggets again in the deciding game of the series.

Between Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard, the Lakers were able to control the paint even when Jokic was on the court. A key decision by Frank Vogel to put Howard in the starting lineup midway through the series continued to help Los Angeles, as Howard helped draw a few fouls on the Serbian big man and made him work on the glass.

But it was Davis (27 points and five rebounds) who made key plays to help take the game home alongside James. The rare big man defender who can still make an impact when the tempo picks up, Davis was able to keep the game played on the Lakers’ terms by forcing turnovers when Denver got sloppy. The highlight of the night was Davis’ huge block on Porter, a perfect example of Davis coming up big in his first conference finals.

Once Davis settled in on offense and was able to play off James, the Lakers’ offense came together. On the other side, with Jokic in foul trouble, Plumlee and Millsap played far too poorly to make up for it. A great night from Davis and an adjustment by Vogel to play Howard more proved enough to take down Denver’s front court.