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The Milwaukee Bucks’ busy offseason has been built around one thing: convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a contract extension that will keep him with the team. On Monday evening, we learned the team’s efforts paid off, as Antetokounmpo announced that he decided to put pen to paper on an extension that will keep him in town.

The two-time NBA MVP did not, however, announce the terms of the deal. But thanks to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, we learned that Antetokounmpo signed a 3-year extension that will pay him $186 million over the life of the deal. He could, however, enter free agency a year early, as the final year of the extension features a player option.

It’s a gigantic win for Milwaukee, which were put in a tricky position by their superstar forward — on multiple occasions this offseason, Antetokounmpo made clear that he would not stay with the Bucks beyond his current deal unless the team showed it matched his commitment to winning. Not long after that, Milwaukee took a major swing on the trade market by going out and acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.

The deal cost Milwaukee quite a lot — primarily, the team had to move on from beloved guard Jrue Holiday — but they made the gamble with the hopes that it would keep Antetokounmpo in town. The gamble paid off, and now, the Bucks can focus on their future knowing their superstar will be at the center of it all.

The 2020 Draft class had until 6 p.m. on Monday to work out a rookie scale contract extension with their current team or hit restricted free agency next summer. A handful of deals were signed with the league year began on July 1, mostly the obvious max extensions, but the rest of the negotiations dragged to the last week, bringing the total to 14 players who inked new deals. They range from 4 years, $30 million all the way up to 5 years, $206 million (with the chance to become $260 million), but all of the players involved got long-term security, while the teams signing them ensured they won’t have to negotiate with the market next summer.

There were a number players that were candidates for an extension that didn’t work one out, headlined by Immanuel Quickley, Patrick Williams, and Obi Toppin, and those players will look to find the deals they want on the restricted market.

Here are the 14 contract extensions that got done, with the Edwards, Ball, and Haliburton deals all including All-NBA escalators that could become $260 million deals — bonus structure comes via Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Anthony Edwards: 5 years, $206 million
LaMelo Ball: 5 years, $206 million
Tyrese Haliburton: 5 years, $206 million
Desmond Bane: 5 years, $197 million (+$8.6 million in unlikely bonuses)
Devin Vassell: 5 years, $135 million (+$11 million in unlikely bonuses)
Jaden McDaniels: 5 years, $131 million (+$5 million unlikely bonuses)
Onyeka Okongwu: 4 years, $62 million
Isaiah Stewart: 4 years, $60 million (+$4 million in unlikely bonuses)
Deni Avdija: 4 years, $55 million
Josh Green: 3 years, $41 million
Cole Anthony: 3 years, $39 million
Aaron Nesmith: 3 years, $33 million
Zeke Nnaji: 4 years, $32 million
Payton Pritchard- 4 years, $30 million

The max deals were unsurprising as the top three all have All-Star appearances to their name, while Desmond Bane has become a high-level starter with All-Star potential in Memphis. Devin Vassell and Jaden McDaniels got nine-figure deals thanks to their solid play thus far and in hopes from their teams that they tap into their full potential on the wing. From there you have some deals that caught people by surprise, like Isaiah Stewart’s deal that came very early on, along with more recent signings of Deni Avdija and Aaron Nesmith. The contract that stood out most in terms of team value was Onyeka Okongwu, as 4 years and $62 million was not what he was expected to fetch, but the Hawks intriguing backup center prioritized getting that long-term security over hoping he’ll pop even more this year and seeing what the market had in store for him.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.

The most recent Mission: Impossible pulled off a pretty neat trick: Despite being the first part of a twofer, it managed to find an ending that was both a cliffhanger and satisfying on its own. Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt managed to outwit sneaky baddie Gabriel (Esai Morales), but only for now. Surely that dude’s still up to no good. But fans of the two-and-a-half decades-old franchise will have to wait quite a bit longer for Part Two.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has decided to bump the second half of Dead Reckoning nearly an extra year. Originally it was due next summer, on June 28. Now it won’t come out until May 23, 2025.

The likely culprit for the bump? That the AMPTP, which represents the studio heads, have not resolved the SAG-AFTRA strike. Part 2 was one of many productions that had to halt mid-stream when the guild first hit the picket lines in July. While the WGA strike ended in late September, the studios are still duking it out with the actors’ union.

As it happened, Tom Cruise tried to intervene in the strike before it began, pressuring studio heads to listen to actors’ fears over how AI could impact their livelihoods. He was also concerned about stunt performers.

The eighth Mission: Impossible isn’t the only Paramount picture that’s been bumped. A Quiet Place: Day One moved from March 8, 2024 to that film’s original slot, which is again June 28.

(Via THR)

Jermey Renner did not have a great start to his 2023. On New Year’s Day the acclaimed actor and MCU stalwart was the victim of a freak accident involving a snow plow, which ran him over. That resulted in blunt chest trauma and 30 broken bones. He’s been recovering ever since, but he’s clearly in good spirits, enough that the incident has inspired him to record some new songs.

“A collection of music we wrote about different milestones in my journey of recovery since Jan. 1 this year,” Renner wrote on his Instagram feed. The collection is called Love and Titanium, and he describes it as being
“painful, deeply healing, and ultimately cathartic for me to create.”

It’s not clear when Love and Titanium will be released, though in his post Renner included the word “Soon.”

On top of his acting duties, Renner has released two albums, both in 2020: The Medicine and Live for Now.

Since his accident, Renner has used social media to keep people updated on his progress, which includes extensive physical therapy. He’s also used the album’s title in interviews. During a chat with ABC News back in March, he said, “I’ve lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience, but I’ve been refueled and refilled with love and titanium.”

The following month, during the premiere of his Disney+ show Rennervations, he was able to walk down the red carpet with the use of a cane. Despite all the pain and suffering it’s caused him, Renner has refused to get rid of the offending snow plow.

(Via Variety)

We are mere days away from Victor Wembanyama’s highly anticipated NBA debut, as he and the Spurs play host to the Mavs on Wednesday night.

For more than a year, Wembanyama’s other-worldly abilities have been the stuff of legend, but everyone has been waiting to see how the 7’5 Frenchman fares against the best players in the world. Rookies, even ones that go on to be greats, tend to not be among the league’s best players in their first seasons — it’s been 12 years since the last rookie made an All-Star team with Blake Griffin, who was a “redshirt” rookie after missing a year with an injury.

However, Wembanyama is not just any prospect, as he’s considered the best talent to enter the league since LeBron James, and expectations are sky-high for what he’ll do immediately. While his Summer League showing was a bit spotty and started to pump the brakes on some of the immediate hype, what he’s done this preseason has ripped the brakes completely off of the hype train. It’s not just fans that are driving the Wemby bandwagon, but some all-time greats are already all-in on him, as evidenced by this delightful video of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on Showtime’s KG Certified geeking out over what Wembanyama’s done, proclaiming him a top-5 skill player in the league already and saying the Spurs should make the playoffs.

KG and Paul Pierce are probably a bit too high on what Wembanyama and the Spurs are going to be immediately this year, but I do love seeing two Hall of Famers showing this kind of love to the next generation of superstar. All too often we see past stars questioning the current generation, but KG and Pierce are just hyped to watch this guy who can do things no one else has ever done. There’s no “well in my day” stuff here, it’s just excitement about this alien who has an insane skillset we now get to watch play basketball. Is it going too far? Maybe, but who can blame them given what we’ve seen him do.

Ty Dolla Sign fans who were disappointed that he canceled his More Motion Less Emotion Tour may have something to look forward to next month, as the LA singer just announced that he and Kanye West are planning a “multi-stadium” listening event akin to Kanye’s listening events for Donda a few years ago on November 3. However, there’s little other info about it, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, considering how slapdash Kanye’s previous ambitious endeavors have been — and how his last year went, what with his basically burning his empire to the ground.

If anything, you’ve got to wonder why Ty has hitched his horse to this particular wagon, which has been racing at top speed toward a thousand-foot cliff with no brakes and two broken axles. He and Kanye are reportedly searching for distributors for their upcoming joint album, but you have to imagine that West’s brand is pretty much radioactive right now. Even doing the one thing everybody hoped he’d do when he was on the warpath last year might not be enough to right the ship; neither Donda was much to write home about, and you sort of have to balance the hope for a return to form against the fear that Kanye will just double down on all the shenanigans that lost him his shoe deal, bank accounts, and marriage (supposedly) in the first place.

On one hand, the Daily Show guest host carousel is a fun way to see a mix of different comedic personas. On the other, it’s also a job interview of sorts, with each candidate bringing their own hopes and dreams to the process. For correspondents, maybe that means a chance to show with they can do at the desk. For some other hosts, it’s maybe about a return to their comedy roots.

This week’s host, Desus Nice, is a little different. For one, he told me that he doesn’t know that he’s a fit for the full-time job. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t happily take it if offered (and he’s extremely excited about the opportunity to host the show), but it also creates this idea that he’s not approaching it like a candidate so much as he’s approaching it as a comic, fan of the show, and someone who just wants to absolutely crush this for crushing’s sake.

In the following conversation, we get into what Nice’s Daily Show week is gonna be, the question of expanding perceptions, people’s association of him with his former comedy partner and Desus & Mero co-host Kid Mero, not worrying about the people who aren’t into him, and how he’s New York even when living in LA part-time.

You mentioned being bi-coastal for a time for work and then you were out there during the strike. When you’re away from New York, do you still feel like you’re like a road team? Are you feeling comfortable in LA?

You know what? It really feels like I’m going away for college. I feel like Emily in Paris. It doesn’t feel real because one of the weirdest things is I’m in LA, but I still have my cable from New York City. So I don’t see any LA news. I’m just watching New York 1. So I’m sitting there in my living room watching Eric Adams just destroy the city and I have no idea what’s going on in LA. I know nothing about the weather, traffic, any events, nothing.

Everything that happens, I know about it. I’m calling my friends in New York like, “Oh, my God. It’s going to rain on Friday. Make sure you guys put the sandbag by your door because it might be another flood.” And they’re like, “How do you know about this before I do?” And I was like, “I miss home like that.” But then also being out in LA, I’ve been out there long enough that now I’m starting to pick up the vibes of LA, learning neighborhoods, learning restaurants, got a little crew of friends out there. It’s cool. It’s totally different than my New York experience. Actually, it’s a good experience. It gives you a lot to make jokes about and references. And then you can reference stuff like you can reference Glendale and Erewhon, Eagle Rock, all these very neat LA references that people were like, “Oh, wow. He’s really doing LA.”

So you’re at home watching, New York 1 in your Emily in Paris beret?

Yes, eating a baguette.

I’ve talked to a few people who’ve done the guest host thing. Roy Wood Jr. had a great take on the responsibility that comes with hosting. I’m curious how you view the responsibility of what you’re about to step into with that chair.

Well, first of all, shout out to Roy. Roy is a great guy. He hit me up as soon as the announcement came out, and he was texting me, he gave me advice, gave me his blessings. I’ve known him for a while, and he’s an amazing guy. He’s a comedian’s comedian. As far as hosting, this is just huge. This is a show I grew up watching. This is a show that is so diverse and so many different people watch it. There’s one point in time when this was how people got their news, people only watching The Daily Show. You can’t go on there and not do your homework. You can’t go in there and not know information or know what’s going on in the geopolitical world. At the same time you’re going up there, this is not something that they offer to just subpar people. You look at the list of people who are hosting, it’s Leslie Jones, Sarah Silverman. These are established people. So I’m just like, “Yo, I have to do this. I have to do my thing here.” But at the same time, it’s like the people who picked me for this was like, “No, you’re built for this and we can’t wait to see you on this.”

It’s super exciting and it’s just also, I haven’t been on TV in so long that I miss it. I’m just so hungry to get back in the studio and get back in front of the camera, and just even filming the man on the street stuff, just being back in the studio, and doing hair and makeup, and talking to the writers and doing the scripts. I miss that so much and that used to make me so happy during on my old shows. I’m just so happy to be back doing it, especially on The Daily Show. That’s wild. I was walking through the airport and this guy, I didn’t even know him, and he was like, “Yo, Desus. You better kill it on The Daily Show.” I was like, “Yo, people I don’t even know are rooting for me.” It’s an amazing feeling, man.

Obviously, the weight of the show is what the weight of the show is, but like you said, they picked you for this for a reason. Is this, The Daily Show with Desus Nice, or is this Desus Nice’s version of The Daily Show?

I think this is more The Daily Show with Desus Nice because it’s more scripted. I’m more off the cuff, just kind of freestyling off the top of my head. But sometimes you need actual numbers, you need a little more direction because you’ve seen some of the last shows I’ve done, they just be going everywhere. With The Daily Show, it’s like, “No, you have points to make, you have topics to discuss.” But I think shout out to the writers. Working with them, they get me and I get them. We’re kind of weaving a narrative that works on both levels. So hopefully, I can add my little je ne sais quoi to The Daily Show.

What are some of the drawbacks and benefits to being forever associated with a comedy partner, like with you and Mero?

I think one of the drawbacks is people tend to think of the group instead of the two individuals, because we’re both established comedians and we both bring different things to the table. Another thing is sometimes people don’t realize people grow and you have to accept the growth. So many people are forever going to compare you to the group versus the individual, so they won’t actually give you a chance to be an individual. They’re going to be like, “I want the old thing. I want the old thing.” It’s like, “The old thing isn’t there anymore. So this new thing, either accept it or not.” It kind of sucks, but that’s growth, and that’s life. Listen, a caterpillar has to go into a cocoon to become a butterfly. I don’t know what that means, but I read that in a book.

You’re a butterfly, absolutely. I agree.

Thank you.

Is this an opportunity for you to broaden the perception of you as an entertainer, as a comedic voice, as a powerful voice on culture? Was that part of the appeal of this also?

Yeah, absolutely, because if you look at my Tweets, I’m pretty smart. I’ve always talked on a high level. I’ve always talked on many diverse issues. I think recently, people, for some reason, have thought I’m stupid. People think all I know is, “You’re Yankee-fitted, chop cheese and Timberland Boots,” and it’s like, “No, I can talk about other things. I used to sell domain names internationally.” But this is kind of like Jay-Z said, “Allow me to reintroduce myself,” and it’s a chance for people who have never seen me to become introduced to the world of Desus, a very smart person who curses a lot.

For sure. I think anybody who’s paid attention knows that, but it’s going to be great to see you get a chance to blow up and talk about stuff on the international stage. Obviously, the subject matter on The Daily Show is a little bit different than stuff from the old show.

Has a little more meat on the bone. And then also, we got that good Viacom budget so we can actually show videos.

‘The Daily Show with Desus Nice’ airs this week, Monday through Thursday, on Comedy Central at 11PM ET

Power 105’s studios in New York City have been the site of plenty of drama related to The Breakfast Club, but last week, things got even wilder when the iHeartRadio station’s office was raided by federal agents who confiscated electronics as evidence in an investigation involving Breakfast Club co-host DJ Envy.

Unlike fellow DJ Drama, who once had his own studios raided by the feds, Envy’s case is not related to illegally obtained music or record industry pettiness. Instead, Envy is allegedly tied to a real estate Ponzi scheme that prosecutors claim “defrauded dozens of people of millions of dollars.” One arrest has been made so far: Cesar Pena, who occasionally appeared on The Breakfast Club under the moniker “Flipping NJ” and supposedly flipped properties in New Jersey with DJ Envy, was arrested for his role in the scheme. The complaint against him mentions “a well-known disc jockey and radio personality.”

According to Billboard, Pina bills himself as a real estate guru on social media, often posting photos with hip-hop stars like 50 Cent, Post Malone, and Snoop Dogg, and claims on his website that he owns 1,100 rental properties in Paterson, New Jersey. He appeared on The Breakfast Club as a guest of Envy’s and co-hosted a series of real estate seminars with him starting in 2018. In May of this year, though, he was accused on Instagram of using this celebrity to fool people into investing in properties with the intent of flipping them, and then keeping the profits for himself.

Those accusations turned into a spate of lawsuits filed against Pina from sources including record industry veteran Anthony Martini, who previously invested in the company behind controversial virtual rapper FN Meka. Martini’s lawsuit and another included DJ Envy for his role in promoting Pina’s companies on-air. Envy is named in nine of the twenty lawsuits against Pina.

Envy addressed the accusations, on The Breakfast Club, claiming to be a victim himself. “Cesar, if he took money, I wasn’t privy to it, nor did I even know,” he said. “But I do understand how people feel if they did give him money because I gave him a lot of money [and] I didn’t see a dollar of return. But for anybody to say that I was involved, that’s totally not true.” He’s also filed legal arguments to that effect, saying he was not involved in the deals that defrauded investors and that he’s lost $500,000 of his own in dealings with Pina. His lawyers also argue that just because he endorsed Pina shouldn’t make him liable. He also sued one of his accusers for defamation.

The upcoming Hunger Games prequel is set to finally hit theaters this fall, bringing audiences back to the dystopian world of Panem, vicious cops who look like knock-off stormtroopers, and, most importantly, the game that forces children to kill each other for sport. It’s also the same day that Trolls: Band Together hits theaters, so you have a very important choice to make.

The Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes will take place many years before Katniss & Co. took on the Capitol and its power-hungry inhabitants. Fans will get a good old-fashioned origin story for the worst character in the series, the evil Coriolanus Snow. It sure sounds uplifting! Here’s everything you need to know for this very dark and probably depressing prequel. Again…Trolls will be in the theaters next to you when you need them.

Plot

The Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes will take place 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games. Based on the prequel novel of the same name, the story will recount the rise of the villainous President Snow (played by Donald Sutherland in the initial series). Snow is now just a young gentleman who is looking to prove to his family that he has what it takes to lead. What is takes is apparently a lot of voilence. Here’s the official synopsis:

With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the girls tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony. Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

Cast

Leading off the cast is West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray and Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, who later becomes the main antagonist in the Hunger Games series. The film stars Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, and Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman.

Release Date

The prequel hits theaters on November 17th, 2023. Also Trolls day.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Men, Kim Kardashian wants to shape up your junk.

The reality TV mogul is expanding her SKIMS brand, adding a men’s line that she’s currently promoting via celebrity thirst traps. SKIMS Men is a comfort-based, performance-targeted underwear line that covers everything from boxers, briefs, and leggings, to tanks, tees, and socks. While Kardashian’s femme-focused products include her cult-favorite shapewear and athleisure lines, her men’s campaign looks to be geared towards athletes — or, at the very least, in-shape hunks who want to keep their large packages stable while lifting at the gym.

To that end, Kardashian has recruited some professional beefcakes to market her breathable gussets and male girdles. NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr., and NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the faces (and bodies) of Kardashian’s latest business venture. The trio posed in a variety of SKIMS Men pieces, displaying all their assets while Kardashian and her team touted how the garments “aid in performance” and her new line is about to disrupt the world of men’s underwear — because apparently, that’s an industry that needs disrupting.

Kardashian seemed especially thrilled to score Neymar for the campaign (her son Saint is a soccer fan) saying, “To have an icon like Neymar Jr. be the face of our launch campaign, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nick Bosa, I think speaks volumes to the way Skims has evolved into becoming a brand that can provide comfort for all audiences, not just women.”

Let us know when those boxer briefs save a life, then we’ll be impressed.

(Via US Weekly)