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In one of the best games of the young WNBA season, the Indiana Fever walked away from Atlanta with a 90-87 win over the Dream. It was their first win in the Christie Sides era — and first win overall since June 19th, 2022 — snapping a record-tying 20-game losing streak.

It was a performance that proved things are different in Indiana. This isn’t last year’s team even if much of the roster is similar; a new staff, the No. 1 overall pick in Aliyah Boston, and internal development from recent draft selections brings the Fever a different feel.

“We’re trying to change the culture, and that takes steps… getting our first win was one of them and everyone is excited for each other,” said Boston postgame.

Walking through the visiting team tunnel to the media room, that excitement was palpable; vociferous cheering could be heard from the locker room on the other side of a concrete wall. Sides praised the whole team, including Kelsey Mitchell for her clutch free throws, and Erica Wheeler in her homecoming to Atlanta, where she played and started last season. Perhaps the primary takeaway of the game was how essential Boston and NaLyssa Smith were, what they could unlock for one another, and how they propelled the team in a tight game.

“I’m just so proud of our team… really proud of NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston keep fightin’ in there, she’s not getting a call, but that is OK because she is gonna keep coming back,” said a freshly drenched Sides after the game.

Smith had one of the finest games of her pro career, finishing with 23 points and 13 boards, including three makes from beyond the arc. Boston finished 13 points and 7 rebounds, while largely stifling Cheyenne Parker in the second half after her dominant first. With the first and second overall picks of the 2023 and 2022 drafts, respectively, the Fever have one of the most enticing frontcourt duos in basketball, and this game showcased reason for optimism this season and moving forward.

With vastly different skillsets and unique abilities that set them apart, the size of Boston, 6’5, and Smith, 6’4, is incredibly difficult to handle when both are capable of operating from multiple areas of the halfcourt. Smith’s versatility was embodied by a staple play from the Fever in this game; empty corner ball screens between her and star guard Kelsey Mitchell.

The very first play of the game, the Fever open up with Smith screening and popping for Mitchell. Atlanta likes to ice ball screens, forcing the ball-handler to the sideline and away from the middle of the court. Smith popping and willingly taking that shot without hesitation is pivotal to punishing a team that wants to play this coverage. Her aggression was essential as she started to draw harder closeouts from the Dream, attacking the paint with coordination and footwork.

Smith’s growth as a distance shooter is particularly notable. Through 35 W games, Smith is shooting 38.7 from beyond the arc on three attempts per game (106 attempts total) after taking 65 total threes in her four year career at Baylor. No shot was bigger for the Fever and more backbreaking for the Dream than Smith’s hoist as the clock wound down in the mid-fourth off of a broken play.

“God, nothing but God,” said Smith laughing. What else is there to do with 2 seconds left on the clock?

“NaLyssa… the word for her is aggressive,” Sides said. “I gave it to her day one… she made some big shots when she was tired, but also we were able to post her.”

The Fever continued to attack with those empty sets, but with intentionality, cross-screening with a guard to get Smith into the low post on a cleared side (less immediate help is present that way) and the opportunity to use her handle and footwork to attack the rim, scoring twice with baseline drives off a spin.

Boston thrived in the post as well. She’s acclimated exceptionally fast on both ends, drawing double and at time triple teams in the post much like she did at South Carolina. Watching her battle against one of the best post players in the league in Parker was a great test. She excelled with quick duck-ins and seals, moved the ball well when drawing two, and was a decisive force in the paint.

While she isn’t yet the pop threat that Smith is, she brings a different sort of threat as a roller and screener. Her playmaking and ability to continue plays through quick decisions and ball movement was, again, essential in attacking Atlanta’s coverage.

Note the quick screen early for Kelsey Mitchell, the quick redirect to trigger the offense, and the subtle screen on Rhyne Howard to give Victoria Vivians some slight breathing room. It’s in that minutiae that Boston dominates as a player. Vivians pitches back to the slow rolling Boston for an immediate jumper, similar to a shot she’d hit multiple times in the game to attack the pockets afforded by the Dream.

The Fever are still figuring one another out, they have a long season ahead and are at their roots a very young group, but the win over the Dream was a breath of fresh air and felt like a proverbial spark.

“We knew it was gonna happen, but today was the most important time it could happen,” said Smith. “When we play our best basketball, we can get results like this, and that’s wins. If we can keep clicking like this together, we’re gonna be amazing.”

When he’s not popping up in a Savage X Fenty show or prompting uncomfortable moments at Cannes, Johnny Depp makes music and performs with Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen, as Hollywood Vampires. The group has some tour dates for this summer, but due to a “painful” ankle injury Depp has sustained, some of those have been postponed.

In an Instagram Story shared today (May 29), Depp wrote, “My Dear Friends, I am sorry to say that I have fractured my ankle, which is a drag!!! It began as a hairline break but somewhere between Cannes and the Royal Albert Hall, it got worse rather than better. Several medical professionals have strongly suggested I avoid any and all activity for the moment and so am sadly unable to travel at this time. To that end, the guys and I are very sorry to miss you in New Hampshire, Boston and New York but fear not, I promise we will bring an amazing show to all of you in Europe and bring our absolute best to the East Coast later this summer and make it up to those who have paid for those shows!!! Again, sincerest apologies. All my love and respect… J.D. x.”

The shows have been rescheduled to new dates at the end of July.

The band also shared a post about the situation, writing on Instagram, “We are sad to share that the Hollywood Vampires will be rescheduling our three US tour dates this coming week. Johnny has sustained a painful injury to his ankle following his recent appearances and has been advised by his doctor not to travel. He is devastated by this turn of events, but looks forward to resting up so all four Vampires can bring their absolute best to the tour in Europe.”

Donald Trump has a habit celebrating holidays in the weirdest ways. Last year he rang in Easter with a post about “Radical Left Maniacs.” Later that year he wished “Radical Left Maniacs” a Merry Christmas. And on Memorial Day he unleashed an all-caps rant comparing his own sacrifices to those of soldiers.

“HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL,” Trump’s Truth Social post began before quickly going off the deep end:

“BUT ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THE COUNTRY THEY LOVE, AND TO THOSE IN LINE OF A VERY DIFFERENT, BUT EQUALLY DANGEROUS FIRE, STOPPING THE THREATS OF THE TERRORISTS, MISFITS AND LUNATIC THUGS WHO ARE WORKING FEVERISHLY FROM WITHIN TO OVERTURN AND DESTROY OUR ONCE GREAT COUNTRY, WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN IN GREATER PERIL THAN IT IS RIGHT NOW. WE MUST STOP THE COMMUNISTS, MARXISTS AND FASCIST “PIGS” AT EVERY TURN AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Yep, by battling his perceived enemies in America, Trump was, by his own estimation, as great as the soldiers who fought to protect the nation — which he never did because he repeatedly got out of serving in Vietnam. And then went on to insult veterans and those who died in combat.

As usual, Trump had a very chill weekend, getting all worked up after one of his stooges, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, was impeached.

(Via Mediaite)

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Taylor Swift own the narrative (as she does) and Dua Lipa unveil the first musical taste of the much-hyped Barbie movie. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Taylor Swift — “Karma” Feat. Ice Spice

Swift’s method of choice for setting the world on fire last week was with Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition), which featured some bonus tracks. One had “more Lana Del Rey” and another was a surprise collaboration with Ice Spice, who added her increasingly beloved signature style to a new version of “Karma.”

Dua Lipa — “Dance The Night”

Dua Lipa is a major part of the new Barbie movie: In addition to an acting role, she also contributed a new song, “Dance The Night,” to the soundtrack. If you liked the disco vibes of Lipa’s recent output, good news: There’s plenty more of that on the fun new track.

Dominic Fike — “Ant Pile”

Lately, Fike has been best known for his run on Euphoria. Now, though, he’s shifting back into music mode with the announcement of a new album, Sunburn. That comes out this summer, but in the meantime, he prefaced with the catchy, rock-influenced single “Ant Pile.”

Yeat and Young Thug — “My Wrist”

Spend some time as a successful figure in the rap game and you’re bound to accumulate some eye-popping jewelry. That’s the topic of discussion on Yeat and Young Thug’s “My Wrist,” on which the two wrappers discuss their success and the opulence it’s allowed them to enjoy.

Lil Durk — “Pelle Coat”

Durk dropped Almost Healed last week and he made the release cinematic with a video for both “Therapy Session” and “Pelle Coat.” Alicia Keys’ spoken-word “Therapy Session” vulnerably sets the table but outlining some of Durk’s recent losses, before the rapper rides through his past in the “Pelle Coat” portion of the visual.

GloRilla — “Lick Or Sum”

GloRilla had a viral summer hit last year with “FNF (Let’s Go)” and now she’s hoping for another on “Lick Or Sum.” The tune samples Three 6 Mafia’s “Slob On My Knob” and it boasts similarly explicit lyrical content, albeit from a female perspective.

Sexyy Red, Nicki Minaj, and Tay Keith — “Pound Town 2”

Recently, Nicki Minaj has unveiled a new collaboration seemingly every week. Her latest is “Pound Town 2” with Sexxy Red and Tay Keith. It’s a new take on Red’s viral single, and of course, they upped the ante when it comes t0 NSFW lyricism.

Ashnikko — “Possession Of A Weapon”

As the one-year anniversary the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade approaches next month, Ashnikko reflects on the situation with “Possession Of A Weapon.” She sings on the track, “Possession of the p*ssy weapon / My sacral chakra heaven’s threatened / It’s just flesh, it’s just flesh / I can be grotesque, move my body like chess / So you’re scared of me now, huh?”

Maisie Peters — “Two Weeks Ago”

Peters has a big sophomore album, The Good Witch, on the way this summer, and she shared a contemplative look at it recently with “Two Weeks Ago.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez describes the track as “a bit more stripped-back than the other songs she’s released from The Good Witch” and notes, “Over a melancholy piano, she keeps trying to figure out where things went wrong, only to later realize that the relationship had simply run its course.”

Arlo Parks — “Devotion”

Arlo Parks dropped one of the most anticipated albums of 2023’s first half with My Soft Machine a few days ago. It’s a great step forward for the artist and “Devotion” is a highlight, a track that oscillates between airy, groovy, and rocking, seamlessly blending these elements together for something cohesive and pleasing.

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

For many people, Ed Sheeran’s music has been there for major parts of their lives. His songs are commonly used for first dances at weddings, to the point that it’s a cliché. Until recently, “Shape Of You” was the most-streamed song in Spotify history, meaning the upbeat tune has probably gotten a party or two going in its day.

Now, it’s the Miami Heat who are leaning on Sheeran’s music and lyrics in a vulnerable moment: They apparently listened to one of his sad songs in the locker room after their devastating, miraculous Game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics this weekend.

On ESPN’s Get Up today (May 29), the network’s Nick Friedell said of the environment in the Heat locker room after the playoff game:

“The disbelief in that room was palpable. That was one of the quietest locker rooms I’ve ever been in after a game. Now you have to understand: Jimmy Butler usually has that speaker bumping in that room, win or lose. It was silent. And after about 10 or 15 minutes, Gabe Vincent walks over to his locker and he hits play on his phone, and he plays ‘Life Goes On’ by Ed Sheeran, and certainly, that’s the mantra the Heat want to have going into Game 7 tonight.”

“Life Goes On” comes from Sheeran’s album – (aka Subtract), and it’s a sad one. The track starts, “It hit like a train, I ran out of words / I got nothing to say, everything hurts / And I know love leads to pain / But memories serve our sweetest refrain.”

The final game of the Boston/Miami series goes down tonight, and the winner will face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.

Watch Friedell tell the story above, starting at 9:18 into the video, and listen to “Life Goes On” below.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jewel knows her preferred version of the national anthem, and she’s sticking to it. The four-time Grammy nominee delivered it acoustically ahead of February’s 2023 NBA All-Star Game and generated myriad reactions on Twitter, including people’s thoughts on her patchwork ensemble.

On Sunday, May 28, Jewel broke out a monochrome white two-piece — complete with a cowgirl hat and checkered scarf — but her acoustic rendition of the national anthem was the same.

Yet again, people on Twitter reacted, and depending on where you look, Jewel either performed the best or worst national anthem of all time.

“I’m sorry, but the National Anthem should NEVER be changed up like this. Good artist, bad choice!” a Twitter user going by TG MOMMA LAURA wrote. Someone else named Barb Spurgin “loved it,” and the dichotomous reactions continued.

Jewel’s appearance at the Indy 500 seemed personal for her. Ahead of the race, she shared what appears to be a throwback video of her riding a mini race car. On Instagram, she shared a sit-down discussing mental health stigmas alongside IndyCar driver David Malukas.

“I remember doing the anthem at a Super Bowl once, and I knew the song. I was really prepared. I was really calm. And when I stepped up to the mic, my heart rate did its own thing,” Jewel said in the Instagram clip. “That made me out of breath, and I was like, ‘Oh, wait, now I have to sing this out of breath,’ and that was so different.”

In other words, maybe people shouldn’t rush to judgment every time Jewel sings the national anthem.

This post contains spoilers for the Succession series finale, obviously.

Succession came to a close Sunday night after four excellent seasons. And it stuck the landing, which is to say it ended with pretty much no one happy (except for a handful of lifelong corporate sharks who probably aren’t good people either). Not even the person ultimately named as Logan Roy’s successor, Matthew Macfadyen’s Tom Wambsgans, could be said to have a bright future. But it had to be Tom, as creator Jesse Armstrong explained in a making-of featurette that ran on Max after the last episode.

“The idea of Tom being the eventual successor, that had been something that I thought was the right ending for quite a while now,” Armstrong said about Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) naming the U.S. CEO of his to-be-merged company. “Even though he’s not exactly the most powerful monarch you’ll ever meet — his power comes from Matsson. Those figures that drift upwards and make themselves amenable to powerful people are around.”

In the featurette, Armonstrong also explained what he thought would happen to the other characters on the show. Roman (Kieran Culkin), he said, “ends up exactly where he started,” which is to say he’s rich but powerless.

“He is that guy still,” Armstrong said. “And he maybe easily could have been a playboy jerk with some slightly nasty instincts, and some quite funny jokes. He could’ve stayed in a bar, being that guy. And this has been a bit of a detour in his life, I would say.”

Shiv, however, is “still in play,” but in a rather terrifying, frozen emotionally barren place.” By throwing Kendall (Jeremy Strong) under the bus and staying in a loveless marriage to GoJo’s new American CEO, she got what Armstrong describes as a “kind of non-victory, non-defeat.”

And then there’s Kendall. Losing out on succeeding his father, Armstrong said, “will never stop being the central event of his life, the central days of his life, central couple of years of his life.” Where could he go next? “Maybe he could go on and start a company, or do a thing. But the chances of him achieving the sort of corporate status that his dad achieved are very low. And I think that will mark his whole life.”

But at least before stuff went down, all three siblings had some fun with a truly disgusting smoothie.

(Via Variety)

Josh Freese was introduced as Foo Fighters’ new drummer a little over a week ago. It’s wrong to frame the addition of Freese as replacing the late Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly in March 2022, because nobody could ever do that. But Dave Grohl and the Foos are trying to make the previously inconceivable transition behind the kit as seamless as possible ahead of But Here We Are, their album due out this Friday, June 2.

Last Wednesday, May 24, marked Freese’s first show with Foo Fighters at Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire, and Grohl took a beat between songs to ask the crowd to welcome Freese, “who has helped save the band.” Before beginning “Cold Day In The Sun” and emotionally dedicating it to Hawkins, Grohl said, “We would not be here tonight if it weren’t for Josh.”

Freese reposted the Foos’ Instagram post from that night, including photos by Scarlet Page, along with the caption, “Surreal, bittersweet, optimistic.”

Foo Fighters headlined Boston Calling Music Festival on Friday, May 26, before performing at Sonic Temple Festival at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. During the latter set, Foo Fighters continued Freese’s initiation by covering songs from bands Freese has drummed for in the past such as Nine Inch Nails’ “March Of The Pigs” (as captured by NME and noted on setlist.fm) and Devo’s “Whip It.”

“You might not think you know him, but you’ve heard this motherf*cker for the last 20 years,” Grohl said of Freese while teeing up “Whip It” (as seen on Reddit). “This guy has played on like 400 f*cking albums. […] Oh yeah, he was in this band for f*cking 27 years. From Ohio!”

Freese’s Instagram bio lays out his career credentials pretty plainly: “Drums: A Perfect Circle, Danny Elfman, Devo, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, The Replacements, Sting, The Vandals, Weezer.”

Fans will have plenty of opportunities to see Freese in his new Foos role. See their 2023 tour dates here.

But Here We Are is out 6/2 via Roswell Records/RCA Records. Find more information here.

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

For a while, the future of Foo Fighters was up in the air after the death of Taylor Hawkins. Eventually, though, they revealed that Josh Freese would be their new live drummer. Freese has since sat behind the kit for a few shows, and now he’s offered a little insight into his perspective on the situation.

On May 25, Foo Fighters took to Instagram to share a photo of Freese on stage with the band and wrote, “Welcome to the Foo Fam @joshfreese.” Freese re-shared the image on his personal account and summarized how he’s feeling about joining the band with three words, writing, “Surreal, bittersweet, optimistic.”

That’s about all Freese has said publicly about joining the band. Dave Grohl has offered praise, though, saying in Freese’s first show with the group, “Would you please welcome the man behind the drums Josh Freese, who has helped save the band. We would not be here tonight if it weren’t for Josh, so everybody give Josh a big f*cking round of applause, please.”

At this past weekend’s performance at the Sonic Temple festival, Grohl also noted of Freese, “You might not think you know him, but you’ve heard this motherf*cker for the last 20 years. This guy’s played on like 400 f*cking albums.”

Russian state TV tends to err to the side of U.S. Republicans. After all, they’re the ones who keep siding with them in their invasion of Ukraine. But recently they’ve been coming for at least one of them. After Lindsey Graham had a positive meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky recently, Russia’s propaganda wing got so mad that they straight-up threatened his life.

As per The Daily Beast, Graham met with the Ukrainian president on Friday, and he told him his nation reminds him of “our better selves in America.” He added, There was a time in America that we were this way, fighting to the last person, we were going to be free or die.” He also noted that the “Russians are dying” in their fight to take over the nation. Afterwards he told Reuters that financially supporting Ukraine has been a “good investment.”

That set Russian state TV off. In a deceptively edited video, they made it sound like Graham was saying that Russians “dying” was the “good investment.” Multiple state TV figures railed against Graham’s comments, spreading conspiracy theories about Nazis and “dirty money” having been spent to kill U.S. senators like Robert Kennedy and Huey Long.

But it was Margarita Simonyan, head of Russia Today (RT), who went the farthest. “If Lady Graham really said that the money for the killing of Russians is the best money the US ever spent… I hope that in our country, the sons or grandchildren of Sudoplatov are alive, his pupils, or the descendants of his pupils,” she said on-air. “It’s not even hard. We have his address.”

She added, “I have no ill will towards anyone and our religion tells us to forgive, but no one tells us to reward these types of things. When we don’t act in response to these things, it is the same as encouraging them. It causes them to become increasingly more brazen.”

(Via The Daily Beast)