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Ivica Zubac had a rough night on Friday. Zubac and the Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 128-115, while Zubac, who had nine points and two rebounds in 21 minutes of work, was thoroughly outclassed by Rudy Gobert, who went for 25 points and 21 rebounds.

But the weirdest part of the night for Zubac came before the game even tipped off. The two teams were getting ready to start things while Zubac — who, by nature of being huge, was going to participate in the tip-off — just stood at center court. It was at this point that the Timberwolves Dancers surrounded midcourt as part of their pregame routine, while Zubac just kinda stood there and vibed for a bit. The video of him trying to just kill some time while all of this was going on really is terrific.

I hope that Zubac did not have to, like, go to the bathroom or get a cup of water or anything like that, because dude didn’t have a way to get out of there other than hoping the dance routine ended as soon as possible. The Clippers’ next game is at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, and it stands to reason that Zubac knows what he’ll need to do to avoid finding himself in this position at Crypto.com Arena.

The Kansas City Chiefs must be pretty bored during their game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday afternoon. While the Chiefs have a playoff berth all sealed up, the team entered the game in Vegas hoping for a win to keep their hopes of having homefield throughout the AFC playoffs alive, assuming the NFL’s plan for a neutral site conference championship game doesn’t come to fruition.

Anyway, the Chiefs were on the doorstep late in the first half when they busted out this play, which involves playing ring around the rosie and then having Patrick Mahomes line up at running back. It worked out beautiful, except for the fact that there was a holding penalty called and the officials called back what would have been the weirdest touchdown of the NFL season.

The whole thing rocks. The Chiefs play a quick game of Ring Around the Rosie, at which point Jerick McKinnon lines up at quarterback and Mahomes is the running back. They look like they’re running a triple option, but McKinnon actually pitches it to Mahomes, who turns around and throws a screen Kadarius Toney. It is one of the weirdest plays I have ever seen and I love it dearly. Anyway, Toney would score on the very next play, so it all worked out in the end.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have reportedly broken up, according to US Weekly. The news arrives after Jenner and Scott had spent the holidays apart.

“Kylie and Travis are off again, they were supposed to spend the holidays together, but she went to Aspen to be with her family and friends up there,” said the source to the magazine. “This has happened so many times before, they’re known to be on again off again, but always remain friends and great coparents.”

Jenner and Scott first began dating in 2017. The two welcomed their daughter, Stormi, in February of 2018. The two first decided to take some time apart in 2019, not considering it a “full break up,” but making the choice to co-parent Stormi. The two were later reported to have reconciled in May 2021, and three months later, the two were reported to be expecting their second child.

In a video Jenner shared to YouTube, recapping her 2022, she revealed that while she loves all of her sisters equally, she’s revealed that having children of her own has brought her closer to her sister, Khloe Kardashian.

“We’re in this little mom club and it’s a whole thing,” she said. “…They’re all my best friends. It’s been a great year.”

Thankfully, it seems like Jenner has plenty of family to lean on during this time.

Two weeks ago, the Denver Broncos fired first year head coach Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games, with a blowout loss on Christmas to Baker Mayfield and the L.A. Rams proving to be the final straw for the embattled coach. Denver’s 4-11 record was a far cry from where they expected to be this offseason when they shipped multiple first round picks to Seattle for Russell Wilson, hoping to be a factor in the AFC West.

Instead, they’ll be sending a top-5 pick the Seahawks way and cannot help but be fully committed to Wilson given his massive extension they inked him to this offseason. As such, they have to find a new coaching staff that can come in and unlock whatever Wilson has left to offer to try and maximize their situation, and it appears their top target is a former Super Bowl winner. On Saturday, Adam Schefter reported former Saints coach Sean Payton, who retired after the 2021 season and has spent the year doing TV for FOX, was set to interview with the Broncos after Denver received permission to interview him later this month.

Payton’s track record speaks for itself — as does the struggles New Orleans has had in his absence offensively — and while his past isn’t without some controversy, as the recipient of a year-long suspension for Bountygate, he’s about as highly regarded as offensive coaches come. The real question likely isn’t whether Denver wants to hire Payton, but whether the Broncos are the team Payton wants to make his return to the NFL with. There are real questions about whether Wilson is cooked, and while Payton has experience getting the most out of an aging QB (as he did with Drew Brees), whether he wants to try that again with a guy he’s never worked with is another question.

Payton figures to be at the top of a number of coaching wishlists, but Denver will get first crack at an interview with him to gauge where he’s at and what he believes Wilson and the team could be under his watch.

(P.S., it is never not a good time to remind everyone that there is a movie about Sean Payton that they chose Kevin James to star in.)

Damar Hamlin has issued his first public statement since Monday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin posted to both his Instagram and Twitter accounts, thanking fans who prayed for him in the aftermath of his hit on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins that led to him going into cardiac arrest and getting hospitalized in Cincinnati.

Over on his IG account, Hamlin wrote that “The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out” before saying that he’s “on a long road” and requesting that people continue to pray.

Hamlin’s post included the words his doctors in Cincinnati said to him after he woke up and asked who won the game, as he did not know the NFL opted to cancel it several days after it was suspended. The doctor told Hamlin that “you’ve won the game of life.”

This is the latest positive development on Hamlin’s road to recovery. After getting CPR on the field, Hamlin was put in an ambulance and brought to a local medical facility. It had been announced that Hamlin was “neurologically intact,” and on Friday, Hamlin’s breathing tube was removed and he was able to FaceTime into a Bills team meeting.

It took four days, 15 separate votes and a lot of boredom for Kevin McCarthy to be elected Speaker of the House. The hold-up was due entirely to a motley crew of renegade Republicans, who were adamant that the former minority leader not be promoted. Among them was Matt Gaetz, who went farther than even Lauren Boebert: He threatened to quit the chamber if McCarthy got the gig. But why does Gaetz despise him so much? The answer seems to be very personal.

Rolling Stone spoke to multiple sources, who addressed the very open secret of Gaetz’s animosity towards the new House Speaker. According to them, it involves the two-year federal investigation into Gaetz and his connection to a sex trafficking ring. Gaetz has allegedly been furious at what he perceived as a lack of support from McCarthy as the investigation unfolded. That said, McCarthy has never punished Gaetz during the controversy, not even stripping him of any committee positions. (No charges have been filed against Gaetz, but his old “wingman” Joel Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison.)

Gaetz spent the last week publicly railing against McCarthy. During the 14th vote, which took place Friday evening, McCarthy even confronted him on the House floor, though what they said was not clear to those watching it on C-SPAN. Gaetz was then confronted by another GOP lawmaker, Mike Rogers, who had to be physically restrained after the argument appeared to instantly grew heated. During the final vote that got McCarthy the job, Gaetz simply voted “present.”

(Via Rolling Stone)

The trial for Young Thug and his Young Stoner Life crew’s RICO charges is officially underway. This past week, jury selection began for the court hearings.

According to a report from WSB TV, jurors saw and heard Judge Ural Glanville read lyrics from some of Young Thug and YSL’s songs during the first parts of jury selection this past Wednesday. Glanville particularly homed in on the anti-cop lyrics of one Thug’s songs, “Slime Sh*t.”

Glanville read the lyrics, “Hey, this that slime sh*t, hey/ Y L sh*t, hey/ Killin’ 12 sh*t, hey/ F*ck a jail sh*t, hey/ … Cookin’ white brick, hey, hey/ […] I’m not new to this, hey, I’m so true to this, hey I done put a whole slime on a hunnid licks.”

Later on, he read the lyrics from the verses of some of the other YSL affiliates, including Yak Gotti. On Gotti’s verse, he raps, “Slime or get slimed / In the VIP and I got that pistol on my hip/ You prayin’ that you live / I’m prayin’ that I hit / Hey, this that slime shit…F*ck, f*ck the police / in a high speed.”

Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other YSL associates were arrested in May 2022 and were charged with eight counts of violating the RICO Act. Gunna and a few others have taken plea deals, but Thug and the rest of the YSL affiliates have been in custody since. The trial is expected to begin on Monday, January 9.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music group.

The entire sports world has kept Damar Hamlin in their thoughts over the last week. Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, went into cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals after making a tackle on Tee Higgins. Hamlin was taken away from the stadium in Cincinnati via an ambulance and the game was eventually canceled.

In the days since, both the Bills and those around Hamlin have provided updates on his status, and while he remains in critical condition, he no longer needs a breathing tube and keep progressing in his recovery. Saturday marked the first round of NFL games since Hamlin was hospitalized, and before things kicked off in the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders, the home squad called for “a moment of support and love” in recognition of Hamlin and his family.

“The entire NFL family has been praying for Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills as he continues his recovery, and we thank the first responders and medical professionals involved in his care,” Tim Hughes, the announcer for the Raiders, told the crowd at Allegiant Stadium. “At this time, the Raiders ask everyone to join us in a moment of support and love for Damar and cheer for him, and his family, as they continue their fight.”

According to the Bills, Hamlin was able to speak to his teammates on Friday for the first time when he FaceTimed into a team meeting.

There are better ways to spend one’s birthday than in a hospital recovering from a freak accident, which is how Jeremy Renner is ringing in his 52nd. But look at this way: At least he’s on the mend. Last Sunday, the first day of 2023, the Oscar-nominee and Marvel staple was inadvertently run over by a gigantic snow plow. It could have easily killed him. It didn’t, and here’s proof that he’s having as good a birthday as he could considering what befell him.

Renner has been posting updates throughout the week, showing himself beat up but getting better. He even got a makeshift hospital “spa day.” On Saturday, his birthday, he shared a group photo on his Instagram Stories, showing him sitting upright in his hospital bed, surrounded by 11 ICU staffers.

“Thank you Renowned Medical ICU team for beginning this journey,” read the caption.

At the time of his “freak tragic accident,” Renner was trying to help a relative whose car was stuck in the fall after a massive storm at his Nevada home. After freeing the car with his plow, Renner exited the vehicle, at which point disaster struck. He was rushed to the ICU and he’s slowly but surely getting better.

Get well soon, Mr. Renner, and happy birthday!

(Via The Daily Beast)

The NFL’s efforts to try and sort out the AFC playoff picture in the aftermath of the canceled game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals has apparently rubbed some folks in Cincinnati the wrong way. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the fact that the Bengals’ path during the postseason could come down to a coin flip — along with the fact that they have to choose between resting players during their regular season finale on Sunday or minimizing the odds the coin flip scenario comes to fruition — has “many” within the organization feeling “livid.”

The Bengals will play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Despite the fact that Cincinnati has already been declared the winners of the AFC North, the on-the-fly rule changes the league made in the aftermath of the Bills-Bengals game getting called due to Damar Hamlin going into cardiac arrest on the field means there is a scenario where Cincinnati could drop down to a Wild Card spot based on the outcomes of two games and a coin flip. Schefter noted that, if this happened, the Bengals would be the first team to both win a division and open the Wild Card round on the road.

Per ESPN:

The coin flip scenario comes into play if the Ravens win Sunday in Cincinnati and the Chargers win in Denver. The Ravens and Chargers have identical records, but Los Angeles would get the No. 5 seed (and play either Buffalo or Kansas City), while Baltimore would get a third game against Cincinnati. The reward for the No. 6 seed Ravens sweeping the Bengals, yet losing the division title would be the coin flip opportunity to host third-seeded Cincinnati in the playoffs.

Of course, the easy way for Cincinnati to avoid this scenario altogether is to just beat Baltimore at home on Sunday — they enter the game as 9-point favorites. But if the game against the Bills ended with the Bengals picking up a win, they’d have the division all sewn up and would be able to go into this game against the Ravens with some of their most prominent players resting.

On Friday, Bengals coach Zac Taylor expressed dismay with how the league has handled this.

“As far as I’m concerned, we just want the rules to be followed,” Taylor said, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “When a game is canceled, you just turn to winning percentage to clarify everything so we don’t have to make up rules. There’s several instances this season when a club is fined or people in our building are fined and we’re being told, ‘Follow the rules. It’s black and white. It’s in the rulebook.’ So now when we point out the rules and you’re told, we’re going to change that, I don’t want to hear about fair and equitable when that’s the case.”