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The Brooklyn Nets played one of the worst first halves of basketball any team has all season, trailing by 21 at the half and by as many as 28 to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

While the Knicks are always capable of giving up a lead, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both out (and Ben Simmons still not ready to play), it was hard to see where the offensive burst would come from if they were to claw their way back in. However, after starting to reel in the Knicks in the third quarter, rookie Cam Thomas — who had been 2-for-11 through three quarters — put the team on his back in the fourth in an absolutely stunning comeback win for Brooklyn.

Thomas had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the fourth quarter, as he found his stroke and did not care who was in front of him once he got to his spot and rose up for a jumper. The rookie tied the game for the first time midway through the fourth, as the MSG crowd could only watch in disbelief that this was happening again.

Thomas then gave the Nets their first lead of the game with another pull-up from the right wing, as he picked apart the Knicks defense and hit tough shot after tough shot.

Brooklyn would eventually find itself up three and had the ball with 16 seconds to play, shot clock at 10 after a wild sequence featuring a pair of offensive rebounds — and threw an inbound pass the Thomas in the backcourt and cleared the stage for him to go one-on-one with Quentin Grimes to try and find the dagger. Thomas stalked the Knicks rookie down, sized him up, and drilled a stepback 28-footer that left the Garden speechless and had the Knicks bench going crazy.

It was a comeback that should’ve been unbelievable, but has become all too familiar a sight for Knicks fans this season, as they’ve seen a number of late leads evaporate as their crunchtime offense slows down and they lose all rhythm. The Knicks are now just 4-3 in their last seven games that they’ve held a 20-point lead, which seems impossible, but illustrates just how frequent these collapses are.

Still, the other team has to find shotmaking in order to make those comebacks happen and on Wednesday night, without their top two bucket-getters, it was the rookie Thomas who has shown that ability throughout his first season in the league who shook off a dreadful start to the game and found his stroke to carry Brooklyn to a thrilling win.

Over the weekend, Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa unleashed a new joint album after more than a decade of working together. Stoner’s Night arrived after weeks of anticipation and a couple of singles: “Pop The Trunk” and “Backseat” with Project Pat. Now that the album is here, Juicy J and Wiz are looking to further promote it with a brand new video for the track “Weak.” It finds Juicy J leading a cast of women who aim to get strong. It also sees Wiz kicking it in a room full of models while Memphis rapper Big30, who also appears in the song, drops some bars from a kitchen.

Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa’s Stoner’s Night —their first project since the deluxe release of the former’s fifth album The Hustle Continues — boasts 16 songs and appearances from Big30, Project Pat, and Elle Varner. As for Wiz Khalifa, he recently teamed up with producers Cardo and Sledgren for Wiz Got Wings.

Stoner’s Night is not Juicy J and Wiz’s first project together. Back in 2016, they teamed up with producer TM88 to form the group TGOD Mafia for TGOD Mafia: Rude Awakening.

You can watch the video for “Weak” above.

Stoner’s Night is out now via Trippy Music LLC. You can stream it here.

For a 5-year-old to lose their teddy bear is akin to the death of a family member or a pet. Children become attached because they truly believe their stuffed animals have an innate life force.

That’s why when a child loses their attachment object, it can be impossible to replace, even if the parents find something that’s identical.

“If there was a machine which copied a favorite object in every way down to atomic level, we would still prefer the original. It has an essence to it,” psychologist Bruce Hood told The Guardian. “We anthropomorphize objects, look at them almost as if they have feelings. The children know these objects are not alive but they believe in them as if they are.”

That’s why 5-year-old Ezekiel Burnett was devastated after losing his teddy bear, aka “Original Teddy” at Milwaukee Airport last November. He was boarding a plane with his parents when he threw it up in the air on the concourse and it got stuck in the rafters.

Recognize this face? The search for bear’s owner continues! Thank you for helping us spread the word and to those who pointed out that this bear likely belongs to a kid born with CHD. How special he must be. Let’s get him home!pic.twitter.com/hCZc4RhF0P

— MKE – Milwaukee Airport (@MKE – Milwaukee Airport)
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The family didn’t have time to stop and retrieve the bear for fear of missing their flight. So Original Teddy was left behind.

“He’s had this bear since day one and slept with it every night. It has a lot of sentimental value to him,” his dad, David Burnett, recounted. “When we got back home he literally cried the whole flight and was still upset. So, it’s really special to him.”

In January, the bear was found and returned to the airport’s information desk and it put out several tweets searching for Original Teddy’s family. A post featuring the bear went viral and was seen more than 4 million times.

Earlier this month, David Burnett and his wife were watching “Survivor” on TV when she nearly jumped out of her chair like “she won the lottery” after seeing a video of the bear shared by a friend on Facebook. “She couldn’t even speak,” he later recalled.

The family got in touch with the airport and it shared the good news on Twitter.

Update: Thank you all so much! We found the owner and we are working out the details for their reunion! Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/EgZSzXRJ9z

— MKE – Milwaukee Airport (@MitchellAirport) February 9, 2022

This type of bear resonated with many of the people who shared the video and tweets because it has a heart on its chest with stitches. These bears have been given to children born with congenital heart defects. Ezekial was born with a healthy heart and was given the bear as a gift from a friend of the family.

Teddy and 5-year-old Ezekiel have been REUNITED! Thank you @SouthwestAir and the 4 million people across the globe who followed along on Teddy’s journey. We’re so glad he’s home!pic.twitter.com/UWv9cI7m8G

— MKE – Milwaukee Airport (@MKE – Milwaukee Airport)
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Southwest Airlines was kind enough to fly the family from their home in Texas back to Milwaukee to retrieve the bear at a ceremony in one of its terminals.

“We’re very honored to be a part of this special moment,” Airport Director Brian Dranzik said. “Small moments like this, along with the bigger ones, are why we support our hometown airport.”

David Burnett said that his son was overjoyed that the bear had been found and can’t quite understand the “magnitude” of the event, “but has been talking about it every single day.”

At the ceremony, Ezekiel and Original Teddy were reunited and hopefully, this time, it’s forever.

Late last year there finally came some good news: Magic Mike will be getting a threequel. Apart from star Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh, it’s not clear who will be returning. Matt Bomer? Kevin Nash? Would Joe Manganiello grind to another Nine Inch Nails number? One name evidently not on the call sheet so far is Matthew McConaughey, who played the Master of Ceremonies in the first, darker film in the male stripper saga. But evidently he’s down for it if it’s not too late.

In a chat with Variety, the former potential gubernatorial Texas candidate was asked if he’d be game to have his still perfect abs be once again ogled by randy viewers. His reply: “Channing Tatum, call me, bro! I haven’t heard from ya!”

When pressed, McConaughey was a bit more restrained “I don’t know,” he said, “I’d have to read [the script] first. It was a helluva lot of fun doing the first one.”

In the first Magic Mike, which came out a decade ago this June, McConaughey played the owner of former stripper who ran and emceed at his own club. He did some stripping of his own, ribbed his real-life naked bongo playing, and, of course, busted out his patented “Alright alright alright.” He was AWOL for the much lighter sequel, Magic Mike XXL, which took Tatum’s titular hero and the gang on a road trip for what was supposed to be one last dance. Turns out that was only the penultimate final spin for some guys who get older while their fanbase…well, also gets older, too.

While the a thirsty people await Magic Mike’s Last Dance, you can catch up with Soderbergh’s most recent output, Kimi, which bowed last weekend on HBO Max.

(Via Variety)

Kids’ play fads come and go, but there are certain classic toys that never get old. Of such timeless toys, the simple LEGO brick stands out as it has spanned multiple generations and is still going strong. In fact, LEGO building sets have only seemed to get better and more popular in recent decades. (Full disclosure: Huge LEGO fans in my household.)

As the Danish company celebrates its 90th year in business, it’s re-upping its dedication to early childhood development. The LEGO Foundation is launching a whopping $143 million grant challenge—its largest public grant ever—to help mitigate issues facing young kids, many of which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Build A World of Play Challenge is a global grant competition for organizations around the world that are “exploring evidence-based innovative solutions to the biggest problems” affecting early child development, including “access to quality early childhood education and care, adequate nutrition, eradication of toxic stress in homes and communities, reduction of violence in homes and communities, protection from pollution, and supporting the social and emotional well-being of the whole family.”

The competition is now open, and participants enter by registering first (via this link before April 7, 2022) and then submitting a full application prior to May 17, 2022. Submissions will be evaluated on how impactful, feasible, sustainable and community-oriented their work is. Three winning organizations will receive approximately $30 million and two will receive $15 million. Ten additional finalists will receive approximately $1 million each to “strengthen their proposed plans, start building the team, and skill up to successfully implement their innovation.”

Introducing: the 900 million DKK #BuildaWorldofPlay Challenge. Itu2019s an open call to share impactful solutions that centre on children from birth to six. We encourage organisations around the world to join this challenge. Click here to find out more: http://ow.ly/u4Io50HUkGMu00a0pic.twitter.com/kXJ8sSv8Tp

— The LEGO Foundation (@The LEGO Foundation)
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Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, chair of the board of directors at The LEGO Foundation (and fourth-generation member of the LEGO owner family), emphasized that children have the right to safety, quality education and healthcare, but early childhood development has been grossly underfunded.

“Children are the builders of tomorrow,” he said in a statement. “To build a better world for future generations—focusing on innovation and action—we must work together. If we do not invest in the youngest children in our society, we don’t invest in our collective future.”

The LEGO Foundation CEO, Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, explained why the organization is focusing so intently on kids from birth to age six:

“We are currently facing the biggest global early childhood emergency that the world has ever seen. The quality of experiences in the first few years of a child’s life is where brain development is in its most adaptive and rapidly developing state. They also provide the foundations for learning, health and behaviour in the long-term – investment in which we know improves educational outcomes, develops holistic skills, and enhances quality of life. Providing whole-child support through early childhood development interventions is one of the most powerful and cost-effective equalizers we have at our disposal. Through the Build A World of Play Challenge, we want to join forces with others to urgently address the biggest challenges societies globally face, with creative, actionable ideas that put children at the centre of global decision making. We must start building a world that puts the youngest in society first: building cities, education systems, healthcare systems and solutions to save our planet, at the forefront. This competition is an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of the youngest children.”

Kudos to LEGO for putting a flood of resources toward the well-being of the youngest among us. Children truly are our future, and if we neglect their needs and their potential in their earliest years, we are harming not only them but ourselves.

Last year was a special year for Coi Leray. The musician had a viral moment with “No More Parties,” which was later remixed by Lil Durk. She also earned a spot on the 2021 XXL Freshman Class list. However, her highs have also come with lows. Leray has seen her body and rap skills often criticized and she may have reached a breaking point with a message she posted and deleted.

Leray’s message began with a tweet that read “Brain dead.” However, in a second post, which she later deleted, she went in-depth about her mental state. “To all my trendsetters, I’m sorry I let you down,” she wrote. “I don’t have it in me to keep pushing. I feel like I’m brain dead. I pray that everyone continues to keep setting trends and striving.” She added, “Don’t know when I’ll be back but I don’t even want to think about it. I love you for life. -coi.”

Her message comes a few months after she revealed that Lil Durk stopped her from quitting rap. “Almost gave up one day and he told me don’t ever stop,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “Most artist show love from a distance on some weird sh*t, but this man right here believed in me, believe[d] in ‘No More Parties’ and been behind me ever since. He know a star when he see one, and I just wanna thank you for all your support. OTF FOREVER.”

Conservatives rail against “cancel culture,” but right now they’re the ones doing the cancelling. Outraged parents across the nation have been calling for hundreds of books to be banned from public school library shelves — an “unprecedented” number, according to the American Library Association. Which books are they appalled by? Ones about race, sexuality, even the Holocaust. Art Spiegelman’s Maus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the latter, recently became a bestseller again due to the controversy.

On Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah looked at the “latest culture war that’s tearing America apart,” making sure to point out that multiple books about Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to desegregate an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960, came under parents’ ire. (Ditto a biography about Michelle Obama.)

Noah had some reinforcements, namely LeVar Burton, the Star Trek: TNG alum, Reading Rainbow host, and almost-Jeopardy! emcee. Burton helped drive the segment’s point home, doing a version of Reading Rainbow in which every book he tried to introduce to kids got banned. Those included a book about civil rights icon Rosa Park, a book about gay penguins (And Tango Makes Three), even Dr. Seuss’ Hop on Pop, whose inclusion was no doubt a nudge to conservatives getting outraged over books by the author containing racist imagery being pulled from circulation (but not library shelves).

“There are plenty of books to choose from,” Burton told viewers at the end of his segment. “But you know what? No. Read the books they don’t want you to. That’s where the good stuff is.”

You can watch the segment in the video above. Burton’s section starts around the 8:30 mark.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneaker drops of the week. This time around we’ve got another packed SNX, the big brands aren’t playing around anymore and we’re now dealing with more dope sneakers than we know what to do with. That’s never a bad thing — unless you ask your wallet — especially as the weather starts to warm up.

Depending on where you’re located in the country, you can now comfortably ditch those bulky winter sneakers and layered fits for something a bit less constricting — which means it’s time for a wardrobe refresh. This week makes that easy to do, with fresh Jordan colorways, a few new silhouettes, a major Yeezy launch, and a psychedelic Air Max 90.

Let’s dive into this week’s best sneaker drops.

Air Jordan 1 — Dark Marina Blue

It’s almost criminal that you can only buy a set amount of colorways for Nike’s Jordan 1 at a time, especially when they have so many chilling in the vault, like this week’s Dark Marina Blue. It’s a sort of flip of the legendary Royal colorway, featuring a black leather upper and black leather toe box with Marina Blue overlays. It’s not as regal as the Royal colorway, but it’s still dope. The way the blue plays with the white midsole and smooth black leather upper is straight-up eye-candy.

It’s sad that Nike made us wait over six weeks into the year to drop a Jordan colorway this good. But better now than never, we guess!

The Air Jordan 1 Dark Marina Blue is out now for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or your favorite aftermarket site.

Nike Air Force 1 Luxe — Providence Purple/Summit White

It’s animal print, it’s monochromatic, what’s not to like here? Dropping in both a Providence Purple and Summit White colorway, the Air Force 1 Luxe features a leather upper with an animal print design obfuscated by a cloudy layer of purple or white with a suede exposed stitched swoosh and a Cavestone outsole.

It’s an interesting take on a silhouette that we’ll never get tired of seeing reinterpreted.

The Nike Air Force 1 Luxe Providence Purple and Summit White are out now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Max 90 SE

As much as we love the ambition of the Air Max Terrascape, it’s hard to beat the classic, and the Air Max 90 is that. This iteration of the sneaker features a classic waffle sole, stitched overlays, and a mixed upper of psychedelic hairy suede, fine forest teal suede, and canvas with a Roma Green and Sail Orange colorway. It’s a bit ‘70s, a bit ‘90s, a whole lot of fun.

The Nike Air Max 90 SE is out now for a retail price of $153. 57. Pick up a pair exclusively at Hanon.

Nike Air Max Terrascape Plus — Sail and Sea Glass

Anytime a sneaker brand wants to push sneaker design forward, we’re all for it. It’s the only reason why we’re big Yeezy fans even though it’s getting harder to like Kanye West by the day. Nike’s new Terrascape Plus is their way of mixing up the Air Max silhouette and pushing it into a new era of sneakers. The Terrascape is made out of 20% recycled material by weight, including recycled TPU on the Swoosh cage, 75% recycled polyester on the vamp, a recycled rubber outsole, and 100% recycled laces.

It’s a combination of Nike’s performance-focused sneaker design ethos, and their efforts to make sustainable sneakers cool in look, not just theory. Design-wise, we’re into it, it’s weird and alien-esque and fits in with the other more forward-thinking footwear staples (think Yeezy 550s) but I have to admit, I’m not loving the colorway. It’s a bit too bright and shows off a little too much of the weird and wavy lines of this sneaker. It needs a sleeker and darker colorway to really shine, once this sneaker gets dirty it’s going to look like actual trash.

The Nike Air Max Terrascape Plus Sail and Sea Glass is set to drop on February 17th for a retail price of $185. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

WMNS Air Jordan 1 LV8D — BRED

The hits just keep coming from Nike this week. How do you guarantee that a platform version of the Jordan 1 sells? Drop it in the BRED colorway. The LV8D is a women’s size exclusive platform sole-equipped version of the low-top Jordan 1. It features a boosted foam midsole with a cork sockliner for increased comfort — which is nice because Jordan 1s, beautiful as they are, aren’t comfortable — a premium leather upper and that classic black and red color combo.

The women’s exclusive Nike Air Jordan 1 LV8D BRED is set to drop on February 18th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Jordan 3 — Cardinal Red

It feels particularly cruel that Nike would drop the Dark Marine Blue Jordan 1s and this Cardinal Red Jordan 3 in the same week. How is anyone supposed to choose between these two? If you forced us to pick a favorite, I’m not sure we could! The Cardinal Red colorway isn’t original to the Jordan 3 silhouette, it’s more commonly associated with the Air Jordan 6, but it works just as well here.

The sneaker features a leather upper with a cement elephant print mudguard, deep red accents throughout, and sits on top of a grey outsole. For an extra bit of color, the Jumpman logo at the tongue features a Curry colorway that is further accented throughout the shoe. It’s a great design on of the best Jordan silhouettes in existence.

The Air Jordan 3 Cardinal Red is set to drop on February 19th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT or Flight Club.

Adidas Yeezy 350 V2 CMPCT — Slate Red

The CMPCT is, as the name would suggest, a compact version of the Yeezy 350 V2. It has a lower profile and really leans into the 350’s slipper-like characteristics. It’s slightly less loud than the OG 350, which makes this super bold Slate Red colorway kind of funny to me. It’s kind of hard to be low-key in this Yeezy with an all-over crimson red colorway.

But red Yeezys will always be a desirable thing in the footwear community. It reminds us all of the shoe we really want, the Nike Air Yeezy.

The Adidas Yeezy 350 V2 CMPCT Slate Red is set to drop on February 17th for a retail price of $230. Pick up a pair via the Adidas Confirmed App.

Adidas Yeezy 500 — Blush

If you took the L on the original drop of the Yeezy 500 Blush you’ll be happy to know it’s officially back in stock this week. As is the case with modern Yeezys, this sneaker is sure to drop in higher numbers, which means it should be relatively easy for everyone who wants a pair to be able to cop one, so long as you aren’t wearing a massively popular sneaker size.

Lately, Yeezys have been miss-sized so the brand has been suggesting you order a half size to a size up, but the Blush runs true to size so don’t take any chances on the fit here.

The Adidas Yeezy 500 Blush is set to drop on February 19th for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Adidas Confirmed App or Yeezy Supply.

The Vesper Martini (pronounced “ves-pa”) is a literary and later a cinematic classic. The martini variation is all about packing a big punch while carrying some serious flavor notes from the gin, Lillet, and lemon. It’s also one of those recipes we have that are very clearly dictated — there’s no room for interpretation.

Back in 1953, Ian Fleming laid out the recipe very specifically via James Bond in Casino Royale. Bond ordered a dry martini in a “champagne goblet” with “three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.” That’s a pretty easy recipe to follow even though it’s, gasp, shaken, and not stirred (brass tacks, vodka martinis are perfectly fine shaken but gin contains oils that separate from the alcohol and that clouds the drink and dulls the gin when shaken instead of stirred).

That aside, this drink still rules. So who cares? Let’s just make one and enjoy it because, again, this is a classic.

Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months

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• The Only Dry Martini Recipe You’ll Ever Need. Period.

Vesper Martini

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. Gordon’s London Dry Gin
• 1 oz. vodka
• 0.5 oz. Lillet Blanc
• Lemon peel
• Ice

Naturally, we’re starting with Gordon’s London Dry Gin since that’s specifically called out for this recipe. I’m using a Beluga Transatlantic Vodka because it has that adventuring, Bondian, Russian espionage vibe. It’s also a delightfully subtle Siberian vodka. Lastly, there’s the Lillet Blanc. This is pretty easy to find at any liquor store and works wonders as a more deeply-nuanced alternative to dry vermouth in any cocktail that calls for that ingredient.

What You’ll Need:

• Champagne coupe or “goblet”
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Fruit peeler
• Paring knife
• Jigger

Method:

• Prechill your glass in the freezer.
• Add the Gordon’s, vodka, and Lillet to a cocktail shaker.
• Fill the shaker with ice (about 2/3 full), affix the lid, and shake gently for about 15 seconds or until the shaker is completely frosted over.
• Strain the cocktail into the prechilled glass.
• Allow the cocktail to settle to clear up (see cloudy image above). In the meantime, peel a long thumb of lemon peel. Express the oils over the cocktail. Lastly, trim the edges of the peel to create a long and thin lemon twist.
• Garnish with the lemon twist and serve.

Bottom Line:

This opens with a bright rush of those lemon oils. Then there’s a bit of a magic trick. The first half of the sip feels and tastes like a very soft and mineral-forward vodka martini that then starts to slowly warm as the mild botanicals and barks kick in on the finish of the sip and warm you to your soul. So, it starts as a vodka martini and then ends as a subtle gin martini.

That gin-y nature builds as you drink the cocktail but it never overwhelms. The lemon plays a crucial role in both brightening and mellowing the sharper aspects of the gin. The Lillet adds a very slight sweetness that acts as a sort of bridge between the minerally vodka and the botanicals of the gin.

This really is a delightful yet very strong cocktail. This is four ounces of straight booze in a glass. Yes, it’s slightly diluted with some water from that ice, but it’s still a wallopping cocktail that could get you in trouble if you forget how much booze is in it. So just go by Bond’s own advice: Drink (only) one before dinner and drink it slowly to really savor it.

Last week, a video surfaced of DaBaby and his crew in a fight with DaniLeigh’s brother Brandon Bills, who was born Brandon Curiel. The incident took place at Corbin Bowl, a bowling alley in Topanga, California, and it came after multiple disputes between DaBaby and DaniLeigh, who have a child together. During the fight, Bills was punched, grabbed and swung around by his hair, and repeatedly thrown to the ground. Now, Bills is seeking compensation, suing DaBaby for assault, battery, emotional distress, and negligence, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

In the documents, Bills said he was attacked by DaBaby and his crew without warning after walking by them in the bowling alley. Before the fight, Bills threatened to fight DaBaby due to his ill treatment of DaniLeigh. “When you come to the West Coast, bro, which I know you be out here, you’re going to catch this one-on-one fade, bro,” Bills said in a video he shared back in November. “One-on-one fade to see what happens between me and you. I want to see how gangsta you are, to see how much of a real man you are.”

Bills’ lawsuit comes after DaBaby was reportedly placed under investigation as a result of the incident. Local authorities are investigating DaBaby for assault with a deadly weapon, focusing on him allegedly kicking Bills in the head during the fight.