The Los Angeles Lakers have spent this summer doing what they can to make sure LeBron James and Anthony Davis are happy. They fired Darvin Ham, who didn’t exactly get strong votes of confidence from his stars, and hired JJ Redick, who rather famously hosted a podcast with James in the second half of the season.

In the Draft, after landing Dalton Knecht in the first round, they used the 55th pick to take Bronny James and give LeBron the chance to fulfill his dream of playing in NBA games with his son. Saturday was the deadline for players and teams to pick up or decline contract options, and as most expected, LeBron declined his $51.4 million option to enter free agency officially — with the expectation that he will re-sign in Los Angeles.

There have been rumblings that James could get as much as a 3-year deal from the Lakers, as the soon-to-be-40-year-old could play for a few more years. The question is how much of the Lakers money will end up tied up in the oldest player in the NBA, and according to Chris Haynes, James will be “considering” taking less than the max to free up the full mid-level exception for the Lakers to add more talent to the roster.

James would likely need to see a full plan from Rob Pelinka and the front office for how they’ll use that money. He also could use this as a further bargaining chip to pressure the Lakers into being more aggressive on the trade market in using their future picks to acquire immediate talent. If he were willing to take less and open up the mid-level to add a quality rotation piece, and the Lakers could add an upgrade on the trade market, that would certainly make them a more formidable contender in the West. We’ll see if Pelinka and the Lakers brass can present a plan that encourages James enough in their vision to take a lesser deal (but perhaps with that third year) to see if L.A. could bolster their roster.

Despite fans’ pushback, the seemingly professional burial of Eminem’s rap alter ego is moving full steam ahead. With his forthcoming album The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) on the way, Em is treating supporters to another taste of what’s to coming from the project.

Yesterday (June 28), the “Houdini” rapper took to X (formerly Twitter) page to tease his next single, “Tobey,” which is set to feature Big Sean and BabyTron.

“TOBEY. @babytron. @bigsean. New music 7/2. Video 7/5 by @colebennett,” he wrote.

In the gory clip, the trio, dressed in uniform coveralls, serve their most intimating mean mug to prove that Detroit has vested stakes in the “Big Three” conversation. With a chainsaw and creepy Jason Voorhees mask replica, Eminem hacks away at something just outside the camera’s frame, it is clear he means business.

As Babytron is heard rapping, “Tobey Maguire got bit by a spider but see me it was a GOAT,” Eminem’s love for film certainly found its way into the forthcoming collaboration.

Instead of fighting crime (as hilariously seen in the “Houdini” visual), Eminem, Big Sean, and BabyTron plan on wrecking havoc in the rap streets. With creative mind, Lyrical Lemonade’s Bennett, tasked to bring the vision to the screen, come July 5, the nightmares are soon to follow.

Have kids, they said. It’ll be great, they said. Well, one dad may have a bone to pick with those mysterious “they,” in that colloquial saying. A man running the Instagram account Havea_676, posted a video that has parents on the internet not only laughing at his tender moment turned embarrassing, but sharing their own savage kid moments.

The dad was having a sweet moment with his daughter asking her about her day and what she was excited about for the next day before tucking her into bed. Things appeared to be going well and his daughter who is off camera can be heard answering all of the questions. But at some point during the father daughter moment, the little girl was over the many questions the man was asking.

“Daddy, can you please stop with your questions, I’m trying to sleep and also your breath stinks,” the litter girl reveals.

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Yikes. Dad didn’t have much to say after that bombshell. He simply readjusts so his mouth isn’t pointing in her direction and says, “goodnight, I love you.” There went that sweet moment being caught on video but after uploading the unexpected roast session, the dad was joined by fellow parents commiserating.

“Kids are brutally honest with no filter. I was helping my daughter button her shirt one morning and I asked her if she brushed her teeth. She said yes… then there was an awkward pause before she frowned and said ‘did you? Cuz it don’t smell like it’ Needless to say I don’t help the lil heffa get dressed for school anymore lol,” one mom says.

“Kids know how to cut deep with one slice!! Haha,” someone else writes.

“I came home yesterday and asked my daughter if she missed me…She said NO with her whole chest,” another commenter reveals.

See on Instagram

Kids are just brutally honest until they get a bit older to realize there are gentler ways to deliver news. But if this dad learned one thing from his lengthy conversation, it’s to brush your teeth before goodnight chats so you don’t melt your kid’s face off.

This article originally appeared on 1.29.24

The thing about Gen X being in our 40s and 50s now is that we were never supposed to get “old.” Like, we’re the cool, aloof grunge generation of young tech geniuses. Most of the giants that everyone uses every day—Google, Amazon, YouTube—came from Gen X. Our generation is both “Friends” and “The Office.” We are, like, relevant, dammit.

And also, our backs hurt, we need reading glasses, our kids are in college and how in the name of Jennifer Aniston‘s skincare regimen did we get here?

It’s weird to reach the stage when there’s no doubt that you aren’t young anymore. Not that Gen X is old—50 is the new 30, you know—but we’re definitely not young. And it seems like every day there’s something new that comes along to shove that fact right in our faces. When did hair start growing out of that spot? Why do I suddenly hate driving at night? Why is this restaurant so loud? Does that skin on my arm look…crepey?

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As they so often do, Penn and Kim Holderness from The Holderness Family have captured the Gen X existential crisis in a video that has us both nodding a long and laughing out loud. Salt-n-Pepa in the waiting room at the doctor’s office? Uh, no. That’s a line we are not ready to cross yet. Nirvana being played on the Classic Rock station? Nope, not prepared for that, either.

Watch:

Hoo boy, the denial is real, isn’t it? We grew up on “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, for goodness sake, and it’s starting to feel like we made a wrong choice a chapter or two back and suddenly landed our entire generation in a time warp. This isn’t real, is it? Thirty years ago was the 1970s. That’s just a Gen X fact. So what if we’ve lived long enough for our high school fashions to go out of style and then back into style and then back out of style again?

Seriously, though, we can either lament our age and stage in life or we can laugh about it, and people are grateful to the Holdernesses for assisting with the latter. Gen X fans are also thrilled to see their own experiences being validated, because at this point, we’ve all had that moment in the grocery store or the waiting room when one of our jams came on and we immediately went into a panic.

“They were playing The Cure in the grocery store and I almost started crying,” wrote one commenter. “I mean, how ‘alternative’ can you be if you’re being played in Krogers? You guys are great! Thanks for making us laugh.”

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard Bohemian Rhapsody being played in Walmart,” shared another. “That was edgy in my day.”

“I know!!! Bon Jovi at the grocery store!!! That was my clue in!!” added another.

“Long live Gen Xers! We have to be strong!! We can get through this together!! #NKOTBmeetsAARP” wrote on commenter.You can find more from the Holderness Family on their Facebook page, their podcast and their website, theholdernessfamily.com.

This article originally appeared on 1.28.24

WWE made its way to Madison Square Garden on Friday night for SmackDown, and unsurprisingly, the promotion was able to get a celebrity to sit ringside. This time, it was none other than New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who is able to generate WWE-level pops at the Garden and managed to get one when he showed up on camera.

As it turns out, people at Madison Square Garden like the best player on the Knicks! Anyway, fast-forward to a little later in the evening, when Logan Paul participated in a men’s Money in the Bank ladder match against LA Knight and Santos Escobar. In one of the better examples of knowing your audience to get heat I’ve ever seen, Paul was joined by Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who went up to Brunson and stared him down.

Towards the end of the match, Paul instructed Haliburton to go grab brass knuckles for him, only Brunson decided to intervene and distract Haliburton from handing them off.

This opened up a window for Escobar to take out Paul, and in the ensuing chaos, LA Knight was able to pin Paul and earn a spot in the ladder match. Well, Paul did not take this especially well, so he and Haliburton (who was still wearing the brass knuckles) tried to corner LA Knight.

Brunson was able to make the save once again, this time after grabbing a steel chair to fend them off.

Adam Silver I hope you are watching this and give a Hali vs. Brunson steel cage match at SummerSlam your full blessing.

It would seem that there’s no way for Millennials to win when it comes to Gen Z’s fashion rules. First they made fun of their older counterparts for wearing skinny jeans, then it was side parts, now it’s ankle and no show socks. Those are out, while the tube socks that Millennials’ boomer parents used to try to make them wear are in.

Surely they have to know that they are simply recycling late 90s-early 2000s fashion? But with how confidently they taunt Millennials for their supposed fashion faux pas, maybe they don’t. One brave Gen Zer decided to ask the question on every Millennials’ mind–why are ankle socks out?

Eva Gutowski took to TikTok to ask her fellow young people why they decided that they were switching to tube and crew socks, even though she’s already made the switch. So what’s the deal, Gen Z?

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“I don’t know when or why it happened but there was a shift in our generation where we are all about the tube socks now. I don’t think I will ever go back to a no-show sock. I will die wearing tube socks,” Gutowski shares.

Fellow Gen Zers were quick to explain why they made the shift to tube socks over no-show socks and it’s actually pretty practical.

@mylifeaseva

Gen z socks vs millennial socks 🧦 what happened there? 🤨

♬ original sound – Eva Gutowski

“No show socks roll off my heel and feels uncomfortable in my shoe :/,” someone writes.

“Stopped wearing them after years of not finding a pair that didn’t slide right off + don’t find myself wearing shoes that “require” wearing some,” another says.

“I used to HATE when my socks showed, and loved when vans had their no show socks but nowwww socks showing really pulls the fit together,” one person claims.

Millennials on the other hand is over Gen Z’s shenanigans and complaints about things that were beyond cool kid vibes when they were younger. Matt Bellassai jumped on his own TikTok account to set the record straight as a representative of the Millennial generation.

“I just want to say, you will pry these ankle socks off my cold dead feet before I put on a sock even approaching my shins. I don’t think you understand. When I was in high school if I wore a crew sock they would’ve bullied me within an inch of my life,” Bellassai exclaims passionately.

Many fellow Millennials concur with his passionate rebuttal to Gen Z’s fashion critiques. They will be keeping their no-show socks thankyouverymuch.

@mattbellassai

you will pry my ankle socks from my cold dead feet

♬ original sound – matt bellassai

“We worked too damn hard to get no-show socks,” one person exclaims.

“I can’t wait until summertime and they’re all walking around with crew sock tan lines,” another laughs.

“Not to mention that if I had worn crew shocks that showed… I would have been walking around looking like MY FATHER,” someone guffaws.

“Anything higher than an ankle sock is unacceptable. I can FEEL it on parts of my shin that doesn’t need to be touched,” a commenter gasps.

Since everything is coming back around again for Gen Z, should Millennials warn them to stay away from the business casual club wear? Maybe just leave them to their own devices and see what recycled fashion trends pop out of the wash next.

Selena Gomez appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last night—not to chat with Kimmel himself, who was off, but her “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Martin Short filling in as guest host. And the interview was a 13 minute glimpse into quite the endearing cross-generational friendship…complete with an adorable mini makeover.

Discussion topics were abound—everything from the “Wizards of Waverly Place” reboot to Molly Shannon farting in Meryl Streep’s face while filming “Only Murders” season four. Yes, really.

But one of the many highlights of the segment was when Short reflected on their very first meeting, which happened to be their first day working together.

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Short recalled being worried that Gomez, with her early fame and millions of followers, might be a “nightmare” on set, but was “already in love” with her from their first hello, and called her “the biggest pro” he had ever worked with.

In turn, Gomez shared how nervous she was to be working with “two icons” (Martin Short and Steven Martin, that is), and one day mustered up the courage to ask if she could sit next to them during a break to feel less “lonely.”

“Ever since then, my chair has always been in the middle of theirs,” Gomez said.

This moment happens around the 2:20 mark. Check it out below.

Then Gomez gives Short some contouring with her makeup line, Rare Beauty. Gomez giggling while instructing Short to give a “kissy face” is everything.

Honestly the whole thing is just filled with so much mutual adoration, that fans couldn’t help but gush.

“This was unbelievably sweet.”

“One of the best things about this show is that Selena’s involvement has introduced so many young people to the genius of Steve Martin and Marty Short and given them this huge late-career revival.”

“Idk what it is, but this interview was just so…pleasant. Like it was thoroughly enjoyable and it went by so quickly.”

“The bond between her and Steve/Martin is real.”

“Martin making her laugh constantly makes me happy. Everybody deserves a good laugh .”

OMG, this has got to be one of the most heartwarming interactions between host and guest I have ever seen on a talk show.

And perhaps this was the best comment of all:

“This friendship of theirs is profound and adorable, and proof that it doesn’t matter what our differences are, we can all be better to each other, and for each other. Age is just a number, and it shouldn’t be a cause for societal separation. People like to call this strange crew weird, and it’s great for jokes, but there’s nothing weird about mutual admiration, love, and respect. We would all be much better off with more of those things in our lives.”

The Atlanta Hawks are known to be one of the most active teams on the trade market this summer, as they are looking to shuffle their roster around after another Play-In appearance.

While they’re willing to discuss pretty much everyone not named Jalen Johnson (or new No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher), but splitting up their backcourt duo of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young was expected to be their top priority. With a number of teams needing point guards, they figured to have a pretty decent market to find a trade, and on Friday they found a new home for Murray, sending him to New Orleans for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, and a pair of first round picks.

Many wondered if the Hawks might be the spot the Pelicans looked to move Brandon Ingram, as the star wing is reported to also be on the market, but instead they send Nance Jr. and the former No. 8 overall pick in Daniels to the Hawks, along with a pair of first rounders. For the Pelicans, they get the backcourt help they feel they’ve been lacking, as Murray will slot in alongside CJ McCollum, and don’t have to part with Ingram to get it.

The Hawks bring in an intriguing young defender in Daniels, a veteran forward in Nance, and get back two firsts after having sent out three to land Murray a few years back from San Antonio. Neither of these teams figure to be done dealing, but they have one big piece of the puzzle now completed.

8 essential music scenes that are bringing some of the world’s best artists to music fans across the US.

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Channel Tres, Latto, and Megan Thee Stallion.

It must be summer. The floodgates have most certainly opened this week, with no fewer than eight artists dropping new albums and many, many more dropping new singles. Among them:

Denzel Curry, who recruited That Mexican OT to drop “Black Flag Freestyle” ahead of his upcoming album.

Common and Pete Rock, who are three-for-three on The Auditorium singles with the release of “All Kind Of Ideas.”

Doechii, who teamed up with Sprite to reinterpret the latest Limelight series beat for “Rocket.”

Latto, who dropped the latest Sugar Honey Iced Tea single, “Big Mama,” to show off her duality.

And Offset, who reunited with Gunna for another fashion-forward collab, “Style Rare.”

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending June 28, with a note: Lil Yachty does very little rap, if any, on his album with James Blake. He’ll be on one of Uproxx’s weekly roundups, just not this one.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Channel Tres — Head Rush

The Compton dance-rap pioneer drops his first-ever major-label-backed album. The new sponsors didn’t stop him from putting his foot all the way in it, maintaining his well-established, experimental formula, mashing up styles including house, techno, nu-disco, and rap to form something entirely new. The upbeat results are sure to soundtrack plenty of your warm weather revels for the next few months — start picking your faves now.

Cupcakke — Dauntless Manifesto

Fans of ferocious female rappers are truly blessed this week. Not only did they receive the highlight, Megan Thee Stallion’s Megan, they also heard from Chicago fixture Cupcakke. It’s good to hear the Windy City artist return to form after so long since her last album (2018’s Eden) and recovering from her personal issues.

Flau’jae — Best Of Both Worlds

While her former LSU teammate Angel Reese is dominating the WNBA (sorta, the Sky really need to figure out how to close these games), Flau’jae continues her foray into the rap game with nine new tracks featuring high-profile co-signs from the likes of NLE Choppa and Lil Wayne. She handles the beats just as well as she handled the rock, pulling from Southern rap history (“It Ain’t My Fault” on “AMF”) to establish she belongs in this arena too.

Lupe Fiasco — Samurai

At just eight tracks, Lupe’s latest is emblematic of his newfound penchant for concision — and a testament to his lyrical powers, which somehow, improbably continue to grow, nearly 25 years into his career. The improvement here is in his efficiency, packing a lot into these few, seemingly simple songs; rather than layering on the metaphors, he simplifies without dumbing it down. His sword only gets sharper.

Megan Thee Stallion — Megan

Megan Thee Stallion has been through a lot over the past few years, and Megan, her first independent release since splitting from 1501 Certified, is a clear example of Meg doing her best to encapsulate those lessons into just one project. If nothing else, she becomes more herself, embracing her love of anime on “Otaku Hot Girl” and “Mamushi,” proudly declaring her queer identity throughout, and even indulging in some “self-love” on “Downstairs DJ.”

Price & Kota The Friend — Sanctioned, Vol. 1

A fascinating, cross-coastal combo EP finds former Audio Push member Price teaming up with Brooklyn indie stalwart Kota for a six-song selection of introspective, back-and-forth raps. Short but sweet, it accomplishes the coveted goal of leaving you longing for more — which, from its title, might be likely. Fellow rising Californians Huey Briss and Nana contribute more Golden State vibes, while Queens’ Bas keeps the Big Apple energy strong.

Sauce Walka — Saucefather 2

Meg’s not the only Houston rapper dropping this week. Sauce offers 18 tracks of his bleary raps, with features from Bossman Dlow, Lil Jairmy, Lil Yachty (hey, he did make it after all), Travis Scott, and newcomer Wizz Havinn.

XanMan — Fent Faiyaz

Can’t lie; at least half of the reason this is here is that title. Chef’s kiss, no Carmy. On the other hand, XanMan is pretty consistently entertaining, and his waterfall flow goes surprisingly well with the R&B-flavored production here. If there’s any justice in the world, the Maryland rapper’s profile should be rising as a result of this tape.

Singles/Videos

Blxst — “Dance With The Devil” Feat. Anderson .Paak

Blxst always presents a conundrum in classification; his verses’ melodic rap delivery could easily hang with some of the better MCs in the game, and his crooning on choruses certainly qualifies him among some of R&B’s coolest vocalists. But with songs as smooth as “Dance With The Devil,” who the hell cares? We’re too busy doing what the song says (and mourning Blxst’s braids). Bruno Mars clearly rubbed off on Andy; this is Vegas stepping at its finest. You still ain’t heard one bad Blxst song.

Key Glock — “Big Big Money”

A lip-curling street stomper, “Big Big Money” hits all the right notes for the Memphis menace.

Lil Durk — “Went Hollywood For A Year”

Contrary to this song’s title, it doesn’t seem like Lil Durk has changed up too much. He still has pain-stained insights into the vagaries of life in the streets, tinged with just enough detail to set it apart from the dramatized gangster narratives of peers and imitators.

Luh Tyler — “Hands Up”

Luh Tyler takes a bit of a step forward as a songwriter — remember how he never used to have any hooks? He continues to flex his cool factor, while incorporating some of the lessons he’s no doubt won from a year or two on the road with more experienced contemporaries. His growth will continue to be interesting to watch.

Roddy Ricch — “911”

The Compton rapper’s comeback continues. Roddy plays hero in the video for “911,” creating a striking visual metaphor for his romantic availability.

Remble — “Colors” Feat. Mozzy & Stoneda5th

He’s back! The owner of one of rap’s most unique flows made something of a triumphant return at Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out, but “Colors” makes it official. He’s still got that gift of colorful (ahem) descriptions of his street certifications, and attaching it to an almost lullaby-like beat lets his delivery shine. Stoneda5th acquits himself well alongside the more established stars.