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Lonzo Ball only has a few minutes at his disposal.

Amid a five-game West Coast road trip, tucked between an evening practice and film session, the fifth-year guard is a busy man. It’s emblematic of the on-court responsibilities asked of him in his first season with the Chicago Bulls, who find themselves tied for second in the Eastern Conference through a month of action.

He wrangles with star scorers, ignites transition opportunities, dimes up teammates, splashes triples, and helps anchor a top-1o defense. After inking a four-year, $85 million, Ball is enjoying the best season of his career in a situation he chose for himself rather than it being chosen for him. Chicago looks like a major contender in the Eastern, in part because of the two-way dynamism he provides. The schemes are catered to enhance his services and he is not expected to morph his game, chief reasons he’s now donning the Bulls, red, white and black.

Last week, Uproxx briefly caught up with Ball to talk about his free agency, how the Bulls have come together so quickly and a host of other topics.

With C4 Energy, why are you partnering with them. How does it align with your nutritional preferences and training regimen?

I think C4 wants to be the best in the athletic business along with myself, so, you know, me wanting to be a top athlete, obviously, I want to put the top product in my body. And I think it just made sense on that note, just because we both want to be the best.

I’m sure you get all different sorts of companies trying to partner with you and getting into your daily routine or what not, but what is it specifically about C4 that you like?

I think C4 is just a solid brand all-around. They do things the right way. They have a lot of great people working for them. I think my rep made it very easy for me to hop on board and be comfortable with the whole process.

C4 Energy is my go-to boost for keeping (me) at the top of my game. It’s been an energizing partnership so far and having C4 Energy on my team definitely helps fuel me.

When you were a restricted free agent this past summer, what enticed you about the fit with the Bulls?

I feel like the Bulls were just a team that stood out. They wanted me the most for me, and didn’t want me to do anything outside of my element. They wanted the player already I am and they were behind me 100 percent from start to finish. So for me, it was a pretty easy decision. As you can see, that’s why I signed so early on in free agency. Like I said, they just stuck out to me and it’s always nice to have somebody want you.

What was it about the Bulls play-style that really appealed to you?

It’s really talking to (head coach) Billy (Donovan) and Zach (LaVine) about how they wanted to play. Obviously, I know guarding Zach and having played against him for the last couple years, the type of talent he was. Any time you have a wing like that and a coach that wants you to play your style of play, it was very appealing, especially for a player like myself and made the decision a lot easier.

Defensively, you’re all playing a pretty aggressive style. You’re helping a lot, you’re in the passing lanes. Is this kind of the style you like to play on that end, being able to take risks and and play physically?

Yeah, definitely had a big role as well. I knew coming here, I’m gonna handle a lot of the big assignments every night. We got AC (Alex Caruso) as well, so me and him take on the bulk of the heavy stars. But, I mean, it’s a collective unit. The type of defense we play, it’s very aggressive. We switch a lot, we try to get into the ball and force a lot of turnovers, so we can get on the break. Obviously, that’s how I want to play. That’s how the team is playing and everything’s pretty much working out for us right now.

You mentioned switching a lot and rotating a ton. Sometimes, with so many new faces involved, like you have with the Bulls, that can take some time for everything to gel or mesh. Why is it you think you’ve all meshed so quickly?

I think, first and foremost, is the effort guys are putting forward, coming in, watching film, seeing the rotations and just correcting them throughout practice and the game. We’re pretty much learning on the fly, just because we have, pretty much, a brand-new team trying to install the new culture. From top to bottom, I think everybody just puts the team first and we don’t have any guys that put themselves first. I think that’s why we’re working so well together on the court.

You mentioned AC, and you have experience playing together in LA. How does that previous experience simplify things?

The experience definitely helps and then, also, AC is not only a very smart, high IQ player. He also won a ring, so he knows what it takes to win. He gives us his knowledge every day. He’s probably one of the most vocal guys on the team and he helps everybody out.

Chicago marks your third team. I’m curious, in New Orleans and Los Angeles, what did those experiences teach you and how did they shape you?

This is my third team in five years and every team’s been a different experience for myself. Obviously, coming to LA, I was a young kid with a lot of expectations put on me that I didn’t really live up to and then, got shipped off to New Orleans, where I worked on my game and improved the areas that needed the most help in. Now, I’m the player I am in Chicago, one of the key guys and trying to contribute every night in and night out.

You mentioned growing and evolving your game in New Orleans. Where do you feel like you’ve taken the biggest steps towards — obviously, the jumper. But are there other other areas that you think a little bit fly under the radar in the sense that you’ve really grown?

The one that sticks out is obviously shooting. But I think defensively, I stepped up a lot in New Orleans, just learning from Jrue Holiday, who I believe is the best defender in the league. Being able to see what he does, night in and night out, it helped me a lot on that side of the ball.

What sorts of things on defense were you able to learn from Jrue during your time with him?

Mostly, pick-and-roll defense. He’s very elite getting over screens like that, and I struggled with that coming into the league, and I think I got a lot better.

I’ve noticed that has improved, and that’s always something Jrue has been great at for years. What’s the art behind it?

First and foremost, it’s knowing what coverage you’re in. Obviously, you got to trust you have a big that’s behind you to call it out. When you’re so locked in to the ball, it’s hard to see where the screen is coming from. But once the big helps you out, I think the main thing is just getting into the ball, getting physical, and just getting over the screen. After that, obviously, you’re gonna get hit. There’s a lot of big guys in this league, you’re gonna get hit. But it’s just that will and fight to get back in front of the ball and keep playing on.

Ever since “Icy Grl” rapper Saweetie broke up with Atlanta trap rapper Quavo, she’s been linked to a number of their peers in the hip-hop world. Recently, a photo-op with Compton rapper Roddy Ricch led to speculation about the pair dating that Saweetie promptly shot down, and now, she’s been paired with another Atlanta native by gossip blogs when Hollywood Unlocked reported that Lil Baby took her on a date in New York, spending almost $100,000 on her. However, Lil Baby himself surfaced online to deny the rumor, emphatically shutting down speculation that they’ve begun dating.

“Baby not dating NO ONE!!” he tweeted. “I’m Single!”

Saweetie was in New York City around the time of the report, where she made her Saturday Night Live debut performing a medley of her hits as well as her new single “Icy Chain.” But as Baby pointed out, unless the stars themselves let us know their connections personally, it’s probably best to let the speculation rest. Saweetie proved as much, refuting a report that she’d reunited with Quavo earlier this year.

Incidentally, Lil Baby and Saweetie aren’t the only ones getting the Twitter matchmaking treatment. Baby’s friend and Drip Harder collaborator Gunna was also recently linked to a pretty, up-and-coming star, Chloe Bailey, when the pair was photographed at a Hawks game sharing a table in the lounge area. Gunna also addressed the rumors, saying the two were just hanging out at the game while working on music together.

It has been a minute since Jenny Lewis had a new solo track to promote, as her last single was 2019’s “Wasted Youth” from that year’s album On The Line. Earlier this month, though, she returned with a new song, “Puppy And A Truck,” which she brought to the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage last night.

Lewis decided to try something a little different for this performance: When it came time for the choruses, the song’s lyrics scrolled across the screen as a bouncing ball indicated the current word, much in the style of classic sing-along videos. Combine that with the firmly ’70s aesthetic of the stage design and you get a delightfully retro-feeling late-night appearance.

Lewis wrote when she released the song, “i wrote this song in the spring and recorded it with [Dave Cobb] @ RCA studio A in the summer in nashville featuring my gorgeous friend [Jess Wolfe of Lucius] on backing vocals Greg Leisz on steel [Nate Smith on drums] brian allen on bass & myself on my 65 [Gibson] J45 from [Fanny’s House Of Music]. thank you to [Harry Styles’] lovely fans for singing along pre release on #loveontour i feel the love and so does [Lewis’ dog Bobby Rhubarb Lewis].”

Watch Lewis perform “Puppy And A Truck” above.

Jenny Lewis is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Far-right GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert refuses to stop with her “jihad squad” jokes, with which she attacked fellow House members with conspiracy theories. Boebert, who recently got outed for paying rent with campaign funds, also baselessly accused Rep. Ilhan Omar of passing “over a million dollars” to her spouse “and not her brother-husband – the other one,” during a racially-charged rant.

Boebert still hasn’t learned to relent, even after a local Colorado news anchor went viral for calling out “the cruel, false, and bigoted things that Boebert says for attention and fundraising.” In a video that’s been tweeted by the PatriotTakes account, Boebert is shown during what appears to be a bad stand-up comedy routine, but it’s probably a fundraising event. The two types of events are difficult to distinguish these days, but Boebert told an anecdote about what she claims was a visibly disturbed Capitol Hill cop upon seeing Omar entering an elevator.

Yep, the “jihad squad” slur happened again in reference to Omar, as well as Boebert’s claim that she told the officer not to worry because Omar “doesn’t have a backpack,” so “we should be fine.”

Yeah, not good. And Omar wasn’t about to let this story fly without a fact check. “Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout,” Omar tweeted. “Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation.”

Omar’s Twitter replies were full of support for the Muslim-American congresswoman. Some people called out how fake Boebert’s story sounded in the first place.

Whereas prominent commentary came from Jake Tapper and David Hogg, who condemned Boebert’s rhetoric. Tapper remarked, “This is pure anti-Muslim bigotry and as such is completely contrary to what the USA is supposed to stand for. That this is tolerated in American politics and the House GOP is an indictment against anyone who is silent about it.” And Hogg cut to the chase: “It’s so f*cked up.”

The deluge of disgust for Boebert’s remarks (including a Sarah Palin comparison) continued, with some disturbed by the laughter from Boebert’s audience.

Colorado news anchor Kyle Clark’s recent anti-Boebert rant appeared in the replies, too.

Fans are convinced that Memphis rapper Yo Gotti delayed the release of his new double album CM10 out of deference for his late rival Young Dolph, who was murdered in their shared hometown earlier this month. Gotti, who had been hyping the new project’s release planned for this Friday, November 25, instead posted on Instagram announcing that it had been given a “new date” and advising fans to “stay tuned.”

The double project is to consist of two albums, Free and Game, according to Gotti’s Instagram post announcing the release last week. “I’m going against what everybody told me,” he wrote. “‘Dropping 2 Albums on the Same day DONT MAKE SENSE.’ Me: I’m an Ex-Drug Dealer Turned Executive NONE OF THIS SH!T MAKES SENSE.”

Some fans quickly expressed their belief that he’d delayed the album as a result of the recent murder of his fallen foe Dolph, with whom he’s feuded for the past five years. Their feud extended to their respective label crews, Collective Music Group and Paper Route Empire, to the point that Gotti’s Memphis restaurant was temporarily shut down by police after Dolph’s death as a precaution. Although the two rappers have traded musical insults over the years, fans think that Gotti is using the additional time to remove references to Dolph — either out of respect or self-preservation — to avoid speaking ill of the dead.

Steven Spielberg is a master of many genres: action, horror, science-fiction, horse. But it took until West Side Story for the director to make a full-blown musical (the fantastic opening sequence in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is exactly that — only a sequence). Why did it take so long, and why did he choose to tell the story of Tony and Maria? He explained both in a new featurette for the film.

“I have been challenged by what would be the right musical to take on. And I could never forget my childhood,” Spielberg said in the video (which you can watch above). “I was 10 years old when I first listened to the West Side Story album, and it never went away. I’ve been able to fulfill that dream and keep that promise that I made to myself: You must make West Side Story.” 10-Year-Old Stevie must be thrilled that 74-Year-Old Steven kept his promise… and made some sick dinosaur movies along the way.

West Side Story stars Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler as María in the classic story of star-crossed lovers and rival gangs. The rest of the cast includes Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Brian d’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, and Rita Moreno, who appeared in the 1961 Best Picture winner. It comes out on December 10.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’ll be holiday gift shopping time before you know it. Every year, gift buyers are faced with the unique challenge of trying to figure out what they should be getting for their loved ones to show their love and affection. Luckily, we here at Uproxx got some of our favorite artists to help get the juices flowing with the Uproxx Holiday Gift Guide, letting the world in on the best gives they’ve ever given, received, or ones they wish they had thought of.

Next up is Reiley, a new Atlantic Records signee hailing from the Faroe Islands who has amassed a following of millions across social media platforms. To celebrate the signing, Reiley sat down to talk Harry Potter books, Bruno Mars, and more in the latest Uproxx Holiday Gift Guide.

What’s the album (not your own) that makes the best holiday gift, and why do you love it?

24K Magic by Bruno Mars is an amazing album that I love and hopefully whoever I give the album to will love it as much as I do.

Buy here

What’s a perfect gift for your significant other, and why?

Something personal, I always take note of little things they mention that they like so anything along those lines.

Buy here

What do you give to the musician in your life?

Probably something musical or a special notebook where they can write all their great ideas down in.

Buy here

Oh no, you have to buy a gift for a kid. What’s something you’d get for a child?

The Harry Potter books! I feel like it’s a right of passage for every kid to read.

Buy here

Mom and dad can be the hardest to shop for. What’s a great gift for the parental figure in your life?

I think it depends on the parents and what they like. For my dad I’d get him something techy, he loves gadgets and for my mom, she loves really personal gifts that come from the heart so anything along those lines for her.

Buy here

What’s the one merch item of yours that you think makes a great gift and why?

I haven’t got merchandise out just yet, but I do have a mascot called Puffy.

Buy here

Some of the best gifts are experiences. What’s an experience you think would make a great gift?

A trip to Santorini — I’ve always wanted to go!

Buy here

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

With Matthew McConaughey surprisingly leading the polls in the Texas gubernatorial race, despite the fact that he still hasn’t decided if he’s going to run, the cast of Fox News’ late night “comedy” show, Gutfeld!, tackled the Texan showdown on Thanksgiving Eve. However, things quickly turned saucy as Fox host Dagen McDowell made her thoughts very clear on Beto O’Rourke who’s also running for governor.

“I wouldn’t bang him,” McDowell said via Mediaite about an apparently important barometer in the gubernatorial race. With McDowell quickly ruling out Beto as a romantic partner, she was asked about Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, whose current relationship with Kim Kardashian was a topic of discussion earlier in the show.

“I can explain the appeal of Davidson. He makes people laugh,” McDowell said before not so subtly hinting that Davidson could succeed where Beto fails. “Gentlemen: if you ever want to get in a girl’s britches, make em laugh.”

McDowell’s comments echo that of supermodel Emily Ratajkowski who, earlier in the month, explained to Seth Meyers her theory on how only men can’t grasp why Davidson is so lucky with the ladies.

“He seems super charming,” Ratajkowski explained. “He’s vulnerable. He’s lovely. His fingernail polish is awesome. He looks good!”

(Via Mediaite)

The latest reported Astroworld lawsuit comes from the family of a 14-year-old high school freshman who was killed at the festival along with nine others including a nine-year-old boy and a man who died trying to pull his fiancee out of the surging crowd. According to People, the family of John Hilgert seeks $1 million in damages while condemning the “gross negligence” of the festival’s organizers and promoters, including Live Nation and Scoremore.

“Defendants egregiously failed in their duty to protect the health, safety, and lives of those in attendance at the concert,” the lawsuit reads, “including but not limited to the failure to provide adequate security personnel to implement crowd control measures, proper barricades, and the failure to provide a sufficient amount of emergency medical support.”

A press release from Chris and Nichole Hilgert, the 14-year-old’s parents, asserts that the couple wants to reform concert presentation, with changes including assigned seating in general admission areas and increases in security and medical personnel on-site. “This pain should never be felt by anyone over a loved one attending a live concert,” Chris said in the statement. “Our sole aim in filing this lawsuit is to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again at a live concert. There is no excuse for the poor crowd design, event execution, and lack of response that was exercised at this festival that resulted in the tragic death of our son and nine others along with scores of other people that were innocently injured.”

Mark Hoppus had a challenging battle with cancer earlier this year, but the good news is that he seems to be doing fine now: A couple months ago, he revealed that he was officially cancer-free. So, this Thanksgiving, he had a lot to be thankful for, and in a post to mark the holiday, he looked back on a particularly tough moment from his chemotherapy treatment.

On Instagram yesterday, Hoppus shared a photo of himself, bald and sitting on the floor in front of a toilet. In his caption, he explained, “I have so much to be thankful for today. This photo is from June, halfway through chemo, no idea if it was working or not, relegated to the bathroom floor, retching. If I ever complain about something trivial or unimportant, please show me this photo to remind me of how bad things can be, and how truly blessed I am. I hope you all have an amazing day with friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving.”

In an interview from earlier this month, Hoppus’ former Blink-182 bandmate Tom DeLonge spoke about how Hoppus was doing, telling James Corden on The Late Late Show, “He’s doing super good. He’s healing. He’s got a long journey of getting his strength back, but I think, miraculously, to have all of the cancer gone from him… he was stage 4. And then it wasn’t just remission: It was complete remission. So obviously, he was emotional, I was emotional, everyone’s emotional. The fans are excited and happy. I just think everyone’s good energy really kind of cured him. So it’s a big deal, we’re really excited for him.”

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