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The 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class has a case for being one of the best in the museum’s history. Legends of the game of basketball — whether they be players, coaches, or broadcasters/journalists from the NBA, WNBA, or the world of college ball — achieved immortality be getting enshrined in Springfield.

The class included three of the greatest NBA players of all time, all of whom competed against one another in their careers: Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and the late Kobe Bryant. Garnett led off the evening with a terrific speech, while Duncan’s was just as good, particularly when he spoke about the influence longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had on his life.

But the main event was Bryant’s induction, with his wife, Vanessa, giving a moving tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers star whose passing in a helicopter crash in January of 2020 is still impossible to comprehend. With Michael Jordan standing by her side, Vanessa’s speech was perhaps the best of the night, a poignant recollection of memories about a life taken far too soon. It was funny, heartfelt, celebratory, and just about everything you want out of a speech like this.

If you haven’t yet seen it, or if you’d just like to check it out again, check out the video at the top of this post.

The late Kobe Bryant is officially in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. During Saturday night’s induction ceremony, Bryant became immortalized in Springfield, as his wife, Vanessa, gave the speech of the night to celebrate his life and legacy while the great Michael Jordan, who considered Kobe a younger brother, stood by her side.

Vanessa made it a point say that while she did not know exactly what he’d say on that stage, Kobe would thank those who played a role in helping him get here, including one major group: his detractors.

“I do know that he would thank everyone that helped him get here,” Vanessa said. “Including the people that doubted him, and the people that worked against him, and told him he couldn’t obtain his goals. He would thank all of them for motivating him to be here. After all, he proved you wrong.”

One of the most powerful moments of the speech came when she listed off a number of the injuries that Kobe, who was known for playing through major bumps and bruises, suffered throughout his career. As she explained, all of it stemmed from a desire to make sure he was giving his all for the fans who paid money to see him, particularly those who would never get that opportunity again.

Her speech was a perfect encapsulation of Kobe, as it discussed the life and legacy of an athlete who truly was one of a kind. She closed it with a beautiful address directly to her husband, letting him know that he may not be here now, but their love is forever.

“Congratulations, baby,” Vanessa said. “All of your hard work and sacrifice has paid off. You once told me, ‘If you’re going to bet on someone, bet on yourself.’ I’m glad you bet on yourself, you overachiever. You did it, you’re in the Hall of Fame now. You’re a true champ. You’re not just an MVP, you’re an all-time great. I’m so proud of you. I love you forever and always, Kobe Bean Bryant.”

Bryant’s induction in the class of 2020 was a formality ever since it was revealed he would retire following the 2015-16 season. His playing career was nothing short of spectacular, as Bryant was a five-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and an 18-time All-Star selection. Bryant spent the entirety of his basketball career in L.A., averaging 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while earning praise for his tenacity on the defensive end of the floor.

Of course, this celebration doubles as a heartbreaking reminder of the accident that took his life and the lives of eight others, including his daughter, Gianna. But Saturday was still a reminder of his unique brand of excellence, and considering their relationship, there was no one better than Vanessa to induct him into Springfield.

The greatest power forward in history is officially in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. San Antonio Spurs great Tim Duncan was among the headliners of Saturday night’s ceremony in which inductees from the 2020 class were forever enshrined, an inevitable honor for The Big Fundamental coming to fruition following a sensational career.

Duncan’s speech was a celebration of all the people who played a role in getting him to this point, whether they were in the world of basketball or in his personal life. He made it a point to praise his parents, who despite their lack of knowledge about the basketball “taught me more about the game than anyone else.”

From there, Duncan went through the list of people who played an important role in his journey, with two of the most prominent individuals who were by his side along the way sitting in the crowd.

And while he joked he did not want to say anything about him, Duncan spoke beautifully about the importance Gregg Popovich played in his life.

“The standard you set,” Duncan said. “You showed up after I got drafted, you came to my island, you sat with my friends, my family, you talked with my dad. I thought that was normal. It’s not. You are an exceptional person, thank you for teaching me about basketball, but even beyond that, teaching me that it’s not all about basketball — it’s about what’s going on in the world, about your family. Just, for everything, thank you for being the amazing human being that you are.”

Duncan’s one of the greatest winners in NBA history. A five-time champion and two-time league MVP, Duncan spent his entire 19-year career with the Spurs, averaging 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. When the lights shined the brightest, Duncan was revered for consistently bringing his game to another level, anchoring an oftentimes indomitable Spurs defense and baffling opponents with his fundamentally sound game on the other.

Kevin Garnett will forever be associated with Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. Their careers all intersected with one another, and Garnett had to go up against both on numerous occasions — with Bryant, it was in multiple Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals tilts, and with Duncan, it was for the title of the best power forward in the league. All three fierce competitors, each member of the trio seemed to have that little something extra saved up for when they’d go toe-to-toe on the hardwood.

Now, their association is more powerful than ever, as all three are getting inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2020. Garnett kicked off the ceremony on Saturday night, and in his speech, he made it a point to celebrate his fellow headliners.

“I wanted to say, Timmy, thank you, man,” Garnett said. “Congratulations to you and Kob, seriously. There was nothing [more] epic than when we battled, I looked forward to all the battles, seriously. And I thank you for taking you to another level, you and Rasheed [Wallace]. I appreciate you. It’s an honor to go in the Hall with you, bro, you and Kob. Congratulations Vanessa, I love y’all.”

Garnett’s battles with both certainly seemed to get quite heated, which isn’t a surprise when players as good and competitive as these three took the floor. But at the end of the day, there’s love here, and KG made it a point to end his speech by making that clear.

Joe Exotic’s attempts to get a pardon from Donald Trump failed before his fellow reality TV star left office in disgrace, but according to the animal enthusiast his health has taken a turn for the worst. Exotic, who owned a wild animal preserve in Oklahoma and was convicted of setting up a murder-for-hire plot of a competitor, says he has prostate cancer.

According to TMZ, the Tiger King star who is still in jail for the various crimes he committed that were detailed in the Netflix series is hoping for a release from jail due to his diagnosis. As Exotic told the outlet, his PSA count for prostate cancer came back “very high” but has not been diagnosed by a doctor.

He seems to say it’s clear he has prostate cancer, because he says, “The prison has approved testing to verify what state it is in.” It appears there has been no diagnosis by a doctor.

Joe’s lawyer, John M. Phillips, tells TMZ, Joe is scheduled to undergo further testing in prison, however, the facility is limited in what it can do. Phillips is trying to get Joe a new trial.

Joe says he’s riddled with disease … “I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat. I don’t want anyone’s pity, what I need is when John Phillips gets the evidence he is working on, I need the world to help him get President Biden, VP Harris and the Attorney General to listen to the evidence.”

It’s the latest turn for Exotic, who has tried since Tiger King’s release on Netflix early in the pandemic last year to find a way out of prison. The show’s success made Exotic a household name, but he’s been unable to turn that publicity into any legal reasoning for him to get out of prison. Exotic even famously tried to secure a pardon from Trump near the end of his term, later remarking that he was “too gay” to get one from Trump after his efforts failed.

Hopefully he’s OK and gets treatment, but it’s unclear if Exotic’s case is anywhere near Biden’s to-do list these days.

[via TMZ]

The reunion of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez was a shock for many celebrity observers, one of several unexpected coupling announcements in recent weeks. But Jeopardy! is a game show all about knowledge, and some fans wondered what its question writers knew after Friday’s episode featured a question about the now-current couple.

News that the one-time celebrity couple had gotten back together nearly two decades later caused a lot of reaction last week. The phrase “Go Yankees” was among the most notable of responses from Alex Rodriguez. But the term “Bennifer” was now back en vogue, which is why it was shocking for some Jeopardy! fans when a question about the celebrity couple appeared on Friday’s program.

“As a couple, they were jointly known as ‘Bennifer,’” the question read.

As many pointed out online, the show is filmed weeks in advance, so this question about recent history would have been filmed well before even the first rumors that the two were talking. But that didn’t stop a lot of fans from losing it a bit at the oddity of it appearing on Friday’s taping. Especially when, well, a contestant got the question wrong.

Plenty of folks gave the show credit for predicting the future, even if it was just a very fortunate coincidence on their part.

And if you REALLY want to get conspiratorial, the show also had a Montana category. Which is, of course, the state the couple had a very public romantic getaway to seemingly confirm their relationship.

Truly, this life is full of mysteries. And occasionally answers in the form of questions.

The “undo tweet” function is something many users of the social media network Twitter have long asked for, and according to reports getting access to it will cost them. As The Verge detailed on Saturday, that function and more may come to the microblogging platform by way of Twitter Blue, a subscription service that will give users who opt in additional features the free version doesn’t have.

The news was shared by Jane Manchun Wong on, you guessed it, Twitter.

It doesn’t appear to be a true “edit” button, which is what many folks have long asked for. Rather, this appears to operate much like the “undo” function Google’s Gmail has in which it actually delays the sending of an email about a minute in case you change your mind or realize you forgot to include or edit something.

At $2.99 monthly, according to reports, it would be a small price to pay for power users who want additional ways to collect and view Tweets, not to mention additional failsafes in their own tweeting. Wong said it all seems to be part of the company’s recent acquisition of Scroll as well.

Twitter Blue was the talk of the platform on Saturday, with people making jokes about the features and, of course, asking for an edit button as well.

The news is the latest change the platform has added to the social media network, following the more official announcement of a “tip jar” function for people to pay other Twitter users directly for their content. But in this case, it seems the company is asking people to pay them for a few new fun abilities while they tweet.

J. Cole’s The Off-Season is the talk of the music world this weekend. The project is his first solo effort in over three years and everyone is raving about it, from everyday fans to NBA players. And in what’s been a unique press run, at least on Cole’s term, the rapper has shown his face to the media more than some might’ve expected.

From a documentary and a SLAM Magazine cover that also arrived with an interview to an LA Leakers freestyle, it’s clear Cole is not sticking in his cave this time around. Just a little over a day removed from the release of The Off-Season, J. Cole sat down for another interview with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez on the duo’s podcast, The ETCs.

One highlight of the trio’s nearly 90-minute conversation came when Cole spoke about competing with fellow heavyweight rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar and how he eventually realized it would be better to dial back his competitive nature.

“I’ve never been a reach-out [person], especially because when there’s competition involved,” he said. “It’s almost like working out together. I guess in the NBA, in the past, that was unheard of. Like, ‘Why would I work out with this n****? … I’m trying to destroy this n****.’ That was kind of my mentality early on.”

He added, “But as I’ve gotten older, I realize … no one is truly my peer or can relate to what’s going on in my life better than these people right here — just in terms of whatever pressures there might be … nobody can really relate to that like these dudes, and I really genuinely f*ck with these dudes.”

At that point, Cole realized he had to “strip competition” from not only his approach to Drake and Kendrick but music altogether. “I also see a time when I’m not doing this. That seems very realistic to me,” he revealed. “And in the time when I’m not doing this, I don’t wanna be like, ‘Damn, we never kicked it, we never really did nothing.’”

You can watch a clip of the interview above and listen to the whole episode, which touches on Cole’s family, basketball, and the new album, here. The Off-Season is out now via Dreamville/Roc Nation. Get it here.

Tee Grizzley is a few weeks removed from his latest project, Built For Whatever. The effort is the Detroit rapper’s seventh project since 2017 and it’s one that saw him work with the likes of King Von, Quavo, YNW Melly, Lil Tjay, Baby Grizzley, G Herbo, Big Sean, Babyface Ray, and Young Dolph. It also arrived after he joined Lil Yachty on his Michigan Boat Boy mixtape. While some might expect his focus to be on the project and its promotion, Grizzley took a second to speak about something he deems as important and a topic that fellow rappers need to look into.

In a video he shared to his Instagram story, Grizzly urged rappers to invest in life insurance. “So look right, as rappers, as successful Black men from the trenches, we the No. 1 target and the least prepared,” he said. “I feel like everybody should have life insurance. I need everybody to go get life insurance if you don’t got it. If you got kids, I need you to get a will set up for your kids so, God forbid anything happen, but if anything happen your people ain’t bold after you gone because you weren’t prepared and have your sh*t together.”

He added, “We’re the No. 1 target and we’re the least prepared bro. I need us to get on top of this sh*t, get life insurance, we need get to our wills right so the next generation don’t have to go as hard as we did and have to go through everything we did.”

You can listen to Tee Grizzley’s thoughts in the video above.

It’d be inaccurate to label this stage of Chance The Rapper’s career as anything along the lines of idle or inactivity. The Chicago native is busy on the music side of things as he recently shared “The Heart And The Tongue,” as well as “Shelter,” a collaboration with Vic Mensa. He also premiered a new movie titled, Magnificent Coloring Book, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his mixtape, Coloring Book, and he’s set to headline the Summerfest 2021 show with Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

While that’s an ample plate of tasks, the rapper is adding something else to the mix.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night, Chance revealed that he’s working on a reboot for a particular classic movie.

“It’s a secret thing. I’m working on…I got this pitch for a Home Alone reboot,” he said. “As a lot of people know…I’m sure everybody here is a huge fan of Home Alone and John Hughes. Chicago guy, Macaulay Culkin, it’s a Chicago film. Since I was young, I always watched it and I was like, ‘What if there was a hood Home Alone?’ Or Hood Alone, if you will.”

He added, “Just a little more realistic story about what happens when people try to kick in the doors at the wrong house. Hilarity ensues. I can’t give you too many details, but yeah.”

You can watch him talk about the reboot in the video above.