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There are — and this is a conservative estimate — 10,000,000,000 stories from Allen Iverson’s tenure in the NBA that highlight that he’s a uniquely wonderful athlete. All of them tend to involve him deciding he was not going to do something basketball players are normally supposed to do and then going out and dropping a zillion points in a Sixers win. A slightly NSFW example:

Allen Iverson ruled, as does the latest story we have about him doing something that you might not expect from an NBA player. Being a high-level professional athlete, theoretically, involves eating right and having the sort of balanced diet that views food as good, clean fuel to operate as peak efficiency.

Iverson, however, was not that sort of cat. In a new piece by Rich Hofmann of The Athletic, we learn that Iverson loved himself some Taco Bell, to the point that he would always go there when Philly would put on Fan Day events involving players. But the best anecdote comes via Larry Platt, the author of a book on Iverson who said the following:

There’s also a moment where he disappears from practice because his guy Gary Moore had Taco Bell outside in the little hallway, which was at St. Joe’s (where the Sixers practiced). Allen goes out, downs a few burritos and then comes running back in and rejoins the scrimmage.

There are few things on this earth I want to know more than what Iverson’s Taco Bell order was, and one of those things is what is the most Iverson ever spent on one meal from Taco Bell, since that’s the exact sort of place where spending $20 can get you enough food for a few days. I’m also operating under the assumption that after he did this, Iverson not only was not bogged down by his mid-practice meal, but he proceeded to just thrash everyone else, because he is Allen Iverson, and he was the dude who just did that sort of thing.

The country is beginning to open up. And though public life is going to be markedly different for a good while still, we’re finally able to actually wear our spring threads out in public. That’s a huge deal if you’re been spending your time in isolation amassing a brand new wardrobe and a cool opportunity if you’ve been saving up for this very moment.

This week is packed with fire sneaker drops from PUMA, Jordan Brand, and New Balance — which make up for the lack of notable apparel drops. Expect the lack of apparel to change in the weeks to come, as labels prepare to unload their late spring and early summer collections on the weary (and financially drained) masses.

Here are all the best sneaker and apparel releases dropping this week. Let’s dive in and start dressing for our first public (but socially distanced) outings.

Adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 Sulfur

Classic YEEZY fans will find a lot to like in Ye’s latest colorway for the 350 V2. Dubbed Sulfur, the shoe features an algae-like tone with olive monofilament side stripes and a hefty heel tab. Sitting atop a cushy BOOST midsole, the Sulfurs also sport a duo-toned gum sole. The Sulfur has a bit of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vibe that we’re digging on. It’s definitely one of the more interesting earth-toned colorways out of YEEZY brand, which is very much the brand of earth-toned colorways, so that’s saying something.

The Adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 Sulfur is set to drop on May 9th for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair exclusively through YEEZY Supply.

The Hundreds x PUMA Cliques Collection

PUMA and LA-based streetwear brand The Hundreds have teamed up for an interesting collection that uses the segmented subcultures of the 90s as inspiration. The Cliques Collection celebrates the differences between ravers, jocks, and preps by giving each subcategory of the 90s teenage experience its own respective shoe. The Cliques collection also has a sneaker intended to represent the youth of 2020 — the whole thing is so high concept it’s shocking that it actually works.

Consisting of a pair of Clydes, Performer Mids, RS Pures, and Palace Guards, the Cliques is a testament to how much shoes reflect our tastes and passions. Try to guess which sneaker belongs to which subculture below (hint: It doesn’t matter, they’re all cool).

The Hundreds X PUMA Cliques collection is set to drop on May 7th. Shop the full collection at the PUMA webstore.

Air Jordan 1 Royal Toe

Another week, another fire Jordan drop. The Air Jordan 1 Royal Toe is a brighter take on the highly sought-after Black Royal colorway, swapping out the original’s black panels for a brighter white accent with a black swoosh in place of the blue. The Royal Toe also has a bit of a metallic sheen that the original doesn’t have. We’ll call it right now — this is the better colorway. Purists will argue, but the addition of the white paneling, the black swoosh, and the brightened wings logo just pops more, and it fits with more modern sensibilities.

The Air Jordan 1 Royal Toe is set to drop on May 9th for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS App.

New Balance 327

If you’re looking for a bright spring-appropriate runner or if you just want to look like Sonic the Hedgehog, New Balance’s new 327 sneaker is the shoe for you. With a 70s indebted slim silhouette, the 327 combines elements of the New Balance 320 and 355 for a running shoe that works as well on the pavement as it does on a trail, giving you the best of both worlds when it comes to support.

The New Balance 327s are set to drop May 9th for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair at the New Balance webstore.

Nike Air Force 1 React D/MS/X QS

In a design that recalls Virgil Abloh’s Gore-Tex AF1 sneaker for his legendary “The Ten” collaboration, this Nike React take on the AF1 updates the popular silhouette with a squeaky-clean lightweight white upper that features Nike React’s custom patterning, an oversized pastel blue swoosh outline, and D/MS/X and React branding all atop an icy blue midsole.

The Nike Air Force 1 React D/MS/X QS is set to drop on May 8th for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app, or atmos, Noir Fonce, and Finishline.

Chinatown Market Stay Home/Rainbow Smiley Collection

Chinatown Market has been keeping busy during lockdown with a steady clip of drops that make reference to quarantine, either by way of social distancing slogans like “Stay away fro me” or by slapping a face mask on their iconic smiley face logo. A few pieces of the Stay At Home collection are still available online, but if you’re tired of thinking about quarantine Chinatown Market has got your back with the release of their new rainbow smiley hoodie and t-shirt collection.

Chinatown Market’s Stay Home and Rainbow Smiley Collection are out now. Check out the Chinatown Market webstore to shop the collection.

Supreme Barbour Spring 2020 Capsule

This waxed cotton collection from Supreme and British label Barbour features a field jacket, waist bag, crusher hat, and camp cap all dressed in bright orange, black, or leopard print colorways. Each piece in the capsule collection is doused in a mix of wax, oil, and gum for added protection against extreme weather conditions, a staple that comes by way of Barbour’s specifications.

Barbour began in mid 80s North England and was originally made with sailors, fishermen, and dockworkers in mind and matches perfectly with modern streetwear’s obsession with rugged workwear.

The Supreme Barbour Spring 2020 Capsule collection is set to drop on May 7th. Shop the collection exclusively at the Supreme online store.

We reported last week that All Elite Wrestling announcer Excalibur had promised that when AEW Dynamite went live this week, every person in the building would be “tested,” but I made a point of mentioning that he never made it clear what test they were being given, and that anything less than a COVID-19 test wouldn’t meet a reasonable standard of safety. Fortunately, we now know they are testing specifically for COVID-19 as they prepare for tonight’s live broadcast.

Chapter 115 of IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), the union that represents AEW’s production crew, posted on Facebook about the level of precaution they’re experiencing today at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, which does include COVID-19 Rapid Tests for everyone, as well as masks and other precautions:

We reopened with AEW-All Elite Wrestling SAFELY at Daily’s Place Amphitheatre today. A COVID-19 Rapid Test was given to every stagehand, road crew, venue staff and talent before entering the venue. Portable wash stations, hand sanitizer stations, mandatory masks covering, social distancing (especially at breaks) at all times. We didn’t ask to be the first but we are and we are working to keep it SAFE! #iatse115 #unionstrong #returntoworksafely

Obviously even this isn’t as 100% safe as cancelling and letting everyone stay home would be, but if AEW’s going to run shows right now, it sounds like they’re being as safe as they possibly can.

Tonight should also see the return of some AEW talent who missed the tapings that comprised their last month of episodes. For example, Nyla Rose is there, and she took the precaution of not just traveling in a mask herself, but also providing one for her Title Belt.

The Vancouver Titans have had a rather tumultuous season so far in the Overwatch League. Despite reaching the Grand Finals last season in dominant fashion they’ve been plagued with challenges to start their 2020 campaign. No team appears to have been impacted more by the switch to an online only environment than the Titans with the team moving to the Asian division of Overwatch League to try and allow players to compete from their homes in South Korea.

However, there were reports that many of the Titans players were unhappy with management throughout this process and rumors that the entire Grand Finals roster could leave if something didn’t change. On Wednesday the Titans made a decision regarding these rumors and put out a statement. It was as many feared. The Titans roster is undergoing a complete overhaul.

With the organization unable to meet the players expectations in Korea, and after much deliberation and conversation with the players, the difficult decision was made to move the team back to the North American division and both the players and management agreed that finding a new home for the players would be in everyone’s best interest.

The following players/staff have since agreed to mutually part ways with the team:

HyoJong “HakSal” Kim

Minsoo “Seominsoo” Seo

Seongjun “Slime” Kim

Chunghee “Stitch” Lee

Juseok “Twilight” Lee

JeHong “RyuJeHong” Yu

Yangwon “Yang1” Kweon (coach)

Jae Hong “Andante” Hwang (coach)

The team has also released Chan Hyeong “Fissure” Baek.

From all of us at the Vancouver Titans organization, we would like to thank these players and coaches for the positive memories we’ve had, of course highlighted with an appearance in the Overwatch League Grand Finals in our first season. These players were able to leave a lasting impression on fans from around the world. We wish them all the best as they move on in their careers.

This is extremely unfortunate. The Titans had the potential to be one of the best teams in Overwatch League with this roster and it really does feel like this is only happening due to circumstances out of everyone’s control. The miscommunication issues that the Titans and the players are having is largely due to the players being in Korea and the team being based in Vancouver. Obviously even in an online based eSport there are still going to be challenges when you have to deal with such as timezones and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic effecting everywhere differently. Hopefully, this does end up being the best result for everyone.

These are all extremely talented players and I expect to see most if not all of them on rosters again. Maybe even within this season. The Titans, on the other hand, have a difficult task ahead of them. They need to re-create their entire roster and quick now that they’ve moved back over to the North American division. Putting together a team that can compete at an elite level while also accounting for team chemistry and fit is going to be quite a task. Let’s see if they can pull it off.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Kamasi Washington announced that he played a big role in Michelle Obama’s new documentary: He scored the entirety of Obama’s Netflix film, Becoming. Washington’s score will also be released in soundtrack form, on May 15.

In a statement, Washington gushed over the opportunity to work with Obama:

“It was such a pleasure and honor to work on Becoming. Michelle Obama is such an amazing person and this film gives a very unique insight to who she is, how she thinks, and the way she navigates the world. It’s truly inspiring to see! Working with the film’s incredible director Nadia Hallgren to create a musical palette to support this amazing piece was truly a blessing. I’m so thankful to her for the opportunity to be a part of this. Barack and Michelle Obama’s time as President and First Lady had an impact on the history of this country and the world that is hard to put into words, but both Michelle Obama’s book and Nadia Hallgren’s film do an amazing job of it!”

Becoming producer Nadia Hallgren echoed Washington’s praise:

“Working with Kamasi Washington on the musical score for Becoming was a dream come true. Not only is Kamasi a masterful musician, he also has a unique sensitivity that he pours into his music. His music reaches deeply into your soul. Mrs. Obama loves music, and when I read the line in her book ‘And heaven, as I envisioned it, had to be a place full of jazz,’ I knew immediately Kamasi was the artist that could interpret her experience musically. His sound is contemporary and timeless, a magical fit to her story.”

Becoming offers a rare and intimate look into the life of Michelle Obama. The film follows the former First Lady as she makes a 34-city tour across the country that highlights the power of community and diversity.

Watch the Becoming trailer above.

Becoming (Music From The Netflix Original Documentary) is out 5/15 via Young Turks. Pre-order it here.

When not beefing with wrestler Goldberg (“Goldberg… woof”), Macaulay Culkin is preparing to star in the latest season of American Horror Story. It was an unlikely, if welcome casting choice from creator Ryan Murphy, as the Home Alone star has only appeared in a handful of projects over the past decade (he was too busy writing pizza-themed Velvet Underground songs). What made Culkin agree to sign up?

Why, having “crazy, erotic sex” with Kathy Bates, of course.

“So, I have this very, very great insane part. And I asked to speak to him on the phone and he said OK,” Murphy told E! Online. “[When] I cast, I never let people read things, usually. I said, ‘OK, here’s the pitch.’ And I told them the character and I told him he has crazy, erotic sex with Kathy Bates and does other things. And he paused and he goes, ‘This sounds like the role I was born to play.’ So, he signed up right then and there.”

That’s also how Failure to Launch got Terry Bradshaw. But can Culkin, who Murphy also called “fascinating and interesting,” top the Hall of Fame quarterback’s natural on-screen charisma? We’ll find out when American Horror Story season 10 (eventually) premieres.

(Via E! Online)

While college campuses grapple with how best to invite students and faculty back for the fall semester, college football is low on the list of priorities. After all, the athletes have to be able to live and learn on campus in order to represent their schools on the football field — lest you forget the NCAA’s insistence they are student athletes and not employees. Yet in a new survey at The Athletic of several conference commissioners, Andy Staples and Stewart Mandel uncovered optimism that football could come back without the participation of every school.

After a precious few weeks where every state operated under the same guidelines, the United States is moving toward a summer and fall with scattered local regulations that differ from state to state. That means a conference like the ACC, which stretches from New York (not close to a full “reopening”) to South Carolina (already on its way there), will have trouble making decisions for all its member schools at once.

“We’re in 10 states. Theoretically, we could have half of our schools being allowed to play at a certain point and the other half not being allowed to play,” ACC commissioner John Swofford told The Athletic. “Hopefully, it won’t turn out that way, but it could in any combination of play and not play. Then we would have some decisions, as any conference would.”

The AAC is in a similarly polarized situation with regard to the geography of its schools, as Tulane resides in the heart of an epicenter while other schools are in regions with very little struggle with the virus.

“We’re going to have a long discussion with our ADs about this, but the sense I’m getting is that we would play if the vast majority of our teams could play,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said. “If maybe there was a team or two that couldn’t, I don’t think the teams that couldn’t play would want to hold back the entire group.”

While it would be incredibly bizarre to have some schools shepherd athletes back to school in an effort to subsidize the rest of their conference and the college football industry, the fact that commissioners are open to it shows it may be more likely than logic would indicate.

However, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott threw some ice on these possibilities: “We’re all members of the College Football Playoff, and if we’re going to have a Playoff at the end of the season, we need to have uniformity on how we have a season.”

It would certainly ruffle the feathers of, say, Washington if their local leaders’ aggressiveness in fighting the pandemic resulted in not being able to participate in the season. Despite what other commissioners say, in practice the idea seems far-fetched.

The logistics do not favor the expeditious return of college football, either. Swofford told The Athletic that athletes would need to return to campus by mid-July in order to pull off some semblance of a 2020 college football season. On the other hand, many schools are worried about whether they will have procedures and technology in place to bring any students back when the semester begins in August.

Said Swofford: “If an institution is not operating at all from an academic standpoint in some way shape or form, it seems foreign to me that there would be athletic contests going on involving that athletic institution’s teams. But I think there can be different definitions of what a campus being open might mean given these circumstances.”

At this point, there are a lot of perspectives, some with more urgency than others, but like anything in this crisis, very little clarity, let alone certainty.

Donovan Mitchell, Breanna Stewart, and Aaron Judge are among the dozens of pro athletes banding together to help #TheRealHeroes by sending out personalized messages to front-line health workers and dedicating their jerseys and uniforms to a real-life health-care hero.

The effort begins on May 6 when athletes will begin to share messages on social media customized to their chosen health-care worker. Other superstar athletes involved range from Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka of the WTA, to Drew Brees, to NHL legend Wayne Gretzky.

Here’s one of the videos, featuring Mitchell, who famously had the virus but has since recovered.

Without American sports providing a respite for front-line workers fighting the battle against the coronavirus, these athletes are reaching out to individuals in need of support at a dire time. Athletes will take their own jerseys or uniforms and replace their own name with that of their chosen hero, a nod to the fact that at a time like this, these folks are the ones who matter, despite not necessarily getting the individualized attention that we devote to celebrities and athletes.

Nurses, doctors, surgeons and emergency caregivers do not get to wear jerseys. Their work is not broadcast on television. They can be the invisible soldiers of this battle, so athletes from just about every major sports league in America are coming together to shine a light on these people that their efforts might be highlighted the right way.

If a hip-hop fan chose to argue that Eminem is the best rapper of all time, they would certainly have a strong case. Naturally, Eminem, who has been a prominent member of the hip-hop community for decades now, has his own thoughts on that debate. More specifically, he recently revealed which rapper he believes just may be “the greatest songwriter” ever.

Eminem has been hosting a SiriusXM show where he brings his “Music To Be Quarantined By” playlist on the air. On a recent broadcast, he was introducing Tupac’s song “If I Die Tonight,” and he said of the rap legend:

“This next song is from an artist I feel like might be the greatest songwriter of all time. Debate what you want about emcee skills and all that, because he had that, too. But this is one of them songs by Tupac that, to me, he was showing you, ‘I can write heartfelt sh*t and I can write lyrical crazy sh*t, too.’

‘They say p*ssy and paper is poetry, power and pistols. Plottin’ on murdering muthaf*ckas ‘fore they get you.’ Like, the play on the P-words and all that sh*t and how he was doing it was so crazy. Mixed with the feel that Tupac could give you, which is constantly why I feel like he was always saying, ‘Can you feel me?!’ Because you felt ‘Pac. You can’t just listen to ‘Pac: You feel ‘Pac. If you listen to him, you gon’ feel him. But anyways, this is Tupac, ‘If I Die Tonight.’”

Listen to Eminem make the case for Tupac below.

After watching his version of the Fantastic Four epically bomb in 2015, followed by the very public loss of directing a Boba Fett movie for the Disney-acquired Lucasfilm, Josh Trank is back with the Tom Hardy-starring Capone, but the road between his fantastic flop and working with one of the top actors in Hollywood wasn’t an easy one.

In a lengthy interview with Polygon that took place over four years, Trank speaks candidly about what it was like going from the critical acclaim of his debut film Chronicle to watching a major blockbuster spiral out of control on his watch as it wreaked havoc on his professional and personal life. While gallons of digital ink have been spilled on Fantastic Four‘s doomed production, what hasn’t been written about is the emotional pressure Trank was under while dealing with Fox executives, a crumbling marriage, and death threats that forced the director to sleep with a gun next to his bed.

Thanks to his clout from Chronicle, Trank was able to secure the casting of Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm with no questions asked from Fox. Unfortunately, close-minded comic book fans were not happy to learn that the classic character would be played by an African-American actor, and Trank soon found himself on the receiving end of several death threats. It should probably be noted that throughout the interview, Trank admits to a problem with obsessively reading online reactions to the detriment of his mental health, and this situation certainly didn’t help.

“I was getting threats on IMDb message boards saying they were going to shoot me,” Trank said. To find some level of ease, the director kept a loaded .38 Special on his nightstand.

“I was so fucking paranoid during that shoot,” said Trank. “If someone came into my house, I would have ended their f*cking life. When you’re in a head space where people want to get you, you think, ‘I’m going to defend myself.’” Trank returned the gun after wrapping production.

In the midst of Fantastic Four‘s troubled production in 2014, Trank was also secretly navigating a second job with Lucasfilm, who he had met with shortly after his success with Chronicle. Now that it was under the control of Disney, Lucasfilm was ready to move forward with new Star Wars movies and reached out to Trank, who pitched the studio on a standalone Boba Fett movie. Before he knew it, Kathleen Kennedy was announcing him as part of the Star Wars family. Within a year, Trank would be out the door once word got out that Fantastic Four was falling apart.

No one had seen the cut of Fantastic Four that would arrive in theaters (including Trank), but the he-said-she-said dispute was enough to shake her confidence. Trank said he and Kennedy agreed that the director should sit out his scheduled appearance at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration in April, but even then, he couldn’t pick the conversation back up. Fantastic Four, the Star Wars spinoff that wasn’t, all the other development deals — they were the end of something. Shortly after bowing out of the convention over a case of the “worst flu of my life,” as he tweeted, Trank told his managers he wouldn’t do Star Wars and wouldn’t look for more blockbuster work. Days later, the trades announced that the director was “fired” off his Star Wars movie.

To be clear, while Trank technically quit Star Wars, he’s also very upfront in saying he did it because he knew he was going to be fired. The writing was on the wall. But after years in what he refuses to call “Movie Jail,” he managed to build a rapport with Hardy and convince him to star in Capone, which focuses on the less glamorous later years of the gangster’s life. And in a Star Wars twist, the film has already received the approval of Rian Johnson who calls it “batshit bonkers in the best possible way.”

(Via Polygon)