Tonight, in the With Spandex WWE Raw open discussion thread:

Asuka has had her time to celebrate after becoming Raw Women’s Champion, but now, the time to fight is drawing near. The first challenger to The Empress of Tomorrow’s title will be determined on Raw tonight, when NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Natalya square off in a Triple Threat Match. The winner will take on Asuka at WWE Backlash.

Jax drew the champion’s ire last week with a ruthless attack on Kairi Sane. Flair will certainly be looking to extend her empire across two brands, and Natalya will be out to bounce back after a pair of tough losses to Shayna Baszler. Who will walk away with a Raw Women’s Championship opportunity? (via WWE.com)

I don’t know what you need to do to become a top contender on Raw, but apparently Natalya’s two straight embarrassing losses are good enough to get her into a number one contender’s match. Also on the show, Drew McIntyre appears on the VIP Lounge, NXT stars finally start hanging out in the audience so the show’s got a crowd, and Apollo Crews challenges for the United States Championship.

As always, +1 your favorite comments from tonight’s open thread and give them a thumbs up and we’ll include 10 of the best in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of Raw column. Make sure to flip your comments to “newest” in the drop down menu under “discussion,” and enjoy the show!

The Last Dance spent plenty of time on Michael Jordan’s prowess as a basketball player, especially in relation to his final year with the Chicago Bulls, but it also dove into Jordan as a brand. During his heyday in the NBA, Jordan was perhaps the most popular human on earth, something that led to him becoming a model for basketball players who want to become pitchmen off the floor. For Jordan specifically, this paid off in the most unique of ways: his signature shoe from Nike turned into an iconic line of sneakers and, eventually, the business giant known as Jordan Brand.

These sneakers are at the heart of another documentary about Jordan, One Man and His Shoes. Created by English filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, the doc looks at Jordan Brand as a cultural phenomenon. This does not always paint Jordan in a positive light, as it occasionally dives into the darker side of the brand and how it has mastered drumming up demand to the point that sometimes guns are pulled and violence ensues over pairs of sneakers.

The documentary — which was originally slated to premiere at South by Southwest before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — debuts on Monday night at 8 p.m. EST on Vice. Prior to its release, Dime caught up with Bamiro to discuss One Man and His Shoes, the process behind making the doc, and the role sports plays in our society.

The timing of the doc was fascinating because of when it came out in relation of The Last Dance. Before we get into all that, what was the general idea you had behind making this documentary?

The entry point to me in relation to making this documentary was Air Jordan collectors. I was really interested in how obsessive these guys and girls were in relation to this one particular brand. So I started making that film, I started talking to Air Jordan collectors, filmed them, I was pretty sure that was gonna be the basis of this film. And something happened, I just realized I didn’t really understand how I could sustain a feature-length film just about collectors, and that became apparent pretty quickly. I think perhaps part of me was in denial, I didn’t want to accept that that was the case.

So I continued on with it for a year, but I always had this little thing in the back of my mind that I don’t know if this is going to sustain, and I think perhaps when you see one collector or two, you kind of get it, you get the gist, you get the fact that they are massively enthusiastic and passionate about what they do, but how does that transcend and how does that sort of sustain over a feature-length running time? So then I began to think about the phenomenon of the Air Jordans, I began to think about how this all happened, all the stuff that predates the collectors, and that was a collaboration with Michael Jordan and this idea of genius marketing and this guy being incredible at his job, and then just timing, how everything aligned at times, let the door open for this all to happen.

And that’s pretty much the film we ended up making, the story of the Air Jordan sneaker told by the men and women who were at the forefront of the phenomenon, whether that be Peter Moore, the designer of the first Air Jordan and the Air Jordan 2, whether that be Sonny Vaccaro, whether that be David Falk, whether that be whoever, Rob Strasser and Julie Strasser. All of those people were instrumental in us having this phenomenon, and I was interested in exploring that.

Based on what you laid out, and correct me if I’m wrong, this was a bit of an entry point into sneaker culture for you and you’re not someone who has been collecting over years?

No, I’ve always liked sneakers, I’ve always like trainers, but I would never call myself … I would buy them and talk to people I would know, they’d probably tell you I’ve got too many pairs, but I would never cast myself as a collector. I’m not comparable to any of the people in the film who collect, whether that be Air Ruddy, the guy in France, or Yumi, the girl in Japan, or even Jumpman in Detroit. I have an appreciation of sneaker culture, but I’d never say I was a part of it. I would just casually buy — maybe a bit more than casually — I would just buy sneakers, and that would be quite often. But I’m not a collector, no.

One thing I liked about this doc was how it spent a ton of time on the rise of Jordans and Jordan culture before getting into the darker underbelly of that. Why did you find giving that context important instead of just diving into some of the less great aspects of the culture around Jordans?

I wanted to make this film because I’m a fan of Air Jordan sneakers, I’m a fan of the phenomenon. I just wanted to explore it in as much depth and with as much integrity as I possibly could. So I think I just wanted to sort of approach it from the perspective of a blow-by-blow account. I never wanted to be sensationalist about it, I didn’t want to be hysterical about it, I just wanted to have a sense of journalistic integrity in the way we told the story, and my understanding of this phenomenon which became what it was and became so big, in cities around America, these shoes were so revered that people would pull out guns for it. But I didn’t want that to be how we start the film, because there is so much more context. We have to get to the point where the audience understands why people are pulling guns out on one another, because of this phenomenon.

And ultimately, that’s what I was interested in. I was interested in telling the story of the sneaker, warts and all. I didn’t want to omit anything, I didn’t want to rewrite history, I just wanted to tell it how it is. People remember those Sports Illustrated issues, people remember those stories of people getting robbed on the train, and that stuff hasn’t stopped happening. People still go and meet each other, having spoken on eBay and agreed on a deal, and violence ensues. It’s just part of the sneaker’s unfortunate history. But in saying that, it’s not the be all and end all of the sneaker’s history. So I think I just wanted to be completely fair and balanced and just tell the story from the perspective that I told it.

I loved the quote “Sport is a microcosm of society,” then it gets into things like Colin Kaepernick’s protests and the death of Len Bias. What do you believe this doc says about sport and the role it plays in our society?

That’s a really good question. I think it’s a business, isn’t it? Ultimately, I think it’s a business. If we’re talking about this film and we’re talking about sport as a whole, I think it’s a business. It has many roles it plays — entertains people, it makes people happy, it brings people joy, allows people to switch off. But ultimately, the foundation, it’s a business. Lots of broadcasters around the world are not in trouble, but there’s a sense of trepidation because we haven’t had any sport for two months, and this obviously has financial implications and implications on everything.

So I think ultimately, it’s a business, and I think hopefully, this film provides context to how it is a business and how it sort of works.

Was there a moment, if you could identify one, where Jordans went from these cool sneakers to this gigantic phenomenon that everyone is fanatical about, for better or worse?

So David Falk, who was Michael Jordan’s former agent, he was obviously quite instrumental in sealing the deal between MJ and Nike — he had a really good relationship with Rob Strasser, who is no longer with us. But I think Nike’s expectation of what the first Air Jordan would do from a business perspective, and then what it went on to do, that always blew my mind, the numbers that first Air Jordan did. And this was in 1985, where it was still the most expensive basketball sneaker that had hit the market, it’s not like now where we’re accustomed to sneakers as a high-end product. It’s not like now where people will wear a three-piece suit or tuxedo with trainers, we’re talking about 1985 where this is very much a rarity.

That will always fascinate me and always blow my mind in the way that Nike had sort of humble and, pretty frankly, low expectations of what the first Air Jordan would do, and then what it went onto do is obviously a phenomenon. It’s the stuff of folklore.

There’s one person in here specifically I want to ask about and that’s the Jordan collector in Detroit. Did you get any sort of estimate on how much money he’s spent on everything — the just under 1,200 shoes, the memorabilia, all of that?

I couldn’t tell you. I don’t even think he knows, and that’s me being honest. I’m pretty sure I have asked him, the guy is called Jumpman, and over the years I’ve filmed him. So the first time I filmed him was in one house, and the second time I went back, he lives in a bigger house because over the years, he collected more shoes and needed more space. He’s got Gatorade bottles that are like 30 years old and he’s got Wheaties boxes that he’s never opened, he’s got people from Japan that would pay top dollar for that stuff and he would never sell it. It’s gotta be worth millions and millions in terms of everything that he has, because some of that stuff is completely priceless and you’re never gonna get it again. He’s been doing this for 30 odd years, this is not a fanboy, he’s committed, he’s a passionate, enthusiastic collector. It’s next level, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.

What do you hope people take away from this doc?

I just hope that people appreciate the marketing genius of Nike, obviously the incredible athleticism of Jordan. And just also, the dynamics and the power of business and marketing and how that all forged together to tell this perfect fairytale of Michael Jordan. I just hope people understand it all started with this. Everything we have today in terms of endorsement deals and companies having a figurehead, it all started with Michael Jordan and Nike and I hope people understand that from a business perspective. And then also, with the sneaker’s unfortunate history, it’s still happens in our society today. It’s still very much a part of it, and I think it’s interesting to understand and to take that stuff away.

My last question, I’d be remiss if I ask if you got a chance to watch The Last Dance and get your thoughts on that.

You know what? I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t seen a single frame of The Last Dance, and I think part of the reason is I’ve been really busy with this film, it’s been quite a crazy six weeks in terms of the cancelation of South by, and then everything else that has happened. But I’m really looking forward to getting into it, all my friends on WhatsApp groups keep sharing stuff with me and telling me how great it is. But yeah, I just want a little space from this project so that I can really jump in and enjoy it.

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This holiday weekend, WNBA teams around the league have been working to cut down their rosters to 12 ahead of the May 26 deadline so players can start getting paid on June 1. Teams usually have until the beginning of the regular season to finalize their rosters and they can further evauluate players at training camp in the weeks before tip-off.

This year, the 2020 WNBA season was postponed in early April due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, before training camp had commenced. As the league is still mulling its options over how it can hold a season this summer, the roster deadline was consequently pushed back to May 26 — and how teams make those final roster decisions looks a little different this year.

As Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press wrote, “Teams typically would be able to evaluate players by their on-the-court actions. Now it’s more based on how quickly they pick things up on Zoom conference calls or how well they understand plays online.” And a majority of the league’s 12 teams, including the Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky still need to slim down their rosters.

Players who are waived will not get paid but they will continue to receive benefits through June 30, the Associated Press reported.

Over the weekend, the Atlanta Dream waived Elina Babkina and suspended Spanish international Maite Cazorla, who will remain in Spain, and Mikayla Pivec. Although the U.S. government announced that it will allow foreign athletes who play in American sports leagues to enter the country, some WNBA players overseas like Cazorla have opted to sit out the season — by suspending them, teams can free up a roster spot and give themselves more salary flexibility.

On Monday, the Connecticut Sun waived four players: Juicy Landrum, Jazmon Gwathmey, Jacki Gemelos and Megan Huf. Gwathmey, Gamelos and Huf were all signed to training camp contracts while Landrum was drafted last month with the 35th overall pick. The Lynx likewise waived two players, Linnae Harper and Erica Ogwumike, in an effort to get closer to that 12-woman roster max. Harper was on a training camp deal, while Ogwumike was acquired in a draft night trade with New York for Stephanie Talbot.

On Friday, the Dallas Wings waived Morgan Bertsch after waiving Kaela Davis last month as the team continues to whittle down its roster.

According to their online team rosters and Across the Timeline’s transaction tracker, the Indiana Fever, following the suspension of Stephanie Mavunga, Sun and Las Vegas Aces are the only teams currently adhering to the roster maximum rules (although the Aces’ roster curiously sits at a mere nine players). The Washington Mystics, Minnesota Lynx, and Atlanta Dream are currently just one player north of the maximum 12, while the Mercury have a roster of 16 players. The Liberty, Wings, Sparks, and Seattle Storm all have 15 players while the Sky are at 14. As the Tuesday deadline quickly approaches, more players decisions are expected to be announced.

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On May 23, Stardom wrestler and Terrace House cast member Hana Kimura died at the age of 22. Her death, which appeared to have been by suicide shortly after she posted a series of social media posts that displayed emotional distress and images of self-harm and mentioned online harassment she had been receiving, shocked the wrestling world and drew mainstream media attention. A few days later, Kimura has received moving tributes from her friends, fans, and fellow wrestlers, and more information has been shared about the circumstances of her death.

Some of Kimura’s friends and coworkers have shared some details about her passing on social media, with the most information coming from Kairi Sane, who worked with Kimura in Stardom before signing with WWE. Sane tweeted, “It was early afternoon US local time (but in the middle of the night in Japan) when we saw her tweets. Io-san and I immediately called Jungle Kyona and Mr. Rossy Ogawa on the telephone. Kyona immediately rushed there as fast as she could, but she wasn’t able to make it in time.”

Rossy Ogawa, one of the founders of Stardom, also shared a detail, tweeting that “Before Hana passed away, she put her cat in a basket and left it outside our office door.” Kimura’s cat was shown in some of the final pictures she posted.

Jungle Kyona, Kimura’s friend and stablemate in Tokyo Cyber Squad, posted that she had been especially close to Kimura in the last few months of her life. With a video of the two playing with a filter while viewing cherry blossoms earlier this year, Kyona said she’ll never forget her friend, and “I wonder if beautiful flowers will bloom next year?”

Further information about Kimura’s death comes from an article in Sponichi Annex. One of Kimura’s neighbors told the publication that ambulances reached the wrestler’s residence in Tokyo’s Koto Ward around four in the morning (much closer to the time of her concerning tweets than when Stardom reported her death about eight hours later.) Sponichi Annex also states that a representative of the Metropolitan Police Department “stated ‘There was a confirmed case of death involving the use of hydrogen sulfide’” in the area, but the police source doesn’t specifically name Kimura in this case.

The article refrains from adding more information, stating that “further details were unavailable out of respect for the bereaved.” Kyoko Kimura, Hana’s mother, later tweeted a request “to mass media outlets” asking for more of that respect. “I would like you to stop contacting the police and the Stardom office for detailed information,” she posted. “I would like you to respect the privacy of the individual who has passed. Don’t push people who are struggling to their limit like this.”

Kyoko Kimura also posted a message to her daughter’s fans and friends: “For everyone who cheered, befriended, and loved Hana, I am sorry I could not protect her. I am sorry we now have this painful memory. If you are in pain, Hana will be in pain, too. Please keep the cheerful memory of Hana in your hearts.”

Many of Kimura’s friends and contemporaries in the wrestling industry also posted tributes to her, sharing photos with her and mourning her passing. Those included another tweet from Kairi Sane, saying “Hana-chan, I’ve lost a truly irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind friend. I feel this hole in my heart, and I hate the thought of a reality of a without you in it.”

Io Shirai, another now-WWE wrestler who worked with Kimura in Stardom, posted, “I’ve never been this heartbroken in my life. I still can’t believe this happened, and right now, I don’t want to.” Along with a picture of herself and Kimura, Shirai later posted, “We can no longer ask her the reasons why she was suffering or discuss ways to help her. I wanted her to live for those who loved her. At least now, the feelings of all those who love her will reach her. Please be at peace.”

Kimura also received tributes from her seniors in the wrestling industry, including New Japan Pro Wrestling star Hiroshi Tanahashi, who tweeted, “She had undeniable star power and a character which people gravitated toward. Without a doubt, she was the future of women’s pro-wrestling. I wanted to discuss pro-wrestling with you. Ms. Hana Kimura, I hope your soul rests in peace.”

Retired legendary NJPW wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger stated, “I just heard the sad news of Ms. Hana Kimura’s passing. My wife and son also had the opportunity to meet her. Right now, I’m full of such sadness that words fail me. It’s absolutely tragic and devastating. I wish to send her this picture of a beautiful field of flowers.”

Kimura’s fans also used images of flowers to mourn her death and celebrate her life this weekend. Fans in Japan started the hashtag #TLを花でいっぱいにしよう (Let’s fill the timeline with flowers), posting pictures of flowers in honor of Kimura because “hana” means “flower” in Japanese. English-speaking fans adopted their own version of the hashtag, with #FlowersForHana.

Wrestling and other entertainment programs with connections to Kimura suspended or postponed broadcasts this weekend after her passing. Stardom – on a hiatus from wrestling shows because of the coronavirus pandemic – suspended the release of programs on their YouTube channel out of respect for Kimura. NJPW, Stardom’s sibling promotion now that both companies are owned by Bushiroad, postponed the broadcast of the comedic Rainmaker Presents: Toru Yano’s Birthday Bash show that was originally scheduled the air just hours after the news of Kimura’s death broke.

It remains to be seen if the long-term future of Terrace House is impacted by Kimura’s passing – the show was already on a production hiatus because of COVID-19 – but the event has had some short-term effects. The broadcast of the new episode that was supposed to air today on Japan’s Fuji TV was suspended. So has the international release of the next group of Terrace House episodes on Netflix, a batch that would have included the scenes for which drove Kimura to experience an uptick in the vicious, sometimes racially-charged online harassment she mentioned in tweets shortly before her death.

Meanwhile, some wrestling companies have paid tribute to Kimura through their programming. Kimura’s death, along with that of former WWE star Shad Gaspard, was mentioned on Saturday’s AEW pay-per-view. Ring of Honor added the Stardom/Women of Honor (Hana Kimura, Stella Gray, and Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose, Kagetsu, and Hazuki) dark match from last year’s G1 Supercard event to their YouTube Channel. On the streaming service Stardom World, Stardom put together a 22-video Hana Kimura Selection of her matches and interviews with the company from 2017 to 2020.

While Stardom didn’t have a show this weekend, another women’s wrestling company did, and featured one of Kimura’s friends honoring her. On May 23, ASUKA (aka Veny), Kimura’s friend and tag partner in Wrestle-1, wrestled in the main event of ChocoPro #16, a show put on by Emi Sakura’s Gatoh Move promotion. She posted afterwards that it was good for her to be able to wrestle that day, and, to Kimura, “You will live forever in my heart.”

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In early May, the NBA announced that both the 2020 draft lottery and combine were postponed. Given the global situation dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it came as no surprise that the league would push these events back and, in the case of the combine, it remains entirely possible that the event simply won’t take place.

While the overall impact on the movement of those gatherings remains up for debate, one reality is that NBA teams still don’t know the draft order for 2020. To be fair, reporting exists that many expect the draft itself to be pushed back from its current slot on June 25 but, even if that transpires, teams would certainly love to know when they will be picking when things (finally) get underway.

Some of the uncertainty is dictated by the league aiming to restart play on the regular season and, in short, the resumption of the regular season would seemingly place an extended hold on the lottery, simply because the pre-lottery order (and odds) would be tied directly to the final record of teams. Regardless, the standings have been identical for nearly two months at this juncture and, for now, the reverse order is the best we have to “project” the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. With reports that a return to play with just playoff teams is gaining momentum, this may very well be the lottery order we end up with.

A decision on when the league will be back in action is expected to come along within the next week or so, and as such there’s some optimism that we will at least have an idea of what the draft will look like and when it will take place in the near future as well.

With that as the backdrop, it is time to weigh in with a glance at how the first round might look, beginning with the Golden State Warriors at the top, even while acknowledging that Golden State won’t have more than a 14 percent chance to remain at No. 1, even if the lottery happens without any change to the order.

1. Golden State Warriors – LaMelo Ball (G, Illawarra Hawks)

As noted, the Warriors may not land here and, if they do, the choice is exceptionally interesting. This isn’t a big board setting (though we have one for your perusal from the great Brian Schroeder) but, for me personally, Ball is the No. 1 player in the draft and that plays into this choice to some degree. From there, he would be intriguing with how he passes and feels the game, and it would be wild to see him operate an offense with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson flying around him. It has to be noted that Ball isn’t perfect for the Warriors, though, and Bob Myers and company may want a more complementary piece, even if that piece brings lower upside than Ball would if everything went perfectly.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers – Anthony Edwards (G, Georgia)

It would be accurate to say Edwards isn’t the best possible fit in Cleveland, but it would be a combination of best player available (at least in terms of creation upside) and a potential to pair with one of the Collin Sexton-Darius Garland duo long-term in the backcourt. Many have Edwards at No. 1 in this class, and that is defensible, leaving the Cavs with what is probably a relatively easy decision, even with some questions about how it might work.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves – Onyeka Okongwu (C/F, USC)

Candidly, I love Okongwu. He might be my favorite prospect in the class. This isn’t an absolutely perfect fit in that I believe Okongwu is probably best suited as a full-time center but, if you were going to pair him with a center on a semi-regular basis, it might be somebody like Karl-Anthony Towns. After all, Towns is the best three-point shooting center in NBA history and Okongwu could help him on the defensive end.

4. Atlanta Hawks – Killian Hayes (G, Ulm)

A plethora of mock drafts are tying the Hawks to a wing in this range and there is some logic in projecting someone like local product and Auburn wing Isaac Okoro. Honestly, Atlanta could go in a number of directions (including moving out of the fourth spot in a trade), simply because this isn’t a team with a glaring weakness on its roster. Ultimately, Hayes would be a “best player available” choice. While he isn’t a perfect fit alongside Trae Young, he does have enough size and skill level to play off the ball, though, and the Hawks should be in the market for a player that can act as the team’s offensive engine when Young heads to the bench for rest.

5. Detroit Pistons – James Wiseman (C, Memphis)

The Pistons are in a very strange place, and this wouldn’t be an ideal spot for them in the draft. Detroit is in desperate need of a primary creator but, with the three best options for that archetype off the board, they shift to simply taking the top-ranked player on many boards. Wiseman may not be the playoff game-changer that you’d ideally want, but NBA teams are buying in on his potential and the Pistons could be a natural landing spot.

6. New York Knicks – Obi Toppin (F/C, Dayton)

It would be undeniably hilarious if the Knicks drafted a combo big with this pick. I understand that. With that out of the way, New York may not be in love with the lead guard options that are still available in this scenario, and Toppin has significant appeal on the offensive end coming off his highly impressive final season in college. The logjam of bigs is mostly vets on short-term deals, so while this would elicit plenty of laughs, it wouldn’t be the abject disaster many would think initially.

7. Chicago Bulls – Tyrese Haliburton (G, Iowa State)

If the Bulls are tied to their frontcourt pairing of Wendell Carter and Lauri Markkanen, they probably can’t go to the well with a true big man here. Haliburton isn’t necessarily a perfect fit with Zach LaVine and Coby White, but he has a lot of connective tissue on the offensive side. Admittedly, this isn’t a pick I’m in love with, but sometimes that happens.

8. Charlotte Hornets – Deni Avdija (F, Maccabi Tel-Aviv)

Avdija could be off the board before this, as some organizations undoubtedly have a top-five grade on the 19-year-old forward. Other teams could be skeptical of his overall ceiling on either end, however, and that could push Avdija down the board a bit as teams fall in love with other pieces. Ultimately, he has the look of a long-term NBA rotation player, and the Hornets get a reasonable value.

9. Washington Wizards – Isaac Okoro (G/F, Auburn)

Washington can largely focus on best player available here, and Okoro might fit that bill. Beyond that, he is a prospect with a high defensive ceiling, and he could have appeal as a secondary creator next to Bradley Beal and/or John Wall.

10. Phoenix Suns – Cole Anthony (G, North Carolina)

The Suns are committed to Ricky Rubio for two more seasons, and that might scare them off another point guard option. Anthony falling to this spot might be intriguing, though, and his defense might be underrated at this juncture. He won’t be a game-changer on that end, but his offensive talents could pop playing alongside a lead creator in Devin Booker and the two could partner well in an optimal scenario.

11. San Antonio Spurs – Devin Vassell (G/F, Florida State)

Vassell would fit essentially anywhere. He may have real questions in terms of athleticism and on-ball creation offensively, but he’s a great off-ball defensive prospect and he can really shoot it. The Spurs pick up a value, and they should be able to maximize his talents.

12. Sacramento Kings – Aaron Nesmith (G/F, Vanderbilt)

The Kings don’t “need” a player like Nesmith necessarily, and that is especially true if they pay up for Bogdan Bogdanovic this summer. With that said, there is optimism in some circles that Nesmith can hold up defensively and, if that is true, his elite-level shooting should allow for a high-end supporting role that is malleable in any situation.

13. New Orleans Pelicans – Tyrese Maxey (G, Kentucky)

On my personal board, this would be an absolute heist for New Orleans. Maxey is a multi-talented combo guard that may have seen his stock fall a bit by the weirdness of his one and only season at Kentucky. He isn’t an overwhelmingly amazing fit, but Maxey can play, and it helps that he could be surrounded by Jrue Holiday and/or Lonzo Ball in some creative backcourt alignments.

14. Portland Trail Blazers – Patrick Williams (F, Florida State)

If a team buys into Patrick Williams’ shooting, this would be an appropriate draft slot. He’s young and raw, especially when compared to some of his contemporaries, but Williams is extremely athletic and projects as a quality defender. The Blazers need help on the wing in a desperate way, and he checks a lot of boxes for Portland, provided he comes into his own as a player.

15. Orlando Magic – Kira Lewis (PG, Alabama)

The Magic should still probably look for a point guard, even with Markelle Fultz’s development. Fultz also has really good size and burst, allowing him to play a bit in a non-lead role if his shooting stabilizes at all. As for Lewis, this might even be too low given what he brings to the table, especially if his body fills out a bit. He’s quite small but, even after two years of college, he’s young and talented.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn) – Saddiq Bey (F, Villanova)

This is a very popular mock selection and it honestly makes sense. Bey is a big-time shooter that projects as a competent role player at the next level. Minnesota should be in the market for someone of that archetype alongside their other key pieces.

17. Boston Celtics (via Memphis) – Precious Achiuwa (F/C, Memphis)

You can find people that believe Achiuwa should be a top-10 pick. You can also find people that believe he shouldn’t be a first-round pick. Some of that is his size. Some of that is the fact that he’s quite old for a freshman. Some of it is skill translation. I’ll split the difference and send him to a situation where the organization could help him maximize his talent.

18. Dallas Mavericks – Theo Maledon (G, ASVEL)

Maledon is definitely more of a combo guard at 6’4 and without a ton of traditional lead guard appeal. In Dallas, some of that tweener status wouldn’t matter much next to Luka Doncic, and his shooting is genuinely appealing.

19. Milwaukee Bucks (via Indiana) – Jalen Smith (F/C, Maryland)

This is a little early for Smith, but the fit is interesting. It is easy to trust his ability as a floor-spacer and, in Milwaukee, his defensive question marks (from a positional standpoint) would be mitigated playing next to Giannis. The Bucks might be looking for ready-made contributors and he would probably fit into that paradigm.

20. Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia) – Josh Green (G/F, Arizona)

The Nets are in a rare position where they don’t have to aim for upside given the presence of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Green is divisive in some circles, but he checks a lot of role player boxes and would theoretically fit in Brooklyn. The “you can’t have too many wings” corollary also applies here.

21. Denver Nuggets (via Houston) – Zeke Nnaji (F/C, Arizona)

I don’t necessarily love Denver using a first-round pick on what amounts to a backup big projection. With that said, the Nuggets haven’t shied away from using significant resources in the same prototype (see Plumlee, Mason) and Nnaji would be a pretty good value. He could potentially play alongside Nikola Jokic as a floor-spacer and he could pair with some of their other options (like Michael Porter Jr.) as a backup center.

22. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City) – Tyrell Terry (G, Stanford)

Terry is really small and he wasn’t “supposed” to be in the 2020 draft. What he can do, though, is shoot at a very high level. Philly could hide him defensively, and did I mention that Terry is a high-end shooter? The 76ers could use that skill set.

23. Miami Heat – Devon Dotson (G, Kansas)

Tre Jones is a popular mock pick in Miami, in part due to his defensive tools and the Heat’s development system valuing players with that kind of work ethic. Dotson is a significantly better offensive prospect, though, and teams seem to really like what they saw from him this season at Kansas. Miami doesn’t have a ton of “needs” and point guard may not be one, but Dotson would help them if Goran Dragic leaves in free agency.

24. Utah Jazz – Xavier Tillman (C, Michigan State)

This isn’t the best fit in the world because Tillman probably isn’t playing alongside Rudy Gobert with too much effectiveness. He would give Utah some options on the second unit, though, and Gobert won’t necessarily be in Salt Lake City forever. Moreover, Tillman is just good at basketball. That seems important.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Denver) – RJ Hampton (G, New Zealand Breakers)

Practically, I don’t expect Hampton to fall this far. It does become difficult (at least using this draft order) to find him a slot if he slips out of the lottery, though, and he’d check a lot of boxes for the Thunder as something of a home run swing.

26. Boston Celtics – Aleksej Pokusevski (C/F, Olympicacos)

Scouts seem to be all over the place on Pokusevski. His upside is real because of his size and shooting projection, but he is (very) raw and things could go poorly. With that in mind, Pokusevski could easily fly off the board before this, but Boston has the flexibility to take a shot on his ceiling if they keep all three picks.

27. New York Knicks (via LA Clippers) – Jaden McDaniels (F, Washington)

McDaniels has a bunch of raw talent and there is a reason he was mentioned as a lottery pick before the season started. Based on his freshman season at Washington, he shouldn’t be a first-rounder but, considering the pre-college background, he probably will be. This might even be too low when it comes to trying to project where he’ll actually land.

28. Toronto Raptors – Isaiah Stewart (C, Washington)

Stewart wouldn’t be a first-rounder on my personal big board, but NBA teams still appear to be higher on him than I am. Through that lens, the Raptors make some sense as a team that could utilize him properly to get the most out of his tools.

29. Los Angeles Lakers – Grant Riller (G, Charleston)

Riller is quite old and I get the concern with that and the low level of competition. He is still an exceptionally interesting prospect as a big-time finisher and creator off the bounce. It will be interesting to see how NBA teams evaluate him in the next few weeks and months, but if you buy his shooting, Riller could justify an investment well before this. He’d also be a strong fit with the Lakers.

30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee) – Leandro Bolmaro (G/F, Barcelona 2)

As noted with the No. 26 pick, the Celtics are in a position to be aggressive and seek upside if they hold on to all three picks. Honestly, that scenario seems unlikely, but Boston would be a good place for Bolmaro to land. They would know how to develop him and, if it all clicks, the combination of size, creation and feel makes him quite intriguing.

Those graduating high school and college this year had their plans thrown off course when the pandemic led to schools and universities closing their campuses and moving online. But many celebrities and musicians joined to offer graduates a unique graduation ceremony with touching speeches from The Obamas as well as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, and more. Selena Gomez offered her own commencement speech specifically for graduates of immigrant families.

In her heartfelt speech, Gomez reminded graduates of their importance and congratulated them on their achievements:

“Congratulations to all of the immigrads. I know that this is a virtual ceremony, but it is very real. And it’s very real to all of the families, and all of you, and your communities. I want you guys to know that you matter. And that your experiences are a huge part of the American story.

When my family came here from Mexico, they set into motion my American story, as well as theirs. I’m a proud third-generation American-Mexican, and my family’s journey and their sacrifices helped me get to where I am today. Mine is not a unique story. Each and every one of you have a similar tale of becoming an American. So, regardless of where your family is from, regardless of your immigration status, you have taken action to earn an education, to make your families proud, and to open up your worlds.”

Along with being a musician and actor, Gomez has oftentimes used her public platform to promote the rights of immigrants. Last year, Gomez produced the Netflix docuseries Living Undocumented which offers an inside look into the experiences of immigrants in America.

Watch Gomez’s full commencement speech above.

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