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☆ In the N.B.A. Playoffs, Flopping Is a Welcome Sideshow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Kurt Streeter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

playoffs, LeBron James got in on the act. The upstarts, upsets and dominance. The Miami Heat putting the kibosh on the comeback of comebacks in the Eastern Conference finals. Welcome to the National Basketball Floppers Association. In the 1970s, Red Auerbach, the Boston Celtics’s fabled and curmudgeonly leader, railed on national television against the “Hollywood acting” that was sullying the game.

Persons: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jokic, Malik Monk, Flopping, Red Auerbach Organizations: Miami Heat, Eastern Conference, Sacramento Kings, National Basketball Floppers Association, Boston, Hollywood

☆ Scottie Pippen: Michael Jordan was 'horrible player' and 'horrible to play with,' says former Chicago Bulls teammate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In fact, the only two years the Bulls didn’t win the title was when Michael Jordan tried his hand at baseball. However, speaking on his former Bulls teammate Stacey King’s podcast ‘Gimme the Hot Sauce’ on Friday, Pippen described Jordan as a “horrible player.”“I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to the Bulls. “Michael Jordan was the greatest to ever put on shoes and play in our game. The way LeBron James plays, Michael Jordan was never asked to play that way because I took that away from him. “And there’s no game that I would ever play in and pick LeBron James over Michael Jordan.

Ron DeSantis and Disney , Nike CEO John Donahoe said it's important for corporations to choose their battles, but fight for the values integral to their brands. In response, Donahoe said companies don't need to weigh in on every political kerfuffle but should be a loud voice when their brand's values are under attack. "I think Bob's doing a great job at this," Donahoe said of Disney CEO Bob Iger. "If it's core to who you are and your values, then no, you stand up for your values," he said. "In addition, our core consumer for the Nike brand, the Jordan Brand, the converse brand, are urban Black and brown communities — that's where sneaker culture started," Donahoe explained.

☆ Inside the Life of Influencer Barbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Kurtis Lee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I slide into a cushy leather chair in this bustling shop next to a small flooring business. The hum of clippers echoes throughout the room. A framed photo of former President Barack Obama hangs on a wall, and the TV is tuned to highlights from a recent Golden State Warriors basketball game. But the volume is turned down low, and instead I hear snippets of conversations — quick descriptions of desired cuts, followed by comfortable banter about politics (Donald Trump running for president — again!) career scoring record) and life (a 20-something moving in with his girlfriend).

☆ Lakers vs Nuggets Game 2: LeBron James proves he is human after missing an easy dunk in LA loss to Denver
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —LeBron James proved he is human after all as the Los Angeles Lakers fell to a 108-103 Game 2 playoff loss against the Denver Nuggets. With the Lakers up by eight points early in the second, James had a clear run to the basket after being found by Rui Hachimura in transition. Jack Dempsey/APLeBron blowing the easy dunk was just one of the many uncharacteristic errors made by the 19-time All-Star in the Game 2 loss. After the game, James reflected on the 0-2 hole the Lakers find themselves in and said that it wasn’t the end of the world. To go with four steals, five assists and 10 rebounds, Murray scored an incredible 37 points in the huge win.

☆ 'He'll do anything to come for you': Bang Bang, the tattoo artist to stars like Rihanna and Justin Bieber, is a controlling, vindictive boss, ex-employees say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Melkorka Licea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Yet some former Bang Bang employees said that McCurdy's meticulously curated image as a thoughtful progressive in a rough-and-tumble industry wasn't much more than good PR. At Bang Bang, "they just woke-wash everything," one former employee said. This kind of behavior extended to other Bang Bang employees. Ganser, the Bang Bang manager, also sent Wang a text comparing her behavior to her father's, who was in prison. Photo by Gotham/GC ImagesNearly a decade after opening the first Bang Bang shop, McCurdy still sees himself as a trailblazer.

Trademark Office to cancel two smaller rivals' "Taco Tuesday" trademarks in what the largest Mexican fast-food chain in the U.S. called a bid to "liberate the phrase for restaurants nationwide." Taco Bell's petitions said the trademarks, owned by Gregory's Restaurant & Bar in New Jersey and Wyoming-based Taco John's in the rest of the country, wrongly monopolize the use of the phrase in the restaurant industry. "Nobody should have exclusive rights in a common phrase," the petitions said. Representatives for Taco John's, whose "Taco Tuesday" trademark registration dates to 1989, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the petitions. The office last year cited similar reasons for rejecting a brewery's bid for a federal "Taco Tuesday" mark covering beer.

☆ Taco Bell is fighting to cancel a rival's trademark on the phrase 'Taco Tuesday,' saying nobody should have 'exclusive rights'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taco Bell is challenging trademarks on the phrase "Taco Tuesday" in a PR blitz. "Nobody should have should have exclusive rights in a common phrase," one of Taco Bell's petitions reads. Taco John's controls a trademark for "Taco Tuesday" in 49 states, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Taco John's website on Tuesday after it released its response to Taco Bell's petitions. "Taco John's, despite all of its claims to the contrary, did not invent Taco Tuesday — nowhere even close to inventing Taco Tuesday," Arellano told Marketplace.

☆ Ex-NBA player raised in Turkey slams Twitter censorship: 'I don't want to hear about Elon Musk talking about free speech ever again. He's literally bowing down to a dictatorship'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom doesn't want to hear Elon Musk talk about free speech. The Turkish-American said Musk is "bowing down to a dictatorship" by blocking tweets in Turkey. "I don't want to hear about Elon Musk talking about free speech ever again," Freedom said on CNN This Morning. "Turkish government called Elon to pretty much tell him, 'If you don't ban a couple accounts, then we are going to shut down the whole app in Turkey,'" Freedom added. "The whole country is saying enough is enough because we want to go back to democracy and freedom again," Freedom said on CNN.

☆ Victor Wembanyama: How ‘Wembymania’ gripped France due to the most exciting draft prospect since LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

There have been few players whose journey to the pinnacle of basketball have been as highly followed; in figures released by the NBA, Wembanyama is No. And I keep having to explain to them that having a sold-out, 15,000-people crowd for a regular French professional basketball game is not normal at all,” she said. His father was a high jumper, his mother was a former basketball player who is now a coach and his two siblings – older sister Eve and younger brother Oscar – are basketball players. And the French basketball system where he has been nurtured has helped develop his unique talent, says Krasnoff. “And it certainly has driven US interest in French basketball, at least as far as Wembanyama is concerned.

☆ Austin Reaves Dodged the NBA Draft—and Became the Lakers’ Secret Weapon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Robert O Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A grin broke across Austin Reaves’s face at the post-game podium. The Los Angeles Lakers had just eliminated the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Friday night, and Reaves had contributed 23 points and 6 assists—both numbers second on the team only to LeBron James. He had arced in four 3-pointers (one from half court as the second quarter expired), sidestepped Stephen Curry with a behind-the-back dribble, and flipped passes to open shooters with both hands. In a sure sign of his Lakers arrival, he’d been pulled from the game early, so the Los Angeles crowd could voice its appreciation. “It was not emotional, like, tears-wise,” Reaves said, “but the feeling when we subbed out with three minutes to go was very special.”

☆ The French Coach Preparing Victor Wembanyama for NBA Stardom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS—Victor Wembanyama has known for a year that he will be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. As the most highly rated prospect since LeBron James, the 7-foot-3 teenager from France is all but guaranteed a fast-track to the league. He also could have remained with his pro club in Lyon, where he had just won a French championship. Instead, he moved last summer to the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans, a pro club with a small gym on the outskirts of Paris.

☆ Sofia Richie and new husband Elliot Grainge just bought a $27 million mansion. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge just purchased a $26.9 million home in Brentwood, California. The video also shows the formal dining room, multiple living and sitting rooms, the master bedroom, and the open entryway. The property, as Kelly explained in the comments of his TikTok video, is actually two lots. The Agency represented Richie and Grainge as they bought the home from entertainment-industry executive Jeremy Zimmer, according to the New York Post. Elliot Grainge and Sofia Richie.

☆ Wall Street is empowering its employees to build their own tech tools. But who is keeping track of all this stuff?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A story about training non-tech workers that has nothing to do with ChatGPT? Man Group, a $144 billion investment firm, has a popular training program to get non-tech workers up to speed on coding and data-science. Programs like <develop>, along with the rise of ChatGPT, speak to a wider trend across Wall Street of enabling employees to build their own tools despite not having a background in tech. Empowering people to build their own tools and apps to streamline their work seems great on paper. Read more about how Man Group teaches non-tech workers programming skills that help them save time.

☆ Bronny James Commits to U.S.C. as Father Dreams of N.B.A. Meet-Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Adam Zagoria | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LeBron James’s immediate goal is to win another N.B.A. championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. But longer term, he wants to play in the league with his older son, LeBron Jr., who goes by Bronny, beginning in 2024. “I need to be on the floor with my boy,” James told ESPN in January, recalling a situation from his childhood in which Ken Griffey and his son, Ken Griffey Jr., played for the Seattle Mariners. He was seated at courtside Saturday night as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series with the Golden State Warriors.

☆ Nothing Is Bigger Than Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sopan Deb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A playoff series headlined by Curry and James is the basketball equivalent of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles touring together. Or Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, except with a touch more gray and way more mutual respect. Or, in basketball terms, this is Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird in the 1980s. James, at 38, and Curry, at 35, are nearing the end of careers that have revolutionized basketball, with no clear heirs to continue the progression. “I think the league is very healthy as far as star power, but who takes the lead in that role?”

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Uber wants to predict your habits, Apple and Google team up, and Lebron James eyes Complex Networks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

And minting it could be a solution to avert a major economic catastrophe (here's an explanation of the looming disaster, by the way). This average-looking coin could prevent job losses, steep cuts to retirement savings, and other major financial blows. Shopify employees and experts brace for shakeup. Multiple sources told Insider that his company, SpringHill Co., has internally discussed offering around $100 million to buy Complex from Buzzfeed. Google tells employees to limit publishing AI research.

☆ LeBron James' SpringHill is circling Complex Networks as owner BuzzFeed struggles to regroup after layoffs and a stock price plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill has had conversations about buying BuzzFeed's Complex Networks, sources said. SpringHill Co., LeBron James and Maverick Carter's media and entertainment venture, has explored buying troubled BuzzFeed's Complex Networks, two sources familiar with the situation said. In addition to Complex Networks, BuzzFeed has HuffPost; food vertical Tasty, which includes licensed cooking products; as well as video series like travel-themed "Bring Me." Complex built long-form, host-driven video series like "Hot Ones" and "Sneaker Shopping" into high-profile brands in their own right. SpringHill Co. is a rollup including SpringHill Entertainment, which Carter founded with LeBron James, his childhood friend.

☆ Twitter is hiding who paid for a blue check mark while users keep dunking on Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter is hiding who paid for a blue check mark, now noting that the account is simply "verified." The old blue check mark message said the user had "subscribed to Twitter Blue." Elon Musk's social media app is now hiding who paid for its derided Twitter Blue service. Twitter also applied blue check marks to accounts of famous dead people, saying they were Twitter Blue subscribers even though they were very much deceased. As the blue check mark lost its luster, verified power users quickly tried to distance themselves from Musk's push for Blue subscriptions.

☆ Cristiano Ronaldo: Soccer star tops Forbes' highest-paid athlete list for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest paid athlete in the world, with a move to Al-Nassr nearly doubling his salary, according to Forbes. According to Forbes, Ronaldo has an estimated $75 million playing salary and has cashed in on a number of marketing opportunities. Both have lost sponsors since joining the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway group but have more than made up for it in prize money. Ronaldo was last named the world's highest-paid athlete in 2017. The American wasn’t even in the top 50 highest-paid athletes in 2022 but has now jumped up to sixth.

☆ Ronaldo tops Forbes' highest-paid athletes list in 2023 after Saudi move
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr nearly doubled his annual playing salary while Paris St Germain duo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe round off the top three, according to Forbes. Ronaldo, who joined the Saudi soccer club on a deal until 2025 after leaving Manchester United last year, earned $136 million with Forbes saying his annual playing salary went up to an estimated $75 million. Ronaldo's contract has been estimated by media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($219.98 million). Los Angeles Lakers player and NBA great LeBron James ($119.5 million) and Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($110 million) rounded out the top five. Four-times NBA champion Stephen Curry ($100.4 million) and Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant ($89.1 million) are the other two basketball players on the list.

☆ Dimmed Suns hope to recapture fire at home against Nuggets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - The Phoenix Suns return to the Valley with the grim task of turning around their Western Conference semi-final campaign against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, with star point guard Chris Paul's future uncertain. After the Nuggets humbled them 125-107 in Saturday's opener, the Suns improved their defense but little else in Monday's Game 2, losing 97-87. CURRY VS. LEBRONElsewhere in the playoffs picture, a star-studded California clash between LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers and defending champions Golden State Warriors kicks off in San Francisco on Tuesday. Philadelphia star James Harden equalled his career playoff high 45 points on Monday and will need another high-caliber performance for Game 2 in Boston on Wednesday with Embiid's future unclear. Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers told reporters their ability to win without Embiid was a testament to his players' preparedness.

☆ LeBron James vs. Steph Curry: Old rivalries reignite as LA Lakers face Golden State Warriors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took down the Memphis Grizzlies 4-2 in the opening round of the playoffs. In another battle of the old vs. the young, the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings in an exhilarating seven-game series. José Luis Villegas/APBattles of old2015 FinalsThe first NBA Finals matchup between LeBron and Steph was in 2015. Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images2017 FinalsThe Golden State Warriors responded to their 2016 Finals loss by recruiting Kevin Durant in the off-season. Following a disappointing end to his second stint with the Cavaliers, LeBron moved across to the West and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

☆ Steph vs. LeBron: The NBA’s Dream Duel Bounces Back
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Here we go again—tell the family, tell the neighbors, tell the pets, and tell the pets who say they only watch hockey. Definitely tell anyone who only watches Boston Bruins hockey, once they get back from crying for three days in the woods. Steph Curry. LeBron James. It’s an unexpected playoff re-rendezvous for two NBA all-timers, pitting Curry’s Golden State Warriors against James’s new-look (and not as terrible as expected!)

☆ Steph Curry hailed after record 50-point Game 7 playoff win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 points in Golden State’s 120-100 Game 7 victory against the Sacramento Kings, securing a 4-3 best-of-seven NBA playoff series win for the Warriors. He set the record for the most points in a Game 7 in NBA history, surpassing the 48 points scored by his former teammate Kevin Durant for the Brooklyn Nets against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Curry also became the first player in Warriors history with 40-plus points in a Game 7, according to ESPN. Curry shoots a three-point basket during the game against the Kings. Curry had scored 20 points, but his second-half burst helped propel Golden State to victory.

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