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☆ 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?”

☆ Apple stock price surge adds $135 billion to its market value after solid earnings beat. Here's what Wall Street is saying about the report.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple's latest earnings report exceeded analyst expectations and alleviated concerns of a slowdown in iPhone sales. The company launched a $90 billion stock buyback program and raised its quarterly dividend by 4%. While revenues declined for the second quarter in a row, falling about 3% year-over-year, the company's quarterly iPhone sales exceeded $51 billion, which beat analyst estimates by $2.5 billion. Also giving Apple investors confidence is the company's announcement of a new $90 billion stock buyback program and a 4% increase to the company's quarterly dividend, to $0.24 per share. Shares of Apple jumped more than 5% on Friday, adding $135 billion to the company's market value, which stood at about $2.77 trillion.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Jack Nicholson watches on courtside as LA Lakers dominate Memphis Grizzles to end series
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Hollywood great Jack Nicholson watched the LA Lakers put on a dominant display against the Memphis Grizzles Friday in Game 6 of the first-round series. Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesDetermined to avoid a Game 7 in Memphis, the Lakers beat the second-seeded Grizzles 125-85 to end the series. Victory for the Kings, the third seeds, at home on Sunday would mean a first playoff series win in 19 years and would eliminate the defending champions. Malik Monk scored 28 points for the Kings, De’Aaron Fox ended with 26 points, including a game-high 11 assists, and Keegan Murray 15 points. Steph Curry scored 29 points for a Warriors team who did not come close to threatening the Kings.

☆ Durant signs 'lifetime contract' with Nike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 28 (Reuters) - Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant has signed a 'lifetime contract' with sportswear giant Nike, the NBA star said on Friday, following in the footsteps of greats Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only basketball players to have lifetime deals. Durant, 34, has been with Nike since he made his NBA debut in 2007 -- the season he won the Rookie of the Year award -- and has released 15 different pairs of basketball sneakers. "When I first signed with Nike, I couldn't have dreamed of how far we'd go in this partnership. We've done amazing work creatively and philanthropically," Durant, a twice NBA champion and 13-times All Star, said in a statement via Boardroom. Nike has supported Durant's involvement in grassroots basketball by helping refurbish courts in communities across the world through the Durant Family Foundation.

☆ NBA roundup: Jimmy Butler, Heat eliminate Bucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Apr 26, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives against Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) during game five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Butler followed up his franchise-playoff-record, 56-point performance in Game 4 by helping the eighth-seeded Heat overcome a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit with 12 straight Heat points during one stretch before converting an alley-oop in the final second to force overtime. Bam Adebayo collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who will face the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Antetokounmpo recorded 38 points and 20 rebounds and Khris Middleton pumped in 33 points for the Bucks. Anthony Davis amassed 31 points and 19 rebounds and Austin Reaves registered 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the seventh-seeded Lakers.

☆ How Elon Musk upended Twitter and his own reputation in 6 months as CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But it’s not clear just how and when Musk might return Twitter to growth. Musk’s primary plan to grow Twitter’s business through an overhauled subscription strategy has resulted in much chaos but only a limited number of actual subscriptions. In the process, Musk has also upended his own reputation. Disrupting the digital town squareFor years, what differentiated Twitter from other social platforms was that it served as a central hub for real-time news. Tesla (TSLA) shareholders recently complained to the company’s board that Musk appears “overcommitted.”“His reputation has been diminished significantly with Twitter … and once you lose it, it’s very difficult to recover,” Klepper said.

☆ Prescient bets by the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Serena Williams have triggered an explosion in tech investing among Europe's sports stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

European sports stars are following US counterparts, such as Shaquille O'Neal, in betting on tech. O'Neal, who also made early bets on Google and Lyft, has shown how sports stars can become successful venture capitalists once their playing careers end. He's not alone in the US, with the football star Tom Brady and the basketball stars LeBron James and Steph Curry all actively investing in tech. The tennis legend Serena Williams went a step further and set up her own fund, Serena Ventures. Shaquille O'Neal has proven to be a shrewd tech investor with early bets on Ring, Google, and Lyft.

☆ Twitter grants UK far-right party Britain First 'official organization' label
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter labeled the British far-right political party Britain First an "official organization," raising questions about the direction in which Elon Musk has taken the platform after its content moderation and verification overhaul. When clicking on the checkmark, a textbox shows the message: "This account is verified because it's an official organization on Twitter." On April 20, about 400,000 legacy-verified Twitter accounts lost their blue checkmarks as part of Musk's drive to gain the platform more money from subscriptions. Individual users must pay $8 for a membership with Twitter Blue, which gives them features such as the blue tick and the ability to edit tweets. In response to those labels, NPR and CBC announced they would stop using Twitter in an official capacity to disseminate reporting.

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