Sports
NBA Champion Bill Walton Dies After a “Prolonged Battle with Cancer
Bill Walton, a two-time NBA champion, died after a “prolonged battle with cancer,” the league confirmed Monday.
Bill Walton, who ruled the hardwood during a 13-year professional basketball career and later excelled as a sports commentator who both delighted and disappointed sports fans with his often zany color commentary, died Monday after a “prolonged battle with cancer,” according to the league.
According to NBA spokesperson Mark Broussard, Walton, 71, died while visiting his family.
Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977 and earned a second title with the Boston Celtics in 1986.
After a 13-year career on the court, Walton “translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans,” Silver said.
Walton was born on November 5, 1952, in La Mesa, California, and was a 6-11 high school basketball superstar before joining coach John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins.
Walton won three consecutive National College Player of the Year awards from 1972 to 1974 and helped the Bruins win NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973.
Walton was named to the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team but did not participate.
Off the court, Walton became one of the most divisive athletes in the country due to his vocal opposition to the Vietnam War, the Nixon government, and the FBI. During his junior year, he was detained for participating in a war protest.
Walton also defied stereotypes of what a college athlete should look like with his blazing red hair and plaid clothing. He declared himself a vegetarian, began meditation, and became a lifetime follower of The Grateful Dead.
He was the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft, and three years later, he led the Trail Blazers to a championship and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
Bill Walton in 1974: Getty Images
Bill Walton received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1978.
But, beginning in high school and during the rest of his career, Walton was plagued by foot and leg problems that compelled him to play through the pain. He missed three seasons due to injuries that required over three dozen surgeries to repair.
Walton retired at the age of 34, having played only 10 games during the 1986-87 season.
In his memoirs, he stated that his biggest regret was playing hurt.
Walton called games for NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, Turner Sports, and, most recently, ESPN’s Pac-12 basketball coverage. In 2001, he won an Emmy for best live sports television coverage.
Along the way, he amassed a collection of outrageous remarks, some of which were gathered online by an organization called Awful Announcing.
According to the NBA, he is survived by his second wife, Lori, and his four boys from his first marriage: Adam, Luke, Nate, and Christopher.
Source: NBC News
The Tour de France 2024 has produced two consecutive champions, with Tadej Pogacar wearing the yellow jersey in 2020 and 2021 and Jonas Vingegaard winning the general classification title the previous two years.
Will one of the two break the impasse in 2024, or will a new challenger emerge in cycling’s most important event? We’ll find out in three weeks when the Tour travels from Florence, Italy, to an extraordinary finish line in Nice. For the first time, the Tour will conclude outside of the French capital, while the Paris Olympics begin days later.
While it will be unusual to have the final stage held anywhere else than the iconic circle of the Champs-Elysees, the action leading up to that point should not disappoint. Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel are expected to fight Vingegaard and Pogacar in the GC race, while British sprinter Mark Cavendish will attempt to break the tie with Belgian great Eddy Merckx by winning a record 35th stage.
Matteo Jorgenson of Vingegaard’s powerful Visma squad, Neilson Powless and Sean Quinn of the EF Education-EasyPost team in the United States will start the race.
Sepp Kuss, the strongest American rider and 2023 Vuelta a Espana general classification champion, had to withdraw due to COVID. Kuss was instrumental in Vingegaard’s Tour victories over the previous two years and helped Roglic win the 2023 Giro d’Italia.
Here’s how to watch the 21 stages of the 2024 Tour de France 2024 in the United States.
To watch the Tour de France 2024 in the USA, use the following TV channel: NBC.
Live stream: Peacock and Fubo.
Traditional TV coverage of the Tour de France 2024 will be restricted this year, with just two stages shown live on NBC (another will be carried on delay). The full tour will be available on Peacock, the network’s streaming service.
The NBC broadcasts may be seen via Fubo, which provides a free trial for new customers to sample before purchasing. See the complete broadcast schedule for each stage below.
Tour de France 2024 Schedule
The Tour de France 2024 will include 21 stages. Due to preparations for the 2024 Olympics, two rest days have been inserted into the race itinerary, which starts on June 29 and ends on July 21 in Nice rather than Paris. For fans in the United States who tune in live, there will be many early starts, with most days ending shortly before noon.
| Stage | Date | Length | Location (type) | Start (ET) | TV/Streaming |
| 1 | June 29 | 206 km (128 miles) | Florence to Rimini (hilly) | 6:30 a.m. | Peacock |
| 2 | June 30 | 199.2 km (123.8 miles) | Cesenatico to Bologna (hilly) | 6:05 a.m. | Peacock |
| 3 | July 1 | 230.8 km (143.4 miles) | Piacenza to Turin (flat) | 6:50 a.m. | Peacock |
| 4 | July 2 | 139.6 km (86.7 miles) | Pinerolo to Valloire (mountain) | 7 a.m. | Peacock |
| 5 | July 3 | 177.4 km (110.2 miles) | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas (flat) | 6:55 a.m. | Peacock |
| 6 | July 4 | 163.5 km (101.6 miles) | Macon to Dijon (flat) | 7 a.m. | Peacock |
| 7 | July 5 | 25.3 km (15.7 miles) | Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin (individual time-trial) | 7:10 a.m. | Peacock |
| 8 | July 6 | 183.4 km (114 miles) | Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (flat) | 6 a.m. | Peacock, NBC, Fubo |
| 9 | July 7 | 199 km (123.7 miles) | Troyes to Troyes (hilly) | 7:05 a.m. | Peacock |
| Rest Day | July 8 | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | July 9 | 187.3 km (116.3 miles) | Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond (flat) | 6:55 a.m. | Peacock |
| 11 | July 10 | 221 km (137.3 miles) | Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran (mountain) | 6:55 a.m. | Peacock |
| 12 | July 11 | 203.6 km (126.5 miles) | Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot (flat) | 6:55 a.m. | Peacock |
| 13 | July 12 | 165.3 km (102.7 miles) | Agen to Pau (flat) | 7:30 a.m. | Peacock |
| 14 | July 13 | 151.9 km (94.3 miles) | Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan/Pla d’Adet (mountain) | 6:30 a.m. | Peacock, NBC, Fubo |
| 15 | July 14 | 198 km (123 miles) | Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille (mountain) | 6:55 a.m. | Peacock |
| Rest Day | July 15 | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | July 16 | 188.6 km (117.1 miles) | Gruissan to Nimes (flat) | 6:50 a.m. | Peacock |
| 17 | July 17 | 177.8 km (110.5 miles) | Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to SuperDevoluy (mountain) | 6:05 a.m. | Peacock |
| 18 | July 18 | 179.5 km (111.5 miles) | Gap to Barcelonnette (hilly) | 6:55 a.m. | Peacock |
| 19 | July 19 | 144.6 km (89.8 miles) | Embrun to Isola 2000 (mountain) | 7:05 a.m. | Peacock |
| 20 | July 20 | 132.8 km (82.5 miles) | Nice to Col de la Couillole (mountain) | 7:35 a.m. | Peacock, NBC, Fubo |
| 21 | July 21 | 33.7 km (20.9 miles) | Monaco to Nice (individual time-trial) | 10:10 a.m. | Peacock |
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Business
NFL Hit With Jury Verdict In ‘Sunday Ticket’ Antitrust Trial That Could Reach $14.1 Billion
On Thursday, a jury sentenced the NFL to pay more than $4.7 billion for antitrust violations related to its “Sunday Ticket” package. This package allows fans to watch games outside of their local areas but requires them to purchase access to a bundle of games to do so.
Because the case concerns antitrust, the verdict may be quadrupled if upheld, leaving the NFL liable for $14.1 billion in damages. However, the league, America’s most popular source of television content, has already promised to appeal.
NFL Hit With Jury Verdict In ‘Sunday Ticket’ Antitrust Trial That Could Reach $14.1 Billion
The verdict is so big that if it is upheld on appeal, it will deal a financial blow to America’s richest, most popular, and most profitable sport. According to estimates, the NFL’s annual revenue exceeded $18 billion last year, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has set a $25 billion revenue target for 2027. Rights fees are the primary source of revenue for professional sports teams, but this ruling can shake up those agreements and others across the industry, altering how teams generate money.
The case, filed in 2015, centered on the NFL’s package of games played outside of a local market that are not broadcast nationally on other networks. Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the class action suit said that by limiting broadcasts of such “out-of-market” games to the “Sunday Ticket” package, the NFL is forcing fans who only want to watch one or a few teams to pay more.
“Given the relatively low cost of internet streaming and satellite and cable television carriage, each team acting independently would offer their games at a competitive price to anybody in the country who wanted to watch that particular team,” the lawyers representing the plaintiffs said in a motion. “Instead, however, the teams have all forgone this option in favor of creating a more lucrative monopoly.”
NFL | NY Times
NFL Hit With Jury Verdict In ‘Sunday Ticket’ Antitrust Trial That Could Reach $14.1 Billion
“Justice was done, and it was a great day for consumers everywhere,” added the politician. “It was a real decisive win.”
During arguments, the plaintiffs contended that supporters of certain clubs should be able to purchase packages containing only the games they want to watch rather than the full league’s worth of out-of-market games. However, the jury did not rule on whether that would happen now. It merely determined the amount of damages.
“I don’t know, but I sure hope so,” Carmody remarked when asked if individual game or team packages would suddenly be available. “That question is something the court is going to deal with separately.”
The NFL has contended that it offers the best value to its fans by allowing them to watch a wide range of games for free on broadcast networks and other games for free if they have cable, satellite, or streaming services.
NFL | Sky image
NFL Hit With Jury Verdict In ‘Sunday Ticket’ Antitrust Trial That Could Reach $14.1 Billion
“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the NFL stated Thursday. “We believe our media distribution strategy is the most fan-friendly in sports and entertainment, with all NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air TV in participating teams’ markets and national distribution of our most popular games.” We will likely challenge this decision because we feel the class action allegations in this case are unfounded and without merit.”
The argument focused on the package as supplied by DirecTV, which had held the exclusive Sunday Ticket package until it was lost to Google-owned YouTube TV at the start of last season, at a cost of $2 billion per year, according to the Wall Street Journal. YouTube charges fans $449 per year for the package.
SOURCE – (CNN)
Sports
The Lakers Have Hired Redick And Drafted Bronny. They Clearly Hope To Lock Down LeBron For Good Next
El Segundo, California – Three days after LeBron James’ podcast partner was named head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the organization drafted Bronny, James’ oldest kid.
Unless they rename the organization after him next, it’s hard to think of anything else the Lakers could do to ensure the greatest scorer in NBA history stays with them for the remainder of his unrivaled career.
Well, sort of finally securing a third superstar for James after years of effort.
The Lakers Have Hired Redick And Drafted Bronny. They Clearly Hope To Lock Down LeBron For Good Next
Although James’ future remains uncertain until he publicly selects where he will play next season, the Lakers selection of his 19-year-old son in the second round of the NBA Thursday appears to make it extremely improbable that LeBron will be anywhere other than Los Angeles in the fall.
“The biggest moments in sports happen with the Lakers,” remarked general manager Rob Pelinka. “That’s how we’re built, and we’re excited to see this story unfold.”
LeBron and Bronny — that is, LeBron James Jr. — would be the first father and son to play in the NBA simultaneously, let alone on the same team. If LeBron Sr. exercises his $51.4 million player option for next season this week, he can accompany his kid to work in the fall.
Pelinka was careful not to get ahead of himself while bragging about Bronny’s potential, but the general manager recognized that a father-son coupling in purple and gold was “something that could be magical.”
“We know and have to respect, of course, that LeBron has a decision about his opt-out,” Pelinka told the audience. “I’m sure he, his family, and his agent will discuss what they’re going to do there, and he has the flexibility to do whatever is best for him and his family. But if he joins our club next season, NBA history might be created, and it should be made in a Lakers uniform.”
With their two significant signings this week, the Lakers have made it plain that they intend to keep James as their centerpiece and leader for his record-tying 22nd NBA season this fall and beyond.
Los Angeles’ new coach is JJ Redick, who co-hosted the “Mind the Game” podcast with James this year. Redick is a 15-year NBA veteran who has never coached an adult basketball game, but the Lakers promptly hired the broadcaster after Dan Hurley declined—and Pelinka acknowledged that Redick’s compatibility with James was positive.
The Lakers | Hollywood reporter
The Lakers Have Hired Redick And Drafted Bronny. They Clearly Hope To Lock Down LeBron For Good Next
Bronny, the Lakers’ 55th overall pick, had unimpressive stats in his single year of college at Southern California. Bronny James is talented, but the same athlete with a different name would have had a lower chance of being selected.
Bronny James was thoroughly scouted by Pelinka and the Lakers, and he performed admirably at the pre-draft camp and in a workout at the Lakers’ training complex, which was followed by a meeting with him. Pelinka claimed he never asked Bronny what he thought about the potential strain of playing alongside his father, which even LeBron admitted Bronny was not willing to do.
“We really kept the draft process to Bronny being a Laker, and what we felt like we needed to do to help him become great,” Pelinka informed the crowd. “We didn’t talk a lot about that, just because (we) wanted to respect his dad’s decision as a free agent, so that wasn’t really something that came up.”
Depending on how James decides to proceed, his decision feels increasingly formal. The 20-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion has expressed his desire to play a season with his kid numerous times throughout the years, and the fantasy is now just a signature away from becoming reality.
James might exercise his option for 2024-25 or negotiate a new agreement for considerably more money. He could sign a three-year, $162 million contract that would give him the longest career in NBA history if he played it out.
Either option would likely be acceptable to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who demonstrated a similar fierce dedication to Kobe Bryant when she pushed for a $48.5 million extension for the final two seasons of his career despite his mounting injury problems.
Bronny is unlikely to help the Lakers win right now, but their option with the 17th overall pick might: Dalton Knecht, the high-scoring Tennessee wing who was named SEC Player of the Year, appears to be one of the draft’s most pro-ready players, and not just because he is already 23 years old.
“In my mind, I thought there’s no way a player that skilled would be available to us (at No. 17),” Pelinka disclosed.
Lakers | AP News Image
The Lakers Have Hired Redick And Drafted Bronny. They Clearly Hope To Lock Down LeBron For Good Next
Pelinka has repeatedly tried to keep fans’ expectations low for a major player addition to a team that lost to Denver in the first round of the playoffs, instead focusing on incremental improvements to the core around James and Anthony Davis, as well as a potential bench upgrade from Redick’s innovative basketball mind.
“We’ve explored every upgrade we could to make our team better,” Pelinka told the crowd. “Trades in general have become more difficult as a result of the new CBA system, and there is less opportunity to make such major moves than there was under the previous system. But that didn’t stop us from looking into everything and finding methods to improve ourselves.”
SOURCE – (AP)
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