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)
As seen by attendance, the Olympics have progressed significantly in the 12 years since golf returned to the program.
This year, very few people are staying at home.
Bernd Wiesberger was one of two qualified players who chose not to play, which was unusual.
Wiesberger was Austria’s third-ranked player until tying for second place in the European Open, where he unexpectedly passed Matthias Schwab. He then withdrew almost quickly, which was not surprising given that Wiesberger previously withdrew from the Tokyo Games.
Cristobal Del Solar of Chile also withdrew, citing the fact that he is on the verge of receiving his first PGA Tour card and did not want to miss time on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The remaining qualified players have all confirmed their participation in Paris.
Adam Scott opposed golf in the Olympics from the outset and withdrew again. Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton also withdrew, though neither was eligible.
This contrasts sharply with the Rio Olympics, where the top four players in the world—Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jason Day—were among the dozen or so who stayed home.
This was mainly due to concerns about the Zika virus. McIlroy later stated that he despised the Olympics for making him choose between Ireland and Britain, but he eventually changed his mind and played for Ireland in Tokyo.
Golf | AP News Image
Men’s Golf Will Have A Good Attendance Record At The Paris Olympics
The Tokyo Games, which were postponed a year to 2021, had no fans due to the pandemic and daily COVID-19 exams. Eleven players, including Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Matt Fitzpatrick, Louis Oosthuizen, Francesco Molinari, and Camilo Villegas, elected not to play.
Villegas, Fitzpatrick, and Emiliano Grillo, three players who elected not to participate in Tokyo, will travel to Paris. The others were ineligible.
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau were scheduled to play in Tokyo until they tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to withdraw. Rahm will be in Paris, and DeChambeau is the second alternate.
But it’s a welcome difference that no one is discussing who isn’t going to the Olympics, at least among the males. It was never an issue for the women, who have been out in full force since the beginning.
The men’s Olympic field will have eight of the top ten players and thirteen of the top 25. Countries are allocated two players — a maximum of four if all are in the top 15 — ensuring that every eligible player attends Le Golf National.
Open and close?
Cam Davis of Australia won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, moving up to No. 38 in the global rankings. That may be needed to qualify him for the British Open.
Davis is almost set to be the highest-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking next week, which the R&A indicated it will use as a reserve list. Thomas Detry of Belgium is next on the OWGR, at No. 50 among those not previously exempt.
The question is whether a reserve list is necessary.
As of Tuesday, the field for the British Open was 132 participants (assuming Todd Hamilton does not compete since he has not since 2018). Two spots are available at the John Deere Classic, five for the top 20 players in the Race to Dubai following this week, and three for the Scottish Open.
Following Tuesday’s 36-hole qualifying round, 16 additional slots were added to the field. That brings the field to 158 players (or 159) when it should be 156. A reserve list or room for Davis may be unnecessary.
According to the R&A, two to three players often withdraw for various reasons, bringing the field back to 156. However, the Open will go with that number if it arrives at 158 (or 159).
Having a field of more than 156 players in the United Kingdom is not an issue because it only grows dark around 10 p.m. in the summer. The last time the field topped 156 participants was in 1995 when there were 159 at St. Andrews.
Davis’ sole path to Royal Troon could be to win one of the two spots available at the Scottish Open next week.
The wonderful life of Richard Bland
Richard Bland has won two of golf’s most prestigious senior majors, the U.S. Senior Open in a playoff at Newport and the Senior PGA Championship.
And now? We’re heading to Andalucia.
That is the next stop for LIV Golf. Bland has been a member of the LIV since its inception in 2022, with Saudi funding. He competed on the rival tour but has no status as one of the PGA Tour Champions.
Senior majors are only granted an exemption for the following year (2025). Even if Bland wanted to play the PGA Tour Champions, he’d have to wait a year after his last appearance on LIV Golf. If he stops now, it will be next July.
But why would he want to do this?
Bland can now compete in the two biggest senior majors next year. Bland has already earned slightly more over $2.3 million on LIV Golf this year, with his best finish of tied for seventh. It’s a tight timetable with big money.
Bland made $4.4 million on LIV last year, and he earned just more than $3.5 million in seven tournaments during the 2022 season. Steve Stricker had to win six times, including three majors, to earn under $4 million on the PGA Tour Champions last year.
Golf | AP News Image
Men’s Golf Will Have A Good Attendance Record At The Paris Olympics
A true rock star.
Fast-talking Rocco Mediate now broadcasts a twice-weekly show on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. Now he’s bringing in a true rockstar.
Media and shock rock superstar Alice Cooper have teamed up for a monthly show called “Rolling the Rock with Alice Cooper and Rocco Mediate,” which premieres on Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT.
Cooper began playing golf 50 years ago while recovering from alcoholism, has a handicap index of 4, and claims to be on the course six days a week, including while traveling.
Cooper and Mediate, a six-time PGA Tour champion best known for losing a U.S. Open playoff to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines, will share stories from their careers, welcome guests from the golf and entertainment sectors, and discuss current golf topics.
“It’s a completely improvised ‘anything goes’ show. Cooper stated, “We don’t know what we’re going to talk about until we start.” “We’re quite literally just ‘rolling the rock.'”
Divots
This is Deere & Co.’s 25th year as title sponsor of the John Deere Classic, making it the PGA Tour’s second-longest continuous title sponsor after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (39 years). Cameron Young has 18 top-10 finishes in his three full PGA Tour seasons. He is still waiting for his first win. Richard Bland got $800,000 for his U.S. Senior Open triumph, the third-highest salary of his career. He won $1.175 million in a three-way tie for third place at LIV Golf events in Thailand and Greenbrier last year.
Stat of the Week
Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton tied for tenth place in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, becoming the third amateur this year to finish in the top ten on the PGA Tour. This features American Express winner Nick Dunlap.
Final word
“It simply made me a better player. You will not always play your best golf, but I am the best player I have ever been.” ― Richard Bland about his experience playing LIV Golf.
HAMBURG, Germany — Cristiano Ronaldo has declared that he will retire after this year’s European Championship.
The 39-year-old Portuguese legend is competing in the Euros for the sixth time and has helped his side advance to the quarterfinals, where Kylian Mbappé and France will face off on Friday in Hamburg.
Ronaldo | AP News Image
Ronaldo Says He Is Playing His ‘Last European Championship’
Ronaldo told Portuguese public radio RTP following the penalty shootout triumph over Slovenia on Monday: “It is, without a certain, my final European Championship.
“But I am not emotional about it. I’m moved by everything football represents—the enthusiasm I have for the game, the excitement of seeing my supporters, my family, and the devotion people have for me.”
Ronaldo, one of the most prolific scorers in soccer history with a record 14 goals at the European Championships, stated that his major drive today is “making people happy.” During the Slovenia game, he burst into tears when a penalty was saved in overtime.
Ronaldo | AP News Image
Ronaldo Says He Is Playing His ‘Last European Championship’
“It’s not about leaving the world of football,” he informed me. “What else can I do or win?” It will not come down to one point more or less.”
SOURCE – (AP)
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