BREAKING NEWS: Carolina Panthers Make Christian McCaffrey Highest-Paid Running Back in NFL History

BREAKING NEWS: Carolina Panthers Make Christian McCaffrey Highest-Paid Running Back in NFL History

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by | Apr 13, 2020 | Featured, NFL

There have been a lot of changes to the Carolina Panthers since the 2019 season ended. Ron Rivera is no longer the head coach (he’s with the Washington Redskins), Greg Olsen signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent, Luke Kechly retired, and the team released Cam Newton after being unable to find a trade partner.

The franchise plucked Matt Rhule from the college ranks and is hoping that he can work his culture magic in the NFL too.

It looks like they already got one player to buy in as it was announced that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has agreed to a four-year extension worth $64 million total—$16 million per year—with the Panthers.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news:

This deal makes McCaffrey’ the highest-paid running back in NFL history. He beats out Dallas Cowboys Star Ezekiel Elliott for the honor:

McCaffrey, through another Schefter tweet, said that he’s excited to remain with the organization that drafted him:

McCaffrey has been nothing short of great through his first three years in the NFL, just take a look at the list of accomplishments that ESPN’s Field Yates shared on Twitter:

Rhule and new offensive coordinator Joe Brady are hopeful that they can create a system that gets the most out of McCaffrey’s talents and revitalizes the fan base in Carolina.

Apr 13, 2020 No Comments
NBA HORSE Challenge: The Rundown

NBA HORSE Challenge: The Rundown

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by | Apr 12, 2020 | Featured, NBA

So, as of yesterday, it’s officially been one month since the NBA – and more formally, the sporting world – was halted due to concerns surrounding the global COVID-19 crisis that has affected millions of humans in more ways than one. It’s been a rough, worrisome, and pretty boring void that sports and competition usually fill at a surplus this time of the year and while we’ve been without hardwood hoops in the last month of the regular season, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been proactive in giving basketball fans something to cheer on during this uncertain time.

The NBA 2k20 Players Tournament came to an end Saturday night, as All-Star Suns guard Devin Booker took home the virtual gold in a sweep over teammate DeAndre Ayton in the tournament final, broadcasted live to the masses on ESPN as if it were a primetime matchup.

But now that the charitable 2K tournament is over, just what, you ask, succeeds it while captivating NBA fans for the next couple of weeks? Look no further than the inaugural NBA HORSE Challenge brought to you by State Farm, officially beginning tonight at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Headlined by both NBA/WNBA superstars and National Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinees, eight participants will duke it out in an old fashioned game of H.O.R.S.E – AKA that game that you and your friends probably in the played on the driveway in which one player calls a shot, makes it and leaves it up to his or her opponent to copy the shot, or risk going up a letter.

This classic game will have pairs of current All-Stars like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine and Utah Jazz Guard Mike Conley go up with, or pair against, legends such as “The Truth” Paul Pierce, “Big Shot” Chauncey Billups, and WNBA current players and greats in Tamika Catchings, and Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky. ESPN Commentator Mark Jones will serve as the official host and lead commentator for the games, as all competitors will attempt their shots within the safety and comfort of their isolated humble abodes.

State Farm will officially donate $200,000 on behalf of the participants to charities focused on Coronavirus relief and response efforts as this donation adds on to the already gratuitous $74 Million raised by the NBA and Nationa Basketball Players Association to support the many people, communities, and countries affected by this disease through its NBA Together campaign.

Here’s how the tournament works, per NBA.com’s official press release:

“Participants of the NBA HORSE Challenge presented by State Farm will be divided into two groups of four, with the winners of the first two games in each group meeting in the semifinals.  The winner from each group will move on to the championship round.  ESPN will present the four quarterfinal games on Sunday. The semifinals and the championship game will air on Thursday, April 16, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

A coin toss at the start of each game will determine who shoots first, with the more senior player calling heads or tails.  Players must describe each shot attempt, specifying the type of score they intend to make before taking a shot, such as a bank shot or swish. Dunking is prohibited. The first player in each game to accumulate the letters “H-O-R-S-E” after failing to match five shots is eliminated.”

As there are two groups of competitors in this challenge, Group one features battles between Chauncey Billups, Tamika Catchings, Mike Conley Jr., and Trae Young, and Group two will have games consisting of Zach LaVine, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, and Allie Quigley going at it.

Here are the matchups:

This is an elaborate effort by the NBA family to keep the sporting world unified during a tough time, so be sure not to miss out on the games of HORSE starting tonight on ESPN.

Apr 12, 2020 No Comments
Top 10 Easter-Themed Basketball Sneakers

Top 10 Easter-Themed Basketball Sneakers

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by | Apr 12, 2020 | Featured, NBA, Sneakers

Obviously Christmas-themed signature basketball sneakers are/were the ‘creme de la creme’ of specialty colorways in the NBA. Not too far behind the Christmas packs, are the Easter packs that brands used to put out just a few years ago. At SneakerReporter we compiled a list of the Top 10 Easter-themed Basketball Sneakers. There was some criteria that had to be met in order for a shoe to be considered for the list. First, the shoe has to be a signature basketball silhouette – brand does not matter. Second, the shoe has to have an apparent “Easter” theme to it, whether it be pastel colors, details on the upper, and originality. How much a shoe has those three phases of criteria will determine how high the shoe is in our Top 10. Look below to find out which sneakers made up our list and to see if there were any surprises you weren’t expecting.

 

 

10. Nike Kobe 11 Elite Low “Easter” (2016)

 

           

 

 

9. Nike Lebron X Low “Easter” (2013)

 

           

 

 

8. Adidas Dame 2 “Easter” (2016)

 

           

 

 

7. Nike Kyrie 2 “Easter” (2016)

 

                 

 

 

6. Adidas Dame 1 “Easter” (2015)

 

           

 

 

5. Nike Lebron XII “Easter” (2015)

 

                 

 

 

4. Nike Kobe 9 EM Low “Easter” (2014)

 

           

 

 

3. Nike KD V “Easter” (2013)

 

           

 

 

2. Nike KD IV “Easter” (2012)

 

           

 

 

1. Nike Kobe 8 “Easter” (2013)

 

                 

 

 

 

 

Apr 12, 2020 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Los Angeles Rams Trade Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans

BREAKING NEWS: Los Angeles Rams Trade Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans

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by | Apr 10, 2020 | Featured, NFL

Bill O’Brien is not done wheeling and dealing during the offseason just yet. With the 2020 NFL Draft two weeks away, the Houston Texans made a deal with the Los Angeles Rams that will send them the 57th overall pick in the upcoming event.

The trade also will see veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round pick shipped to Houston. Cooks will look to fill the void left behind from DeAndre Hopkins who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals earlier this offseason.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first to report the exchange:

The Houston Chronicle’s John McClain was the first to report the full details of the swap:

Cooks has been traded two previous times and in each instance—from New Orleans to New England and from New England to Los Angeles—and in both of those moves a first-round pick was also involved. This time, the seventh-year wide receiver was moved for a second rounder.

With all of the changes, the Texans still have a pretty solid group of weapons for Deshaun Watson to use:

However, whether or not you consider the moves upgrades, the Texans will be paying more money for their new set than the previous one:

For the Rams, this is another move to try and ease a financial burden that was ballooning since they agreed to a massive contract extension with quarterback, Jared Goff. Yet, they are still footing a big bill this year even after moving on from Cooks and Todd Gurley:

 

Apr 10, 2020 No Comments
NBA 2K20 Players Only Tournament: Here’s How It Works

NBA 2K20 Players Only Tournament: Here’s How It Works

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by | Apr 3, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Well, it’s not exactly NBA basketball, but given the current circumstances, there are sure to be little complaints on Friday night.

2K Sports announced on March 31 that an official NBA 2K Players Only Tournament would take place on the evening of Friday, April 3, meaning that sixteen of the league’s most prolific talents would test their stick skills and take to the prominent virtual basketball simulation known as NBA 2k20 in a single-elimination tournament, as the Xbox One will be the official console of play.

Headlined by the likes of new Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, the gaming tournament tips off — both virtually and denotatively — on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Now, anything basketball-related right now while the world is slowly recovering and flattening the curve amidst the COVID-19 crisis is a prize in itself, but the sixteen participants aren’t just playing for bragging rights on who is the best at 2k. The winner of this tournament will be crowned the ultimate NBA 2k20 champion, while also receiving a charitable donation of $100,000 from 2k, the NBA and the National Basketball Player’s Association as they select a charity beneficiary in support of the ongoing Coronavirus relief efforts.

So, here’s how this thing is broken down, as explained by NBA.com’s official press release back on March 31:

“Based on players’ seeding – which is determined first by NBA 2K rating, second by tenure – players will go head-to-head online in NBA 2K20. Prior to the tournament beginning, every player will choose eight of today’s NBA teams, each of which can only be used once. If a mirror match is set, the away team is awarded first choice of team. Rounds one and two will be single elimination, with the semifinals and finals running best of three.”

Below is the lead developer of NBA 2k Ronnie Singh, (AKA Ronnie 2k) as he explains just how this thing will work tonight, officially airing on ESPN at 7:30 as if it were another Friday night prime time NBA game.

As the seeding of the players were based on the ratings of their in-game avatars, Kevin Durant, given his career accolades and superior skill set, will be the highest-seeded player in the tournament as he is a top-five current player in the game, ratings-wise. His opponent tonight will be the 16th-seeded Derrick Jones Jr., the acrobatic wing from the Miami Heat who possesses a 78 overall rating in 2k20.

The seeding is as listed as follows:

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (96)
2. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (90)
3. Hassan Whiteside, Portland Trail Blazers (87)
4. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz (87)
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (86)
6. Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers (85)
7. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (85)
8. Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers (85)
9. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers (85)
10. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (85)
11. DeMarcus Cousins (81)
12. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (81)
13. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards (79)
14. Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers (78)
15. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings (78)
16. Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat (78)

And here’s who is facing who in the first round.

NBA.com

The teams selected in place for Jones Jr. are the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, while Durant will get to pick either the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder or Utah Jazz.

During these uncertain times where it feels like we haven’t seen any source of live competition to feed our palates, this 2K tourney attempts to do just that, so be sure to not miss a single minute of the NBA action on both ESPN and ESPN2 tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Additionally, if you’re unable to catch it on the major networks, the games will be streamed on the ESPN App, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook during and after the games have concluded their broadcasts.

Apr 3, 2020 No Comments