Sports

Relationships, Taylor Swift’s Sourdough Bread

In early June, Tate McRae celebrated her recent move to New York by catching Knicks fever. It was less than a year since she relocated from Los Angeles, where she kick-started her career as music’s next Main Pop Girl, yet she could feel the electricity coursing through her new city over a potential championship win. So she did what any young celebrity would do: She put on a Knicks T-shirt and headed up to Madison Square Garden to watch Game 4 from a suite with her close friend Hailey Bieber. “I really was the one who jumped on the bandwagon. I was like, ‘I love New York!’” says McRae with a laugh.
It’s now a few weeks later — the late afternoon of the Knicks’ victory parade — and she’s seated in a conference room of a photo studio overlooking the Flatiron District. On the streets below, vendors are hawking bootleg merchandise as stragglers from the festivities color the sidewalks with blue-and-orange jerseys and hats.
McRae, meanwhile, is just trying to blend in. Near the end of the shoot, she glides from room to room, swarmed by her team. Few heads turn despite her tall, unmistakable frame shuffling across the floor. As much as she has been seen these days — which has been a lot, to the tune of more than a million Tater Tots (her fandom name) at her latest tour — she’s still unsure how to deal with the glare of thousands of iPhones. She’s figuring herself out, like any 23-year-old would, by clinging to her journal.
“You’ve gotta learn yourself. You have to write down, ‘What are my favorite songs? What are my favorite colors? What are my favorite references? What are my favorite movies?’” she says. “That, I think, shapes your identity and hopefully comes across through you as the vessel.”
It’s been about seven months since she concluded her “Miss Possessive” tour, an 88-date worldwide trek that grossed more than $100 million, and she’s finally coming back down to earth. The experience was unparalleled for anyone her age, bringing the kind of attention that sends our best and brightest stars into spectacular spirals. (Think Britney Spears, with whom she’s endlessly compared.) For McRae, the concerts were so overwhelming that she can’t even recall the finale at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in November. When asked about her electric piano not cooperating as she stood behind the keyboard that night, she draws a blank: “I have early signs of dementia, I think, because I can’t remember anything that’s ever happened to me.”
To the world, McRae is a strong, fearless entertainer, a triple threat who can pen songs that recall the fizzy pop of the early aughts and bring them to life as a ferocious singer and dancer. But in her new home, she’s relishing the cloak of anonymity that only New York can offer. She set up shop in NoHo, frequenting her local coffee shop and going for hot Pilates. She’s read some books — recommending Sidney Sheldon’s 1982 thriller “Master of the Game” — and learned how to cook three things: ground turkey, eggs and sweet potatoes, the latter of which she makes in an air fryer. On some days, she’ll walk through Washington Square Park or talk with random strangers; on others, she’ll log on to Zoom for meetings with her team.
Life is, for now, normal, whatever that means. But that’s about as normal as it can get for a pop star of McRae’s standing. Over the past few years, the Canadian native has risen from a YouTube upstart to what some are christening Gen-Z’s answer to Spears. Her breakthrough sophomore album, 2023’s “Think Later,” was a purposeful shift from introspective balladry to Y2K-era pop, spawning the Nelly Furtado-indebted single “Greedy,” which climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. A little over a year later, McRae hit full throttle with “So Close to What,” which bowed atop the albums chart in February 2025. Not long after, she scored her first Grammy nomination with the slick “Just Keep Watching” off the “F1: The Movie” soundtrack.
Amid it all, McRae’s stock continued to rise in celebrity circles. Following the Grammys, where she came up empty-handed, she put the loss behind her at Charli xcx’s after-party. In May, she made her Met Gala debut in custom Ludovic de Saint Sernin and held hands with Blackpink’s Rosé as they stepped into GQ’s post-gala fete. After the Knicks’ historic Game 4 win, McRae and Bieber headed down to the club Zero Bond to hobnob with Sombr, the Haim sisters and Taylor Swift, who had previously sent her a homemade loaf of sourdough bread.
“The basket smelled amazing,” McRae recalls, leaning forward as though she’s letting me in on a secret. “I don’t know what perfume she wears, but I was like, ‘She must smell incredible.’”
In July, Swift invited McRae to attend the wedding of the century at Madison Square Garden, and a few weeks later, McRae was back in Los Angeles to deliver the match ball at the opening of a FIFA World Cup game.
“I think she just stands out so distinctly,” says Bieber, who attended husband Justin Bieber’s Skylrk World Cup party with McRae following Spain’s title win on July 19. “You can’t help but want to listen and watch her. She works her ass off. She’s making a clear mark.” It only helps, adds Bieber in an email, that McRae is gracious with those she chooses to keep company with: “Tate is as sweet as they come. I may be biased when I say I love a Canadian” — like her husband — “but I really do. She is salt of the earth, grounded and always fun to be around.”
At Blonde Studios in New York City, McRae appears to be enjoying the leisurely pace of a photo shoot. She’s tried on several looks and ends the day in jeans and a denim-meets-tiger-print spaghetti-strap top. She loves the jeans so much, in fact, that she asks her team if she can keep them. You wouldn’t know it from her bubbly disposition, but her songs tend to be the tell: McRae can’t help facing her darkest thoughts in her music. It’s evident on songs like “Nostalgia,” where she sings of having “a lot to lose, so I might as well lose it anyway,” or on “Horseshoe,” a cinematic tune in which she asks, “Where should my sadness go?”
McRae speaks as though a giggle is always on the verge of escaping her lips. But she’s clearly overcome by her inner monologue. As she discusses the swings of her career, she’s candid about the pressures of fame and its often crushing weight. She looks back on the emotional comedown from the “Miss Possessive” tour, for instance, and muses about just how deeply it embedded itself under her skin.
“I remember reading Sylvia Plath being like, ‘I am her,’” she says as she lets out a small laugh. “My thoughts felt so dark at the time, and I felt so lonely. I really needed to come back into my body and regulate my nervous system. I was so shot after the tour. I couldn’t really sleep at night. I’d seen so much of myself that I was like, ‘I want to go into a black room and not look in a mirror for six months.’ And I think I really had to check myself and be like, ‘You’re not the worst person in the world. You’re not the ugliest person in the world. You haven’t done everything wrong. And, you know, you’re just doing what you love.’”
McRae has turned to the stage to establish some semblance of stability. Performing, she says, is where she feels most at home. Much like Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce, she inhabits a character onstage named Tatiana, who allows her to tap into the raw energy that powers her shows. She’s at her peak when she’s dancing and singing; remove the dancing, and she’s slightly less confident. Put her onstage to accept an award and give a speech, and her anxiety kicks into high gear.
“Sometimes in smaller rooms, you feel more nervous than [in front of] 20,000 people, and you start to target why you feel nervous and why you don’t try to overcome that,” she says. Dancing is her sweet spot, and she’s gone viral time and again for her exacting moves. Her performance from last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, a showstopping medley of the zippy “Sports Car” and “Revolving Door,” was just nominated for a 2026 Emmy. “I think it’s muscle memory. When I was a kid feeling awkward in my skin or feeling uncomfortable, dancing was my way of feeling cool and feeling like I excelled at something. And I think I feel that way when I perform, like I’m in my element.”
McRae has been nurturing her passion for performance since she was 6, studying ballet in her native Calgary before expanding her love of the arts to music. In 2017, she began posting original songs on YouTube via her “Create With Tate” series that, two years later, led to her signing with RCA. Her first album, 2022’s “I Used to Think I Could Fly,” might as well have been from an entirely different artist, one who wallowed in her feelings on ballads with grim titles like “Hate Myself” and “Feel Like Shit.”
It was with “Think Later” and, subsequently, “So Close to What” that she found her footing, quite literally, by marrying her love of choreography with her propensity for singing and songwriting. (“Sad girl bit got a little boring,” she admits on “Think Later” opener “Cut My Hair.”) It was all in service of the spectacle — McRae meticulously delivers bespoke performances for almost all her gigs, whether as musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” twice, or at events like the iHeartRadio Music Festival and the Billboard Music Awards.
She manages all this, she says, by treating work like play: “Our biggest thing is romanticizing and making everything so fun. It’s like, let’s go rent a pink Jeep and romanticize the shit out of this experience. That keeps life very light and exciting and a bit like a fantasy, which is the only way to approach this because it can come with a lot of pressure.”
McRae tries to stay in control as much as she can. Her songs have elicited speculation online about their subjects, as though they are the Rosetta stone of Tate McRae. “So Close to What” is assumed to be about her then-boyfriend, rapper the Kid Laroi, who is featured on one of its songs. After a year and a half of dating, they split last summer, and in September, McRae released the scathing kiss-off “Tit for Tat,” which was largely believed to be about the betrayal she felt from the breakup. (“My dad hates you, my dog hates you, my brother hates you and I do too / I asked all of California, they all happy that you moved,” she sings on “Anything but Love” from the deluxe edition of “So Close to What.” The songs sent some corners of the internet into overdrive.)
For her own sanity, McRae prefers to float above the noise, staying out of the discourse and letting the work speak for itself. “If you think about the reception while you’re creating, you’re destroying the process. Thinking about reception and people interpreting is so terrifying to me,” she says.
McRae has famously disavowed X, instead curating her online presence with carefully deployed posts on Instagram and TikTok: “I’m always shocked by how much people speculate and talk about things. It’s really scary. So I try not to read it, and let it drift off into the wind.”
That also means walking a tightrope of keeping her relationships out of the public eye. Just a day before the photo shoot, celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi published a post speculating on the status of her romance with New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, with whom she was linked earlier this year. It’s not a stretch, given her fierce hockey fandom: On the cover of “Think Later,” she wears hockey pads — a very Canadian move — and she was a celebrity co-captain with Justin Bieber and Michael Bublé at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.
“I try to keep my relationships as sacred and private as possible,” she says. She’s careful about how much she reveals, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. “I love the people in my life. They love me. You just try to keep that circle as positive and supportive as possible. And the outside noise, I can’t do anything about that. Focusing my energy on something that I can’t control, it just puts me in a bad mood.”
Things she can’t control? Last year, she duetted with Morgan Wallen on the song “What I Want,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 but enabled the internet to brand her as a MAGA supporter by association with the country singer. Her relationship with Hughes only strengthened that narrative after his team laughed at a distasteful joke made by President Trump during a congratulatory call following their Olympic win earlier this year.
I ask her why it’s important for her not to tread into that sort of conversation. “I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour,” she says. Last year, for instance, she posted a TikTok advertising a “Little Miss Possessive” hoodie, with a portion of proceeds going to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focusing on suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth, and Global Fund for Women. “I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support. And I hope that my fans can see that through the things that I’m putting my energy towards.”
As she navigates the choppy waters of superstardom, McRae has been finding comfort in her family. At the photo shoot, her mother, Tanja Rosner, sits in the adjacent room with McRae’s manager as the crew packs up. Usually her mom is back in Canada, and they talk to each other, McRae says, “around seven times a day.” “I’m living with my mom on FaceTime,” she adds, often starting her day by having a virtual coffee with her. Her only sibling, Tucker, who just graduated from Dartmouth, is about to come live with her in New York. She goes home a few times a year, mainly for her birthday and Christmas, to see her parents, grandfather and friends.
She’s also begun work on her fourth album, which is in the see-what-sticks phase. She had her first session for the project in February with hit songwriters Amy Allen and Emile Haynie, whose collective credits include everyone from Sabrina Carpenter and Lana Del Rey to Olivia Rodrigo and Harry Styles. As with her past records, McRae is mood-boarding much of the project but still doesn’t know how it will take shape. All she really says about it is that she flips through a Dolly Parton coffee-table book filled with her lyrics for inspiration and has some of the country legend’s songs on a playlist she calls “Bubbly Bubbly Brain Refresh.” She avoids listening to straightforward pop music while writing and recording; it leaves her uninspired.
As the sun begins to set on New York City, McRae says she’s looking toward the two major festival appearances looming on the calendar. She’s headlining Montreal’s Osheaga Festival and Chicago’s Lollapalooza, taking place on the same weekend in early August, and rehearsals are starting in a few weeks. A lot is riding on Osheaga, she says, since it’s her first time performing at a festival in Canada. She knows it needs to be above her standard, which is already impossibly high.
“There’s always thought about how you want your legacy to go down,” she says. “For me, the way to do that is try to beat your last performance, try to beat your last song, try to grow, evolve, pick it apart, rip it apart, figure out what didn’t work, what I didn’t like about that performance, what I could have done better, why I was nervous, figure out how to not be nervous. I think the more you can master yourself and your performances, the better you get.”
Styling by Lucy Gaston; Prop Styling by Jacob Burstein/MHS Artists; Makeup: Kennedy/Streeters; Hair: Evanie Frausto/Streeters; Look 1 (cover): Tank Top: Miu Miu; Bra: Journelle; Socks and Shoes: Prada; Look 2 (Grey Sweater) Underwear: Calvin Klein; Socks: Baserange; Look 3 (Yellow Sweater): Sweater: Miu Miu; Underwear: Araks; Look 4 (Blue Outfit): Top and pants: Miu Miu; Shoes: Paris Texas

Sports

How to Watch Makhachev vs Machado Garry Live Online Free

Variety could receive an affiliate commission if you buy a product or service that has been independently reviewed through our website.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship moves from Las Vegas, where Max Holloway beat Conor McGregor by TKO within 70 seconds during UFC 329. Now the Ultimate Fighting Championship is moving to Philadelphia to host UFC 330. In the marquee fight, Russian Islam Makhachev will defend his welterweight belt against Irish fighter Ian Machado Garry. The match is scheduled to last five rounds.
The UFC 330 event, Makhachev vs. Machado, will take place on Saturday, August 15, at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, in Philadelphia. The main event will begin at 9:00 p.m.
Islam Makhachev, who has been the champion of the world for the past nine months is the overwhelming favorite to retain the title. Ian Machado Garry was Makhachev’s most difficult opponent in his era as champion, but there is still a chance for an upset.
Since UFC 330 will be a very high-profile event, you can expect to see a number of famous people in the audience, including Shane Gillis Kevin Hart Rob McElhenney, and more.
UFC 330 is likely to draw as many viewers, especially with Makhachev defending the UFC Legacy Championship Belt.
UFC 330 Online – How to watch it for free
Livestreaming is available on Paramount+. UFC 330 does not offer a livestream that requires PPV. Paramount+ is required to view it live.
UFC 330 is available to new subscribers for $8.99/month with the Paramount+ Essential Plan, which includes all UFC events including numbered events and fight nights.
There is a way to save money on Paramount+ if you want to watch UFC 330 live. The streamer does not offer a trial. You can get a free 30-day Walmart+ trial right now. Paramount+ is one of the perks that come with Walmart’s loyalty program.
Walmart+ offers many benefits, including free delivery, fuel discounts, Burger King specials, early access, and more. Find out more here about the benefits of Walmart+.
You can watch UFC 330 for free, regardless of which Paramount+ package you choose.
DirecTV’s “Premier” Package offers cord-cutters the opportunity to enjoy live sports, as well as other streaming services. You can get more than 185 TV channels for $129.99 per month for your first service (and then $169.99/month thereafter). Paramount+ is also included for UFC 330. You can try DirecTV for five days without committing.
Main Card: 9 pm ET/6 pm PT
Prelims: 7 pm ET/4 pm PT

Sports

New Disney CEO defends ESPN amidst sports losses

ESPN is undergoing its most significant transformation ever. Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro has been asked if the world leader in sports will still be part of Disney’s future.
This latest question was asked during his first CNBC sit-down since taking over from Bob Iger, the new Los Angeles Lakers owner and longtime CEO. Disney’s ownership over ESPN is in the spotlight, as it tries to navigate an environment with rising cable fees, cord cutting, and streaming. ESPN also sold 10 percent of its stake in the NFL to an equity agreement as part of a repositioning strategy for the future.
Skeptics about ESPN’s future in the Disney fold will point out the Q3 2026 earnings of the company, where its sports division fell by an astounding 17 percent. The executives who spoke on the call highlighted ESPN’s increased ratings for the NBA Finals, and their strength in the portfolio. However, Disney has yet to determine how best to position ESPN Unlimited as part of its streaming empire including Disney+.
In an interview with CNBC D’Amaro said, in response to a question about the decline of sports, that he wanted more sports moved to Disney+ so as to reach casuals. In the interview with CNBC, D’Amaro stated that when asked about declining sports viewing, he wants more to be moved over to Disney+ in order for it reach more casuals.
It’s clear to me that I am not interested in spinning out ESPN. Anyone in the sports industry who looks at the sports rights we hold and the fans that are associated with them would be jealous. The ratings have gone through the roof. We haven’t seen anything like it before. It is my belief that it belongs in the ecosystem. As for how we’ll integrate it into the ecosystem, in our Q3 earnings report I mentioned that we would start to add more sports onto Disney+. The casual sports fan can engage in this area and create more stickyness on the Disney+ platform. In terms of rights to sports, I believe that ESPN has done a great job in securing the rights most valuable to us, which are the best sports rights. We will remain committed to this.
In recent years, corporate spinoffs are all the rage among entertainment giants. NBCUniversal split off Versant from its cable networks, resulting in the formation of USA Sports. Warner Bros. Discovery had been ready to follow suit before being swallowed by Paramount’s growing media empire.
ESPN remains the leader in the world of sports, regardless of whether the content is linear or streamed. Its rights portfolio, its brand recognition and its reach are unmatched. As we’ve seen over the past few years, media is under more and harsher pressures. No company has the luxury of choosing what they do. ESPN is facing a difficult reality: astronomically increasing rights fees, as seen in new NBA and NFL contracts. This comes at a time when cable and satellite subscribers have been declining for many years.
Even though ESPN and Disney are better placed than their competitors to face these challenges, this may not be sufficient to make a turnaround. Not yet, at least.

Sports

Who’s Next Up? Five Former NBA Players on the Doorstep of Basketball Hall of Fame

On Saturday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2026 and welcomed nine new members.
Amar’e Stoudemire, the former NBA star who has been the most prominently recognized this year is Amar’e Stoudemire. Doc Rivers and Mike D’Antoni will also be honored for their contributions to basketball. Joey Crawford will also be inducted, as he is one of NBA’s most tenured officials. Mark Few, the Gonzaga head coach, was also recognized.
Three WNBA women legends were honored this year: Elena Della Donne (on the men’s side), Candace Parker, and Chamique Holdersclaw. Team USA, which won gold in the 1996 Olympics, will also be recognized as a group. The team, led by Hall of Famers like Lisa Leslie and Dawn Staley as well as Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, helped set the scene for the founding of the WNBA in 1996.
Stoudemire being inducted as the 2003 NBA Rookie of Year, and six-time All-Star is a great example for other players who either missed the cut or were on the cusp of becoming eligible. Stoudemire didn’t have a single title in his 14 year NBA career. This is a common factor against borderline Hall of Fame candidates. Stoudemire played his last game in the NBA during the 2015-16 NBA season. He waited 7 years since he became eligible.
Five former NBA stars could be added to the Hall of Fame in future years.
Blake Griffin
Career stats (19.0 PPG, 8. RPG, 4. APG), 49.3 Fg%, 32.8% 3P% and 69.6% FT% in 13 seasons
Accolades Six-time All-Star. Three-time All-NBA Second Team. Two-time All-NBA Third team. 2011 Rookie Of The Year. 2011 Slam Dunk Contest Champion
Hall of Fame Eligible: Now
Griffin was eligible for the Hall of Fame this year, and a finalist. However, he did not get into the class of 2026. Griffin never reached the NBA Finals, and only once did he reach the Conference Finals. This was in his last season with the Celtics.
Griffin was a dominant player at the beginning of his career. This is even though he did not play in his first NBA year after being selected as the number one pick by the Clippers during the 2009 NBA draft. Griffin, the rookie of the year in his debut season with the Los Angeles Clippers and an All-Star for each of his five first seasons in Los Angeles was Griffin’s first accomplishment. Griffin was the Pistons’ primary player after being traded at the trade deadline in 2018.
It’s worth noting that, while this may be insufficient for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to consider a player’s complete basketball career. As a McDonald’s All-American, he was a McDonald’s All-American and the National College Player of the Year. He’s also one of the most talented dunkers that we have ever seen. Griffin is a good candidate because the Hall of Fame does not have an exclusive membership. Griffin has a resume that is comparable to, or better than Stoudemire’s.
Andre Iguodala
Career Stats: 46.3 FG% (33.0 3P%), 70.9 FT% and 11.3 PPG (19 seasons).
The NBA has given him many accolades, including four-time NBA champ, MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals, an All-Star and one-time All-Defense First Team, as well as Olympic gold (2012). Warriors retire No. 9.
Hall of Fame Eligible: Now
Iguodala is the case that’s most intriguing because he did not have a high box score. He is, however, the only NBA champion on this list. And he has four. He was also the Finals MVP when in 2015 the Warriors took their first championship with Steph on the team and started the dynasty.
Iguodala, who retired in 2023 and is eligible to enter the Hall of Fame for this year because he meets its criteria, should qualify. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame told Sports Illustrated that players must have been out of the sport for at least two calendar years. Iguodala did not receive a nomination this year despite meeting the requirements.
In the 2015 Finals, he was the perfect example of winning role players. He helped Golden State to minimize LeBron (as best as they could) and win the series. Iguodala did not start any games that year until the finals, and he helped the Warriors win the series by being part of their infamous death lineup.
Derrick Rose
Stats for career: 17.4 PPG (per game), 5.2 APG (per game), 3.2 RPG (45.6 FG%), 31.6 3P% (83.1 FT%) (15 seasons).
Awarded: 2009 Rookie Of The Year, Three-Time All-Stars, 2011 NBA MVP Bulls retire No.
Hall of Fame eligibility: 2027
Rose’s only MVP in 2011 is the card that will be used to determine whether he makes it into Hall of Fame. In his third year, Rose was the NBA’s most prestigious player. He is still the youngest to win the award. His first four years with Chicago were electric, but an ACL tear in the first playoff game of 2012 kept him from playing the entire season the following year. This limited the explosiveness of his style for the remainder of his career.
Later in his career, he reinvented himself as an excellent bench player. No one will ever forget the emotional 50-point career high game he played as a Timberwolves member in 2018.
Three All-Stars and one All-NBA (first-teamer in his MVP year) is all he has achieved. Normal, this is not an honorable mention. If Rose were to miss the cut, he would be the first NBA MVP not inducted. Rose, given his history of injuries and how he played before the knee problems, should be contacted by Springfield even if it takes a little time.
Chris Paul
Career Stats: 46.9 Fg%, 37.0% 3P% and 87.0 FT%.
Accolades: 12 time All-Star; 2013 All-Star Game, MVP. Four-time All-NBA First Team, Seven-time All-Defense First team. 2006 Rookie Of The Year. Five-time assist leader. Six-time steal leader. Member of NBA 75th Anniversary team. Olympic Gold Medalist (2008 and ’12).
Hall of Fame eligibility: 2029
The Hall of Fame has the easiest case of all retired players. Paul was named to 12 All-Star Teams and 11 All-NBA teams. Paul was an excellent defender who led the NBA with steals for six years and began offenses like no other. CP3 has to be considered one of the best point guards in history. One thing that works against him is his lack of NBA titles, but with his brilliance and longevity he will be a Hall of Famer in no time.
Paul was still great in the later part of his career. He helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals at age 35, the only time that he won a championship. As a member of Team USA, he won gold at both the Olympics in 2008 and 2012. Paul is not without a championship, but that’s no excuse. Paul’s decade plus of being the NBA’s best point guard, and second in all-time assists and steals only behind John Stockton (in both categories), cements his status as one the greatest guards in history.
By 2029 CP3 will have his orange jacket.
Russell Westbrook
Career stats: 19.9 PPG (per game), 8.0 APG (6.9 per season), 43.8 FG% (30.8 3P%), 77.1 FTP% (18 seasons).
Accolades: NBA MVP 2017, nine-time All-Star; two-time All-Star Game MVP; two-time All-NBA First Team selections, scoring champion twice, assists leader three times, NBA 75th Anniversary team member, Olympic gold (2012)
Hall of Fame eligibility: 2029
Westbrook has just retired so he still has time. He should, though, be in the Hall of Fame by 2029. Westbrook may be another NBA player who is a victim of the “no-ring” argument but it can’t be denied that he is one the greatest guards ever. He’s also one of the unique players that we will ever see.
He was good at almost everything, and played at a fierce tenacity. Westbrook is the NBA’s triple-double leader, but not for much longer. Nikola Jokic only has 11 more than him. Although the current record-holder makes it look simple, a triple-double is certainly not easy. In four seasons, he averaged a Triple-Double and during his MVP year he was the leading scorer in the league with 31.6 per game. It is amazing to average a triple-double of 30 points while missing only one game.
Westbrook had a career full of ups and downsides. However, in his last two years he was a reliable NBA player for both the Nuggets (his first team) and Kings. He made his only trip to the NBA Finals early in the career with the Thunder, in 2012 alongside Kevin Durant. Westbrook is not eligible for the Hall of Fame because he has never won a championship. However, as a top player in the NBA over the past decade, his Hall of Fame nomination should be assured as soon as Westbrook becomes eligible.

Sports

Rob Gronkowski didn’t get Travis Kelce ‘anything’ for his wedding

Rob Gronkowski gave Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce what they asked for on their wedding day.
In an interview with NBC Sports, the 37-year-old four time Super Bowl champion revealed that he had followed his couple’s directions to “T”, but still got nothing in return for the nuptials on July 3, at Madison Square Garden.
“Didn’t get him any.” It’s good that I didn’t, because you weren’t allowed to give them gifts. Gronkowski said to the outlet. He was referring to the rule they implemented about not giving wedding guests any presents. I don’t like to go against the rules.
Gronkowski, his girlfriend Camille Kostek and Julian Edelman (his former teammate) attended what Swifties called the “wedding the century”. Gronkowski tried “to play matchmaker” for Edelman. Gronkowski said the event, despite no gifts, was a memorable one.
They didn’t have to send anything. Gronkowski replied, “I should send them a card to thank them for having me.”
Gronkowski joined dozens of A listers, from musicians to sports stars. They all celebrated with the couple in a luxurious but intimate event. The “The Other Football’ talk show host revealed some of the details about attending this New York City event.
Gronkowski told his “Other Football’ co-host Jameis Winston, that there were five block of black vehicles in the queue.
I ain’t gonna sit here and do nothing. We’ll put the Argentina-Cape Verde World Cup game on screen. “That game got me ready for my wedding, because it was one of the most exciting games you could have possibly seen.”
The man added: “It made you jump out of the seat and excited. And this wedding is no different.”
Gronkowski added, “It was excellent.” Hats off to Taylor & Trav. The dance floor is the most important thing. “It was popping.
KiMi Robinson is a contributor to USA TODAY

Sports

Jason Arday, former Cambridge professor, dies week after resigning amid plagiarism allegations

Jason Arday died on Friday in London, just a week after quitting the University of Cambridge amid allegations of plagiarism, according to his family. His age was 41.
In a press release, his family stated that “Jason has been subjected for more than three year to an abuse campaign by people who will leave no stone unturned to try and undermine him.”
The campaign of misinformation proved too overwhelming for Jason. He was an honest man who wanted the best for everyone. “We are shocked to lose this incredible father, son, partner, and brother.”
London Metropolitan Police has not identified Arday but stated in a press release that they responded to the report at 3:12 p.m. Friday local time of an unresponsive 41-year old man inside a house. The man’s death was confirmed by police at the scene. His next-of-kin were notified.
Police said that his death was “unexpected” but not suspicious. This case is being investigated.
Lucy Powell, the U.K. education secretary said that in a post on social media she was “deeply saddened & shocked” by Arday’s passing.
Powell wrote in his post: “My deepest condolences to the family and friends of this man at this sad moment.” I urge everyone to respect their privacy during this difficult time and to keep in mind that there are people involved with real loved ones.
Arday, who resigned as a professor at Cambridge University on August 5, following accusations of plagiarism in his bio, said in a written statement that “the relentless allegations, speculation, and public commentary has taken a toll on myself and those I love.”
His resignation “should not be mistaken as an acceptance of narratives surrounding me,” he said.
We are deeply saddened by this news. In a recent statement, Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice expressed her deepest sympathies to Jason Arday’s family and close friends.
Arday, who is 37 years old and joined Cambridge University in 2023 after sharing a remarkable account of his own life, became one of Britain’s most prominent academics. He claimed to be autistic, dyslexic and unable read and write before the age of 18.
He was born and raised in South London. After college, he earned a degree and two masters before becoming a qualified teacher. Then he earned his PhD from Liverpool John Moores University.
He told CBS News that in 2023, “Not many of my teachers believed in me.” Educational psychologists and behavior therapists gave a very strong assessment of my future struggles and that I’d need assistance in the later years.
Nathan Cofnas is a former Cambridge researcher and philosopher who has criticized policies on diversity, inclusion, and equity. He made accusations of plagiarism last month. Cofnas wrote in an earlier article that a meritocracy would result in “Blacks disappearing from nearly all high-profile jobs outside of sport and entertainment.”
Arday had previously denied that he was guilty of any wrongdoing. He said the errors in his work were unintentional and claimed most criticisms against him stemmed from an ideology and race-motivated campaign.
Arday’s supporters also said that the criticism went beyond academic critique and that he was the victim of an ideology campaign due to his research on racism, inequity and diversity.
The Times of London reported that Liverpool John Moores University had previously conducted an investigation into allegations regarding his doctoral dissertation and found no evidence of misconduct.
The Times of London, and The Telegraph published articles last month about possible embellishments to Arday’s biography, such as claims that he had raised millions of dollars for charity by completing endurance challenges. He later changed his story. The Telegraph challenged his claim that he had published “Being Young Black and Male: Challenge the Dominant discourse” saying they could find no evidence of its publication.
Arday’s “Great and Unfortunate Things” memoir was released this week. It chronicles Arday’s life, from his childhood to his appointment as a Cambridge professor.
Arday’s resignation letter did not mention the allegations made against him. However, he said that his resignation “should not be mistaken as an approval of the stories surrounding me.”
He said, “It’s just the decision of a person who is at the limit of what anyone should be expected to tolerate.”