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‘It’s true, Karen’: Outraged Caitlin Clark fans call Serena Williams ‘racist’ over Larry Bird ESPYs joke, fans rush to tennis star’s defense

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Serena Williams hosted the 2024 ESPY Awards, and while she addressed Drake’s feud with Kendrick Lamar, her views on Harrison Butker, and her conflict with Maria Sharapova, her statement on Caitlin Clark was met with much criticism.

The 2024 ESPY Awards aired July 11 on ABC. Williams opened the show with a gap monologue concerning the WNBA rookie.

“Caitlin Clark had an incredible year and she’s nominated for three awards,” Williams began. Celebrities within the audience applauded as Williams appeared to praise Clark. However, when Williams told the second half of the joke, she seemed to receive mixed reactions. “You’re Larry Bird because you’re an incredible player, you have ties to Indiana, and white people are really crazy about you,” the tennis icon joked.

Serena Williams (left) faces criticism for her opening monologue at the 2024 ESPY Awards about Caitlin Clark (right) (Photos: @serenawilliams / Instagram; @caitlinclark22 /Instagram)
Serena Williams (left) faces criticism for her 2024 ESPY Awards opening monologue about Caitlin Clark (right) (Photos: @serenawilliams/Instagram, @caitlinclark22 /Instagram)

Although Williams touched on a wide selection of topics throughout the evening and plenty of were pleased along with her efforts, a few of Clark’s fans criticized Williams for bringing up race in her joke.

“Why bring race into this?” – one person he wrote on X. Another person responded to the query by suggesting that Clark’s race contributed to her appeal. “Because race is what drives Clark’s popularity,” she said he wrote.

One viewer questioned whether Williams’ joke was “appropriate.”

“So if a white person made the same joke about her? At the ESPYs? Appropriate? Shannon Sharpe wouldn’t blow a fuse? Now I hope this sinks in a bit… Funny thing is reading the comments… all races like her, including whites,” the social media user wrote he said.

“Has Serena Williams always been this racist, or is this something new? An attempt at staying relevant, a new fan of racial essentialism, or what?” social media account he asked.

“Serena: How vulgar can you be: “CAITLIN CLARK, white people love you!” Not funny, artificial, archaic in intent, insensitive, classless, ignorant and vulgar. (Charles Barkley, LeBron and other black people like me – I LOVE CAITLIN.) Maybe you should quit hosting the show forever?!” said one other offended fan.

“I hope the writers of this whole thing wrote Williams Sisters instead,” wrote user X. “Everyone thought Serena wasn’t black when she was on Vogue Runway a month ago. So I guess ESPN had to reinstate her blackness with a TOTALLY UNNECESSARY racist joke about CC. If this were the 70s or 80s, it would have been pretty funny. But not now, with this absurd black/white divide.”

Amid the noise of the opposition, Serena’s supporters emerged to defend the tennis legend.

“No, they didn’t call Serena Williams jealous of everything. People get upset about everything CC related” he tweeted fan.

“Serena Williams joked about Caitlin Clark earlier. She doesn’t hate her and has already praised her,” she said other.

“Ugh, the truth doesn’t divide. That’s true Karen. Many white people like you worship Caitlin and live vicariously through her. It’s funny, you think we don’t see that. I’m glad Serena spoke some truth, she clearly provoked you” – User X he replied in defense of Serena.

Another X user addressed a black Caitlin Clark fan who took Serena’s comment as implying that Clark’s fans are exclusively white.

“There’s nothing wrong with comparing Caitlin to Larry Bird (legend!!!)… Serena didn’t say “white people only”… in fact black people love Caitlin and Bird too… there’s absolutely nothing to cause a stir here,” they said. he wrote.

During the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, Williams praised Clark for her social media discipline. “I just love that she tried to stay grounded and that she doesn’t… look at her social media,” Williams told TAssociated Press on the red carpet on June 14. “I get it. I don’t either. And I think it’s really important to continue what she’s doing.”

Williams attended the festival for the premiere of her documentary series, “In the Arena: Serena Williams.” In the film, Williams discusses how she handled the extreme media scrutiny from a young age.

Others even dragged Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, into the ESPYs controversy.

“Serena’s husband is white,” someone said. he wrote.

Ohanian is the co-founder of the social media platform Reddit. He is from Brooklyn, New York, and his surname is Armenian. The couple has two children.

Clark was nominated in three ESPY categories: Best Women’s Athlete, Best Women’s College Athlete and Best Record-breaking Performance. Two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson beat Clark out for Best Women’s Athlete.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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NBC Sports will debut “Growing Up: The JuJu Watkins Documentary Series” later this month.

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JuJu Watkins, NCAA Women’s Basketball, USC, highest scoring, 920 points


College basketball phenom JuJu Watkins will appear in a six-episode docuseries debuting on NBC and the Peacock network. NBC Sports announced.

The first two episodes of On will air on Saturday, November 23 at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT on NBC and Peacock. Watkins became the all-time leading freshman in Division I scoring with 920 points.

Additionally, during her rookie season on the University of Southern California, she took the Trojans to the Elite Eight for the primary time in 30 years.

The series is created with UNIINTERRUPTED, 4.4. Forty Media and PGR. The documentary will deal with the basketball player’s life on and off the court, in addition to her family and friends.

“JuJu has the potential to set the standard for excellence on and off the field, and it is amazing to see her begin to maximize the opportunities in front of her with strategy and expertise, even at such a young age,” KLUTCH Sports Group founder and CEO Rich Paweł said in a written statement. “This docuseries chronicles her incredible journey to this point, highlighting her extraordinary talent, unwavering work ethic and the vital role her community plays in her success.”

The series will debut before No. 3 USC’s game against No. 6 Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. Documentaries and games will be available on NBC and Peacock.

The remaining episodes will be released exclusively on Peacock for the rest of the season and might be viewed on the NBC Sports FAST channel, which is out there on Peacock and all major FAST channel distributors.

Recently, Watkins reportedly signed “the richest footwear endorsement deals in women’s basketball.”


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Fear of God Athletics enters the amateur basketball portal thanks to cooperation with Overtime Elite

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In collaboration with Adidas, dressmaker and founder of Fear of God Athletics Jerry Lorenzo has officially entered recent territory. Fear of God Athletics might be represented as the eighth team in the Atlanta Overtime Elite (OTE) youth basketball league.

According to a press release, Team Athletics might be equipped with performance uniforms and footwear designed by Fear of God Athletics throughout the 2024-25 season, representing, as the label puts it, “a commitment to the next generation of athletes.” It all began off victorious when the team defeated consecutive champions OTE City Reapers 97-90 at the OTE Arena, debuting on November 8 in recent uniforms and shoes.

“Giving back and being an example of what is possible for young men and women in the next generation is fueled by the fear of God,” said Lorenzo, son of former MLB player, coach and manager Jerry Manuel, during a fireplace chat with the former NBA player Matt Barnes at the partnership announcement event on November 7. “I grew up in a sports family. My dad did well in the big leagues. Now he works with Major League Baseball to bring top (African-American) talent back to baseball. It’s simply in our family to give back to the youth.”

Cilk McSweeney (center) joins Fear of God Athletics as the coach of the Overtime Elite team.

Adidas

“Jerry’s values ​​and morals and what he stands for are consistent with what we are about in our program,” says Fear of God Athletics coach Cilk McSweeney, who joins the team after coaching Calvary Christian Academy in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, for 12 years, he said.

The collaboration comes just weeks before the December release of the Adidas x Fear of God II Basketball, Fear of God’s first true performance sneaker. The shoe has already appeared in NBA games, as has Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent I wore it in lots of games this season.

The recent model is a continuation of the Adidas x Fear of God I model, which premiered in December 2023. Similarly, the Fear of God I model, worn by the players, was presented basketball teams from the University of Indiana and the University of Miamibut just for one game. Fear of God and Overtime Elite’s partnership is meant to be long-term and construct on the latter’s mission to equip basketball players ages 16-20 with the resources they need to take their talents to the next level through non-traditional pathways that emphasize academic acceleration and economic strengthening.

Members of the Athletics Team. Front row, left to right: Colin Paul, Cayden Daughtry and Sean Morgan. Back row, left to right: Ashley Sims II, Shon Abaev and Michael Ephraim.

Adidas

“Connecting with (Fear of God) provides greater exposure to our league and it is a common cause for them,” said Damien Wilkins, general manager and head of basketball at OTE. His role includes connecting the league with brands and providing players with exposure. “I also think it’s great for our players as well, as Fear of God is certainly popular with this age group. All our boys wear it anyway, so it made sense.

“I am very excited about the possibilities that can come from being a part of this relationship” – Shon Abaev, Fear of God Athletics senior point guard, currently ranked No. 29 on the ESPN 100 2025 highschool recruits listhe said. “I’ve already worn Fear of God and Essentials. I’m grateful to be able to wear the (Fear Of God Athletics) shoes on the court.”

Maurice Garland is a marathon-running, yoga-practicing author who has had the same phone number and hairdresser since 2003. He has written powerful stories for legendary publications from Billboard to Black Enterprise. In addition to being a long-time mentor at the youth media organization VOX ATL, he has appeared on VH1, spoken at Spelman and Princeton, co-authored The Art Behind the Tape, and edited the autobiography Pimp C and the memoirs of J. Prince.


This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Klay Thompson: ‘There’s no point in looking back’ on Golden State Warriors tenure

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DENVER – For the Golden State Warriors and their fans, the return of four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson on Tuesday will likely be a celebration of one in all the best players in franchise history.

As for the brand new Dallas Mavericks defenseman, it doesn’t appear like his first game in the Bay Area against his old team has been circled on his calendar.

“This chapter is over,” Thompson told Andscape after the Mavericks’ 122-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. “I’m in the technique of attempting to win here. There’s no point in losing anything when we’ve such a fantastic opportunity here to be great. There’s no point in looking back…

“I have to look to the future. I have to try to give it my all.”

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson shoots a three-pointer during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 8 on the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

The Warriors chosen Thompson with the eleventh pick in the 2011 NBA draft out of Washington State. The five-time NBA All-Star averaged 19.6 points and three.1 three-pointers per game over 11 seasons with the Warriors. Playing with the Warriors in Oakland, California and San Francisco, Thompson won 4 NBA championships and played in six NBA Finals.

Thompson is sixth in Warriors history in points (15,531), fourth in games played (793) and second behind Stephen Curry in three-pointers made with 2,481. He scored 60 points in 29 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on December 5, 2016 and set an NBA record 14 three-pointers in a game against the Chicago Bulls on October 29, 2018.

With the early-season matchup against the Warriors looming, Thompson told Andscape he did not have time to reflect on his accomplishments.

“I appreciate it, but I’m still trying to keep going and keep winning here,” Thompson said Sunday during his postgame press conference.

In recent years, the Warriors have rewarded Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and current Washington Wizards goaltender Jordan Poole with latest contract extensions. Thompson, who missed 2019-2021 attributable to injury, didn’t reach the terms of his contract extension despite being eligible to play last season and have become an unrestricted free agent in June. The two-time All-NBA player averaged 17.9 points for the Warriors last season, his lowest scoring average because the 2012-13 season. After contract talks with Golden State stalled, the 34-year-old agreed to a three-year contract price $50 million against the Mavericks on July 1.

Asked if there was anything he was most dissatisfied about his departure, Thompson told Andscape: “Honestly, not really. This is what it looks like.”

While the Warriors missed the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, the Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals with stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. By signing with the Mavericks, Thompson joined a team that was the Western Conference champion while the Warriors seemed to be in decline.

However, Curry, Green and the Warriors began this season 8-2, tied with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder for the perfect record in the West. The Mavericks are 5-5 and Thompson is third on the team in scoring (14.2 points per game).

Thompson told Andscape he’s confident this will likely be a “special” season for the Mavs.

“We have real experience and a chance to win,” Thompson said. “I do know we’re .500 immediately and we’re playing mediocre basketball. But in my experience, the season is long and you will have to peak at the suitable moment…

“You have to keep going, keep your emotions and stay the course. Keep a smile on your face. It’s a long (season). We have a chance to be special.”

From left to right: Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, guard Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green after a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center on November 30, 2023.

Kelley L. Cox – USA TODAY Sports

Curry, Thompson and Green were amongst essentially the most successful trios in NBA history. He and the Warriors won 4 NBA championships with a combined 518 regular-season and playoff victories. Their 98 playoff wins rank third in NBA history amongst three-team teams, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Information research.

Has Thompson been in contact with Curry and Green?

“I’m locked up. Probably not,” Thompson told Andscape. “I’ll see them after I see them. That’s all.”

Thompson was beloved in the Bay Area for all the time being himself. Thompson threw paper airplanes constituted of boxes on the media after post-match press conferences and was well-known for having an English bulldog named Rocco who was pictured next to him in an motion figure doll handed out at a Warriors home game. He earned the nickname “Captain Klay” for sailing his boat across the San Francisco Bay to games on the Chase Center after the Warriors moved from Oakland to San Francisco in 2019.

Thompson told Andscape that the one thing he misses in regards to the Bay Area is “the water,” but he has no plans to take his boat to Tuesday’s game.

Golden State is looking Tuesday’s game against Dallas a “Captain Klay Salute.” Before introducing Thompson, the Warriors will play a one-minute tribute video. Curry is anticipated to deliver a speech in honor of Thompson, and all fans attending the sport will receive a white captain’s hat with the Warriors logo to tip their hat to Thompson in the course of the introduction. The Warriors have said they plan to retire Thompson’s No. 11 jersey sooner or later.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. “I feel all of us are. It will likely be very emotional. I do know our fans are ready for it and might’t wait to see Klay.

“I think it’s good news for the fans. Bravo for that,” Thompson said Sunday.

Coincidentally, this can be the primary NBA Cup game for the Warriors and Mavericks. Thompson was excited in regards to the second edition of the intraseason tournament, with the ultimate 4 going down in Las Vegas in December.

“Obviously it will be good to see the people you raced against,” Thompson said Sunday. “For me, it’s just one other November regular season game. Of course, the NBA Cup has greater implications. So it’s in our minds to win it.

Despite all of the Warriors’ plans and anticipated excitement, Thompson doesn’t think he’ll be distracted by all of the hype in his honor. He also told Andscape that he doesn’t expect his return to be emotional.

Why?

“I’ve been playing basketball a long time,” Thompson said Sunday. “Basketball is basketball.”

Marc J. Spears is Andscape’s senior NBA author. He used to have the option to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been capable of do it for years and his knees still hurt.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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