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Minnesota Timberwolves protect superstar Anthony Edwards – Andscape

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Anthony Edwards will not be the rapper Andre 3000, but the brand new era of ATLien is proof that the South still has something to say. With his future so promising, protecting Edwards is barely natural. The Minnesota Timberwolves defenseman has probably the most charming personalities in a league stuffed with eccentric stars, while also being one in every of its fiercest competitors. He is an elite talker and predator of the very best order, a ruthless two-way man feat of strengthand aspiring pitchman (including being the brand new face of “Sprit”“Obey Your Want” Campaign.” next to the track star Sha’Carri Richardson). He also owns the most popular basketball shoe in the marketplace, the Adidas Ae 1s. It feels like hyperbole, but the subsequent few months could change Edwards’ life, profession and future.

Rooting for Edwards is simple. There is a sadistic enjoyment of it that runs parallel to the sport that’s, to cite one other Atlanta resident“cooler than a polar bear’s fingernails.” The way Edwards plays is so calm and controlled – yet addictive and explosive – that you simply wonder what his best years will probably be if he gets this good. Since being the highest pick in 2020, he has improved facets of his game each season. But this 12 months, his fourth, Edwards prevailed the proverbial leap. His free throw efficiency increased by almost 7% to 83.6%. His efficiency and playmaking have also improved (his assists have yielded 1,024 points in comparison with place to begin guard Mike Conley’s 1,049 points), and Edwards has firmly taken control of a team that hasn’t seen such success and excitement for the reason that early 2000s from Wolves forward Kevin Garnett and team president Flip Saunders, who was later appointed coach. In Minnesota’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns, Edwards set a profession playoff scoring record almost along the whole line. Simply put, Edwards is not any longer knocking on the NBA’s door. Now he’s paying off his mortgage here.

“I’m probably at 40%” of his peak form, Edwards said in April in. “I haven’t even touched my peak yet.”

When asked how long it could take for him to turn into the NBA’s best player, Edwards didn’t hesitate. “About two or three years,” he said.

There’s a well-recognized calm about Edwards that may not related to basketball. Each of us has met someone like him sooner or later in our lives. It’s a co-worker, cousin, classmate, or friend whose supreme self-confidence is endearing, not off-putting. At just 22 years old, Edwards is the conductor of the Timberwolves’ offensive and defensive orchestra – the team finished the season because the third seed within the Western Conference, and the one thing standing before the team’s first conference finals appearance in 20 years is the presumptive MVP and reigning champion.

A couple of days before the playoffs began, Edwards laughed as he considered his growing importance within the league. It’s not that he doesn’t care – he really does. He doesn’t struggle with imposter syndrome either. It’s amazing that on the age of twenty-two he has a lot weight on his shoulders.

“It’s great fun,” Andscape said. “I have to be prepared for that because I know it comes with a lot of responsibility off the field.”

Former NBA star Grant Hill (left) poses with Anthony Edwards (right) in Sprite’s recent “Obey Your Thirst” campaign.

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Edwards is the photosynthesis of basketball – everyone else gains life from the sunshine his heroism produces. Although the world appears to be in turmoil straight away – from college campuses to conflicts abroad and in our hometowns — watching Edwards offers fleeting but essential moments of happiness. Edwards is that lucky person. Fairly and unfairly, he bears this responsibility.

It’s very easy to protect Edwards because we all know you possibly can’t protect everyone from all the things. Since becoming knowledgeable, he has made mistakes, e.g throwing chairs after a foul loss and using anti-gay language on social media, co for which he later apologized. But most 22-year-olds are different from organizational leaders. Most of them do not need the favorable opinion of NBA legend Michael Jordan I’m joyful to confess it how much they need “kill” the competition after which exit and do it like Edwards just did with Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. And most 22-year-olds will not be on the very short list of candidates face multi-billion dollar international sports league. Even though Edwards is one step away from stardom, the road between basketball paradise and fairy-tale hell is razor-thin.

One of probably the most interesting things about Edwards’ story is the way it all materialized. He experienced great grief after the death of his mother Yvette and grandmother Shirley from cancer in 2015 when he was in eighth grade. Edwards he turned this trauma into joy as a tribute to the 2 women who raised him this manner. Is known unconditional protection and love through his siblings who were involved in his upbringing and provided the steadiness that allowed him to grow into the person he’s today. And now Edwards is on the verge of world takeover. After sending their favorite player, the Suns move forward Kevin Durantin the primary round of the playoffs, Edwards now faces probably the most complex challenge of his still young profession: the Denver Nuggets. It’s a rematch of last 12 months’s playoffs and probably the most anticipated second-round clash, with at its core a test of will that tugs on the soul of basketball. One page is run by the very best player on the planet, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and the playoffs’ best player, guard Jamal Murray – wish to take control of the primary half of the last decade with one other title. On the opposite side are Edwards and the Timberwolves, who’re near basketball nirvana, but they know they need to undergo hell first.

Every game from now until the top of the Timberwolves season could feature a number of the biggest moments of Edwards’ life. After the playoffs are over, the 2024 Paris Olympics will happen, through which Edwards will play a major role — perhaps he’ll even start — in Team USA’s fight for the gold medal. Then there’s the NBA upcoming media rights deal and the way players like Edwards impact the longer term of the league.

Compared to where he was a decade ago, Edwards’ life has modified dramatically in a brief time frame. And in fact he’s still getting used to it.

“Seeing how people treat me, how I interact with kids and seeing their reaction,” Edwards said, gives me goosebumps. “Honestly, I’d say most individuals’s response after they meet me. I never imagined that individuals would cry and be very joyful after they saw me.

“It’s the best feeling ever,” he said, flashing his megawatt, mischievous smile that will at some point join Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson’s as probably the most recognizable smile in the sport.

It’s very easy to protect Edwards because he gives us goosebumps after we watch him play. Since the start of the playoffs, the one player on the team is Lakers forward LeBron James before Edwards’ 100 million views generated on social media. Since Edwards, nobody has gained more Instagram followers for the reason that playoffs began. However, online clout without real-life results is far more of a curse than a present. Minnesota won’t outperform Denver or beyond if Edwards’ cocktail of talent, heroics and tenacity alone is superior. He will need his teammates, whom Edwards praises continually. They share the identical ideology, and the euphoria they pursue demands brotherhood, not dictatorship.

Edwards at all times said this moment was coming. However, living within the moment doesn’t mean being stuck in it. He knows that at some point he’ll get up and be the old guard within the league that everyone seems to be after. The player outside will talk trash to him similar to he did with Durant. And like Durant, Edwards can have to salute him when the time comes. A game is a game, he knows it.

When he thinks about what his life will probably be like when he turns 40, Edwards is each optimistic and anxious. He hopes that the older version will give you the option to inform him that he has done a great job of approaching life the suitable way. Mistakes will occur because no life will probably be complete without them. But hopefully they will not define him. We hope that individual and team successes will proceed. But basketball won’t define him either… let’s hope so.

“Hopefully I can start finding something that I like to do outside of basketball,” Edwards said. “One day I know it will end.”

It’s really easy to protect Edwards because he’s right. The sun sets and the characters finally have to return to terms with the remaining of their lives. For now, nevertheless, Edwards is just getting began and the world does indeed lie before him. All we have now to do is let the story tell itself.

Justin Tinsley is a senior culture author at Andscape. He firmly believes that “Cash Money Records Takes the Eggs in the ’99s and ’00s” is probably the most influential statement of his generation.


This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Fans warn Shedeur Sanders to beware of Kardashian curse after Colorado star spotted with Kendall Jenner

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Deion and Shedeur Sanders call out constant disrespect from their doubters.

Shedeur Sanders has been generating quite a bit of buzz recently and is claimed to be a highly anticipated prospect in next 12 months’s NFL Draft.

But being the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback and son of former NFL player and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders also brings with it a potentially unwanted highlight. Shedeur’s clip goes viral after the 22-year-old was spotted embracing Kendall Jenner.

Deion Sanders' son Shedeur defends his father's coaching skills after criticism from former athletes.
Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur speaks out in defense of his father’s coaching skills after being criticized by former athletes. (Photo: @deionsanders/Instagram)

The content creator posted the clip and wrote, “Shedeur Sanders met up with Kendall Jenner, who was recently in Boulder.” Jenner was in Boulder — the house of the University of Colorado — because she was traveling to different cities to promote her brand of liqueur 818 Tequila.

Since the video only shows Jenner’s upper body and Shedeur’s back, who happened to be wearing a hoodie, it’s unclear if she was serving drinks during their meeting, but it surely appeared he was waiting in line to greet her. After a couple of people in front of him moved out of the way in which, he went over to hug Jenner and said, “How are you?” before the video ended.

Many fans warned Shedeur against getting close to Jenner.

One person said, “Nothing good happens when a BLACK athlete dates a Kardashian/Jenner,” and one other said, “Oh no. I’m scolding, I’m scolding!”

A 3rd person wrote: “Stay away from our quarterback. Kardashian/Jenner can’t remember the last athlete who had a successful relationship with one of these girls.”

Of all five Kardashian-Jenner girls, Khloé and Kendall have mostly dated NBA players. Khloé, who’s best known for her marriage and divorce from NBA player Lamar Odom, dated Minnesota Timberwolves player Rashad McCants from 2008 to 2009. He was then traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he played just one season and was never drafted by one other team.

Speaking to Charlotte’s Observer in 2017, McCants said his relationship with Khloé made people query his commitment to the NBA. “Without that in-game situation, I’m a $60-70 million player,” McCants said. “Easily.”

Later in 2009, after only one month of dating, Khloe married Los Angeles Lakers star Odom. The two documented their wedding on the truth show Khloe and Lamar, but their relationship began to crumble, and Odom’s secret struggles with substance abuse began to come to light in 2013. Later that 12 months, Odom was arrested for driving under the influence. From 2011 to 2014, he played for the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, after which the LA Clippers before becoming a free agent. He then went to the EuroLeague, where he played in two games before injuring his back.

Then in April 2014 he signed with the Knicks before the team waived it in July of the identical 12 months.

Then there’s Khloé’s infamous relationship with Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star had two children with Thompson, but their relationship was severely strained by Thompson’s repeated infidelities. Nevertheless, Thompson’s 13-year NBA profession didn’t end there, and he’s currently on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster.

As for her younger sister Kendall, she briefly dated Brooklyn Nets player Ben Simmons from 2018 to 2019. Simmons was named Rookie of the Year in 2018 and an All-Star in 2019. However, the next seasons became difficult for Simmons after his Philadelphia 76ers team lost to the Atlanta Hawks within the Eastern Conference semifinals in an especially close seven-game series in 2021. He apparently felt that blamed for the Game 7 loss, Simmons never played for the 76ers again before being traded to Brooklyn. He ultimately missed the whole 2021-22 season, even after arriving in Brooklyn mid-season. Since then, battling knee and back injuries — which resulted in each knee and back surgeries — Simmons has played in only 57 games over the past three seasons.

Following this relationship, Kendall dated Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker for 2 years from 2020 to 2022.

It is currently unclear what her relationship status is, but it surely looks like she is likely to be rekindling her relationship with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny in 2023. They were spotted together in Paris, holding hands in June of this 12 months.

Shedeur’s relationship status is uncertain, because it appears he and actress Storm Reid have quietly split after making their red carpet debut last 12 months.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Kamala Harris’ Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour Turns Into ‘Scandal’ Cast Reunion

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Gladiators reunite within the name of democracy.

The solid of Shonda Rhimes’ hit series Scandal will reunite to affix Vice President Kamala Harris and her partner Tim Walz in Michigan for his or her Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour. Actors Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Guillermo Díaz, Bellamy Young, Katie Lowes, Dan Bucatinsky, Scott Foley, Portia de Rossi, George Newbern, Jeff Perry and Cornelius Smith Jr. will join Harris-Walz for the campaign launch in Madison Heights.

According to The Hollywood ReporterThe solid’s appearance on the political tour is an element of the Democratic presidential candidate’s technique to win the 2024 election. According to the Harris-Walz campaign, the tour’s mission is to “highlight the stark contrast between Vice President Harris and Governor Walz, who will restore Roe v. Wade protections when Congress passes legislation to that effect, and Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, who will enact their dangerous Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to contraceptives, force states to report women’s miscarriages and abortions, and threaten access to in vitro fertilization.”

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The Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour, which kicks off September 3 in Florida, plans to go to key states across the country to debate the stakes of reproductive rights with Democratic and Republican communities. During the last presidential debate, attention focused on abortion rights and in vitro fertilization (IVF), as Harris pledged to revive nationwide reproductive rights, while Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump refused to commit to vetoing a nationwide abortion ban if he wins the election.

In August, “Scandal” stars Washington and Goldwyn, known for his or her iconic roles as Olivia Pope and fictional President Fitzgerald Grant, thrilled fans by reuniting to co-host the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Over the years, Washington has develop into known for her political advocacy. As a Democratic supporter, the actress has not only partnered with nonprofits to debate abortion rights, but additionally launched her own nonprofit, Influence Change, which “recruits other artists to promote civic engagement.”

“Democracies work best when everyone votes. As a public figure, it’s important to me to remind people of their political power and share any information I have that helps them step into their power,” she said, as previously reported by theGrio. “Artists, musicians, athletes, actors and creators have a unique opportunity to encourage voters. The combined reach of our networks can be used to inspire participation and ensure that more people take their rightful place as active participants in our democracy. I’m not speaking out because I’m an artist; I’m speaking out because I’m an American.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Former Bad Boy artist Shyne reveals his true feelings about Diddy’s role in sending him to prison following Mogul’s recent arrest

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Former rapper turned politician Moses “Shyne” Barrow has broken his silence on the recent arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The Belize-born artist, once an integral a part of Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, has publicly shared his thoughts for the primary time on the music executive’s recent legal troubles.

Though he’s made it clear that Diddy’s legal troubles “don’t make him happy,” the “Bad Boyz” chart-topper stays adamant that his former boss “ruined” his life.

Former Bad Boy artist Shyne blames Diddy for his 10-year sentence for a 1999 nightclub shooting. (Photo: Prince Williams/WireImage; Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Shyne’s statement got here just days after Combs was arrested on federal charges including extortion, human trafficking and prostitution, which resulted in Diddy being denied bail twice.

The case has made headlines, with many wondering about Diddy’s past. Not only are people bringing up his infamous “Freak-offs” and “Diddy Parties,” but in addition his infamous connection to an incident at a New York nightclub in 1999, where Shyne was partying with the Bad Boy founder and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, before gunfire injured two people.

Shyne had no idea how his life would unravel after that night. His profession was cut short, and his life as a free man was marked by first-degree assault, possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. The chart-topping star was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2001 for his role in the altercation. He was eventually released in 2009 and deported to Belize.

Fast forward to 2024, and the 2 men appear to be on completely different paths. Shyne is now the leader of the opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, while Diddy faces charges that would land him a life sentence. Shyne shared his thoughts on his former boss’ case at a press conference in Belize.

“When I was an 18-year-old kid who wanted to do nothing but make my mother and Belize happy and be recognized for my talent and take over the world,” Shyne recalled in an interview with Channel 5 Belize. “I defended him and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me.”

Shyne’s face remained impassive as he explained the role Diddy played in his legal struggles. “He contributed to… basically sent me to prison. That’s the context in which this (relationship) should always be described. I’ve forgiven. I’ve moved on. But let’s not pretend I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Shyne suggested that he and Combs aren’t as close as some might think. Despite his forgiving heart, he made sure to set the record straight about their relationship.

“So let’s not lose sight of the cold, hard facts,” Shyne said. “This is not someone I vacationed with and he and I had this wonderful, intimate brotherhood with. This is someone who destroyed my life and I have forgiven him and moved on.”

For years, Shyne has worked with Diddy to bring resources to Belize, but Diddy has clarified that their partnership is strictly business-related.

“Don’t distort it like we’re boom bally. This is someone who ruined my life,” he continued.

Shyne’s evolution from rapper to politician has not gone unnoticed. When The Shade Room published press conference, many praised him for his grace and wisdom in handling the situation, with one commentator noting, “Shyne is the true definition of someone who will sit back and let God do the work.”

Another person said, “This man has really grown. Holding on to bitterness and resentment only hurts you, not the perpetrator. Let life deal with people. Karma never loses its address.”

“Forgiving someone without an apology is powerful,” said a 3rd comment.

Not everyone was impressed. Some wanted him to admit his role in his death.

“First of all, you ruined your life…let’s take responsibility,” the Shade Room commentary admonished. “That’s the problem, people not taking responsibility for their actions and how it leads them to destruction.”

Despite his troubled past, Shyne stays focused on his future and the well-being of his country. “Nobody has to fail for me to succeed,” he said, further evidence of his growth.

Meanwhile, the producer behind the success of artists like Mary J. Blige, The Notorious B.I.G. and The Lox is facing legal troubles. His legal team had proposed a $50 million bail to secure his release, but a judge denied the request, citing concerns about witness intimidation and flight risk. The music mogul will remain behind bars in Brooklyn as his trial approaches.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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