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Stephen Curry’s four-pointers secure another gold medal in basketball for the USA

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PARIS (AP) — Stephen Curry had just five 3-pointers in his first 4 games of the Paris Olympics. The shot just wasn’t going in.

And then got here the medal round.

All-time 3-point shooting leader in NBA history he found his stroke in the final moments for the Americans, hitting 17 3-pointers in his last two games against Serbia and France to assist the U.S. win its fifth consecutive gold medal with a 98-87 victory.

The last 4 of those 3-pointers got here in the final 2 minutes, 46 seconds of the gold-medal game — a shocking display that anyone who watched it’s going to be hard to forget.

“It’s just a lot of faith, living and dying with the shots you think you’re supposed to make,” Curry said. “The last 2 1/2 minutes were special. Guys were pumping me up. We had confidence in what we were trying to do. And I was just really in the moment, enjoying it.”

Stephen Curry (4) of the United States reacts after a three-point shot against France during the men’s gold medal basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Analysis of Curry’s dramatic moves to secure US gold:

First

LeBron James — now a three-time gold medalist and, at 39, the MVP of this Olympic tournament — moved the ball across the middle of the court, and Curry dismissed Anthony Davis to create space for an incoming pick-and-roll. Curry set the ball, then went to the top of the three-second zone to catch a pass from James.

Curry broke free from the care of French defender Guerschon Yabusele and immediately converted a three-point shot.

No one knew he was just starting out.

— USA 85, France 79, 2:41 remaining.

Second

In a timeout with 2:22 left, Curry suggested he and James proceed the pick-and-roll and have everyone else unfolded on the floor. An easy set, but highly effective for someone widely considered the best shooter in basketball history. So they ran it, this time with James setting a screen.

“I said, ‘OK, let’s do this because I’ve seen this before,’” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr, who also coaches Curry on the Golden State Warriors. “And it usually works out well.”

Curry kept the ball, outplayed defender Nicolas Batum, waited for him to land and fired a shot from the left side of the penalty area.

Curry shouted a message as he walked back down. “Don’t worry about me,” he repeated.

There was nobody there at that moment.

— USA 90, France 81, 1:52 remaining.

Third

Batum had just hit a 3-pointer to chop the result in six. Curry drove the ball down the court and passed it to Kevin Durant, who immediately passed it back. Curry passed the ball back to himself, and it ended up in the hands of Devin Booker.

As Booker reached the end zone, he saw Curry again had an open position at the top of the three-second box.

He ended up using mainly the same move as before; this time he waited for Nando de Colo to bite his head. Another 3-pointer, good.

“He’s the greatest shooter that ever lived,” Booker said.

Stephen Curry (4) of the United States celebrates winning the gold medal at Bercy Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Curry later screamed several times before lifting the top of his shirt, revealing the word “USA” across his chest.

— USA 93, France 84, 1:18 remaining.

Fourth

Victor Wembanyama hit a 3-pointer, the last of a 26-point run, to place France up 93-87 with 54.4 seconds left. The Americans went back to Curry, as everyone knew.

He passed the ball to Durant, similar to he did on the previous possession. And Durant passed it back.

Curry got the hint. This time he held the ball. He forced a shot over Batum and Evan Fournier, a rather off-balanced shot that looked like a mistake.

“I was like, ‘What the hell,’” U.S. center Bam Adebayo said. “Then I remembered who was filming it.”

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Of course it was. The U.S. was leading 96-87 with 35 seconds left. The French swimming star of those Paris games, four-time gold medalist Léon Marchand, could only smile from his seat courtside.

Curry put his hands on the sides of his head in celebration. “Night night,” he says, referring to when he tells the other team it’s time for bed. In French, it’s translated as “nuit nuit.”

The game was over. The Americans would wear the gold again. Curry had watched Durant win gold at the previous three Olympics. He had watched Simone Biles win gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics event in the same arena earlier in the Paris Games. He had desperately craved this moment.

And with 4 unforgettable shots he lived as much as expectations.

“This may never happen again,” Curry said. “It was very, very special.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Deion Sanders’ sons almost came to blows with a Texas ball boy who tried to retrieve the ball during a heated confrontation after a last-minute touchdown

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Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ sons nearly got into a physical altercation with someone on the opposing team during a recent Colorado Buffaloes college football game.

Coach Prime led the then No. 1 ranked Buffaloes to a 41-21 victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on November 9 in Lubbock, Texas.

But over the weekend, footage of an on-field incident involving Colorado players Shilo Sanders and Shedeur Sanders, in addition to their older brother, made headlines.

Sons of Colorado coach Deion Sanders (left), Shedeur Sanders (center) and Deion Sanders Jr. (Right) almost came to blows with a Texas Tech equipment manager at the end of the Buffaloes’ 41-21 victory in Lubbock, Texas, on November 9 (Photos: @deionsanders/Instagram, @shedeursanders/Instagram, @deionsandersjr/Instagram )

After Shilo, 24, scored a 6-yard touchdown on a fourth-quarter recovery, Texas Tech’s equipment manager tried to take the ball away from him.

Shedeur, 22, immediately walked up to the ballboy and said, “Damn, n***a. Shut up. You are a whore. Then their 30-year-old brother, Deion “Bucky” Sanders Jr., shoved the man while holding a camera and he yelled, “Move, bitch, n***a. You fucked me up!” before leaving with the Buffaloes.

The tense interaction ended when Shedeur pulled Bucky away from the situation. After Colorado’s victory, a video of the heated confrontation went viral.

In particular, a TikTok user slammed Texas Tech’s ball boy for “knocking” the ball out of Shilo’s hand. The @cheddatagoat71 account suggests that Colorado’s 7-2 record has angered Coach Prime haters.

“This ball boy knew exactly what he was doing and got exactly what he was looking for,” Chedda said in his TikTok video. “You mean to tell me that you could have about a thousand balls on this game, but you especially need this ball after that try.

He also said, “Let me let you know what the problem is. They are upset that Prime, Shedeur (Colorado defenseman Travis Hunter), Shilo and the entire Colorado program are perfect as they’re.

One of the comments on Cheddy’s video read: “It’s funny when Prime and Colorado lose or something goes wrong with this team that everyone trolls this team, calls them unprofessional, but when they win everyone gets upset.”

Another person defending Texas Tech wrote: “He is the equipment manager for the team. He has to collect the ball. It’s his job. Even in the event that they wanted to keep him, he has to memorize the number on the ball and provides it to the equipment guy in Colorado.

In response, someone argued: “I met with the equipment managers. It will be done this fashion and any experienced EM knows to be patient and collect money properly without conflict. He achieved results that any EM would achieve in such a situation.

Additionally, a TikTok user referenced the ball boy race, commenting: “(White) people always foul (-) and try to look surprised when they suffer the consequences!!! It was definitely a FAAFO moment!!”

The Sanders brothers’ confrontation with Texas Tech’s equipment manager wasn’t the only moment of fighting on this game.

Texas Tech fans apparently they threw various objects on the field, including tortillas, which became a school tradition.

However, people at Jones AT&T Stadium also reportedly threw water bottles. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had to step up to the microphone to address the crowd.

“Stop throwing things on the pitch! Students, stop throwing things on the field! Please!” McGuire pleaded over the loudspeakers midway through the fourth quarter.

Coach Prime discussed the unruly actions of Red Raiders fanatics while speaking to the media at the post-game press conference.

“In my career, they threw everything at me except my mom,” recalled the Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Major League Baseball player. “I played baseball and football, so I used batteries and stuff. “It’s normal.”

He continued: “Thank God (the tortillas are) soft and never hard. But once they start throwing water bottles and other objects, you must alarm the officials and say, “Okay, tortillas are one thing and water bottles are another.” This is getting a little crazy. But I’m grateful, I feel Joey grabbed the mic.”

Shedeur didn’t appear to hold any grudge against the Texas Tech students for confronting the ballboy or throwing the water bottle. The 2021 Jerry Rice Award winner was seen taking photos with other members of the Texas Tech marching band after the game.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Concerns grow after the singer disappeared several months ago and abruptly canceled her Mother’s Day performance due to “unforeseen circumstances”

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Ever since Grammy Award-winning songbird Anita Baker canceled her Mother’s Day concert in Atlanta, concerned fans have been wondering where she is and if she’s okay.

The cancellation of her State Farm Arena show was announced six minutes before the scheduled performance due to “unforeseen circumstances”, leaving fans upset and offended. Meanwhile, offended fans flooded the Internet, slamming the Detroit native for his “unprofessionalism.”

So many were offended that she ruined their special occasion, but now the tone of X’s fervor is a bit different. Now, when people tweet about her, they express their concern because she has apparently disappeared from the public highlight since then.

Fans are wondering where R&B singer Anita Baker was after her Mother’s Day concert was canceled earlier this 12 months. (Photo: Timothy Norris/Getty Images)

Since October, a lot of her followers on social media, as an alternative of expressing frustration, have expressed real concern for Baker’s well-being, hoping that she will likely be OK.

A fast search shows that although the “Caught Up in the Rapture” singer posted several retweets on her X account, she didn’t address the situation, share any updates or perform live, leaving her followers in the dark and flooding Black Twitter with one query“Where’s Anita?”

“Okay, now that the election is over, let’s move on to more important topics: WHERE THE HELL IS ANITA BAKER?!” one person he tweeted.

Another person he asked“Where is Anita Baker? We have not heard from her since she canceled the Atlanta show?

Someone else referred to the Christmas program, writing October 2: “We STILL haven’t heard a word from Anita Baker since her canceled Mother’s Day show.”

“Learning that James Amos had died 45 days ago, but we had no idea, made me wonder, where the hell is Anita Baker?” one user X sent October 3.

The Soul Train Award winner has at all times done things her own way, and her life in the highlight has been on long hiatuses.

After dominating the R&B scene with her soulful ballads in the ’80s and ’90s, she took an extended 10-year hiatus to deal with her family and caring for her biological mother, who gave her up for adoption when she was a toddler. According to to the article in Essence 2020.

The decision to stay away was also influenced by her inability to write latest music and her desire to gain full ownership of her music, which she ultimately achieved in 2021 with the help of Chance the Rapper, giving her creative freedom and control over her catalog, which the singer/songwriter The author/producer has been trying to find lyrics for a very long time throughout her profession.

Baker returned to touring in 2022, exciting fans who hadn’t seen her perform live in a long time.

However, her tour schedule has had its bumps. In addition to the Atlanta performance, there have been previous setbacks, including problems with her former opening act, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, which made ugly headlines when fans of each artists took to social media to drag the No. 2 spot on the charts.

In May 2023, while on tour celebrating the fortieth anniversary of her debut solo project “The Songstress”, an event planner allegedly told Babyface she couldn’t perform so Baker could have a full set – after the performance was delayed for hours .

This didn’t stop her from performing in the remainder of the shows, and fans loved her deep-throated alto and sensual song renditions.

One fan, sitting in the front row of considered one of her concert events, loved her performance a lot that he took out his phone and recorded her. She asked a fan to stop recording, singing during her performance: “Turn the camera off, baby. I do not know who you’re. Go back, get them back.

The fan didn’t stop and in consequence, the “Sweet Love” diva deleted the person.

Still, the Mother’s Day mystery still has fans wanting to know if she’s okay.

Since the show’s cancellation, Baker has left his digital fingerprint six times, exclusively on the X platform and in all retweets.

In August, she retweeted a post that read: “@IAMANITABAKER Your team and true fans are ready to talk.”

Her quote was simply a microphone emoji.

Fans hope that he’ll make his presence felt soon. At a time when fans have access to the personal lifetime of their star every single day, her disappearance with no trace leaves them stunned and unsure of what to do.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Fans terrified that Gayle King will go down a ‘dark path’ after she was talked into drinking alcohol for the first time in over 50 years

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Broadcast journalist Gayle King has long been known for her rigorous lifestyle — until recently, when she looked as if it would tilt her halo a bit during an interview with country singer Shaboozey on “CBS Mornings.”

Meeting with the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer in a cozy green room, King, 69, sat at a barrel table with two bottles of Jack Daniels and glasses full of bourbon.

Although the setup made sense for the Shaboozey brand, as the country star sings: “Somebody pour me a double shot of whiskey. They know me and Jack Daniel, we have got a story” in his chart-topping hit, which was surprising considering King, who doesn’t drink, was about to share a few sips with the rising star.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Gayle King attends InStyle's 30th Birthday Celebration at BOOM at The Standard Hotel on September 12, 2024 in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Gayle King attends InStyle’s thirtieth Birthday Celebration at BOOM at the Standard Hotel on September 12, 2024 in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

King joked before the interview, and that evening she made herself a cocktail before the meeting behind the scenes at one in all his performances.

When King and Shaboozey finally connected, she went into full interview mode as she prepared to have drinks with the singer/songwriter.

“Do you really like Jack Daniels?” she asked Shaboozey, who recently collaborated with Beyoncé on her 11-time Grammy-nominated album “Cowboy Carter.”

The singer replied: “I love Jack Daniels.”

“So you guys actually have a story?” – she joked, referring to his lyrics.

When Shaboozey shed some light on his “history” with the alcohol, he added, “Man, you know we’ve been having some fun together, especially lately.”

King has no idea about such fun.

Gayle King is drinking alcohol for the first time since her teenage years with country artist Shaboozey. (Photo: Instagram/ @gayleking)

The host leaned over and lamented, “It doesn’t taste good,” but the singer brushed her off, explaining that he liked it and assuring him that he didn’t need to drink it simply because it was prepared for the segment.

This segment shocked everyone on set, who knows how adamant King is about not drinking. Even an off-camera voice joked, “It’s not Gayle who’s going to try alcohol.”

She looked up, clinked glasses with the Virginian, and took a timid sip.

After tasting it, she grimaced, stuck out her tongue in disgust, and exclaimed, “It’s terrible. This is my first time doing this. Look what you made me do!”

King then called for someone to bring her water.

When she sent While on Instagram, fans were shocked to see her drinking, let alone on TV.

“I don’t know why you’ve never drank alcohol, but it’s totally fine that you haven’t, but I hope it didn’t lead you down a dark path,” one fan commented.

“Better stay away from alcohol, Gayle,” added one other. “There’s nothing wrong with being a non-drinker.”

Another tried to stop her virtually, writing: “Don’t do it, Gayle. Lol,” and one other warned: “Jack is not your friend.”

Others offered suggestions, with one advising: “When drinking for the first time, you need to add ice and maybe mix it with Coca-Cola.”

Even Oprah Daily’s social media coordinator chimed in, saying, “Now you have to take pictures with @Oprah! He has been asking for 40 years!!!”

Oprah often teased King about her non-drinking habit. While on CNN with Charles Barkley, Oprah shared a story about King’s unusual request for a drink at Tina Turner’s wedding reception in 2013.

“We were at Tina Turner’s wedding and she asked for milk, OK?” Oprah recalled.

This wasn’t the first time Oprah jokingly addressed her best friend. In a social media post, she joked: “Gayle doesn’t drink; I do.”

King had drank alcohol before, but that was years ago when she was in highschool.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she confessed that the last time she drank was “as a teenager at a Christian youth leadership conference.”

“I vomited for three days,” she recalls. “I never wish to feel like this again. Oprah tells me I can taste superb wines, but I do not drink them.

Few could consider that it had been over fifty years since she had drank, even when she hadn’t drank the alcohol that topped the charts with “Drink Don’t Need to Mix.”

He asked her during the episode: “You don’t drink in any respect? It’s a great option to be. That’s why you look great.”

When she slipped in, she likes Martinelli’s, a popular apple juice, he repeated, “You look great.”

Although fans speculated that Shaboozey’s charm may need influenced her, he even asked her about wine, but they were unsuitable. Judging by her response, nobody has to fret about her getting into the habit of drinking Jack Daniels.

(*50*)


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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