data-mm-id=”_m9i2q0nlf”>Cooper Flagg's summer has been anything but ordinary for a 17-year-old. Then again, he is the nation's top high school boys basketball recruit who'll likely play only one season at Duke before becoming the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.The consensus National High School Player of the Year backed up all of the hype rising around him last month, when he torched Team USA in a pre-Olympics scrimmage in Las Vegas. And now, before playing a single second of college basketball, the uber-talented 6-foot-9 forward has his own shoe deal.On Monday, New Balance announced that it had signed Flagg as one of its signature athletes with a signature shoe likely to follow. He joins NBA stars Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray and WNBA rookie Cameron Brink on the company's hoops roster. View this post on Instagram A post shared by New Balance (@newbalance)New Balance benefited from a home-court advantage with Flagg. Its manufacturing plant in Skowhegan, Maine, is about 25 miles from where he grew up in Newport. Flagg and his family regularly visited the factory store.In its promotional video announcing the partnership with Flagg, New Balance shot the ad in Flagg's hometown.Cooper Flagg, The Intelligent Choice. pic.twitter.com/JvvvMM9lfm— New Balance (@newbalance) August 26, 2024"I grew up wearing New Balance, and I appreciate their authentic connection to my community. The focus and growth of the brand in basketball and our shared values and history drew me in,” Flagg said in a statement. “From day one, it was clear that this would be a family-like partnership. I’m so excited to join this family and help them grow the category with young athletes.”Flagg is the second college athlete to land a signature shoe deal. Connecticut women's basketball star Paige Bueckers became the first to do so last year after signing an NIL deal with Nike.
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data-mm-id=”_k41thkh2e”>The Cowboys' 37-18 win over the Giants last night will be forever known as the game where a black cat got on the field. But the cat's interruption wasn't the only extracurricular activity going on during the NFC East clash. There was also crowd punching. A Giants fan was caught on video getting punched in the face by a Cowboys fan and visibly enjoying the experience. At one point, you can even hear the man loudly saying, "I love it!"Nobody has had more fun getting his ass kicked than this guy pic.twitter.com/lUknBiDmso— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 5, 2019If this Giants fan was trying to build a reputation, he just got one. Sure, he could have been known as the man who got punched, then delivered a returning knockout at…
data-mm-id=”_fg8qhrfew”>Throw another name into the running for Tom Brady.According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders, ready to move into their new stadium in Las Vegas, will pursue six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady in free agency if he does not re-sign with the New England Patriots this offseason.Raiders are poised to pursue quarterback Tom Brady if he doesn't re-sign with the Patriots before free agency begins, league sources told ESPN.https://t.co/rAloZCF2W1— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2020The Brady-to-Vegas idea gained credibility after rumors surfaced that Brady purchased real estate in Nevada, as well as sightings of Brady and Raiders owner Mark Davis side-by-side at a UFC event at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.pic.twitter.com/qXbPt…
data-mm-id=”_e85lmtinc”>Most people know Woody Paige as an eccentric guy who sometimes spouts gibberish with a chalkboard behind him on ESPN's Around the Horn. Perhaps after next week, they'll know him as the guy who reported a critical detail that upends the 2020 NFL Draft. In a repose to a question on Twitter about what the Broncos will do with the No. 15 pick in Thursday's NFL Draft, Paige, the former long-time columnist for the Denver Post, said he not only heard they want to move up, but they're also targeting the top wide receiver in the draft. It could go either way. Don’t believe Broncos stay at 15. My sources tell me they go up to 8 or 10 and get Jeudy.— Woody Paige (@woodypaige) April 19, 2020This would be massive for multiple reasons, chief among them…
data-mm-id=”_odra3qntm”>Damian Lillard has had an interesting few days. After he bricked two free throws in the final minute of the Blazers' matchup with the Clippers and then went to war on social media with Pat Beverley and Paul George, he called out Skip Bayless. First he did so on Twitter, calling Bayless a clown for "backpedaling" on a previous conversation they had after the Undisputed host said he wasn't buying Dame Time. Then, on Carmelo Anthony's Youtube show/podcast, Lillard further elaborated and said he had a call with Bayless where he wouldn't stand by what he said on television. Bayless addressed the subject today in a lengthy segment with Shannon Sharpe and gave the entire history of their interactions in quite a tell-all. The whole thing is…
data-mm-id=”_3gzvb153w”>Dak Prescott chose to bet on himself this past offseason. It looked like it was going to work. He refused to sign a long-term extension with the Dallas Cowboys after hitting free agency and the organization franchise-tagged him for $31 million. Prescott's future earnings potential rode on his performance this year– and he was set to earn himself a monstrous payday until he went down with a nasty ankle injury that sidelined him for the year. Usually when a player is on a one-year deal and suffers a compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle like Prescott did, the immediate future does not look bright. Medical technology has never been better but there's no guarantee a player would be the same guy after such an injury and contract negotiations take …
data-mm-id=”_wb3ddj93h”>Charles Barkley was on TNT's pregame show before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals and took the opportunity to take a shot at Dan Le Batard. And his dad. During the pregame show, Barkley said the Bostin Celtics would beat the Heat in Game 5, and guaranteed the series was heading back to Miami for Game 6. He said, "Fat Dan Le Batard and your fat daddy — sweet Miss Lourdes — I'll see you Saturday. Guaranteed."Check it out:pic.twitter.com/wUNYFaYfPi— sportsvids99 (@sportsvids991) May 26, 2023For those unaware, Lourdes is Le Batard's mom's name. Le Batard is, of course, based in Miami. Here's the Le Batard family's response to Barkley's comments:Papi has a message for you, Barkley. @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.c…
data-mm-id=”_jjnqz0caz”>Welcome to The Big Lead's weekly start 'em, sit 'em column. It pairs wonderfully with our weekly waiver wire column. We are here to dig into the toughest decisions you may be facing for your fantasy matchup this week and give you answers. Some of those answers may even be right!Presenting our Week 4 start 'em, sit 'em calls.Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans Henry has been a fantasy god for the last five years, but Father Time might be taking its toll. Henry put up about 30 fantasy points combined in the first two weeks, which is pretty good but not the kind of production we're used to seeing out of the All-Pro back. Then he laid an egg against the Browns in Week 4, putting up 20 total yards on 11 rushing attempts and zero touchdow…
data-mm-id=”_dulm7s4qj”>Jahmyr Gibbs announced himself to the world last night on Monday Night Football, collecting 189 yards from scrimmage as the Detroit Lions force-fed him the ball en route to a 26-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, which was not nearly as close as the final score suggests. The performance showed why the franchise was willing to reach for him in last year's draft and showed why the fanbase is so excited about the short- and long-term possibilities. After helping his team reach the 6-2 mark headed into a bye, Gibbs joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter for a free-flowing conversation that occasionally touched on how the rookie is maturing. It was a victory lap in front of people who have been insanely thirsty for victory. Ford Field was literally as loud as…
data-mm-id=”_iichh8sww”>Jimmy Johnson was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor during halftime of Saturday's Cowboys – Lions game. It was a long time coming for the two-time Super Bowl winner, but as with any great coach, adjustments were made up until the very last second. In this case, it was Johnson tightening his belt right before he was called onto the field to be honored. Jimmy Johnson buckling his belt with the Cowboys cheerleader next to him lol pic.twitter.com/cwuEMnM07a— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 31, 2023Once the proper notch was found, Johnson joined other former Cowboys greats on the field for a short, but sweet ceremony where he got a new jacket, a silver bowl and one final, triumphant, "how 'bout them Cowboys!?""HOW '…
data-mm-id=”_bnrnb2w94″>The NBA All-Star Game is supposed to be a fun night that's not taken seriously by anyone playing in the actual game. Count Luka Doncic among those who really don't care about the action on the court. The Dallas Mavericks star's showing Sunday night was so bad, he authored one of the worst bricked dunk you'll ever see. Midway through the third quarter, Doncic was cherry-picking and got a long outlet pass from Kevin Durant. He was all by himself and decided to show off. He threw the ball off the backboard to himself and went up for the one-handed slam. Unfortunately, the rim got in the way and rejected him. Watch:pic.twitter.com/2c0suTgXo2— dubs408 (@somedubvids) February 19, 2024Let's pull that up one more time:HALF COURT DAME ðŸ…