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SpringHill Entertainment, the production company co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, is producing a documentary series about hip-hop star Nipsey Hussle.
The Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted out a teaser trailer for the documentary on Tuesday:
In a statement released to Dominic Patten and Denise Petski of Deadline, James called it "an incredible honor for SpringHill to have a part in sharing Nipsey’s story and legacy with the world."
"He used his gift to give back to his community and lived what it means to inspire, empower, and uplift others along the way," James added. "His words, his ambition, and his actions stick with me to this day as he continues to inspire myself, our company, and people everywhere."
According to Patten and Petski, the series will chronicle Hussle's life from his time growing up in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles to his work as a musician and activist.
Hussle was killed at the age of 33 when he was shot in the parking lot of his clothing store in south Los Angeles in March 2019.
Eric R. Holder Jr. was found guilty of first-degree murder in Hussle's death in July. His sentencing has been postponed multiple times. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
A release date for the series has not yet been announced.
Vanderbilt defensive backs coach Dan Jackson will be away from the football team while the university conducts an internal review of a recent post Jackson made on Facebook in support of rapper Kanye West.
According to ESPN, Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee said the following about the situation:
"It is important the university follow its standard process and conduct a thorough review of the complexities of this incident. Coach Jackson and I have agreed that he will step back from his responsibilities with the team during the Equal Opportunity and Access office's review."
West, who is now known as Ye, made multiple antisemitic comments on social media and elsewhere, including amplifying the conspiracy theory that Jewish people wield outsized control in the media. As a result, Adidas terminated its relationship with West, and he had his accounts suspended on both Twitter and Instagram.
In the wake of the punishments, Jackson wrote on Facebook that West is "two steps ahead of everyone else."
Jackson offered an apology Friday night on Twitter and said he is opposed to antisemitism:
After apologizing, Jackson was allowed to coach in the 3-6 Commodores' 38-27 loss to South Carolina on Saturday.
Jackson, who was a linebacker at South Dakota State from 2003 to 2005, had extensive collegiate coaching experience before joining Vandy's staff this year.
He was part of the staff at his alma mater for eight years, helping South Dakota State establish itself as one of the premier programs in FCS.
Jackson then spent two seasons at Northern Illinois and was part of a turnaround that saw the Huskies go from winless in 2020 to MAC champions in 2021.
Jackson is currently not in line to be with Vanderbilt when it returns to the field Saturday for a road clash against Kentucky.
Vandy is 0-5 in the SEC this season, and it is looking to avoid a third consecutive season with no conference wins.
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Priest Talks Bad Bunny Possibly Joining Judgment Day
After teaming with superstar musician Bad Bunny at WrestleMania 37 last year, Damian Priest has left the door open for them to join forces again in the future.
During an interview on Bleacher Report's Graham "GSM" Matthews' WrestleRant YouTube channel (h/t WrestlingInc's Dakota Cohen), Priest discussed the possibility of Bad Bunny joining him in The Judgment Day:
"Bad Bunny could be a part of Judgment Day," Priest said. "Who knows, right? So, you know, he has a bad side to him, it's in the name. So, but come what may, you know, as far as he's concerned it's good business. You know, the guy is a megastar and he's a pro and he's earned the respect and right to perform with us, you know? He earned that ... In any which role I could work with him, I welcome him."
Bad Bunny made his WWE debut with a musical performance at the 2021 Royal Rumble and ran into issues with The Miz. Priest came to his aid and eventually became Bad Bunny's tag team partner in a feud with The Miz and John Morrison.
All four of them locked horns at WrestleMania 37 in what turned out to be one of the most surprising matches of the event, as Bad Bunny performed well beyond expectations in a victory and proved he belonged in the ring.
Bad Bunny resurfaced as a surprise entrant in the 2022 Royal Rumble match, but he has largely stayed away from WWE and focused on his musical career since then.
Even so, Bad Bunny seems like a prime candidate to return at some point, given how much of a natural he was in the ring, and how big of a WWE fan he has been over the years.
It is somewhat difficult to envision Bad Bunny going heel by joining Priest, Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, but it would add another layer to his character and perhaps make The Judgment Day an even more dominant faction.
WWE Reportedly Planning to Redesign Some Belts
More changes are reportedly on the way for WWE in the form of some newly designed championship belts.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News), WWE sources have indicated that the company has at least three new belt designs waiting in the wings, and they are in hand and ready to be debuted at any time.
Fightful added that belt expert and insider Belt Fan Dan provided some specifics regarding possible belt changes. One belt design that has reportedly been completed in a new WWE Tag Team Championship, which is the same as the current design, but with a black strap.
The Usos are the reigning WWE tag team champions, and they are currently carrying the Raw and SmackDown tag team titles, so consolidating them into one would make some sense.
WWE reportedly also had another set of tag titles made a while back that look similar to the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, but with colored straps instead of white.
Most of the titles WWE has in use currently have been around for multiple years, so it wouldn't hurt to freshen things up a bit.
Triple H has not hesitated to make some significant changes since taking over as head of WWE creative for Vince McMahon in July, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the belt aesthetic change as well.
Possible Cosmetic Changes Coming to Raw, SmackDown
In addition to new belt designs, WWE is reportedly looking into making some changes to the look of Raw, SmackDown and NXT as well.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Vashishtha), there may be some "cosmetic" alterations to the shows in the near future.
No further specifics were given, although it is clear that changes are already underway in NXT, as the logo was changed from a color splash to gold and white a couple of weeks ago. The "2.0" branding was also removed from NXT.
Raw and SmackDown have largely looked the same in terms of their logos and presentation for many years at this point, so it would be a welcomed change if WWE provides a new look and feel.
Triple H, along with co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, are undoubtedly making WWE their own since Vince McMahon's retirement, and new sets or logos would continue that transformation.
The product has been well received since Vince stepped down, and it is likely that aesthetic changes would be embraced by fans as well.
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The Super Bowl LVI halftime show that featured musical artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Mary J. Blige, among others, won this year's Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special, per Lynette Rice of Deadline.
It's the first time the NFL's halftime show for the biggest game of the year won the award.
"I am nervous, man. Jay[-Z] is watching," executive producer Jesse Collins said while accepting the award. "First, on behalf of the fellow executive producers and our performers, we would like to thank the television academy for this incredible honor. It's amazing. This is the first time this show has ever won this award, and it's so incredible to be a part of this moment. It took an incredible team to pull this together, and I thank you all."
The performance included a number of iconic hip-hop songs, including Tupac's "California Love," Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama," Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E."
Golden State Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry continued his eventful offseason by hosting the 2022 ESPY Awards on Wednesday night.
Coming off his fourth NBA championship and first Finals MVP, Curry is now the ninth athlete ever to host the awards show that recognizes the best and brightest from the sports world. When he was announced as the host, the 34-year-old said he planned on "delivering an exciting show for the fans while we celebrate the athletes who created the top moments of the year."
Of course, the first highlight of any awards show is the opening speech, and Curry didn't disappoint.
Here's a look at some of the best reactions on social media after Curry's opening monologue.
Curry was eventually joined on stage by comedian Jay Pharoah, and the two of them performed a musical number.
The opening speech was a solid start, but Curry has to stick the landing before we can truly judge him as a host. If the opening speech was any indication, Curry could potentially have a future in that role once his playing days are over.
Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald announced on the I Am Athlete podcast that he has signed with Kanye West's Donda Sports:
"I think it's a helluva opportunity to open up a lot of different doors and a lot of different things outside of football that I wanna be involved in, that I wanna do, that my wife wanna do," Donald said (h/t TMZ Sports). "So to be a part of that, and be one of the best first athletes to be a part of that, it's pretty dope. We're excited about it, and we're gonna see where this thing goes."
Kanye partnered with Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown to form Donda Sports this year, with Brown referring to himself as the president of the company in a February Instagram post.
Brown has seven Pro Bowl selections in his career, but the 33-year-old has appeared in just 16 games over the last three years and recently said he doesn't plan to play in 2022.
Donald is a much bigger star at the moment, coming off his first career Super Bowl title with the Rams. The defensive tackle has earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of his eight NFL seasons and was named first-team All-Pro in each of the last seven years, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award three times.
Despite his resume as one of the best defensive players in league history, Donald ranks just 27th in the NFL in average annual salary, per Spotrac, and he didn't crack Forbes' list of the 50 richest athletes in the world.
A partnership with Donda Sports could help improve Donald's brand off the field, with podcast co-host Brandon Marshall asking about a potential line of signature cleats down the line with Ye.
"Ain't nothing in full circle, but we've been talking," Donald said. "We got a lot of different things that are planned."
J. Cole is reportedly continuing his basketball career.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Cole is signing a contract with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. It's his second consecutive year playing professionally following his run with the Patriots Basketball Club in the Basketball Africa League.
The CEBL expanded to 10 teams for the 2022 season. Training camp began this week, with the regular season set to begin May 26. The Shooting Stars became the league's eighth franchise in August and will be playing their inaugural season this year.
"Scarborough is a basketball hotbed that has produced some of Canada’s very best players," CEBL CEO and Commissioner Mike Morreale said when the team was founded. "When the new team hits the court in 2022 it will bring an elevated passion and love for the game, the Scarborough community, and for the next generation of CEBL stars."
The CEBL was founded in 2017 and began play in 2019 with six teams. The league typically plays 20 regular-season games culminating in the playoffs and a final four championship weekend. The Edmonton Stingers won the title in each of the last two years.
Cole appeared in three games for the Patriots in the 2021 season and finished with totals of five points, three assists and five rebounds in 45 minutes of action off the bench. The Grammy Award-winning rapper has shown his basketball skills multiple times in the past on social media, so perhaps he will have a better season with Scarborough.
Adam Sandler is going back into the world of sports movies, with the help of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Sandler dropped the trailer for his new Netflix movie Hustle on Friday:
The movie, which is co-produced by James' Springhill Entertainment company, stars Sandler as a former basketball scout who finds a streetball player in Spain and tries to use him to get back into the NBA.
It also features several current NBA players, including Juancho Hernangomez and Kyle Lowry.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show in August (h/t Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire), Sandler said that Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey and Doc Rivers will be in the movie.
This marks Sandler's second foray into the world of basketball for one of his projects. Uncut Gems wasn't specifically about basketball, but its climax was centered around the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Sandler is no stranger to sports movies, having starred in Happy Gilmore and the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard.
Hustle will be the fourth movie produced by James' company, after What's My Name: Muhammad Ali, Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street and Space Jam: A New Legacy. It will premiere on Netflix on June 10.
Drake cashed in a bet for nearly $450,000 after Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored a touchdown in Super Bowl 56 on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals:
Drake barely had to sweat his half-million wager for Beckham to score a touchdown any time during the game, with OBJ getting it done with 6:22 left in the first quarter.
With the Rams facing a 3rd-and-3 from the Bengals' 17-yard line, L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a dart down the sideline to Beckham, who beat Cincinnati cornerback Mike Hilton for the game's first points:
The Rams took a 7-0 lead after a Matt Gay extra-point attempt.
