Bucks' Damian Lillard issues playful response to teammate Kyle Kuzma's boxing challenge
Kyle Kuzma, who was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in February, was apparently aware of his teammate Lillard's passion for boxing and decided to challenge him to a bout.
In a social media post, Kuzma initially joked that Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo would face consequences if he departed Milwaukee at some point this offseason.
Speculation has swirled that the two-time NBA MVP could explore his options this offseason in pursuit of playing with a team that's better positioned for a deep playoff run.
"Me to @giannis_an34 if you leave next year," Kuzma wrote in an Instagram Stories post over a video of him in a sparring session.
Kuzma followed up that post by suggesting Lillard could be "next" teammate to draw his wrath. "Ding ding," Kuzma captioned another video of him wearing boxing gloves.
Lillard caught wind of Kuzma's challenge and responded in kind.
"When I'm healthy… I'm stopping you in the 5th… Long torso = BHop vs. De La Hoya," Lillard wrote in an Instagram Stories post.
Lillard's response was a reference to Bernard Hopkins' famous 2004 bout against Oscar De La Hoya. Hopkins was defending his middleweight title when he knocked out De La Hoya. The fight is largely remembered for it being the first time in De La Hoya's career he lost a bout via knockout.
The Bucks list Lillard as 6' 2" and 195 lbs. Meanwhile, Kuzma is listed at 6' 9" and 221 lbs.
De La Hoya was noticeably smaller than Hopkins when they were in the ring. De La Hoya, who is often referred to as "The Golden Boy," attempted to win a belt in a weight class that was heavier than he normally competed in.
Lillard recently underwent surgery to repair his torn left Achilles tendon. He suffered the injury in April during the Bucks playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Shortly before the ACL injury, the star point guard had worked his way back from a deep vein thrombosis issue in his right leg. Lillard was sidelined for the Bucks' final 14 games of the 2024-25 regular-season.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Mets blow early six-run lead, allow 11 unanswered runs in nightmare loss to Braves
The season-long lack of length from starters haunted the Mets once again on Wednesday night, as an early six-run lead was astonishingly wasted in a rain-soaked 11-6 loss to the Braves at Citi Field. Here are the takeaways... -- The Mets' red-hot bats weren't bothered by the 95-minute delay to first pitch. A first-inning leadoff double from Francisco Lindor and a pair of walks from Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo set the bases loaded for Pete Alonso, who ripped a sinker off Carlos Carrasco to center for a two-run single. The knock from Alonso increased his RBI total to 98, tied for the highest mark in MLB. Their lead increased to 3-0 moments later, when Nimmo scored on a sac fly to right from Cedric Mullins. The Braves challenged Nimmo's tag-up, but replay review confirmed that he left third base on time. -- Further damage was inflicted off the former Mets starter in the second, as Soto followed up a one-out single from Lindor with a towering two-run homer to center that made the score 5-0. The 407-foot blast was No. 29 on the year for Soto, and the ball was skillfully caught by a young fan seated in the front row next to the Home Run Apple. The woes didn't end there for Carrasco, either -- the veteran right-hander proceeded to allow doubles to Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, and he needed a whopping 67 pitches to record only six outs. He didn't return for the third inning. -- The six-run cushion was appeciated by Mets starter David Peterson, who retired six of the first seven batters, but the left-hander struggled mightily to maintain any sort of groove. After narrowly escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third, the Braves tormented Peterson in the fourth with a debilitating five-run rally that included four walks and a three-run double from Jurickson Profar. The Mets mercifully pulled Peterson at 80 pitches with a two-run lead and one out in the frame, but his ERA continued to rise while he watched from the dugout. -- Reed Garrett entered in relief and gave up a full-count RBI single to Marcell Ozuna that cut the Mets' lead 6-5 -- the fifth run charged to Peterson -- and then with the bases juiced once again, Michael Harris II smacked a two-out grand slam to dead center that stunningly placed the Braves ahead, 9-6. The nine-run implosion was the Mets' worst inning since April 2019, when they allowed 10 first-inning runs to the Phillies, and the fans who endured the hour-plus rain delay made sure their boos were amplified. -- The Mets' misfortune appeared on the basepaths in the bottom half of the fourth. With two on and two out, a single to right from Starling Marte was all for naught when a heads-up throw from outfielder Eli White to catcher Sean Murphy nabbed a head-first sliding Alonso at home for the third out. But back to the top-half meltdown -- since June 13, the Mets rank dead last in the majors in innings pitched by their starters (h/t Anthony DiComo). Peterson's season ERA jumped from 2.98 to 3.30 (23 starts). -- Paul Blackburn was activated off the injured list on Wednesday in a new bullpen role, and it didn't take long for the Mets to assign the veteran right-hander bulk relief duty. While his first inning of work in the fifth was blemish-free, he allowed a leadoff walk in the sixth and then served up a two-run homer to Ozuna that bumped the Braves' lead to 11-6. Blackburn turned into an effective mop-up arm from there, however, retiring 12 straight in what became a five-inning appearance that included three strikeouts (61 pitches). -- In spite of Carrasco's mess, the Braves' bullpen stepped up in patchwork that began in the third inning. Five relievers combined to produce seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, and from the sixth inning on, the Mets saw just one runner advance into scoring position. Game MVP: Michael Harris II Harris' two-out grand slam in a nine-run fourth inning pushed the Braves ahead, and for the first time in Mets history, they've blown a four-plus run lead in three straight games (h/t Gary Cohen). Highlights What's next The Mets (64-56) will play their rubber game against the Braves on Thursday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on SNY. RHP Kodai Senga (7-4, 2.30 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Bryce Elder (4-9, 6.12 ERA).
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Gio Urshela's RBI single
Gio Urshela lines an RBI single to left field, cutting the Athletics' deficit to 6-2 in the 5th inning
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Rowers revel in beach sprints in the run-up to LA's 2028 Olympics
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — It's a beach run, a coastal row and a music party rolled into one, and it's about to become an Olympic event. On a sunny Southern California morning, nearly two dozen athletes gathered to try their hand at beach sprints at a camp run by USRowing in Long Beach, not far from where the inaugural Olympic races will be held in 2028. Many were long-time flatwater rowers who wanted to take a shot at something new. Others were already hooked on the quick-paced and unpredictable race format and have been training with an eye on LA28. Two at a time, athletes run to the waterline, hop in a boat, row a slalom course, then turn around and return to shore to jump out and dash across the sand to hit a finish-line buzzer — all in about three minutes. "You don't just have to be a good rower — you also have to be a good athlete, and what that means is you've got to be able to be dynamic and adapt to whatever Mother Nature throws at you," said Maurice Scott, a long-time rower from Philadelphia who moved to Long Beach to prepare for the Olympics. The next summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles and nearby cities. Interest in beach sprints has risen since the International Olympic Committee announced its inclusion, especially since the games will no longer feature a lightweight rowing category popular among smaller athletes. Rowing officials developed the beach sprint format a little over a decade ago hoping to engage spectators in a sport that's otherwise removed from people watching from the shore. A standard 2,000 meter-flatwater race is typically only visible closer to the finish line. In beach sprints, athletes compete close to the crowds in a dynamic and much shorter race that fans can easily track from the sand. Guin Batten, chair of World Rowing's coastal commission, said the vision is to have a fun, lively event on the beach where spectators can listen to good music, be close to the action and follow their favorite athletes. The entire event runs just an hour. 'It's knockout. It's chaotic,' said Batten, an Olympic rower who helped develop the format. 'Until you cross a finish line, anyone can win that race.' Many traditional flatwater rowers accustomed to steady strokes on calm waterways have no interest in the ups and downs of wind and waves. But other long-time rowers are hooked. Christine Cavallo, a beach sprinter on the U.S. national team, said she loves the unpredictability of the waves, which can humble even the most incredible athletes. 'You could be the best rower in the world and get flipped by the wave," Cavallo said. Coastal rowing has long been popular throughout the world but different cultures have used different boats and rules. Part of the appeal of beach sprints is the boat has been standardized and is provided at competitions, which makes it easier for more athletes to try it. The first major international beach sprints competition was at the 2015 Mediterranean Beach Games in Italy. Head of the Charles, known for its yearly October flatwater regatta in Massachusetts, hosted its first beach sprints event in July. About 100 rowers, twice as many as expected, participated, said Brendan Mulvey, race director. Since the Olympic announcement, Tom Pattichis, British Rowing's head coach for beach sprints, said he now has athletes training full-time in the event. Meanwhile, Marc Oria, the USA Beach Sprint head coach, said camps in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Long Beach aim to bring the race to long-time rowers and others who haven't tried it. Athletes find it exhilarating because it requires them to be agile and adaptive as well as superb rowers, he said. 'It's growing exponentially in the last four years all around the world,' Oria said. 'Our goal for U.S. rowing is to create more events, more opportunities, and to create a good pipeline for 2028.' At the camp in Long Beach, competitors included a teacher, an Olympic rower, a marketing professional who began rowing a few weeks earlier and a high school senior. 'I tried it and I really loved it, so I came back,' said Bridgette Hanson, a 17-year-old rower from Arizona who raced in beach sprints for the first time this year in Florida. 'It requires a lot more brute force.' John Wojtkiewicz, coach of the Long Beach Coastal Team, called out to racers to help guide them through the course. He said he's eager to see how the Olympic venue is set up and hopes spectators can get a good view like they do at surfing events. 'What is great about the beach sprint — and this may have helped its development — is you can watch the entire race,' Wojtkiewicz said. "Anything can happen.'
