Latest news with #ESPYs
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paige Bueckers is committed to using her new WNBA platform to uplift Black women
Paige Bueckers is committed to using her new WNBA platform to uplift Black women Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers continues to emphasize exactly what she said during her powerful speech at the ESPYs in 2021. Bueckers, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, was named Best Female College Athlete at the ESPYs after her freshman season at UConn. She used her speech to celebrate Black women, noting that she feels they often do not get the media attention they deserve compared with their white counterparts. Bueckers added that Black women have given so much to basketball, to their communities, and to society. Four years after she advocated for change while on that stage, she still believes that sports media continues to make the same mistakes. Here is more from a recent profile on the WNBA guard (via TIME): Bueckers believes Black women remain undercovered. 'It's still an issue, every single day,' she says. 'There's not ever equal coverage.' While her on-court accomplishments speak for themselves, she thinks she has an advantage in the endorsement world. 'There's white privilege every single day that I see,' she says. 'I feel like I've worked extremely hard, blessed by God. But I do think there's more opportunities for me. I feel like even just marketability, people tend to favor white people, white males, white women. I think it should be equal opportunity. I feel like there is privilege to what I have, and to what all white people have. I recognize that, I want to counteract that with the way I go about my business.' During an interview with For The Win's Meghan L. Hall in October 2024, Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink echoed a similar sentiment about her privilege with marketing opportunities. Q&A: Paige Bueckers explains why the women's basketball boom is no fluke Bueckers, who also spoke to For The Win in January 2025, was asked which storylines are the most important to follow in women's basketball that the media is potentially missing. Here is what she said: "The growth. The amount of talent throughout college, the WNBA, and even high school. The more exposure we get, you see the views going up and the attention going up and the accessibility to watch going up. You see positive results every single time. I think we need to acknowledge that women's basketball is great to watch. Whenever we get the platform, we perform. There are big names, but when you tune in to watch the big names, you leave as fans of so many others because it is such a beautiful sport we play and it is a team effort." Bueckers recently played her first WNBA preseason game and will begin her first official pro season for the Wings on May 16 against her hometown Minnesota Lynx.
Express Tribune
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Serena Williams clears the air on Kendrick Lamar and Drake
Serena Williams has addressed speculation surrounding her appearance alongside Kendrick Lamar at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, firmly denying it had anything to do with her past relationship with rapper Drake. In a newly released interview for TIME100, the tennis icon reflected on her standout moment performing with Lamar during his performance of 'Not Like Us.' While social media buzzed with theories that the performance was a subtle jab at Drake, Williams shut down the rumors. 'Absolutely not, I would never do that,' she told TIME. 'That was sad, that anyone would ever think that.' Williams revealed that Lamar reached out just weeks before the game to invite her to participate. The rapper, who admired her infamous Crip Walk after her 2012 Olympic win, wanted to include her in the performance as a nod to their shared West Coast roots. Initially hesitant, Williams eventually agreed, calling it 'an exclamation' on her legacy as a tennis champion from Compton. Although she admitted she wasn't sure whether she regrets the dance move due to past backlash, she emphasized that there were no hard feelings toward Drake. 'We've known him for so many years. I have never had negative feelings towards him,' she said. However, her remarks contrast with a cheeky jab she made at the 2024 ESPYs, where she quipped, 'The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they're going to Forrest Gump him. Seats taken.' Despite the headlines, Williams maintains her Super Bowl moment was purely celebratory—not personal.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Did You Know Duke Men's Basketball Star Cooper Flagg Has a Twin Brother?
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Arguably the biggest star of the NCAA men's March Madness tournament is Duke University's Cooper Flagg. Flagg, 18, is a forward for the Blue Devils. The 6'9' freshman is from Newport, Maine, and is likely to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft. 'It's always been about basketball for us,' Cooper said of him and his brothers, Hunter and Ace. 'Mom and dad have always been there for us, whatever we want to do.' As his profile continues to rise, get to know Cooper Flagg's family: Kelly, who grew up in Newport, Maine, went to Nokomis high school, where she was a standout basketball player. 'She can score, rebound, handle the ball and play good defense,' former Nokomis coach Charlie Wing said in 1994, per Bangor Daily News. 'She's a very well-rounded player who does everything well. She also has a tremendous desire to succeed and is very coachable. I wish I had a dozen Kelly Bowmans.' She went on to play college basketball; at 5'10', she was a three-time conference champion at the University of Maine. As a senior in 1999, she was a team captain. After graduating, Kelly worked as a high school basketball coach, coaching the Nokomis varsity girls team, and her three sons all grew up loving the sport. 'I have pictures of the kids with teething rings that were basketball-shaped,' Kelly said. 'It's just what my family has always done. … It's just in our blood, and what we do.' She added, 'All of them found their own path to loving the game… But I will say about Cooper, I think he definitely came out of the womb ready to go. I've got pictures of him on one of those Little Tikes hoops dunking when he was maybe 18 months.' Kelly is superstitious; watching her son's games, she says, 'I have to sit in the same seat. Usually, I like to sit by the same person or in the same seating order.' Ralph, like his wife, went to Nokomis Regional High. He went on to play college basketball at Maine Technical College (now Eastern Maine Community College). After graduating, he was playing in a men's league at the community center, and met Kelly, bonding over the love of basketball. Per the Bangor Daily News, 'You don't have to spend too much time combing through the BDN archives to see clips from [Cooper] Flagg's parents' high school and college playing days, and there are some pretty interesting parallels to be found. Their stat lines and approaches to the game from decades ago are reminiscent of what we're seeing from Cooper Flagg today.' Ralph is also where Cooper's height comes from: Ralph is 6'7'. Like Kelly, Ralph is really proud of his home state of Maine. 'Just because we don't produce the big D1 athletes as much as those other states do, people don't think basketball is as big [here],' Ralph told The Athletic. 'But it really is.' The Flaggs met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2024 ESPYs: Hunter, born in 2004, was born premature, weighing just 1 pound, 10 ounces. He had a twin brother, Ryder, who passed away two days after their birth. As Hunter remained in the neonatal intensive care unit, his parents stayed in the nearby Ronald McDonald House in Portland. 'I never left Portland,' Kelly later recalled. 'After Hunter was born, I said, 'I'm not leaving without him,' and so to have the house and to be able to stay close by... There were times that were sort of perilous during his journey, and I get a call at any time of day and night that I needed to get over there to the hospital. Being three minutes away instead of an hour and a half was huge.' Years later, Cooper and Ace learned about what happened. 'It's just been something that has always meant a lot in our family. We've talked about it very generally for my whole life. It's kind of just been something terrible that my parents went through, and Hunter,' he said. Like his younger brothers and parents, Hunter played basketball at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. When he was a senior and his brothers were freshmen, they won the Maine Class B championship game. Hunter is currently a junior at the University of Maine, where he's studying sports management. Cooper's twin brother, Ace, is still a high school senior (Cooper reclassified from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024). This past fall, Ace committed to play basketball at the University of Maine. 'A large factor of my decision was a love for the state of Maine as a whole. Being able to play and represent the state I love is extremely special to me,' Ace told the Bangor Daily News. 'I am excited to be able to play for Coach Markwood, with the culture he's created at Maine. It is an amazing opportunity.' He's a little shorter than his brother, standing at 6'8''; they are not identical twins. 'We have to continue to consider and understand that as advanced as the Flagg boys are in their basketball development, they are still only 18 years old and they have a long way to go, and they're going to continue to develop over the next several years,' Matt MacKenzie, Cooper and Ace's player development coach told the BDN, adding, 'Both Flagg boys have done an incredibly good job drowning out the noise and just focusing on improving their own game.' You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
CNN
16-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Dick Vitale tears up on ACC Championship broadcast while talking about recent cancer battle
Dick Vitale became emotional Saturday night while talking about his most recent cancer battle while announcing top-ranked Duke's 73-62 victory over No. 13 Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship. The 85-year-old ESPN college basketball analyst announced in December he was cancer-free. It was his fourth battle in just more than three years with the disease. Vitale teared up as he looked into the camera while sitting between fellow announcers Dave O'Brien and Cory Alexander. 'It's like to me a miracle to sit here with you guys,' Vitale said. 'I can't tell you how much you've meant to me. It's been unbelievable. A tough three years. Those four cancer battles. I don't wish it on anybody. Cancer sucks.' Vitale's voice has been noticeably raspy in his return to calling games, though his famous youthful energy has remained intact. 'It's my last game this year and I'm praying, hopefully, I can be back next year, maybe even better,' Vitale said on the broadcast. 'I hope and pray my doctor really helps me with my voice.' Vitale underwent surgery last summer to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck. He was previously treated for melanoma and lymphoma, and had radiation treatments last year for vocal cord cancer. The Basketball Hall of Famer has been with ESPN since it launched in 1979. The former college and NBA coach called ESPN's first college basketball broadcast. He's also a longtime fundraiser for cancer research, helping friend Jim Valvano to the stage at the 1993 ESPYs, where Valvano delivered his famous 'Don't give up' speech. Valvano died of adenocarcinoma less than two months later.
Fox Sports
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Dick Vitale tears up on ACC Championship broadcast while talking about recent cancer battle
Associated Press Dick Vitale became emotional Saturday night while talking about his most recent cancer battle while announcing top-ranked Duke's 73-62 victory over No. 13 Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship. The 85-year-old ESPN college basketball analyst announced in December he was cancer-free. It was his fourth battle in just more than three years with the disease. Vitale teared up as he looked into the camera while sitting between fellow announcers Dave O'Brien and Cory Alexander. 'It's like to me a miracle to sit here with you guys,' Vitale said. 'I can't tell you how much you've meant to me. It's been unbelievable. A tough three years. Those four cancer battles. I don't wish it on anybody. Cancer sucks.' Vitale's voice has been noticeably raspy in his return to calling games, though his famous youthful energy has remained intact. 'It's my last game this year and I'm praying, hopefully, I can be back next year, maybe even better,' Vitale said on the broadcast. 'I hope and pray my doctor really helps me with my voice.' Vitale underwent surgery last summer to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck. He was previously treated for melanoma and lymphoma, and had radiation treatments last year for vocal cord cancer. The Basketball Hall of Famer has been with ESPN since it launched in 1979. The former college and NBA coach called ESPN's first college basketball broadcast. He's also a longtime fundraiser for cancer research, helping friend Jim Valvano to the stage at the 1993 ESPYs, where Valvano delivered his famous 'Don't give up' speech. Valvano died of adenocarcinoma less than two months later. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and recommended in this topic
