WNBA Star Goes Viral With Caitlin Clark, Steph Curry StatementNew Update on Jimmy Butler to Golden State Warriors Trade “please go on a win streak,” a fan pleaded. Payton has appeared in 28 games this season, as injuries continue to be an issue for the versatile guard. “Yeah it doesn’t matter who plays at this point,” […]
Payton has appeared in 28 games this season, as injuries continue to be an issue for the versatile guard. “Yeah it doesn’t matter who plays at this point,” a pessimistic Warriors fan wrote. “The season is done.”
Via Slater: “Gary Payton II is on track to return for the Warriors tomorrow in Minnesota. He’s probable. Missed the last 10 games with a calf strain. Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson are questionable. Brandin Podziemski remains out.””Cool won’t fix the roster issue,” a fan replied.The Golden State Warriors are at a new low point in what has been another disappointing season. After missing the playoffs last year, the Warriors are currently out of the Western Conference playoff picture. While there is time to turn things around, this roster does not look to be one that is going very far.NBA fans have been reacting to this news on X.
John Wall joins Prime Video's NBA coverage after retirement news breaks
John Wall’s career in the NBA may be over, but he isn’t walking away from the game he loves just yet. Wall, who officially retired on Tuesday, is joining the Prime Video studio crew as the streaming service enters its first season carrying NBA broadcasts as part of an 11-year rights deal. The former Wizards […]
John Wall’s career in the NBA may be over, but he isn’t walking away from the game he loves just yet.
Wall, who officially retired on Tuesday, is joining the Prime Video studio crew as the streaming service enters its first season carrying NBA broadcasts as part of an 11-year rights deal.
The former Wizards star will join Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki, who previously had been announced as the primary analysts, as well as Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, and Candace Parker, who will be splitting time between calling games and working in the studio.
Wizards guard John Wall, who has retired from the NBA, drives to the basket during a past game against the Knicks. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Wall, 34, is hoping that he can connect with fans and share his deep knowledge of the game with them through broadcasting, he told the Washington Post.
“If you never really had the opportunity to sit down and talk to me, you won’t really understand how much I love basketball, where my basketball mind is at, where my IQ is,” Wall said. “I can basically tell you the best player in the country — from girls to boys, high school, to the players that’s in college, to the people that’s at the NBA and WNBA.”
Wall has limited broadcast experience, having worked a pair of G League Winter Showcase games on ESPN and NBA TV last winter.
Following the experience, he told the Associated Press that it was an outlet for him to talk about basketball, something “I love to do” and that it was what he did “when I’m home, watching with my friends and kids.”
He joked that they all would eventually end up telling him to “‘shut up and let us watch.’”
John Wall at the Power TV series premiere. WireImage
Wall retired after 11 seasons in the NBA and finished with five All-Star nods and averaging 18.7 points per game and 8.9 assists per game during his career.
He played nine seasons with the Wizards before spending a season with the Rockets and Clippers.
Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie, has arrived—and it’s as quirky as you’d expect from the Uncut Gems creator. Set in the 1950s, the film stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a passionate ping-pong prodigy whose dream is persistently underestimated. According to A24’s official logline, he “goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness”. […]
Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie, has arrived—and it’s as quirky as you’d expect from the Uncut Gems creator.
Set in the 1950s, the film stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a passionate ping-pong prodigy whose dream is persistently underestimated. According to A24’s official logline, he “goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness”.
The trailer opens with Marty attempting to woo a Hollywood actress—played by Gwyneth Paltrow—via a phone call from his hotel. “I’ve never talked to an actual movie star,” he confesses. “I’m something of a performer too.” Her dry reply? “Are you?”.
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Paltrow’s transformation is striking: she sports a retro curled bob with setting pins, vintage brown-and-gold glasses, and a 1950s glamour that’s pure period style—quite the departure from her signature look.
Meanwhile, the trailer showcases an electric glimpse of high-stakes table-tennis action, emotional intensity, and visual flair typical of Safdie’s direction.
The ensemble cast is eclectic. Alongside Chalamet and Paltrow are Odessa A’Zion, Fran Drescher (as Marty’s mother), “Shark Tank” mogul Kevin O’Leary, Tyler, the Creator (credited as Tyler Okonma), magician Penn Jillette, Abel Ferrara, Sandra Bernhard, and Philippe Petit.
Marty Supreme is slated for a Christmas Day 2025 theatrical release. The film, described as a “sports adventure comedy-drama,” blends ambition, humour, romance, and the noble absurdity of table tennis as art form.
Behind the camera, Safdie co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein. The film’s production boasts a $70 million budget, making it A24’s largest to date.
Tune in to World Wide Reb, weekday mornings at 8.45am on 98FM’s Big Breakfast for all the latest entertainment news.
Beach Volleyball Tournament Finals Draw Record Participation in Belize City
The finals for the fourth annual Beach Volleyball Tournament were held yesterday at the Digi Park in Belize City. The tournament, hosted by the Belize Volleyball Association (BVA), kicked off on Saturday with a record 25 teams competing in this year’s tournament. The grueling competition will see more than 30 games played consecutively, leading up […]
The finals for the fourth annual Beach Volleyball Tournament were held yesterday at the Digi Park in Belize City. The tournament, hosted by the Belize Volleyball Association (BVA), kicked off on Saturday with a record 25 teams competing in this year’s tournament. The grueling competition will see more than 30 games played consecutively, leading up to the finals this evening. Juan Marin, Beach Commissioner for the BVA, says that the tournament is part of the association’s efforts to promote and develop beach volleyball.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After watching his guys Euro-step through dummies and toss in a flurry of floaters, Taurean Green called for an extended 3-point shooting drill. For the next 25 minutes, sophomore Boogie Fland and freshman CJ Ingram launched long balls, with Fland, the combo guard, dropping 14 of 15 in one late stretch before Green […]
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After watching his guys Euro-step through dummies and toss in a flurry of floaters, Taurean Green called for an extended 3-point shooting drill. For the next 25 minutes, sophomore Boogie Fland and freshman CJ Ingram launched long balls, with Fland, the combo guard, dropping 14 of 15 in one late stretch before Green wrapped the session.
“Feeling good,” Fland nodded as he left the floor Friday. “Oh yeah.”
Green, the Florida assistant coach and director of player development, flashed a smile.
“He’s getting there,” Green grinned.
There means healthy. For now, that’s the goal. Period. The basketball package is in place. No one will doubt that. But for Fland, the 6-foot-2, 184-pound combo guard and projected heir to first-team All American, Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NCAA champion Walter Clayton Jr. as the Gators’ PG1, the 2025-26 season is about feeling whole for the first time in his brief collegiate career.
Fland, who just turned 19 last month, came to UF through the transfer portal and via Southeastern Conference rival Arkansas, where a year ago he was a heralded freshman and – out of New York City – one of the top play-making prospects in the country. The only point guards ranked ahead of Fland in his recruiting class were Dylan Harper (Rutgers) and Egor Demin (Brigham Young), both of whom had outstanding statistical freshman seasons and were selected second and eighth, respectively, in the 2025 NBA Draft.
A similar one-and-done trajectory was Fland’s plan, but he arrived at Arkansas last summer with a tender hernia that he eventually (with input from team doctors) chose to play through. That was quite the task for a guy who thrived on explosiveness and elite speed, but Fland made due. Then came a thumb injury early in SEC play, half a season on the sidelines, a return to action in the NCAA Tournament and, eventually, a change of scenery.
Now, it’s about a new season, new challenge and new team – at 100 percent. Hernia surgery was seven weeks ago. Fland has been on the floor for workouts for two weeks. He’s been a regular in the weight room in an effort to put on more muscle (13 pounds, so far). He’s on schedule to be cleared for the start preseason drills, which start Thursday, the first day of UF fall semester classes.
(From @BoogieFland YouTube channel)
“I’ve always kind of played through stuff. You want to be tough,” said Fland, who in May pulled out of the NBA evaluation process to become a last-minute – and highly coveted – addition to the transfer portal. “So, I just feel like, this year, if I can start healthy and stay healthy and do everything to prevent those injuries – from being in the training room, investing in my body and believing in everything we’re doing here – that it will make a big difference. And I believe I am invested in everything we’re trying to do here.”
The feeling is mutual.
“He’s definitely a great NBA prospect, and a guy that I anticipate not being on this campus for a long time,” UF coach Todd Golden said of a player whose game scouts have likened to NBA stars Darius Garland and Tyrese Maxey. “If he has a good year next [season], I would anticipate him moving on, which is awesome, and my hope is that we can help him get to that goal.”
The Gators, in looking to fill the voids left by Clayton and his remarkable perimeter mates, Alijah Martin and Will Richard, got a good one out of the portal early in Princeton’s Xaivian Lee, a first-team All-Ivy League selection. With a plan in place to move forward Thomas Haugh out to Richard’s wing spot, the roster appeared set, but then senior guard Denzel Aberdeen, set to take over at the point, surprised the UF coaches and bolted for Kentucky, thus leaving a huge hole on the ball.
On that front, the addition of Fland was an orange and blue windfall. He’s the first former McDonald’s All American to join the program since Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann in 2019. He is one of only consensus two top-20 prep prospects (along with Lewis) to come to Florida since Billy Donovan bolted to coach in the NBA.
“I thought he was a bucket when I first saw him in high school. A guy who was shooting a ton of 3s and attacking the basket,” said Florida associate head coach Korey McCray, who tutors the backcourt players. “But he’s become such a complete guard; score, shoot, pass, facilitate, smart and one of the best assist-to-turnover guys in the SEC last year. He’s just very talented … and really, really fast.”
Johnuel Fland loved to dance as a toddler. So much that his mother nicknamed him “Boogie.” It stuck. So did his moves, the shaking and baking of which translated to the courts in the Bronx, New York, where Fland led Archbishop Stepinac to consecutive Catholic High School Association titles as a junior and senior and was named Most Valuable Player of the finals in both years. As a senior, he averaged 19.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Fland originally signed early with Kentucky, but backed out when John Calipari made the stunning jump to Arkansas after the ’23-24 season. Fland was one of five current or incoming Wildcats who followed “Coach Cal” to Fayetteville.
At full strength, Boogie Fland figures to be one fastest players in college basketball, which will make him a perfect fit in the Florida system that puts a premium on tempo.
Despite dealing with some discomfort from the hernia, Fland was averaging 15.5 points, 5.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds when he injured his thumb Jan. 11 in a 71-63 home loss to the Gators. He had 15 points, four assists and played through the pain that game, as well as two games after that, before undergoing surgery 10 days later. He missed 15 games before returning for the NCAA Tournament, starting with an upset of 7-seed Kansas, but a rusty Fland managed just 12 points on 4-for-18 shooting over his three tournament games, including an overtime loss to Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.
“It was a season filled with ups and downs. I loved my teammates, but trust, I think, was something we kind of lacked, but we pushed through,” Fland said. “When I got back [from the injury], everybody was playing their best, so I wasn’t looking to fill a greater role. I just wanted to fit in the best I could. It ended up being a rewarding season and I feel like everybody took something from it, as far as life’s lessons. For me, I did a lot of self-evaluation.”
The mirror-gazing lasted through his flirtation with the NBA — feedback was luke warm — and into his time in the portal. The Razorbacks wanted their point guard back, but Golden and his coaches hit a home run in their meeting with Fland and laid out their vision for his role on the defending national champions. He committed on his official visit.
Boogie Fland averaged 13.5 points on 38% shooting (34% from 3) during his freshman season at Arkansas, but finished second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.7).
In landing both Fland and Lee, the Gators plan on rolling out a starting backcourt of two highly skilled and talented scorers, both known for their unselfishness. Over the last seven seasons, only one UF player (Andrew Nembhard in 2019-20) has averaged at least five assists. Both Fland and Lee averaged five-plus assists in ’24-25. Lee ranked 19th nationally in assist rate (36.8 percent), while Fland was 59th (30.6 percent), with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.7 that was 14th nationally and second in the SEC.
Though a gifted scorer, Fland loves distributing the ball. Especially in transition.
“I want everybody around me to smile. I thrive off that,” Fland said. “If everybody is having fun that means I’m doing my job.”
Figuring out how two high-usage combo guards can play together and off one another – while playing with the best and most experienced returning front court in the country, by the way – will be a challenging (and fascinating) task for the coaching staff in the run-up to the season.
The ’24-25 Gators, remember, finished No. 2 in the nation in offensive efficiency on the way to averaging 84.8 points per game. The UF offense will not deviate far from its principles of playing through two bigs (and ball-screening defenders to death), but things are going to look different with Haugh at the “3” and crashing the glass.
Golden, ever the believer, is confident the new pieces will fall into place.
“I see it working really, really well. I’m excited about it,” Golden said. “When you have two point guards that are out there making plays, I think it makes your offense really dynamic. So, we’re excited. I think you can have both those guys start the offense. They’re both going to have the ball in their hands a ton, being able to play out of the ball screen, being able to push in transition. They’re weapons that teams are going to have to account for.”
Ideally, sophomore guard Boogie Fland, currently 183 pounds, will build his strength and play at around 190 pounds this season.
First things first: Fland needs to feel great; the best he has since leaving the Bronx.
He’s getting there.
And just in time to step into a situation of sky-high expectations, both for the program (as defending champion, there’s only one way to go) and for Fland (who was pegged to be in the NBA by now).
“I feel like that’s all stuff that comes with it. I feel like everybody knows the deal, especially coming to a place where the standard is high,” Fland said. “The goal has to be to go higher. That’s what we have to do and what I’m ready to do. You want those expectations. You want that pressure. That’s why you play the game of basketball, that’s why you love the game and everything that comes with it. You have to go out and perform.”
Big hike in fees for San Diego sports leagues leaves players on the bench
Every Tuesday night, volleyball nets are set up at Mariner’s Point Park in Mission Bay. People flock to the beach, catching up with old friends and meeting new people while joining pickup games and drills. Some have been playing volleyball for more than 40 years. Others just started that week. They range in age from […]
Every Tuesday night, volleyball nets are set up at Mariner’s Point Park in Mission Bay. People flock to the beach, catching up with old friends and meeting new people while joining pickup games and drills.
Some have been playing volleyball for more than 40 years. Others just started that week. They range in age from college students to retirees who just want a little bit of exercise. Here, they all have a chance to play.
These are not professional players. They all come to play, socialize and get exercise together in the adult recreational league Life’s A Beach Volleyball.
Daniel Palenchar started Life’s A Beach because of his passion for inclusivity in sports.
“We exist for really everybody,” he said. “Our mission is to make beach volleyball accessible for all people.”
Life’s A Beach isn’t the only adult recreation league in town. There are many running games and tournaments in every sport from kickball to tennis. But last month, organizers found out that their leagues are going to get a lot more expensive.
On July 1, for-profit adult sports leagues in San Diego saw a jump in team fees, sometimes more than doubling. The fees for one team to use a field with lights for a season went from $138 in March to $393. And that additional cost will most likely be passed on to players.
Kevin Hellman has been playing softball his entire life and has run San Diego Softball since 1987. He said he already had to contend with other rising costs, including the price of equipment, and the jump in team fees could be too much for players.
“It’s just a big increase for people to stomach when they can’t afford to buy groceries,” he said.
San Diego’s budget problems are behind the increases. The city had to find new revenue streams to balance its budget this year.
Increasing team fees would allow the city to almost break even on the cost of maintaining the fields, lighting them, paying employees who staff recreation centers and other costs, said Baku Patel, a policy analyst at the city’s Office of the Independent Budget Analyst. Currently, the city subsidizes the use of fields and courts, so users don’t foot the whole bill themselves.
The Parks Department recommended slowly raising the fees over the next year. But the City Council decided on an abrupt approach — hiking fees by up to $228 per team at the beginning of July, which covers 90% of the total cost of providing fields for sports leagues. The sudden increase in expenses has left leagues reeling.
Many organizers didn’t find out that their fees were increasing until they applied for their permits for the upcoming season. The jump in cost is so significant that many will be forced to drastically increase the costs they charge teams. That runs the risk of pricing out players.
For many business owners who run these leagues, it can feel like they are bearing an undue burden, Hellman said.
“I understand the city is trying to close a crazy budget gap,” he said. “But don’t do it on the back of the citizens that just want to run around for an hour.”
A volleyball player hits a ball at a Life’s a Beach recreation league meetup in San Diego, August 5, 2025.
The increased fees impact for-profit companies only, including Volo Sports, a nationwide company, as well as local companies like San Diego Softball, said City Councilmember Joe LaCava. The council has been subsidizing these businesses up until now by charging them a user fee that sometimes only covered 40% of the costs to maintain the facilities, he said.
“Those organizations can make their choices about how much they charge the participants and how their business model works,” LaCava said. “This was a tough year. We had to squeeze every place we could … A lot of other fees and fines were increased as well.”
Nonprofit adult leagues and for-profit kids sport leagues will not see a price jump, he said. But the few nonprofit adult leagues, like the YMCA, don’t necessarily have the space for all the people who want to participate.
And the increase will disproportionately affect smaller companies. Some for-profit leagues don’t have full-time employees and are run by one person part-time. Some are just breaking even or already in debt, said Life’s A Beach’s Palenchar.
LaCava acknowledged that the fee increase didn’t account for the wide variety in businesses that it affected.
“Certainly we’ve heard from some of the smaller outfits that they make just enough to make it worth their effort,” he said. “They’re doing it as much for the passion as they are for the minimal amount of net proceeds that they achieve there.”
LaCava wants to explore other options for leagues in the future, including a possible model where the city would get a portion of the recreation league’s profit or different fee scales based on a business’s size.
But that won’t come in time for league leaders this season. Some said the increase will make it much more difficult for people to participate in recreational activities after work.
Ducote Contreras was the managing director of Volo San Diego until this April, and said the prices are untenable for community members. He said Volo couldn’t find a way to keep players’ fees the same and still provide their service.
“It’s just something we can’t do,” he said. “It would have people paying upwards of almost $200 to play kickball, and that just doesn’t make any sense. We’re in the business of creating community and getting people together.”
The City Council also voted against a proposed roughly $5 increase for youth sports teams. Part of their reasoning was that even a small increase could affect many families’ ability to participate in recreation.
Many adult league leaders agree that recreation is crucial to people’s health and wellbeing, and argue those benefits are still important, even after people stop being kids.
“We can really step in and give a chance for that person who just moved here to find their community, to find what’s going on just a couple of blocks from their home or right after work,” Contreras said. “I do feel very strongly that having these outlets for adults is extremely important for people’s lives.”
The Oregon football team held its second major scrimmage of this year’s preseason camp Saturday, working out inside Autzen Stadium in the afternoon. Following the scrimmage, head coach Dan Lanning met with local media. Video of that interview is embedded below. A week after the defense won the day in the first preseason scrimmage, the […]
The Oregon football team held its second major scrimmage of this year’s preseason camp Saturday, working out inside Autzen Stadium in the afternoon.
Following the scrimmage, head coach Dan Lanning met with local media. Video of that interview is embedded below.
A week after the defense won the day in the first preseason scrimmage, the UO offense evened things out Saturday, Lanning said. The Ducks will now have a day off Sunday before resuming preseason camp Monday, when practices move to the morning.
Some highlights from coach Lanning …
On his initial impressions prior to reviewing film of the scrimmage: “Good work today, probably the exact opposite of the last scrimmage. Offense had a really positive day, ran the ball well. Started off this scrimmage with a 13-play drive, and we were able to cap that off with a score. So, really positive day by them. We protected the ball — we didn’t throw any interceptions today, which is a big positive. On the other end, defense made him go the long, hard way. They didn’t create a ton of explosive plays, but they were able to move the ball with some success. Overall, really good back and forth and good scrimmage.”
On the mentality of the team in the scrimmages so far: “I thought we had good energy throughout the day, really, back and forth for both sides. But yeah, it’s important, right? It’s our closest thing to a game-like type atmosphere for us as we go into the season.”
On what he wants to see as camp passes the midway point: “I told the guys today, don’t worry about Montana State yet. I’ll tell you when it’s time to worry about Montana State, when it’s time to worry about game one. We’ve still got a lot to fix for us. You know, we’ve got to go evaluate what just happened in this scrimmage. And then from that, decide where we need to improve and adjust as needed. But the intensity in my mind should be the same.”