Category: NBA

Jimmy Butler trolled Pat Riley at a coffee shop as Heat trade rumors intensify

Butler thinks that THIS is what a boss should do for his employees.

The feud between Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and team executive Pat Riley took another turn, but this one is a bit sillier.

Butler is currently suspended for requesting a trade away from the Heat. There are several teams (including the Suns) that could have interest in trading for Butler, who recently said that he probably won’t find joy playing basketball again while playing for Miami’s organization.

However, according to Riley, the team has no plans to trade him despite tensions about Butler’s upcoming contract. Riley is known as a very tough individual to negotiate with and his relationship with Butler has remained tense since the end of last season.

Butler appeared to subtly respond to some of this ongoing turmoil at his coffee shop.

He went up to one of the baristas and said “this is our best guy” right here.

The former Team USA gold medalist at the Olympics then joked that he gave his barista at BIGFACE in Miami a compliment.

“That’s what bosses do,” said Butler. “We build you up. We don’t break you down.”

As he delivered his last line, he looked directly at the camera and subtly smiled as if he was looking directly at Riley. He then gave a “thumbs up” as the video finished recording.

Of course, perhaps Butler is just discussing good management style and this has nothing to do with Riley. But based on everything going on in this saga so far, it sure seems like it has everything to do with Riley.

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Damian Lillard had high praise for LiAngelo Ball’s new Tweaker song

Alright. Now, let’s get Dame on the remix.

Damian Lillard is the ambassador of hip-hop in the NBA. Plenty of dudes in the league can rap, but he’s very clearly the best of them.

He’s got legitimate albums with legendary features attached to them. The dude has also beefed with Shaq. It’s safe to say that Lillard has his stripes when it comes to rapping.

So it definitely means something when he has some high praise for LiAngelo Ball’s new viral song, “Tweaker.”

ALL THE MEMES: This song is the internet’s new obsession

Lillard was asked about the hit song after the Bucks’ win over the Spurs on ESPN. His answer was pretty simple: “I rock with it.”

ESPN’s Michael Eaves asks Dame Lillard about Gelo’s song:
“I rock with it”

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— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) January 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM

“I been hearing it a lot. It gives me that 2003, 2004 vibe. I rock with it
 It’s a slapper, you know? As an artist, you’ve got to respect other people’s artistry. When something is going, it’s going.”

There you have it, folks. Lillard loves it. LiAngelo has something big on his hands.

Latest 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN has Kasparas Jakucionis as a top-5 pick

The freshman from Lithuania looks AMAZING.

While he wasn’t one of the most touted names before the NCAA season began, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis is climbing up mock drafts.

Jakucionis, who previously played for Barcelona in Spain, is one of the best young guards in college basketball. He is averaging 16.4 points as well as 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 41.4 percent on 3-pointers for Illinois.

With good positional size in the backcourt and also still a very young prospect, there is a lot to like about his game. Here is more from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (via ESPN):

“The 6-foot-6 Lithuanian is playing fantastic basketball, controlling games with outstanding pace as a scorer and passer, getting to spots on the floor and playing through contact or finishing skillfully around the basket while making high-level pick-and-roll reads and hitting 3-pointers off the dribble.

The 18-year-old has made significant strides physically over the past 18 months and is on an impressive trajectory, making the transition from Europe to college look easy. He has been showcasing his talent on one of the best teams in college basketball.”

Already very impressive in the pick and roll and able to create his own jumper on 3-pointers, the scoring upside is huge for the guard. Jakucionis scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games between November 25 and December 22.

He is averaging 1.4 unassisted 3-pointers per game, per CBB Analytics, which is the most among all freshman.

ESPN’s mock draft has Jakucionis going to the Hornets, but plenty of teams will have interest in his services if he keeps playing this well.

Meanwhile, for more prospect coverage, here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win.

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All the players who have led the NBA All-Star fan vote

In 2024, LeBron James played in his 20th All-Star Game, setting a record, just one year after becoming the player with the most fan vote leads, surpassing Michael Jordan.

Aside from LeBron and MJ, only 16 other players have been No. 1 in the All-Star fan vote since it began in 1975. (Prior to that, the starting players were selected by NBA coaches.)

Check the full list down below:

Jimmy Butler’s feud with the Heat has been remixed into a fake Shaggy song

And you absolutely need to hear it.

Safe to say we can add this one into the long list of articles that I never thought I’d write.

Jimmy Butler wants nothing to do with the Miami Heat. He told us he lost his joy playing basketball and that the only way he could possibly regain it was by being away from the Heat organization. Tough.

WHERE WILL JIMMY GO? Here are five Jimmy Butler trade destinations for you, ranked

Heat fans are going through it right now. There’s no better barometer for the vibe of Heat fans than the Dan Le Batard show.

Le Batard Show producer Andrew Streeter created a remix of the Shaggy song, “It Wasn’t Me,” to describe exactly where things are between Butler and the Heat right now.

I hope you’re ready for this thing to be stuck in your ear for the next few days.

JUST NOT THE HEAT.

Y’all. This is killing me. I cannot stop hearing this. The cackle that I cackled when he said “Doesn’t want to play for Spo” should never be cackled.

This is perfect. 10 out of 10. Amazing work, y’all.

Video from the crowd showed just how quickly Trae Young broke Jazz fans’ hearts with halfcourt buzzer-beater

The whole arena was STUNNED.

We’re only in January, and Trae Young might have given us the play of the NBA season. At the very least, he gave us one of the great fan reactions of the year.

With the Hawks trying to preserve a three-point lead late in their Tuesday night game at Utah, Collin Sexton knocked down a contested three off a deflected pass with 2.9 seconds remaining to tie the game. The Hawks were out of timeouts, so their only hope of avoiding overtime was a desperation heave.

And, well, Young was up for the challenge.

As the crowd at the Delta Center was going wild over the Sexton three, Young hit a 49-footer at the buzzer to leave Jazz fans absolutely stunned. Just check out this fan-shot video of the moment. The swing of emotions in a matter of seconds was out of this world.

Oh, just 18,175 people simultaneously shouting, “Oooohhhh!” It doesn’t get much better than that from Young’s perspective.

The Hawks’ call of the play was phenomenal as well.

Young finished the game with 24 points and 20 assists — not a bad way to end a three-game losing streak.

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LeBron James’ wild dunk did not impress Charles Barkley as he continues to criticize the Lakers

How did Charles Barkley not appreciate THIS?!

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had one of the coolest dunks of the season, possibly the best we will ever see from a 40-year-old.

But despite the undeniably incredible athletic accomplishment, Inside the NBA analyst and longtime pro Charles Barkley was unimpressed.

“It must have been a beautiful play,” Barkley sarcastically said on the TNT broadcast. “We showed it 22 times.”

Ernie Johnson asked Barkley if he thought that play was worth it and Barkley responded.

“Not 22 times,” he added. “We didn’t have to show it a hundred times.”

Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Barkley have recently had a back-and-forth beef about how Inside The NBA covers the league.

Barkley said the Lakers “stink” and called them a “bunch of bums” after the loss on Tuesday night.

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Here is why Lonzo Ball got a credit on LiAngelo Ball’s song Tweaker

Zo said he did NOT write the lyrics for Gelo.

In an unexpected twist of fate, former high school basketball star LiAngelo Ball has what is arguably the most popular song of 2025 so far.

LiAngelo, the older brother of Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and younger brother of Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, has inspired so many great memes with his catchy new track “Tweaker” as it has become a viral trend.

Lonzo was caught dancing to the song in the Bulls locker room as it has swept through the entire professional sports world. However, while he got a credit on the song, Lonzo wants everyone to know that all the love should go to LiAngelo.

According to Lonzo, the only credit he deserves is for the cover art.

Lonzo had his own music side project, releasing the album Born 2 Ball as Zo.

LiAngelo will perform at the hip-hop festival Rolling Loud in Los Angeles.

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