Category: Olympics

Suns’ Yuta Watanabe on Japan’s promising future

Japan has never been a powerhouse on the global basketball stage, and hosting part of the 2023 World Cup was something that they wanted to help put themselves on the map. Considered one of the better teams in Asia, Japan wanted to prove themselves …

Japan has never been a powerhouse on the global basketball stage, and hosting part of the 2023 World Cup was something that they wanted to help put themselves on the map. Considered one of the better teams in Asia, Japan wanted to prove themselves on the world stage, and they somehow did that even though they didn’t make it out of the Round Robin stage.

In dramatic fashion, Japan came back from 18 down to beat the Lauri Markkanen-led Finland team to help Japan win their first World Cup game in 17 years.

Yuta Watanabe, one of the stars of Japan, reminisced recently about his experience this past summer.

“That was really fun. We have great fans in Okinawa. We worked really hard. We beat Finland, Cape Verde, and Venezuela. Those are really good teams, so that was really fun and I’m really excited for the Olympics.”

Currently No. 26 in FIBA rankings, Japan hopes to make some noise in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Obviously, on paper, the team is not on par with juggernauts like the United States, France or Germany, but Watanabe hopes Japan will have an auspicious future, even after he retires.

“If I’m going to retire in five, six years in a realistic world, we [probably] not going to be one of the top teams in the world in five years, but I think at least we will be good enough to compete against those great teams. I mean we did a good job against Germany and Australia in the World Cup. We lost by 20 but we won the second half. I think in five, six years we gonna be there to compete against those teams.”

Predicting the 2024 Paris Olympics roster for Team USA women including Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson

Predicting a 12-player roster with so many stars is HARD, but here’s our best guess.

After a successful pair of exhibition games in November of 2023 following a training camp in Atlanta, the USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team is poised to assemble a stacked roster ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The USA Basketball National Team Committee will have its hands full trying to decide what athletes will be part of the 2024 Olympic roster. In the coming weeks, 18 players will attend an additional training camp in New York. A final roster of 12 players will represent the United States at the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on February 8-11 in Belgium.

When the Paris Olympics arrive in July, USA Basketball will be playing for a chance to win its eighth consecutive gold medal.

With so many phenomenal athletes, there will be some tough cuts. Here are the 12 players we project to make the roster:

J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women at Summer Games

The collection is set to be available in early June.

J. Lindeberg has announced that they will be the official clothing partner of the Summer Games in Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.

This comes as a great honor, and the brand released its exclusive USA Golf Collection to accompany the news. The collection combines performance, innovative technology and USA flag colors.

Featuring ClimaCool and 37.5 TM technology, UV50 sun protection garments and high flexibility fabrics, this will keep the athlete functional and comfortable.

Each piece is crafted using 3D technology to ensure proper fit, incorporating strategically cut lines that enhance body movement. The classic red, white and blue of the USA are woven into every design. This bold effort is a representation of the nation and its athletes, embodying the philosophy that to win, one must feel and look like a winner.

J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women's Summer Games
J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women’s Summer Games. (J.Lindeberg)

“We are thrilled to reveal our full USA Golf Collection to the press and attendees in Orlando at the upcoming PGA Show,” said Hans-Christian Meyer, CEO of J. Lindeberg. “Dressing the USA teams for the Summer Games in Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 will be an honor that underscores our commitment to excellence in golf and sportswear design alike.”

J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women's Summer Games
J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women’s Summer Games. (J.Lindeberg)

The collection is set to be available in early June, and the collection will turn heads in proper USA spirit. You can learn more about this collection here.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop J.Lindeberg golf apparel” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Kj3gqv”]

Three former Notre Dame players on U.S. team training camp roster

Keep a lookout for this year’s Olympic roster.

With the 2024 Olympics in Paris only months away, now is the time for USA Basketball to plan its teams. That includes a women’s 5-on-5 team that can keep the gold medal in the U.S. Sure, the U.S. has won nine of the past 10 golds, but one never can be too certain.

Out of the 18 players on the U.S. training camp roster, 12 will be selected for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament. It should be noted that the U.S. is participating in the tournament despite automatically qualifying for the Paris Olympics by virtue of taking the gold in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics. The next few weeks will serve as player evaluation more than anything else.

Three players on the roster will be familiar to Notre Dame fans because they all played for the Irish. While none of these names are surprises, it still is nice to see them have this opportunity. Here they are:

Simone Biles breaks down what she loves about ‘very fine’ husband Jonathan Owens in Vanity Fair

Simone Biles broke down what she loves about Jonathan Owens.

We knew Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens were all good after all the backlash that sprouted out of the Green Bay Packers safety’s version of how he and the legendary gymnast met.

And in the latest Vanity Fair, Biles reaffirmed what she loves about Owens in a long feature about her.

“If I’m going to be honest, obviously he’s very fine,” she said. “[But] besides his looks, he was so sweet and kind, and I think what I liked about him was his confidence. He truly believes he’s the best at everything,”

Owens was quoted in the article, mentioning that she did message him first — which we’ve heard before — but here’s what he had to say about his wife when they met:

“I just noticed her laugh,” Owens says of those initial interactions. “It was just contagious. We could talk all day and we’d stayed up late, and there just wasn’t an awkward moment.”

Awww. Check out adorable photos of them over the years as a couple. 

Simone Biles has a 4-word response possibly about the continued Jonathan Owens backlash

Simone Biles seems tired of all the backlash over the comments from her husband, Jonathan Owens.

The discourse over Jonathan Owens’ recent comments over who was the “catch” in the relationship between him and legendary gymnast Simone Biles has somehow continued for another day, despite the fact that both Owens and Biles have responded on Instagram brushing off all the backlash.

A reminder: Owens has said multiple times that he didn’t realize who Biles was when they found each other on a dating app, and some laughs over who was pursuing whom has led to a whole bunch of posts on social media ripping the Green Bay Packers safety.

Biles had one more post to add to the subject that she put up on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram Stories:

That’s her message!

7 adorable Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens photos of the couple over the years

A look back at the athlete-athlete couple over the years.

It’s one of the best athlete and athlete couples out there: Simone Biles, the legendary gymnast who is already an all-time great Olympian, and NFL safety Jonathan Owens, who as of publishing this is with the Green Bay Packers.

The two famously met on a dating app and although there was some backlash connected to Owens telling that story about who the “catch” really was, the couple is so happy.

They got engaged back in 2021 and said “I do” in 2023. We’ve seen them a lot over the years, including with sideline kisses before NFL games.

Here’s a look at the couple over the years:

Simone Biles seemingly responds to Jonathan Owens backlash with a 1-word Instagram post

Here’s what Simone Biles had to say to all that backlash.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens have both appeared to respond to all the backlash surrounding the comments the Green Bay Packer made about how he and the legendary gymnast met.

At the center of it all was the fact that Owens didn’t know Biles was an all-time great athlete, and that she pursued him (which Biles disputed) as the “catch” in the relationship.

MORE: Adorable photos of Biles and Owens over the years 

Owens responded on Instagram by captioning a photo of him and Biles with “Unbothered … just know we locked in over here.” And Biles? She went even shorter with one word in a fun photo from their wedding: “Mood.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1JAT82Nnnm/?hl=en

What does that tell you? All you need to know.

Jonathan Owens had the perfect 1-word response to the Simone Biles backlash

Jonathan Owens has his priorities straight when it comes to Simone Biles

Whew, boy. Jonathan Owens has been catching it from all sides of the internet over the last 24 hours.

Simone Biles and Owens shared the story of how they first met on a dating app on The Pivot podcast with Ryan Clark. The story is hilarious. Owens said they matched on a dating app, connected in person and things took off from there.

But there’s a couple of plot twists, though. First, Owens said that Biles was actually the one who pursued him. “I always say men are the catch,” Owens said to Clark. Biles says it was the other way around, of course.

The other plot twist is that somehow or another, Owens says, he had no idea who Biles was. Yes. That’s right. The Simone Biles. Owens had no idea who she was.

This is already the perfect Hallmark movie, man. It’s hilarious and adorable. You can’t beat that.

Some people don’t see it that way, though. There are plenty of folks out there who feel like Owens is being disrespectful to his wife here. And, for those folks, Owens had the perfect one-word response to it all on Instagram.

“Unbothered.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1JHuhGMFL5/

That’s how you respond. Shoutout to Owens and Biles, man. They seem so happy together. We love to see it.

Simone Biles hilariously disputes Jonathan Owens’ version of how they connected on a dating app

Jonathan Owens believes he was the real prize, but Simone Biles isn’t buying it.

Simone Biles may be the most prominent gymnast in the world, but her husband says he was the real catch when they met on a dating app.

Simone Biles is an Olympic gold medalist — the most decorated ever in her sport — but even she needed some help landing the man of her dreams. Before she met her future husband, Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens, Biles joined a dating app hoping to meet “Mr. Right.”

So did Jonathan Owens.

The pair eventually matched with each other’s profiles, and a short time later, Biles messaged Owens to connect in person. The pair hit it off and have been inseparable ever since.

However, when the newlyweds recently sat down with Ryan Clark’s The Pivot podcast, they shared one shocking detail about their dating history: Not only Owens was nearly oblivious to who Biles was and how ridiculous her gymnastics resumé had become, but he says Biles pursued him.

Biles was not in alignment with his version of the story and quickly clarified what happened while chuckling and smiling away.