Tag: Blake Griffin

Panthers great Ryan Kalil forms all-star ownership group to acquire majority stake in pro football team

Former Panthers C Ryan Kalil, with some help from a handful of very familiar names, is now a controlling owner of a pro football team.

Carolina Panthers great Ryan Kalil is back in the game.

As announced on Monday, the former All-Pro center and six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin have acquired a majority stake in Fundidores, an American football team based in Monterrey, Mexico.

Kalil and Griffin, also partners in their production company Mortal Media, formed an ownership group comprised of quite a few more all-stars to complete the acquisition—including Julius Peppers, Jonathan Stewart, Greg Olsen, Luke Kuechly, Ron Rivera, Christian McCaffrey, Sam Darnold and George Kittle.

The duo will seek to elevate the league (Liga de Fútbol Americano) and the team, starting with its rebranding as Osos Monterrey.

“Football isn’t just a game—for many of us, it’s defined who we are,” Kalil stated, via an official press release. “This won’t be a passive investment; it’s an opportunity to help grow the game internationally alongside lifelong friends who bring unmatched experience and perspective from playing at the highest level of professional sports.”

In addition, Mortal Media will produce a documentary chronicling the exciting venture.

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Blake Griffin is a perfect choice for Amazon’s studio coverage of the NBA next season

Blake Griffin WILL make you laugh.

Amazon will begin coverage of the NBA next season and they have already made some amazing decisions, including reportedly hiring Blake Griffin.

According to The Athletic, the former No. 1 overall pick and six-time NBA All-Star will co-host a studio show for Prime Video. He will be joined in the studio by a former NBA Finals and NBA MVP with Dirk Nowitzki also on the show.

Prime Video has an 11-year partnership with the NBA. The studio show is based in Culver City, Calif. on the Amazon MGM lot.

“I’m unbelievably excited to join the Amazon family,” Griffin said in a statement. “Basketball has obviously been a huge part of my life, and I consider myself a true fan of the game. I’m excited for a new opportunity to share some of what I have learned over the years with other NBA fans. I have been incredibly impressed with Amazon’s NFL programming for Thursday Night Football, and my conversations with the team around the NBA partnership have been equally inspiring. I’m honored to be a part of this launch and a new era for Prime Video sports.”

Taylor Rooks, who has done incredible work with Turner Sports, will host the program. Ian Eagle, one of the best broadcasters in the game, is the lead play-by-play announcer for the network. It is unclear who else will join him in the booth.

“We are thrilled to have Taylor, Dirk, and Blake on board as the foundation for our NBA studio coverage,” added Jared Stacy, Global Head of Production at Amazon. “Together they bring a mix of credibility, charisma, and unique insight on the game that will inform and entertain NBA fans starting this fall. Taylor is one of the most well respected and thoughtful people working in NBA media today, while Blake and Dirk are legends of the game ready to share their insightful analysis and sense of humor with NBA fans.”

All in all, this seems like a great start of hiring decisions for Amazon. But with the Inside the NBA crew getting syndication on ESPN, fans should feel particularly excited about Griffin’s arrival to the scene.

He will have plenty of connections around the league as he only recently retired. But he is also genuinely hilarious and could have had a career in entertainment independent of his athletic prowess, evidenced by his various stand-up comedy sets and roast appearances over the years.

Griffin takes this very seriously, appearing on comedy podcasts and late-night talk shows. He was brilliant on Comedy Central’s Broad City and he was hilarious during a live read of Space Jam.

He has worked with a wide range of brilliant comedians, including Norm McDonald and Eric Andre. Griffin founded a production company, Mortal Media.

Amazon reportedly wants Griffin to play a Charles Barkley-like role for their show and he has the chops to do it.

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The Match with Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky and more starts Thursday

TNT is going big with the 10th installment of The Match.

TNT is going big with the 10th installment of The Match.

This time around, it’ll be a two-night event in prime time with no pro golfers but eight big-time celebrities as well as a star-studded announcing crew.

Dubbed “The Match: Superstars,” the competition will be televised on Thursday, Nov. 21, and Friday, Nov. 22, with coverage simulcast on TNT and Max. The event was filmed at The Breakers Rees Jones Golf Course at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Check out the celebrity lineup: Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Blake Griffin.

The initial matches will pit Murray and Gretzky against Barkley and Griffey as well as Wahlberg and Phelps vs. Bargatze and Griffin.

There will then be semifinals and a final match. Those will be individual match play contests with the eventual winner banking $1 million.

Thursday Nov. 21

  • Wahlberg/Phelps vs. Bargatze/Griffin, 7:30 p.m.
  • Barkley/Griffey Jr. vs. Gretzky/Murray, 9 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 22

  • Semifinals, 7:30 p.m.
  • Final match, 9 p.m.

Calling the action is TNT’s Ernie Johnson, back at the Match for a fifth time. He’s joined by Charles Barkley, who will be making his ninth appearance at The Match as either a player or commentator. Also, a pair of Masters champs – Trevor Immelman and Bubba Watson – will provide analysis. Kathryn Tappen returns as the on-course reporter.

In September, Golfweek reported on a Match featuring Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. That PGA Tour vs. LIV event is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Las Vegas.

Here are some photos from The Match Superstars.

Former Sooner Alondes Williams throws down monster dunk in Summer League

Williams spent two seasons in Norman before transferring to Wake Forest.

Former Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball player [autotag]Alondes Williams[/autotag] is making quite the impression on the NBA this summer.

The former OU guard is taking part in the NBA2K Summer League as a member of the Miami Heat. He threw down perhaps the dunk of the summer in Las Vegas on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

10/10, no notes.

Williams played two seasons for the Sooners from 2019 to 2021. He was a member of the last OU men’s basketball team to win a game in the [autotag]NCAA tournament,[/autotag] as Oklahoma made it to the second round in 2021, [autotag]Lon Kruger[/autotag]’s final season.

The combo guard transferred to Wake Forest for his final season of college basketball before going undrafted in 2022. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets before being traded to the Miami Heat. Plays like that could help him catch on in the league.

Williams is trying to become the fourth active Sooner in the NBA after [autotag]Blake Griffin[/autotag]’s retirement earlier this year. [autotag]Buddy Hield[/autotag] (Warriors), [autotag]Trae Young[/autotag] (Hawks) and [autotag]Austin Reaves[/autotag] (Lakers) are the other three.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Former Sooner Buddy Hield joining Golden State Warriors

Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball legend Buddy Hield is now a Golden State Warrior.

Former Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball star [autotag]Buddy Hield[/autotag] has found his new team for the 2024-2025 NBA season.

The OU legend will be joining the Golden State Warriors on a sign-and-trade deal with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers. ESPN NBA analyst Adrian Wojnarowski took to social media on Thursday to announce the news.

Hield’s new contract in the Bay Area is a guaranteed two years and $21 million. He will get $18 million in first two years, a $3 million partial guarantee in the third year and player option on a non-guaranteed fourth year. The Sixers will receive a 2031 second round pick.

“Buddy Love” led the Sooners all the way to the Final Four in 2016, headlining [autotag]Lon Kruger[/autotag]’s best team in Norman. In that storied senior season, Hield averaged 25 points per game on better than 50% shooting. His run in the NCAA Tournament is the lasting image of OU hoops in the 2010s.

Hield was a consensus All-American in 2016, winning the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award. He was also the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] Player of the Year. He led the Sooners to their fifth and most recent trip to the Final Four. Oklahoma also made the Final Four in 1939, 1947, 1988 and 2002.

Hield is one of the faces of Oklahoma basketball in the modern era, along with recently retired [autotag]Blake Griffin[/autotag] (2007-2009) and Atlanta Hawks star [autotag]Trae Young[/autotag] (2017-2018). He’ll join Golden State as a three-point shooting replacement for Klay Thompson, whom the Warriors lost in free agency earlier this offseason.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Sooners, Longhorns greats talk about move to SEC

With the move to the SEC official, the conference released a video with Sooners and Longhorns legends like Bob Stoops, Patty Gasso, and Baker Mayfield talking about the move.

It’s a great day to be a Sooner as the University of Oklahoma makes the official move to the Southeastern Conference. Joining the SEC doesn’t simply have football ramifications as the conference boasts some of the best programs in the country in softball, baseball, track and field, women’s gymnastics, and women’s basketball.

Oklahoma and Texas are leveling up with the move.

Over at the SEC Network, Sooners and Longhorns legends like [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag], [autotag]Blake Griffin[/autotag], T.J. Ford, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag], [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], Colt McCoy and more discussed what it means for the Red River Rivals to join the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Stoops spoke about the pageantry of the University of Oklahoma in addition to the excellence of the program that makes it a fantastic fit for its new home. Gameday in Norman will match that of some of the best programs in the SEC. And with 50 conference titles, seven national championships, and seven Heisman winners, the success of the football program and the athletic department as a whole makes the SEC better.

Oklahoma’s softball and women’s gymnastics programs are the best in the nation. They head to a conference that is arguably the deepest for their respective sports.

The University of Oklahoma is venturing into a whole new world, but it’s a world that better fits what OU has accomplished in their history as an athletics program.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

What if Blake Griffin had been a San Antonio Spur?

What if he had elected to join San Antonio at some point over the course of his career?

What if Blake Griffin had been a San Antonio Spur at some point in his 13-season career in the league? The No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft out of Oklahoma State, Griffin began his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, and also played for the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets before finishing his career with the Boston Celtics.

And while he never did a stint with the Spurs before calling it a day, his game and his persona feel like a good fit for the organization. What if he had elected to join San Antonio at some point over the course of his career? These are the sort of counterfactual thought experiments that let you know that the offseason has truly arrived.

But it’s also a fun one the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, spent some time on in a recent clip. Take a look at the video embedded below to see it for yourself.

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Sooners legend Blake Griffin officially announces retirement

Blake Griffin, a generational athlete and former Oklahoma Sooner announced his retirement after a 14-year NBA career.

An Oklahoma basketball legend called it a career on Tuesday. Sooners basketball legend Blake Griffin announced his retirement in a post he shared via social media on Tuesday morning.

Griffin ended his NBA career after 14 years. The bulk of his career came as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers after he was drafted in 2009 as the first overall pick. He also spent time with the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics.

Griffin retired as a six-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-NBA Second Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009.

 

As a high schooler from Oklahoma City, Griffin won multiple state championships. He signed with the Sooners and went on to earn selections on the Big 12 All-Rookie Team and to the first-team All-Big 12 after posting 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds and ranking ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and third in field goal percentage in the Big 12 Conference.

Instead of bolting for the impending NBA Draft, he stayed for one more year. He cemented his status as an Oklahoma basketball legend. During his sophomore season, he became the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. He dropped 40 points and 23 rebounds against Texas Tech, becoming the only player in Big 12 history and the third player in the history of the University of Oklahoma men’s basketball program to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game, joining [autotag]Wayman Tisdale[/autotag] and [autotag]Alvan Adams[/autotag].

He led Oklahoma to a regional final that saw them lose to eventual national champion UNC. That year, Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American first team honors. He also swept every major player of the year award. He’s the only Sooner to win the Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Adolph Rupp Trophy, John Wooden Award, and the Associated Press Player of the Year in the same season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

What will the Celtics do with the team’s open roster spot?

What should the Celtics do with the team’s open roster spot?

At the time of this writing, the Boston Celtics still have an open roster spot, and could look to add a player ahead of the playoffs. This could mean signing a free agent or elevating one of the team’s current two-way contracts to a full-time deal, which would make said player eligible for the postseason. One such player is Neemias Queta.

This big man has split time between Boston and Portland, suiting up for the G-League affiliate Maine Celtics. He’s appeared in 26 games NBA games and has been an added boost for head coach Joe Mazzulla’s front court depth. Likewise, the Celtics front office could look to add a free agent player, with familiar faces like Blake Griffin proving a popular suggestion among fans and media.

In a panel discussion with a number of Celtics reporters, the “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast discussed Boston’s open roster spot in a new segment called Celts of the Roundtable. Enjoy, via YouTube.

If you enjoy this pod, check out more from the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Buddy Hield and Trae Young top 10 college guards of the last decade per Jon Rothstein

Buddy Hield and Trae Young had special careers in Norman which ended with them as top 10 guards of the last decade.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been spoiled with some special talent on the hardwood. Whether it was Alvin Adams, Stacey King, Wayman Tisdale, Mookie Blaylock, Ryan Minor or the newer era with guys like [autotag]Blake Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Buddy Hield[/autotag] and [autotag]Trae Young[/autotag].

Hield and Young had two of the better individual seasons I’ve seen any college basketball player have. Hield’s senior season was remarkable to watch. He averaged 25 points, 5.7 rebounds on 50.1% from the field and 45.7% from 3. He’s the only player I’ve ever seen that when he shot a three it felt like it was going in every time. It’s what led to him winning several national awards.

Young’s season was special as well. I remember watching him play basketball at the YMCA in Norman when he was in junior high. You could tell then he’d be special but I never thought he’d be that special. In his lone season in Norman, he led the nation in points (27.4) and assists (8.7) per game which had never been done before.

More: Oklahoma men’s basketball all-time roster: Sooner Legends

Those special seasons helped land both on CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein’s top 10 list of best college guards in the last decade.

Now, it says it is in no particular order so who knows who is first and who is 10th. It’s also a great list with a lot of great guards. Still, you can’t convince me any of those guys are better than Hield. That’s how special that season was.

It helped get Oklahoma back into the Final Four and although that didn’t turn out how Sooner fans would have wanted, it was one fun ride.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.