Winning titles is a family affair for Novak Djokovic! At least the ‘winning’ part of it is something that equally excites him and his children. But what happens when you lose something you worked extremely hard for? Well, it gets scary. The Serb, who won the elusive gold at the Paris Olympics this season, has arrived in New York for his next adventure. Upon his arrival, Nole touched down on an incident that gave him a jump scare.

While talking to ‘Forbes’, the Serb indulged the outlet with a recent mishap. Hoping to carry his gold medal with him to the US Open, Djokovic realized his children had unfortunately misplaced his most prized possession. He searched for it everywhere but later came to terms that his two children hid it, forcing him to travel without the gold. “I forgot it because my kids hid it somewhere. So, then I was panicking because I had to take it,” he said. However, he was relieved a day later.

After amusingly troubling their dad, the family found the medal. Though the Serb had already flown to Flushing Meadows by then, they sent his chattel via Djokovic’s physiotherapist who traveled to the venue a day after. Moreover, Nole had a good reason to feel anxious.

The ‘Serbinator’ was due to showcase his gold medal at the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. Thankfully, he was able to do justice to his commitments after making a head-turning appearance at the much-anticipated event on August 25.

Having furnished himself with every accolade there is, all of Djokovic’s dreams have come to life. While most believe this can thwart his motivation to continue dominating, they need a revision. The Serb has published a stern warning to his competitors ahead of the hardcourt Slam.

Novak Djokovic is fueled with “competitive spirit” to defend his US Open title

Djokovic was electrified to clinch his maiden Olympic medal in Paris. And now, there is no doubt that he is gunning for a successful title defense in New York. The No. 2 seed is slated to commence his campaign on the back of his laudable achievement. Talking in a pre-tournament presser, Nole reserved a few words for his contestants while expressing his desire to continue ‘making more history.’

“I still feel the drive, the competitive spirit. Still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the Tour. I still hope to inspire many young people to watch tennis, play tennis. Those are some of the reasons why I still keep on going. Grand Slams are the pillars of our sport. They are the most important historical tennis events that we have. So if you don’t get pumped and inspired to play your best tennis at Grand Slams, it’s hard to do that anywhere else,” he said.

NFL Fans Are Speculating Major Rift Between Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift Following Latest Social Media Activity

Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Fans are speculating that Brittany Mahomes’ friendship with Taylor Swift could be on the mend due to their political affiliations. This is after Mahomes was outed as a Donald Trump supporter.

With the press of a finger, Brittany gave her haters another reason to dislike her.

It came after followers of the sports team owner noticed she had liked a post on former President Donald Trump’s account that outlined the Republican Party’s platform for the 2024 election, including deporting “pro-Hamas radicals” and keeping “men out of women’s sports.”

Patrick Mahomes ‘ wife Brittany caused quite the stir but she did not let people come at her without a response.

Mahomes condemned “haters” amid backlash to a post she apparently liked on Instagram by Donald Trump.

“To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep-rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood,” a post on Mahomes’s Instagram story read. “There’s no reason your brain is fully developed, and you hate to see others doing well.”

 

That “like” was enough to spark outrage, including among Taylor Swift fans who followed Brittany Mahomes after Swift and Travis Kelce started dating last year.

Now, many of them are not only unfollowing but hoping that their friendship ends as a result.

Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift’s Friendship Appears To Be Just Fine

Fresh out of ending the European leg of her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift began spending quality time with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and their friends.

Swift and Travis were first spotted in Rhode Island to hang out with several of their famous friends, including Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany Mahomes, per PEOPLE.

Swift and Brittany have been friends since Swift started dating Travis in 2023, and it does not appear the backlash from her liking a Trump-related post has changed anything.

Djokovic was on a mission when he met Albot in the US Open first round.

Novak Djokovic sent out a funny warning just before the start of his US Open match against Radu Albot as the Serbian tennis superstar revealed he was on a mission to “avenge” his brothers.

Although Djokovic is 37 and former world No. 39 Albot is 34 years old, they never met before on the Tour. But when they finally did on Monday evening in New York, No. 2 seed Djokovic clinched a dominant 6-2 6-2 6-4 win.

Novak Djokovic© YouTube screenshot

While Albot may have lost to the defending US Open champion he had wins over a Djokovic in the past – the Moldovan Marko Djokovic 6-4 6-3 at the 2012 Sarajevo Challenger before also coming back from a set down to defeat Djordje Djokovic 3-6 6-3 6-2 the following year at the Bergamo Challenger.

“I’ve done my homework – actually both of my younger brothers faced him and they both lost to him, so hopefully I can avenge my brothers tonight (laughs),” Djokovic said just before entering the court.

2012 Sarajevo Challenger R1
Radu Albot d. Marko Djokovic 6-4 6-3

2013 Bergamo Challenger R1
Radu Albot d. Djordje Djokovic 3-6 6-3 6-2

2024 US Open R1
Novak Djokovic d. Radu Albot 6-2 6-2 6-4

He really did avenge his brothers a decade later, in the exact same round. Amazing.

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) August 27, 2024

Djokovic routinely handled Albot

Through the first three games, qualifier Albot led 2-1. Then, Djokovic went on to win the next five games and take the first set in a very impressive way.

At the start of the second set, Djokovic blew an early break but remained unfazed as he broke Albot two more times to easily open a two-set lead.

In the third set, it took a bit longer for the Serb to break Albot but he managed to do so in the seventh game and then just held on to his serve for the remainder of the match.

“I wanted to kick start the tournament in the right way and I think I did. Some ups and downs which I think is normal, getting the rust off your shoulders coming off a different surface and the Olympic Games. I haven’t played on hard courts for six months, so I’m still finding that groove, finding the tempo on the court,” Djokovic said after the match.

Djokovic plays next against fellow Serb and world No. 109 Laslo Djere.

 

Taylor Swift to Visit Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace During London Tour Stop

Taylor Swift likely to meet Kate Middleton

Taylor Swift, who kicked off  London leg of Eras Tour at sold-out  Wembley with her boyfriend Travis Kelce and British royal Prince William, is expected to see Kate Middleton who could not attend her concert due to her ongoing chemotherapy.

The pop superstar Swift sent fans wild with her first show in London, which was secretly attended by William and his kids with other celebrities.

There are speculations that the Cruel Summer hitmaker could visit the royal palaces during her stay in the UK as she has history with them.

Swift, who shared the stage at Kensington Palace to perform Livin’ On A Prayer with Jon Bon Jovi at a charity event in 2013, personally invited Kate and William last year to attend her gig.

But, Princess Kat could not attend due to her cancer diagnosis. Now, a royal insider claims: “Preparations at the Palace indicates as Swift could visit the royals on the invitation of William as they have continued to be committed fans of the US megastar.”

Soon after Swift’s arrival in London, the military band at Buckingham Palace performed a rendition of Swift’s 2014 hit “Shake It Off” to mark the Eras Tour arriving in the UK capital.

William, who attended Swift’s Friday show with kids, was not in his own control as he danced like no one was watching to the singer’s hits. Swift also shared a selfie with the future King and his kids after the show, fueling rumours about her possible visit to Princess Kate who missed the live concert due to her cancer treatment.

 

 

Swift, who’s currently in London, will perform two more gigs in the city on Saturday and Sunday before returning to the venue for a further five in August. She might avail the opportunity to visit the historic royal buildings with her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who’s also in the UK.

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian wooed the tennis legend on their first date when he steered the conversation to one key topic: Marvel movies.

Williams, widely considered the greatest female tennis player of all time, first met Ohanian during the 2015 Italian Open before the Reddit co-founder proposed two years later.

The couple have been married since November 2017, one month after welcoming their first child – daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

They then had a second daughter – Adira River Ohanian – last August.

In the latest installment of her ESPN+ docuseries ‘In The Arena’, both Williams and Ohanian relived their memorable first date nine years ago,

which saw the 23-time Grand Slam winner arrive with her agent and assistant.

Alexis described the evening as a ‘two hour interrogation’ before he managed to win Serena over by bringing up Marvel’s historic superhero franchise.

But the American entrepreneur and investor first said: ‘Serena, her assistant, her agent, and then me on the other said of the table, and they just bombarded me with questions.

‘It was like two hours of interrogation and questions. Do I have kids, am I married. Nothing was off limits.’

Williams referenced her current agent Jill Smoller and laughed: ‘Jill asked him straight up like, “What’s up with your girlfriend?” and he’s like, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

‘He was saying that he had broken up with her. It changed things when he said that because I was like, ok, now he’s not being this beast.’

She then added: ‘During dinner he started talking about Iron Man and Marvel, and that’s the way to my heart.’

Ohanian recalled: ‘This wasn’t just a superficial, “Hey I’ve watched a few movies.” This is, “I have deeply studied the text and I have strong opinions about this lore.”‘

Smoller, who also features in the docuseries, said: ‘It was so fascinating because they both loved the same thing. He was into sci-fi and cartoons and superheroes and I’m like… she can finally talk to someone who likes the things that she does.’

After sharing their love for superheroes and sci-fi on the date, Williams and Ohanian eventually got engaged in early January 2017.

Later that month the women’s tennis great claimed victory at the Australian Open while pregnant with their first daughter.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times

The gang posed together for fun photo booth pictures at the singer’s album release party in West Hollywood

lancebass/Instagram

Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, and Michael Turchin
*NSYNC and their significant others had a date night out together the day after Justin Timberlake’s Los Angeles show!

After the “No Angels” hitmaker, 43, gave fans the ultimate surprise by bringing out his former bandmates at his free, one-night concert at The Wiltern on Wednesday night, the gang kept the good times going on Thursday during Timberlake’s album release party.

Tetris/Instagram

Justin Timberlake LA Show

In images shared on Lance Bass’ Instagram Story, he was joined by his husband Michael Turchin, Chris Kirkpatrick with his wife Karly Skladany, and JC Chasez with his longtime girlfriend Jennifer HuYoung.

 

Although Joey Fatone did not appear in the group photo booth pics, Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel did.

The photos could best be described as chaotic fun as each individual posed differently for the epic meet-up.

 

Lance Bass/Instagram

Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, and Michael Turchin
“TRL PHOTO BOOTH??” Bass, 44, wrote on one of the screenshots, playing into the nostalgia of it all.

“Everything I Thought It Was,” the title of Timberlake’s sixth studio album (which is out now) was written above his name on the photo booth strip.

Related: Justin Timberlake ‘Had the Urge to Create Again’ After Taking Time Away from Music: Source (Exclusive)

The “Cry Me a River” hitmaker’s album release party on Thursday night was a star-studded event held at Dan Tana’s in West Hollywood.

In addition to *NSYNC, others in attendance included Gabrielle Union and her husband Dwyane Wade, Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo and Babyface.

Jerritt Clark/Getty

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake, March 2024
Timberlake posed with guests throughout the night, and made sure to save some camera time for his wife, 42, as well. The pair took several photos together where they were seen smiling and embracing each other.

The other *NSYNC members present also posed for pics with their dates as they sat at a plated table in a booth with drinks.

Jerritt Clark/Getty

Karly Skladany, Chris Kirkpatrick, Jennifer HuYoung, JC Chasez, Michael Turchin and Lance Bass
The group’s on-stage reunion on Wednesday night was the first time the full group performed together live since the 2013 VMAs.

They surprised fans by singing their 2001 ballad “Gone.” The curtain went up to reveal the entertainers standing behind Timberlake, before walking forward to join him at the front of the stage.

The crowd, which included Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend, went wild, singing along to favorites like “It’s Gonna Be Me” and “Bye Bye Bye.”

The duo that Milwaukee expected to see a blast from delivered a series of underwhelming performances last season. However, with a whole postseason under their belts, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo gear up to show off their true colors this time. The point of concern is that it seems Dame does not have much hope for his scoring partner. The Bucks point guard shared his Top 5 players from the NBA a couple of days ago on the Club 520 pod. Surprisingly, he put his teammate Giannis in fifth place! Though putting The Greek Freak in the first place would not be completely illogical, he still chose others.

An ESPN employee feels the same as he called out the drawbacks. Co-host Darrick recently appeared alongside Kenny Beecham on Numbers on the Board to express his views on the duo. However, a shocking opinion emerged, “Put the right team around him; I ain’t got nobody like Giannis to take the ball out of his hands.” What they implied here is that Antetokounmpo is the one to take assistance from Dame, limiting the veteran’s chance to score.

However, surprisingly, the Greek Freak is coming off a field goal percentage of 61.1%, averaging 30.4 points last season. These staggering numbers don’t just come with assistance. It is the duo, not Dame or Giannis alone.

The same thought ran through host Kenny Beecham’s mind as he could not control himself, stating, “Hell No! …Dame is a good role player to win a Championship and not Dame and Giannis?” It was utterly confusing for Kenny too, since the former Blazer did get the chance to fully prove his mettle last postseason. He did it… to some extent.

USA Today via Reuters

In Game 1 against the Pacers, he scored 35 points to get the lead for the Bucks. However, the Game 2 loss despite the 34-point haul and Dame’s Achilles injury in the following game brought the Bucks down to their knees. Notably, Giannis was not there the whole time because of the strain of the soleus muscle in his left calf. So Kenny was spot on about only one was not enough for them to win the Championship. However, what followed from Darrick left the panel once again stunned in their seats.

Not Damian Lillard, but Jaylen Brown is the best role player, as per the ESPN employee!

Quite confused with Darrick’s take on Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kenny asked Darrick about the best role player in the NBA. And the response from the ESPN employee was, “I would probably go with like Jaylen Brown.” JB, as a role player remark, seemed insane to the host as he showcased the Finals MVP status of the Celtics star in disbelief. Jaylen Brown has got an impressive 35.4% shooting from the deep, along with a 49.9% field goal percentage! That’s just pure offensive aura right there.

He didn’t have a skyrocketing assist record last season averaging 3.6 in a game. He is more of a scorer and is active on the defensive end because of his athleticism. Jayson Tatum could be a better fit since he has better playmaking numbers. However, it is worth noting that the Olympian is more of a defender than a playmaker.

On the other hand, Damian Lillard is a pure playmaker with a 7-assist average last season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside him with 6.5. So, it is exactly what the host Kenny pointed out. Dame and Giannis are the role players to make the Bucks a Championship contender, not one of them alone!

Back in December 2018, Shareef O’Neal underwent open-heart surgery to treat an anomalous coronary artery diagnosis. What did Shaquille O’Neal tell his son before they took him to the OR? “Bro, when you wake up, I’m gonna be the first [person] you see. Trust me. If you don’t wake up, I’m coming right behind you…”

Well, Shareef did wake up after successful surgery and has since been trying to return to his top form in basketball. But when that meant having to move about 7,500 miles away from home, Shaq wasn’t completely on board. Having almost lost Shareef once in 2018 (after he couldn’t be at the doctor’s appointment where his son was diagnosed), the Lakers legend wasn’t ready to be more than a few miles away from the 24-year-old. And so, he offered Shareef a job.

In a conversation on the Then They Rose podcast, the host asked Shareef, “Since you’re not so much into the basketball thing anymore, what’s next for you?” Shareef replied, “I’m still playing basketball. I played my first pro year the season before [2023-24],” referring to his stint with the G League Ignite. Following that, he “was gonna go play basketball in Australia for this year, and things started to change with my family… in a good way.”

At the time (October 2023), Shaquille O’Neal was named the president of Reebok’s basketball operations. Allen Iverson joined the Big Aristotle as the vice president for the $2.46 billion-worth brand’s basketball wing. Tasked with rebranding and reimagining the company, Shaq felt his son would be a valuable addition to the team, which he proposed when they met on Thanksgiving last year.

“I was getting ready to go to Australia in late December,” Shareef recalled on the podcast. Describing his meeting with Shaq, the 24-year-old said, “We’re sitting. He’s like, ‘Australia’s far. You know you don’t have to go to Australia.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’” But on the inside, Shareef knew he wanted to. “I kind of just wanted to move. I don’t know why, but I was like, ‘Let me just go try something new,’” he revealed. That was when his father told him about his appointment as the president of Reebok. And asked for a favor.

“He’s like, ‘Can you do me a favor this year? Can you help me rebrand Reebok? I’ll let you help redesign the shoes… redesign the clothes and help sign players. I really need your help.” Back in the 80s – as surprising as it may seem – Reebok had overtaken Nike as the No.1 athletics brand in the world. In fact, in 1989, Reebok made $1.82 billion in sales compared to Nike’s $1.71 billion. However, by signing a particular someone named Michael Jordan, Nike caught Reebok off guard. The brand hasn’t seen the same success since.

While Reebok did sign Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson in the 90s, hoping to have the same effect as Nike and Jordan, that didn’t happen. In the meantime, Adidas overtook Reebok, too. Three decades later, the scene hasn’t changed much for the company, but when it named Shaq the president of basketball operations, he came with one goal: “We’re getting back into basketball.”

via Getty

Seeing how much this meant to his father and all his family had done for Shareef, the 24-year-old said, “I wasn’t gonna go to Australia and move 16 hours away from my family.” Shareef underwent his open-heart surgery during his first year at UCLA. When he transferred to LSU after recovering, he suffered foot injuries in 2020 and 2021. Then, he played for the Lakers in the 2022 Summer League, averaging 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. However, it wasn’t enough for him to get drafted into the NBA, and this is where the Ignite came in.

Reportedly, Shareef signed a six-figure deal with the G League Ignite in the summer of 2022. He played in 20 games in 2022-23, averaging 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. However, this was also short-lived, as the league had its last game on March 28 before ending its operations. Now that Shareef O’Neal has taken a year off from basketball to help his father with Reebok, he has the same goal as Shaq. But he’s also working toward another goal, one he promised to fulfill after his stint with Reebok.

Shareef and Shaquille O’Neal are “doing a really good job” with Reebok

In May this year, Shareef tweeted, “Guys, I’ve been working along side my father with rebranding Reebok… and we will get it back to the top. I WILL BE HOOPING AGAIN, I know I’ve been missing and haven’t been posting what I’m doing, but I did not stop! I will be back soon! Just want to help out my dad.”

From what he said on the podcast, it looks like the father-son duo are close to achieving the first thing. “We’re doing a really good job. I say that by the time 2025 starts, Reebok will be up there with the rest of these brands. I’m glad I contributed to that,” he revealed. As for the second thing he mentioned in his tweet – getting back to basketball soon – there have been rumors that the 24-year-old could potentially be joining Waverley in the NBL. But there have also been talks of him leaving the sport.

Well, the first one is true. However, the second rumor isn’t. “As long as I play basketball every day, I’m good. I plan to go back to basketball one day, but it’s good to take this year off and help my dad,” he said. “I’m happy where I am right now. Still in shape; I can still compete against anybody in the world, I believe, which is also cool that I’m doing networking, working, and still working out at the same time.”

As part of the Reebok family, Shareef’s job is to help people reconnect with the brand. Now that we know this, we cannot wait to see what Reebok has in store for its fans in the coming years.

Since news of Caitlin Clark being left off the USA women’s basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics was reported, one of the subsequent narratives from the Indiana Fever was that the snub “woke a monster.”

If that is indeed the case, the monster did not show up in Monday night’s matchup with the Connecticut Sun. Coming off their first defeat of the 2024 WNBA season, the Sun sought to rebound and did so with an 89–72 trouncing of the Fever.

Clark looked as if she might have had her WNBA breakout in her last game, hitting seven 3-pointers and scoring 30 points (tying a career-high) in a win over the Washington Mystics.

However, she couldn’t match that effort against Connecticut, finishing with 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting from the floor. That was her fourth-lowest scoring total of her rookie season.

Clark left the game with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter after drawing her fourth foul and stayed on the bench along with three other Fever starters, despite the crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena chanting, “We want Caitlin! We want Caitlin!” midway through the fourth quarter.

DiJonai Carrington finished with 22 points for the Sun, who improved to 10–1 on the season. She added six rebounds, three assists and three steals but drew some boos from the home crowd when she appeared to mock Clark for how she drew a foul.

Alyssa Thomas, who will be named to the USA Olympic squad, grabbed 18 rebounds with seven assists. And DeWanna Bonner scored 17 points, joining three other players in double figures. With her first 3-pointer for the night, Bonner moved into 10th place on the WNBA’s all-time list with 581. She shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc Monday.

The Fever was led by Aliyah Boston’s 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Lexie Hull joined Clark with 10 points. Kelsey Mitchell and Erica Wheeler each finished with nine.

Indiana has lost all three of its games against Connecticut this season. The two teams will play one more time on Aug. 28.

“They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill.” In the age-old debate of the old generation vs. the new generation, Anthony Edwards made his stance clear with this controversial claim. Sure enough, not everyone appreciated Ant-Man taking a jab at the stars who paved the way as Hall of Famer Magic Johnson responded with a brutal comeback, “I never respond to a guy who’s never won a Championship.”

Being a 5-time champion and arguably the greatest point guard ever, Magic has all the right to defend himself and the era he played in. However, his ‘no-ring dig’ at the Wolves star might be detrimental even to the stars of the previous generation like The Chuckster. Addressing Magic’s comments on The Stephen A. Smith Show, the ESPN analyst understood the Lakers legend’s sentiment but pointed out, “Charles Barkley would not be allowed to talk about guys like Magic Johnson according to Magic Johnson’s rules.”

Yes, Barkley caught strays from Stephen A. because as great a player as he was, a former MVP, he was never able to win a Championship in his Hall of Fame career. While many consider him one of the biggest stars of the ’90s, his opinion would not rank as high as some of the Champions of his era, as per Magic’s logic. Similarly, Stephen A. named players like Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, and more, who were legends in their own rights but missed out on winning a title.

“There’s plenty of dudes that don’t have chips. They got opinions though, and it should be respected,” the analyst added. However, the veteran analyst didn’t just leave the hot topic there. He showered some advice on Anthony Edwards while showing his support.

Stephen A. Smith asks Anthony Edwards to “prioritize” one and only one thing, after the jaw-dropping controversial statement

With Magic Johnson refusing to respond to Anthony Edwards because of his lack of accolades, what does the Wolves star need to do to get the Hall of Famer’s attention? Well, Stephen A. Smith had the answer, “If you’re Anthony Edwards, here’s what you need to do. You need to prioritize winning a chip so you can have a conversation like that with Magic Johnson.”

Although Ant has risen to superstardom in a very short span, the furthest his franchise has ever gone in the playoffs is the West Finals, that too only twice. Meanwhile, Magic won a title and a Finals MVP trophy as a rookie.

via Reuters

While the analyst urged Anthony Edwards to pursue a ring and deemed him his second favorite player to watch behind Stephen Curry, the Wolves star seems to be in no hurry to win it all right away. “I don’t know too many guys who won a Championship super young, besides Kobe. Other than him, everybody took years and years of losing to get there. I just want to keep taking the next step,” he said in a recent interview.

At only 23, he believes there is enough time for him to win a title in the NBA, but does want to get better every year. However, what’s better than a West Finals appearance that he made last season? It’s either making the Finals or winning a title next season. So, with finer margins of error and rise in stakes, the clock might already have begun ticking for Ant-Man. Do you agree?