#nba all star 2022

[doublescribble]

Jaylen Brown 2022-23 NBA Regular Season

[nba24highlights]

Dennis Rodman Throws Away NBA 75 Jacket! 2023 #rodman #shorts

[b4ookie]

MEET ME !!

B4OOKIE

hi, i am Brook, a 16 yr old shifter from southern USA.

but i also go by rowan/roro, either of these are fine with me.

i go by any pronouns so call me what you wanna, but i am an agender girl + unlabeled.

i am mixed person, black and white 🫶😗

i have been into shifting going on 4 years next month.

i minishifted/shifted once in february 2021 or 2022 i dont remember, to my TWD dr.

my main s/os are; Doh Kyungsoo, and Hwang Intak.

my drs list !!

TWD drs; i have 4.

P1harmony drs; i have 4 currently.

NBA drs; specifically my GSW dr. but i have like 6 + NBA star's kid dr(lebrons kid)

X-men drs; i have 2. charles xavier 🫶

EXO drs; i have 2.

SKZ drs; i have 4.

AMP dr

MLB drs; no lie i have like 5??

Sweet home dr

Footballer/Soccer player drs; i have like 10 🧍main is Real Madrid

Own kpop group drs; a lot too.

JJK & Aot drs

The Outsiders dr

Chicago PD dr; dante torress 🫶

F1, F2, F3 drs; Porsche, Ferrari etc

Top Gun dr

Wag drs; many for many diff sports.

Childhood dr

Rdr2 dr

Parent dr

NewJeans dr

Love Next Door dr

Star Wars drs; Sequels, Prequels, Mando x2

+ Many Group Drs

dni !!

anti shifter. point blank + anti perma shifting??

racist, homophobic, etc yk the basic dni.

pro shippers. you're weird.

-13, you're not even supposed to be on the internet. i dont think ill come across any but I'm just adding.

bmf !! 🫶

p1harmony shifter. or kpop in general

ALSO TWD SHIFTERRS PLEASE HIT ME UP.

group shifters(i love tnek group shifts are just mad fun)

literally any shifter to my dr list

tbh anyone not on dni please

others

literally dont care about others' drs.

like please king/queen/royalty that you are go live your life in your highest way possible. like you get to do whatever ya want and shit

that's all !!

byebyee + credits for divider

[ahundredtimesover]

Belong (05: Post-Credits) | MYG

Pairing: Yoongi x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: exes-to-lovers-to-exes-to-lovers; actress!OC x basketball coach!Yoongi; summer romance; “long” distance relationship; parallel timelines; angst, fluff, smut

Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, family drama, sport injury; dreams & moving away; allusion to depression; basketball and acting talk; 2014 and 2022 Yoongi; shy and nonchalant cocky whipped Yoongi; almost drowning, sexual content (kissing, oral, penetrative sex) (18+)

Chapter Word count: 5k

Series Masterlist

Status: Complete

Series summary: Being an actor has always been your dream. Pursuing it meant many things - leaving the town where you grew up, distancing yourself from your family that had fallen apart, and saying goodbye to the man who made you feel what home was like. When you decide to finally return after being away for so long, you meet Min Yoongi again, and you’re reminded of the summer romance from 8 years ago with the college basketball superstar whose broken dream pushed you away. As you find yourself spending time with him, you’re left to wonder if love changes, if it gives second chances, or if it’s just another illusion that will hurt the both of you the second time around.

A/N: Wrapping up this story and this world now, as I keep its meaning close to me, where this Yoongi was a source of comfort. Thank you to those who took a chance with this one. Please know that in the midst of deciding to stop writing, you told me I could keep going. 😌

It was nice to be able to write about a sport that I deeply love (yes, I am manifesting with the NBA game featured here 🤞🏽) and about a theme I’m personally experiencing. Yoongi told us to live in the present and that we can dream simple, gentle dreams, too. Let’s cheer each other on! 💜

Listen to: For All You Give (feat. Lucy Rose) by The Paper Kites || Playlist 🎶

1.5 years later

You walk past the hallways to head outside the airport, large luggage in one hand and a small one on the other. 

Your phone rings and Jimin is on the other end, asking if your flight was alright and if the weather is good. You give him a lowdown of the past 18 hours, including your lovely encounter with a Korean-American family during your Minneapolis layover. Their 6-year old is apparently a fan of yours after you did a stint of hosting her favorite Korean variety TV show, and your heart soared when she told you that she wants to be funny and beautiful like you. You found it amusing that doing cute poses and laughing your way through every episode was entertaining enough for her. 

“That’s adorable,” Jimin chirps. “I love how your fanbase gets younger every year. You started with grandparents and now you’ve got 6-year olds under your spell.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” You laugh. “I just hope these kids don’t watch my latest movie because it’s gonna terrify them.”

“Yeah, at least keep the variety shows to entertain the babies,” he chuckles. “I already told Hoseok that you want to guest-host again. There are a couple of shows that want you onboard.”

“Ah, that’s great,” you beam. “I need as much joy and laughter in my life after that last project. That took so much out of me.”

“It did, didn’t it?” Jimin hums. “But it’s got the media buzzing about you again. So much for that one so-called journalist who claimed that you’re one-dimensional and can’t do anything other than romance because you’re only good at being in love. Let me smack her face with all the good reviews about your latest role so she can shut her one-dimensional mouth.”

You giggle at Jimin’s words, his protective nature soothing you like it always does. You remember when that article about you came out after you starred in a mini-series, a project you had after the show you filmed in Paris, which did turn out to be your biggest break then. Your role in that drama had you falling in love with someone from a rival family, one of the show’s major plot points, and that journalist went off about your supposed versatility being premised on the emotions of being in love. You can’t really do much outside of it, she said, and it was that same day when you got the lead role for a psychological thriller, with the industry’s eyes on you to see if you’re able to handle a character that’s so different from what you’re used to. 

And well, it’s safe to say you blew their minds. Even you didn’t think you could do that well, but you pushed hard, not only to prove yourself to them but to challenge yourself, knowing that there’s more to learn and showcase even after 10 years of being in the industry. 

The reviews showed that you delivered. Critics praised your acting, saying how disturbed they felt during specific scenes, and that was a compliment for you, knowing that was the goal. The movie was even shown in a recent foreign Film Festival, and the praises are still coming; Jimin’s been the one sending you every article and post he could find, and he’s been nothing short of amazing when it comes to encouraging and praising you himself for another successful project. 

It wasn’t without its difficulties though, as getting into character meant you had to immerse yourself in its darkness, in the disturbing themes that ate away at you sometimes. It was Yoongi who’d been the one to bring you out to the light every time - sending you flowers while on set, giving you a bath after every filming so you’re not left in your own mind, holding you close whenever you slept, and driving you out during days off. It was hard but it was worth it, as you felt liberated from all the negative emotions once filming wrapped up. 

Yoongi was supportive all throughout - including all the promotions you had to do and the moments of doubt you’d have about your performance. He held your hand during the premiere and took you to the mountains for a weekend to escape it all for a while. Other than the amazing sex you had and the time away from everyone, you both spent those days  wrapped up in each other’s arms, easing back to your normal lives that didn’t include you randomly crying at night or losing sleep from your tiring schedule. 

You’d just wrapped up your promos for the film in Seoul and you’re also waiting for the next project while working on some endorsements and guesting on the side. But after the exhausting couple of months, you deserve a break, and you want nothing more than to focus on Yoongi, knowing he’s the one who’ll be needing your love and support this time. 

Jimin breaks through your thoughts and asks if the car he’d arranged has arrived.

“Not yet, but Yoongi messaged that he’s 5 minutes away,” you respond. “Thanks, by the way. I know you had to arrange all this in such short notice and had to work with Hoseok to push back all my other schedules. I know it was stressful for you, too.”

“And who said I ever minded?” Jimin replies. “I’ve spent enough time with Yoongi to know how much he takes care and supports you, and that also means I know just how much his career means to him. I’m sure you already know but nonchalant and cool he may be, he’s incredibly nervous. I just know having you there is gonna make all the difference.”

“I know,” you smile, feeling emotional at the thought. “I’m just so happy for him. He’s been sending me photos since he got here and I could just see his eyes sparkling. I’m so excited to see him in action.”

“Me, too, at least from here. We’ll be tuning in and I’ll just pretend I know shit about basketball and the NBA,” Jimin laughs. “I guess it’s weird to be cheering for the commentator and not the players but oh well. Just tell him we’re rooting for him; Jin’s gonna host watch parties in his house. We’ll invite Jungkook and Namjoon so there’ll be people who can actually explain to us what’s happening.”

You laugh at Jimin’s rambling. It’s touching to know just how much your friends have come to support Yoongi as well. You’ve to remind yourself that not long ago, they were all wary of him, given the 2 times he let you go. But they’ve seen in the past year and a half exactly what that love you treasure really looks like. You always said it was transformative for both of you in different ways, and they’ve come to witness that, too. 

They’ve seen how tough days for you were always made better whenever Yoongi was around, how negative voices were always drowned out by his gentleness and encouragement, how bouts of insecurities were easily mended by his belief in you. 

That love got you regularly going home to Daegu to see his dad and to be with yours, and to make an effort to heal the wounds with your sisters. 

That love also got Yoongi to be braver, to take chances and to make the most out of every opportunity he could find. It’s that love that supported him throughout the months that he wrote for that online sports magazine, until he became a regular guest at an online sports show. It’s what encouraged him to apply for a sports channel’s basketball analyst position; you remember the smile on his face when he got the job and the first time he appeared on TV to talk about the sport he’s loved for most of his life. It’s your shared love that got him to dream again - maybe coach a professional team in the future, perhaps become a household name in sports media. It doesn’t matter what form, you’d remind him, as long as it was in the world of basketball.

It’s that same love that’s going to hold his hand through the next 2 or so weeks, as Yoongi lives out a dream he didn’t think he’d have. As a 10-year old who’d imagined himself playing for the NBA too many times, he didn’t think that 20 years later, he’d be reporting on it as part of the South Korean media. He thinks it’s just as much a dream as any. This is the sport he loves, and he told you once that he can’t imagine his life without it. 

“Oh, I think that’s him!” You tell Jimin, as you spot the maroon car that Yoongi said he was in. “Thank you again.”

“Just call me for anything, okay?” He says on the other end. “And enjoy Boston!”

You bid him goodbye and rush to the car that stops not far from where you are. Yoongi exits and you hug him immediately, falling into the warmth that you’ve missed this past week. You were at a promotional event in Busan when he left Seoul for the US a few days ago so you didn’t get to say goodbye, but it appeased you that you could spend your break with him here. 

But more than anything, it’s the fact that you get to be part of his new world this time, and nothing makes you happier than being able to see that sparkle in his eyes that made you fall for him that first time all those years ago. There’s that confidence again, that drive. Yoongi is all kinds of beautiful everyday, but seeing him do something he loves has always been special. You’re glad you get to witness that again.

“I missed you, jagi,” he hums in your ear. How was your flight?”

“Good. I got a bit of rest,” you reply. “And I missed you, too.”

Yoongi smiles and gives your luggage to the chauffeur who loads them in the trunk. You both enter the car and sneak in a kiss for the seconds that you’re alone, and he smiles against your lips before turning to you. 

“You seem excited,” he states.

“Of course, baby. It’s the big day tomorrow. Aren’t you?”

“I’m terrified, actually,” he chuckles to mask the nervousness. “But Mr. Chan called earlier to ask how I’m feeling and he’s been so supportive, saying that his sprained ankle must’ve been a blessing in disguise if it meant I get to take his place. I did the reporting the other day during Media Day and he said I did really well, asking the players and coaches really good questions. He said if I sustain this during the entire championship series, I could be well on my way to reporting more big games even in other sports.”

“Baby, that’s huge!” You beam, turning to him to see his shy smile. “You could be reporting on the Olympics, who knows! But the NBA… this is huge for you. The fact that you’re who they thought to replace him is a big deal. It means they really see something in you.”

“I still think it’s a fluke,” he sighs. “If Mr. Chang hadn’t gotten injured, it would’ve been him. It just so happened that the other guys are either on leave or on another assignment and I was… there.”

“Then you just saved their asses! It means you get to show them how good you are, and I know you’re good. I wouldn’t be paying attention to basketball if you weren’t calling it.”

“You’re biased though,” he laughs. 

“Duh. Name one other sports commentator who knows his shit, is incredibly handsome, has such a soothing voice, and looks hot talking about people shooting balls?” You exclaim. “No one! Just you! Baby, you’re saving the industry!” 

Yoongi thinks you’re adorable when you go off like this. He always knew you didn’t actually pay attention to his games before because your eyes were only on him. Whenever you’d both watch on TV, you’re often curled into his arms, remarking that he does that same jumper smoothly or that the players are either boring or too cocky. You understand the sport, though. He knows you’re interested because you get basic terms and ask him questions. Sometimes he thinks you just want to hear him talk or analyze a play; sometimes you just giggle when he’s pulling his hair or yelling over a stupid call or when his team’s losing, but regardless of your level of appreciation for the sport, he knows you love it because he does, and that means more to him than you’ll ever know. 

He gives in though, knowing you feel strongly about his basketball commentary skills. 

“Thank you, jagi. I at least know that if I completely fail at this, you’d still think I’m hot.”

“Baby, I think you’re hot all the time. You could even model or act, you know? The industry will benefit from this pretty face,” you wink.

“Let’s say hypothetically, I do act. What happens if I have an intimate scene with someone? What would you do?” He asks, arching an eyebrow because he can almost predict what you’re gonna say. 

“I will cry,” you pout, causing him to laugh. 

It’s all hypothetical, but he can tell you’ll really be upset even if it’s something he has to live with all the time. It’s something he’s gotten used to, though. He did survive watching your scenes with Pablo where you both cuddled “naked” in bed, although he admits looking away so many times. He also made it through your mini-series where you had multiple sexually tense scenes with your co-star. He admits he likes it when you’re more clingy and affectionate after each filming and episode, and he won’t complain. 

But knowing how affected you’d be if the roles were reversed makes him a little soft. He remembers those summers years ago when you’d eye the girls who’d cheer for him during his games and how you always ran to him after to hold his hand and then kiss him intensely in the bathroom or his car. You would deny the jealous girlfriend allegations and he used to just laugh through it. It seems like nothing has changed.

“These lips are for me only,” you say, cupping his cheeks to hold him in place for a deep kiss.

“They are,” he smiles. “And I know at the end of the day, your lips are only for me, too.”

He kisses you again, no longer minding the chauffeur in the car who doesn’t seem to care that you’re being affectionate in his backseat. 

“They are,” you hum. “They’re for your neck, and your chest, and—” you palm his cock — “for this.”

“Jagi,” he laughs, already used to your antics. 

You’re usually like this after being away. You were apart for a few days and it’s been a while since you’ve been separated for longer than that. 

“I just miss you,” you sigh, hugging him now and liking the comfort of his touch as always. “No one would massage my feet after walking in heels for hours and have a bath with me, no one would make me cum to sleep or kiss me goodnight.”

“Nice to know that’s all you miss,” he teases, earning him another pout.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do, and I miss those, too,” he hums as he kisses your forehead. “Thanks though, for coming here. I know that Jimin and Hoseok had to push back some of your schedules.”

“No issue at all. I wanted to be here, babe. This is a big deal and I’m… I’m just so happy for you,” you say against his chest. 

“You know I wouldn’t have gotten here without you, right?” He replies, emotional now at how far he’s come. 

It’s been years but the memory of his injury and his subsequent fallout from the sport comes and goes sometimes, so was losing you in the process. And then losing you again. But he’s here now, with you, the night before an important moment of his young career as a sports analyst, and he’s never felt more secure in his life. 

“You’ve always been a fighter,” you look up at him. “And you’re here because of you.” You kiss him softly. “But I can also take credit, that’s fine,” you laugh. “But really, thank you for not giving up on your dream, babe. I hope you know that it gives me courage, too.”

That night, you climb into bed with Yoongi, the exhaustion from the long trip overtaking you. There’s warmth in his eyes when he looks at you, and he chuckles when you try to stay awake. It’s his soft lips against your forehead that bids you goodnight, and you fall into his arms, knowing that this is what you’ll be waking up to in the morning.

The next evening, you walk inside TD Garden, Boston’s sports arena, where Game 1 of the NBA finals between the Celtics and Phoenix Suns are being held. The energy is insane, something you’ve never felt before, and it’s making you giddy and excited. You can only imagine what it’s like for Yoongi, and the thought makes your heart warm. 

You did see him taking long breaths earlier after he’d dressed up and prepared to leave, and much as you’d been so tired, you just had to hug him to calm him down and tell him that he’s gonna do great. He’s just excited, he claimed, but he’ll look for you in the arena; knowing you’re there with him will be enough to calm his racing heart. 

He had to go earlier to cover the press conference and film for their segment in Seoul’s morning news channel. It’s just him, Hee-soo, and a small production crew but it’s all they need. As commentators, they get to call the game but also interview the players and staff, report it, and then write about it. It’s tough and stressful but it’s the kind of buzz that Yoongi lives for now, you can tell, as you eye him in his designated analysts’ table, looking around and taking in the energy of the arena. His smile is priceless. There’s pride in it, there’s acceptance. It looks like the smile of someone who fought hard to have a new dream, and someone who worked to achieve it. 

Yoongi’s eyes go to you and you wave. You’re thankful for the connections you have that got you this ticket last minute, and even if you won’t pay attention to the game as much, being here to witness Yoongi call his first NBA match is too special to miss. You can’t imagine being anywhere else.

The game is an exciting one. You get into it with the crowd even if you don’t exactly have a team you’re rooting for but you cheer just the same. Your eyes constantly flit to Yoongi though, whose position isn’t far from where you’re seated. 

You listen through the online channel so you can hear what he’s saying, and the way he describes the energy inside is on-point. He narrates the plays effectively; you could be looking away from the court and still feel like you’re watching because of how good he is. His voice is calm and measured, except towards the end when the game is close and his pitch increases and he matches the excitement of what’s happening. It’s intense and exhilarating, and when the final buzzer sounds, you turn to him and see that smile on his face again. 

Tears form in your eyes as you feel overwhelming pride. Perhaps it’s similar to what he felt when he was with you during the recent Film Festival where your movie was shown and the audience gave your entry a standing ovation. He knew what you had to go through for that role and seeing your hard work paying off meant so much to him, as he got to hold your hand and tell you he was proud of you. 

That was special, he said. So many times in the past, he wanted to tell you all that, and that you did well, and that he’s looking forward to the next big thing you’ll do, but he never had the courage to. That’s why he’d send flowers, he told you. 

He also revealed how that came about - how he’d driven to Seoul for your first movie premiere with a bouquet of daisies but that he’d seen you with someone, and how he decided to leave it at the agency for you to receive. He almost took it back but you seemed to like it so he just continued with the tradition. You cried then, and he said he didn’t want you to feel guilty. But you were emotional because he still looked out for you and his care for you never wavered. The flowers gave you strength, and you’d told him you wanted to be like those daisies for him, too. 

Seeing him now gives you that sense of fulfillment, that not long from now, you’ll be able to hold his hand and tell him you’re proud of him, and the chance to do that for someone you love is special beyond words. You’re glad you can finally do that for each other now. 

Gentle dreams, you think. This life with him and all the simple things you do for each other and together are some of the biggest ones.

It’s quiet in the car on the way to your hotel, the fancier one you booked for both of you instead of the mid-range one they got for him. Yoongi is focused on his notebook, jotting down notes from his memory that he’ll have to write up later on. 

He’s then glued to his device once you get to your room, with him seated on the couch and agreeing to your orders for room service for your dinner. It seems he’s going through the messages of praise from his colleagues and his friends. A lot of people tune in to the channel’s coverage of the NBA, and other than you, no one’s prouder than his dad and his brother. 

You watch him from the bathroom door, appreciating the joy he exudes. It’s different from what you’d seen all those years ago. This is a man who went through various kinds of pain and had other people suffer because of it, something he still burdens himself with every once in a while. But he did the brave thing of dreaming again; sometimes you think that’s probably harder than when he gave up on the first one. 

Yoongi shows you everyday that courage takes different forms. Sometimes it’s letting something go, sometimes it’s fighting for them. Sometimes it’s loving someone from afar and sometimes it’s flying thousands of miles to a foreign country and asking for them back. 

But it’s always picking up your broken pieces and learning to love yourself despite and because of them. It’s finding something or someone you can’t live without and offering what you can, trusting that they’ll take you into their world because you deserve it. Courage is dreaming again, it’s loving again even with the possibility of getting hurt. It’s trusting yourself enough that you’re going to be okay if things don’t go your way. 

You hear him call your name. You realize you’ve been gazing at him for longer than you intended, and so you walk towards him as he looks at you questioningly.

“I was just admiring how happy you look,” you say. “It suits you, and I’m just so thankful I get to see it.”

His face softens and he reaches out his hand, one that he kisses and he doesn’t say anything else. He just looks at you tenderly and your heart races at the sight. 

You bend to capture his lips on yours, your movements gentle yet wanting. But it builds as time passes, until you feel him undoing the knot of your bathrobe, with him sighing in satisfaction when he feels you bare underneath. Your breath hitches when he cups your breast and you want nothing more than to have him right now. 

You pull away then remove your robe, liking the way his eyes roam around your naked form and how he gulps at the position you’re getting into, as you  get on your knees and spread his legs apart. His slacks get off first, and then his briefs. He removes the rest of his clothes as you take him in your mouth, his cock heavy and wanting as it reaches the edge of your throat. 

You take your time, wanting him to feel good after what he’d done tonight, but he’s the one who pulls away, wanting instead to bury himself inside you. It’s what he does, as he directs you on the couch, entering you from behind while his fingers do their magic on all parts of your body. But he lets you both come together, on the bed as he hovers over you, his head no longer buried in your neck, with his eyes looking straight into yours as you both come down from your highs. 

He kisses your lips tenderly as his I love you, and the way he holds you later that night says everything he can’t say. 

Loving you is what he wants to do in his life. Loving you is courage. 

You didn’t realize just how tiring covering the NBA finals would be. Considering their small team, Yoongi and Hee-soo work double time to get all the information they need to cover the games and write about them within a short period of time. They also have to fly back and forth depending on where the game is and you’ve liked tagging along, enjoying the amenities of your hotel and exploring the nearby area. It’s what you do in Boston and then in Phoenix. 

And while a game 7 is great for the league and basketball fans, you can tell it’s taxing for Yoongi. He doesn’t complain though. It’s part of the experience; the first one tends to be very memorable, he says. 

Both of you find yourselves in Boston's public garden the afternoon after the final game of the series. It’s been a crazy 24 hours, as Yoongi and Hee-soo had to do interviews and then report and then write about the game. You stayed by Yoongi’s side, attending to his needs and helping whenever you can. 

It’s early morning in Korea by now and work can resume later, perhaps right before or during your early morning flight back home, but you’re both at what has become one of your favorite spots in the city. It’s nice and simple and quiet. The garden is also accessible. It reminds you of the park in Paris, the one where Yoongi had come to meet you, and you cried in his arms at the sight of the man you didn’t think you’d be able to be with again, but he braved through his fears to be with you. 

“I like it here,” you say, as you walk past one of the many statues. 

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” He hums. “The pond reminds me of Paris.”

You turn to him and smile, letting him know you were thinking the same. 

Yoongi watches you lovingly look at the flowers. Your head turns when you hear toddlers squealing on their parents’ shoulders. And you perk up at the dog that stops to sniff his leg. They’re all simple but they’re so unabashedly you - soft, charming, and everything he needs. 

He thinks about all the things he loves about you as you smile and laugh at your surroundings. He’s been thinking about a lot of things, actually, constantly pinching his arm to remind himself that this life he’s created with you isn’t just some dream he conjured in his mind to get over losing you twice. You’re actually, truly next to him, living his new dream with him, as he dreams your dream with you. He doesn’t think he can get any happier than everyday he gets to live like this. 

You told him a few times that he’s brave for dreaming a new dream. It’s scary to do that, you’d said, so are other things, like loving again and again, accepting the broken pieces of himself and loving every one of them. You’d said that he was brave for flying to see you and asking for you back, and while he agrees to some extent, he doesn’t think anyone can be braver than you. 

You love intensely and genuinely; you love so certainly. You love like you heal, and you love yourself and others so you could heal as well. The way you loved him all these years has been filled with courage - you loved when it hurt, when it didn’t feel like he wanted to fight for you, when it felt like your love wasn’t strong enough to carry his burden. You loved so hard that there would be nothing to regret if the world ended the next day, and your love is so transformative that it created a home in his aching heart so that it could be strong enough to love both you and him after everything. 

You turn to him and reach out for your hand as you head towards the exit, and he jogs to where you are and intertwines his fingers with yours - not loosely but securely; he wants you to know he’s never letting you go.

There’s no version of life that he’d let you go another time. And so when he gets a message from the jeweler that his order for a customized daisy ring is ready, Yoongi’s heart soars to know that he could at least give you - ask you - something that will let you know that he’ll choose this life over and over again as long as it’s the one where he gets to live the rest of it next to you. 

You’ll both go back to Seoul, in the home you both created, in each other’s arms where you both belong. 

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[justinspoliticalcorner]

Mollie Reilly at HuffPost:

Steve Kerr, the head coach of the four-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the gold medal-winning Team USA men’s basketball team, spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Monday and took a cue from his star player’s signature celebration to take a jab at former President Donald Trump. “In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump, ‘Night night!‘” Kerr said at the end of his speech about why he is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, clasping his hands together in the mock sleepy gesture made famous by the Warriors’ star point guard. Curry, who recently helped the U.S. secure a gold medal over France by making four three-pointers in the last few minutes of the Olympics men’s basketball final, has been deploying his now-famous “Night night” gesture since the 2022 NBA playoffs. Curry pulled out the taunt in the final minutes of the game against France and even wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with the catchphrase in French after Team USA’s victory.

During his remarks on Monday, Kerr said he agreed to speak at the convention because the 2024 election is “too important” to stay quiet. “I know speaking about politics these days comes with risks. I can see the ‘Shut up and whistle’ tweets being fired off right now. But I also knew, as soon as I was asked, that it was too important as an American citizen not to speak up in an election of this magnitude,” he said. “I believe that leaders must display dignity,” he said. “I believe that leaders must tell the truth. I believe that leaders should be able to laugh at themselves. I believe leaders must care for and love the people they are leading. I believe leaders must possess knowledge but with full awareness that none of us has all the answers.” “With Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, I see all of those qualities.” He also referenced Walz’s days as a high school football coach. “Coach to coach: That guy’s awesome.” Kerr said, before jokingly offering some analysis of Walz’s coaching history.

Golden State Warriors and USA Men’s Basketball coach Steve Kerr’s DNC speech last night was a fiery one. #DNC2024

[mj23thefrenchgoat]

Marine Johannès : "I need to feel understood"

Disclaimer: This is an interview from l'équipe dated from September 2022. I didn't translate the whole interview but parts of it that I thought was interesting to read about to understand Marine's game and her state of mind a little bit better.

Marine Johannès spent the summer in the USA, playing in the WNBA. Before rejoining Les Bleues on Thursday, and taking off for Sydney (Australia) on Friday, the 27-year-old international looks back on a season marked by frustration, which she hopes to vent at the World Cup.

Before settling into a comfortable sofa at the Villa Navarre, the French team's country retreat when they're in Pau, Marine Johannès takes the time to sign a few jerseys and posters for the French Federation. That same evening, she will attend the French team's big victory over Belgium (74-55), before taking a few days' rest, “more than necessary”, she says.

Since the bronze medal she won in Tokyo in August 2021, the Asvel's guard hasn't really rested, following a Ligue féminine season - and a 3-0 final defeat to Bourges that she hasn't quite digested - and a WNBA season (USA), where she appeared transfigured. During the forty-five-minute interview (instead of the twenty initially scheduled), “M.J.” agreed to tell us all the latest news, club and national, making no secret of her desire to launch a happier chapter in her career in Australia, for the World Cup (September 22-October 1).

A poor season for Lyon: “The year didn't go well”.

“I came out of the season with Asvel frustrated. I had the advantage of being able to move on very quickly to the WNBA and to do something else. That did me a world of good. Things felt apart collectively, and it wasn't easy from the start. I respect the work done by Pierre (Vincent, the coach who was dismissed after losing the championship final to Bourges). If he'd stayed at Lyon, I'd still have stayed. But last season, none of us got what we wanted individually. But we did bring in Alexia (Chartereau)! I sold the project to her as well as our ambitions. And we still made the final after all. I tell myself that if we'd had that little something extra, we could have achieved great things."

"Several of us were ready to start again on the same basis, but the club made choices. We got on well as a group, and this season has really left its mark on us. We crossed paths with David Gautier (Asvel's new coach), as he's on the staff of Les Bleues. We've been talking a lot, and we can't wait to get started. I hope I'll have a good relationship with him, and with the team too. It'll be a chance to play with a number of players who also play for the French national team (Sandrine Gruda and Gabby Williams are the two star recruits of the summer). If I have to sum up my year, I can't claim to have reached the peak of my career. It was an important year, after the Games, but it didn't go well. I can say, however, that it made me grow.”

A summer of salvation in the WNBA: “I've rediscovered my freedom and a style of basketball in which I can fully express myself”.

“The game over there suits me so well! I love the WNBA, I've always watched it, just like the NBA. When I arrived, I quickly got some playing time due to injuries and I found freedom again, basketball in which I can fully express myself. At Asvel, I'd worked a lot with Pierre on precision and attention to detail. I made progress in that area, but at the same time it took away the instinctive side of my game. I felt like I'd become a robot. The Liberty coach (Sandy Brondello, also Australia's coach) said to me, “We accept the way you play, that you try things out and sometimes it doesn't work”.

"I need to feel understood. I don't ask for flowers to be thrown at me, and I accept being told that I'm doing things wrong, but the dialogue has to be constructive and benevolent. That's what I got in New York. I'm not a player who shoots 30 points a game, but I also enjoyed making decisive passes. My game is built on creativity, but I love passing to my teammates. And the style of play in the United States, which is really attack-oriented, lends itself well to this. But I've also had some defensive missions this season, which I'd never had before. I was delighted, especially as the staff were happy with me. In France, I'm always told “you don't know how to defend”, and here I was told the opposite. It gave me back my confidence."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*I like the way this interview shows the change between her 2021-2022 season in Lyon and her heading towards NY afterwards. The 2022 WNBA season from Marine was amazing. In this interview, she reflects on how much Brondello and the NY staff immediately made her feel at ease. Brondello gave her confidence by letting her be free and giving her defensive missions. After this wonderful 2022 WNBA season, Marine went to win the Eurocup and the french championship with Lyon.

[reasoningdaily]

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo – known for his shot-blocking and famed finger wave after denying opponents at the hoop – died Monday from brain cancer aged 58, according to the NBA.

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times.

His defensive prowess – leading the league in blocks for five consecutive seasons during an 18-year playing career and retiring second on the NBA’s all-time blocked shots list – was offset by his huge, playful smile.

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the 7-foot-2-inch Mutombo came to Washington’s Georgetown University initially on an academic scholarship in 1987 and rose to fame when he joined the basketball team in his second year.

He was selected fourth in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Aside from the Nuggets, he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, the then named New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.

Off the court, the towering center was known for his humanitarian work. In 1997, Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with a mission to improve education and quality of life in his native DRC.

In 2022, the NBA said Mutombo was receiving treatment for a brain tumor in Atlanta.

The league said he was surrounded by his family when he died Monday.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement, saying, “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.

“I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people. He was always accessible at NBA events over the years – with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.

“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly.

“On behalf of the entire NBA family, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back,” Silver’s statement said.

‘He was even better off the court’

Sixers general manager Daryl Morey lauded Mutombo during the team’s scheduled media day on Monday.

“There aren’t many guys like him. Just a great human being,” Morey said. “When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first chance in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. He was older than me which is pretty rare.

“Obviously, his accomplishments on the court, we don’t need to talk about too much but just an amazing human being – what he did off the court, for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.”

Speaking to reporters, 76ers star Joel Embiid said: “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans and really the whole world, because other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court.

“He’s one of the guys that I look up to as far as having an impact, not just on the court but off the court. He’s done a lot of great things, he did a lot of great things for a lot of people. He was a role model of mine, so like I said, it is a sad day.”

‘A heart of gold’

CNN Sport anchor Andy Scholes was a Rockets ballboy as a child, and fondly remembers getting to witness Mutombo up close.

“I was around him nearly every day for three years. He was intimidating on the court but off it he had a heart of gold,” Scholes said.

“I didn’t see him for some time after starting my journalism career. But at an All-Star game some 10 years ago, he came running up to me and said: ‘Andy, why didn’t you tell me you work for CNN! I watch you on TV every morning’.

“From then on whenever we’d see each other he always told me how proud he was of me. That meant so much to me because I always looked up to Dikembe, literally and figuratively.”

[azsdiary]

Love, still.

(This man is winking at me??) it’s like I can tell everyone who likes me except my crush. Sigh.

These guys at my work at the photos shop gave me a keychain of them. Now we all have one. He’s so bad at cutting out. No ones given me a picture gift before and I’ve never had a sentimental keychain. It’s lovely.

It was my favourite couple (Tamia and her NBA All star of a godly man)’s 25th wedding anniversary, I lost my grandmother and started my first mourning process, and I got a new job that is perfect for me.

Wow. Life’s amazing. I’m glad I didn’t take mine. I got some friends who would take me out. This week gave me a lot. Not my crush though.

Last week I went out alone and met a guy. (No he’s not attractive to me smh, focus:) He told me he’s not looking for anything and I said not to be closed off, he described his type when I asked, then a few mins later looked shocked. A girl just his type had just walked past and she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen…

…I went and found her, I asked her about herself and they both had locs and were Jamaican it was so perfect. I told her about him, and him about her. I told him to go for it. This week they went on a date and it’s going well. Same day delivery. Sigh. Weren’t we both with the same delivery company?

Yes I still have a crush on my crush. But it’s just a background fact. I’m just leaving it there. Getting rid of it didn’t work. It won’t fade out as I ignore it either. It’s just there. Peacefully.

10 months later and still not attracted to anyone else. I’ve only seen him 4 times. It is not my fault he is still fine. I don’t understand - how am I supposed to not find him attractive when he looks the same? Can anyone actually explain that to me?

I asked a married man about talking to my crush advice as he stood staring at his wife and kids, and he said to tell him about myself first. So I did. Then he asked me for my number. People!!? I have a story like this for every day of the year.

I’m like Andy now, in devil wears Prada. This new role which was hidden prophetically in a post I made here at the start of 2024. God has been here along.

(Tamia and Her mannnnn 2022)

[lboogie1906]

Joseph Mazzulla (June 30, 1988) is a basketball coach who is the head coach for the Boston Celtics. He played college basketball for West Virginia University. He joined the Celtics as an assistant coach in 2019 and was appointed the role of interim head coach before the 2022–23 season before officially being named head coach in February 2023 before the All-Star break. In his second season, he led the Celtics to a league-best 64 wins and an NBA championship. He holds the highest winning percentage of any coach in NBA history with over 150 games coached and is the youngest head coach in NBA history to win the NBA Finals.

He was born in Johnston, Rhode Island. He attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island, making the all-state first team. He won three state titles at Bishop Hendricken, with his third as a senior on a last-second shot.

As a freshman at West Virginia, he helped the team win the 2007 National Invitation Tournament.

In the 2008 NCAA tournament, he posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in a second-round upset of Duke. He was forced to redshirt the 2008–09 season due to a shoulder injury against Ole Miss, as his growth plate never fused with his shoulder.

As a redshirt junior, he was named a captain and helped West Virginia reach the 2010 Final Four. In the game prior, he scored a career-high 17 points in the Elite Eight upset of Kentucky. As a senior, he averaged 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In his collegiate career, he recorded 700 points and 340 assists.

His father, Dan, was a basketball player and coach. His younger brother, Justin, played basketball at George Washington University before transferring to the University of Vermont.

He is a devout Catholic, claiming that his identity comes from his “faith” and “purpose.” He and his wife, Camai, have a son and he has a stepson. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[thefauxsport]

Man Crush Monday

Who: Jayson Tatum

Basketball player for the Boston Celtics

Why: This 5 time NBA All Star lead his team to the NBA finals in 2022 and again this year (2024). The Celtics currently have a 2-0 game lead over the Dallas Mavericks. Let’s see if this is the year he finally gets the championship.

Relationship Status: While they haven’t made any “official” announcement, he is rumored to be dating singer Ella Mai.

[ballplayersxo]

For Jalen Duren to be one of the most handsome men in the NBA, he sure doesn’t receive a lot of hype/attention as I thought he would. His face card alone (beautiful bone structure, full lips, piercing eyes + his height and deep booming voice) is everything. I remember literally watching the 2022 NBA draft and seeing him for the very first time and I just KNEW he was gonna be a fan favorite for the ladies. I mainly think it’s due to the fact that he doesn’t give a lot outside of basketball though which is also understandable.

he’s fine as hell to me, but how is he on the court? i think he needs hints of all star qualities to get more hype yk? the GP doesn’t know much about him

[kicksaddictny]

Elite Athletes from Overtime Elite Partner with adidas Basketball as NIL Ambassadors

adidas Basketball is excited to announce the addition of four exceptional athletes from Overtime Elite (OTE) as NIL brand ambassadors: Ian Jackson, Karter Knox, Mikel Brown Jr., and Adam Oumiddoch. This quartet of signings represents a significant milestone in adidas' ongoing commitment to the sport's evolution and investment in the future of basketball.

This collaboration is a strategic extension of the multi-year partnership established in October 2023, where adidas was named the exclusive apparel and footwear sponsor of OTE. Both organizations share a unified vision centered around an athlete-first approach, ensuring the well-being and development of OTE players remain pivotal to their collaborative efforts.

“The partnership with Overtime Elite and the integration of these talented young hoopers into the adidas family empowers us to champion the future leaders of basketball and reaffirms our pledge to the sport's advancement," said Eric Wise, adidas General Manager of Global Basketball. "We are immensely proud to foster a collaborative environment that not only equips athletes with performance-driven adidas products but propels them to success beyond the court.”

This alliance offers OTE athletes an unprecedented platform to build relationships within adidas, and the brand in turn secures early exposure to next-generation stars. The newly minted NIL ambassadors will not only embody the spirit of adidas Basketball but will also have access to educational opportunities ranging from product testing to visiting adidas headquarters to mentorship opportunities and NIL preparedness. Highlighting the ambassadors:

Ian Jackson (Class of 2024) - A 2024 McDonald’s All-American and two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball, now committed to the University of North Carolina. Karter Knox (Class of 2024) - Also a 2024 McDonald’s All-American, celebrated as Florida's top player and the 3A Florida Player of the Year in his junior year, with a gold medal from the 2022 USA Basketball U17 National Team. Mikel Brown Jr. (Class of 2025) - A promising floor general who’s currently shooting 39% from three and exploring dozens of scholarship offers from high major Division 1 colleges. Adam Oumiddoch (Class of 2026) - One of the Top 20 players in his class, a sophomore who is the only underclassmen at OTE averaging double figures in scoring.

“adidas is focused on the next generation athlete, and their commitment to providing OTE players with opportunities to expand their own brands aligns perfectly with how we look to empower our players,” said Jack Jenkins, VP, Brand Partnerships at Overtime.

The two brands have kicked off their partnership in a big way, amassing millions of views, with shared content creation across league games and visits from current adidas athletes including Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young.

As an exciting extension to the partnership, OTE and adidas will spotlight top high school talents, including three NIL ambassadors, in four league games across two days in Indianapolis, coinciding with NBA All Star Weekend festivities. These games promise to be a showcase of elite young talent and will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and all league social channels.

February 15th, 2024 7 PM ET - City Reapers vs YNG Dreamerz 9 PM ET - Cold Hearts vs RWE

February 16th, 2024 2 PM ET - City Reapers vs Cold Hearts 4 PM ET - RWE vs YNG Dreamerz

[izzykish]

Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player known for his scoring ability and versatility. As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, he played for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA.

Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player born on September 29, 1988, in Washington, D.C. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the NBA. Durant played college basketball at the University of Texas for one season before declaring for the 2007 NBA Draft.

He was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics (later relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder). Durant played for the Thunder from 2007 to 2016, earning multiple scoring titles and MVP awards.

In 2016, Durant joined the Golden State Warriors, where he won two NBA championships (2017, 2018) and earned NBA Finals MVP both times. In 2019, Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets, but he missed the entire 2019-2020 season due to an Achilles injury. He returned to the court in the 2020-2021 season with the Nets.

Durant is known for his scoring ability, versatility, and basketball IQ. He has been selected to numerous NBA All-Star Games and has won various awards throughout his career. Keep in mind that specific statistics and achievements may have changed since my last update in January 2022.

[helloyoucreatives]

1800® Tequila, the world’s most awarded tequila brand, launches a new transformative campaign that celebrates the best taste in tequila and in life. The campaign is directed by filmmaker and photographer Ricky Saiz and features 10-time NBA All-Star and entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony and award-winning global Latin superstar Ozuna, who come together as the brand’s newest tastemakers.

The campaign consists of a collection of cinematic style films directed by visual storyteller Ricky Saiz, who was previously at the helm of music videos for Beyoncé, including Beyoncé: Yoncé and The Carters: Apeshit. Each campaign storyline centers around the brand’s ultra-premium expression, 1800 Cristalino, as the catalyst that transforms everyday moments into tasteful next-level experiences across music, sports and art.

Barbershop: The first spot takes place in a barber shop starring global Latin superstar Ozuna. He patiently waits in a styling chair as his hairdresser pours him a glass of 1800 Cristalino. Capturing the attention of everyone in the salon, Ozuna spins around in his chair with a glass of 1800 Cristalino in hand and a grin on his face. The shop ambience immediately levels up to a party with customers and hairdressers raising a glass to celebrate the best in taste.

Courtside 1800: The second spot stars 10-time NBA All-Star and entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony, sitting courtside and enjoying a basketball game. Carmelo nods to the sideline waiter for a neat serving of the brand’s ultra-premium expression, 1800 Cristalino. The eye-catching crystal bottle draws in the attention of the arena. As Carmelo reaches for a glass, his team makes the winning shot into a crystallized basketball hoop. He commemorates the victorious moment with a toast with friends around him.

Created by 72andSunny, this is the brand’s first campaign produced by the agency since their appointment as creative agency of 1800 Tequila in 2022.

[rockislandadultreads]

Nonfiction Thursday: Sports Biographies & Memoirs

One Jump at a Time by Nathan Chen

When three-year-old Nathan Chen tried on his first pair of figure skates, magic happened. But the odds of this young boy--one of five children born to Chinese immigrants--competing and making it into the top echelons of figure skating were daunting. Chen's family didn't have the resources or access to pay for expensive coaches, rink time, and equipment. But Nathan's mother, Hetty Wang, refused to fail her child. Recognizing his tremendous talent and passion, she stepped up as his coach, making enormous sacrifices to give Nathan the opportunity to compete in this exclusive world.

That dedication eventually paid off at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, where Chen--reverently known as the Quad King--won gold, becoming the first Asian-American man to stand at the highest podium in figure skating. In this moving and inspiring memoir Chen opens up for the first time, chronicling everything it took to pursue his dreams. Bolstered by his unwavering passion and his family's unconditional support, Chen reveals the most difficult times he endured, and how he overcame each obstacle-from his disappointment at the 2018 Olympic Games, to competing during a global pandemic, to the extreme physical and mental toll the sport demands.

Pulling back the curtain on the figure skating world and the Olympics, Chen reveals what it was really like at the Beijing Games and competing on the US team in the same city his parents had left--and his grandmother still lived. Poignant and unfiltered, told in his own words, One Jump at a Time is the story of one extraordinary young man--and a testament to the love of a family and the power of persistence, grit, and passion.

The Rise by Mike Sielski

Kobe Bryant’s death in January 2020 did more than rattle the worlds of sports and celebrity. The tragedy of that helicopter crash, which also took the life of his daughter Gianna, unveiled the full breadth and depth of his influence on our culture, and by tracing and telling the oft-forgotten and lesser-known story of his early life, The Rise promises to provide an insight into Kobe that no other analysis has.

In The Rise , readers will travel from the neighborhood streets of Southwest Philadelphia―where Kobe’s father, Joe, became a local basketball standout―to the Bryant family’s isolation in Italy, where Kobe spent his formative years, to the leafy suburbs of Lower Merion, where Kobe’s legend was born. The story will trace his career and life at Lower Merion―he led the Aces to the 1995-96 Pennsylvania state championship, a dramatic underdog run for a team with just one star player―and the run-up to the 1996 NBA draft, where Kobe’s dream of playing pro basketball culminated in his acquisition by the Los Angeles Lakers.

This is more than a basketball book. This is an exploration of the identity and making of an icon and the effect of his development on those around him―the essence of the man before he truly became a man.

The Last Folk Hero by Jeff Pearlman

From the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, the greatest athlete of all time streaked across American sports and popular culture. Stadiums struggled to contain him. Clocks failed to capture his speed. His strength was legendary. His power unmatched. Video game makers turned him into an invincible character—and they were dead-on. He climbed (and walked across) walls, splintered baseball bats over his knee, turned oncoming tacklers into ground meat. He became the first person to simultaneously star in two major professional sports, and overtook Michael Jordan as America’s most recognizable pitchman. He was on our televisions, in our magazines, plastered across billboards. He was half man, half myth.

Then, almost overnight, he was gone.

He was Bo Jackson.

Drawing on an astonishing 720 original interviews, New York Times bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman captures as never before the elusive truth about Jackson, Auburn University’s transcendent Heisman Trophy winner, superstar of both the NFL and Major League Baseball and ubiquitous “Bo Knows” Nike pitchman. Did Bo really jump over a parked Volkswagen? (Yes.) Did he actually run a 4.13 40? (Yes.) During the 1991 flight that nearly killed every member of the Chicago White Sox, was he in the cockpit trying to help? (Oddly, yes. Or no. Or … maybe.)

Path Lit by Lightning by David Maraniss

Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, was an All-American football player at the Carlisle Indian School, the star of the first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and played major league baseball for John McGraw’s New York Giants. Even in a golden age of sports celebrities, he was one of a kind.

But despite his colossal skills, Thorpe’s life was a struggle against the odds. As a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, he encountered duplicitous authorities who turned away from him when their reputations were at risk. At Carlisle, he dealt with the racist assimilationist philosophy “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” His gold medals were unfairly rescinded because he had played minor league baseball. His later life was troubled by alcohol, broken marriages, and financial distress. He roamed from state to state and took bit parts in Hollywood, but even the film of his own life failed to improve his fortunes. But for all his travails, Thorpe did not succumb. The man survived, complications and all, and so did the myth.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ramon Antonio Vargas at The Guardian (10.19.2024):

The former US marine Paul Whelan says basketball champion Brittney Griner provided “great help” to him by advocating for his freedom from Russian captivity after she was released. “Within days of her getting home, she was talking to people about how they could support me, and she had people making monetary donations, sending cards, sending letters, offering all sorts of support,” Whelan said in an interview being aired on CBS’s Face the Nation at 10.30am ET on Sunday. Whelan told the news program’s host, Margaret Brennan, that he became emotional when he saw Griner on television participating in the Paris Olympics upon his arrival at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews after a complex prison exchange between Russia and the US resulted in his release. “It was one of those incredible moments when you’re … finally connecting things,” Whelan remarked in a clip previewing his conversation with Brennan, which was billed as his first news media interview since Russia released him.

Russia accused Whelan of being a spy and jailed him in December 2018 while he was traveling for a friend’s wedding. Though the US dismissed the allegations as bogus, Russia convicted Whelan and – in June 2020 – sentenced him to 16 years in prison. The fates of Whelan and Griner became tied to each other in February 2022, when the collegiate, WNBA and Olympic champion basketballer was arrested in Russia after agents allegedly found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage as she traveled there to play during the American off-season. She later pleaded guilty to drug charges and received a nine-year prison sentence. However, in late 2022, the American government exchanged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as well as drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko to get Griner and marine veteran Trevor Reed back to the US. The US said Russia refused to include Whelan in either deal.

Whelan later said that the US had “basically signed a death warrant” for him by twice agreeing to prisoner swaps that omitted him. Griner subsequently shouldered an active role in rallying support for other Americans detained in foreign countries. She has collaborated with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign launched in 2022 by the families of American hostages and detained persons wrongfully held overseas. And she has spoken multiple times with Joe Biden to ensure the president and others in important positions keep detainees in mind. In August, a deal among the US, Russia and five other countries resulted in Whelan being freed from Russian custody alongside Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who had also been held on espionage charges that the American government deemed meritless. Griner hailed the releases of Whelan, Gershkovich and the others as “a great day”. When Whelan saw her on television after returning to the US, Griner had helped the American women’s basketball team defeat Belgium en route to what was her third consecutive Olympic gold medal with the group.

On CBS’s Face The Nation Sunday, Paul Whelan credited Brittney Griner for his help in returning to America.

From the 10.20.2024 edition of CBS's Face The Nation: