| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Jun 03, 2022 | | 🎉 Happy Friday! These NBA Finals are going to be a blast. Today's word count: 1,734 words (7 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏀 Boston's stunning comeback |  | | | "The Al Horford Game." Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | The Celtics stunned the Warriors on Thursday night in San Francisco, ending the game on a 20-5 run to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 120-108. Why it matters: The Celtics are the first team to win a Finals game by double-digits after trailing by double-digits entering the fourth quarter. - Their win probability fell as low as 4% when they were down 15 near the end of the third. Then came the most lopsided fourth quarter in Finals history (40-16).
- The Celtics made their first seven threes to open the fourth. Overall, Boston (21) and Golden State (19) made a Finals record 40 threes.
Standouts: Al Horford, playing in his first NBA Finals game, had 26 points and a career-high six threes. He hit all four shots he took in the final frame, sparking Boston's run. - Derrick White, who arrived midseason from the Spurs, continued his brilliant play since the birth of his child early in the East Finals, scoring 21 points off the bench.
- Steph Curry led the way for the Warriors, scoring 34 points and hitting seven threes. Andrew Wiggins poured in 20 points and Klay Thompson added 15.
The big picture: This is just the third time the Warriors have lost Game 1 of a playoff series under Steve Kerr (21-3 overall). The winner of Game 1 of the NBA Finals has gone on to win the championship 71% of the time. Go deeper: |     | | | | | | 2. 💵 LeBron joins the three comma club |  | | | Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images | | | | LeBron James' net worth has surpassed $1 billion after the Lakers superstar earned $121.2 million last year, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: He's the first active NBA player to reach that milestone, per Forbes (subscription). Michael Jordan became a billionaire, too, but only in retirement. A breakdown of his lifetime earnings and holdings... NBA salary ($387.4 million): Look at this progression through his 19-year career: - Cavaliers (2003–10): $62 million
- Heat (2010–14): $64 million
- Cavaliers (2014–18): $107.9 million
- Lakers (2018–present): $153.5 million
SpringHill Company ($300 million): He sold a "significant minority stake" of his multimedia production company last year at a $725 million valuation, but is still the largest individual shareholder. - Projects include 2021's "Space Jam: A New Legacy," the upcoming HBO Max reboot of the 1990 cult classic, "House Party," and athlete empowerment platform Uninterrupted.
- Fun fact: The company was named for the Akron apartment complex where James and his mom settled into when he was in sixth grade.
Fenway Sports Group ($90 million): He's had a minority stake in Liverpool since 2011, which he exchanged last year for ~1% of parent company Fenway Sports Group. - In addition to Liverpool, FSG's holdings include the Red Sox, Penguins, Fenway Park, NASCAR's Roush Fenway Racing and the New England Sports Network.
- ICYMI: LeBron supported Liverpool in person at last weekend's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.
Off-court earnings ($610 million): Between real estate, endorsements and savvy investments, LeBron could retire tomorrow and be just fine. - Real estate: He owns mansions in Akron, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills that Forbes estimates are worth ~$80 million.
- Nike: He earns $32 million annually from the apparel giant, which signed him to a lifetime deal in 2015.
- Blaze Pizza: Since investing less than $1 million in 2012 for 10% of the Chipotle-style pizza chain, James' stake in Blaze has grown to $30 million.
- Beats by Dre: LeBron's investment became a $30 million profit when Apple bought the headphone company for $3 billion in 2014.
- Beachbody: LeBron and Arnold Schwarzenegger's sports nutrition company Ladder was acquired by Beachbody in 2020 for $28 million in stock.
- Other endorsements and partnerships include Walmart, GMC, AT&T, Rimowa, Chase, Upper Deck, 2K Sports and Calm, per his website.
The bottom line: It's good to be the king. | | | | | | | | 3. 🎾 Coco in Paris: An epic graduation trip |  | | | Screenshot: @CocoGauff (Twitter) | | | | Coco Gauff celebrated her high school graduation two weeks ago at the Eiffel Tower. Now she's one win away from the French Open title, Jeff writes. Why it matters: The 18th-ranked 18-year-old is the youngest woman to reach a major final since Maria Sharapova in 2004 (Wimbledon), and the youngest American woman to do so since Serena Williams in 1999 (U.S. Open). What they're saying: The Atlanta-born teen who lives and trains in Florida displays a maturity that belies her age. - "I'm in a mindset now like: 'It doesn't matter,'" she said after cruising to a 6-3, 6-1 semifinal win over Martina Trevisan. "I'm going to be happy, regardless. My parents are going to love me, regardless."
- "Yeah, it's a Grand Slam final," she continued, "but there are so many things going on in the world right now ... it's not important to stress over a tennis match."
Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images The big picture: Gauff's breakthrough has felt like a long time coming. - She won the junior French Open in 2018, and a year later at 15 became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history.
- Since then she's been consistently good but hasn't gotten over the hump, reaching the quarterfinals of a major just once (2021 French Open).
What's next: Gauff has won all 12 sets at Roland Garros but has faced just one seeded opponent (No. 31 Elise Mertens). Now comes perhaps the biggest challenge of her career: red-hot Iga Świątek. - The 2020 French Open champion and world No. 1 has won 34 straight matches and five titles dating back to February.
- A win on Saturday would tie Świątek, 21, with Venus Williams for the longest streak this century.
The bottom line: Coco Gauff's senior year somewhat mirrors my own, as we both turned 18 and took trips to Europe right after graduating. One key difference? She's playing in a Grand Slam final tomorrow. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Get smarter, faster on Cryptocurrencies | | |  | | | | Axios Crypto brings you daily updates on the most consequential trends in cryptocurrency and the blockchain Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios | | | | 🏀 WNBA expansion: The WNBA could announce up to two expansion cities this year. The most probable markets, per The Athletic (subscription): Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco and Toronto. 🏀 Blazers bid: Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodgers part-owner Alan Smolinisky have made an offer of more than $2 billion to buy the Trail Blazers. The team says it "remains not for sale." 🏈 $13 million: Ohio State coach Ryan Day says the Buckeyes will need $13 million in NIL money just to keep their roster intact, putting a specific dollar amount on this murky new world. | | | | | | | | 5. ⚾️ Nestor is nasty |  | | | Photo: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images | | | | Nestor Cortes pitched another gem on Thursday, throwing seven shutout innings in the Yankees' 6-1 win over the Angels to lower his ERA to 1.50, which ranks second in all of baseball. The backdrop: Cortes was selected by the Yankees in the 35th round of the 2013 MLB draft. He put up good numbers in the minors but was never considered a great prospect due to his mediocre "stuff" (low-90s). - He had brief stints with the Orioles and Mariners before returning to the Yankees in December 2020 on a minor league contract.
- He pitched well in 2021, going 2-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 22 appearances (14 starts). Now, the 27-year-old left-hander is looking like one of the best pitchers on the planet.
By the numbers: In 10 starts this season, Cortes is 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 68 strikeouts in 60 innings, and an opponent batting average of .178. All while making just over the league minimum ($727,500). | | | | | | | | 6. 🇺🇸 America in photos | | Photo: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images DENVER — In an impressive all-around effort, the Avalanche shut out the Oilers, 4-0, to take a 2-0 lead in the West Finals. Steve Gleason holds his daughter while watching his son throw out the first pitch before the Cubs-Cardinals game. Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images CHICAGO — MLB ballparks marked Lou Gehrig Day with ceremonial first pitches, 4-ALS arm bands and a focus on raising awareness of the disease. Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Mina Harigae sits atop the leaderboard at the U.S. Women's Open, where golfers are competing for a record $10 million payout, including a $1.8 million winner's take. | | | | | | | | 7. 📺 Watchlist: Ukraine on the doorstep |  | | | Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images | | | | Wales hosts Ukraine on Sunday with a World Cup berth on the line (9am ET, ESPN2), as the Ukrainians look to follow up their improbable win over Scotland with an even bigger victory. - What they're saying: "We are going through a bloody war," Ukrainian journalist Illia Novikov, 25, told SI. "And every victory — sports or otherwise — aids us to reach victory on the battlefield."
- The other side: No European country has a longer World Cup drought than Wales. They last made the field in 1958, missing out on the last 15.
More to watch: - 🏀 NBA Finals: Celtics (up 1-0) at Warriors (Sun. 8pm, ABC)
- 🏒 NHL playoffs: Lightning (down 1-0) at Rangers (Fri. 8pm, ESPN); Avalanche (up 2-0) at Oilers (Sat. 8pm, TNT); Rangers (Game 3) at Lightning (Sun. 3pm, ESPN)
- 🎾 French Open: No. 3 Zverev vs. No. 5 Nadal (Fri. 8:45am, Tennis); No. 8 Ruud vs. No. 20 Čilić (Fri. 11:30am, NBC); No. 1 Świątek vs. No. 18 Gauff (Sat. 9am, NBC) ... Men's final is Sunday (9am, NBC)
- 🥎 WCWS: Six games (Fri.–Sun., ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)
- ⚾️ NCAA tournament: Regionals (Fri.–Sun., ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN+)
- ⛳️ LPGA: U.S. Women's Open (Fri.–Sun., USA/NBC/Peacock)
- ⛳️ PGA: Memorial Tournament (Fri.–Sun., Golf/CBS/ESPN+)
- 🥍 PLL: Week 1 in Albany, New York (Sat.–Sun., ESPN/ESPN+)
- ⚾️ MLB: Tigers at Yankees (Fri. 7pm, Apple TV+; Sun. 11:35am, Peacock); Braves at Rockies (Fri. 8:40pm, Apple TV+); Angels at Phillies (Sat. 7:15pm, Fox); Cardinals at Cubs (Sat. 7:15pm, Fox; Sun. 7pm, ESPN)
- 🏀 WNBA: Sun at Mercury (Fri. 10pm, CBSSN); Mystics at Sky (Sun. 6pm, Prime); Sparks at Mercury (Sun. 6pm, Facebook)
- ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Uruguay (Sun. 5pm, Fox)
- ⚽️ NWSL: Six games (Fri.–Sat., Paramount+/Twitch)
- 🥊 Boxing: George Kambosos Jr. vs. Devin Haney (Sat. 9pm, ESPN)
- 🏁 NASCAR: Enjoy Illinois 300 (Sun. 3:30pm, FS1)
- 🏈 USFL: Week 8 (Fri.–Sun., USA/Fox/Peacock)
- 🏈 Fan Controlled Football: Playoffs (Sat. 6pm, DAZN)
- 🌽 Cornhole: Pro Shootout Series (Fri.–Sat., 7pm, CBSSN)
| | | | | | | | 8. 🏁 The Ocho: Kite foil racing | | Source: Giphy Kite foil racing will debut at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Heck yeah. Watch a video. | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL trivia |  | | | Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images | | | | Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is retiring after 17 seasons, has started games at QB for nine different NFL teams. - Question: Can you name them all?
- Hint: Six AFC, three NFC.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🐝 1 bee thing: Spell-off!!! |  | | | Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images | | | | Harini Logan, 14, won the first-ever spell-off Thursday night at the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Details: Logan went head-to-head with Vikram Raju, 12, in the spell-off, which tested how many words they could correctly spell within 90 seconds. - She spelled 21 out of 26 words correctly, while Raju went 15 for 19.
- The San Antonio native received a trophy and a check for $50,000.
| | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Get smarter, faster on Cryptocurrencies | | | | | | | | Axios Crypto brings you daily updates on the most consequential trends in cryptocurrency and the blockchain Subscribe for free | | | | Enjoy the weekend, Kendall "Just breathe" Baker Trivia answer: Bills (53 starts), Jets (27), Dolphins (20), Bengals (12), Texans (12), Buccaneers (10), Titans (nine), Rams (three), Commanders (one) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201 | | | You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios.
Change your preferences or unsubscribe here. | | | Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox. | | | | Follow Axios on social media:    | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment