Spider-Man: Far from Home delivered at the box office with a $93 million opening weekend. Impressive but that number is dwarfed by the $3 billion spent by NBA teams on player contracts in the first 24 hours of free agency last week.
Let’s take a look some of the other winners in the sports world…
TINK Sports Big-3
Here are three things you need to know:
1) NBA free agency, aka superstar musical chairs, has all but ended and the huge winners are the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets
2) The US Women’s National Soccer Team took home their fourth World Cup Sunday
3) MLB has reached its midseason All-Star break and the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees sit atop the standings
National Basketball Association (NBA)
The NBA has been in upheaval since June 30th when free agency began. Many of the league’s best players were working front door and back door channels to get paid and even recruit other stars.
Source: LA Times
The Biggest winners were:
1) Los Angeles Clippers: They landed Kawhi Leonard, the reigning Finals MVP, but not before he convinced Steve Balmer (the ex-Microsoft CEO and current Clippers owner) to trade for anther stud and fellow LA native, Paul George. LA has become the basketball mecca for the next few years as the city is now home to four of the best NBA players (the two new Clippers plus LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers), all sharing the same arena.
2) Brooklyn Nets: ”Where Brooklyn At?” Several years ago the Nets mortgaged their future on a trio of aging stars in a disastrous trade with the Boston Celtics. All is forgotten now as they landed Kevin Durant, a league MVP and two-time NBA champion (albeit recovering from an Achilles Tendon tear) and Kyrie Irving, an All Star and former NBA champ. The two were also rumored to go the New York Knicks but ultimately chose Brooklyn over Manhattan.
3) Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers were within one bounce of beating the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in this year’s playoffs. They lost All-Star Jimmy Butler but resigned Tobias Harris and added versatile big man Al Horford from Boston, weakening the rival Boston Celtics in the process.
The Biggest Losers? These execs are likely to call Jillian Michaels to help them shed the 30 pounds they might put on from job related stress after striking out this offseason.
1) New York Knicks – The Knicks traded their young 7’3” star player Kristaps Porzingis to free up space in an attempt to secure marquee free agents. The team struck out and attracted only mid-tier players. Boos will be reigning at MSG this season…yet again.
2) Toronto Raptors – The defending champs lost all-world player Kawhi Leonard for nothing after trading for him last offseason.
3) Oklahoma City Thunder – MVP finalist Paul George surprised the league and requested a trade to join Kawhi Leonard in LA. A week later the Thunder might have to part ways with their other star, Russell Westbrook, and completely rebuild.
Soccer
Big props to the US Women’s National Soccer team who won their fourth World Cup Sunday in France defeating the Netherlands 2-0. The US team dominated the tournament and made their case for best US team in history.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
In the stands two chants were heard: “Team USA” and “Equal Pay”
Soccer’s governing body, FIFA, will pay the US team an estimated $4 million. Not bad except that team France, the 2018 men’s champ, received $38 million for their World Cup victory.
Tennis
Across the pond the Wimbledon action is fast and furious with winners coming out of nowhere.Four unseeded women have advanced to the quarterfinals, and for the second straight year all top-5 seeds lost before the quarterfinals.
Source: Newsweek
What were you doing at 15? Not winning Wimbledon matches. 15-year-old American Coco Gauff burst on the scene last week by taking down her idol and five-time champ Venus Williams in the opening round. Gauff kept winning and advanced to the round of 16 until finally falling to former Grand Slam champion Simona Halep. #Welcome #AStarIsBorn
On the Men’s side the three top players and living legends, #1 Novak Djokovic, #2 Roger Federer and #3 Rafael Nadal, are all in the quarterfinals and fighting to add yet another Slam to their already unworldly resumes.
Major League Baseball (MLB)
At the All Star Break the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros lead their divisions in the American League. The National League leaders are the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
In Monday’s Home Run Derby, where players crushed balls 450+ feet, New York Mets rookie slugger Pete Alonzo took home the crown (or chain).
Source: Cleveland.com
The All Star game pitting the American League’s best versus the National League’s top players will take place Tuesday night. MLB resumes its regular season Thursday night.
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See you next time…
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