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Lights, camera, layup. The NBA Summer League is giving athletes another shot that takes place behind the camera. With assists from Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and Hollywood power players Mark Wahlberg and Deon Taylor, the Summer League Film Festival is coming back starting July 17 in Las Vegas. The three-day festival will bring big-screen storytelling through 34 selected projects, spotlighting stories produced by NBA stars past and present including Nikola Jokic, Luguentz Dort, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson, Cole Anthony, Keyon Dooling and Udonis Haslem.
The Wahlberg/Carter-Williams group, named Boston Women’s Basketball Partners, would have to officially apply for a team and then be approved by the league’s owners, as well as pay an expansion fee. The Portland franchise paid a $125 million expansion free, while Sports Business Journal reported the Cleveland group paid a record $250 million. “As a longtime Boston Celtics fan who attended countless NBA games in my lifetime, nothing would bring me more joy than to have a WNBA franchise in the city of Boston,” Wahlberg said in an email to the Globe. “I look forward to the day I can walk into the Garden, along with thousands of the greatest (and most knowledgeable) basketball fans on the planet, to root for Boston’s hometown WNBA team.”
Today, you’ll find everything from $5,000 Air Jordans to a $70,000 Louis Vuitton x Supreme Trunk on StockX. The result? StockX Revenue: 2019: $239 million 2020: $400 million Furthermore, the company has added celebrity investors like Mark Wahlberg, Scooter Braun, Kalie Kloss, Steve Aoki, Marc Benioff, Eminem, and more. The craziest part? StockX raised $275 million at a $2.8 billion valuation in 2020, meaning Dan Gilbert’s third business is now worth almost 2x the current Cleveland Cavaliers valuation.
Upon video review, no flagrant foul. Of course, by then, Butler already was cutting it up with teammates on the bench. “I’ve studied Mark Wahlberg and how he acts so incredibly well,” Butler said of his friend’s influence on his bravura performance. “I’ve taken a few pointers.”
So he trains three times a day, which isn't all that unusual for a pro athlete. But he starts his mornings at 4:00, a strategy he gleaned from his close friend Mark Wahlberg, who famously wakes up at 2:30 a.m. “I picked up that hustle and that grind from him, waking up early and doing it,” said Butler. “I really cherish his mentorship, brotherhood, and friendship. He teaches me how to continually get better.” Butler said that since the birth of his daughter in October 2019, his routine has been challenged by the realities of parenthood. He now spends 30 minutes in the morning trying to wriggle out from underneath her, because he can't bring himself to wake her up.
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Alex Kennedy: The Boston Celtics have brought in a number of celebrity guest speakers to address their players, coaches and staff via Zoom in recent weeks. Mark Wahlberg, LL Cool J and Myron Rolle are among the speakers who have shared their stories with the Celtics recently.
When he’s not back in his native Racine, Wis., dedicating a new basketball court, traveling the world as a member of the Board of Directors for the NBA’s Retired Players Association, or advocating against mass incarceration with the Vera Institute of Justice, Caron Butler spends most of his time in Los Angeles. He’s overseeing the making of two films, including his biopic, which is being produced by Mark Wahlberg, and working on a second book. Beginning this fall, the 39-year-old Butler will add Wizards TV analyst to his numerous pursuits. Butler originally auditioned for the analyst position that opened up when play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz’s longtime broadcast partner and Bullets legend, Phil Chenier, was moved out of the role after the 2016-17 season. Kara Lawson ultimately got the job, but Butler, who spent five of his 14 NBA seasons in Washington, told people at the network to keep him in mind if another opportunity arose.
Mark Wahlberg revealed on Instagram this week that Grace, his 9-year-old, told him she wanted to start playing basketball, so he roped none other than Jimmy Butler into giving her some personal lessons. "Gracie, who's you basketball coach?" Wahlberg asks in a video posted to IG. "Jimmy," his daughter responds, with Butler then chiming in: "The best coach ever!"
There was insight sought from a Chicago media person who had watched Butler from the start of his career. The suggestion was that Jimmy came into the league driven by his underdog status, and that changed a few years later when he started hanging out with Wahlberg and seeing himself as a star.
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TMZ Sports spoke with Tuff Juice about Marky Mark wanting to tackle Butler's story of a drug dealing childhood to becoming an NBA All-Star in his directorial debut ... and he says it's a dream come true. Butler says Wahlberg is his top choice to direct the flick ... even with HUGE names like Peter Berg and Spike Lee being interested in joining the project.
He's already producing and acting in the movie -- but now Mark Wahlberg is making a play to DIRECT his upcoming movie about the life of NBA star Caron Butler. We broke the story ... Wahlberg has been targeting huge names like Spike Lee, Peter Berg and Barry Jenkins to direct the flick about Butler's journey from dealing drugs to becoming an NBA all-star.
“Thibs, I’m so happy to be with you again,” Butler started. “I’m training. I’m excited. I’m ready to show the world. I’m ready to motherf------ go!” Thibodeau let him rant. “O.K., Jimmy,” he said. “We’ll talk. Enjoy your time in Paris.” Butler looked dumbfounded at the phone, as if an impersonator were on the other line. Enjoy your time in Paris. “Hmm,” Butler thought. “That’s weird.” The next day he ate dinner at Chez l’Ami Louis, a 93-year-old bistro with a dozen tables that was recommended by Mark Wahlberg. Over escargot he broke up laughing at the ludicrousness of his working life, which started back at Denny’s in Tomball, where he quit on his first day after accidentally dousing a table of customers with a tray of drinks.
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