Rumors

Pablo Torre Finds Out: NEW INVESTIGATION: Former LSU star and Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney is the unnamed "Co-Conspirator 1" in the NBA gambling scandal, according to law-enforcement officials — and he's still playing. "This... is the real original sin — but he is continuing to exist under the radar."

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Though women’s sports still don’t dominate the landscape, the growing number of fans has translated into an insatiable appetite for access to players and merchandise. For some athletes, that means a signature sneaker. Angel Reese initially signed with legacy sneaker brand Reebok in 2023 through an NIL deal while at LSU. Reebok’s roster of executives includes signature athletes and Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal (president of basketball) and Allen Iverson (vice president). O’Neal’s close ties to Reese as a fellow LSU alum made him influential in bringing her on. “Angel Reese represents everything this new era of Reebok basketball is about — power, confidence, and impact on and off the court,” O’Neal said in an email through representatives to The Athletic. “She’s a competitor, a leader, and she’s unapologetically herself. When Allen and I signed on back in the day, we helped make Reebok a statement brand. … Angel has that same star power. She’s the face of what’s next.”

New York Times

That's why Wake Forest recently hired longtime Chicago Bulls staffer Steve Weinman to serve as the Demon Deacons' general manager, leading to a new analytics apparatus for head coach Steve Forbes. It's why Cincinnati pursued Corey Evans from the Oklahoma City Thunder's vaunted scouting department. Pat Garrity, who worked in the Pistons' front office after his retirement as an NBA player, is now the general manager back at Notre Dame. Ronald Dupree, another former NBA player, returned to LSU as the Tigers' general manager after most recently serving as the Milwaukee Bucks' director of global scouting.

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A $180,000 Range Rover customized for NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was stolen in Georgia earlier this month, and law enforcement is still on the hunt for it. The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office in northeast Georgia said investigators believe the SUV was taken from a local fabrication business and brought to the metro Atlanta area last week. The car was supposed to be transported to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the basketball star to use while he was in town for a Louisiana State University game, but it never arrived, CBS News Atlanta reported.

ESPN

UConn's 82-59 win over South Carolina on Sunday averaged 8.5 million viewers across ESPN and ABC. The number represents a 55% decrease from last year's Iowa-South Carolina matchup and a 14% decrease from the LSU-Iowa game from two years ago. It did represent a 75% increase in viewership from 2022, the last time Caitlin Clark didn't appear in the final.

RealGM

Shams Charania: Bucks executive and former six-year NBA forward Ronald Dupree is returning to alma mater LSU as the general manager of the men's basketball program, sources tell ESPN. Dupree spent eight years with Bucks front office, and now becomes among few ex-standout players as school GM.

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It’s a new day for St. Bonaventure with former ESPN and Yahoo Sports reporter Adrian Wojnarowski at the helm of its men’s basketball program. WWE created customized championship belts for the school, adding the Catholic university to a growing roster of colleges with “Legacy Belts.” The TKO brand has also created belts for Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Florida, LSU and Penn State, among others. Along with the belts, the partnership with WWE includes NIL opportunities for the men’s basketball players. “Our fans will love the Bonnies-inspired championship title belts, and our student-athletes will be the beneficiaries of the opportunities that come from our alignment with WWE,” Wojnarowski, the basketball program’s general manager, said in a statement.

Sportico

In light of Caitlin Clark making headlines for becoming the first person to ever be dressed by Prada for the WNBA Draft on Monday night, the retired NBA legend reflected on the attire he sported at the 1992 NBA Draft. "I just went to a suit store and got a suit on consignment," O'Neal tells PEOPLE exclusively of the garment he wore when he was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick that year. "The suit was $1,500." The then-LSU player — who's gone on to play for six NBA teams over his 19-year career —admits, "I didn't have $1,500 at the time." However, the gentleman behind the counter cut the then-rising athlete a deal.

People

Elsewhere in O'Neal's interview with PEOPLE, he opened up about his close bond with fellow LSU alumna Angel Reese, who was recently selected by the Chicago Sky as the seventh pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. "I am described as Angel's understandable ear," O'Neal tells PEOPLE exclusively of Reese. "I know things that she went through, I know what she's going through, I know what's about to happen to her and I could give her advice." "She's the same age as my children, so I only want the best for her," the retired NBA star and father of six tells PEOPLE. "And when you have daughters, you know how to use that calm voice," he adds.

People

LSU guard Jalen Cook will enter the 2024 NBA draft, the Tigers guard confirmed on Monday.

247Sports

Amare Stoudemire: The number #32 was inspired by my brother (Rest in Peace) Hazell Stoudamire Jr., you feel me? And then Shaq also played for number #32 in Orlando so that was also another great moment for myself. So, it's a little bit of both. On what he remembers about Shaq growing up in the Orlando days when he was growing up in Lake Wales... Amare Stoudemire: So Shaq came out of LSU ripping down backboards dominating, right? My brother was locked up doing an 8-year bid upstate New York so his energy and his persona -- the way he played the game, the way his personality was reminded me of my brother, right? So, that energy that I took from him correlated with me. So that number #32 jersey and they both played that same number, that made me want to take that #32 jersey to the next level.

YouTube

For a brief moment, Morant flashed what seemed like a finger gun as he celebrated the play. He closed his fist a split-second later. It’s not exactly a great look for a player just coming off a gun-related 25-game suspension. Some fans on social media claimed that Morant’s dance was an homage to the celebrations used by LSU football players in Baton Rouge. Morant even reposted one fan’s clip showing off LSU players hitting similar moves as Morant.

Larry Brown Sports

Me’Arah O’Neal, the youngest daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, on Sunday signed a National letter of Intent to play college basketball for the Gators. She chose Florida over defending national champion LSU (her father’s alma mater), among other schools.

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Marc J. Spears: The Thunder has signed forward KJ Williams. During the 2022-23 season at LSU, he averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. @LSUBasketball

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