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Ott already holds one distinction. Having grown up in McConnellsburg, Penn., which sits a short drive from the Maryland border, no current NBA coach has come from a place so small. According to the 2020 census, McConnellsburg has a population of 1,150. The town features two stoplights and a McDonald’s. Visitors have to stay out of town because there’s no hotel. The nearest Walmart is 26 miles away. Kenny Welsh, the athletic director at McConnellsburg High School, has lived in the small town his whole life. He knows Ott’s parents — John, who once ran a store that sold tractor equipment, furniture and appliances; and Pam, a school librarian. On Wednesday, Welsh said the faculty was preparing for graduation, 75 seniors, one of the school’s bigger classes. The Ott news provided a jolt of excitement.
Jason Beede: Friday night, #Magic’s Paolo Banchero and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as well as Osceola players, joined Pepsi to surprise 100 kids from 3 local Boys & Girls Clubs with a shopping spree at Walmart. Each kid received a $300 gift card courtesy of Banchero, Caldwell-Pope, and Pepsi. #NBA
StockX rose in prominence as sneakers became a luxury commodity and the company provided an online home for consumers to buy and sell them, and made a big business out of it. Recently, it announced that it would also sell some of its sneakers with Walmart. “Basketball, and the NBA specifically, is just so synonymous with the StockX customer and products that are in our catalog,” Schwartz said. “Obviously, sneakers being a large part in this first product category, we started with.”
Rodriguez and Lore, an ecommerce entrepreneur who has sold companies to Amazon and Walmart, borrowed much of the roughly $280 million used to purchase their first piece of the team in 2022 from their banks, according to people familiar with the situation and documents reviewed by the Journal. To buy the next portion and manage their own finances in 2023, they borrowed again, this time leaning on Dhiren Jhaveri, the founder of a Chicago-based health insurance investment firm, according to some of those people. Jhaveri owns about 4% of the team. His stake hasn’t previously been reported.
Haslem, who played 20 NBA seasons with the Heat before retiring at the end of last season, hosted the annual shopping spree on Saturday. He invited 100 honor roll students from Miami-Dade and Broward County schools “who have excelled academically despite various sociodemographic factors” to a $200 shopping spree at Walmart followed by lunch and games at FunDimension. “I always want kids to know that there are people out there who care,” said Haslem, who is a Miami native and went to Miami High before spending his entire 20-year NBA career with his hometown Heat. “It’s so easy to feel like you’re overlooked and nobody cares about you. I think that’s the mentality that we always have growing up in the inner city that nobody cares and nobody understands. So just letting those kids know that they’re not alone, that there are people out there who do care and who came from similar circumstances and can be an example for you guys.”
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Other holiday-themed community events by Heat players have included: – Guard Tyler Herro partnering with the Voices for Children Foundation and gifting 10 children $1,000 gift cards for a shopping spree at Nike. – The Mourning Family Foundation of former Heat center current Heat executive Alonzo Mourning hosting 200 youths for lunch and a gift giveaway at Gulfstream Park. – Former Heat forward and current front-office member Udonis Haslem hosting a shopping spree at Walmart for 100 honor-roll students, each given a $200 gift card.
76ers owner Josh Harris, Magic Johnson finalize Washington Commanders deal
The NFL's Washington Commanders entered into a deal to be sold to a consortium led by private-equity financier and professional sports team owner Josh Harris, the sides announced Friday. The deal is valued at approximately $6 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named as the terms weren't made public. While the deal is still subject to NFL approval, it would top last year's $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos to Walmart heir Rob Walton.
The Josh Harris/Mitchell Rales group, which now includes Magic Johnson, officially submitted a fully financed bid for the Washington Commanders that meets Dan Snyder's $6 billion asking price, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. If accepted, the deal would break the previous record sale for a franchise, set last August, when a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton bought the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion.
In a sarcastic response, Judge McCormick shot back that attorneys inside Madison Square Garden’s venues might do “something as horrific as watch a play, a sporting event, order a hot dog, or use the bathrooms, these sorts of threatening acts.” The judge went on to liken Dolan’s ban to the hypothetical example of McDonald’s refusing to sell a Big Mac to an enemy of the burger franchise, according to a transcript of a Nov. 3 Zoom hearing reviewed by The Post. “I couldn’t think of a good analogy, but I thought about the tort plaintiff suing a McDonald’s or Walmart and getting a letter from those institutions saying: ‘If you attempt to buy a Big Mac, you know, we’re going to kick you out,’” Judge McCormick said during the Zoom hearing with attorneys. “It just seemed totally crazy.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, with Magic players Paolo Banchero, Caleb Houstan, Terrence Ross and Chuma Okeke along with Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw there to chaperone, 100 Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida children from three different branches were taken on a holiday shopping spree at a local Walmart. Each child received $100 Walmart gift cards courtesy of Pepsi Stronger Together prior to going shopping. “It’s fun for everybody,” Ross said. “When they (the kids) see the Magic guys show up, it’s always a good time. They are always having fun, asking a whole bunch of questions. Any time you can do that, it’s always fun.”
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LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant to earn combined $300 million in 2022-23 season
NBA stars can credit soaring playing salaries, as well as sponsorships, led by the sneaker companies that are typically rooted in the world’s biggest economy but also have a strong global reach. Endorsements represent 35% of the $969 million in expected earnings for the NBA’s top 15 this season. LeBron James scores the top spot with $119.5 million, including an estimated $75 million from sponsors, memorabilia, royalties and media. James’ lifetime agreement with Nike is his most lucrative deal and represents roughly 40% of his off-court earnings. Other major sponsors include AT&T, Beats, GMC and PepsiCo. He added Crypto.com as a partner in early 2022 but otherwise has cut back on his sponsor commitments; his agreements with Blaze, Rimowa and Walmart expired this year.
Wright insists that’s just what his eyes do when he’s in the zone while playing basketball. “Obviously, they don’t know basketball, but they were acting like … I was just a random guy at Walmart,” said Wright, who with the help of his brother, Brian, created highlight reels of his finer moments against James which he posted on his Twitter account @TheWrightHoops and Instagram page @hooper21. “I’m not saying I’m the best player in the world. But – you know – I’m far from sorry.”
Alex Rodriguez invests in mixed martial arts company
Alex Rodriguez is betting on the growth of mixed martial arts. The former MLB star is now a partial owner of the Professional Fighters League after he contributed to a $30 million funding round, the company said Thursday. Rodriguez joined media investment firm Waverley Capital in the raise and will have a seat on PFL’s board of directors. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. This marks the second recent pro sports investment for Rodriguez. He became a co-owner of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves in April 2021, joining former Walmart e-commerce executive Marc Lore to buy the franchise for a reported $1.5 billion. Through his A-Rod Corp. firm, he invests in UFC-branded gyms.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal made approximately 500 students at Wesley Lakes Elementary School in McDonough very happy on Monday morning. O'Neal and multiple community partners gave the students multiple gifts, including toys, jackets, socks, snacks, bicycles, $100 Walmart gift cards for all 5th grade students and more, during the annual event.
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