…Again. After spending eight seasons in LA, King James is taking his talents… somewhere else. Channing Frye says it better not be Golden State. Sauce Gardner says please let it be the Pacers. Experts believe it could be The Land. Regardless, Bronny got his bag. 

Singer/songwriters J Balvin and Ryan Castro chat about the World Cup, the Colombian national team, and their first celebrity DMs in the newest episode of “Close Friends Only.” ¡Vamos! ¡Escucha!

My new friend and fellow hater Jay Caspian Kang (for The New Yorker) found beauty in pointless pursuits thanks to his kids and their World Cup stickers. 

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are getting married in a castle. Inside of Madison Square Garden. Maybe inside of something even larger? Is this a Russian nesting dolls situation? I’ll believe anything at this point. TMZ is usually right, though. Chilling, nonetheless.

Everyone (including Wayne Rooney) wants USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino’s lucky Hugo Boss shirt, but they can’t HAVE IT. Mostly because it’s now widely believed to be so lucky (how lucky is it?) that it’s sold out. A little PR birdy told me it’s coming back next week though. Set your notifs. 

When someone offers you the opportunity to chat with one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, you say how high (i.e. book a flight from Cannes—via NYC—to Dallas and start planning your interview immediately). That’s basically what I did. Azzi Fudd is only in her first year in the league, but she’s by far and away one of the W’s most valuable brands and impactful players. They call her the “People’s Princess” for a reason . Her fans would die for her. 

I witnessed their devotion firsthand, at the DICK’s House of Sport opening in Arlington, where 200 lucky fans lined up hours early to get one (1) photograph with her. For those of us who fall into the “Unc” category, it’s nice to know the younger generations are looking up to Azzi for the right reasons, too. Mia, a fan from Forney, Texas, showed up at 4:30 a.m. to get her wristband. Mia told me she admires how much Azzi gives back to others. 

I saw that firsthand, too. She was there as a DICK’s athlete and partner, yes, but she was also there to put on a camp for AB Elite, a youth basketball program local to Dallas, and to take hundreds of photos with rabid (positive, mostly) fans. And she was gracious with her time when it came to our interview, too. For example, the last line of the interview nearly killed me (positive, entirely). Read on below. 

Ashtyn Butuso: I wasn't planning on asking this, but seeing that you're going to be taking pictures with 200 people here… Do you ever have intrusive thoughts on the 150th photo? Are you like, “Can I just make a funny face?” “Smash the camera out of your hands?”

Azzi Fudd: Not with people I have like five seconds interacting with, but with the camp that we just had, after a few minutes warming up with the girls, chatting with them, then it was like smack the ball out of their hand, knock her hat off.

AB: Did you actually do that? 

AF: [Laughs] Yeah, fully. 

AB: [Laughs] I think that’s just bullying. 

AF: Older sister. I can't help it.

AB: Ok, I am always pushing the propaganda to keep girls in sports. And I know you're obviously pushing that as well. How do days like today, with what we're doing at DICK’s House of Sport, keep girls in sports?

AF: I think it's so important. To have those girls here, to be a part of it, to show my face, to have my parents help run it… It was stuff that I grew up doing. Same drills in the heat, wind going, sun in your eyes. That's part of being in the sport, getting sweaty, getting dirty, doing that with your best friends. And I think sport is so much but bigger than, “can you make it pro?” You can be great in high school, you can be great in college, and you can use it to get an education. There's so many reasons to play sports. I'm fortunate, this was my dream, so to be a part of that, of girls’ journeys of all levels is super important to me.

AB: Which pro player camps did you go to growing up? 

AF: I went to Kelsey Plum’s camp. In college I went to Stephen Curry's camp. And then when I was growing up, BlueStar30 camp. I got to meet girls my age all over the country. And building those relationships was huge for me. And I still keep in touch with some of the girls I met at those camps. 

AB: I love asking people what they think the Song of the Summer is going to be. Do you have a pick?

AF: I feel like I'm so out of touch with what's trendy here. 

AB: Are you Ella Langley-ing? People do that in Texas, I think. 

AF: Wait, is that a line dance song? What is one that she sings? 

AB: [Laughs] She's like…something…Texas. 

AF: Yeah, yeah. No, but I have got in my country bag, low-key. 

AB: Who are you listening to?

AF: [Laughs] Ok, well I’m not that deep in my bag that I remember their names. I do have a playlist from a couple friends. I need to go back to Billy Bob's and embrace the Texan culture [pantomimes a line dance]. 

AB: I know you’re a reader. What are you reading this summer? 

AF: Everything. Whatever. You put it in front of me, I'm going to read it. 

AB: This? [Points to step and repeat behind us]

AF: [Laughs] Yes. DICK’s House of Sport. We started a book club on the team. But if you have any recommendations, let me know. 

AB: I'm reading something, but I don't know that I want to recommend it. I won’t out them. What would you say you nerd on, that isn’t basketball?

AF: [Laughs] I do love reading! I love talking about books. I love talking about food. I always say I want to cook more. And then the season rolls around, and I was like, oh, I'm done with school. I'm going to cook more. And then I realize I play every other day, so then I'm too tired to cook. I do love eating, so I'm always open to food spots. 

AB: I don’t have anything here but if you’re ever in New York…

AF: I’ll be there in a few days! Have you been to Culture, in New York? Oh my god…I love frozen yogurt. 

AB: Ok, so this is a thing you nerd out on for sure. You know, it's been a few months since you've been here. Or maybe three. I don't really understand time.

AF: No, I don't know either. 

AB: If you were to really take a minute and reflect, where would you say that the most growth has occurred within you? 

AF: I would say, independence wise, there's a lot more alone time, a lot more quiet time. And so being comfortable, being in my own space, being by myself. I'm super fortunate that I have family and friends coming to visit all the time, but even then, I was with my teammates, 24/7 in college.

So having the time by myself, learning who I am, what I like to do, the reading, the journaling, the spending my time with God, whatever it is. I feel like that's been really big, really cool. 

AB: Okay, last question is a weird one. What's your biggest fear? Is it spiders? Is it loneliness? You know, what's the vibe? 

AF: That's low-key a really deep question. Hold, please. Let me find words.

[A good minute later, because she is very thoughtful]

Okay. I'm just gonna word vomit. I would say being so focused on outside things, and things that I don't have, that I'm not present and living in the moment and seeing how blessed and fortunate I am. But the things that I do have, like this experience, sometimes I'm like, we'll have a game tomorrow. Like, I'm so excited for that. And looking towards that [but] how lucky am I to have this time with you, you know?

OffBall has been hitting the World Cup pretty hard. The staff counts U.S.-Paraguay, Brazil-Morocco, France-Senegal, and U.S.-Turkey as among the games it has attended, with countless watch parties to fill the space in between. The most recent of those watch parties was for Sunday’s inaugural knockout stage match between Canada and South Africa. Hosted by former Chelsea FC great Gary Cahill, in partnership with the digital concierge service Velocity Black, the event had the feel of a luxury suite transported to a private Hollywood Hills estate. Cahill, himself a card-carrying member of two England World Cup teams, was kind enough to answer a few questions about the tournament and the Velocity Black Residence.  

OffBall: Five most memorable moments of the group stage — Go!

Gary Cahill: 1. England's breakout start against Croatia, a real inspiration even for neutral fans (ED NOTE: which Gary freely acknowledges he is not).

2. France's slow start [against Senegal] followed by Mbappé and the team exploding into life in the second half.

3. The dramatic opening match of the tournament (Mexico vs. South Africa).

4. The scale of this World Cup, the first with 48 teams, bringing together more nations and cultures than ever.

5. Messi still performing like a magician at his age. It’s a privilege to watch, especially knowing it won't last forever.

OB: Who will win the World Cup?

GC: Setting England aside (ED NOTE: of course!), France look really strong, and Argentina — the [defending title] holders — look very good too.

OB: Any dark horses to watch?

GC: I said Norway before the tournament because of Haaland and Ødegaard, but USA is one to watch too. There's usually one nation that surprises everyone and goes further than expected.

OB: Tell us about the origin of your relationship with Velocity Black and its Residence program.

GC:  It's a new partnership, a new relationship with Chelsea. We've been here since yesterday — it's such a good, personable event, getting to talk with people before and after the games in this kind of [curated] atmosphere. This is personal to me — people can come, talk football, discuss whatever they like, and hopefully leave with good memories of the venue, the vibe. And of me.

Q: Last question: Football or soccer?

GC:  It's always football for me — though I know I've got to adjust a bit being over here.