Ichiro Is One Of A Kind

…And it paid off, to the tune of 2 million new signups.  Thanks to Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, and people’s desperation to tune out their families on Christmas by watching NFL football, Netflix amassed a boatload (scientific term) of new customers.

America’s best defender is saying peace out to San Diego Wave FC—to get a huge bag. Naomi Girma is headed to Chelsea for a record payout, and now the club might be unstoppable. We’ll see you in international play, queen. 

Caitlin Clark, you have got to stop being so perfect (please don’t). Yesterday, on 1/22 her foundation announced the donation of 22,000 books to under-resourced schools in Iowa and Indiana. Clever, generous, local, charitable. It’s everything. 

The NFL only has eyes for X and TikTok. They’re still not on Bluesky (even though other leagues have joined recently), because they’re honoring an exclusivity deal with its competitors.

Almost five years ago, basketball lost two greats. Vanessa Bryant announced the release of Mamba & Mambacita Forever yesterday, a book that features all of the prominent art and murals created in their memory, from around the world. Preorder it here. 

primevideosport

View more on Instagram

When a player is inducted into the Hall of Fame, naturally, they’re honored (on social media, in sports publications, and at ceremonies) with reflections and thoughts made by former teammates, coaches, and fans. But none have ever been quite as special as the stories from Ichiro’s colleagues, probably because there is nobody like Ichiro. 

It’s hard to explain just what Ichiro Suzuki has meant to so many in baseball, but his accolades sort of speak for themselves. He’s the first Japanese Hall-of-Famer in baseball; Michael Jordan even gave him a special shoe. Apparently these stories weren’t enough to get him unanimous HOF honors, something many people are not happy about.

@mlb

Two baseball icons 💪 #baseball #mlb #ichiro #kengriffeyjr #japan

But the Ichiro lore runs deep. Did you know Ichiro would sit in the same chair on home game days and eat the same wings off of the same plate? Did you know that he’d eat two plain corndogs on away game days? 

Have you heard this story? Spoiler: the punchline is: “Mike Sweeney, nice ass.” Or the one that Raul Ibanez recounted, where Ichiro, about to possibly be fined for his flamboyant outfits, flipped the issue back on its head and told the Mariners roster he was going to be fining them for the s— they wear. Do yourself a favor and read the full stories. They’re a must. 

Arigato, Ichiro, you’re a legend. 

The Pacers and Spurs will face off this afternoon in Paris (and again on Saturday), and unsurprisingly, this week has been all about Wemby. From filming an Oscar-worthy promo for Nike, opening two new courts in his hometown, sitting courtside—no, front row—at a Louis Vuitton show, and helping his teammates with their French (it’s not working), the man is booked and busy. 

nikeparis

View more on Instagram

But the rest of the ballers are making their way around town, too. The Spurs have had a pop-up shop, and launched a specialty marshmallow bear with Cyril Lignac (dream collab), and visited the PSG store. Obi is busy being unimpressed with historic landmarks but also getting a fiancée. Pascal is proving Wemby isn’t the only bi-lingual baller. 

Obviously, we’ll be seated for the game, too, but the content coming out of Paris alone has satiated our good vibes quota. 

Allez les Pacers, allez les Spurs.