OKC Got That Thunder

…And committed to Miami, joining his girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, who plays basketball at the U. 

Kristin Cavallari possibly wants us to think she’s dating Tom Brady. We know who it really is, though. Paul Pierce, blink twice if it’s you. 

Breanna Stewart has won it all and done it all. So, yeah, I guess that’s that. Unless she also decides to win Unrivaled, of course. 

Pittsburgh joins the women’s sports club. Title 9, a bar dedicated to watching women’s sports, is opening up in mid-February. Need to queen out here with Jeff Goldblum and whoever else is from Pittsburgh.

Our ears perked up at this Terence Crawford tweet, in which he seems to be alluding to a major fight against Canelo Alvarez. We’ll keep you posted, because you are busy with a job and a life, and this is ours. 

@mariahcrose

NFL playoffs = The Bachelor 🌹✨ #nflfootball #nflplayoffs #explained #forthegirls #thebachelor

Let us count the ways. This team, which calls a “flyover” state home, is proving small markets can pack a huge punch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also known as Shai Gorgeous-Alexander, just reached 10,000 career points, and he does this all while looking like this and being the most stylish, nonchalant player in the NBA. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about this team is that it’s hashtag built not bought—Sam Presti put in werk to build this team from the ground up. 

These Thunder cats are always having fun together. Whether it’s barking loudly during post-game interviews, leading campaigns for each other to be All-Stars, or breaking down Shaispere-level captions on IG (sidenote: Shai could do iambic pentameter but William Shakespeare could never break Josh Hart’s ankles). 

The Thunder are doing just as much good in their communities, too. They’re buying groceries for low-income families. They’re empowering kids in STEM. They’re putting those adorable little standing libraries up around town. You know, the ones you walk by and, when you see them, think, “oh wow, I have that stack of books I need to bring and put in here.” They have this Instagram account dedicated to creating entertainment, sports, and tech opportunities for young Black students. They have an entire Instagram account dedicated to their giving. 

The OKC Thunder have something special. Let’s all sit back and enjoy their reign. 

The “NIL” days as we know them are over. But honestly, did we even “know them”? It felt like college athletics these last couple of years have been a wild, wild ride.

Regardless, the NCAA is entering a new era—one where universities can pay players from their own pocketbooks. The catch is they will be limited by a salary cap—meaning, in this new era, Bryce Underwood won’t get NYC penthouse-level money to flip to Michigan, and Carson Beck won’t make almost $4M to withdraw his name from the draft and head to Miami. 

The change begins August 1 and will ensure that schools like the two playing in the national championship next week—Notre Dame and Ohio State—can’t spend megabucks building their football rosters. 

@sportsbusinessjournal

Big changes are coming to college sports 🚨 Starting July 1, schools may pay athletes directly up to $20M/year, reducing NIL money flowing ... See more

Instead, they’ll have that much to work with for all athletic programs. Any deals made outside of that budget will have to exist between third parties and the student-athletes themselves. So, General Booty can still get his synergetic deals from Cottonelle or whoever (has this happened yet, by the way, or do we have to do everything?). So, it’s great news for athletes like Livvy Dunne and Juju Watkins, who will continue getting their big brand deals.

But more question marks arise for players who are good but not superstars, and for sports that aren’t football or basketball. But one thing is for sure, creativity in terms of how schools can generate additional cash flow will be at an all-time high. Bake sales and car washes probably won’t do the trick.