Lakers' Redick on scrutiny over lack of coaching experience: 'I don't give a ****'
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina writes JJ Redick doesn't care about critics who think he doesn't deserve to be the Lakers' coach.
Good morning and welcome to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. Please subscribe if you haven’t done so already. It’s free and will be delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. OK, let’s get to it!
1. Lakers' Redick on scrutiny over lack of coaching experience: 'I don't give a ****’
The Sporting Tribune's Mark Medina writes JJ Redick doesn't care about critics who think he doesn't deserve to be the Lakers' coach.
In between interviews in which he talked to the Lakers about their coaching vacancy, JJ Redick readily admitted he spent time watching and reading commentary on why he isn’t.
“I’ve certainly heard everything,” Redick said. “It’s been a really interesting six weeks or so just in terms of being part of the engagement farming industry.”
What did that engagement farming industry produce? Plenty.
That the Lakers hired Redick only because he appeared on the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron James. That the Lakers actually preferred hiring Connecticut coach Dan Hurley once they realized he didn’t secure a contract extension following two consecutive NCAA title runs. That Redick is jumping into an unstable organization after fielding three different head coaches in the past five years. That Redick will become overwhelmed partly because of his of NBA head-coaching experience.
2. Noah Lyles on LeBron James-led Olympic Dream Team: ‘They gotta win’
Noah Lyles spoke out on the expectations for the U.S. Olympics men's basketball team months after sparking a global debate, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jackson Thompson.
Noah Lyles has revealed his standard for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team in Paris.
With an Olympics roster led by LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, many have labeled this year’ U.S. team the second coming of “The Dream Team.”
But after Lyles sparked a worldwide debate over the validity of the NBA champions declaring themselves “world champions” last August, the American sprinter isn’t so quick to give the team that label yet.
“They gotta win, so we’ll see,” Lyles told The Sporting Tribune earlier this month at the USATF NYC Grand Prix .
Lyles’s original comments sparked the World-Champion debate in a press conference last August after sweeping the gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4×100-meter dash races at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Antwerp Belgium.
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” he said then. “World champion of what? The United States?
“Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. — at times — but that ain’t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA. We gotta do more. We gotta be presented to the world.”
3. Summer of Stoke: X Games return with Ventura event
With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games taking place in July, X Games Ventura offers fans stateside a chance to watch action sports royalty up close, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Michael Silver.
After last year’s successful return to California, the stage is set again as the action sports community takes over the Pacific Coast for X Games in Ventura.
More than 130 invited athletes will converge on Ventura’s beachside soil to battle in numerous Skateboarding, BMX and Moto X disciplines.
Contests will take place over the three-day weekend (June 28-30) with live concerts, food vendors and onsite activations keeping fans entertained under the summer sun.
4. ‘Fight Night’ in Las Vegas always has meant more than just boxing
The Sporting Tribune's W.G. Ramirez was at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a celebration of the venue's 100th card and recounts his memories of fight night in Las Vegas.
As I stood inside MGM’s Grand Garden Arena for a celebration of the venue’s 100th boxing card, I couldn’t help but think about Oct. 2, 1980, the first time I remember attending a major fight card in Las Vegas.
My grandfather had secured ringside seats for “The Last Hurrah!”
Muhammad Ali’s effort against Larry Holmes was a far cry from any hurrah, but it certainly brought tears to my eyes. Watching Ali get pummeled into retirement wasn’t what I expected at 11 years old.
Here I thought Holmes was a nice guy for signing my autograph book before he ever even won a championship belt — he signed it “the future champ, Larry Holmes” — and I just watched him bring an end to “The Greatest.”
I also didn’t know it would be one of many fight nights I’d enjoy in Las Vegas, including what was supposed to be Holmes’ swan song nearly 15 years later (April 8, 1995), when he was tattered by Oliver McCall for the WBC World Heavyweight belt.
5. San Diego Wave fires Casey Stoney mid-season
The San Diego Wave announced that it had parted ways with Casey Stoney, the only coach the team has ever known, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Michelle Chavez.
The San Diego Wave announced Monday that it had parted ways with Casey Stoney, the only coach the team has ever known.
Assistant coach Paul Buckle will serve as the interim coach as organization searches for a permanent replacement.
The news comes amid a seven-game winless streak that has plagued the team since early May.
“We are immensely grateful to Casey for her commitment to our club and the positive impact she has had both on and off the pitch.” Wave F.C. President Jill Ellis said Monday in a statement. “Over the past seasons, Casey has guided us to significant milestones, and her contributions have been instrumental in laying a strong foundation on which to build.
“The decision to part ways was very hard and not made in haste, but given the ambition of this club, and where we are in our season, we felt a change was necessary at this time.”
6. Mattmann named UCLA’s Chief Data & Artificial Officer
Chris Mattmann, who co-founded The Sporting Tribune with Arash Markazi in 2022, was the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at NASA JPL.
The Sporting Tribune’s Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Chris Mattmann, has been named UCLA’s Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer.
In this role Mattmann, who co-founded The Sporting Tribune with Arash Markazi in 2022, will collaborate with key stakeholders to develop the strategy and roadmap for data and artificial intelligence (AI) innovations. He will help establish practices to monitor the value of the portfolio of AI investments and coordinate with technology service owners to facilitate the adoption of emerging technologies, ensuring that ethical and responsible practices are followed. He will also play a crucial role in identifying and leveraging opportunities for advanced data, analytics, and AI across the campus community. By fostering both internal and external partnerships, he will enhance the organization’s pursuit of data and AI solutions, significantly advancing the university’s digital capabilities in support of UCLA’s mission.
Mattmann , who will continue with his role with The Sporting Tribune, joins UCLA from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he was the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer. He has an established track record of conducting award-winning innovative use of technology and data throughout his career. As a Principal Scientist at JPL, he created the next-generation data processing systems used in NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory and other earth science missions. Chris’ work has been funded by NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and private industry. He also contributed to open-source technology development and was a member of the Board of Directors at the Apache Software Foundation (2013-18).
7. Video of the Day
Make sure to subscribe to The Sporting Tribune YouTube page for all of our latest videos:
8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
6:38 p.m. – Athletics at Angels – $3
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
5:10 p.m. – Dodgers at White Sox – SportsNet LA
6:38 p.m. – Athletics at Angels – Bally Sports West
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
Thank you for reading. Please click below to subscribe to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. It’s free and will be delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!