Coming off a great week of sports, one of our favorite moments was when Commissioner Adam Silver drafted Isaiah Austin on behalf of the NBA. Read more about the back-story in our stories section, but for now, watch a beautiful moment that transcends play…
QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK
World Cup
If you thought group play was interesting (which it was!) then boy oh boy has the single-elimination tourney play been a sight to be seen for the 16 remaining teams. Saturday kicked off an insanely great match between Brazil and Chile that went past extra time into penalty kicks. Although there was a little bit of a goal controversy earlier in the game, Brazil would still go onto win 3-2 in the penalty kicks and moved on to the next round. The next match was just as entertaining as Colombia defeated Uruguay 2-0. Uruguay was playing without Luis Suarez, who was suspended for the biting incident. Anyways, it’s onto to the next match for these two, as Columbia and Brazil will play in the next round of the tournament. A big question leading up to the next round will be the health of Brazil’s star player, Neymar.
Talk about Sunday Funday as the World Cup soccer continued with two great matches. First up, we had the Netherlands versus Mexico, a game that featured an insane comeback by the Dutch who would go onto score two late goals in the game and a win 2-1 over Team Mexico. Later in the afternoon, Costa Rica played with 10 men and defeated Greece in penalty kicks after the great performance of goalkeeper Keylor Navas. They would win 5-3 in the PK round, and will go on to play the Dutch in the next round of the single-elimination play.
Everyone seems to have Team USA fever, and for good reason — this team has been awesome to watch! What’s next for the Americans? A big game on Tuesday against a very talented Team Belgium. Can the United States get the win? The Belgians are tough but anything is possible when you believe… we hope! The game kicks off Tuesday at 4pm, so get your red, white and blue ready!
There are so many other good matches to check out this week… the World Cup really is the best. Here is your World Cup bracket for single-elimination tournament play. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Basketball
What do you watch when you love basketball, but basketball season is over? The NBA Draft, of course! In case you missed it, here’s what happened in a nutshell: Andrew Wiggins went #1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Jabari Parker was selected #2 to the Milwaukee Bucks. There was a toss-up between which one of these guys would go first, but both are great and are win-win guys. After these two picks is when things started to get interesting as the injured Joel Embiid went #3 to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was unclear how far he might fall given the injury, but we were glad to see him get picked close to the top. You can see the rest of the picks here. This draft featured one of the most hyped class of prospects in quite awhile… only time will tell what the future holds for each of these young stars.
So what do we do now that the NBA Draft is over? Pay attention to free agency (until summer league starts)! What’s new here? Let’s see, after a meeting last week, the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem have all opted out of their contracts. Does this mean they might leave, too? Not necessarily, it could mean that the Miami Heat might be able to restructure their contracts with LeBron James, Wade, Bosh and Haslem with the hopes that they could also add more talent to their squad. Speaking of LeBron, he’s been awfully quiet this week but it’s still quite possible he could pursue his free agency with each of the other teams seeking his talents. Other than that, Carmelo Anthony will begin exploring his free agency prospects, and talks about where Kevin Love will end up still loom large. See, this is still fun!
Lastly, it appears Jason Kidd might be leaving the Brooklyn Nets. After one season with the Nets, it appears that a failed request for more power might lead Kidd out the door to another team… in Milwaukee (as in the Bucks). Possibly in the form of a trade. Needless to say, this one is about to get rather interesting!
Other
The O’Bannon Trial is still going on in Judge Claudia Wilken’s courtroom. This important case could transform the NCAA and college athletics as we know it, and while after three weeks it wraps up Friday, a decision will not come until August.
In all things awesome, Brittney Griner set an WNBA record! That’s right, the Phoenix Mercury star recorded a record 11 blocks in a win over the Tulsa Shock. Oh yeah, and she had 21 points in the big victory, too. Boom!
Wimbledon continues this week as many of the favorites still remain in the hunt!
JUST FOR FUN
STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE
JoJo’s Journey
From Cameroon to the 3rd pick in the NBA Draft
The story of Joel Embiid’s rise as a basketball player in only a few years time
Heartbreak Warfare
How the Netherlands managed a win over Mexico
While watching the World Cup, emotions may run rampant — but this game took the cake
Life Changing News
As Adam Silver announced the first round of the NBA Draft, he paused…
…To honor Isaiah Austin of Baylor, a previously projected first-round pick who was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome last week
Getting to Know You
How well do you know DaMarcus Beasley?
How DaMarcus Beasley invented and re-invented himself to secure a place in American Soccer history
The Afterglow
Jabari’s special moment
Here’s what really happens right after you get selected in the NBA Draft
The SportsQuip 