Basketball Page 1116 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Butler's Bulldog Mascot Dies, Then Tweets From Heaven
We've been aware of Butler mascot Blue II's health problems for some time now, and last night the nine-year-old bulldog finally succumbed to congestive heart failure. As if the thought of an adorable dog dying wasn't enough to bum you out, Blue II "penned" a first person blog post shortly before hi...

Candace Parker Bloodies Teammate While Celebrating
Los Angeles's Candace Parker was so freaking excited over this completed layup Sunday night, she accidentally headbutted Nneka Ogwumike while going to celebrate. Blood everywhere....

Here Is Michael Jordan's First Career Basket At UNC
Eye On Basketball unearthed this little gem today from YouTube's wayback machine. It's footage of a game that matched preseason No. 1 North Carolina against unranked Kansas on Nov. 28, 1981. It was the season opener at the Charlotte Coliseum. And it featured the first two collegiate shot attempts by...

A Horrible Week For Bulldog Mascots Continues
On Wednesday it was announced that Georgetown mascot-in-training J.J. was being drummed out after biting a child. Now, sad news: Butler Blue II, the mascot emeritus for the Butler Bulldogs, has just weeks or months to live....
![Georgetown Is Mysteriously Getting Rid Of Its Bulldog Mascot [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/18vl581bzabeajpg.jpg)
Georgetown Is Mysteriously Getting Rid Of Its Bulldog Mascot [Update]
Jack the Bulldog retired this spring after 10 years of representing Georgetown as its mascot. Last year, the school brought in Jack Jr., or J.J.—a precious little Bulldog pup who would be the "mascot-in-training," and take over for the start of basketball season in the fall. But today it was announc...


Holy Shit: Brad Stevens Is The New Coach Of The Boston Celtics
Humming along, day before a national holiday, late afternoon, nothing to see here—wait, holy shit, Brad Stevens just took the head coach position with the Boston Celtics. The 36-year-old Stevens had been in charge at Butler for six years, with two NCAA finals appearances, four Horizon League champio...

9 Out Of 10 Schools On This ESPN Map Are In The Wrong Place
As of today, the American Athletic Conference is officially a thing. ESPN has welcomed the new conference with a (since deleted) map on its college hoops Facebook page. "Map" in the loosest sense of the term....

Only One CBS Viewer Complained To The FCC About Kevin Ware's Injury
Louisville's Kevin Ware's compound fracture of his right leg in the Elite Eight, bone jutting through the skin, may have been the most horrific sports injury ever shown on national TV. CBS aired the replay twice, spurring discussion about the appropriate way to handle gruesome moments. But in the en...

UCF Unveils Striking New Black-Stained Court
I hope someone sends these photos to FIU to show them that not every Florida novelty court has to be disgusting. ...

Here's How The WNBA's No. 2 All-Time Scorer Announces Her Retirement
Here's a snippet of a Twitter conversation that the New York Liberty's Katie Smith, who is the No. 2 all-time scorer in WNBA history, had with one of her followers last month:...

"He's A Greedy Fucking Pig": Listen To Eric Murdock Rant On Mike Rice
On June 29, 2012, his next-to-last day at Rutgers, Scarlet Knights assistant Eric Murdock stormed into the athletic department and unleashed a profane, frustrated, 11-minute rant against head coach Mike Rice. Rice remained in his office with the door shut....

WNBA Debuts Ref Cam, For A More Complete WNBA Viewing Experience
Finally, fans get what they've been clamoring for for years: a way to get closer to the WNBA action....

No One Notices The Spurs Because No One Notices San Antonio
Here's a working barstool-grade theory as to why, during its dynastic run to four (perhaps soon five) titles since 1999, America still embraces the San Antonio Spurs with a yawn and a why are you still here? squint. This phenomenon has flustered if not baffled sports cognoscenti for years. But they ...

The Independent Review Into PAC-12 Referee-Bribing Allegations Is In
And it makes no sense. The PAC-12 "engaged" the oddly-named firm Ice Miller, LLP to conduct an independent review into allegations that former head of officiating Ed Rush bribed game officials into T'ing up Sean Miller for disputing a call at the end of Arizona's semifinal loss to UCLA in this year'...

Brittney Griner Throws Down Two Dunks In Her WNBA Debut
Former Baylor superstar and all-around badass Brittney Griner made her WNBA debut for the Phoenix Mercury last night, and she made quite the impression. Griner, who became known for her ability to dunk while at Baylor, threw down two dunks in her first game as a pro and became the first WNBA player...

College Hoops Coach Who Made Players Run Until One Pooped Keeps Job
University of Wisconsin—Green Bay men's basketball coach Brian Wardle made news last month when it got out that he may have made his players run hills so much that one of his players, Ryan Bross, shat his pants, and that he may have then proceeded to heckle the poor pants-shitter all season long. ...

Which NBA Draft Prospects Are Fudging Their Height With Thick Shoes?
Every year at the NBA draft combine, each prospect gets his height measured with shoes on and off. The difference between the two measurements is usually negligible, but not all the time! On this week's excerpt from Slate's Hang up and Listen podcast, Mike Pesca figures out which of this year's pros...

Skylar Diggins Got A Mercedes From Jay-Z's Sports Agency
Last month, former Notre Dame and soon-to-be WNBA superstar Skylar Diggins became the third athlete to sign with Roc Nation Sports, Jay-Z's latest vanity project/sports agency. Yesterday, the people at Roc Nation celebrated Diggins's graduation from Notre Dame by doing exactly what you'd expect an a...