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Watch: Pacers fan trolls Giannis Antetokounmpo with 'free-throw clock'
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is, for lack of a better word, extremely deliberate when he steps to the free-throw line. He is so deliberate, and so slow, that opposing fans have taken to counting off the seconds as he lines himself up for his shots. Especially in the playoffs.
One Indiana Pacers fan on Tuesday night decided to take that to a different level by stepping right up to the front row and displaying a handmade clock that counted the seconds.
Pacers fan brought out a Giannis FT clock while he was at the line ⏰ pic.twitter.com/y5ySYsQWTh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 22, 2025
Fans always try to distract players when they go to the line, and there have been a lot of different methods for it. Some arenas give their fans balloons to waive back and forth. Other fans make signs. The Los Angeles Clippers built "the wall" at their new arena.
This fan gets some extra points for creativity.
The Pacers ended up winning the game, 123-115, to take a 2-0 series lead.
Giannis, by the way, went just 6-of-10 from the line (though he did also finish with 34 points).
More must-reads:
- Watch: Bucks-Pacers Game 2 gets heated after hard foul to Pascal Siakam
- Pacers-Bucks being on NBA TV is a prime example of NBA marketing issues
- The 'Most NBA points by non-American born players' quiz
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NBA champion guard retires after career filled with memorable moments
Marco Belinelli wasn't ever the most famous or accomplished NBA player. But in his 13 NBA seasons, the recently retired guard was part of a number of big NBA moments. Belinelli announced his retirement from professional basketball Monday after a career that spanned 13 NBA seasons, sandwiched between five seasons in Italy before and after his time in the league. He won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, won three league titles in Serie A and four Italian Supercups and was league MVP in 2024 at age 38. The Italian guard made a huge splash in his first Summer League game after the Golden State Warriors drafted him with the No. 18 pick in 2007, scoring 37 points, the second-highest single-game total at the time. The sharpshooting guard didn't truly emerge as a big-game player until 2013, when he joined the Chicago Bulls. With Derrick Rose out for the season, Belinelli stepped up with a huge performance in Game 7 of the first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 24 points and nine of the Bulls' last 11 points. Not only did he get the Bulls to the second round of the playoffs, where they'd lose to the eventual champion Miami Heat, but the loss inspired the Nets to make a hugely significant trade. They mortgaged the future to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics, a deal that gave Boston the picks that became Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the core members of their 2024 title team. Belinelli moved on to the San Antonio Spurs, and he proceeded to show off his outside shooting by winning the Three-Point Contest. In the 2014 playoffs, Belinelli shot 42.1% from three-point range, helping the Spurs to a title and getting his revenge on the Heat. Once again, Belinelli's efforts helped blow up a playoff rival — LeBron James left the Heat to return to Cleveland after the season. While Belinelli had an amazing shooting run the next year, going 14-for-30 from deep in the first round, the Spurs lost to the Clippers, even after Belinelli hit seven threes in Game 6. After bouncing around the NBA for a few years, Belinelli made it back to the playoffs with the 2017-18 Philadelphia 76ers, where he hit a huge clutch shot against the Celtics to tie Game 3 at the buzzer. Unfortunately, the 76ers arena staff thought he'd won the game with a three-pointer, and they blasted celebratory confetti. The Sixers would lose in OT after Al Horford stole the ball from Ben Simmons. For a player who was never a star, Belinelli certainly has a collection of star-studded highlights. He'll be remembered for a long time — especially in San Antonio.
Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Aaron Judge seemed annoyed with Aaron Boone over troubling health update
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered a concerning update on Tuesday about Aaron Judge's recovery from an elbow injury, and the slugger did not seem thrilled about that. Judge returned to the Yankees' lineup on Aug. 5 following a 10-day stint on the injured list. The two-time American League MVP had a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, and he has been slotted in as New York's designated hitter since he returned. In an interview with WFAN on Tuesday morning, Boone said he does not believe that Judge will get back to "throwing like he normally does" at any point for the remainder of the season. Judge was caught off guard by his manager's remarks. Before Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Judge told reporters that he is unsure of why Boone provided the pessimistic update. "I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw the past two weeks," Judge said. "I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that.” Boone later admitted that he may have misspoken during the WFAN interview. Many were surprised by the apparent disconnect between Judge and Boone. It is possible that what Boone said in the initial interview was accurate, and Judge did not want that information to be made public. The alternative is that Boone is not completely up to speed on his best player's recovery from an injury, which would be a bad look for the manager. Judge is batting .333 with 39 home runs and 91 RBI this season. His bat is far more important to the Yankees than his glove, but he has struggled at the plate a bit since returning. Judge is batting just .229 with a .429 slugging percentage in 11 games since he came off the injured list.
Packers' blockbuster trade pitch adds Micah Parsons for huge price
Speculation linking Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers continues to gain momentum as the star’s holdout amid stalled contract negotiations seems as far apart as ever. Parsons, two weeks ago, publicly requested a trade and continues to hold-in during Cowboys training camp, while there is a belief that Green Bay is attempting to pull off a blockbuster trade. Potential Packers-Micah Parsons Blockbuster Trade Package Parsons, 26, has posted 52.5 sacks through his first four seasons and is one of the most dominant players at his position. He is the kind of difference-maker who could cement Green Bay as a legitimate Super Bowl contender for years to come. But prying Parsons away from the Cowboys wouldn’t come cheap. "You’d want to hope to trade no more than three good young players for one elite player," an NFL executive and former general manager said to me recently of what a Parsons trade package might look like. Given that strategy, it isn’t difficult to envision Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst offering a package of players and picks that looks something like: Packers Trade: 2026 first-round NFL Draft choice, 2027 first-round draft choice, WR Romeo Doubs, EDGE Lukas Van Ness Cowboys Trade: Micah Parsons Trading two first-round picks is likely the starting point for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys in any Parsons negotiations. For the Packers, trading Van Ness would be offering a change of scenery for a former first-round draft choice who has yet to live up to expectations, and upgrading the position with a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber player. Meanwhile, shipping Doubs to Dallas clears a logjam at wide receiver, while helping the Cowboys round out a balanced receiving corps that would include CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Doubs as perhaps the most prolific collection of talent Dak Prescott has had in his career. Whether Parsons’ trade request is anything more than posturing remains to be seen, but if the Cowboys open up trade talks, this package could be the kind of trade that nets Green Bay a difference-maker.
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