Sports
This lounge chair made of 1984 L.A. Olympics merch is a tribute to what’s coming
I’ve been working on these lounge chairs for almost the last decade. I’ve been recycling materials, upcycling materials, into this lounge chair silhouette. For this story, I collected 1984 Olympics clothing and artifacts and all kinds of different objects and souvenirs. I worked closely with Goodwill on helping me source some of the materials. I found some of the materials on EBay, had a couple things in my collection, and mixed them together in the creation that you see.
The uniforms that were made by Levi’s are really interesting, because I remember the L.A. Summer Olympics when I was 8 years old and seeing those uniforms. Being able to source a couple of those was a key element of the chair. A Levi’s bag that was almost like a suit bag is on the back of the chair — that was a great discovery, and the guy’s name was still on it. There were a couple of tote bags that I hadn’t seen before, a bunch of T-shirts, some sweatshirts. Then I bought some pins that I used as detailing on the chairs, and these press credentials for photography, which are on one side of the chair.
Goodwill and I have been building a pretty unique relationship over the last three or four years now. I’ve developed a great dialogue with their team where, depending on what project I’m working on, I can ask them to help me source a couple things. Sometimes I’ll go on ShopGoodwill just to look for inspiration or different vintage I’m trying to find. They helped find a couple of the key items in the chair, including that one Olympic experience shirt that had the autographs of the athletes, which I thought was pretty special. There are a few elements on the chair that I had asked them to find, like there’s a logo shirt that they helped me source that was the main graphic for the Olympics. They also surprised me with a surfing shirt that just says “California” that’s on the ottoman. I thought that was a nice nod to surfing being in the Olympics — I was blown away by the surfing competition in this last Olympics, in Teahupo’o, and how amazing it was. I’m not sure whether they’re going to do surfing here in Los Angeles, but I thought it was nice to throw that in there, because surfing wasn’t in the Olympics in 1984.
“I remember moving to Los Angeles from San Francisco in 1984. I was 8 years old … I remember the feeling of everybody coming together. It was a really incredible experience. That was my first time really collecting something. I became obsessed with the pins.”
— Darren Romanelli
I remember moving to Los Angeles from San Francisco in 1984. I was 8 years old. We drove down in the family Volvo, and Coca-Cola was the title sponsor of the Olympics. I just remember there was a lot of Coca-Cola iconography all throughout Los Angeles, and we were lucky enough to get to go to a bunch of the different competitions and events. I remember the feeling of everybody coming together. It was a really incredible experience. That was my first time really collecting something. I became obsessed with the pins. I had this big USA hat with a long brim, and I remember trying to cover it in the pins. All the souvenirs I got from that summer — I held on to them for forever. At least a few of the items made it onto the chair — this one white Adidas hat that’s on the top-left corner and a diving shirt.
Right around that age, I became obsessed with a few brands and started collecting; whether it was trading cards or shoes or certain clothing items, there was this curiosity and interest in organizing and collecting. I was obsessed with Jordan and Nike as a kid, and I remember thrifting on the weekends during my university years and coming back to L.A. with all this rare Nike gear. I was really into fashion and had this idea to rework vintage or take apart something old and make it new. I had this idea of being a doctor breathing new life into older clothes or things I would find at the bottom of a pile, resurrecting them. I had this concept of taking these older ghosts of a story and bringing them back to life. Originally, it started with reworking vintage Nike items into these jackets that I revisited over the course of the decade.
I kind of retired from doing jackets and segued into doing furniture, mainly chairs. But it’s still the same approach with reworking the vintage items, having a sustainable mind-set, because there’s a lot of waste out there. I’ve always thought about all the stuff that’s produced in the fashion industry, it’s kind of overwhelming. My practice as a whole is really focused on sustainable creations that are visually interesting, because you recognize this older garment, but the way it’s been reworked, it feels more current. I love the idea of mixing generations and mixing eras. I’m inspired by the process, because I get a lot out of it. It’s almost meditative for me, finding the materials and then living with them, reworking them.
I hit a point with my jackets where I had kind of peaked, and I wasn’t as interested in exploring them. Maybe it was a moment where I was more interested in sitting down, and I was interested in staging environments a bit more. I love living with art, and whether it’s my living room or my outdoor area, or whatever office space I’m working on, I’m always reconfiguring the layout, because the right environment creates the right atmosphere for conversation. I wanted to have the perfect chair that I could not only move around easily but something that was maybe more comfortable. The lounge silhouette is super comfortable, and over time it molds to you. I kind of perfected the filling over the years, and I don’t want to say it’s the perfect chair — because some people might say it’s too low or it’s too loud, or it ages — but I love sitting in them because the material, the history of the materials, feels not only comfortable to me but it’s this idea of being engaged with what I’m sitting in based off the mood I’m in. And I’ll move them around — they’re all over my home and my work environment.
The thread line of my work is the history of iconography. I love brands, and I love the idea of reworking the iconography in a way where it has a new meaning, or it could exist in a new light. This chair in particular, in anticipation of 2028, made a lot of sense for me. I grew up in L.A. I love my city, and to be able to create this tribute piece to that moment in anticipation of what’s coming was really meaningful.
—As told to Elisa Wouk Almino
Darren Romanelli, born 1976, who also goes by the monikers of Dr. Romanelli or DRx, has more than 20 years of experience in curation and creative direction. Inspired by his dedication to sustainability and upcycling, Romanelli’s numerous collaborations with Converse, Levis, Coca-Cola and Disney have straddled the design, music, art, food and fashion disciplines.
Sports
Conor McGregor’s long-awaited Octagon return cut short by apparent knee injury seconds into UFC 329
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Nearly five years after his last walk to the Octagon, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited UFC return Saturday night against fellow MMA star Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
McGregor opened aggressively, attempting a running kick before throwing a head kick moments later. He appeared to slip on both tries. Holloway quickly capitalized after the second, taking top position and landing a right hand before McGregor was able to work his way back to his feet.
Moments later, McGregor hit the canvas again after trying to throw a kick with his right leg, which appeared to buckle underneath him.
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Conor McGregor of Ireland participates in the walkout before facing Max Holloway of the United States in their welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The official inside the Octagon waved off the fight moments later, giving Holloway a TKO victory.
During the broadcast, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to a first-round replay that appeared to show the moment McGregor suffered the injury. The apparent injury was not to the same leg McGregor broke during his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier, which led to a lengthy absence from the Octagon.
The loss extended McGregor’s long winless drought, with his last UFC victory coming by first-round TKO against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in January 2020.
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McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar. In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off during the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 10, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own stardom after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.
“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, at that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands upon thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.
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“‘Sell this, Conor.’ OK, I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s it. I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is.”
Conor McGregor jumps into the air for a kick as he fights Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (John Locher/AP)
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Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has been embroiled in multiple controversies and legal issues over the past several years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS — The door opened for Arthur Kaluma to show his worth for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League on Saturday night.
He did so in a big way.
Kaluma had 34 points and five rebounds during the Lakers’ 91-70 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center.
He was 11 for 16 from the field and six for 10 from three-point range.
With Lakers rookie guard Cameron Carr unable to play because of a right thumb contusion, Kaluma took over the scoring role. Carr, the 24th pick in the NBA draft, is averaging 17 points per game.
“Cam doesn’t play tonight, so he gets a little bit more minutes, gets a couple more touches,” said Lakers Summer League coach Ty Abbott about Kaluma. “But he’s done a really good job of making the most of it when he doesn’t have actions run for him. So the way that he’s been able to stay ready, find windows for himself has kept him in a rhythm. So, on a night like tonight, when we can run some actions for him, he knocks them down and just plays out of his mind. It was great.”
Kaluma said he was “a little nervous” but his three-point shooting said otherwise.
“When [teammate] Jon Elmore came down and he pitched it back to me for a three … I just knew when it came off my hand it was cash,” Kaluma said. “So I said, ‘Yeah, I’m hot.’ It went on from there.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Kaluma lined up a three-pointer, setting his feet and scoring from 29 feet out. He flashed three fingers and smiled. His teammates on the bench stood and cheered, as did the fans.
“We have such a great group of guys this year at Summer League and going through this it’s hard to get that camaraderie with a group,” Kaluma said. “But I feel like everybody wants to see everybody succeed and I felt that tonight. I’m not going to lie to you. They tell me to shoot the ball. I passed up a couple of shots and they were mad at me the other day.”
Kaluma played for the South Bay Lakers in the G League last season. He averaged 14.6 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and shot 55% from the field, 37% from three-point range.
“The G can get grimey, you know what I’m saying? It’s a time where everybody is trying to fight for a position and there is a certain hunger that you have to have in order to be successful in the G,” Kaluma said. “And I feel like that drive that I had my first year in it pushed me into this summer to really get better and work on my game and come here and have the opportunity to perform.”
Kaluma wasn’t alone in helping the Lakers improve to 2-0 in Summer League play.
Adou Thiero ran the court, took a lob pass from Chris Mañon and threw down a two-handed dunk. He had another solid outing with 15 points and four rebounds. He shot just four for 12 from the field, but was a plus-15.
But the night belonged to Kaluma.
“I pride myself on the defensive end,” he said. “I know I got hot offensively, but the shot was just falling today, you know what I’m saying? My game is three-and-D. I lock-up on defense and I know I can hit open shots. I just got hot today and I’m not going to try to let it get to my head.”
Sports
Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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