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Agent says Bronny James staying in NBA draft: 'Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else'

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Agent says Bronny James staying in NBA draft: 'Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else'

Bronny James’ agent says the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer will remain in the 2024 NBA draft after playing one year of college basketball at USC.

“He’s staying in the draft,” Klutch Sports Chief Executive Rich Paul said in an interview with ESPN published early Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the 11:59 p.m. Eastern time NCAA deadline James had to make the decision.

The son of Lakers superstar LeBron James and a former McDonald’s All-American who starred at Chatsworth Sierra Canyon High, Bronny James suffered sudden cardiac arrest last summer before joining the Trojans on the court in December. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games with USC.

Last month, James declared for the NBA draft while also entering the NCAA transfer portal and maintaining his college eligibility.

“Bronny’s [draft] range is wide,” Paul told ESPN. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don’t care where that team is — it can be No. 1 or 58 — [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team’s strategy, the opportunity and the financial commitment. That’s why I’m not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that.”

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LeBron James said earlier in his career that his dream was to one day play with his oldest son in the NBA. James, who can opt out of his contract with the Lakers this summer, has since backed off that statement in favor of allowing his son to follow his own path.

According to The Times’ Dan Woike, the assumption within the Lakers organization and around the NBA is that James will opt out of his current deal and sign a new two- or three-year contract with the Lakers for maximum money.

“The Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else,” Paul told ESPN. “If they value him enough and he’s there, that’s great. If it’s not the Lakers, that’s great. I won’t be mad if it’s not. It’s obvious that people hear the conversation around the dad and son playing together, but that’s not our focus. If it happens organically, great. I’m not building on that.

“I’m not putting unrealistic expectations on Bronny. He’s far from a finished product. But he has a hell of [a] start. He’s positioned well. … I don’t see him not getting drafted, but if it got to a point where the situations didn’t make sense and we needed to go undrafted, that’s fine.”

The Lakers could take James in the first or second round of next month’s draft. The Lakers’ first-round pick at No. 17 depends on whether the New Orleans Pelicans defer it to 2025. The Lakers have the No. 55 pick in the second round.

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NFL reporter responds to fake death rumor in hilarious fashion: ‘Glitch in the matrix’

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NFL reporter responds to fake death rumor in hilarious fashion: ‘Glitch in the matrix’

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An internet rumor swirled last week that a longtime NFL reporter had died at the age of 40.

News of Jane Slater’s supposed death on social media, but she was quick to shut it down.

An X user posted a screenshot of a post on Facebook that showed Slater in black and white with the graphic “1980-2025” saying she had died at 40. Slater, 45, was born in 1980, but the years written in the post would mean she died at either age 44 or 45.

 

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NFL Network sideline reporter Jane Slater stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field on Dec. 26, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.  (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

“A veteran reporter who covered the Dallas Cowboys—having followed the team for over a decade—has passed away at the age of 40 after a tragic domestic violence incident, leaving behind a 5-year-old child. Her years of dedicated work, along with the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding her death, have left loyal fans stunned, devastated, and praying for her and her family,” the post read.

The user asked Slater, “did you pass away??”

Jane Slater speaks with T.Y. Hilton of the Dallas Cowboys after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.  (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

STEELERS’ AARON RODGERS HILARIOUSLY TRASH TALKS STAR DEFENDER IN MIC’D UP MOMENT

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“I don’t think so? But does this mean there is (a) glitch in the matrix? I’m gonna wrap myself in bubble wrap until NYE,” Slater joked.

If there is one thing the Facebook post got correct, it’s that Slater does mainly cover the Cowboys for the NFL Network.

NFL Network reporter Jane Slater on the sideline prior to an NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.  (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Prior to joining in 2016, Slater worked for ESPN and the Longhorn Network, having attended the University of Texas. She also hosted a radio show in Dallas.

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It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

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It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.

An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”

The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.

An email for comment to representatives for Williams and Preti, 37, was not immediately returned.

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The couple met at 2024 Milan Fashion Week and began texting shortly after, according to Vogue.

The couple eventually became engaged on Jan. 31 in Tuscany, according to Vogue. That detail was confirmed in July during what was a historic month for Williams.

The Compton native defeated 23-year-old Peyton Sterns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round action of the D.C. Open after a 16-month hiatus from singles matches.

In victory, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, trailing only fellow legend Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won in 2004.

“Yes, my fiance is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,” Williams told the Tennis Channel’s Rennae Stubbs in a post-match interview. “There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. … He encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful [for him] to be here. He’s never seen me play.”

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Preti has written, acted and directed in a handful of films, primarily in Italy.

The wedding was the second for the couple, who also held a ceremony in Italy in September.

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Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

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Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

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As Philip Rivers has shown he could still tear up the NFL at age 44, American Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn has also proven that age is just a number.

Vonn, 41, qualified for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, Team USA announced on Tuesday. It will be the fifth Winter Olympics that she competes in.

United States’ Lindsey Vonn reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

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Vonn had an impressive run at the World Cup in France over the weekend. She was third in super-G, hitting a high speed of 71 mph. It was her second consecutive podium finish after she was third in downhill. It was the 142nd podium finish in her World Cup career.

“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me. Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.

US OLYMPIANS MADISON CHOCK, EVAN BATES SEND MESSAGE TO OPPONENT WHO TOOK THEIR GOLD BEFORE DISQUALIFICATION

United States’ Lindsey Vonn celebrates on the podium after taking third place in an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

“I am grateful for how the season has gone so far, but I am just getting started. See you in Cortina!”

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Vonn has already put together an enviable career in skiing.

She won a gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Games and two bronze medals in Pyeongchang in 2018. She’s also taken home two gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the World Championships.

The Minnesota native also has 83 World Cup wins and several International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Crystal Globes.

Notably, she’s back competing for gold after being away from the sport for five years.

Austria’s Cornelia Huetter, left, winner of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Germany’s Kira Weidle Winkelmann, left, and third-placed United States’ Lindsey Vonn, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

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The Winter Olympics will begin on Feb. 6 and run through Feb. 22.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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