Love has since used his platform to talk about the topic of mental health and depression, saying that he himself struggles with depression. The topic did not really surface again until a recent interview from this past week.

Kevin Love had a much deeper discussion about his personal battles with depression to the point where he began talking about suicide.

He stated that during his time with the Timberwolves he had actually searched for ways to kill himself on the internet. But the interview from this week was about how Love still battles with those thoughts today.

Suicidal thoughts are not something that goes away over time, as he stated “You don’t get to turn it on or turn it off”. This issue certainly is a sensitive one, but it goes to show that even celebrities deal with these issues and they are still normal human beings too.

What Love credited his help to was knowing that there is strength in numbers. He knew that he was not the only one dealing with these issues and there were other people who felt just like him.

Love wanted to survive and thrive to lead the way for others struggling with the issue and show them you can get through the tough times. It is a sad issue, but the causes are mostly out of our control. However, you do have the power to fight back.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

The post NBA Star Kevin Love talks about Suicidal Thoughts appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

A typical October or November start was simply not possible based on when the season ended this year. As such, the NBA has announced the 2021 season will instead begin on December 22nd 2020.

This may seem like it is coming up quick, and it is, leaving an off-season of only about a month or two. For many, it came as quite a shock that the players would agree to this deal – having such little time off.

Regardless, the deal was agreed upon by the NBA’s Players Association. It is important to note however that the start date is tentative.

League commissioner Adam Silver stated that he realistically does not believe the 2021 NBA season will begin until after the New Year.

Additionally, they expect the season to end before Mid-July to avoid a potential conflict with the previously postponed 2020 Summer Olympics.

The result will be a shorter than usual 72-game season. Ten games short of the regular 82 games.

This does give rise a lot of excitement in the basketball world. But it also has a lot of fans raising questions about how the health of many players will hold up through the 2021 season – having so little time to recover.

Playing a sport for so long requires athletes to take care of themselves and spend adequate time recovering. That recovery time is being reduced for many players by this one month off-season.

As a result, sadly, fans may need to be prepared for a higher amount of injury in the 2021 NBA season. Despite the challenges, it will be exciting to see the NBA return in a month or so. Fingers crossed of course!

The post NBA Players Agree to 2021 Season Start Date appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

If you did not know about him, Ball dropped an incredible 92 points in one game of high school. That included 41 points in the 4th quarter alone.

These are INSANE numbers to be putting up in any type of competitive game. Now LaMelo Ball has gone around the world playing professionally in two different countries. Additionally, he has even branded his own shoe – all before even entering the NBA.

Ball has recently come into the spotlight after stepping away from his family’s Big Baller Brand to sign a deal with PUMA worth roughly one hundred million dollars. An unheard-of feat without yet being drafted into the NBA.

The slogan that he is trying to make his own is “NOT FROM HERE.” Ball explained that it means he is a one of a kind person – just like anyone else that will wear his clothes in the future.

There is nobody else like him and LaMelo Ball wants other athletes to think of themselves that way too.

This “Not From Here” mindset also comes from his time spent in professional leagues overseas. Here, people with little basketball knowledge will think he is a foreigner trying to make it big in the NBA. But, Ball was born and raised with his brothers in California.

Melo is a current contender for the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft on November 18th, 2020.

This same date has also been announced by PUMA to be the official drop of LaMelo Ball merchandise. This will almost certainly add to the hype surrounding him on draft day. 

Reportedly, his father LaVar Ball is not very happy, but LaMelo is just doing what he feels is best for him.

His fans however, are all extremely excited for Draft Day and the launch of Melo’s merchandise.

The post LaMelo Ball: NBA Draft and Merchandise Coming Soon appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

Now the XFL is coming back for a third time in 2022 thanks to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners who acquired it for a cool fifteen million.

Johnson tweeted about it, a video was released, the current XFL president released a statement, and one city has confirmed talks for a return!

Watch the official XFL Returns 2022 video below:

Johnson’s tweet talked about hard work – which will certainly be needed to bring the XFL back.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Johnson tweeted, “but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.”

Aside from the PR tweet by Johnson and the video, there was actual news confirmed by one of the former XFL host cities that work was underway – even if it was on a very basic level.

The St. Louis Dispatch confirmed that the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC) was in talks with the XFL. The CVC manages the Dome at America’s Center where the St. Louis Battlehawks played their home games.

CVC president Kitty Ratcliffe told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they had been in contact with the XFL about the return of the St. Louis XFL Battlehawks.

“We talked with them a couple of weeks ago,” Ratcliffe told the Post-Dispatch according to their reporting. “And they just reached out today to schedule another call. What they were doing with their (first) call is they were contacting each one of the previous venues just to let them know that the new ownership intends to restart in 2022.”

St. Louis averaged 28,000 fans per game, and led the league in merchandise sales, making them the most popular of XFL fanbases. St Louis was the former home of both the Cardinals and the Rams.

The Pandemic shuttered sports around the globe including the XFL. The league folded after roughly two-months of play consisting of five games for each of the ten XFL teams; St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington, D.C.

XFL president Jeffrey Pollack released an announcement indicating that they want to take the rest of 2020 and 2021 to ensure that everything is in place for a return that includes a solid business plan and plans for playing safely with COVID-19 including possible “bubble” play and hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022. The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners, and fans.”

The post XFL Football Returns to Gridiron in 2022 appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

According to a report released by the Washington post: ‘Amnesty International said it has recorded 82 cases of SARS abuses over the past three years, including beatings, hangings, mock executions, sexual assault and waterboarding.’

(Note: the images below in this article were shared on Whats app and other social media platforms and obtained by this reporter on the scene in Nigeria.)

What started locally in Lagos (the former capital of the country) sprung across every state of the nation within 24 hours.

In less than 48 hours Nigerians in diaspora joined the same #EndSars protest with local and international celebrities like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Cardi B, Yara Shahidi and others showing concern, additionally a lot of social media influencers have extended their voice to the cause.

The democratic nominee for President of the United States, Joe Biden, also had this to say, “The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy”.

At around 2 pm on the 20^th of October 2020 some men were spotted removing the security cameras stationed where the Lagos Lekki protest was ongoing. When questioned, they answered they were directed to do so.

During the late hours the same day the LED billboards providing light where shut down and the streetlights were turned off.

A few minutes later, while the protesters where singing the countries national anthem, a bloody massacre blew out as the group of #endsars protesters were shot at by some troops of the Nigerian army.

This left hundreds scrambling for their lives, some dead and some seriously injured.

According to a report by Amnesty International, ‘At least 12 people killed at Alausa and Lekki Toll Gate Lagos, Hundreds severely injured, CCTV dismantled to cover murder’.

Protesters had to run and hide. Those severely injured could not be treated as, it was reported, the military persons on the scene would not allow the ambulance and paramedics get access to the people.

The countries’ Vice president Yemi Osinbajo said on twitter : “My heart goes out to all the victims of the Lekki shootings, and also the policemen and all other men and women who lost their lives in the past few days in different parts of Lagos & other states”.

Stephane Dujaric, spokesman for the United Nations Secretary General said in a statement that “He condemns the violent escalation on 20 October in Lagos which resulted in multiple deaths and caused many injuries. He expresses his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured…. He reiterates the readiness of the United Nations to support national efforts towards finding a solution.”

In a twist of events, during the protest a warehouse was found, at the Mazamaza community of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, hoarding tons of food which was supposed to have been distributed to the residents during the covid-19 national lockdown.

On the 22^nd of October the president of the country Muhammadu Buhari made a nationwide speech to calm and end the protest. The speech was, however, accepted with mixed feelings as the president did not address the killing of the protesters #Lekkigenocide, nor did he address the hidden covid-19 palliatives found in the warehouses.

So far, Nigerians have had a lot of lives lost, a lot of properties vandalized, and a lot of voices forcefully silenced.

The post A New Nigeria #EndSars appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

So how exactly does this Best Ball version of fantasy football work?

Like current play, it begins with the draft. But in this version, players will draft 20 players for their fantasy team, and then keep that roster for the rest of the season.

There are no salary caps, trades or waiver claims to deal with.

Best Ball play works by adding up the scores of the best nine players of your team each week to give you a final score. That score is then compared to the other players in your league to determine a winner.

With a limited of 12 players in each league, the odds of winning a given week are increased. At the end of the season, the person with the highest overall score is the winner.

“Best Ball games are perfect for sports fans looking to play fantasy for the first time, or who love the season-long fantasy format,” said John Griffin, General Manager Fantasy, FanDuel Group.

Fans can enter on the website for as little as $1 according to the company.

The other new offer for fantasy players are daily Snake Draft contests. In addition to the NFL, these are also available for select NBA, NHL, golf and MLB games. These allow players to draft a team for each game and then the entries are pooled for that specific game.

The post Fantasy Football Players get a New Option for the Season – ‘Best Ball’ appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

In high school she participated in both basketball and volleyball winning state titles for her high school in both of these sports. Eventually deciding to commit to playing basketball professionally, she was rated the number one prospect in her graduating class respectively.

Prior to the WNBA, Delle Donne played at the collegiate level at the University of Delaware. It was there, during her sophomore year, that she was diagnosed with Lyme’s Disease. This disease generally weakens your immune system quite possibly for the remainder of your life.

In 2013 Elena Delle Donne was drafted second overall by the Chicago Sky and went on to great success in the league where she most recently won the 2019 WNBA Championship title and was named MVP of the league. Sadly, even top stars in the WNBA are not paid as much as some of the lowest paid men on an NBA roster.

With the current COVID-19 health pandemic, going out and interacting with others is extremely dangerous for anyone with underlying health conditions such as Delle Donne. Recognizing this risk and deciding that her health is more important than her job, she requested a medical waiver to opt out of the WNBA’s 2020 season.

As of July 15, 2020 the WNBA reportedly denied her medical opt out request. Now, the WNBA’s MVP must decide whether to risk her life for her job, or sacrifice her pay in order to remain healthy.

The post Top WNBA Star Faced to Choose Between Job and Health appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

“I am thrilled to take on this new role with the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board, said Stiff. Danielle has done a tremendous job as president and I look forward to continuing that work as we all strive to persistently grow the Hall of Fame and the sport of women’s basketball.”

Stiff has spent the last 25 years at ESPN where she currently works as Vice President, Programming & Acquisitions. In her role, Stiff leading the sports network’s efforts in NCAA women’s basketball and the WNBA, as well as integrating espnW content across ESPN platforms.

A graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a BS in Physical Education  and a Masters degree in Human Performance/Physical Education Carol’s resume also boasts a number of high profile professional memberships including the Women’s Sports Foundation, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Screening Committee, the Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards Board, Pat Summitt Advisory Committee, and an appointment to the USA Women’s Basketball Standing Committee.

In her new board position, Stiff will, among other things, be responsible for directing a team of members who each year work to determine which past players will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

To read more about the organization and its new president, go to: www.wbhof.com.

The post Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame under new Leadership appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

But tonight, July 8, 2020, MLS players will take to the soccer pitch as Orlando City welcomes Inter Miami to the ESPN Wide World of Sports stadium in Central Florida.

In addition to being the first game in months for both teams, it will be the first time players from the two clubs faced off against one another.

How to watch the game

Unfortunate for fans, due to health concerns amid the pandemic, seats in the stadium will remain empty for tonight’s match. However, the game will be broadcast live on ESPN for everyone to enjoy from home or to stream on the go.

The live broadcast begins at 8 PM eastern time on on ESPN and ESPN Deportes for Spanish speaking audiences.

The post 2020 Major League Soccer Returns to Prime Time appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.

Sadly, NBA fans were left speculating as to what could have been. What stars would shine and go on a tear during the last month? Who would carry their team up from the bottom of the league and into the playoffs? Does Lebron James still have what it takes to win an NBA Championship at this age? All excellent questions that had fans foaming at the mouth for the return of the NBA.

While the NBA has yet to resume their season, officials have announced a plan to return. This plan consists of all NBA players minus the bottom eight teams to quarantine and resume the season at the Disney Wide World of Sports Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The league plans to have at least eight games played across the league each day, and will be doing so using only three basketball courts split across twenty-two teams. In this way, the remainder of the 2020 regular season will be played between July 30 and August 14. After that point, each team will be seeded based on its record and begin playoff competition on August 17, 2020.

Currently, players are already quarantining and practicing their game to get back on the professional level of play. Some teams claim they are coming back stronger than ever with all players fully rested, healthy, and in some of the best shape of their lives.

In contrast to some other professional sports, the NBA actually is poised for the most normal return as there have been no additional rule changes due to the shortened season – other than not allowing fans of course.

The post NBA Prepares to Resume 2020 Season and Playoffs in Florida appeared first on CitizenNewsWire.