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$10B Lakers Bombshell, Stanley Cup Repeat, and a Game 7 NBA Finals Thriller

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👋 Hey FirstFans!

What a weekend. The Florida Panthers went back-to-back in the Stanley Cup Final, while Connor McDavid might be packing his bags. The NBA Finals delivered a Game 6 beatdown and teed up a spicy Game 7. Caitlin Clark turned a WNBA game into WrestleMania, Angel Reese trademarked her haters’ nickname, and the Lakers quietly sold a $10B stake. Oh — and Shedeur Sanders got clocked doing 101 mph. Let’s get into it.

Let’s dive into the action!

Today’s WOW moments from sports world!

🥅 STANLEY CUP REPEAT & MCDAVID WATCH
🏀 GAME 7 HEAT, LEBRON TAKES, & STEPHEN A. MADNESS
🏈 NFL MINICAMP DRAMA & SHEDEUR’S TICKET 
🔥 WNBA CHAOS, CAITLIN CLASH & MEBOUNDS MERCH

🏒 Panthers Go Back-to-Back, McDavid Starts Clock on His Future

The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions! They crushed the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6, with Sam Reinhart stealing the show. The guy who was the hero in their previous Game 7 clash against the same Oilers just casually dropped four goals in this one. With this win, the Panthers took the series 4-2 and officially became the 10th franchise in NHL history to repeat as champs.

While Panthers fans partied, all eyes turned to Connor McDavid. The Oilers captain was clearly heartbroken after another Finals loss and left reporters buzzing when he hinted at uncertainty about his future. Speaking to the media on Thursday, McDavid said he’ll need some time to figure things out.

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He stressed that the team’s core has worked too hard to come this far together — but added that he’ll have to see what’s best for him and his family. It’s worth noting: if McDavid doesn’t ink an extension soon, he’ll hit free agency in 2026.

That clock’s ticking, and you can bet half the league’s already making calls. Could this be the start of an offseason shakeup? Stay tuned.

🏀 Game 7 Incoming, Stephen A.’s Wild Week, and Lakers’ Multi-Billion Sale

Game 5 of the NBA Finals was in Oklahoma City, and the Thunder won after Tyrese Haliburton struggled to score after struggling with his calf injury. In Game 6, he was adamant it would not be an excuse, and the Pacers blitzed the Thunder starting from the 2nd quarter to win by 17 points.

This win ensured basketball fans get their 1st Game 7 of the NBA Finals since LeBron James famously blocked Andre Iguodala in the 2016 edition. Speaking of James, he courted some controversy for claiming that championships are not the be-all and end-all when defining greatness.

This was met with sharp criticism from none other than Stephen A. Smith. However, the ESPN star was not paying attention to what James actually said, prompting O’Shea Jackson Jr. and basketball fans to point out where he went wrong.

Maybe, he was prejudiced, as in an interview with Rolling Stone, Smith made it clear that he does not like James. He then brings on his daughter before Game 6, who ends up embarrassing her father live on national television. However, he is happy for the Los Angeles Lakers, after Jeanie Buss sold 51% of her stake to Mark Walter.

The billionaire Los Angeles Dodgers owner will be the majority stakeholder, but Buss will continue to manage the franchise for a few years. The Lakers are expected to gain funding to push for a championship.

💸 Mebounds Merch, Clark Chaos, and a Full-On WNBA Scuffle Night

Angel Reese capped off her triple-double with two more wins. One was when she trolled her critics by embracing the term ‘Mebounds’. She then went ahead to trademark the term and will be releasing merchandise with that name emblazoned on it.

The second was when she teamed up with Cash App to build two basketball courts near Oakwood Beach in Chicago. She added another double-double to her game, but could not continue their winning form.

Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever continued their winning run against the Connecticut Sun. But the win was marred by some incidents. The first was when she and her college rival, Jacy Sheldon, went at each other all game long.

That spiraled into a scuffle when the Sun guard poked Clark in the eye, invoking a retaliatory push. Seeing this, Marina Mabrey came running to shove the Fever guard to the ground. Surprisingly, no one was ejected.

Later on, Sheldon and Clark continued to jaw at each other. Sophie Cunningham, watching this entire situation pan out, decided to manhandle Sheldon in the final minutes of the game. First, it was a hard foul, and when the Sun guard retaliated, Cunningham grabbed her by the neck.

The Fever star was ejected and will be fined, but it might not bother her after her social media followers jumped after she seemingly defended Caitlin Clark. Her jerseys also sold out overnight as the Fever struggles to meet demands.

🏈 Jaire X Lamar, Shedeur’s Speeding Ticket, and the Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Payday

Football players are busy at minicamp, but Jaire Alexander was busy meeting with teams to find a landing spot. His former college buddy, Lamar Jackson, joked about asking his GM to get the CB. Soon enough, that became a reality after the star cornerback signed with the Ravens.

Henry Ruggs III hopes he can sign with an NFL team and return to playing football. He apologized to the family of Tina Tintor, who died after the wideout’s Corvette crashed into her car four years ago. He hopes he can get parole soon and apply to be reinstated.

Shedeur Sanders felt the long arm of the law when he was pulled over for speeding at 101 mph. He apologized in front of the media after several analysts criticised him for getting into trouble before he could even hold down the Browns' QB job.

He has less job security than the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, who have received a 400% pay hike. It seems Jerry Jones is on a streak, handing out massive increases in salary to nearly every important Cowboys member.

Myles Garrett hopes Micah Parsons soon gets his due, as he continues his wait for a contract extension. There will, however, be no extension to the planned 100-meter showdown between Tyreek Hill and Olympic champion Noah Lyles.

The gold medalist cited personal reasons for cancelling the event they planned in New York. Hill instantly trolled his opponent, suggesting he was ducking after watching the Dolphins receiver’s recent 100-meter dash result.

Thank you folks for reading our newsletter! Will see you in the next edition with more exciting highlights from the sports world curated for you! 🙏