Just weeks ago, it seemed like Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career was over. Anthony hadn’t played a game since Nov. 8, 2018. It seemed that the modern NBA had passed him by. Not many people doubted that Anthony could still get buckets. The question was always whether his liabilities and attitude o…

It has been nearly three years since Colin Kaepernick played in a professional football game. The story of how Kaepernick was blackballed out of the NFL is well known. The then-San Francisco 49ers QB took a knee during the “Star Spangled Banner” to raise awareness for the critical fight for …

The NBA has gone through numerous eras in its 73 years of existence. There was the Bill Russell Era, an era that saw Russell’s Boston Celtics won 11 championships in a 13-year stretch. There was also an extended Big Man Era, in which big men such as Russell, George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, M…

After years of fighting tooth and nail against allowing college athletes to earn any type of meaningful income, the NCAA is calling an audible. The NCAA Board of Governors announced that it will soon allow college athletes to earn a little lunch money.

After a whirlwind summer that saw several stars switch area codes, the 2019-20 NBA season is finally upon us. The season kicked off Tuesday night with a double header.

Kelly Bryant rode into Columbia as a beacon of hope for Mizzou. After Drew Lock was drafted in the second round by the Denver Broncos, Mizzou found itself without the extraordinary QB who had called the shots for the past four seasons. Instead of crossing their fingers and hoping one of the …

There was a classic recurring skit on The Chappelle Show (the co-GOAT TV show alongside The Boondocks) called “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong.” The premise was simple. A black person, usually played by Dave Chappelle, suffered some minute form of disrespect. The character faced a choice bet…

Professional boxing is a sport filled with titlists and champions. What’s the difference? A titlist holds a world title from one of the 8,364 major sanctioning bodies. Due to the sport’s reputation for shady promoters, greased wheels and backroom deals, a fighter who holds a world title is n…

Ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao ventured into the welterweight division in the mid-to-late 2000s, the 147-pound division has been the center of the boxing universe. One could argue that the welterweights have ruled the roost since the 1999 “Fight of the Millennium” between…

The writing was on the wall. As NBA stars lost interest in the FIBA World Cup, it was evident that Team USA’s chances for bringing home the gold were questionable at best.

With the announcement that St. Louis will soon be home to an expansion team in the MLS, a raging debate has emerged among St. Louis sports fans. Is St. Louis a baseball town or a soccer town? Let’s not forget the St. Louis Blues drew an estimated 500k fans to celebrate the team’s first Stanl…

Ezekiel Elliott raised eyebrows when he decided not to return to the Dallas Cowboys without a new contract. There was little doubt that the star running back’s on-the-field talent warranted being one of the top players at his position. However, his penchant for problematic behavior off-the-f…

Mizzou has been relatively blessed in recent years at the quarterback position. Brad Smith, Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert and Drew Lock have all vaulted from signal-caller in Columbia to NFL rosters. High draft picks Lock and Gabbert went the traditional route. Smith was selected as a WR/KR. …

The sole connection that many black Americans have with golf, especially those under 40, can be summarized in two words: Tiger Woods. If Woods is in contention in a major tournament, black folks will tune in, turn into golf experts and turn all the way up if he pulls out a victory.

On Aug. 7, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and social justice warrior Colin Kaepernick posted a video to Twitter. The opening frame was a blacked out screen with a white scoreboard that read “Denied Work for 889 Days.” The video went on to show Kaepernick hitting the weight room for a…

Old heads, it’s time to raise your glasses of Geritol. An NBA legend is vowing to make Metamucil great again. Vince Carter, the NBA’s gracefully-aging graybeard will roam the courts again.

Longtime readers of In the Clutch surely know that, at times, I have been a critic of LeBron James. LeBron stans may even venture to say that I’ve tiptoed and tap danced across the border of criticism into the land of hating a time or two. However, as a fan of the man, an appreciator of his …

When Manny Pacquiao agreed to face WBA welterweight champion Keith “One-Time” Thurman, some believed “Pac Man” might be entering the ring one time too many. Though Pacquiao is a surefire future hall of famer, it’s just a matter of time before Father Time puts paws on the 40-year-old fighter …

The 2019 NBA free agency period started off with a bang. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving got the party started early by taking their basketballs and bolting to Brooklyn. That move set the tone for what became one of the wildest, craziest weeks in free agency since Tom Chambers became the first…

In last week’s column, “Big Baller banned,” I opined about the infamous interaction between LaVar Ball and Molly Qerim that resulted in Ball getting banned from ESPN. Due to the nature of the topic, I expected that some readers would experience ruffled feathers.

LaVar Ball is no stranger to making waves in the media. The most well-known NBA dad shot onto the scene by saying outlandish things in front of every camera and microphone in his vicinity. No matter the time or day, Ball always has something slick to say.

Shout out to the Toronto Raptors for earning the franchise’s first NBA Championship. Powered by Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors knocked off the Golden State Warriors in six games. Yes, I picked the Warriors in five. Who knew Kevin Durant would only play 12 minutes in the series, Klay Thompson wou…

Game 5 of the NBA Finals was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, an Oscar-worthy motion picture, an Emmy-earning TV show and a Tony Award-winning performance all wrapped into one.

In most professional sports, championships are determined by some type of tournament. Usually, a league’s best teams/competitors engage in a series of matchups until the top two faceoff for all the glory.

And then there were two.

In February of 2003, I recall hopping in the whip for a road trip down I-55S to Memphis, Tenn. It was my second trip to Memphis in an eight-month span, alongside Mike Dickson, my good friend and former co-host of Boxing Addictz and In the Clench YouTube boxing shows. Both trips were to get a…

The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, aka the Zion Williamson sweepstakes, was the first since the NBA Board of Governors switched up the odds to discourage teams from tanking. Previously, the team with the worst record received a 25 percent chance at the top pick. The second-worst team received a 19.…

Barring a blockbuster discovery that Zion Williamson is Communist Russian Al-Qaeda operative, the Duke superstar is a lock to be the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. That means there is currently more anticipation for the NBA’s draft lottery, than the draft itself.

While much of the basketball world is debating whether Kevin Durant has finally surpassed LeBron James as the best all-around player in the NBA, one thing remains indisputable. James Harden is the most talented offensive player on the planet. Though he may not possess the height of the nearl…

For years Damian Lillard has been overshadowed by an overabundance of talented point guards in the Western Conference. Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (who plays both guard positions) have racked up MVPs, scoring titles and become some of the most well-known athletes in the w…

When four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Golden State Warriors, many basketball fans declared the 2018-19 season a mere formality. Cousins brought an embarrassment of riches to Warriors, a team that has won three championships in the past four seasons.

Magic Johnson shocked the basketball world Tuesday night by announcing his resignation as the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations.

The worlds of sports and music are undeniably intertwined. The only thing better than an amazing sports highlight is an amazing sports highlight set to perfectly paired background music. When it comes to professional sports, there is no stronger, more seamless connection than the link betwee…

And then there were two.

Shout out to the Mizzou women’s basketball team. The Tigers (23-10) team qualified for its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

It is not uncommon for NBA superstars to flex their influence so they can land a one way ticket to a new destination. In recent seasons we’ve seen Anthony Davis pull a power move on the New Orleans Pelicans, Kawhi Leonard spur his way out of San Antonio, Kyrie Irving force a cross over from …

In an era of discontent and deeply partisan politics, it’s not often that Americans are able to experience moments when the nation comes together with a common interest. That’s why it has been such a sight to see people from all walks of life on one common accord. Men and women, blacks and w…

Wednesday, Feb. 20 was expected to be a spectacular night for NCAA athletics. After weeks of hype, two of its most storied programs were scheduled to meet on the basketball court: Duke vs North Carolina; Durham vs Chapel Hill; “Coach K” Mike Krzyzewski vs Roy Williams; Zion Williamson vs the…

NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone and what a weekend it was. All the best high-flying, dime-dropping, long-range firing basketball players in the world met in Charlotte to show off their talents. In terms of the major American sports, no league puts on an all-star show at the level of t…

"I have nothing to do with the Knicks. I don’t know who traded (Kristaps) Porzingis. That got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball. Y’all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches, rile up the fans about it.” – Kevin Durant

Trade deadline tracker:

Mardi Gras can’t arrive quickly enough for New Orleans residents.Just one week removed from the shady no-call that cost the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl, Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis delivered another Cajun Sparkle-coated kick to the gut.  

I broke my NFL boycott for one week and boy am I sorry

Last season, the Boston Celtics came within one game of reaching the NBA Finals. Despite losing Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to injury, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown and Terry Rozier nearly shocked the world by pushing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of elimi…

It is no secret that Houston’s James Harden and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are the current frontrunners for the 2019 NBA MVP award. Harden has been terrifying opposing defenses. The bearded wonder leads the league in scoring at 33.7 points per game. He recently dropped more than 40 po…

Many players in the NBA would give their left pinky toe in order to play for the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Durant endured the scorn of the world by joining the Warriors in 2016. David West passed on tens of millions of dollars with other teams to sign with the Warriors for the league mini…

Although the Illinois Fighting Illini entered its matchup with the Missouri Tigers with a paltry 4-7 record, it’s safe to say the squad from Champaign, Ill. was probably prepared to pop bubbly Saturday night. After all, the Illini were on a five-game winning streak against the Tigers and led…

Out of all of the great players roaming the courts in today’s NBA, it is nearly impossible to deny that Steph Curry has had the greatest impact on the style of play across the league.

“Styles make fights.”

Every time there’s a controversial decision, mismatched fight or failed drug test in the sport of boxing, naysayers line up to proclaim the death of the sweet science. Imagine if sports fans read eulogies for the NBA every time the Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns. What if NFL f…