Sabrina Ionescu just made college basketball history.
The 22-year-old athlete, who plays for the University of Oregon Ducks, became the first Division I player (male or female) to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds at Monday night's game against the Stanford University Cardinals.
According to ESPN, Ionescu entered the night having already met the 2,000 points and 1,000 assists mark; however, she needed nine more rebounds to break the record. Per the sports outlet, she achieved this feat in the third quarter and went on to get a 10th rebound in the fourth.
The Ducks ended up winning the game with a final score of 74 to 66.
Ionescu reached the major milestone on the same day as the public memorial service for Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant.
"It was for him," Ionescu told ESPN after being asked about breaking the record. "To do it on 2/24/20 is huge. We had talked about it in the preseason. I can't really put that into words. He's looking down and really proud of me and just really happy for this moment with my team."
Ionescu attended the celebration of life earlier in the day and delivered a touching speech.
"I grew up watching Kobe Bryant—game after game, ring after ring, living his greatness without apology," she said at the service. " I wanted to be just like him—to love every part of the competition, to be the first to show up and the last to leave, to love the grind, to be your best when you don't feel the best and make other people around you the best version of themselves and to wake up and do it again the next day. So that's what I did: wake up, grind and get better."
At one point, she recalled meeting the Lakers legend and his daughter at a college basketball game about a year ago.
"He congratulated us on the win that day and our season up to that point," she said. "He said—and I'll never forget—'Don't shoot yourselves in the foot.' He meant don't settle, keep grinding, control what you can."
She also remembered Gianna's talent and recalled mentoring her.
"If I represented the present of the women's game, Gigi was the future—and Kobe knew it," she said. "So, we decided to build a future together."
Joe Burrow said Monday he might as well call it a career before he even steps onto an NFL field after it was revealed that he was measured with 9-inch hands at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Along with 9-inch hands, Yahoo Sports reported Burrow was also listed at 6-foot-3, 221 pounds and a 74-inch wingspan. Ryan Tannehill and Jared Goff were also measured with 9-inch hands before they were selected toward the top of their drafts, according to ESPN.
Burrow is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever put together by a college quarterback. He finished with 5,671 passing yards, 60 touchdown passes, a Heisman Trophy, an undefeated season and a national championship.
On Sept. 11, 2009, Michael Jordan took the stage at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He talked for more than 23 minutes, starting out in tears while reflecting on his career. That brief glimpse of an emotional Jordan, eyes red, tear-stained cheeks, would become a viral meme. But despite those tears, the speech wasn’t particularly moving. It was harsh and cold, with Jordan using what should’ve been a celebratory moment to settle a few scores.
Jordan called out the high school coach who cut him and the guy who beat him for the final spot on the team. He brought up the NBA vets who froze him out in his first All-Star game, two of whom were in the audience. He said former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause wasn’t invited to the ceremony, a slight he punctuated by going on a diatribe about how organizations don’t win championships and that great players like him do—a twist on Krause’s earlier quote that suggested the reverse. Jordan even made a cringe-worthy mention of his three children, saying he felt sorry for them because they had to live in his shadow.
In all, it was a perfect distillation of the competitive ethos that made Jordan one of the greatest, if not the greatest basketball player ever—and, in retirement, a distant and unsympathetic figure. On the court, he never failed to meet the moment. On the stage, he couldn’t say what needed to be said.
“Jordan spoke from the heart,” ESPN’s J.A. Adande wrote of that night in Springfield. “The thing is, his heart’s as cold as liquid nitrogen.”
Compare that unsentimental sequence of events to our most recent acquaintance with Jordan’s tear-streaked face, which returned Monday in an otherwise—and appropriately—bleak memorial service for Kobe and Gigi Bryant. This time, MJ couldn’t pass up the shot, even if it came at his own expense.
“I’ll have to look at another crying meme,” Jordan said, pausing to let the laughter and cheers wash over him. “I told my wife I wasn’t going to do this because I didn’t want to see it for the next three or four years.”
Jordan turning himself into a punchline is damn near unprecedented, and would’ve seemed unthinkable in 2009. Maybe he has always possessed the capacity for tenderness and the ability to laugh at himself—but there was precious little evidence of it prior to Monday.
Jordan was the comic relief on a day when thousands filed into Los Angeles’ Staples Center for a somber spectacle that, as UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma aptly noted, was also “the greatest collection of talent I’ve ever been around.” The event opened with Beyoncé’s lilting vocal tribute and Jimmy Kimmel emceed. Snoop Dogg was there. So was Alicia Keys and Spike Lee. Bill Russell was, too, as were several generations of Lakers royalty from Elgin Baylor to Magic Johnson to LeBron James.
Vanessa Bryant started things off with a moving tribute. Other speakers—WNBA great Diana Taurasi, Auriemma, and current women’s college star Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon—spoke of Kobe and Gigi’s shared passion for basketball. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, once Kobe’s agent, talked of his friend’s parental devotion. Shaquille O’Neal hinted at the complexity of his pairing with Kobe, a partnership that produced three NBA titles but still felt short of how many they should have won.
But it was the warm and effusive GOAT who stole the show. Jordan talked affectionately about Bryant in a way we’d never heard him speak of his peers, coaches, or former teammates.
“Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends,” Jordan told the crowd. “But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother.”
Soon, it was clear why this particular task fell to Jordan: Kobe, in his playing days, had mirrored the older Jordan to the point where their identities were forever linked—from their footwork to their speech patterns to the reverence they earned from their peers.
In retirement, Bryant developed a knack for talking about his drive and work habits and on-court greatness in ways that seemed inspiring, something Jordan had long seemed unwilling or incapable of doing. In that way, Bryant became their—and the game’s—emissary.
“Forget about the endorsements, forget about the rings for a second, let’s forget about ballet movements and all this other shit. Let’s forget about that,” Bryant told Bleacher Report in 2017. “The technique is what’s most important. Because that is what’s actually timeless, that the next generation can study and carry on and then pass on to the one after that.”
Bryant carefully crafted this workaholic image and eventually sold it, burnishing his own legend in the Oscar-winning animated short “Dear Basketball” in 2018.
This was beyond Jordan. He’d rather challenge one of the players on his team to 1-on-1. He’d disappoint a gym full of children if someone could stoke his competitive streak. This attitude was later captured in a different meme, one that didn’t go viral. Jordan seemed fine leaving the proselytizing to the kid.
But Monday, surrounded by some of the game’s greats, it was only Jordan who could shed light on the dark corners of their competitive hearts.
“As we grew up in life [we] rarely have friends that we can have conversations like that,” Jordan explained of his bond with Bryant. “Well, it’s even rarer when you can go up against adversaries and have conversations like that.”
This was a Jordan I hadn’t seen before: unscripted, reflective, and forlorn. He’s been retired 17 years and rarely, if ever, made the sort of public statement that did anything other than check a few boxes, disappearing into the owner’s box of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Back in the spotlight Monday, he recalled a meeting in coach Phil Jackson’s office in Los Angeles about 20 years ago.
“I walk in and Kobe’s sitting there,” Jordan said. “I’m in a suit, and the first thing Kobe said, ‘Did you bring your shoes?’ No, I wasn’t thinking about playing.”
He also told a story of getting a late-night text from Kobe a couple months ago. “He said, ‘I’m trying to teach my daughter some moves. And I don’t know what I was thinking, or what I was working on, but what were you thinking about when you were growing up trying to work on your moves?’ I said, ‘What age?’ He says, ‘12.’ I said, ‘12, I was trying to play baseball.’”
It was genuine and funny and endearing—the kind of anecdote that you could imagine Kobe Bryant telling to win over a crowd. Kobe became an all-time great by imitating Jordan. Watching that speech on Monday, I couldn’t help thinking that Jordan had learned a thing or two from Kobe too.
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In unaired footage from 2001, Kobe Brant and other Laker legends told "60 Minutes" why he was destined to become a basketball superstar. "I think I realized that I was a little different my first year in the league when, you know, I was very serious about the game at all times," he said at the time.
"I don't play around with basketball. I don't fool around with that," Bryant said. "It's enjoyable for me to play the game, but I love the game. To win, you kind of have to grind it out sometimes."
At the time, Bryant's focus was making it to his second NBA Finals. His Lakers were the defending league champions, and not only did they go on to win the championship again that June, but they would also take home the title the following year. It was the last time an NBA team has accomplished the coveted "three-peat."
From the archives: Kobe Bryant in his own words on 60 Minutes
Updated 25m ago
Fans line up outside the stadium
Fans have begun lining outside of Staples Center early Monday morning. Doors will open at 8 a.m. local time and the event begins at 10 a.m.
Fans line up outside the Staples Center on February 24, 2020.
Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP
Fans arrive outside prior to The Celebration of Life for Kobe & Gianna Bryant at Staples Center on February 24, 2020, in Los Angeles.
KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / Getty
11:19 AM
What to expect
Organizers have not released a programming schedule and it's unclear who will be participating in the event.
Many big names in the basketball world will be in attendance, including Golden State Warriors stars Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and coach Steve Kerr. Oregon women's hoops star Sabrina Ionescu will also be at Monday's ceremony.
Updated 11:19 AM
The significance of 2-24-20
Earlier this month, Vanessa Bryant spoke about the symbolism of the memorial's date: 2-24-20. Kobe wore No. 24 for the final decade of his career and Gigi wore No. 2. Kobe and Vanessa spent 20 years together, the same amount of years he spent with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Updated 12m ago
Officials try to limit outside crowds
In a statement, the Los Angeles Lakers said the memorial will not be shown on screens outside the arena, a move to limit massive crowds that flocked outside the arena after Bryant's death. They advised fans without tickets to watch the ceremony on television or online.
"If you don't have tickets and credentials, you will not be allowed into this venue. The point there is: do not impact the rest of the Los Angeles downtown community by trying to come here and be part of something that you'll not be a part of," Police Chief Michel Moore said at a news conference Friday.
Fans gather outside Staples Center on January 26, 2020.
APU GOMES/Getty
Here's a quick trivia question: Which NBA team was the fastest ever to clinch a playoff berth? You're probably thinking the 73-win Warriors. How about the 72-win Bulls? Wrong on both counts. With the Washington Wizards' loss on Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks clinched a postseason spot after just 56 games -- the fastest ever for an NBA team.
It's just another notch in the belt of the Bucks, who are on pace to be among the best ever in point differential and net rating while leading the NBA by a wide margin in defensive efficiency. Speaking of defense, the Boston Celtics, owners of the league's third-stingiest defense, picked up an impressive win to start the week and then nearly beat the Los Angeles Lakers on the road -- both games without All-Star Kemba Walker. Boston showed its depth of talent, and Jayson Tatum looks like he's made a huge leap.
Then there are the Rockets, who are baffling teams with the most extreme version of small ball we've seen in quite some time. As of now, at least, they haven't been burned by other teams' size, largely due to what head coach Mike D'Antoni calls a "weird" roster. And finally there's the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are steadily creeping up the standings in a season during which some thought they would sell off their parts and kick off a rebuild. This, as they say, is why they play the games.
Here is this week's edition of the Power Rankings, now that the NBA is back in full swing.
The Bucks started off their post-All-Star stretch in a familiar way, beating the Pistons on the road and 76ers at home. They have an absurd plus-11.8 net rating for the season, and their defensive rating is over three points better than the closest team. It's hard to overstate the Bucks' regular-season dominance, but the tone changes when the focus shifts to the playoffs. It may not be fair, but they're going to have to prove it in the postseason.
The Lakers fought off a valiant effort by the Celtics in a thrilling game on Sunday afternoon, following up a home win over the Grizzlies earlier in the week. Behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are 43-12 with a relatively light schedule remaining. It will be tough for the Nuggets, Clippers, Rockets or Jazz to catch them for the No. 1 seed in the West if James and Davis stay healthy.
Their 15-game winning streak was snapped in the final game before the All-Star break, but the Raptors wasted no time starting another one, beating the Suns before putting a 46-point beatdown on the Pacers on Sunday. At this point Toronto will give Marc Gasol all the time he needs to recover from a hamstring injury, with Serge Ibaka playing some of the best basketball of his career.
Four Celtics scored 25 or more points in a win over the Timberwolves, and none of them were Kemba Walker -- this is a deep, dangerous team. Jayson Tatum put on a signature performance on Sunday, tying a career-high with 41 points, and nearly led the Celtics to a road win over the Lakers. Tatum has been a revelation in February, averaging nearly 30 points per game, while shooting 47 percent from the 3-point line on nearly nine attempts per game.
The small-ball experiment continues to look great for the Rockets, who ratteld off road wins over the Warriors and Jazz this week. James Harden and Russell Westbrook did the heavy lifting on offense, combining to average 61 points and 15.5 assists in the two games. They also seemed to have little trouble with Rudy Gobert despite going small the whole game.
OKC picked up home wins over the Nuggets and Spurs this week, and now have sole possession of the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, just four games back in the loss column from the No. 2 seed. Luguentz Dort has become a viable rotation player for a team in desperate need of wings. He's logged over 20 minutes in five of the last six games.
Denver lost to the Thunder in their first game after the All-Star break before taking care of the extremely short-handed Timberwolves. Nikola Jokic continues to put up huge numbers, and Michael Porter Jr. is being eased back into the rotation following an ankle injury. Mike Malone said Porter will be in the playoff rotation, so they'll need to get him as many reps as possible moving forward.
The Sixers beat the Nets in overtime before being blown out by the Bucks on national TV on Saturday. The major concern for Philly right now is Ben Simmons, who missed the Brooklyn win and left early against Milwaukee with a back injury. He's set to be evaluated, but he was not moving well when he exited the game against the Bucks. The Sixers rely on Simmons on both ends of the court, so they'll need him healthy as they vie for playoff positioning.
Following a tough double-overtime loss to the Celtics before the break, the Clippers turned in an uninspired effort in a home loss to the Kings. Kawhi Leonard was fantastic, but occasionally looked frustrated with his teammates during the loss. The chemistry hasn't been great with the Clippers all season, something they'll need to remedy if they're going to be the title contender they look like on paper.
It wasn't a good return from the break for the Jazz, who lost to the Spurs and Rockets at home this week. Utah went ice-cold from deep, making just 30 percent of their 3-pointers in the two games.
The Heat suffered a rough loss to the Hawks in their first game after the All-Star break, but bounced back to beat the Cavs handily without Jimmy Butler, who missed the game for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo nearly averaged a triple-double in the two games, putting up 21.5 points, 11 rebounds and 8.5 assists.
The Mavericks beat the Magic, then lost to the Hawks without Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis or Jalen Brunson, who hurt his shoulder on the first play of the game. Dallas has now fallen behind the Thunder in the playoff standings, but the good news is that Doncic appears healthy following his ankle injury.
No, you didn't read that box score wrong -- the Pacers actually lost to the Raptors by 46 points, tying for the second-worst loss in franchise history. Indiana did beat the Knicks to kick off the week, but they're now 3-7 in their last 10, and have fallen two games behind the 76ers for the No. 5 seed in the East. Victor Oladipo has had a rough time getting back in the swing of things after his lengthy absence.
The Pelicans picked up an important win over the Trail Blazers on Friday, giving them the all-important tie-breaker with Portland should a playoff spot come down to it. They finished off the week by pushing past the Warriors, with Zion Williamson averaging 26.5 points on 62 percent shooting in the two games. New Orleans is now 7-3 in its last 10 games, and is gunning for the No. 8 seed in the West.
The Grizzlies lost to the Kings and Lakers this week, and things go worse when they learned Jaren Jackson Jr. will be out at least two weeks with a left knee sprain. Memphis has the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA based on opponents' winning percentage, so hanging onto that No. 8 seed out West might be a difficult task.
Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the season due to his lingering shoulder injury, which hurts the Nets' chances for a first-round upset in the playoffs. But they've played well without him all season, and it will allow Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert to continue to flourish as primary playmakers. Brooklyn lost to the 76ers in overtime, then blew out the Hornets in Charlotte in their first two games after the All-Star break.
The Spurs picked up a big road win over the Jazz, then suffered a big loss to the Thunder on the road. They remain within striking distance of a playoff spot, but they'll need the Grizzlies to struggle down the stretch.
Portland lost to the Pelicans for the fourth time this season to start the week, giving New Orleans the tiebreaker if the teams are dead even for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They bounced back to beat the Pistons behind 41 points, 12 asssits and nine rebounds from CJ McCollum, and 32 points from Carmelo Anthony with Damian Lillard still out of the lineup with a groin injury. Portland now sits three games out of the eighth seed, but only 2.5 games up on the No. 13 Suns.
Sacramento won both games this week and has now won five of its last seven despite key injuries to frontcourt staples Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes. The Kings beat the Clippers on Saturday for the second time this season, with De'Aaron Fox taking control down the stretch with 20 points and eight assists.
The Magic only had one game this week, losing to the Mavericks at home. They've lost seven of their last 10 games, but sit three games ahead of the Wizards in the loss column for the final playoff spot in the East. Orlando has one of the most favorable remaining schedules in the league, so at least that's something to look forward to.
Phoenix lost to the Raptors, then beat the Bulls this week. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton continue to be a formidable scoring duo, averaging nearly 50 points combined in the two games. Ricky Rubio averaged a double-double for the week with 15.5 points and 10 assists per game.
Charlotte beat the Bulls and lost to the Nets this week, and they've now won three of their last four games. Malik Monk has averaged 20.2 points on 42 percent 3-point shooting over his last five games, while Miles Bridges continues to play well. PJ Washington averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds while hitting 5-of-10 3-pointers in the two games this week.
The Bulls lost to the Hornets and Suns before beating the Wizards despite allowing 53 points to Bradley Beal. Rookie Coby White has been on fire for Chicago, averaging 26 points on 44 percent 3-point shooting for the week, including back-to-back 33-point outbursts against the Suns and Wizards.
The Hawks came out of the break hot, picking up their 16th and 17th wins against the Heat and Mavericks, respectively. Trae Young went off for a career-high 50 points in the win over Miami, a signature game in what's been a terrific offensive year for the All-Star. John Collins, Young's running mate, tied his career-best with 35 points in the win over Dallas to go along with 17 rebounds and two blocks.
The Cavs beat the Wizards in their return from the All-Star break with new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, then lost to the Heat on Saturday. Andre Drummond has averaged 12.8 points and 11.8 rebounds since coming over from the Pistons before the trade deadline,
Not a good week for any Wizards playoff hopefuls, with losses to the Cavs and Bulls. Bradley Beal put up a career-high 53 points on Sunday in the loss to Chicago, but it simply wasn't enough. Rui Hachimura has been solid since returning from injury, averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds for the week.
The Knicks lost to the Pacers in their only game of the week, with Julius Randle being held to just seven points in 30 minutes. Bobby Portis had 19 points off the bench, and Frank Ntilikina had 14 points in a spot-start for the injured Elfrid Payton.
The Pistons lost to the Bucks and Blazers this week, and said goodbye to another one of their players, Markieff Morris, who has since been picked up by the Lakers. Christian Wood has benefited from the extra run, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in the two losses this week.
The Wolves lost to the Celtics on Friday, then to the Nuggets on Sunday with only nine active players. Jordan McLaughlin and Malik Beasley thrived with D'Angelo Russell out of the lineup against Denver, but they'll sorely miss Karl-Anthony Towns while he recovers for at least two weeks with a wrist fracture.
The Warriors were hammered by the Rockets in their first game after the All-Star break, then saw the game slip away agianst the Pelicans on Sunday. Golden State signed former No. 4 overall pick Dragan Bender in their latest rehabilitation project, so they'll get a good look at him at least for the next 10 days. Stephen Curry said that his targeted return date is still next Sunday, so some excitement could be coming to the league's worst team.
Out of respect for the family of Kobe Bryant and the eight others killed last month in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, fans are being urged by police to stay away from Staples Center during today’s memorial unless they have a ticket.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Friday that unless visitors to the downtown Los Angeles venue are among the 20,000 ticketed mourners for the memorial, which begins at 10 a.m., they will not be allowed into the surrounding area, including L.A. Live.
“This entire area will be barricaded off,” Moore said. “As a matter of respect ... honor the family wishes and allow this event to go as smoothly as possible.”
Moore said barriers will stretch from Pico Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard, and no one without a ticket to the memorial as well as matching identification will be allowed into the area during Monday’s event. Anyone trying to breach the police lines will face arrest, he said.
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When asked whether police were concerned about disruptions to the closed event, Moore said, “That isn’t the Los Angeles I know.” The chief added that he expects Angelenos and Bryant fans to honor the family’s wishes and stay at home or work and watch the memorial on TV or the web. The event will be streamed live by various news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times.
“There will be nothing to see here,” Zeidman said Friday from the courtyard between Staples Center and L.A. Live. He said the back and front sides of Staples Center, where Bryant played for two decades as a Laker, will be entirely barricaded.
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Some businesses at L.A. Live were unsure how the closure would affect them. An employee said the Yard House restaurant was planning to open later than usual. Other restaurants may wait until Monday morning to decide how to adapt to the closures.
It was unclear whether guests at the nearby J.W. Marriott/Ritz Carlton hotel would be affected.
Only ticket holders will be allowed in the area until the afternoon, Zeidman said, adding that all the tickets — which ranged in price from $24.02 to $224 — have been distributed. More than 80,000 applied for the ticket lottery, proceeds from which will be donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, previously noted on Instagram the significance of the date of the memorial: 2-24-20: Daughter Gianna, who also was killed in the helicopter crash, wore No. 2 while playing basketball, while her husband wore No. 24. The “20" denoting the current year is also the number of years Bryant played for the Lakers.
Zeidman said that more than 250,000 people visited L.A. Live in the days after the Jan. 26 crash that claimed the lives of Bryant, his daughter and seven others as they were flying to Bryant’s Mamba Academy for a youth basketball game. He and Moore said they expected Monday’s tribute to be both mournful and respectful.
Moore said that although police were not expecting any problems around the event, all officers will be in uniform, and the LAPD will be prepared for spontaneous events citywide.
Staples Center executives said they were “hopeful” that the event would finish by 1 p.m. and that everyone would leave promptly. The venue must be turned around to host a Clippers game against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 that evening.
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Spokesman Michael Roth said the arena is expecting a smooth transition.
“It’s what we do, converting the building from one event to another,” he said. “We’ll get it done.”
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby and Andrew Greif contributed to this report
President Donald Trump is in India, Joe Biden grabbed second place in Nevada and everything you need to know about the memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cemented a budding friendship on Monday with a joint rally attended by more than 110,000 people. The two men held hands and heaped praise on each other in front of a noisy, enthusiastic crowd in the city of Ahmedabad in what's claimed to be the largest cricket stadium in the world.
The event is part of a two-day presidential visit to India as Trump courts New Delhi in a bid to crack its strongly protectionist markets, woo Indian American voters in the U.S. and develop a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China.
But while the trip is expected to be long on spectacle — and large crowds — expectations are low that it will result in any significant policy changes, write NBC News' Carol E. Lee and Kelly O'Donnell.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has gained a bit of steam heading into the critical South Carolina primary this Saturday.
He sealed second place behind Sen. Bernie Sanders in Nevada, NBC News projected Sunday night, likely securing seven national convention delegates as a result.
Biden can use all the help he can get with Sanders heading into the Palmetto State stronger than ever after a razor-thin second-place finish in Iowa and wins in New Hampshire and Nevada.
Meantime, Sen. Elizabeth Warren finally took on Sanders, her chief progressive rival, but it may be too little, too late.
South Carolina's Saturday primary will come just three days before Super Tuesday, March 3, when 40 percent of the delegates in the entire primary contest are up for grabs. See full coverage of the 2020 race here.
At least 10 towns in northern Italy, with a population of around 50,000, were locked down Sunday to help stop the spread of the virus. Five people have already died from the virus, as the number of cases across the country reached 219 Monday.
A number of restrictive containment measures were announced over the weekend — among them a ban on all public events and gatherings
Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.
Revelers at the famed Venice Carnival were wearing two types of masks Sunday — a protective face mask over their usual colorful, elaborate ones, as the last two days of the annual festivities were cancelled.
The number of coronavirus deaths in Iran have also spiked to 12, as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 47 Monday.
Get all the latest updates on the growing outbreak here.
A young tourist wearing a protective facemask and a Carnival mask visits Venice, Italy, on Monday.Andrea Pattaro / AFP - Getty Images
Thousands of mourners are expected to assemble at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday to honor the lives of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who died along with seven other people in a helicopter crash in late January.
Vanessa Bryant, the Lakers superstar's wife, said the memorial service will be "a Celebration of Life."
The memorial will begin at 1 p.m. ET. You can watch our live stream here. And tune into our live blog for updates when it begins.
Dave Ayres stepped in for the Carolina Hurricanes after both the team's goalies had to leave the game for injuries, prompting the Zamboni driver to play against his own home team.
The 42-year-old helped the Hurricanes in their 6-3 win by blocking eight of the ten shots on goal against him in the last 30 minutes of the game.
"These guys, how great they were to me, how fun," Ayres said after the game.
And this weekend was the 40th anniversary of the original "Miracle on Ice" — the U.S. men's hockey team victory over the powerhouse Soviet Union team at the 1980 Olympics. NBC's Nightly News sat down with members of the team to talk about their historic win.
Feb. 23, 202002:18
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Petra Cahill
Petra Cahill is a senior editor and writer for NBC News Digital. She writes NBC News' Morning Rundown newsletter.
When he stepped into the ring on Saturday night, Deontay Wilder was the holder of the World Boxing Council heavyweight title, something he clinched in 2015.
After defending it against Luis Ortiz this past November, he was set for the highly anticipated rematch against Tyson Fury. This time, he lost the title.
But as is customary with professional bouts, Wilder stilled earned a purse – in the millions, and he’ll get the chance to win the WBC title back. The majority of his income comes from his winnings, but here’s a look at his boxing history and net worth.
Deontay Wilder | Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
How Wilder got his start in boxing
The Alabama native was motivated to find a new line of work to take care of his firstborn’s medical needs, and after dropping out of college, tried boxing.
That was in 2005, and by 2008, Wilder made it to the Olympics and earned a bronze medal. He kept up the momentum and by 2013, built up a record that was 30-0.
According to Premier Boxing Champions, by 2015, Wilder claimed his first heavyweight title – the WBC. It was the first victory for an American fighter since 2007. His record is still impressive with more than 40 victories.
How does Wilder stack income outside of the ring?
Boxing fans like to compare Wilder to his peers Anthony Joshua, Fury, Floyd Mayweather, and others when it comes to fighting style, public reputation, and endorsement deals, but his team has their own plans.
While he does not boast a large stream of commercial endorsements, according to Forbes, he counts Everlast as one of his sponsors. As of June 2019, he had $500,000 worth of endorsements.
In November 2019, it
was announced Wilder partnered with Recover 180, a hydration beverage
company as one of his sponsors.
Boxing is Wilder’s main source of
income
Last year, he turned down a $100 million dollar deal with DAZN, the same sports streaming service that Anthony Joshua chose over Showtime for his fights. ESPN reported that the deal also guaranteed multiple fights, including the wish list match with Joshua.
Wilder’s team didn’t like the terms of the deal and decided to stick with Showtime. Cable/pay-per-view deals contribute to boxers’ earnings in addition to what they claim through their purse contracts, so the decision shocked many.
Heading into the Feb. 22 rematch against Fury, both he and Wilder were set to make equal amounts that included the payout and funds earned through pay-per-view, Forbes reported.
For their first match, the PPV subscribers clocked in at 325,000, but no official numbers have come in for this one. Tickets sales were already at $17 million, but both fighters were set to earn $28 million each, excluding PPV money this time around.
At the close of 2019, Wilder’s estimated net worth was $33 million. With the addition of Saturday night’s earnings, it will increase to more than $50 million.
Though Wilder has been clear that he’s more interested in respect and legacy than money, he’s continuing to build his wealth. If he changes his mind about cutting a deal with DAZN or Top Bank, that may put him in a better position.
Fans and Wilder can bank on another rematch with Fury and eventually, a showdown with Joshua.
