Charlotte Flair recently claimed that her current rivals in WWE have a bright future in the company. The veteran is on the SmackDown roster and is in an alliance with Alexa Bliss.
Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid are known as the Fatal Influence faction in WWE. The trio was recently called up to the main roster and has already made an impact on SmackDown.
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Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Charlotte Flair praised Fatal Influence and suggested that they were destined to become major stars on the promotion’s main roster.
“So here’s the thing, nobody likes to lose even if it’s a three on one scenario. But I think Jacy Jayne, Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley have a extremely bright future. But being that I’m a 14 time women’s champion, I have lost 13 times. So I’ve come back stronger every time and we either we win or we lose or we either we win or we learn. So that’s the thing,” she said. (H/T: Fightful on X)
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You can check out the veteran’s full appearance on First Take in the video below:
Jacy Jayne defeated Charlotte Flair in a singles match this past Friday on SmackDown. Flair and Alexa Bliss also came up short in the Fatal 4-Way match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships at WWE WrestleMania 42.
Paige replaced an injured Nikki Bella at The Show of Shows and won the Women’s Tag Team Championships at The Show of Shows. Brie Bella and Paige successfully defended the titles against Lash Legend and Nia Jax last week on the blue brand.
Major WWE star discusses her relationship with Charlotte Flair
Becky Lynch recently commented on her relationship with Charlotte Flair and noted that trying to get a top spot in WWE negatively impacted their friendship.
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In an interview with Vulture, the Women’s Intercontinental Champion noted that striving for success impacted her friendship with Flair, but added that it was the nature of the wrestling business.
“Yeah, badly. Yeah, poorly, poorly. And look, I suppose that as well, the business, you know, and you’ve got two very competitive women who want to be at the top of the industry,” Lynch said.
Becky Lynch names her Greatest rivals in WWE: • Charlotte Flair • Bianca Belair • Lita She also mentioned Lyra Valkyria and Maxxine Dupri are the ones she really enjoyed working recently (@ChrisVanVliet)
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Fatal Influence in the promotion.
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At the end of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru towered over other teams yet again. For the second straight year, the Rajat Patidar-led side won the league. Gujarat Titans finished a close second, maintaining a terrific level of consistency that has continued since 2022. Rajasthan Royals, who went out in Qualifier 2, showed great promise, relying on the young shoulders of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The fourth-best team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, too had their moments, armed with a solid batting unit. But when IPL 2026 started, the first half of the league belonged to one team – Punjab Kings. The Shreyas Iyer-led side stayed unbeaten in seven straight games to reach 13 points. Then came the downfall. They lost the next six matches. Even though they won their last game, it was not enough for the Ricky Ponting-coached side.
“Punjab Kings brought wonderful energy to the tournament. Their cricket was positive, brave and often game-changing. Momentum plays a crucial role in lengthy tournaments. Eventually, in such a fast-moving tournament, it boils down to process and not getting attached to results. Punjab focused more on process in the first half and more on results in the second,” he wrote in a Reddit post.
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On the other hand, Tendulkar was all praise for GT. “What stands out about the Gujarat Titans is their ability to operate within a remarkably consistent performance band across an entire season. The IPL is inherently volatile, but GT rarely stray too far from their method, even when results fluctuate. They minimize both peaks and troughs, staying close to their brand of cricket more consistently than most teams. Over a long tournament, that ability to control uncertainty often proves more valuable than occasional bursts of brilliance or isolated match-winning performances,” he wrote.
“Looking back at IPL 2026, I was reminded that tournaments are rarely defined by how they begin. More than once this season, the table told a very different story at the halfway mark than it did at the end. Teams adjusted, players improved, and new solutions emerged as the competition progressed. The game demands constant evolution, and that is part of what makes it so fascinating to watch.”
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IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season
NEW DELHI: India’s preparations for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan gathered momentum on Thursday, with the team putting in a demanding training session despite the intense heat. The Test match begins on Saturday and will be followed by a three-match ODI series.One of the biggest positives for India was the sight of Mohammed Siraj bowling at full intensity for nearly 25 minutes alongside Prasidh Krishna, according to a report from news agency PTI. With concerns raised about player workload after a long IPL season, Siraj’s energetic spell suggested the senior fast bowler is fit and ready for the challenge ahead.
Pacers impress in the nets
Apart from Siraj and Prasidh, tall pacer Gurnoor Brar also made an impression during the session. The fast bowler generated sharp bounce and troubled KL Rahul on a couple of occasions, forcing edges outside the off stump. Despite those moments, Rahul looked solid and comfortable during his time at the crease.Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar also spent considerable time bowling in the nets. He focused on maintaining accuracy and consistency, delivering multiple spells while sticking to disciplined line and length.Meanwhile, all the specialist batters, including captain Shubman Gill, got valuable practice against the reserve bowlers as India fine-tuned its preparations ahead of the series opener.
Spin battle and Mayank’s return
A notable feature of the training session was the attention given to left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. The team management appeared keen to assess his batting ability as he spent a significant amount of time with the bat.Dubey and fellow left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who is also in contention for a place in the playing XI, bowled in adjacent nets under the watchful eye of head coach Gautam Gambhir. Their performances could play a key role in determining India’s spin combination for the Test.Fast bowler Mayank Yadav was also present with the squad. However, the youngster, who has dealt with several injury setbacks in recent years, focused mainly on fitness and conditioning drills rather than an extended bowling session.
Jun 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Patrick Wisdom (35) runs the bases after hitting a 2-run home run against the New York Mets during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Seattle Mariners’ power surge continues.
Julio Rodriguez, Patrick Wisdom and Jhonny Pereda all homered as the Mariners defeated the visiting New York Mets 8-3 on Tuesday.
The American League West-leading Mariners, winners of eight in a row, will attempt to sweep the three-game interleague series with New York on Wednesday afternoon.
Rodriguez socked a solo shot in the sixth inning, his 13th of the season to tie Luke Raley for the team lead, capping the scoring.
However, it was the unlikely duo of Wisdom and Pereda who supplied the big blasts.
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“We talk a lot about guys having opportunities and stepping into opportunities, and Jhonny and (Wisdom) did that (Tuesday),” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “When you have guys doing that, that’s what good teams do.”
The Mariners have hit 21 homers during their winning streak.
Wisdom, filling in at first base after Josh Naylor experienced back spasms a night earlier after hitting a tiebreaking homer, belted a two-run shot in the second inning to open the scoring. It was Wisdom’s first in the majors since Sept. 21, 2024, when he was with the Chicago Cubs.
“On the big stage right here, it’s pretty cool, pretty special,” said Wisdom, who hit 35 homers for the Kia Tigers in South Korea last season.
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Pereda, called up from Triple-A Tacoma on May 14 when Cal Raleigh landed on the injured list, added a three-run shot in the fifth to give Seattle 7-2 lead.
Rookie leadoff man Carson Benge hit two homers for the Mets, accounting for all of their runs.
After Benge tied the score with a two-run shot in the third, the Mets were hurt by poor defense. A throwing error by second baseman Marcus Semien and a fielding error by first baseman Mark Vientos allowed Seattle to regain the lead in the bottom of the inning, and New York trailed the rest of the way.
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“We didn’t play well or pitch well,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We didn’t make a couple of plays behind our pitching staff. It was just sloppy.”
The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers winless in their past three starts as the Mets’ Freddy Peralta (3-4, 3.55 ERA) goes up against the Mariners’ George Kirby (5-4, 3.77).
Peralta was signed by the Mariners as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on Dec. 9, 2015, as part of a deal for slugger Adam Lind.
The 29-year-old right-hander took a no-decision on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins in a game the Mets won 9-7 in 10 innings. Peralta gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
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Peralta is 0-0 with a 2.79 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Seattle.
Kirby, 28, received a no-decision on Friday against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks in a contest the Mariners won 7-6 in 10 innings. He allowed four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Seattle right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.49 ERA in three lifetime starts against the Mets.
Royal Ascot is five days, 35 races, and five years in the making for most yards.
For a small number of trainers, it has been a career-long accumulation of winners at the sport’s most celebrated summer meeting. Tracking the race-by-race market movers across the week gives some sense of just how much the big yards dominate the ante-post and day-of markets. The records set across the Berkshire turf tell their own story about what it takes to keep producing at the highest level, year after year.
Here are the trainers who have won more races at Royal Ascot than anyone else.
Aidan O’Brien
No trainer in the history of Royal Ascot comes close to Aidan O’Brien. With a record haul of 96 Royal Ascot winners, the Ballydoyle maestro has won 12 of the meeting’s 35 races at least once. His first came in 1997, when Harbour Master took the Coventry Stakes. He has been sending winners back to Berkshire ever since.
O’Brien has been crowned leading trainer at Royal Ascot in eight of the last10 years, regularly sending 20 to 30 runners to the meeting and averaging four to five winners per year across that period. His dominance in certain races is extraordinary. He has won the Coventry Stakes 11 times and the Ascot Gold Cup nine times.
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At the 2025 edition, O’Brien saddled five winners at the meeting, leaving him clear of every trainer, past or present, in the all-time standings.
Sir Michael Stoute
Sir Michael Stoute accumulated 82 Royal Ascot winners during his training career, making him the most successful British trainer in the meeting’s history. He held the outright record until O’Brien overtook him in 2023.
Stoute passed the previous record of 75 winners, set by the late Sir Henry Cecil, in 2018, when Poet’s Word won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. His final Royal Ascot winner came in 2021, when Dream of Dreams took the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Across his career at the meeting, Stoute was particularly strong in the Group 1 races, a record no other British trainer has got near.
Sir Henry Cecil
Sir Henry Cecil racked up 75 Royal Ascot winners before his death in 2013. He was British champion flat trainer ten times, a figure surpassed only by Alec Taylor Jr and equalled by Stoute in 2009.
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Cecil is remembered as much for how he won at Ascot as for how many times he did. Frankel won twice at the Royal meeting under his care, and the horse’s 2012 Queen Anne Stakes is widely regarded as one of the greatest performances ever seen at Royal Ascot. His record stood as the benchmark for over three decades.
John and Thady Gosden
The Gosden yard passed 70 Royal Ascot winners in 2025, with John Gosden confirming his 70th victory at the meeting across the week. The 2025 Royal Ascot gave their momentum a significant boost, as John and Thady Gosden claimed the leading trainer title, edging out O’Brien on a countback after both yards saddled five winners across the week. Their victories included a trio of Group 1 wins in the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, and the Gold Cup.
Napoli confirm Rasmus Højlund has completed a permanent move from Manchester United, as the ‘conditions have been met for the permanent acquisition.’
Napoli confirmed Hojlund’s permanent transfer to the Stadio Maradona with an official statement on Wednesday.
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Official statement: Hojlund permanent transfer to Napoli from Man United
“Napoli announce that the conditions have been met for the permanent acquisition of the sporting rights of Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United,” the Partenopei said.
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“On September 13, our No.19 scored his first goal on his debut, helping Napoli secure a 3-1 victory away at Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. He has made 44 appearances with the Azzurri shirt, scoring 16 goals.
NAPLES, ITALY – MARCH 14: Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his side first goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and US Lecce at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on March 14, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
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“He also played a key role in Naèoli’s Super Cup triumph, scoring in the semifinal victory over Milan.
“Congratulations, Rasmus!”
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Napoli secured Hojlund’s permanent move with mathematical qualification for the Champions League with a game to spare at the end of May.
Napoli already paid €6m for the striker’s one-season loan last summer, adding €44m for his permanent move.
Hojlund had already played in Serie A before joining Napoli, spending one season with Atalanta in 2022-23, managing 10 goals in 34 appearances.
During his three-year spell at Manchester United, Hojlund scored 26 goals in 95 matches.
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COMO, ITALY – MAY 02: SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte looks on during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and SSC Napoli at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on May 02, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
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Napoli are set to hire Massimiliano Allegri as their new coach, replacing Antonio Conte, who has already announced his departure after two seasons at the Stadio Maradona.
Napoli finished the 2025-26 Serie A campaign in second and won the Supercoppa Italiana.
As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season on August 29th, we’re pleased to introduce a new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.
Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.
For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.
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We begin with Air Force, which has played 466 games vs. regional foes, winning 252, losing 207, and tying seven for a winning percentage of .548.
The Falcons have recorded the most wins against Colorado State (40) and lost the most games vs. Wyoming (28). Those two teams are tied for Air Force’s most played opponents at 63 games each.
Here is a breakdown of the AFA’s records vs. the region’s teams.
Air Force Football Wins vs. the Top Programs in the West
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is poised to make his England debut in the forthcoming World Cup warm-up games in the United States.
Scott, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King, Jason Steele and Ethan Nwaneri have travelled as supplementary members of the England squad for their preparation camp in Florida.
This comes as they await the arrivals of Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson following their involvement in European finals.
Henderson is due to arrive in the next 24 hours, with the remaining four expected to report for duty over the weekend.
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It is understood that all five additional squad selections, despite not being picked in Thomas Tuchel’s full squad for the World Cup, are eligible to play in the friendlies versus New Zealand and Costa Rica.
The quintet will also stay in Florida for the duration of the camp and not head back when the remaining five players report for duty.
Scott was named in Tuchel’s provisional 55-man squad for the tournament, which means that from the five supplementary players, only he stands a chance of breaking into the full World Cup squad at this stage should any injuries occur.
With that in mind, the 22-year-old has a strong chance to make his international debut in one of the upcoming friendlies before heading off for his summer break.
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Scott earned his senior first call-up for the November matches against Serbia and Albania but didn’t make an appearance.
Tuchel then left Scott out of the squad to face Japan and Uruguay in March before omitting him from his final 26-man World Cup party.
But in explaining why he decided to bring five extra players to the US for their pre-tournament camp, the England head coach said: “I’m really happy these guys are with us, especially Alex, who was with us in the list of 55 and had a kind of disappointing phone call as well, that he didn’t make the first cut. But the reaction of him was outstanding, the commitment, the wish to be in pre-camp and to just be a step closer to the team was not even a question for him.
“He showed me his character and his spirit so I’m delighted that he’s with us because it was a close call.”
Jun 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Tristan Gray (4) reacts to hitting a single during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins have revenge on their minds.
Last week, the Chicago White Sox won three out of four games against the visiting Twins and outscored them 27-10.
This time around, the Twins are facing the White Sox in Minneapolis, and Minnesota is looking to complete a three-game sweep. The Twins will go for their third win in as many days when they face the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Twins infielder Luke Keaschall said he and his teammates are feeling good as they look to put together a hot streak.
“It’s great,” Keaschall said. “Any time you can win a series is awesome, especially after we just lost one to them. It’s been great.
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“The offense has been hot, the pitchers have been doing their jobs. It’s a lot of fun. Just keep it rolling. Try and sweep them (Wednesday).”
White Sox right-hander Erick Fedde (0-5, 5.40 ERA) will go for his first win of the season while also trying to help his team avoid the sweep. Fedde is coming off a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, when he allowed two runs on four hits in four innings.
In four career starts against the Twins, Fedde is 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA. He has walked five and struck out 25 in 23 innings.
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Fedde will look to pick up fellow starter Davis Martin, who had his worst outing of the season Tuesday against the Twins. Martin gave up six runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“I need to be better about dropping in curveballs,” Martin said. “Mixing pitches, mixing speeds. That’s what makes me good. Just didn’t have a feel for it. You’re going to have some of these starts.”
The Twins will counter with right-hander Taj Bradley (5-1, 3.21 ERA) in the series finale. Bradley also is coming off a no-decision after allowing four runs on five hits in four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
Bradley struggled in his first three meetings with the White Sox, all of them last year, going 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA.
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Minnesota’s Tristan Gray will try to maintain his hot hitting in the series. The journeyman infielder belted a grand slam on Monday while finishing with five RBIs, and he followed up with a two-hit, two-RBI performance on Tuesday.
Keaschall praised Gray as a teammate. Gray, 30, appeared in more than 800 minor league games, and he has set a career high with 35 big-league games in 2026.
“He’s been stellar on and off the field,” Keaschall said. “He’s a great guy in the clubhouse, great guy to learn from. The guy has hit a million homers in his career, it feels like. It’s great to pick his brain. He’s just a winner on the field.”
Chicago’s hottest hitter is Miguel Vargas, who has six RBIs in his first two games of the series. He belted a pair of two-run homers on Monday before contributing a two-run single on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola has left Manchester City after 10 hugely successful years at the Etihad and all eyes are on what next for the Spaniard, who is keen to test himself in the international arena
Pep Guardiola has been told he might not suit international management.
Guardiola has targeted a national job as his next role in football, having quit Manchester City at the end of the season. The Spaniard was on England’s radar before the FA appointed Thomas Tuchel.
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While Guardiola has also been linked with taking charge of Spain, Brazil or Argentina in the future.
But despite being regarded as the greatest manager of all time, former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey reckons Guardiola would not be an ideal candidate to take charge of a national side – because he won’t get to spend enough time with his players.
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Speaking at Grosvenor Casinos as part of his England World Cup Roadshow, Heskey said:“I‘m not sure Pep Guardiola is an international manager. The only reason I say that is because of the level of detail he commands, and that has to be worked on day-in, day-out, which isn’t realistic with a national set-up.
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“Kyle Walker has come out and said he struggled to understand Pep’s way of thinking in the first year and a half. And that’s coming from a player who was working with him every single day.
“So how are you supposed to take a team with ten days together and try to get them to produce what you want, and fully understand your ideas?
“The only way you can really do that is by being with them all the time.
“It’s easier for international sides like Spain, who always seem to play a similar style across all age groups and the senior team – but that’s not really the same for England.
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“You’ve got different players coming from different clubs, different systems and different philosophies – and I don’t think it would quite work in the same way.”
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In this sun-baked Texan city, San Antonio Spurs players often bump into fans at the supermarket, mingling easily with a community that has embraced its young team, which has carried the franchise back to the NBA Finals.
The Spurs are everywhere in this city of 1.5 million people, where Latinos form a majority of the population.
The team’s name adorns restaurant windows, cafes and bars.
Black-and-silver pennants flutter from front porches while residents proudly wear jerseys bearing the iconic spur logo.
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On the city’s south side stands a giant, 5.5-metre figure of Victor Wembanyama, unveiled in 2023 – the year the 2.24-metre French prodigy arrived in Texas and transformed the fortunes of the franchise.
Throughout San Antonio, confidence is high that a sixth NBA title is within reach as the Spurs prepare to face the New York Knicks on Wednesday in game one of NBA Finals, 27 years after defeating the same opponent to secure their first championship in 1999.
“It’s a new time,” says 32-year-old musician Bobby Rivas. “We’ve been here all our lives, so we were here for the (Tim) Duncan, the (Manu) Ginobili era and all of that. And now we’re back, baby. It feels great.”
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Bridgette Sanchez, 38, a member of the band HoneyBunny with Rivas, agrees.
“It’s a new chapter,” Sanchez said. “We’re back. It’s a whole new wave. We love Wemby,” she adds, referring to Wembanyama by his commonly used shorthand nickname.
Ricky Alvarado and Luis Ramos – two contractors and die-hard Spurs fans – were part of the family group that built and installed the giant “Wemby” figure at the entrance of a family-owned workshop.
Crafted from wood, reinforced with metal, and repainted from time to time, the statue stands as a testament to their fandom.
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“Definitely excited about it, man,” Alvarado says. “I want to see what they do. We’ve got a good team. I think they’re playing strong.”
Building the giant Wembanyama statue was born from “love for the Spurs”.
“Just made us just want to build this,” he said.
Alvarado said that while he hasn’t met Wembanyama in person, the Frenchman is considered part of the community, even visiting the statue to sign it – an autograph that was eventually washed away by rain.
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“It’s good to see him interacting because a lot of stars, they want to get away from people,” Alvarado said. “But it’s good to see him engage in the community, actively serving, and you know, want to be here. He seems like a good man. He’s got a good heart.”
With game one of the finals a little more than 24 hours away, the souvenir shop at the Frost Bank Center – home of the Spurs – was packed with fans browsing for jerseys.
The arrival of Wembanyama, 22, thrust the Spurs into the global spotlight while retaining the down-to-earth nature of city and its team.
It is that spirit that revered figures like Duncan and Gregg Popovich – the club’s former head coach and now president – have upheld for 29 seasons.
Long-time Spurs fans Jim and Elsie Fellows have decorated the entrance to their home with pennants and slogans supporting the Spurs.
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“It’s a great team. At the very top is Wemby; when he’s on the court, everything just works better. Everyone contributes,” Jim, 55, says.
Elsie, meanwhile, recalls attending the victory parade after the team’s 1999 title, and had no doubt Wembanyama would fit seamlessly into San Antonio.
“We thought after reading about him he would be perfect because he’s really humble, and a lot of Spurs players they’re still local,” she said. “They’re very humble, we see them at (supermarket) HEB, at the mall and it’s just like, ‘hey’ and you keep walking, you don’t bother them. He’s like part of the community, he’s just like a normal guy. But on the basketball court he’s fantastic.”
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