The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the third of 10 people to wear the No. 35 jersey, forward alum Jeff Turner. After ending his college career at Vanderbilt, Turner was picked up with the 17th overall selection of the 1984 NBA Draft by the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets.

The Bangor, Maine native played the first three seasons of his pro career with the Nets, coming to an end when he left the NBA to play abroad.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, Turner wore only jersey Nos. 35 and 30 and put up 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 35 – Jeff Turner (1984-87)

The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.

To honor all of the the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.

With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the 12th of 14 players who wore the No. 4, wing alum Danuel House Jr. After ending his college career at Texas A&M, House went unselected in the 2016 NBA Draft, signing instead with the Washington Wizards.

The Houston, Texas, native played the first game of his pro career with the Wiz. He also played for the Phoenix Suns before he signed with Houston in 2018. His stay with the team lasted until he was cut in 2021.

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, House wore only jersey No. 4 and put up 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 4 – Danuel House Jr. (2018-21)

Claressa Shields takes 50 Cent fight to the Internet, telling him to ‘STFU’ originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Claressa Shields isn’t known for staying quiet, and this week the undefeated boxing champion made that clear again by firing back at 50 Cent online amid his ongoing feud with her partner, rapper Papoose.

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The back-and-forth spilled into Shields’ orbit after 50 Cent shared posts that included images of Shields and Papoose, prompting confusion from the two-division Olympic gold medalist. Shields said she woke up on New Year’s Day to find herself pulled into the drama despite never publicly criticizing the rapper.

“I wake up New Year’s Day and 50 Cent got a post with my face & Papoose face on it and I’ve never done or said nothing bad ’bout him,” Shields wrote in a series of Snapchat posts, per Complex. “So I’m all confused like what the heck.”

While Shields acknowledged she’s capable of clapping back online, she initially chose to stay out of it after talking things through with Papoose, opting instead to keep her focus on training and competition.

MORE: Megan Thee Stallion opens Popeyes location in Miami without Klay Thompson in tow

“So everyone knows how I get on this internet I’ll troll a mf too,” she wrote. “But Pap said let him handle it. So I’m staying focused on my training! Cause I make millions to fight!”

Shields suggested the attention had less to do with a personal beef and more with internet virality, noting that her recent online visibility has been driven simply by being herself.

“It’s sad to say that I’ve been viral for 40 days and 40 nights by just being me,” she added, questioning why she had become a target at all.

The boxer also pushed back against claims she said were being repeated about her lifestyle and spending, calling them flat-out false. “I literally have my receipts posted,” Shields wrote. “There is no LV luggage or duffle bag on there! That’s a lie.”

MORE: Ex-Mets legend Lenny Dykstra facing drug charges after traffic stop

Things escalated further after 50 Cent shared a throwback photo of Shields, which she felt fed into long-standing criticism of Black women’s appearances. Shields responded by posting a more recent in-ring photo and reminding followers of the context behind the older image.

“I was 17 years old fighting for my entire country and had an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL AROUND MY NECK!” Shields wrote. “Of course I glowed up!”

She went on to address what she described as a broader pattern of anti-Blackness in public discourse, writing that she refuses to participate in negativity aimed at her own community.

Shields closed with her most pointed remarks yet, dismissing 50 Cent’s standing in hip-hop and telling him bluntly to “STFU.”

All of this comes as Shields prepares for her Feb. 22 rematch against Franchón Crews-Dezurn in Detroit.

The month of December saw plenty of “WWE NXT” talent competing on the main roster, including at Saturday Night’s Main Event, as well as some stars officially being called up into the new year, and a new report indicates yet another star could be on their way to the main roster. According to Fightful Select, Blake Monroe, the former Mariah May in AEW, could be headed to “WWE Raw.”

According to Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp, Monroe has been discussed for a main roster call-up in recent weeks and some on the red brand believe she will end up on Monday nights. The outlet also reported that Monroe’s immediate plans could be changing as soon as this week.

Monroe lost the NXT Women’s North American Championship to Thea Hail, accidentally, via reported botch off Hail’s springboard coffin drop, on December 16’s episode of “NXT,” right before talent at the WWE Performance Center went on holiday break and the following weeks’ shows were taped. Monroe is set to challenge Hail in a rematch for the gold at New Year’s Evil on Tuesday. Fightful did not report if Monroe’s changing plans involved the Women’s North American Championship.

In recent weeks, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, and Jordynne Grace have all been teased as main roster additions, with Evans being called a “free agent” and both Williams and Grace appearing on “WWE SmackDown.” Other rumored names potentially set to head up to the main roster have included NXT Champion Oba Femi and Sol Ruca after their performances against Cody Rhodes and Bayley, respectively, at Saturday Night’s Main Event. According to Fightful’s latest report, additional names are expected to be called up.

Read more: Meet The Real-Life Partners Of The NXT Roster

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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.

NC State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers has committed to transfer to the Alabama Crimson Tide, On3 has learned. He previously played for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Previously, Smothers had been set to visit Florida State. However, he reportedly cancelled that visit before going to Alabama.

Smothers played his high school football at West Charlotte in North Carolina. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He was the 379th-ranked player overall and the 26th-ranked running back in that recruiting cycle.

Initially, Smothers chose to go to Oklahoma over offers from NC State, Florida State, and South Carolina, among others. At the time, Charles Power shared some insight into what he was like as a player at that point.

“Productive rusher with a well-rounded skill set,” Charles Power wrote. “A tough runner who accounted for over 1,700 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior. Reads his blocks and shows vision in working to the second level. Has natural cutback ability. Plays bigger than his size and fights through contact. Shows a solid burst with the ability to rip off chunk gains. A good receiver out of the backfield. Played for one of the top high school programs in North Carolina prior to transferring to West Charlotte ahead of his junior season. Smaller than most top running back prospects, measuring at 5-foot-10.5, 173 pounds prior to his senior season. Will need to gain mass in order to carry a substantial workload at the college level.”

In his one season at Oklahoma, Hollywood Smothers played in four games. That allowed him to use his redshirt and he would transfer to NC State with four seasons of eligibility. There, he’d spend the next two seasons. Smothers still has two seasons of eligibility left to use now that he’s at Alabama.

Smothers would break out as a running back in his two seasons at NC State. In 22 games there, he rushed for 1,510 yards and 12 touchdowns. That was on 6.1 yards per carry. He also had 56 receptions for 452 yards and three touchdowns. In 2025, he was a First-Team All-ACC selection.

Alabama is coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff. There, the Crimson Tide won one game before Alabama was knocked out in the Rose Bowl. Since then, the team has been extremely active in the Transfer Portal.

To this point, Alabama has had 15 players transfer out of the program. That includes running back Richard Young. Along with Hollywood Smothers, the Crimson Tide have also had tight end Josh Ford enter. More moves are expected to be on the way.

James Dolan explains why Knicks won’t hang NBA Cup banner originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Knicks won the third annual NBA Cup last month.

However, unlike the two previous champions, the Knicks haven’t hung a banner to commemorate the achievement, and they don’t plan to.

Knicks owner James Dolan explained why during a recent appearance on The Carton Show, explaining that he plans to wait for an NBA title before hanging cloth from the rafters at Madison Square Garden.

“We are going to raise the banner. We’re going to raise the NBA championship banner. That’s the banner we want to raise,” Dolan said, via the New York Post. “We want an NBA championship, we don’t want some consolation prize.”

Dolan clearly shares the views of many when it comes to the NBA Cup – that it’s a bit of a farce, and clearly secondary in importance to an actual NBA championship.

But, while Dolan won’t celebrate the cup victory with a banner, he did acknowledge being proud of his team for their early-season accomplishment.

“But to get a chance midseason to try out what you’re going to be like at the end of the season, it was exciting,” Dolan said. “I was very proud of the guys. They did a great job and we’re proud to have the Emirates Cup, but we’re going to hang a championship banner, a real banner.”

Over a quarter of a century into his reign as owner of the Knicks, Dolan is still seeking that elusive first championship. New York’s last conference title came back in 1999, but their last championship was way back in 1973.

The Knicks will have an opportunity to compete for a title this season, as they currently sit second in the standings in the Eastern Conference. But, history isn’t on their side. Neither of the previous NBA Cup winners went on to win the Finals that same season. 

The Houston Rockets expect to be without All-Star center Alperen Şengün for up to two weeks.

Şengün went down with a right ankle injury very early in the team’s 110-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. While he doesn’t have a specific timeline for his return — the team is planning to evaluate Şengün again in the coming days — head coach Ime Udoka confirmed Monday that Şengün will likely miss up to two weeks.

“We’ll evaluate him at the end of the week,” Udoka said, via Sports Illustrated’s Lachard Binkley. “Need to get the swelling, the pain tolerance down and mobility, but you’re looking at a probably 10-14 days type thing.”

[Get more Rockets news: Houston team feed]

Roughly a minute into the game Saturday at the American Airlines Center, Şengün went up to try to fight for a defensive rebound against Mavericks center Daniel Gafford. As Şengün came down, his right ankle rolled hard. That sent him crashing to the court, where he remained until play stopped at the other end.

Şengün eventually limped off the court and was quickly ruled out of the game.

He is in the middle of a career season with the Rockets. The 23-year-old, who made his first All-Star Game last year, has put up a career-high 21.8 points this season while averaging 9 rebounds and 6.5 assists.

While this will interrupt his dominant start to the season, and Şengün has a history of ankle injuries, the timeline this time seems relatively minor. If Şengün is out the full two weeks, he’d be back in time for the team’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 20, meaning he would miss eight games.

The Rockets enter Monday night’s contest against the Phoenix Suns with a 21-11 record, which has them fifth in the Western Conference standings. Saturday’s loss to the Mavericks snapped a four-game winning streak.

The Houston Rockets expect to be without All-Star center Alperen Şengün for up to two weeks.

Şengün went down with a right ankle injury very early in the team’s 110-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. While he doesn’t have a specific timeline for his return — the team is planning to evaluate Şengün again in the coming days — head coach Ime Udoka confirmed Monday that Şengün will likely miss up to two weeks.

“We’ll evaluate him at the end of the week,” Udoka said, via Sports Illustrated’s Lachard Binkley. “Need to get the swelling, the pain tolerance down and mobility, but you’re looking at a probably 10-14 days type thing.”

[Get more Rockets news: Houston team feed]

Roughly a minute into the game Saturday at the American Airlines Center, Şengün went up to try to fight for a defensive rebound against Mavericks center Daniel Gafford. As Şengün came down, his right ankle rolled hard. That sent him crashing to the court, where he remained until play stopped at the other end.

Şengün eventually limped off the court and was quickly ruled out of the game.

He is in the middle of a career season with the Rockets. The 23-year-old, who made his first All-Star Game last year, has put up a career-high 21.8 points this season while averaging 9 rebounds and 6.5 assists.

While this will interrupt his dominant start to the season, and Şengün has a history of ankle injuries, the timeline this time seems relatively minor. If Şengün is out the full two weeks, he’d be back in time for the team’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 20, meaning he would miss eight games.

The Rockets enter Monday night’s contest against the Phoenix Suns with a 21-11 record, which has them fifth in the Western Conference standings. Saturday’s loss to the Mavericks snapped a four-game winning streak.