How the Clippers Engineered the NBA's Best Home Court Advantage
'I'm thinking, 'Oh s---, oh s---, oh s---, we jinxed it,'' Ballmer says during an interview in New York City in May. He's sitting at an empty table in a windowless conference room in a Midtown hotel where, later that evening, he'll accept Sports Business Journal 's award naming the Intuit Dome as facility of the year. The Clippers finally got a win there, on the fifth try, against the San Antonio Spurs, in November. After that game, Ballmer says, he spoke with the team in the locker room. 'I said, 'Jeez, guys, thank you. This thing was going to get demolished.''
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sophie Cunningham's Twerk Goes Viral After Fever's Historic Commissioner's Cup Victory
The Indiana Fever just made franchise history, but all eyes were on Sophie Cunningham's postgame celebration. After the Fever's stunning 74–59 win over the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 Commissioner's Cup final, Fever reserve guard Sophie Cunningham decided to cap the night with some dance-floor flair. As her teammates rejoiced on the court and posed with the hardware, Cunningham turned her back to the camera, dropped low, and gave the lockeroom and Instagram Live a twerk, a brief but instantly viral moment that ignited a social media firestorm. Some fans were all for it. Others, not so much. Indiana's win was dominant and, more importantly, gritty. With All-Star point guard Caitlin Clark sitting out her third straight game due to a groin ailment, the Fever trailed by 13 early in the second quarter. Instead of collapsing, they flipped the switch. The Fever closed the first half on a merciless 18–0 run, turning a 27–14 deficit into a 32–27 lead at halftime and silencing the Minnesota home fans. From there, it was the Fever's game. The Fever's lead grew to 14 in the third quarter, and Minnesota was able to get no closer than six points of catching up again. Indiana's defense stifled the Lynx, holding them to 34.9% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers. Seasoned Indiana forward Natasha Howard was the unanimous Cup final MVP with 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. All-Star center Aliyah Boston was similarly effective at 12 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Cunningham started hot off the bench to provide a clutch jolt: 13 points, seven rebounds, and three threes. But for many fans watching the game or catching the highlights online, the storyline pivoted from gritty defense to cheeky dancing. Sophie Cunningham's postgame twerk didn't last more than a few seconds, but it was long enough for the internet to divide into camps. On X (formerly Twitter), one fan gushed, 'Sophie so cute.' Another simply wrote, 'Sophie Cunningham. That's the tweet.' And of course, someone threw their support behind her completely: 'My fav WNBA player.' Yet the celebration had its fair share of detractors and skeptics. One unimpressed viewer wrote: 'ZERO motion back there. Embarrassing for an athlete.' Another took issue with the entire concept: 'Why is this the go-to for so many women? I don't get it. No matter what happens they have to do this dumb shit.' Another tweet, dripping with sarcasm, read: 'Was the twerking in the room with us..' Still, others were more playful: 'That little thing moving.' And of course, no social media moment is complete without someone shooting their shot: 'I would treat her so well man.' But the sentiment that seemed to dominate the viral moment? 'Sophie for the culture!' Though the Commissioner's Cup is technically a midseason competition and doesn't affect regular-season standings, the win and the $500,000 prize pool that came with it signal a culture shift for Indiana. The Fever are no longer the rebuilding team anchored solely by Caitlin Clark's spotlight. They are a As for Sophie Cunningham, the 28-year-old Missouri alum might not have led the team in scoring, but she certainly led the postgame conversation. The seven-year WNBA veteran has always brought energy and edge to the court, and now, apparently, to the dance floor too. Head coach Stephanie White was all business postgame. 'We have a resilient group,' White told reporters. 'They're tough – mentally, pull for one another… It's nice to take a trophy home, but this isn't the ultimate goal. It's a goal. And we've got to continue to get better.' The Fever turn their attention back to the regular season now. They begin a five-game home stand on Thursday by hosting the Las Vegas Aces at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Attendance will be watched closely, both for the game itself and the postgame celebration. Sophie Cunningham's twerking viral moment may have divided folks, but here's something that's not debatable: in a league still fighting for relevance in the mainstream, she made sure the Fever's win was not overlooked. And in 2025, half the game at times. The post Sophie Cunningham's Twerk Goes Viral After Fever's Historic Commissioner's Cup Victory appeared first on Where Is The Buzz | Breaking News, Entertainment, Exclusive Interviews & More.
Associated Press
29 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Analysis shows Trump's tariffs would cost US employers $82.3 billion
WASHINGTON (AP) — An analysis finds that a critical group of U.S. employers would face a direct cost of $82.3 billion from President Donald Trump's current tariff plans, a sum that could be potentially managed through price hikes, layoffs, hiring freezes or lower profit margins. The analysis by the JPMorganChase Institute is among the first to measure the direct costs created by the import taxes on businesses with $10 million to $1 billion in revenue, a category that includes roughly a third of private-sector U.S. workers. These companies are more dependent than other businesses on imports from China, India and Thailand — and the retail and wholesale sectors would be especially vulnerable to the import taxes being levied by the Republican president. The findings show clear trade-offs from Trump's import taxes, contradicting his claims that foreign manufacturers would absorb the costs of the tariffs instead of U.S. companies that rely on imports. While the tariffs launched under Trump have yet to boost overall inflation, large companies such as Amazon, Costco, Walmart and Williams-Sonoma delayed the potential reckoning by building up their inventories before the taxes could be imposed. The analysis comes just ahead of the July 9 deadline by Trump to formally set the tariff rates on goods from dozens of countries. Trump imposed that deadline after the financial markets panicked in response to his April tariff announcements, prompting him to instead schedule a 90-day negotiating period when most imports faced a 10% baseline tariff. China, Mexico and Canada face higher rates, and there are separate 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Had the initial April 2 tariffs stayed in place, the companies in the JPMorganChase Institute analysis would have faced additional direct costs of $187.6 billion. Under the current rates, the $82.3 billion would be equivalent on average to $2,080 per employee, or 3.1% of the average annual payroll. Those averages include firms that don't import goods and those that do. Asked Tuesday how trade talks are faring, Trump said simply: 'Everything's going well.' The president has indicated that he will set tariff rates given the logistical challenge of negotiating with so many nations. As the 90-day period comes to a close, only the United Kingdom has signed a trade framework with the Trump administration. India and Vietnam have signaled that they're close to a trade framework. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that more inflation could surface. The investment bank Goldman Sachs said in a report that it expects companies to pass along 60% of their tariff costs onto consumers. The Atlanta Federal Reserve has used its survey of businesses' inflation expectations to say that companies could on average pass along roughly half their costs from a 10% tariff or a 25% tariff without reducing consumer demand. The JPMorganChase Institute findings suggest that the tariffs could cause some domestic manufacturers to strengthen their roles as suppliers of goods. But it noted that companies need to plan for a range of possible outcomes and that wholesalers and retailers already operate on such low profit margins that they might need to spread the tariffs costs to their customers. The outlook for tariffs remains highly uncertain. Trump had stopped negotiations with Canada, only to restart them after the country dropped its plan to tax digital services. He similarly on Monday threatened more tariffs on Japan unless it buys more rice from the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday interview that the concessions from the trade talks have impressed career officials at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and other agencies. 'People who have been at Treasury, at Commerce, at USTR for 20 years are saying that these are deals like they've never seen before,' Bessent said on Fox News Channel's 'Fox & Friends.' The treasury secretary said the Trump administration plans to discuss the contours of trade deals next week, prioritizing the tax cuts package passed on Tuesday by the Republican majority in the Senate. Trump has set a Friday deadline for passage of the multitrillion-dollar package, the costs of which the president hopes to offset with tariff revenues. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Should You Buy Brookfield Asset Management While It's Below $60?
Brookfield raises funds and invests on behalf of clients in alternative assets. The company's fee-based business model is highly profitable. A strong growth outlook supports the stock's premium valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Brookfield Asset Management › Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) has been on a bit of a tear, surging over 40% in the past year. The company, part of several subsidiaries of the sprawling Brookfield ecosystem, deals in managing investments in alternative assets. It's a relatively new stock, created by a spinoff a few years back. Investors may not yet fully appreciate the company's lucrative business model or the growth opportunities ahead. Here is what Brookfield offers, and why it's a fantastic buy at under $60 right now. Brookfield is one of the world's largest alternative investment companies, with over $1 trillion in assets under management (AUM). Brookfield Corporation is the parent company and owns stakes in numerous private and publicly traded subsidiaries. The Brookfield Asset Management subsidiary plays a key role in this broader ecosystem. It creates private investment funds and other financial products and services that it sells to clients to raise capital. Then, the company invests that money on its clients' behalf into Brookfield (and elsewhere) assets, such as real estate, energy, infrastructure, private equity, and credit. The best aspect of Brookfield Asset Management is that it doesn't directly operate the assets it invests in; it only manages the equity. For example, if the company buys a power plant, it's not responsible for its day-to-day operations or the expenses associated with that. However, it could sell the plant for a profit if its value increases. Therefore, Brookfield Asset Management is a very asset-light and lucrative business. The fee revenue it generates is almost entirely profit. You could think of Brookfield Asset Management as a hedge fund that invests money in these alternative assets, rather than stocks. Growing, dividend-paying stocks can be lucrative investments when you buy and hold them for many years. Brookfield Asset Management hasn't been around long enough to have established a reputation, but the stock looks like a dividend monster in the making. It currently yields nearly 3.2% at its current share price. Because it has virtually zero physical assets, the company pays out almost all the fee-based revenue it generates as dividends. Brookfield Asset Management primarily grows by expanding its AUM, thereby increasing fee-based revenue. It does that by attracting new clients and capital. Management believes that the global asset opportunity for alternative investments will increase from $25 trillion today to over $60 trillion by 2032. Brookfield, with $1 trillion under management, is a prominent player, so this is a fragmented industry. The company can grow by capturing market share, while the size of the pie expands simultaneously. Currently, Brookfield Asset Management projects that it will increase its fee-based revenue sufficiently to raise the dividend at a 15% annualized rate through 2029. That's impressive for a stock with a starting yield of 3.2%. At first glance, Brookfield Asset Management looks pretty expensive at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 40. But consider the following. The company anticipates growing its profits at a mid-teens growth rate over the next four to five years. That's not a bad P/E for such high growth. Additionally, Brookfield Asset Management is a highly profitable, asset-light business, which also often supports a higher valuation. All said, Brookfield Asset Management isn't dirt cheap by any means, but it's still a fair valuation for such an excellent company and emerging dividend growth star. Investors, especially those looking to hold the stock for the long term, can confidently buy the stock under $60 and feel good about what they're getting. Before you buy stock in Brookfield Asset Management, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Brookfield Asset Management wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $722,181!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $968,402!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,069% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Brookfield and Brookfield Corporation. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Asset Management. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should You Buy Brookfield Asset Management While It's Below $60? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
