
Autographed Michael Jordan rookie card sells for $2.5 million
A autographed Michael Jordan rookie card sold for $2.5 million in an auction that closed on Thursday.
The 1986-87 Fleer card sold through Joopiter — the auction platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams three years ago — shows Jordan soaring toward the rim with his right arm extended and tongue dangling. It was one of nine trading cards signed in a blue sharpie at his private golf course in Florida last year.
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According to ESPN, the $2.5 million is the most paid for a Jordan rookie card — signed or unsigned — and the third-highest price in a public sale for any Jordan card. That record is $2.928 million.
In March, an autographed Bulls jersey that Jordan wore in a preseason game during his rookie year sold for $4.215 million at an auction through Sotheby's. ___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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CNN
11 minutes ago
- CNN
Shohei Ohtani throws fastest pitch of MLB career in third mound start for Los Angeles Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani threw the fastest pitch of his MLB career on Saturday as he continued his return to the mound with two innings during the Los Angeles Dodgers' 9-5 defeat to the Kansas City Royals. Making just his third start as a pitcher for the Dodgers, Ohtani threw a fastball to Vinnie Pasquantino on an 0-2 count that clocked in at 101.7 mph and was grounded into a double play by the first baseman. The Japanese two-way superstar couldn't contain his smile as he walked back to the dugout. 'It's something that I don't think I would have been able to do in a live BP (batting practice) setting, so it's nice to be able to hit this velo and see how my body reacts,' he said afterward through interpreter Will Ireton, per 'I felt pretty good about being able to come back and pitch well, especially considering when I first had the surgery – the second time through was a lot better in terms of recovery than the first time through,' added Ohtani, who did not pitch in his record-breaking debut season for the Dodgers last year after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in 2023. 'Just talking to the doctor, he was very confident that I was able to come back at full form.' Ohtani's 101.7 mph was the Dodgers' fastest of the season and the franchise's second-fastest since the beginning of 2023. Four of the seven pitches which have clocked in at over 100 mph for the Dodgers this year were thrown by Ohtani on Saturday, according to 'There's a little bit of stress, and that's when you start seeing the hundreds and trying to bully guys,' said manager Dave Roberts, per 'And I still thought the sweeper was good, the sinker was good, but no one knows himself better than he does. And so, again, today I thought he was still in control, and it was still good to see triple digits.' While Saturday's pitch was the fastest of his MLB career, Ohtani has previously dialed it up to 102 mph for Team Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Remarkably, that pitch was also to Pasquantino. '(Ohtani) keeps doing that to me,' said the Royals man on Saturday, per 'I just saw the fastest pitches he's ever thrown in his career – two of them are against me. His two hardest throws. I need to talk to him.' The Japanese star allowed one hit to Bobby Witt Jr. and one walk to Maikel García during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium, before sending the Royals down one-two-three in the second. In total, he threw 27 pitches, 20 of which were strikes, and struck out one batter – Jac Caglianone. At the plate, he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. During his five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani had 86 starts on the mound, going 38-19 with an ERA 3.01.


Android Authority
28 minutes ago
- Android Authority
I can't believe how far Switch emulation has come in the year since Nintendo killed it
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Ryujinx and Yuzu were making huge gains, with the latter finally releasing an Android version in May 2023. At first, performance was limited, and while it was novel and fun, few games were truly playable. Things really kicked into high gear when native code execution (NCE) entered the chat. This clever compatibility layer lets Android devices execute some Switch code natively, resulting in major performance jumps. Suddenly, games that were once PowerPoint slideshows became playable. Skyline pioneered the use of compatibility layers for Switch emulation, but when it bowed out early in 2023 to dodge Nintendo's legal fireball, Yuzu picked up the torch. Native code execution is a gamechanger for Switch emulation on Android. With NCE enabled, Yuzu finally felt like it was close to being a real option for handheld play. Sure, you still needed a reasonably beefy Android device, but it was no longer just a novelty. I couldn't believe I could actually play Switch games on a phone, and that's when I started to think: maybe Switch emulation on Android actually had a future. Curtis Joe / Android Authority That hope didn't last long. In early 2024, Nintendo did what Nintendo does best: lawyer up. They filed a lawsuit against Yuzu's developers, Tropic Haze, effectively killing the project. The case never made it to court, but a quick settlement led to a quiet shutdown. Citra, the beloved 3DS emulator from the same team, vanished in the fallout. With Yuzu and Ryujinx shut down, it looked like game over for Switch emulation. Ryujinx wasn't far behind. Later that year, Nintendo reportedly contacted the lead developer behind that project, too, sending an offer they couldn't refuse. By October 2024, Ryujinx was gone. Just like that, the two biggest names in Switch emulation were dead. The scene was, by all appearances, toast. Fork yeah, we're back Nick Fernandez / Android Authority It didn't take long for Yuzu forks to start popping up, although most didn't add any new functionality or enhancements. This Wild West period saw forks like Suyu, Uzuy, Sudachi, and Torzu gain popularity, although those and others were frequently removed from GitHub by a blue shell from Nintendo HQ. But then came Citron, the first fork that offered new features, better compatibility, and actual performance gains. For the first time in months, it felt like the scene was moving forward again. Citron's core team eventually imploded, but for most games and most phones, it's still the one I keep installed. Eden is currently the most exciting and ambitious Yuzu fork. Out of Citron's ashes came Eden, a new fork built by many of the same devs, but now with a clearer vision, fresh code, and less drama. It's early days for Eden, but it already feels ambitious. The devs are throwing around big ideas for performance tweaks, UI improvements, and more features. The first public build of Eden dropped barely a month ago, and it's still half-baked in spots. But even so, it's the most exciting Switch emulation project I've seen since Yuzu's heyday. No matter which Yuzu variant you choose, performance still depends heavily on the turnip drivers. These unofficial, community-built GPU drivers are a labor of love, and they've also steadily improved over the years. Pick the right one, and you can squeeze out framerates the Switch itself might envy. Meanwhile, a new challenger appeared in a different corner of the emulator universe: Kenji-NX. Built on Ryujinx's codebase, it trades performance for accuracy. On older phones, that tradeoff doesn't pan out, but if you've got a Snapdragon 8 Elite, it's another story. The right emulator and driver can outperform even original Switch hardware. Ironically, the chipsets that struggle with Yuzu forks due to missing third-party drivers are the same ones where Kenji-NX shines. The more brute power your phone has, the better Kenji runs, and the more it starts to feel like the emulator of the future. In a twist Nintendo definitely didn't intend, the Switch 2 also helped boost emulator performance. Right before launch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got a massive update that converted its Wii U-era 32-bit code to 64-bit. That tiny change doubled the average framerate on Android emulators, thanks to better compatibility with the NCE layer. Cease and persist Nick Fernandez / Android Authority Switch emulation may be charging ahead on the tech front, but legality is another matter. Nintendo has (grudgingly) admitted that emulation itself is legal, but if you're playing Switch games anywhere other than on an official cartridge, on a real Switch, on your couch, under an officially Mario-branded blanket, it's probably not happy about it. 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USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball commits secure early win for New Zealand at 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup
Wisconsin basketball commits Jackson Ball and Hayden Jones showed out in New Zealand's opening win of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday. Pitted against Argentina in the squad's opening contest of the group stage, Ball and Jones helped New Zealand overcome an early 13-tally deficit to pocket a 77-72 win. Ball, who committed to Greg Gard's program on March 3, dropped a team-best 17 points, snared five rebounds and dished out three assists in over 33 minutes of action. Jones, Ball's fellow UW commit, dropped nine points, corralled a game-high 12 boards and denied two shot attempts in just under 21 minutes against Argentina. The two future Badgers combined for 15 of New Zealand's 21 points in a pivotal fourth quarter, a 10-minute period that saw Argentina hold a four-point edge with roughly seven minutes to spare. New Zealand will square off next against Mali on June 29 for an opportunity to bolster its standing in Pool A. If the squad earns a 3-0 mark, it will advance to the knockout stage with a favorable route to reach the quarterfinal, semifinal, or championship round. Both Jones and Ball boast previous FIBA experience, having suited up for New Zealand at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey in 2024. In that event, Jones averaged nearly 12 points per game as the fourth-youngest player to debut for the senior national team. His team eventually fell to an American team rostering future lottery NBA picks, Cameron Boozer and A.J. Dybantsa. At 6-foot-7, Jones has also laced up for the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Basketball League for the past two seasons, as well as tallied 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for his country at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar. Ball, another NBL talent, averaged just under 20 points off 48.9% from the field for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in 16 appearances before venturing to Switzerland for U19 action. Jones is set to join the Badgers during the 2025 season, while Ball will wait until the fall of 2026 to make his impact in Madison. Regardless, their exposure against some of the most prestigious basketball talents in the world allows both prospects to absorb unique moments they may not find at the collegiate level. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion