Latest news with #VanPelt
The Herald Scotland
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt calls for NBA to fix 'hat situation'
Except when they know they'll never play a single game for the team that drafted them. The NBA has an odd custom where draft-day trades are officially announced by the commissioner after the picks are made. Which can lead to what ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt calls the league's uncomfortable "hat situation." "The league's too smart to have the moment that they've waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn't make sense," Van Pelt ranted post-draft on SportsCenter. Scott Van Pelt: "I'm gonna scream about the hat situation. The league's too smart to have the moment that they've waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn't make sense. I don't know why they can't fix it." #NBADraft #NBA — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 26, 2025 Awful Announcing picked up on the disdain, which was apparently shared by many other NBA fans. Of the 30 first-round picks in the 2025 NBA draft, 10 were traded shortly after they donned their original team's hat - including No. 10 Khaman Maluach (from Houston to Phoenix), No. 11 Cedric Coward (from Portland to Memphis) and No. 13 Derik Queen (from Atlanta to New Orleans). "I don't know why they can't fix it," Van Pelt said. There's really no reason the NBA does things this way. Other sports reveal trades before draft picks are made, though Eli Manning ended up in an awkward situation at the 2004 NFL Draft, posing with a San Diego Chargers jersey when he was selected No. 1 overall - while awaiting an official trade minutes later that sent him to Giants for Philip Rivers, who New York took with the fourth pick.
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN's Scott Van Pelt sounds off on NBA draft's 'hat situation'
One of the iconic moments of any pro sport's draft is when a just-picked youngster steps up on stage with the commissioner to pose for a photo with a jersey and hat from his or her new team. It's a symbolic start to a new career, one the players can look back on later with a sense of pride. Except when they know they'll never play a single game for the team that drafted them. The NBA has an odd custom where draft-day trades are officially announced by the commissioner after the picks are made. Which can lead to what ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt calls the league's uncomfortable "hat situation." "The league's too smart to have the moment that they've waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn't make sense," Van Pelt ranted post-draft on SportsCenter. Scott Van Pelt: "I'm gonna scream about the hat situation. The league's too smart to have the moment that they've waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn't make sense. I don't know why they can't fix it." #NBADraft #NBA Awful Announcing picked up on the disdain, which was apparently shared by many other NBA fans. Of the 30 first-round picks in the 2025 NBA draft, 10 were traded shortly after they donned their original team's hat – including No. 10 Khaman Maluach (from Houston to Phoenix), No. 11 Cedric Coward (from Portland to Memphis) and No. 13 Derik Queen (from Atlanta to New Orleans). "I don't know why they can't fix it," Van Pelt said. There's really no reason the NBA does things this way. Other sports reveal trades before draft picks are made, though Eli Manning ended up in an awkward situation at the 2004 NFL Draft, posing with a San Diego Chargers jersey when he was selected No. 1 overall – while awaiting an official trade minutes later that sent him to Giants for Philip Rivers, who New York took with the fourth pick.
Hindustan Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Tyrese Haliburton claps back with brutal comeback after NBA Finals heroics, sheds ‘most overrated' label
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is having a legacy-defining playoff run, sinking a fourth game-deciding last-second shot in their playoff run to take game 1 of the NBA Finals over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers trailed for the entirety of game 1 at Paycom Center, but Haliburton's jump-shot with less than a second left put his team in the lead, and sealed an upset victory. Haliburton, who was voted as the most overrated player in the NBA in a poll taken of players and coaches during the NBA regular season, has flipped the script on his personal standing by leading the unheralded Pacers to the Finals. This wasn't something that Haliburton has forgotten, and is in fact using as a form of motivation. Speaking to ESPN basketball analyst Scott Van Pelt after game one, Haliburton brought up how he has been on the receiving end of severe criticism throughout the season. 'The other night on my show, I put my hand up and I said, look, I was late to the party on it,' said Van Pelt about the Pacers and their remarkable run. Haliburton was happy to take Van Pelt's apology, but also fired back at some of his critics by pointing out that many high-profile names were still bullish on downplaying the quality of the Pacers team. 'You're a real one, but a lot of your counterparts won't admit that now.' Pacers, who had reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023-24, started the 2024-25 season with a 10-15 record. However, a 12-3 run over the Christmas period put the team back on track for the playoffs. They have made a mark in the playoffs by beating the Milwaukee Bucks and the one-seed Cleveland Cavaliers in five games each, before winning the Eastern Conference by beating the New York Knicks in six games. Through the Pacers' run, they have impressed with fluid, lightning-fast basketball, supercharged by Haliburton's playmaking and best-in-the-league passing ability. While Haliburton had an off day in game 1 vs OKC, scoring 14 points and gathering only 6 assists, his ability to guide his team to a win leaves the team in a strong position at the start of this crucial playoff series.
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Justin Thomas is back in the spotlight, and hoping for a third PGA Championship
Justin Thomas is back in the spotlight, and hoping for a third PGA Championship CHARLOTTE, N.C. – When dangerous weather closed Augusta National on Monday of the Masters, ESPN's Scott Van Pelt caught up over lunch with Justin Thomas. Van Pelt recounted how Thomas noted that he wasn't among the players invited to the press center to speak to the media, and, in fact, he didn't have any media responsibilities to do. Thomas smiled and said he was enjoying floating under the radar ahead of the first major of the season. 'I go, 'No, you don't. You want to go in there because the people that go in there are the people that they think are going to win. You want to be on that list,' ' recounted Van Pelt during a media conference call last week ahead of the 107th PGA Championship. Van Pelt's ESPN colleague Curtis Strange chimed in and added, 'You never want to be under the radar, OK. And you never want to be getting close. When people say you're close, what does that mean? It means I'm not playing very well. OK, I'm getting better, but I'm not playing well.' Justin Thomas ended drought at RBC Heritage Thomas, 32, isn't floating under the radar anymore. This week at Quail Hollow, where he won the PGA Championship in 2017, he's among the favorites. He's had a legitimate chance to win in three of his last four starts and ended his three-year victory drought the week after the Masters at the RBC Heritage. Thomas has emerged from his slump with iron play as sharp as in his heyday, and thanks to some help from Xander Schauffele and a new, trusty putter, a Scotty Cameron Phantom 5 prototype, putting has gone from foe to friend – he's improved from 174th in Strokes Gained: putting last season to No. 20 this season. 'If he can keep the putter on fire,' said CBS's Trevor Immelman, 'I've got a feeling on Thomas for this (major).' And so, given his run of good form, Thomas had media duties this week, including being requested to meet with the media on Tuesday morning. Last week, at the Truist Championship, Thomas finished tied for second. Asked if he thought there was any advantage to not coming into the PGA off a win, he said, 'I'd say so, but I'd sure as hell take the alternative. I'd much rather have won and have to deal with being tired, if you will. I will always take that.' Strange tabbed him the third or fourth biggest story that the media would be talking about in the lead up to the major – ostensibly behind the likes of Rory McIlroy trying to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam, Jordan Spieth chasing the career Grand Slam, Scottie Scheffler a year after his arrest and Bryson DeChambeau being, well, Bryson DeChambeau and coming off a win on LIV Golf. Just as McIlroy has said that winning the Masters has been liberating, Thomas got the monkey off his back, and it could free him up for another run of success. 'Now he doesn't have to answer the 'why haven't you' questions, 'when is it going to happen' questions,' Van Pelt said. 'I've gone a couple stretches there where I feel like I've kind of won five, six, seven times in 30, 35 events, and it's there," Thomas said. "It's just sometimes things just happen when you win versus when you don't win. I feel like I kind of saw a little bit of that at Harbour Town of things going my way and maybe just making the putts and getting the bounces when you need to.' Thomas, son of a PGA professional, is making his 10th PGA Championship start, winning the Wanamaker trophy in 2022 too. He's won 16 times on Tour but admitted that seeing Scheffler dominate and McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam made him want to remind golf fans that his name should be bandied about in the conversation for best of his generation. How much has he been fueled by competitive jealousy? 'A lot,' he admitted, noting that early in his career his good friend Jordan Spieth was the talk of the golf world for his exploits and more recently he mentioned to his wife, Jill, after watching the Masters, how cool and inspiring it was to see McIlroy achieve the career Grand Slam. 'I always wanted to win the Grand Slam, wanted to win all the majors. But for some reason watching somebody do it firsthand, it reminded me almost of, damn, I forgot, I really do want to do that. It's weird. It's something I think all of us – some certain people maybe hit us different ways in terms of jealousy or drive or whatever you want to call it.'
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Netflix Reveals New Details About its 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Film
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Netflix has completed production on its adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures, the bestselling debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt that has captivated more than a million readers since its 2022 release. Directed by Olivia Newman, known for Where the Crawdads Sing, the film stars two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field alongside Lewis Pullman and a distinguished supporting cast. With production now wrapped, the project is poised to become one of Netflix's major literary adaptations. Why It Matters The film adaptation marks Netflix's continued investment in literary properties with established fanbases. As of December 2023, Remarkably Bright Creatures had sold 1.4 million copies and had enjoyed a prolonged run on the New York Times bestseller list. The story, centered around an elderly widow and a curmudgeonly octopus, has been lauded for its unusual charm and emotional depth. As described in 2023 by the New York Times, the debut novel is "one of those increasingly rare success stories: a quiet, quirky literary debut that has been buoyed by bookseller love and word-of-mouth recommendations." The film also reunites Sally Field with a leading dramatic role, which could further elevate the adaptation's profile ahead of its release. Netflix confirmed production wrapped in May. An octopus floats in the water. An octopus floats in the water. wrangel/Getty Images What to Know Remarkably Bright Creatures follows Tova Sullivan, a 70-year-old widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, where she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. The octopus, whose inner monologue appears throughout the novel, becomes key in unraveling the decades-old mystery of Tova's son's disappearance. According to Netflix's official synopsis, "Marcellus is on a mission to solve a mystery that will heal her heart and lead her to a life-changing discovery." The book's origin story is as unconventional as its plot. Van Pelt, a former financial consultant, created the character of Marcellus in a fiction writing workshop assignment and later expanded it into vignettes, according to The New York Times. "I wasn't thinking too hard about, is this salable?" she told The New York Times. "Because I never thought anybody would read it." The novel was eventually acquired by Ecco, which delayed the paperback edition due to sustained demand for the hardcover. In February, nearly three years after the book's original release, Van Pelt announced a tour to promote the forthcoming paperback. Her tour extends through the end of May where she plans to visit Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and California. The novel picked up traction when Jenna Busch selected it for her "Read with Jenna" book club, and, according to The New York Times, this lead to Van Pelt's appearance on The Today Show. As for the Netflix adaptation, a release date for the movie has not yet been announced. Who Is in the Cast of Netflix's 'Remarkably Bright Creatures'? Netflix has assembled a high-profile ensemble for the adaptation. Sally Field, whose credits include Lincoln and Forrest Gump, plays Tova. Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry) co-stars, with Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Joan Chen (The Wedding Banquet), Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands), Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men), and Sofia Black-D'Elia (Single Drunk Female) rounding out the cast. The screenplay is co-written by Olivia Newman and John Whittington (Sonic the Hedgehog 3). Bryan Unkeless and Peter Craig are producing for Night Owl Pictures, with executive producers including Anonymous Content's David Levine, Tony Lipp, Erika Hampson, and Alisa Tager, along with Van Pelt herself. What People Are Saying Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures, posted on Instagram on March 28: "I will never in my life be this cool again. It's been an amazing week on set and I cannot wait for this movie to come out." Beth Seufer Buss, sales associate at Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told The New York Times in 2023: "I don't think it's going to drop off, because everybody who reads it wants other people to read it. This is a universal recommendation. No matter what you're in the mood for or what you're going through, I can put this book in your hands." Jenna Bush Hager told in May 2022: "This novel is filled with love, humor, joy and healing. It demonstrates the power and beauty of unexpected friendships. I can't wait for this creative, feel-good story to surprise and delight the Read With Jenna book club this May." What's Next For now, readers and viewers alike await a visual interpretation of one of the most beloved literary debuts of recent years.
