After 47 years in the wrestling business, Virgil Runnels, or as he is better known, Dusty "The American Dream" Rhodes, passed away at age 69, according to WWE.

Known for his charisma inside and outside the ring, as well as his signature "Bionic Elbow" finishing move, Rhodes was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame, and was a champion many times over. He continued to make appearances on WWE until February of this year. Runnels, however, began taking more of a backstage role as a booker, or a writer, as he advanced in years.

In addition to his storied wrestling career, Runnels was the father of four, including fellow wrestling superstars Dustin Runnels (Goldust) and Cody Runnels (Stardust). Runnels was known for his working man persona, and sometimes billed as "the son of a plumber." 

His wrestling promo "Hard Times", where he addressed the plight of the working man, his physique, and his rivaly with Ric Flair, is remembered as one of the greatest of all time.

News of his death has rippled through the wrestling scene. Wrestlers Triple H and Ric Flair tweeted today in memorium of the lost champion:

See his classic matchup against Ric Flair bellow:

SEE ALSO: A wrestler accused the 'Arrow' actor of being a superhero in real life and now fans want to see them in the ring together

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NOW WATCH: 12 awesome facts about WWE superstar Brock Lesnar

Lionel Messi of Barcelona FC in Spain's La Liga is the most valuable soccer player in the world, according to the latest valuations released by Football-Observatory.com.

Messi was determined to have a transfer value of $287.6-315.5 million (€255.3-280.9 million). That's more than a $100 million greater than any other player in the world.

While fans will argue about whether Messi or Ronaldo is the best player in the world, the one huge advantage Messi has over Ronaldo in terms of value is age. Messi (27) is three years younger than his Real Madrid rival. Ronaldo is one of just seven of the top 100 players who has already celebrated his 30th birthday, and he fell to No. 3 on this year's list behind Chelsea's Eden Hazard.

In addition to age, the player values are determined based on a formula that considers a player's performance, position, contract status, and experience, as well as his current team's performance and competition level, while factoring recent trends in spending in the transfer market.

Here are the 20 most valuable:

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) — $287.8-316.6 million
2. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)  — $152.7-167.9 million
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)  — $127.7-140.6 million
4. Neymar (Barcelona) — $101.0-111.0 million
5. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) — $88.2-97.0 million
6. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) — $83.1-91.3 million
7. Paul Pogba (Juventus) — $79.3-87.2 million
8. Diego Costa (Chelsea) — $78.8-86.7 million
9. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal)  — $76.4-84.1 million
10. James Rodríguez (Real Madrid)  — $70.5-77.6 million
11. Luis Suárez (Barcelona)  — $67.6-74.4 million
12. Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid)  — $66.5-73.2 million
13. Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea)  — $66.2-72.7 million
14. Isco Alarcón (Real Madrid)  — $64.5-70.9 million
15. Harry Kane (Tottenham)  — $60.3-66.4 million
16. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)  — $57.8-63.6 million
17. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)  — $56.8-62.6 million
18. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)  — $56.7-62.4 million
19. Oscar dos Santos (Chelsea)  — $53.6-59.0 million
20. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)  — $50.3-55.4 million

See the full list at Football-Observatory.com

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Jack Warner, the disgraced ex-FIFA official who was indicted on corruption charges alongside eight other current and former FIFA officials, has called out HBO host John Oliver in a video message.

On Tuesday Oliver bought four minutes of ad time on Trinidad's TV6 and aired a segment directed toward Warner specifically. It was filmed in Oliver's studio and looked like a regular segment of his late-night show, complete with punch lines about Chuck Blazer's cats and the TV show "Mike and Molly."

Warner did not take it lightly. In response to Oliver saying Warner should turn on FIFA and reveal all their dirty secrets, Warner said he doesn't answer to a "comedian fool."

Warner's response video — running at nearly three minutes, half of which is rendered nearly inaudible by a soaring instrumental track — also criticized Oliver (whom he calls "American") for affecting a Caribbean accent at one point.

Warner opens:

"It is very incomprehensible how a local TV station, a national TV station, could allow a foreigner, also an American foreigner, to come into this country, to embarrass its citizens, to embarrass our people, to be critical of the way we speak, to be critical of the way we look, to be critical of our culture, and if that is what a local TV station wants to propagate on our population, I say heaven help us. I don't need any advice from any comedian fool who does not enter this country to tell me what facts to release or not to release. That is not his business. I don't take any instructions from him."

The Trinidadian channel CNC3 noted on Facebook that Warner's staff added the music.

He adds: "Against outsiders, we have to stand united."

The full video:

Oliver does do a Caribbean accent at one point in his video, but he then makes fun of himself for how awful it is.

"I'll just pause for a second to allow the people on Trinidad to laugh at the whitest person who has ever lived attempting to speak Trini," he says after doing the accent.

On his TV6 ad, Oliver pleads, "I am begging you: release everything. Because, here's my argument, why the hell not? It's not like you're not potentially in a lot of trouble. Seriously, I've been looking through the indictment and ... good luck with that."

Here's Oliver's video:

Oliver did the whole TV6 stunt because a week earlier Warner bought ad time on the channel to air his own propaganda segment defending himself. In another self-defense video, Warner cited an article from The Onion as proof that the US was at the center of a conspiracy to take the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

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NOW WATCH: Here's how Cristiano Ronaldo spends his money

LeBron James was bloodied during Game 4 of the NBA Finals when he fell out of bounds and collided with a television camera.

The incident came late in the second quarter when James drove to the basket and received a hard foul from Andrew Bogut.

James was bleeding from the head and a close up showed the how extensive the damage was.

Amazingly, they were able to stop the bleeding very quickly and he stayed in the game to take the free throws, making one.

After halftime, ABC reported that LeBron did not receive stitches, but did have wound glued.

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NOW WATCH: How LeBron James spends his money

When the Pontiac Silverdome was built for $55 million in 1975, it hosted some 80,000 Detroit Lions fans every Sunday. 

But since 2002, when the Lions moved to nearby Ford Field in Detroit, the stadium has become an empty ruin and a symbol of the urban decay that has consumed parts of the area in recent years.

Recently 19-year-old budding BMX rider and Michigan native Tyler Fernengel used the dilapidated structure to make a video for Red Bull. The venue is currently for sale for $30 million. The group that owns it sold off things like "end-zone turf, scoreboards and copper wiring" at an auction last year, the Detroit Free Press reports, leaving the building essentially empty. The images of Fernengel's high-flying session depict a stark contrast between the energy of youth and the ghosts of a forgotten past.

Here are the jarring photos of Fernengel's session, courtesy of Red Bull:

Fernengel, who's from Detroit, told RedBull.com that the stadium is like a war zone:

"The last time I was inside the Silverdome was nine years ago — at the last amateur Supercross race I attended when I was 10. When I showed up to scope for the shoot, so many memories were coming back. Just sitting in the tunnel — where you come out on the track and where the players would run out — I remembered sitting there, years ago, with my dad and all the other kids. It brought back a lot of good memories. Being out on the field, it was crazy to think that there once was a motorcycle track there, every year, with all the fans, but now it’s nowhere near the same — it’s like a war zone."

Watch the full video of Fernengel's session here: 

SEE ALSO: Watch these BMX riders take on a massive dirt pit in Australia

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Business Insider is hiring a full-time editor to launch a new section targeting c-suite executives and featuring profiles, Q&As, trends, how to's, and more. 

The editor will conduct interviews, write stories, build a network of contributors, and send newsletters to help senior executives be smarter and better at their jobs.

The ideal candidate will be inspired by the challenge of growing readership, finding the right mix of stories, defining the section's voice, and eventually building a team.

Candidates will also have:

• Insatiable curiosity
• A strong voice and the ability to write with authority
• Interest in digital media and how readers consume news on the web
• Previous writing and editing experience
• At least a Bachelor's degree
• Copy-editing skills, light HTML and Photoshop experience, and knowledge of social media are also useful

APPLY HERE with a résumé and cover letter if this sounds like the job for you.

Please note that this position requires that you work in our Manhattan office. Business Insider offers competitive compensation packages complete with benefits. 

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NOW WATCH: Here's How Much Mark Cuban Sleeps To Be On Top Of His Game

Stephen A. Smith, ESPN's controversial host of "First Take," made a joke on air suggesting female soccer players at the Women's World Cup didn't try to block a free kick because they didn't want to mess up their hair.

The comment was made on ESPN's "SportsCenter" live from Cleveland following Game 4 of the NBA Finals during the "Top 10" plays segment. 

One of the top plays was a brilliant free kick by Norway against Germany in the Women's World Cup. Rather than praising the goal, NBA analyst Tim Legler pointed out that the German players forming the wall turned their heads and that was why the goal scored. Smith then joked that the players "might not had wanted to mess their hair," and then repeated himself for good measure.

At best, this is an awful joke about female athletes that undermines the biggest all-female sporting event in the world on the country's biggest sports network. At worst, it is a sexist comment that suggests female athletes are not as dedicated to their sport as men.

It's difficult to give Smith the benefit of the doubt given his history.

Smith was previously taken off the air by ESPN for a week (a de facto suspension) for comments he made about Ray Rice's domestic-abuse case. In that situation, Smith suggested that some women provoke domestic assaults. 

"Let's make sure we don't do anything to provoke wrong action," Smith said on the air when discussing how he talks about domestic violence with women he knows. "We got to also make sure that you can do your part to do whatever you can do to make, to try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Smith later apologized, calling the incident "the most egregious error" of his career.

An ESPN spokesperson says the company "discussed this with Stephen A. last night and he understands the comments were wrong."

Smith later released a statement through a series of tweets:

"Folks, as usual, something I've said is gaining steam so let me address this right now: on @SportsCenter, doing highlights, I made a flip comment in fun about a women's soccer team not wanting to mess up their hair. Obviously, my comments were in poor taste. I have nothing but the utmost respect for athletes of all genders -- especially since most are better than I'll ever be -- so please no I Apologize. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone."

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Nothing can bring a crowd of fans to its feet quite like a t-shirt cannon. We were curious about the inner-workings and maximum capabilities of the beloved launcher of XXL-sized branded swag, so we headed to New York City's Citi Field — home of 1986 World Series champs, the New York Mets — to see the cannon in action and test out its fire power. 

Produced by Kevin Reilly. Additional camera Alex Kuzoian.

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The Golden State Warriors made two key changes to win a crucial Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers to tie the NBA Finals at 2-2.

No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, so facing a historical disadvantage, the Warriors changed up their strategy for defending LeBron James, and they doubled-down on their offensive strategy.

After three games of letting LeBron pick them apart in isolations, the Warriors switched up their strategy by sending more double teams and forcing the ball out of his hands. After twice losing their original bet that LeBron couldn't beat them by himself, Golden State began sending two defenders LeBron's way, betting that his weak supporting cast couldn't produce enough points to carry the offense.

Despite 28 huge points from Timofey Mozgov, the rest of the Cavs fell off. Matthew Dellavedova, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert combined for just 19 points on 7-of-35 shooting — 20%. LeBron himself, perhaps as a result of the double teams and a nasty head injury from crashing into a camera, scored only 20 points on 22 shots.

Not only does doubling LeBron take the ball out of his hands, an effective double team also makes the pass more difficult. Here, James' pass to Dellavedova is off target, making Dellavedova reach while Stephen Curry recovers in time to contest the shot:

When asked about the Warriors' defensive adjustment, LeBron said after the game:

"No, they doubled me a little bit more tonight. They kind of made me get a ball up, seeing if some of my teammates can beat those guys. Like I said, we couldn't make any shots from the outside, but we'll take those looks again. Those guys, my guys did a great job just stepping into them, trying to make them being confident about them. But when you go 4‑for‑27 from the three‑point line, there's not much success offensively."

On the other end, to try to find some breathing room against the Cavaliers' suddenly stingy defense, the Warriors went extra small in hopes of spreading the floor and creating room for drivers. The Warriors made the key decision to put sixth man Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup, effectively replacing 7-foot Andrew Bogut, shifting 6-foot-7 Draymond Green to center.

For most of the series, Green has struggled, making the Warriors' pseudo-small-ball offense fail. When Green wasn't hitting shots, the Cavs' defense looked like the Warriors' Thursday night — forcing the ball out of Curry's hands to teammates who weren't providing proper support.

In Game 4, Green bounced back, scoring 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists, but the Warriors finally found an offensive flow and the spacing they need.

This is what the Warriors looked like all season, and it's the reason they're normally such a devastating offense. When teams game plan to take the ball out of Curry's hands, Green, a matchup nightmare for most other big men, is a capable playmaker who can attack off the dribble and make plays. With shooters spreading the floor, Green can attack the basket or find open teammates when the defense rotates:

The Warriors played several units with natural power forwards acting as centers, with two of them being especially crucial to their win. One lineup featuring Curry, Shaun Livingston, Klay Thompson, Iguodala, and Green played only four minutes, but outscored the Cavs by 10 in that stretch. A lineup with Curry, Livingston, Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, and 6-foot-10 David Lee played four minutes and outscored the Cavs by 4 points.

Both of these adjustments go hand-in-hand. The Warriors' small-ball lineup puts them at risk of being destroyed on rebounds by the Cavs' aggressive frontcourt. Doubling LeBron gives the Cavs more opportunities to attack the offensive glass when Warriors' defenders are out of position. Green described after the game how going small, getting their offense on track, and making someone else on the Cavs beat them plays to the Warriors' advantage:

"But at the end of the day, you're going to want Mozgov to beat you. You're going to take the chance on Mozgov beating you before you take the chance on LeBron beating you. So he had a good game, but we were able to slow LeBron down a little bit, and we made him have to run the floor with us, and it worked to our favor."

These types of adjustments have made the Finals a compelling chess match. The Warriors opted to try to revitalize their offense and test the Cavs' supporting cast in Game 4. If they continue these adjustments in Game 5, it will be interesting to see how the Cavs respond.

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NOW WATCH: How LeBron James spends his money

Timing is everything. Fifty years after Ford's legendary 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1966, the automaker is returning in style with a stunning update to its iconic Ford GT.

The company showed the car in France on Friday, as the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans prepares to kick off this weekend. The car will join the Le Mans field at next year's race, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the '66 win.

In a statement, Ford said:

The new Ford GT race car will run the full 2016 schedules of the FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, making its competition debut in January 2016 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Florida. The two Ford teams will be operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS). Both series teams intend to compete with a four-car effort at Le Mans. Drivers will be announced later.

The all-new Ford GT serves as the pinnacle product of the new Ford Performance group, a division dedicated to providing innovation through performance.

Ford pulled the cover off the new GT at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. A collective gasp went through the auto world at the sight of the stunning, 600-horsepower supercar. It was written in Wow! and all but confirmed that Ford would mount a Le Mans campaign to celebrate its 1996 triumph, not to mention victories in 1967, '68, and '69.

If you want to get your pulse beating a bit faster, watch the video that Ford put together for the debut of the GT in all-American racing colors (fanboys will disappointed that Ford didn't outfit the car in famous "Gulf livery," but that might have been bit much). It's well worth it, if you're a racing fan or just love the idea of an American car maker taking part in the toughest race there is. The old GT watches a move of itself at Le Mans 50 years ago, before morphing into the new GT, tearing off in a blur through the streets of Paris, then roaring off to the Le Mans race circuit.

The old GT watches itself at Le Mans in the 1960s.

The turns into the NEW GT!

And takes to the streets of Paris!!! 

Enough said.

The new GT will not run in the exotic LMP division, where wildly innovative prototypes dwell, but rather in the LM GTE Pro division. One of its rivals will probably be General Motors' Corvette.

Check out the video. Please, just check it out:

SEE ALSO: It was the Ford GT vs. the Acura NSX at the New York Auto Show

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Germany and France are two of the top-three ranked women's soccer teams in the world and only one of them will make it all the way to the semifinals of the Women's World Cup thanks to a quirky schedule set by FIFA.

As Grant Wahl of SI.com explains, if Germany (Group B) and France (Group F) win their respective groups as expected and then win their round-of-16 matchups (again, as expected), they will face each other in the quarterfinals.

This scheduling mess wasn't created randomly, as can happen in the men's tournament. Rather, FIFA explained to Wahl that this was done intentionally to maximize attendance at games and ratings on television.

"Similar to previous draws for FIFA Women’s World Cups like Germany in 2011, teams are seeded ... and allocated into specific groups for ticketing and promotion reasons," a FIFA spokesperson told SI.com. "Whilst the interest in the FIFA Women’s World Cup has grown significantly over the last years, the success and great interest from the public in the tournament in Germany in 2011 can’t be compared to the Brazil [men’s] World Cup. Filling the stadia is a FIFA and host association key objective. The allocation of teams to venues, the ticketing and promotion plan and the ticket price strategy are among the key factors for the overall success of the event."

Germany and France are not the only teams getting the short end of the FIFA stick.

Of the teams expected to reach the round-of-16 knockout stage, the top-three teams in the world, Germany, the US, and France, will all be on the same side of the bracket competing for one spot in the final.

In addition, as Wahl points out, Sweden ended up in the "Group of Death" with the US, Nigeria, and Australia, due to what appears to have been an arbitrary decision by FIFA to give one of the six top seeds to Brazil (the winners of the CONMEBOL confederation) rather than Sweden, who was ranked higher but represents the UEFA confederation who did not declare a World Cup qualifying champion.

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JD Pahoyo, a 17-year-old diver from the Philippines, got a 0.0 score on a dive in the 3-meter individual springboard competition at the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore. His countryman and synchronized diving partner John Elmerson Fabriga also got 0.0 on a dive. They finished last and second-to-last in the competition.

Video of the two failed dives quickly made its way around the internet, often under the headline of something like "the worst dives you'll ever see."

Pahoyo landed feetfirst:

Fabriga landed on his back:

Not great.

In the Filipino sports world, the "Splash Brothers" are causing something of an uproar, with various interests using the divers to address larger institutional issues. Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia said he would demand an explanation from the head of the country's aquatics program, and he questioned whether the divers intentionally blew the dives.

The ex-president of the Philippine Olympic Committee said the dives were a sign that Filipino sports had become "a joke." The head of the Philippine Aquatic Sports Association used the poor performance as proof he needed more funding and upgraded facilities.

"We always like it to be better, but maybe it should teach a lesson to everybody that if you don't invest … don’t expect," he said.

One person who very much is not freaking out about one awful dive: JD Pahoyo himself.

In the days after what may be the most devastating embarrassment of his career, he has been pretty upbeat in a series of Facebook posts.

Before the dive went viral, Pahoyo wrote a very matter-of-fact update on how bad he was:

This was the first time I felt this great intense pressure. Hooo, one event is over. One more to go. I failed one dive and the rest of my dives were sh------ than what i did during the training. But at least it was a nice experience. Great crowd, great people. I can actually tell myself that i overcame the extraordinary.

Two days later he returned to Facebook with a more positive update. He posted a video of him and Fabriga doing some well-executed dives in the 3m springboard synchro event and wrote about how happy he was:

Yey! I'm so proud of us pakner John Fabriga, we really did our best despite of we just practiced this synchro dives for just 4 days, even though we failed to win, but at least we did overcame what we once knew was out limit, and that makes us a champion. Thanks coach Brian Palattao for your endless support and immeasurable love to us from the preparation until the end of this competition, and special thanks to the people who's doing their best to make this experience possible, I owe you all of this.

Later that day he realized what was happening:

When another Facebook page posted the video of his failed dive, he left a comment saying all he could do was laugh at himself, and he was still happy he competed:

I even laughed at myself after i did this dive hehe. but after all this was not the first time i failed a dive, and i was not the first one who did so. And I am still proud because not all of us has the privilege to represent our own country to such a big sporting event like this. And by the way can i ask all of you if you can still smile after getting embarrassed in front of thousands of people? hehe just asking, right?

He directed all his new followers to his good dives:

As sports officials continue to debate the controversy, he has moved on:

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The 2015 NBA Draft class is considered a deep, talented class with several intriguing prospects.

With the draft rapidly approaching, experts are posting and updating their mock drafts, predicting which prospects will go to which teams on June 25.

We used mock drafts from nine experts as of June 10 to round up predictions for all 30 first-round picks.

The experts: NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper; ESPN's Chad Ford; DraftExpress's Jonathan Givony; Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix; CBS's Sam Vecenie, Gary Parrish, Zach Harper; USA Today's Derek Bodner; and NBADraft.net.

1. Minnesota Timberwolves — Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C

Experts: 5 of 9

School: Kentucky

Other possibilities: Jahlil Okafor (4)

Key expert quote:Ford: "Towns has tremendous upside, no glaring weaknesses and he's a better fit in Minnesota, in my opinion, than Okafor."

2. Los Angeles Lakers — Jahlil Okafor, C

Experts: 5 of 9

School: Duke

Other possibilities: Karl-Anthony Towns (4)

Key expert quote: Givony: "The Lakers have been searching for a real low-post presence since they traded Shaq to Miami more than a decade ago. Enter Jahlil Okafor, the best back to the basket scorer in the 2015 NBA Draft."

3. Philadelphia 76ers — D'Angelo Russell, G

Experts: 8 of 9

School: Ohio State

Other possibilities: Kristaps Porzingis (1)

Key expert quote:Bodner: "Some league executives think Russell could be the best prospect in the draft, and he also fits a position and skill-set the Sixers desperately need."

ESPN's Jason Whitlock has been replaced as the head of TheUndefeated.com, the African-American-focused boutique site that he described as "Black Grantland" when the company hired him in 2013, ESPN announced on Friday.

The website, which has produced a handful of articles but is still not up and running, was expected to launch in summer 2015.

Whitlock will remain at ESPN and his work will be featured "across ESPN platforms."

Deadspin's Greg Howard wrote a scathing article about the site in April. It depicted an organization plagued by problems caused by Whitlock's managerial style.

Here's the ESPN press release:

As we continue to move forward in the process of creating The Undefeated — a new ESPN site focusing on race and sports — we have collectively decided to make some structural adjustments that will maximize the skill sets and strengths of our team, leading to the best possible output for the site and for all of ESPN. To that end, Jason Whitlock will now be entirely focused on what he does best: creating distinctive and compelling content, which will live across various ESPN platforms. Jason’s thought-provoking perspective has always been a hallmark of his work and this will allow him to completely devote his time and energy to that. As a result, he will make significant contributions to multiple ESPN entities and programs. Since returning to ESPN, Jason has been instrumental in assembling the foundation of a strong editorial team, formulating the vision for the project and collaborating with our digital product team to develop the blueprint for the site.

Leon Carter — an experienced leader in journalism who officially joined the site in January after leading staffs at the New York Daily News and ESPNNewYork.com — will assume all day-to-day management of the site’s editorial processes and personnel on an interim basis.

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The Oakland A's have been a surprising disappointment this season, sitting at 25-37, a whopping 9.5 games out of first place in the AL West. But the A's have actually been the unluckiest team in baseball so far, as stats actually suggest they should have a winning record and be right in the thick of the playoff hunt.

The chart below is a comparison of a team's actual record to their expected record based on how many runs each team has scored and allowed*. Each of the teams listed below has a record that is at least one win greater than expected or at least one win fewer than expected. The 11 teams not listed are within one win of where they should be.

The results show that the A's should actually have a record of 32-30, which would have them just 2.5 games out of first place. The Blue Jays have also been more unlucky than most with an expected record of 36-25, which would be good enough for first place in the AL East by 2.0 games. At the other end, the White Sox have been the luckiest team in baseball with an actual record that is 4-5 wins better than it should be.

* Using the difference between the number of runs scored and the number of runs given up, we calculated each team's Pythagorean Win Percentage which tells us how many games a team typically wins based on their run differential.

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Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry published an article in the Player's Tribune Friday, sharing some thoughts on his time in the NBA.  

Among his comments, he called Kobe Bryant the "hardest working player I ever played with."

One anecdote perfectly sums it up:

"When I got traded to the Lakers in ’97, Kobe Bryant was just a rookie. The dude couldn’t shoot threes. We would play this shooting game every day after practice. It was me, Kobe, Brian Shaw, Mitch Richmond and Kurt Rambis. Kobe would lose every time. We would get to practice the next day and sure enough, Kobe would already be there shooting nothing but threes. Like clockwork, at the end of practice he’d say, “Let’s play the game! I’m ready for you.” And we would beat his ass again.

He would never stop. It was incredible. He practiced until one day, a couple months later, he finally won. If you literally said, “Kobe, I bet you can’t make five in a row by dropping the ball and kicking it in from half court,” that motherfucker would go out there and practice it until he could do it. And that’s what people don’t understand when they talk about champions — when they talk about a winner’s mentality. Kobe’s dedication to the game is unreal. And I mean that in the truest sense … it was literally unbelievable."

Stories about Kobe Bryant's work ethic and competitiveness are not unheard of, but to hear those words come from a seven-time NBA champion who has played with some of the greatest athletes in NBA history, it's no small thing. 

SEE ALSO: The Warriors made 2 basic changes, and it turned around the NBA Finals

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NOW WATCH: 70 people were injured while filming this movie with 100 untamed lions

Produced by Jacqui Frank. Special thanks to Scott Davis.

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With the 2015 NBA Draft less than two weeks away, one of the most mysterious prospects is making a name for himself.

19-year-old Latvian player Kristaps Porzingis, considered one of the top prospects in the draft, held his first US workout in Las Vegas on Friday, and impressed a gym packed full of team officials.

At 6'11", Porzingis has the height of a center, but is long, wiry, and nimble, almost in the mold of Kevin Durant. He can shoot three-pointers, take the ball of the dribble, and can block shots on defense. He showed a glimpse of his skills at the workout, leaving one scout raving about him:

DraftExpress posted a video of Porzingis' workout, where he showed off some of his versatile skills:

ESPN's Chad Ford similarly raved about Porzingis' skill, saying he might be the second-best prospect in the entire draft, and could give Karl-Anthony Towns a challenge for best prospect:

"In Porzingis' case, I think there's enough evidence of his play in Sevilla to safely say that the things I love about him (his shooting ability and his athleticism) will come through in the NBA. If Porzingis were playing at Duke or Kansas, I think he would be the toughest competition for Towns for the No. 1 overall pick. I really believe [Philadelphia 76ers GM] Sam Hinkie may pull the trigger on Porzingis at No. 3."

In experts' mock drafts, Porzingis has been going anywhere from third in the draft to eighth. For all of his potential, he still has his imperfections. His slight frame may be a problem in the NBA. In addition, he needs to get stronger, develop his post game, and according to DraftExpress, draw contact and react more quickly to in-game situations.

The NBA world rushes to compare seven-foot European players who can shoot to Dirk Nowitzki, but in fairly recent history, there's a track record of such players not living up to nearly to that comparison. Andrea Bargnani came into the league as a mobile seven-footer who could spread the floor and block shots. Nearly 10 years into his career, Bargnani, the 2006 No. 1 overall pick, is known for being injury-prone, poor on defense, and has only shot above 35% from three four times in his career.

Jan Vesely, the No. 5 overall pick in 2012, was also listed as an athletic seven-footer, but is now out of the league entirely.

That's not to say Porzingis can't reach his potential or will end up a bust like Bargnani and Vesely, but the NBA is wary of players like Porzingis. While he's blowing away people in open drafts, he still has to face NBA competition, where his size may become a disadvantage for now. 

All of this makes Porzingis somewhat of a mystery. Some teams may be scared to use a top pick on him, and if that's the case, one lucky team could end up with one of the most intriguing players in the draft.

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The New York Yankees are back in a familiar spot, sitting in first place of the AL East. But while the Yankees have an outside shot to win their first World Series since 2009, the franchise and their fans may have to wait until 2019 before the team gets it swagger back.

While the Yankees are playing well, they are sitting on top of a weak division and they are doing with a bunch of older players who are playing out the end of contracts that everybody knew would be terrible at this point. The Yankees are also doing it without a face of the franchise, or at least one most people like (sorry, A-Rod).

That's where 2019 comes in. The early speculation, led by Buster Olney of ESPN, is that Bryce Harper will eventually become a New York Yankee and that the move is not only possible, but inevitable.

Harper still has three more seasons after this one before he can become a free agent, and while a lot can happen in that time, there are few things moving in favor of the Yankees.

1. Bryce Harperis represented by noted free agencyphile Scott Boras.

Scott Boras is Harper's agent and is well known for pushing his clients to not accept contract extensions, meaning they almost always at least test the free agency waters. This is terrible news for the Nationals who will lose the ability to control the negotiating process and will eventually have to compete against teams like the Yankees.

Boras also has a knack for not only convincing big market teams that they need his clients, but he also has a well-earned reputation of being able to get big market teams to bid against themselves, out-pricing the rest of baseball.

2. Bryce Harper's marketing potential is Derek Jeter-ian.

Harper will never be Derek Jeter. But he has a personality that moves needles and that means he has the potential to be the face of the franchise that the team sorely lacks right now.

Not everybody loves him, but everybody has an opinion. In that sense, he is more Reggie Jackson than Jeter but that will still resonate in the Big Apple.

On top of that, he will be just 26 years old entering the prime of his career when he hits free agency.

3. Bryce Harper is the perfect player for Yankee Stadium

With that powerful left-handed stroke and the short-porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, Harper would thrive offensively and give Yankees fans a player who regularly challenges for the league lead in home runs.

There is also the minor detail that Harper grew up a Yankees fan and it a noted admirer of their history.

4. The Yankees may be the only team that will be able to afford Harper.

Here is where it gets interesting. Olney speculates that Harper may be worth "north of $40 million per year" when he hits free agency.

On the surface that sounds absurd. But both Clayton Kershaw and Jon Lester will make $30 million this year. Meanwhile, Harper will likely be one of the two of three best position players in baseball, and he'll hit free agency at a much younger age than most.

More importantly, the Yankees' aging roster is setting up perfectly to make a run at Harper after the 2018 season.

Here are several key (and expensive) players who have contracts that will expire before 2019:

• CC Sabathia — $24.3 million salary in 2015 (contract through 2016 season)
• Mark Teixeira — $23.1 million (contract through 2016 season)
• Alex Rodriguez — $22.0 million (contract through 2017 season)
• Brian McCann — $17.0 million (contract through 2018 season)
• Carlos Beltran — $15.0 million (contract through 2016 season)
• Chase Headley — $13.0 million (contract through 2018 season)
• Brett Gardner — $12.5 million (contract through 2018 season)

That is $126.9 million worth of annual salaries that will no longer be on the books in the 2019 season. On top of that, pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is making $22.0 million and has a clause in his contract that would allow him to opt out after the 2017 season.

In the meantime, the Nationals still have more than three seasons to enjoy the growing greatness that is Bryce Harper. But that may be it and the end is in sight.

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Colombia, ranked 28th in the world, pulled of an enormous upset at the Women's World Cup, beating 3rd-ranked France 2-0 in group play. But the upset might have never happened if not for the referee missing an intentional handball in the penalty area.

After scoring early in the first half, Colombia was protecting a 1-0 lead midway through the second half. France had worked the ball into the penalty area when Colombia midfielder Daniela Montoya knocked the ball away from the France attacker with her hand.

While it wasn't immediately obvious in real time, it was clear that a handball occurred, and it was blatant and intentional.

The big problem here was multifold as the referee was screened out of the play by two players and likely could not see the infraction. In contrast, the assistant referee on the sideline had a clear line of sight, but may have been too far away to know for certain that the hand made contact with the ball as the France player also hit the ball with her head.

There is also the issue with FIFA choosing to use just three officials and not using assistants on the goal lines. That would have been the official who would have had a clean view and would have been close enough to assist on the call.

This would have likely tied the score at 1-1 with the resulting penalty kick and would have changed the entire complexion of the match.

With Colombia ranked 28th in the world, this was the biggest upset in women's soccer since FIFA began ranking women's teams.

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