DeAndre Jordan's decision to back out of an $80 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks at the last minute and re-sign with the Clippers shocked the NBA world, but it might not have affected anyone more than Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons.

Parsons, who shares the same agent as Jordan, became the lead recruiter early in free agency, at one point spending six-straight days with Jordan.

In a tell-all interview with ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Parsons trashed Jordan's decision to back out on the Mavericks, saying he was "shocked, very disappointed, frustrated, disrespected."

"He wasn’t ready for being a franchise player. He was scared," he told ESPN. "He was scared to take the next step in his career."

The whole thing is worth a read, but here are some of the stand-out quotes.

On Jordan's decision to spurn the Mavericks:

"When a man gives you his word and an organization his word, especially when that organization put in so much effort and I walked him through this process and was very, very open and willing to work with him, it’s just very unethical and disrespectful."

On whether the Mavericks could have done anything differently to keep Jordan in Dallas:

"There is nothing more that we could have physically, emotionally possibly done to make him feel more comfortable and to make him stay and sign with Dallas. I guess maybe I could have stayed with him in L.A. or Houston and held his hand throughout the entire process, but I didn’t think that ever I would have to do something like that."

On if the gamble Dallas took by going all-in on Jordan was worth it:

"This was a risk that we were willing to take, and I think it was worth taking. It’s not our fault. We did everything that we could. We had a verbal commitment from a grown-ass man. Like, there’s nothing else that we could have done."

He also called Jordan's refusal to take Mark Cuban's phone calls on Wednesday "unprofessional."

Throughout the interview, Parsons repeats that it isn't personal between him and Jordan and that they'll maintain a friendship, but he'll remain taken back by how Jordan backed out of the deal. He also says he's personally fine, but feels bad for Mark Cuban, who was committed to signing Jordan and making him a centerpiece for Dallas' future.

Read the entire interview here. >

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A veteran caddie for one of the top players in the world was banned from the U.S. Women's Open this week after he was caught taking photos of course setup notes and hole locations, according to Ryan Ballengee of Yahoo! Sports.

Paul Fusco, who is the caddie for No. 10 ranked Sei Young Kim, was caught red-handed by a USGA official inside the rules trailer. He was later confronted on the driving range and escorted off the premises in front of other players, caddies, and fans, according to the report. 

“Quite simply, as you all know, golf is a game of honor and integrity,” USGA official Diana Murphy told the media Wednesday. “Unfortunately we found a caddie who was attempting to get some information that would benefit his player and not the whole field. And there was just no question in our mind that we needed to prevent that from happening to protect the total field this week. So it was a terribly poor judgment on his part.”

Murphy later explained that there was no doubt what Fusco was up to in conveying the situation to Kim.

“We certainly took the time to explain it to the player and to make sure she understood why this was a violation of our policy,” Murphy noted. “The caddie wasn’t allowed in the rules trailer to begin with, certainly not allowed to take pictures of the information that he was taking pictures of, for he and his player’s benefit.”

The 22-year-old Kim finished second at the Women's PGA Championship earlier this year with Fusco as her caddie. Fusco has previously served as a caddie on the PGA for players such as Billy Mayfair, Paul Casey, and K.J. Choi.

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Mark Cuban likely had an emotional moment or two when free agent DeAndre Jordan backed out of his agreement to sign with the Dallas Mavericks and instead re-signed with the Clippers. But when it came time to talk to his front office about the move, he says he was very levelheaded.

Speaking to the graduates of the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program at Southern Methodist University on Thursday, Cuban was asked how he handles a setback like the Jordan situation, and what he says to his people at times like this.

His answer was much more like that of an experienced and composed leader than that of a combative and fiery personality many were probably expecting (via ESPN Radio).

"The conversations that we had today — it's over. There's nothing you can do about it. You think for a second, 'Is there anything I can change?' You think for another second, 'What have I learned so I can do it differently next time?' Then you move forward and say 'What are our options?' I am a big believer you have to re-earn your business every single day. You have to look to see whether or not you need to reinvent your business every day. Because there is someone out there. There is some 8-year-old, 12-year-old going to UT, SMU, all these great things I just talked about, this great talent, they are out there trying to kick your butt. And if I am going to stay ahead, whether it is the NBA or any of my other companies, I have to keep on moving forward. That's the way it is with the Mavericks. We have this big, tall German [Dirk Nowitzki] who is pretty good and he is still around. And we signed Wes Matthews. We have been fortunate to this point in my 15 years there. We have great leadership, a great team, and we are going to keep on moving forward.”

Here is the full video via the CBS affiliate in Dallas. Cuban had a funny reaction to being asked about Jordan, which included, "So, this week on 'Shark Tank'!" and, "Oh, you had to say his name." 

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With the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League around the corner, teams have begun holding scrimmages with rookies, young players, and other roster hopefuls.

D'Angelo Russell, the 19-year-old point guard the Los Angeles Lakers took with the No. 2 pick in a mild surprise, is reportedly already turning heads.

Russell entered the draft as one of the most coveted prospects — a long, tall natural shooter and gifted passer whose game figures to translate well to the NBA, where point guards of his mold often thrive.

Russell's passing in particular is receiving high praise from teammates and coaches.

Head coach Byron Scott said Russell had been wowing teammates with his passing:

Second-year point guard Jordan Clarkson, who will probably compete with Russell for the starting point guard job, told Bill Oram of The Orange County Register: "He can pass the hell out of the ball. He was able to move the ball well and it makes the game a lot easier for everybody. It's good running with him."

Second-year forward Julius Randle said in a post-scrimmage interview that some of Russell's passes "surprised" him:

Yeah, they surprised me. Some of the stuff he made, it surprised me. So, that's gonna be an adjustment, too ... I can catch [his passes], you know, just having that point guard that he's hitting you right on time.

Fellow rookie Anthony Brown raved about Russell:

Special talent. His passing ability, I mean, I haven't seen anything like it in a while. For a 19-year-old, he's very mature, and he's got some special abilities.

In Russell's lone season at Ohio State, he became something of a viral sensation for some of his passes. He has an ability to see a play develop ahead of time:

Russell is also crafty off the dribble, and if he has players moving, he'll often make a pass that nobody sees coming:

The Lakers passed up on taking Jahlil Okafor, widely assumed to be the second-best prospect in the draft, to take Russell. Based on the early returns, it sounds as if Russell may have been the right choice for the Lakers.

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Mexico routed Cuba 6-0 in their Gold Cup Group C opener Thursday in Chicago after Cuba was forced to play without seven players total, as well as their head coach.

Striker Keiler Garcia reportedly defected to the US one day before the match, and six other regular players, along with head coach Raul Gonzalez Triana, weren't able to leave Antigua after their Olympic qualifier due to problems with their visas, according to ProSoccerTalk's Joe Prince-Wright.

Before the match, assistant coach Walter Benitez, who was coaching the team in place of Triana, told Prince-Wright they'll still "manage," despite the frustrating situation.

"Now we have only 16 players because one has gone absent," Benitez said. "We don’t know where he is. The lad who went away was a first-choice player but we’ll manage. We came to play a tournament and we’re going to play it."

While Cuba attempted to manage the situation as best they could, Mexico took advantage of the undermanned team and dominated them in nearly every statistical way possible:

The game was so one-sided that at one point Cuba goalie Disovelis Guerra could only stand still and watch as a beautiful header from Mexico midfielder Andrés Guardado sailed past him:

While Garcia has left the team permanently due to his defection to the US, team officials told ESPN they expect Triana and the six other regular players stuck in Antigua to make it in time for their next match against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. 

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There are major cost-cutting measures underway at ESPN. 

And it should make everyone — yes, everyone: sports leagues, cable companies, advertisers, ESPN employees — nervous.

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, the so-called "Worldwide Leader in Sports," is currently looking to cut $100 million from its 2016 budget and $250 million from 2017. And these cuts are coming from the top: ESPN's parent company, Disney, is demanding savings.

The first thing ESPN has reportedly done to trim costs is save on talent. But Keith Olbermann and Bill Simmons leaving ESPN will not save $250 million in 2017. 

A report from The Wall Street Journal, however, makes it seem like these cuts aren't just about saving money, but are really moves that seem to be made in response to a quick devolution of the company's business model. 

The Journal reports that ESPN has lost 3.2 million subscribers in over a year. Since 2011, ESPN's reach in US households has fallen 7.2% after having nearly 100% of the pay-TV market, or about 100 million households. 

And so things have changed quickly for ESPN. 

ESPN, though ubiquitous in most US homes, is actually an extremely expensive channel for your cable provider to bring to you. According to a Wall Street Journal report from August 2014, ESPN costs about $6.04 per person for a cable provider. 

By comparison, channels like TNT, Fox News, TBS, and NFL Network all cost less than $1.50. And so while channels like HBO and Showtime are considered "premium channels," ESPN is head and shoulders more costly than other channels it is often bundled with. 

Now, given that it is, again, the "Worldwide Leader in Sports," and sports are considered just about the only live TV event that still demands viewers watch, well, live, advertising space on ESPN is coveted. 

But according to The Journal, Disney has chaffed at just how much advertising ESPN is putting on its broadcasts — and how this is eating into cross-promoting other Disney content. 

Via The Journal:

As it trims costs, ESPN is also looking for new ways to boost revenue. In previous years, Disney’s ABC network received four minutes of time to promote its new shows for the fall during each NBA finals game it aired. This year, ESPN, which manages the NBA rights for Disney, cut that amount by about 75% so that it could sell more ads, people with knowledge of the matter said, a move that angered ABC executives.

And so ESPN, which accounts for about 25% of Disney's annual profit, seems to be caught in a pickle: It needs to boost revenue but cut costs. And this all while the price of its most coveted content — live sports — goes through the roof. 

A new NBA deal, announced last October and taking effect as of the 2016-2017 NBA season, will see ESPN's average annual fees to broadcast the league triple — to $1.47 billion from $485 million. In football, ESPN currently pays $1.9 billion a year to broadcast "Monday Night Football" in a deal with the NFL that runs through 2021. 

This is not cheap content. 

But perhaps the most worrying part of the report is the deal ESPN struck last year with Dish Network's new Sling TV service, a streaming-internet-TV service that costs just $20 a month. 

According to The Journal, Disney reached a deal with Dish to cancel its agreement to include ESPN on Sling TV if more than 3 million Nielsen households — or homes that count for the all-important Nielsen ratings — got rid of ESPN after May 2014. 

According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, this threshold has now been crossed.

So now the question is: Will ESPN go it alone, offering something like HBO's "over-the-top" (outside of a traditional cable bundle) HBO Now streaming offering, or figure something else out? 

The economics, at least as The Journal calculates them, are not favorable. 

Per The Journal, ESPN would need to charge $30 a month for an "over-the-top" offering to make the same amount of money it does from traditional cable companies that include the network's channels as part of a bundle. HBO Now, in contrast, charges $15 a month for its new bundle. Netflix costs $8 a month. 

But the existential questions ESPN faces are most pressing not just for the cable industry, but also the advertising industry, the content industry, and the sports leagues themselves. 

Again, outside of live awards shows like the Grammys or Oscars, sports events are one of the only things that companies can more or less count on to be viewed live. This gives everyone — the athletes, the leagues, the TV companies, the cable companies, and advertisers — some sort of leverage when negotiating how much they want to be paid for the event. 

An athlete can demand more salary, a sports league demands higher fees, the TV networks demand higher ad rates, the cable companies demand higher prices from their subscribers (you), the advertisers demand higher fees from clients, and so on. 

These are seriously lucrative events. 

But if we look at how much money was just doled out in two days of NBA free agency — $1.4 billion (!)— and how the NBA's salary cap is expected to explode when new TV money kicks in, the leagues aren't exactly behaving like any major market correction is coming. 

Last year, the Los Angeles Clippers were sold for a whopping $2 billion. And now, a stand-off between the city of Milwaukee and its hometown Milwaukee Bucks franchise over a new arena could see a team that was sold for $550 million two years ago become a more than $1 billion franchise if moved to another city, like Las Vegas, seemingly overnight. 

And so in the NBA, the party is on. 

The NFL, meanwhile, seems to be prepping plans to go global, planting two games in London every year for a decade under a new deal with English soccer club Tottenham Hotspur.

However, under the surface of how the NBA and other US sports leagues are distributed, things are changing, and they are changing in a big way and changing quickly. 

Right now it seems like nothing can stop the NFL's cultural dominance or the NBA's meteoric rise. 

But nothing lasts forever. 

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Manny Pacquiao is set to make $220 million from his fight with Floyd Mayweather. Here are 9 little-known facts about Pacquiao outside of his boxing life. 

Produced by Devan Joseph 

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When it comes to college sports, there are powerhouses and then there's everyone else.

Business Insider has compiled a list of the schools that run the most dominating sports programs in all 50 states.

To create the ranking we used data compiled by Niche for its college rankings, as well as athletic department revenues provided by the NCAA.

A number of factors go into the rankings, with the most weight given to athletics revenue, Niche's NCAA championship score (with more weight given to bigger sports), average home football attendance, average home men's basketball attendance, as well as Niche's student survey responses.

ALABAMA — University of Alabama

2014 athletic department revenue: $152.6 million

Average Home Football Attendance: 101,505

Average Home Men's Basketball Attendance: 11,159 

NCAA Championship Score^*: 30

Student Surveys on Athletics: 4.3 out of 5

Overall Rank among Schools on this list: 1

Visit Niche for more on the University of Alabama

*(Number of NCAA Championships won since 2000 across Division I, II, and III. Eight sports are measured, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's soccer, and hockey. Championships were weighted by division and sport, with Division I getting a 3x multiplier and Division II getting a 2x multiplier. Football and men's basketball received a 3x multiplier, and baseball and hockey received a 2x multiplier. FCS Football was also included but did not receive a multiplier.)

ALASKA — University of Alaska-Anchorage

2014 athletic department revenue: $2.3 million

Average Home Football Attendance: N/A

Average Home Men's Basketball Attendance: N/A 

NCAA Championship Score: 0

Student Surveys on Athletics: N/A 

Overall Rank among Schools on this list: 50

Visit Niche for more on the University of Alaska-Anchorage

ARIZONA — University of Arizona

2014 athletic department revenue: $97.6 million

Average Home Football Attendance: 47,619

Average Home Men's Basketball Attendance: 14,157 

NCAA Championship Score: 15

Student Surveys on Athletics: 3.9 out of 5

Overall Rank among Schools on this list: 16

Visit Niche for more on the University of Arizona

After two starts, Mets pitcher Steven Matz looked like one of the top young pitchers in baseball.

He had a 2-0 record with a 1.32 ERA, .88 WHIP, and a 27% strikeout percentage — impressive numbers for a 24-year-old.

However, after his first start, Matz reportedly complained about stiffness under his left armpit. He was monitored during a bullpen session and cleared for his second start.

After another solid performance, Matz was diagnosed with a torn lat, which will keep him from throwing for at least three weeks. According to the team, Matz was given a platelet-rich plasma injection for the torn muscle, but his recovery depends on how well he responds to it, casting doubt on when he'll actually return.

What's worse is that the Mets and Matz downplayed the stiffness after his first start, with manager Terry Collins saying, "After his last start, he was a little stiffer than we liked. … He’s fine, as you saw. That’s what that first start does to you — all of that adrenaline and trying to overthrow a little bit."

Matz, too, said that once he started throwing, he felt fine. Players, notoriously, downplay injuries and aren't the most trustworthy sources for diagnosing their bodies. 

As CBS's Matt Snyder notes, the Mets have a sketchy history of keeping players healthy, writing:

So forgive the masses for reacting when the Mets announced that Matz has a partially torn lat and that he'll be shut down for three weeks.

The general feeling is something like: OK, will that three weeks actually become six? Will that six turn into the season?

...

So, again, when it comes to a partially torn lat muscle only needing to be shut down for three weeks -- which, one must assume, would mean Matz would need another few weeks to ramp up his throwing program before a return anyway -- there's reason to believe it'll be longer. It's an established track record.

Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond illustrated that injuries to Mets players are usually more significant than they let on:

While the Mets have an overloaded rotation of pitchers and shouldn't be too badly affected by Matz's absence, the injury is step backwards for a young player who looked promising. As Snyder notes, even if Matz can throw again in three weeks, he may need additional time to actually get back up to game speed, and it's not unreasonable to think he'll have to shake off the rust in his first few games back.

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NOW WATCH: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The historic 1996 Chicago Bulls championship team

Kevin Garnett has signed a contract that will keep him with the Minnesota Timberwolves for up to two more seasons, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

As of now, Garnett is only committed to play one season as the contract allows him to move into a management position for the 2016-17 season if he decides not to play.

If Garnett does play both seasons, he will make $16 million, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. That would bring Garnett's career earnings over 22 seasons to $343.4 million, the highest total in NBA history.

Garnett has never been considered one of the five or ten best players of all time and he has won just one championship (in 2008 with the Boston Celtics). However, his contracts have always been one step ahead of the NBA's efforts to limit spending by owners, and it has made him way more money than he would have made if he came into the league a decade later.

And now he is adding to that with a career that will be among the longest ever.

Garnett will turn 40 next season (his 21st in the NBA), which means his NBA career began before a handful of NBA players were born. One of those is his new teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, the first pick in this year's draft, who was born 12 days after Garnett made his NBA debut in 1995.

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Friday morning, I attended the ticker tape parade in honor of the US Women's National Team winning the Women's World Cup last week.

It was awesome. 

There's nothing quite like the enthusiasm of tween girls — and this was a parade made up almost entirely of tween and teen girls.

I really recommend spending time with more teens. I went to the parade for work, but I came away from it really happy about life.

This girl in the picture below, Alex Thiessen, was my favorite person I encountered. She came to the parade from New Jersey with her family. "We're pretty big soccer people," she told me. "I'm really excited to be here today because a lot of my role models play on the team."

"Who's your role model?" I asked.

"Alex Morgan."

There were lots of people from out of town, too. Michelle Bernardi and Denise Rogers brought their sons up from Philadelphia. (The boys, Xavier and Jimmy, play for the Philadelphia soccer club, and were really excited to be there as well.)

There were plenty of people from the city, as well. These girls are from Brooklyn: 

 It wasn't just women, either. There were plenty of men.

These boys, both 15 and from Manhattan, came downtown "to celebrate freedom" and their love of soccer. 

Later, I heard the one on the left, Sam, yell out to no one in particular, "I am freedom incarnate!"

Oh yeah, there was a parade, as well. Not as many selfie sticks as I expected, but several of the US World Cup players turned their backs to the crowd in order to take selfies. Some of them may have needed selfie sticks. 

New York's mayor, Bill de Blasio, rode in a float with player Megan Rapinoe and New York's first lady Chirlane McCray: 

 And then it was over! I'm still smiling! 

SEE ALSO: Here's why it's fair that female athletes make less than men

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Italian cyclist Luca Paolini tested positive for cocaine during the Tour de France, French sports daily L'Equipe first reported on Friday.

He has been thrown out of the race, AFP reported.

It is the first positive doping test of this year's Tour (July 4-26).

Here is the official statement from the UCI, world cycling's governing body:

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that it has notified Italian rider Luca Paolini of an Adverse Analytical Finding of Cocaine (Benzoylecgonine metabolite) in a sample collected in the scope of an in-competition control on 7 July 2015 during the Tour de France.

The rider has the right to request and attend the analysis of the B sample.

In accordance with UCI Anti-doping Rules, the rider has been provisionally suspended until the adjudication of the affair.

At this stage of the procedure, the UCI will not comment any further.

This spring Paolini won the prestigious semi-classic one-day race Gent-Wevelgem.

Last year Paolini was caught using his cellphone during a stage of the Tour de France; he was given a warning.

The 38-year-old Italian is one of the most experienced riders in the pro peloton and widely known as one of the most colorful characters in the sport.

One time during a race he threw his $10,000 bike in view of TV cameras:

More to come.

SEE ALSO: 10 can't-miss movies to see during the Tour de France

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On Saturday, Serena Williams will be heavily favored to win her sixth Wimbledon title and her 21st career Grand Slam championship, which would bring her with one of Steffi Graf's Open Era record (since 1968). What's even more incredible about Williams' run at the record is that she is as dominating as ever and she is doing it in her 30s.

Williams has already won seven Grand Slams since turning 30, more than Graff (0), Chris Evert (2), and Martina Navratilova (3) combined. In fact, only six women in the modern era have won more than seven Grand Slams in their entire career.

Here is how Williams' run in her 30s compares to the other three top Grand Slam winners of the Open Era.

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If it's July we're glued to the Tour de France, and if we're not watching the race live we can still satisfy our passion for two-wheeled action and adventure with new and classic movies about cycling, the Tour, coming of age, deception, romance, and more.

There are dozens of good flicks out there, but here are a handful we're watching this July.

'The Triplets of Belleville' (2003)

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"When her bicycle-enthusiast grandson is kidnapped by mysterious henchmen, an old woman is aided in her search by her faithful dog and three eccentric divas."

Available on Amazon Instant Video

'Davis + Connie' (2014)

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"America’s finest and most inspiring road racers, Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney."

From Rapha.cc

'Clean Spirit' (2014)

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"Amid high-profile scandals of doping among elite cyclists, one team dedicated to racing doping-free competes in the Tour de France."

Available on Netflix

The NBA's free agency period is always a wild beginning to the summer that sees player movement shift the balance of power in the league.

This year was no exception, as we've seen the Cavaliers bring back most of their title contender roster, the Spurs shock everyone by landing LaMarcus Aldridge, and the Clippers and Mavericks battle it out for DeAndre Jordan.

Though some names haven't been signed yet, most of the biggest free agents have gotten new deals.

Here's a look the biggest moves thus far:

• LeBron James re-signed with the Cavaliers for two years, $47 million.
• LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Spurs for four years, ~$80 million. 
• Marc Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies for five years, $110 million.
• Kevin Love re-signed with the Cavaliers for five years, $110 million.
• Kawhi Leonard re-signed with the Spurs for five years, $90 million.
• Jimmy Butler re-signed with the Bulls for five years, $90 million.
• Draymond Green re-signed with the Warriors for five years, $85 million.
• DeAndre Jordan re-signed with the Clippers for four years, $88 million.
• Goran Dragic re-signed with the Heat for four years, $90 million.
• Paul Millsap re-signed with the Hawks for three years, $59 million.
• Dwyane Wade re-signed with the Heat for one year, $20 million.
• Greg Monroe signed with the Bucks for three years, $50 million.
• Tyson Chandler signed with the Suns for four years, $52 million.
• Khris Middleton re-signed with the Bucks for five years, $70 million.
• DeMarre Carroll signed with the Raptors for four years, $60 million. 
• Robin Lopez signed with the Knicks for four years, $54 million.
• Wesley Matthews signed with the Mavericks for four years, $70 million.
• Danny Green re-signed with the Spurs for four years, $45 million.
• Brook Lopez re-signed with the Nets for three years, $60 million. 
• Monta Ellis signed with the Pacers for four years, $44 million.
• Brandon Knight re-signed with the Suns for five years, $70 million.
• Tobias Harris re-signed with the Magic for four years, $65 million.
• Reggie Jackson re-signed with the Pistons for five years, $80 million.
• Lou Williams signed with the Lakers for three years, $21 million.
• Rajon Rondo signed with the Kings for one year, $10 million.
• Iman Shumpert re-signed with the Cavaliers for four years, $40 million.
• Kosta Koufos signed with the Kings for four years, $33 million.
• Paul Pierce signed with the Clippers for three years, $11 million.
• Thaddeus Young re-signed with the Nets for four years, $50 million.
• Arron Afflalo signed with the Knicks for two years, $16 million.
• Amare Stoudemire signed with the Heat for one year, $1.5 million.

Other notable free agents still waiting to be signed:

• Tristan Thompson
• J.R. Smith
• Josh Smith

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NOW WATCH: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The historic 1996 Chicago Bulls championship team

Kobe Bryant recently sat down with Jemele Hill of ESPN for BET's "Genius Talks" series. 

The two discussed a number of topics covering his personal life and career, including his view on failure ("It doesn't exist, it's a figment of your imagination"), friends ("Friends come and go, banners hang forever"), on realizing he was being an "a******" ("Once I learned that, I think we were able to go to a higher level as a team"), and social media ("When people view it as a branding mechanism then I think it becomes a problem").

There was one story in particular that illustrated just how hard he can be on his teammates. Kobe was asked what is the worst thing he ever said to a teammate. After hesitating, an audience member asked if he had ever made a teammate cry.

Kobe quickly acknowledged that he had, and then told a story about a young European player he once made cry:

"I have, I have made somebody cry before. There are certain players I have made cry ... there's one teammate that was just so bad. He was so bad. It wasn't Kwame [Brown]. Kwame actually wasn't that bad. I tease Kwame a lot. It wasn't Smush [Parker]. It was a player you guys won't even remember if I said what his name was. I can't even pronounce his name. It was like some European kid. I don't know. But he was really, really bad. I said, 'You know, dude, you might want to reconsider what your life purpose is. Maybe it's not this.' I was like twenty-something. I don't know, I was really young."

If you want to play amateur detective, there were only two players who played on the Lakers when Kobe was in his teens or 20s who were European, did not have success with the team, and had names some might consider hard to pronounce. One was Sasha Vujacic. He was with the Lakers until 2011 and in the NBA as recently as 2014, so it seems unrealistic that Kobe would struggle with his name. The other is Stanislav Medvedenko, who joined the Lakers as a 21-year-old in 2000 when Kobe was 22 and played in just seven games his rookie year and only started more than ten games in a season once in his seven-year career.

Bryant did acknowledge in the interview that he quickly realized that his comment sounded much worse out loud than he was expecting, saying, "That is not how I envisioned that coming out."

You can see the entire interview here. The comments on making a teammate cry can be heard at the 20:25 mark.

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Novak Djokovic is the current king of tennis.

Djokovic claimed the title of the world's No. 1 player in 2011, and he has rarely relinquished it, falling no lower than No. 2 in the world since then.

Despite the money he has accrued from winnings and his numerous sponsorships, Djokovic isn't as big a spender as some other high-profile athletes. Nonetheless, Djokovic enjoys a sweet lifestyle with numerous hobbies and off-the-court interests.

Here's a look at some of the ways Djokovic makes and spends his money.

Last year Djokovic made $48 million, making him the second-highest-earning tennis player in the world and the 13th-highest-earning athlete.

Source: Forbes

On the court, Djokovic has made over $79 million in career winnings, including $6.9 million in 2015 alone.

Source: ATP World Tour

He makes the real money in endorsements. Last year he made $31 million off the court.

Source: Forbes

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic put on a show over the course of 17 minutes in what is being called the best Wimbledon tiebreaker in 35 years.

Federer lost the first set in a tiebreaker and was in danger of falling down two sets to none. Instead he rallied to win the second-set tiebreaker, fighting off six set points from Djoker and leveling the match at a set apiece.

The tiebreaker got off to a terrible start for Djokovic, who let a return from Federer go. The ball hit the line, giving Fed an early minibreak and 1-0 lead.

Djokovic was able to keep his cool and rallied to win six of the next eight points to take a commanding 6-3 lead in the tiebreaker.

Djokovic suddenly had three set points. It seemed inevitable that he would take a 2-0 lead in the match and take a huge step towards winning his third Wimbledon championship.

Djokovic looked composed and confident.

After fighting off one set point with a devastating first serve Djokovic could not return, Federer won an epic 27-shot rally with the final stroke by Djokovic going long.

Federer tied the tiebreaker at six and celebrated with a subdued fist pump and a quick side-glance at Djokovic. 

The two traded points with Federer fighting off three more set points. Federer fended off one at 9-8 when Djokovic slipped just as a ball whizzed by.

Federer then fought off a final set point 10-9 with Djokovic serving. Federer won the long 16-shot rally when Djoker hit one long by about an inch.

Suddenly, Djokovic looked frazzled.

That was the first of three straight points Federer would win to end the tiebreaker. The final point came on a classic serve-and-volley and the crowd erupted when Djokovic's final stroke hit the net.

It was the longest tiebreaker in a gentlemen's final at Wimbledon since Pete Sampras and Patrick Rafter went 12-10 in the first set in 2000. 

However, to some at least, it was the best Wimbledon tiebreaker since John McEnroe won a crucial fourth set against Bjorn Borg with an 18-16 tiebreaker in 1980.

Unfortunately it was the lone bright spot for Federer as Djokovic won the next two sets easily to win the match and the tournament.

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After a fellow Twitter user made a rude comment about Serena Williams, J.K. Rowling swiftly defended the tennis champion, and her response was absolutely magical.

Serena Williams on Saturday won her sixth Wimbledon championship and 21st Grand Slam title.

In celebration, Harry Potter author Rowling tweeted using the popular hashtag #SerenaSlam, renaming "Grand Slam" in honor of Williams' achievements.

Here's a look at the tweet.

But not everyone on Twitter was as admiring as Rowling. One user responded to Rowling's tweet by saying "she is built like a man."

Rowling defended Williams by tweeting a photo of the tennis player sporting a curve-hugging red dress and killer heels, sarcastically commenting: "Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot."

Here's the response.

Game. Set. Match.

SEE ALSO: Roger Federer's tweets prove he's secretly an emoji pro

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Jordan Spieth raised a lot of eyebrows in the golf world when he decided to play in the John Deere Classic the week before the Open Championship. But so far the decision is paying off.

Spieth won the small Illinois tournament on the second hole of a playoff, his fourth PGA Tour win of the season, and took home a winner's check of $846,000.

A lot of people questioned the decision to play the tournament instead of heading to Scotland with the rest of the world's top golfers. The biggest concern is that Spieth, who has won the first two legs of golf's grand slam, will only have a minimal amount of time to prepare for St. Andrews and the Open.

Geoff Shackleford said he was "perplexed" by the decision calling St. Andrews "the most complicated course on the planet."

"[Spieth] will arrive to the most complicated course on the planet having played it once, with only the opportunity to play two, maybe three practice rounds," wrote Shackleford. "No course on the planet rewards those who learn its intricacies more, which is why I'm perplexed at the decision to play the Deere and risk a late arrival at the Home of Golf with a Grand Slam on the line."

Spieth defended the decision in an interview with the Golf Channel.

"It wasn't hard. It was harder for other people to realize. For me I had committed a long time ago. It's a tournament that's very close to my heart. Not only was it my first win and it launched my career forward, but it was also a place that gave me an exemption when I was in amateur, when I was in college and looking for starts to test my game and find out if I was ready."

But while Spieth will only have a few practice rounds and won't have the benefit of playing the Scottish Open as a warm-up as many other top golfers did, he does head into the third leg of the grand slam red hot.

After struggling with an opening round of even-par at the John Deere, Spieth worked out some kinks and shot 20-under over the next 54 holes. It seemed like Spieth was just having target practice.

Spieth referenced the "momentum" he now has several times in his press conference after the tournament.

"I came here for a reason, and we accomplished that reason, and certainly have some momentum going into next week," said Spieth.

Spieth also told the Golf Channel that he he has been practicing for the Open Championship by playing the St. Andrews course on a simulator at home. While that is certainly not the same as being at the course, it is something players didn't have 20 years ago when there was no substitute for being in Scotland.

It remains to be seen if this will all pay off at the Open. But Spieth is playing with a ton of confidence and he has spent time learning the course. He is also nearly $900,000 richer.

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