Brittney Griner Makes Home Debut in Emotional Return to Phoenix
The WNBA is back. Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury returned to the Footprint Center during the W’s opening weekend. Griner dropped 27 points and posted 10 rebounds, but the Mercury could not hold onto the win against the Chicago Sky, 75-69. The Mercury welcomed Griner back following her Russian detention with an emotional video collage, set to Diddy and Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home.” “It was emotional in the back, just hearing, seeing some of the clips and then coming out,” Griner said in a post-game interview, “It was really good. Part of the process of healing is just kind of letting it out. So, yeah, nah, I got choked up a little bit.”
Brooks Koepka Secures PGA Title and $3.1M Top Payout
This weekend’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill featured a whole lot of LIV golfers at the top of the leaderboard. Brooks Koepka finished with a final round of three under to put him at nine under overall to take home the title. This year’s prize pot was worth $17.5 million, including a $3.15 million check for the champ. Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland shared the second-place honors at five under par. Koepka’s fellow LIV golfer, Bryson DeChambeau, came in tied for fourth at three under after holding the top spot in the opening rounds.
Gayle King, CJ McCollum Among Athletes and Entertainers Taking over Commencement Stages
This past weekend, thousands of graduates crossed the stage and threw their caps in celebration. Around the country, athletes and entertainers are joining the festivities as featured speakers, honorary degree recipients, and, in some cases, graduates themselves. Gayle King took the stage at her alma mater, The University of Maryland. Elsewhere, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum spoke at his alma mater, Lehigh, on Sunday afternoon.
Boardroom breaks down some of the biggest names taking part in commencements this year.
Meta Gets Hit with $1.3B Fine in the EU
Meta recently celebrated its strongest quarter in a year. Unfortunately for the big tech company, the time to revel in the success was short. The Irish Data Protection Commission slapped Meta with a $1.3 billion fine for transferring user data to the United States. As part of the ruling, Meta will have to cease transferring participant data within the next five months. In response, Meta has already expressed that it plans to appeal the ruling.
Idris Elba Dives into the Music Business for New Doc
Idris Elba is taking his talents behind the scenes. The British actor – and sometimes musician – announced his role as a producer of the upcoming three-part documentary series Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback. The movie looks at how the industry has suppressed the recognition that Black creators deserve for their roles in some of music’s most important moments. Elba’s wife, Sabrina, is also a producer along with her Pink Towel production company.
‘Fast X’ Races to a Massive Global Opener
The 10th installment of the Fast and the Furious series is in theaters. Jason Momoa joins the cast of Fast X, which took in $67.5 million domestically in its opening weekend. However, the series’ global reach is massive, as it locked in $319 million in ticket sales around the world. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dipped to second in the box office charts, taking in $32 million and increasing its global total to $659.1 million thus far.