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Good Morning,
With a championship on the line in Game 6, the Greek Freak delivered one of the
most iconic performances in NBA Finals history. At 26 years old, Giannis
Antetokounmpo's greatness is only just beginning…
Letter Rip!
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NBA FINALS 
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50-Piece Finale: Giannis, Bucks Win NBA Title
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Photo: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Scores 50 Points in Finals-Clinching Game 6, Breaks Bucks’
50-Year Championship Drought
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The Milwaukee Bucks are NBA champions! After falling down 2-0 to the Phoenix
Suns in the NBA Finals, the Bucks won four straight games culminating in a Game
6 celebration (105-98) that halts a 50-year championship drought (1971). The
reigning two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, reached a new level of stardom by
adding two achievements to his resume on Tuesday night — a 50-point Finals
performance and his first NBA title. With 17,000 fans inside Fiserv Forum and
65,000
outside in the Deer
District
starving
for a title, Milwaukee is once again a city of champions.
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How Game 6 Was Won
The Bucks stepped on the Suns early in Game 6, taking a 13-point lead by the end
of the first quarter. Phoenix rallied fast, outscoring Milwaukee by 18 in Q2 to
take a five-point halftime lead. The Bucks regained the advantage late in the
third and never surrendered, staving off countless, last-ditch efforts to force
a Game 7 by Chris Paul (26 pts) and Devin Booker (19 pts). A dagger from Khris
Middleton pushed the lead back to six (102-96) with just 57 seconds left before
a free-throw-filled finish, including one last shot from Giannis for the
50-piece.
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Watch Highlights: Giannis
Scores 50 in Title-Clinching Win
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NBA Finals Facts & Storylines
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Milwaukee’s 50-Year Wait
The Bucks raised their first Larry O’Brien trophy since 1971 when they beat the
Washington Bullets in four games with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
Tuesday night’s win ended the fourth-longest active title drought in the NBA.
Only the Kings (71 years), Hawks (63 years) and Suns (53 years) have waited
longer.
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2021 NBA Finals MVP: Giannis
Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak became the seventh player in NBA history with a 50-point game in
the NBA Finals, and just the second ever to do it in a series-clincher. Giannis
had three 40-plus performances in the Finals, including 42 points in Game 2 and
41 points in Game 3 before Tuesday's historic 50-ball. He signed a five-year,
$228 million contract extension with the Bucks just a few days before the season
began. Now, the two-time MVP is an NBA champion and Finals MVP.
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Giannis in Game 6
50 Points (16-25, FGs | 17-19, FTs), 14 Rebounds, 5 Blocks
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Giannis' Postgame Press Conference
“Eight years ago, before I
came into the
league, I didn't know where my next
meal would come from. My mom was selling stuff in the street. And now I'm
here
sitting on the top of the top. I'm extremely blessed... If I never have the
chance to sit at this table ever again, I'm fine with it. But I hope this
can
give everybody around the world hope, and allow them to believe in their
dreams." — Giannis
Antetokounmpo
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Fun Fact: All three Antetokounmpo
brothers won rings in the last 10 months —
Kostas (Lakers), Thanasis (Bucks) and Giannis (Bucks).
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Antetokounmpo’s Elite Company
Giannis is just the ninth player in NBA history to win multiple MVPs and a
Finals MVP. That list includes: Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson,
LeBron James, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and Tim Duncan. And
he's only 26 years old.
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Even Rarer Air
Want one better? Giannis is just the second player in NBA history to win MVP,
Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP. The other is
Michael Jordan. Again, he's 26 years old.
That’ll do it for the 2020-21 NBA season. Stay tuned for the NBA Draft (July 29)
and Free Agency (Aug. 2) as well as Team USA basketball coverage in the
Olympics.
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Additional
Storylines
Yahoo! Sports: Cheer
the Deer:
Giannis’ Signature
Performance Secures Title
B/R: NBA
Stars Praise Giannis’ Greatness on Social Media
SI: Bucks’
Championship Marks Satisfying End to Challenging NBA Season
The Ringer: The
Bucks Have Their Savior, And Their First NBA Championship in 50 Years
Sporting News: Twitter
Wonders if History Between Chris Paul and Official Scott Foster Affected NBA
Finals Outcome
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 Reader
Poll
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Bucks in 6 
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The Sportsletter Team has done it again. Just over half of you correctly picked
the Bucks in 6 in yesterday’s NBA Finals poll. Collectively, you’re 12-for-13 as
a group in 2021 pick ’ems (and this was a three-option question). Keep it up!
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Bucks in 6: 50%
Bucks in 7: 18%
Suns in 7: 32%
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NFL
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Rodgers Rate: It's Not About the Bag 
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Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images
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Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Turns Down Massive Extension With Green Bay
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There’s another chapter in the Aaron Rodgers saga, and it’s not good news for
Packers fans. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Rodgers
turned down a lucrative contract offer that would’ve tied the MVP to
Green Bay through 2025 and made him the highest-paid player in the NFL. The
37-year-old remains firm in not reporting to the team due to philosophical
issues with GM Brian Gutekunst. It’s still uncertain whether Rodgers will break
and join the team for training camp later this month to fulfill the final year
of his current 4-year deal. He can then leave Green Bay as a free agent in 2022.
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Editor’s Note: The report that claims
the Packers were willing to make Rodgers the “highest-paid player in the NFL”
means he would’ve made more than $45 million per year (Patrick Mahomes).
Rodgers’ current salary is $33.5 million.
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Another day, another gut-wrenching headline for the Green Bay Packers.
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Fun Fact: Aaron Rodgers is part owner of
the Milwaukee Bucks. Even in his holdout, he's winning championships.
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Additional Storylines
FOX Sports: The
Rodgers Latest: A Historic Contract Snub?
NBC Sports: Aaron
Rodgers Has Turned Down a Contract Extension, But Details
Remain Unknown
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MLB
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The Pennant Races Heat Up 
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Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
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MLB's Top Teams are Deadlocked Entering the Final 3rd of the Season
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As we turn our focus to Tokyo this week, there’s one major American sport that
won't be taking a break for the Olympics… Major League Baseball. A year removed
from the shortened 60-game season, the league is pacing through the 162-game
slate, but no team has distanced themselves from the pack. Even the top teams in
baseball are flirting with a .500 record in the month of July. A whopping nine
teams — five AL and four NL — are in a dead heat for the division pennant.
They’re separated by roughly five games, which means this year’s 10-team playoff
could be a doozy. Let’s take a look at the pennant races with two months until
the postseason.
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AL Leaders
White Sox (58-37)
Astros (58-38)
Red Sox (57-38)
Rays (56-39)
Athletics (54-42)
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NL Leaders
*Dodgers (59-36)
Giants (58-35)
Brewers (56-40)
Padres (55-42)
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"Highlist of the Night: Walk-Off
Will Smith!
The Dodgers took the top spot in the National League from the Giants with a
walk-off 3-run homer off the bat of pinch-hitter Will Smith (8-6).
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Additional Storylines
SI: MLB
Power Rankings: Yankees & White Sox Are Climbing, And the Mariners Are
Somehow Sticking Around
ESPN: ‘It’s
All Up in the Air’: How MLB All-Stars are Dealing With Trade
Deadline
Uncertainty
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THE STORYLINES
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Bucs
at the White House
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
visited the White
House on Tuesday to celebrate their Super Bowl win over the Kansas City
Chiefs, and Tom Brady had a few jokes for President Biden. "Not a lot of
people think that we could have won… In fact, I think about 40% of the
people still don't think we won." (Yahoo! Sports)
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The
“Ungodly Numbers” Behind NIL
Alabama coach Nick Saban hasn't officially
named Bryce Young the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback, and yet Saban
says that Young is already approaching $1 million in endorsement deals. “And
it’s like, the guy hasn’t even played yet… But that’s because of our
brand.” (ESPN)
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USWNT
Lights the Torch
Following a 12-month delay due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics finally get underway for the U.S. women’s
soccer team Wednesday, when the world No. 1 Americans take on Sweden, FIFA’s
fifth-ranked squad, in both countries’ first group-stage match. (FOX Sports)
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 Today's Schedule
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The Must-Watch List
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In the aftermath of the NBA Finals, our focus shifts to Tokyo. Even though the
Opening Ceremony doesn’t officially light the flame until Friday, the events
kicked off this morning (overnight). Here’s what we’re watching — or stayed up
to watch — on this glorious Wednesday.
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Olympics (Women’s
Soccer)
USA vs. Sweden (4:30 am ET)
Full
List of Women’s Soccer Matches
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Olympics (Softball)
USA vs. Italy (11:00 pm ET) *Last Night
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NHL
Expansion Draft
Seattle Kraken (8:00 pm ET)
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*Olympic schedules reflect accurate start times, but games will air later in the
day for viewers in the United States. Please check your streaming service or TV
provider for televised broadcast times.
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The headlines
