Tag: skills

Spurs teammates Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul disqualified from NBA All-Star Game skills challenge

San Antonio Spurs stars Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul were disqualified from Saturday night’s All-Star Game festivities after they found a loophole in the skills competition.

The pair were in the field for the competition in which players go through a series of challenges, including bounce passing, chest passing, shots from three different locations on the floor and dribbling.

As they came to the shooting part, Wembanyama and Paul just threw the ball toward the rim in a time-saving tactic.

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San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and guard Chris Paul compete during the skills challenge at the All-Star festivities Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

It didn’t fly.

They were disqualified because the shot attempts were determined to be invalid. Wembanyama, the 7-foot-3 Frenchman who is in his second year in the NBA, said he came up with the idea.

“I don’t regret it. I think it was a good idea,” he said.

Wembanyama and Paul completed the course in 47.9 seconds, the best among the competitors.

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San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul competes during All-Star Saturday night festivities, Feb. 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green said afterward that Wembanyama was asking others if his plan made sense. Green competed with teammate Moses Moody.

“It definitely sucked to see them throwing the ball like that,” Green said. “But what I will say is, Wemby walked around the court asking everybody, ‘Make one or three attempts?’ And Wemby said, ‘Oh, so I can get all three of them up there?’ So, he asked. Now, he may not have asked the right people. But I will say, in Wemby’s defense, he did ask a lot of people.”

Cleveland Cavaliers stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley won the event.

Mobley said he had an idea similar to that of Wembanyama’s time-saving plan. But it was the Spurs teammates who became the talk of the competition.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama competes during the All-Star skills challenge, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

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“We tried something that we thought could win,” Paul said. “To see if we had the best time, so… it was fun.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 16, 2025
US Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser grades his acting skills in upcoming Super Bowl commercial

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Shot putter Ryan Crouser parlayed his record-setting third gold medal into an acting gig.

The USA Olympian became the first person to win three golds in the shot put this past summer in Paris, and now he is set to appear in a Super Bowl commercial next Sunday.

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“For me as a track and field athlete, [I] never would’ve even thought that a Super Bowl commercial could be a possibility. It’s been great,” Crouser said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

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Gold medalist Ryan Crouser of Team USA looks on during the men’s shot put medal ceremony on day 9 of the Olympic Games Paris at Stade de France on August 4, 2024. (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

“I mean, I don’t know how much of an acting career I would call it, because I’m kind of playing myself. But no, it was a really fun shoot, a lot of fun out flying out to L.A. Really just a dream come true, and I’m really excited about it.”

The Michelob Ultra commercial features Crouser, Randy Moss and Sabrina Ionescu playing pickleball. What makes the commercial great, though, is that Crouser wasn’t exactly doing a whole lot of acting while on the court.

“For me, being competitive, it made it pretty easy. The reason I’m good as a professional shot-putter is because I hate losing and [am] competitive by nature,” he said. “They had me lined up against a professional pickleball coach, player, and he was just bringing the heat on these serves. And I was trying to return them. It was a little bit of acting, but it was also pretty genuine.

Ryan Crouser of Team USA reacts during the men’s shot put final on day 8 of the Olympic Games Paris at Stade de France on August 3, 2024. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

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“And I got a $60,000 camera in front of me, so they’re like, “Try to return it, but don’t hit the camera.”

Crouser has partnered with Michelob Ultra for some time now, which he calls a “genuine partnership.”

“They’ve been great. They do a lot to support Team USA, track and field. They’ve been so supportive of me through the Olympics. I don’t drink too much, especially in season, but when I’m out of season, it’s a beer that I tend to drink. What I’m doing 24 hours a day, I have to be accountable as a professional athlete. So a high-quality light beer is something that if I do drink, I can bounce back from the next day and have a quality training day. It’s a true genuine partnership, which always makes it so much easier,” Crouser said.

As for his camera skills, Crouser gave himself a pat on the back.

Ryan Crouser of Team USA competes in the men’s shot put final on day 8 of the Olympic Games Paris at Stade de France on August 3, 2024. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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“I think I did pretty well,” he quipped.

“I’ve played pickleball. It’s a fun weekend activity. As a professional athlete, you have to find that balance between low risk but still fun activities. Nobody wants to be injured, like, skiing as a professional athlete, so pickleball’s a good happy medium. I can see why it’s so popular.”

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February 3, 2025