All eyes on Phoenix tonight 👀

PRESENTED BY

• The NBA has taken center stage 🔥

• Championship Week Preview 👀

• Le’Veon Bell Spotlight 💡

The NBA takes center stage 🤩

It’s Dame Time

• Damian Lillard had a historic night on Sunday night where he scored 71 points against the Rockets at home.

• He made 22-38 field goals and went 13-22 from three-point range. He was also perfect from the free throw line and went 14-14.

• It was a performance for the ages and was just the second time someone scored over 70 points in a game this year, with Donovan Mitchell doing it first.

• He even got drug tested following the stellar performance.

LeBron’s Injured

• LeBron James went down with a right foot injury on Sunday against the Mavericks. He ended up finishing the game, but it was reported that he will be out for a few weeks due to the injury.

• The news is that the Lakers will reassess LeBron’s injury in two weeks, and Darvin Ham was reported as saying that it’s unlikely he misses the rest of the season.

• This is a big blow for the Lakers because they were looking great with their new look roster and with LeBron out, they could struggle a bit because of how productive he’s been in addition to all those big roster moves.

Durant’s Debut

• Kevin Durant is finally set to make his debut in a Phoenix Suns uniform on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets.

• He had an MCL sprain putting him out since early January. He’s primed to have a HUGE debut as the Hornets have really struggled and just lost LaMelo Ball for the year.

• Kevin Durant is such an x-factor and when you add him to a team like the Suns, expect a ton of fireworks. Wednesday is the first time we get to see this team at it’s potential, so be sure to watch how good this team looks.

OOFOS Supports Human Performance with Active Recovery

Elevate both your game and style with OOFOS Active Recovery - the Official Recovery Footwear Provider of EXOS and the Las Vegas Raiders. OOFOS teams up their proprietary OOfoam™ technology with a patented footbed design that absorbs impact, so your body doesn’t have to – reducing load and stress from the ground up.

See why athletes like QB Derek Carr, Olympic Gold Medalist Ashley Caldwell, goalie Jeremy Swayman, Undisputed Boxing Champion of the World Alycia Baumgardner and others are using OOFOS footwear to recover faster between training and competitions – and take their performance to new heights.

Join the OOFOS rewards program at OOFOS.com to receive instant benefits and stay up to date with the latest athletes, stories, collaborations and product launches from the global leader in Active Recovery footwear. Experience the benefits of OOFOS Active Recovery and feel the OO!

Championship Week Primer 🚨

Starting this weekend, 32 NCAA Tournament bids will be up for grabs with multiple conference tournaments going on, with some having already started.

The Power Conferences don’t get decided until next week, but championship week is shaping up to be huge in terms of matchups and potential seedings in the NCAA Tournament.

Championship week is the first sign that March is here. You get all the craziness plus the single elimination aspect of the postseason.

The most exciting championship tournaments to watch are typically the non-Power conferences, because their NCAA Tournament hopes are decided there with most conferences only get one bid.

My very early Championship Week predictions (Power Conferences) are:

• Big 12: Kansas over Texas

• Big East: UConn over Creighton

• ACC: Miami over Duke

• Pac-12: Arizona over UCLA

• SEC: Alabama over Kentucky

• Big Ten: Purdue over Indiana

These could change, but what do you think? Get excited for the best time of the year in sports and lookout for the first signs of March Madness!

Le’Veon Bell tells all on In Shambles 👀

Le’Veon Bell sat out the ENTIRE 2018 NFL Season due to a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He wanted more guaranteed money and the Steelers wouldn’t budge on giving him the money that he asked for, despite already giving guaranteed money out to positions outside of quarterback, like safety in Troy Polamalu.

Bell said, “They didn’t value me, the way I thought they would.”

He was told the Steelers would take care of him later, but when his turn came, they thought he was asking for too much. But it’s a violent sport that takes a toll on your body, and he was just looking to protect himself long term.

He eventually sat out the entire year in the middle of his prime, which was very unusual for someone who was at least a top-5 running back in the NFL at the time, maybe higher.

When he came back to the league the following year, the New York Jets offered him more money and he played there for the next two seasons.

It’s a scary decision to make to step away from the game in the prime of your career over a contract dispute, in hopes of getting guaranteed money in the future. But we’re seeing more and more players bet on themselves - take Lamar Jackson’s situation with the Baltimore Ravens for example.

Le’Veon Bell wasn’t afraid to take that risk. Watch the full interview from In Shambles to hear more stories from his 10-year NFL career, hot takes about the current state of the game, what he’s doing in the ring now and in the booth rapping! Hit that subscribe button while you’re at it.

• 🤔 The Phoenix Suns are a super team right?

• 😳 Iguodala really called Steph Curry this.

• 😂 Spider-Man’s in trouble here.

• 👀 Brittany Mahomes is really mad about this.

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN THE PLAYMAKER NEWSLETTER?

Fill out this survey and we’ll get back to you soon!

MORE STUFF YOU MIGHT LIKE:

• Playmaker Betting Newsletter - Looking for a fun sports betting read? Say no more. Get informed and entertained at the same time. Subscribe now.

• Playmaker Hoops Basketball Show - Check out the latest episode: Jokić 3X MVP, ROY, Trade Rumors... John Wall for Fred VanVleet!? Lebron Missing Playoffs? Listen now.

• In Shambles Podcast - The HOTTEST sports takes in the game brought to you by Playmaker Garf and Head of Playmaker Talent Manager, Polo Kerber. Watch here.

• The Spew - A comedic interview series hosted by Playmaker Garf with regular guest appearances from big names throughout sports. Check out the latest episode with Lavar Ball. Watch here.

• Pretty Big Plays - A female-led sports podcast hosted by Playmaker Nyrie & Playmaker Treasure. Watch here.

• PlaymakerOP - Overpowered by Playmaker. Follow now.