Anime isn’t just for nerds

Joel Embiid proved once again last night why he’s the most interesting man in the NBA, watching anime on the court while getting worked on by a trainer. (Several people have pointed out that he was watching Dragon Ball GT.)

The enigmatic Embiid isn’t alone in his admiration of Japanese cartoons. At the start of last NBA season, Thunder big man Steven Adams said he skipped watching the Warriors’ first game with Kevin Durant in favor of some “Japanese anime, man.”

(Adams’s pronunciation of “Japanese anime” in that clip is one of my favorite recurring bits on the great podcast Real Good Show.)

NBA player Johnny O’Bryant is a big enough anime fan that he launched his own manga company. (Please do not send me pedantic emails about the difference between anime and manga.)

NFL players are also totally in on the trend, as this NFL.com story from last year lays out. My favorite fun fact of the NFL draft was easily this one on UTSA pass rusher and Saints first-rounder Marcus Davenport.

What the hell are you doing, Tom?

Tom Brady appeared last night at some conference in Los Angeles and was interviewed by his personal interviewer, Jim Gray, who asked Brady if he felt appreciated by the Patriots.

Brady’s response: “I plead the fifth.”

That’s not a good answer! He did chuckle, so it’s plausible he was joking, but he certainly didn’t go out of his way to indicate he was kidding. Maybe there really was something to that weird Adam Schefter report last week that Brady was on the fence about playing in 2018.

How exactly does Brady want the Pats to show he’s more appreciated? Jimmy Garoppolo and Malcolm Butler certainly weren’t appreciated. I don’t know how there could possibly be a bigger sign of appreciation than rolling into the season with either Brian Hoyer or seventh-round rookie Danny Etling as the backup to a 41-year-old quarterback.

Anyway, the Patriots are going 9–7 next year.

The NBA needs more of this

There has always been plenty of beef in the NBA, but it’s always between star players. What the league needs now is for backups to start getting spicy, like Terry Rozier.

Rozier had Eric Bledsoe’s number in the first round against the Bucks, harassing him on defense and punishing him on offense. After the first game of the series, Rozier inadvertently referred to Bledsoe as ”Drew”—as in the former NFL quarterback—and Bledsoe responded after Game 2 by saying he didn’t even know who Rozier was. It was a good feud, as first-round feuds go, and the two appeared to have buried the hatchet after the series was over.

Or not. Check out what Rozier wore to the Celtics’ first game of the second round.

Bits & Pieces

I don’t know how much I believe this but Page Six says Matt Harvey was “stumbling around” at a Los Angeles restaurant opening the night before giving up a homer in relief against the Padres, three hours away in San Diego. ... If you don’t know the name Josh Hader, learn it. Hader earned an eight-out save for the Brewers last night, recording all eight outs via strikeout. No one has ever done that. ... A soccer fan in Argentina had to give his jersey to a player so the game could go on. ... I probably could have guessed that Pete Rose drives a Rolls Royce with a “HIT KING” license plate. ... The story of a man who built an armored bulldozer and started demolishing buildings is being turned into a documentary. ... Here’s an uplifting story about former NFL running back Isaiah Pead, who lost most of his left leg in a car accident.

20 Years Ago Today

The classic movie He Got Game was released on this day in 1998, which is as good an excuse as any to revisit SI’s gallery of rare Ray Allen photos.

Rare Photos of Ray Allen 27 Gallery 27 Images

(Click here for the full-size gallery.)

That’s dedication

Yeah, about that...

The Sharks attempted a whiteout last night for Game 3 against Vegas, except for sections of blue shirts behind the goals that spelled out “Nighty Knight.”

So much for that. The Golden Knights won in overtime on this absolute snipe by William Karlsson.

Nooooooooppppppeeeee.

You’re not gonna get away with that

Red Wings prospect Givani Smith, playing junior hockey in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, was suspended for last night’s Game 7 against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for flipping off the opposing bench after avoiding elimination in Game 6. Here’s an insanely grainy video of it:

Givani was second on the team in goals this postseason. Kitchener lost in overtime and Soo will play in the OHL final against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

We’re still arguing about this?

(For those of you who don’t get the backstory.)

Every angle of the funniest wrestling moment of the year

The secret to making sports sound good

A good song

Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or ping me on Twitter. Click here for previous editions of Hot Clicks. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.