alec mclarty

#joekissedthebride

[South Carolina Football @GamecockFB]

Today we’re celebrating Cocky’s induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame with a special helmet decal 🤙

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

Keldon Johnson on his role with the @spurs: “I remember a couple years ago, I had a hard conversation with Pop. One morning, we were getting ready to play Dallas, and he pulled me to the side and told me that he thought it would be best for the team if I started coming off the bench. I said, ‘Yeah, of course. Whatever’s best for the team, I’ll do it.’ And I truly meant that, too.

But I’m also just human, man. And I was like 24 years old. If I said that I fully bought into this role from the jump, I’d be lying. I had averaged 22 points in the NBA. I’d won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics. So I just didn’t understand. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And ultimately, I didn’t take it well. I sulked. I let the outside noise affect my play. I didn’t present the best version of myself as I was coming off the bench for the rest of that season. And I knew that I was much better than that.

I’ve been reflecting on that part of my journey a lot lately, with the position we’re in right now.

To backtrack a little bit…. When I was drafted in 2019, that was probably one of the most stressful nights of my life. I’d had a great year at Kentucky, and I thought I was going 9 or 10. In my mind, my floor was 15 to Detroit. The crazy thing is, I didn’t even work out for San Antonio. We talked a little bit on FaceTime, but I honestly didn’t think I’d still be on the board at 19 when the Spurs picked. Definitely not at 29, where I ended up going. I don’t know why I slipped so much, but thank God I did, because I landed at a proven organization with vets who could mold me.

That situation could have gone one of two ways. Thankfully, it went the good way.

Dejounte was young, too, but he knew the ropes better than me, and he made sure that I did everything the right way. I can’t thank him enough to this day for how much he’s helped my career. Same thing with DeMar DeRozan. Those guys really embraced me and took me under their wing as a young guy, and showed me how it was done. I feel like I had such a great group of vets, whether it was LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, Rudy Gay — all those guys went out their way to make sure I was solid. I feel like they knew how good I could be before I even knew how good I could be. They didn’t let me skip any steps, which was huge for my career early on.

And yeah, fast-forward to summer 2024, and I got to thinking back on my first couple years here in San Antonio, and how I could get that spark back, get back to being me. That’s when I started to see the bigger picture. We had picks. There were all these signs that we were building something that was gonna be special, all these bright green flags.

But there was this one red flag.

Me.

In that moment, I had to take a hard look in the mirror. And man, I just got embarrassed. I hated that feeling — the feeling that I had let my vets down, and especially let my younger teammates down.

This organization believed in me since day one, when Pop and our GM at the time R.C. Buford took a leap of faith on a player who was sliding in the draft and didn’t even have a workout at their facility. They had a plan, and I was a big piece of that plan. I just needed to get out of my own way. Period.

I knew that I could either be the person who tries to fight the change, who makes it about them and their ego, and tries to do everything their way (which never really works). Or, I could trust the process. And the Spurs never gave me a reason not to trust it. So I bought into my role, and I put my best foot forward each and every night. Whatever I had to do to be the best version of myself, I did it. And I feel like this season has been a testament to that.

I’m just really at home here. I think that’s probably obvious, right? The cowboy hat isn’t a gimmick. San Antonio is all me. Being a country boy, that’s just a part of who I am. From Huntington Prep to Oak Hill Academy to Kentucky, I feel like I just carried that country boy vibe with me everywhere I went.” https://t.co/WnVP4cXPll

[NBC Olympics & Paralympics @NBCOlympics]

ALYSA LIU'S GOLD-WINNING FREE SKATE ROUTINE! ⭐️ #WinterOlympics

[LaNorris Sellers @LanorriSellers]

🔂

[JC @JoshOnAir]

DO NOT subscribe to the new ESPN stand alone app.

They pulled their channels from YouTube TV to FORCE you to pay for their app.

It’s a scam.

Once again, ESPN ruins everything.

[The Tennis Letter @TheTennisLetter]

The newest Roger Federer Rolex commercial.

Forever iconic.

[Tour Golf (not PGA Tour) @PGATUOR]

Simply majestic 💯

[South Carolina Football @GamecockFB]

A special delivery... 100 years in the making

[The Middle-earth Mixer @MiddleearthMixr]

Again, Oscars are worthless

[Marcelotwelve @MarceloM12]

Forever grateful 💜
#M12

[David Hood @MDavidHood]

The chicken, Sir Big Spur, just did its business on the Tiger paw. The handlers have it on a leash, let it do its business, then walked away.

[lauren @njdlauren]

USMNT fans where and when

[Roy Drones Jr @chiweethedog]

this is a true modern american hero I salute 🫡

[NFL on FOX Presents: Rearview @FOXNFLRearview]

Your 2023 Comeback Player of the Year is @Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, as voted on by NFL on FOX fans

[DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm]

Apollo Creed and Rocky’s iconic training montage.

Rest in Peace Carl Weathers (1948 - 2024)

[Players' Tribune Football @TPTFootball]

Aitana Bonmati: "Sometimes I think that this world is s***. So many people have to leave their homes without wanting to because of war, and they arrive in places like Spain and Italy with no money, no friends and without speaking the language. Some have lost a wife, a kid or a husband. Honestly, it breaks my heart. We know about Ukraine here in Europe because it’s close to us, but there are so many people struggling in all corners of the world. Women in Afghanistan cannot go to university or even leave their home alone, because they are women. How crazy is that?

Tragedies like this make me realise how privileged I am. Last year I began working with the UN Refugee Agency in Spain, ACNUR. They arrange football training in Barcelona for female refugees to give them a support network here and help them integrate. That’s pretty cool, no? I always ask my teammates for spare boots and clothes that they can have. It’s not going to fix the world, but I already think it has improved quite a few lives. For me, that means a lot."

[crazy ass moments in nu metal history @numetal_moment]

Professional wrestler John Cena announces the death of Osama Bin Laden at WWE Extreme Rules in Tampa, Florida (2011)

[Nico @elitetakes_]

This will forever be the craziest throw in NFL history