Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 142 - "The Breaking Barriers Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NFL - - "T.Swift & T. Kelce Get Hitched:" On a swelteringly hot summer day in New York City, an elated coupled tied the know — The glowing bride walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Taylor Swift's iconic "Love Story" and read emotional vows paying tribute to her husband's kind spirit - - The groom, beloved for his charismatic and happy-go-lucky personality, wore a white tuxedo and asked a friend of his to officiate the wedding ceremony: It was, by all accounts, a "traditional" wedding, save for one rather un-traditional component: The bride was none other than the 14-time Grammy Award winner, Swift, herself: On July 3, she and Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said "I do," at Madison Square Garden before an estimated 1,000 guests, which included hundreds of A-list celebrity friends and industry tastemakers — The wedding list, in particular, ran the gamut from actors, such as Brad Pitt, Emma Stone & Tom Hanks, to NFL stars like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski & Chiefs' teammate Patrick Mahomes, to musicians, such as Sabrina Carpenter, Miranda Lambert and members of Swift's band & Eras' Tour dancers - - And though Swift has long been known for having a close group of friends within her inner circle, she and Kelce elected to skip a customary bridal party - instead, the singer's brother Austin, 34, served as her Man of Honor, while Kelce's brother Jason, 38, served as his best man - - Actor & renowned comedian Adam Sandler, a childhood hero and recent costar of Kelce's athlete cameo in the film Happy Gilmore 2, officiated the ceremony, and Kelce & Swift, both aged 36, exchanged vows they wrote themselves (Sandler's best advice to the newlyweds?: "Keep kissing," according to Chiefs HC Andy Reid) - - As the couple prepared for their big day, so did The Big Apple, a place that's long been special to Swift, who actually owns an apartment in the Tribeca neighborhood - - Dozens of vendors and staffers were seen heading in & out of MSG in the days leading up to the wedding as they worked around the clock to prep the venue, and revamping the Garden into. .well, "a garden" was likely no small feat, according to the celebrity event designer Edward Perotti: Calling the transformations a "Herculean effort," Perotti - who has created events for A-list stars like Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas among others - estimated that the cost of renting the venue at $1 million per day, and when totaled, this placed the wedding price tag somewhere in the vicinity of $35 million to $50 million - - Shortly after the wedding ceremony, Swift's mom, Andrea, invited everyone into a reception room, where a large stage was set up for musical performances - and what a FLEX it was to be able to say that Stevie Nicks [of Fleetwood Mac] and Paul McCartney - performed at your wedding reception - - Following their three-year relationship, Kelce has not only become the pop star's husband, but her muse, as well, as much of her most recent record-shattering album, The Life of a Showgirl, was inspired by their relationship. . .Q: What is your thought on the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift wedding at Madison Square Garden? And, despite the significant disparity in total net worth (i.e., Kelce w/ an estimated net worth of $90 to $100 million, while Swift has an estimated net worth of $2 billion), do you think Travis Kelce ever allows Taylor Swift to pay for any of their meals at restaurants? If you were in his shoes, would you allow your billionaire wife "pick up the check?". . . - NBA - - The Sacramento Kings have waived DeMar DeRozan, the team announced on Monday, making the six-time NBA All-Star one of the top free agents on the NBA market - - DeRozan had a partial guarantee on his contract for next season, but he and Sacramento negotiated his release, allowing him to hit free agency and potentially sign with a new team - - Multiple contenders are expected to share mutual interest in the veteran guard, including the leftover suitors that eventually strike out on their current pursuit of LeBron James - - The Los Angeles Lakers, however, won't be one of them as they are not considered a potential landing spot for the Southern California native, according to multiple league sources - - DeRozan was a cap casualty for a rebuilding Kings franchise that desperately needed to trim money, as only $10 million of his $25.7 million contract for next season was fully guaranteed - - DeRozan, who will turn 37 in August, continued to prove his worth on the court this past season as one of the most reliable scorers in the league in his 17^th NBA season, in which he averaged 18.4 points on nearly 50% shooting for the Kings - he also appeared in all but five (5) games, continuing a career-long trend of availability - as he appeared in at least 70 games in each of the past five (5) regular seasons. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Sacramento Kings waiving six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan on Monday? What are a few potential landing destinations for DeRozan to play in his upcoming 18^th season in the league?. . .The New York Knicks have their Mitchell Robinson replacement: The reigning NBA champions have agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million contract with veteran big man Andre Drummond, according to ESPN's Shams Charania - as Drummond figures to work as the team's backup center behind starter Karl-Anthony Towns - - The deal is New York's answer to the only major departure from their championship squad, as Robinson's rebounding and interior defense were invaluable off the bench - and fortunately for Robinson, it was this package that earned him a three-year, $47.4 million payday with the Boston Celtics - - In Drummond, the Knicks get a player who is four (4) years older, but has a game fairly similar to Robinson's -- **NOTE: Drummond did make 35.6% of a career-high 90 3-point attempts last season, whereas Robinson has NEVER attempted a single 3-pointer in an NBA game - - Instead, both men make their money off crashing the boards, and Drummond - even at the age of 32 - still rebounds at an elite rate, however, he is a step behind on defense, but those are the sacrifices made when one player costs $15.8 million per year and the other costs $3.9 million - - The Knicks will be Drummond's seventh career franchise after two seasons in Philadelphia, where he backed up Joel Embiid. . ."The LeBron James Sweepstakes:" LeBron James is, by far, the biggest & most polarizing name on the free agent market, as he contemplates where he'll spend his 24th NBA season after announcing that he will not re-sign for the Los Angeles Lakers following eight (8) years in L.A. - - When James announced that he was hitting free agency, the quickly speculated short list of suitors included the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat - two teams he's starred for in the past and one that presents him with the chance to play alongside his good friend & longtime rival, Stephen Curry - - However, James and his agent, Rich Paul, have been abundantly clear that they're willing to hear pitches from everyone around the league and that, in the right situation, a veteran minimum deal is not out of the question - - On Friday [7/3], Paul put out a new episode of his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman, for which he revealed a list of 10 teams on a whiteboard for James' next potential destination; this list included the following teams: the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs - and he also outlined what he saw as the 'pros' and 'cons' of each potential destination - - All of James' free agencies have been different but carry some of the same fundamentals - as James routinely kept his circle tight and his choice private in 2010, 2014 and 2018, and successfully controlled the release of his decision — But historically, teammates, friends and business partners had a feel for what he might do based on vibes, not intel — The same seems to be taking place this offseason: Teams pitching James have reported mostly one-way communication, whereas James' recent walk down memory lane with his 2016 Cavs' teammates and spending extra time in Akron this summer have definitely contributed to the notion that he might be leaning toward a return home to Cleveland - - Naturally, teams hoping to secure James' services have noticed - - But while there is a "vibe" pointing toward the Cavs, coming off their best non-LeBron season in more than 30 years and signing Donovan Mitchell to a four-year maximum contract extension, other teams are not counting themselves out - - The Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers each believe they have a compelling case, per sources, but per ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat & Cleveland Cavaliers seem to be the frontrunners in the race to sign LeBron James during NBA free agency. . .Q: Which NBA franchise does LeBron James sign with in 2026 NBA free agency?. . ."Out Like I'm [mike] Lowry:" Kyle Lowry delivered on his final promise as a player: he long vowed to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors so he could retire as a member of that franchise — And on Tuesday [7/7], he made it happen: Lowry - one of 12 ...