Page 25 - 6-3-16 Friday's Edition

Sports
Jameis Winston Shows
Kam Chancellor Gives Allen Iverson A Seahawks Jersey At Celebrity Hoops Game
ALLEN IVERSON
Over the weekend, Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chan- cellor hosted "Bam Bam's Spring Jam" in Norfolk, Va., to raise money for his foundation.
The festivities included a celebrity basketball game. Allen Iverson served as one of the coaches, and participants included Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Bran- don Browner, Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Vick. And Chancellor, who played basketball in high school, showed he can still get up.
Chancellor was born in Norfolk and attended Maury High School. He's entering his seventh season with the Sea- hawks and has made the Pro Bowl four times.
Former Eagles DB Walter Thurmond Retiring At 28
WALTER THURMOND
After six NFL seasons, for- mer Philadelphia Eagles defen- sive back Walter Thurmond made it official Tuesday that he will retire from the NFL at age 28.
Thurmond confirmed the news in a text message to the Philadelphia Daily News after ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported earlier in the day that Thurmond was hanging up his cleats for good.
Thurmond has told people close to him that he doesn't want to play football any longer and he wants to pursue other opportunities, the source told Schefter.
Thurmond has been on three teams in the past three seasons and has played three positions: cornerback, slot cor- ner and safety.
The Eagles signed Thur- mond to a one-year, $3.25 mil- lion contract last year with the expectation that he would com- pete for a cornerback job. After the draft didn't produce a re- placement for departed free agent Nate Allen, the coaches asked Thurmond if he would move to safety.
Thurmond wound up starting all 16 games, a first for him in his sixth NFL season. He intercepted three passes, forced two fumbles and recovered one, returning it for a touchdown.
Warriors Open In Vegas As Clear Favorites Over Cavaliers
Dedication, Has Dropped A Lot Of Weight
In a much-anticipated re- match with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors are clear favorites in Las Vegas to win their second consecutive NBA title.
After finishing off a re- markable comeback from being down 3 games to 1 in the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State opened as a -185 favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas Su- perBook on Monday night, with the Cavaliers a +165 un- derdog.
By early Tuesday morning, money had come in on Golden State, pushing it to - 210 and Cleveland to +180.
At William Hill US, Golden State opened as a -250 fa- vorite with Cleveland at +210; the series price remained the
One of the many, many rea- sons the NFL draft is an inex- act science is that teams can't know for sure which players will put in the work to be great.
It's hard to predict what a 22-year-old will do once he's given a few million dollars.
It's especially true at quar- terback. NFL quarterback isn't a full-time job; it's two full-time jobs. It's simple: Ei- ther you immerse yourself in being an NFL quarterback or your odds of succeeding plummet.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Win- ston, who came into the draft with plenty of question marks, appears to get it.
NFL offseason stories are always tough to gauge because everyone is in the best shape of his life and everyone is working harder than ever. But every story about Winston has a common theme: He's dedicated to being a great quarterback.
The latest is from ESPN's Britt McHenry, who wrote a detailed piece about Win- ston getting in better shape. He looked out of shape for an
JAMEIS WINSTON
NFL quarterback last year, but that has changed. This off- season he has been working with trainer Tim Grover, who is most famous for his work with Michael Jordan, and Winston has dropped 18 pounds. He has changed his diet and workout routine. The story said he's still about 5 pounds from his goal weight of 225-229.
Winston, the No. 1 pick of last year's draft, played well as a rookie and all the signs are positive going into his second year.
"I wanted to have a plan, and I didn't want there to be any excuse for any decline," Winston told ESPN.
"It's just crazy for a guy so young," Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans said of Win- ston, to ESPN. "It's amazing; I've never seen a work ethic like his yet.
In the title rematch with Kyrie Irving and the Cavs, Steph Curry and the War- riors open as the favorites in Vegas.
same on Tuesday morning. Last June, Cleveland opened as the 9-4 favorite to win the 2015-16 title, with
Golden State at 5-1.
The Warriors are consen-
sus 5.5-point favorites for Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night (9 ET, ABC).
Kevin Durant Says He'll Take Time To Ponder Free-Agency Plans
In the wake of the Okla- homa City Thunder's Game 7 loss in the Western Confer- ence finals, pending free- agent superstar Kevin Durant said he had yet to begin pondering his decision.
"I mean, we just lost like 30 minutes ago, so I haven't even thought about it," Durant said during his news confer- ence after OKC's 96-88 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. "I'm just em- bracing my teammates and just reflecting on the season. I'll think about that stuff, I don't know when. But we just lost an hour ago, 30 minutes ago, so I don't know."
Durant, 27, a seven-time All-Star who has spent his en- tire nine-year career with the same organization, will be one of the most highly sought-after free agents in NBA history this summer.
KEVIN DURANT
With the salary cap soar- ing, the majority of the league will be able to offer Durant a maximum contract with a starting salary of $25.9 mil- lion, with the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs among his many potential suitors.
Durant could sign a five- year contract worth a pro- jected $149 million if he opts to return to Oklahoma City this summer. His max con- tract if he leaves for another team would be a projected $111 million over four years.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016