Sports

Imagine the disappointment that Wilson must have felt when months into developing a new racket for Roger Federer to extend his career into his 40s, the great champion announced he was retiring from competitive tennis. "We thought it was over," said Michael Schaeffer, global product director for racquet sports at Wilson. And yet there he was two years later at the East Hampton Tennis Club on Long Island, rallying back and forth with Federer as the two explained the process behind designing the new signature RF rackets to media from HYPEBEAST and Forbes.To Schaeffer's surprise, only a few days after the retirement message that shook the sporting world, Federer made clear his intention to continue developing the new product. Such is the commitment of Roger to his friends, sponsors and the fut...

The locker Kobe Bryant personally used at the Staples Center has sold at auction for $2.9 million USD.Sotheby's confirmed the sale and revealed that it is now the most valuable sports locker to sell at auction and the third-most expensive in a Kobe Bryant memorabilia auction. The locker, which arrives with photograph documentation spanning from the 2003-2004 NBA season to 2015-2016 NBA season, was estimated to sell from $1 million USD to $1.5 million USD, but jumped to its final auction price after four bidders gave their calls over a 20-minute bidding battle.Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collectables, said, “Kobe Bryant's locker is not merely a piece of memorabilia but a profound relic from one of basketball's most iconic figures. Today's price highlights not only Kobe's endurin...

London is filled to the brim with football clubs, both at the amateur level, all the way up to the Premier League with 17 professional sides — over half as many teams as in the MLS. Arguably none, however, have the support and fandom on a global scale as Arsenal FC. It’s been roughly 20 years now since the proud North London side has won the league, but the club has reemerged as a powerhouse, domestically and in Europe. And the fervor with the fans couldn’t be any stronger. A proud Gooner doesn’t even have to travel to the Emirates to feel the roar. “Every time we come here, I’m blown away seeing how full the stadium is,” Adam Gardiner, Arsenal’s marketing director, tells Hypebeast before the club took on Manchester United in Los Angeles during its ongoing U.S. Tour. “Our American supporte...

NBA games will soon be available to stream across Comcast and Disney networks, along with Amazon. The league has inked a new coverage deal with the three companies that will bring in $76 billion USD over the next 11 years.NBA had rejected an offer from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), a current streaming partner under its TNT banner, in favor of Amazon. WBD sued the NBA on Friday for what it called the “unjustified rejection of [a] matching of a third-party offer” of 1.8 billion USD a year. The NBA is countering with the argument that Amazon has a greater digital reach.It’s now been revealed that the judge who will preside over WBD’s suit previously worked as a partner on a case against the NBA, according to Front Office Sports. In 2014, Justice Joel M. Cohen represented the Silna brothers, t...

ICYMI, Carlos Sainz is officially going to Williams' F1 team. After four years at Ferrari, th 29-year-old makes a move to the British team after losing his seat to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.It has been no surprise that Sainz has been shopping for a new home since the announcement. Williams beats out other suitors like Sauber/Audi and Alpine to race for the team for 2025 and 2026. In a statement, Sainz said, "I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards. It is no secret that this year’s driver market has been exceptionally complex for various reasons and that it has taken me some time to announce my decision." He added, "However, I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey and I am extremely pr...

Blue might be one the furthest colors associated with Manchester United, but some of the club’s most cherished moments have come in its alternate strip. Who could forget when Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh off winning his first UEFA Champions League title, hammered a 40-yard free kick against Arsenal at the Emirates in 2009 to jettison United back into the final. Off the pitch, United’s famed 1990 away shirt, featuring a bold snowflake pattern, has become arguably one of the most coveted football shirts of any club, easily fetching hundreds on the aftermarket. Dialing the clocks back to 1968, United won its first ever Champions League final in a 4-1 rout of Benfica, led by the late Sir Bobby Charlton in a royal blue strip with the club’s coat of arms at left chest, setting the stage for the pedi...

Diehard tennis fans will be able to flip through 336 pages of photographs from Roger Federer’s life and career. The former pro, who retired in 2022, is the subject of a visual biography from Assouline, succinctly titled Federer.Produced in collaboration with Federer himself and his wife Mirka and authored by sports journalist Doris Henkel, the book was compiled over the course of two years. Along with shots of the player on the court, it also offers a look into private moments in his home life.The photographs included in the title span never-before-scene shots, memorabilia from Federer’s childhood and photos taken by Roger and Mirka Federer firsthand. Throughout the book, the player adds insight to select visual moments with handwritten notes.Slated to release in September, Federer is curr...

Pharrell is the latest guest to grace the Olympic Opening Ceremony, surprising viewers by stepping in the torch-bearing procession.Skateboard P hopped on for the final stretch of the torch's trek as the last torch-bearer. He walked the torch to the top of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, signaling the start of the 2024 Olympics. After completing the major cultural moment and officially kicking off the Paris Games, Pharrell put the extinguished sleek-looking torch – designed by Mathieu Lehanneur – back in its casing.Not only was he bearing the torch, but he also elected to debut a new footwear silhouette with the Three Stripes. The new adidas sneaker – the adidas x Pharrell Williams Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 – signifies the first collaboration on the silhouette as well as, per a press release, th...

With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris set to begin this Friday, the renowned event will dominate the sports world for the coming weeks. But even aside from the forthcoming games, the news has increased about the Olympics in total, whether it be Paris 2024 or Los Angeles 2028. In addition to Olympic news, Salt Lake City, Utah has secured the bid to host the 2034 Winter and Paralympic Games.The Utah city last hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002. However, the Games had a stain due to a pairs figure skating competition scandal and corruption in the bidding process. But Salt Lake City has been given another chance to host the games following public support and a starting budget of $4 billion USD as many of the previous Olympic structures still stand. About the Games, the chief executive fo...

Just ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, Nike has opened its new "Art of Victory" exhibition at Centre Pompidou in Paris. By heading to the esteemed French landmark, Nike celebrates sport, culture and its decades-long Air Max journey.What's specifically special about the new exhibition is that the Centre Pompidou inspired the design of the Air Max 1 almost 40 years ago. The new exhibition honors not just the Air Max legacy, but the history of sport and the passion that comes with striking to win in all sports. To celebrate, the exhibition reimagines Centre Pompidou's facade into a canvas that showcases a variety of sports – spanning track, basketball, soccer and more."I think the message of this partnership, for me, is to go ahead and be bold when you have a good idea," says Nike shoe designe...