Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome back to the Spotlight (to everyone but the Boston Celtics, who made it as far as opening the link but didn’t put in the effort to read any further)! A little basketball humor to kick off this week and get me blacklisted throughout New England. For those who were rooting for a comeback in the Heat and Celtics playoff series, you actually got exactly what you wanted, if not the one you realized. Indeed, by now, you have probably read or seen that just a year earlier, Heat forward (and fellow JB) Jimmy Butler boldly stated after a Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics that he and his team would be back and get the job done next year. And like a stereotypical murder mystery, (the) Butler did it, propelling his team to the NBA Finals through countless memorable performances. Full of foresight and confidence, if Butler’s on-court performance has been stellar, his off-court performance has been savvy. Having demonstrated an entrepreneurial chops in 2020 during the NBA’s COVID-abbreviated “bubble” season, selling $20 cups of coffee, Butler continued keeping an eye on business by having his legal team file for trademarks for HIMMY BUCKETS for use in connection with clothing…and coffee. The lesson? Always bet on yourself and surround yourself with a team to help you take advantage of opportunities when they come knocking. Not unlike taking advantage of the opportunity to read this week’s Spotlight.

• • Retired tennis great Roger Federer follows the route taken by such celebrities as Christina Aguilera and has lent his voice to traffic navigation app Waze. A surprising move for someone who’s not used to being out.
    
    
  • The Scottish Pickleball National Championships are set to get underway. Great news for the continued growth of the sport. Terrible news for the ball boy/girl who has to retrieve errant bounces from players’ kilts.
    
    
  • Wildly popular Netflix series King of Collectibles: Goldin Touch is the subject of a copyright infringement dispute in which the plaintiffs allege their concept for the show was stolen from them. Best case scenario for the defendants, they win. Worst case scenario is they lose and get to auction off original pleadings from the litigation.