Golden State Warriors guard Jimmy Butler has made a surprise musical appearance at a California festival, jumping on stage to perform while continuing his recovery from a serious knee injury.
The 36-year-old took to the microphone at Bottlefest in Napa on Friday to demonstrate his vocal abilities to a delighted crowd.
Unexpected festival performance
During his impromptu set, the veteran basketball star delivered enthusiastic renditions of several popular tracks.
His performance included a highly-received cover of Vanessa Carlton’s hit song “A Thousand Miles”.
“But I’m in my bag right now. I’ve been wanting to sing this since high school and nobody ever wants to sing.”
The charismatic forward then immediately transitioned into Jesse McCartney’s “Beautiful Soul”.
A lighthearted message for Kerr
The energetic display also featured Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, which prompted a specific request to the audience regarding his head coach.
“Don’t show this to Steve [Kerr]; I got a torn ACL.”
Despite his own cautionary warning, the experienced playmaker appeared to be moving freely as he hopped around the stage.
His dynamic movements suggest his intensive rehabilitation programme is progressing positively.
Crucial recovery for Golden State
He sustained his torn anterior cruciate ligament during a January victory over the Miami Heat.
Following that severe physical setback, the recovering athlete underwent successful reconstructive surgery in February.
Before his campaign was abruptly curtailed, he was averaging impressive figures of 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists during the 2025-26 NBA season.
As he concluded his memorable cameo, the festival DJ humorously suggested a main-stage headline slot for him next year.
Max Verstappen has threatened to walk away from Formula 1 at the end of the current season if proposed changes to next year’s engine regulations are blocked by rival manufacturers.
The governing body, the FIA, recently reached an agreement in principle to alter technical rules and reduce the heavy reliance on energy management.
However, opposition regarding the finer details of the plan has emerged in subsequent discussions.
Currently, there is insufficient support under the sport’s governance protocols to push the vital modifications through.
“If it stays like this, it’s going to be a long year next year, which I don’t want,” said Verstappen.
“It’s just mentally not doable for me to stay like this. It’s really not.”
The reigning world champion confirmed that any decision to stop racing would be permanent, adding there are many other enjoyable pursuits outside of the paddock.
Energy starvation frustrations
Drivers have consistently complained this campaign about the complex power units and how they handle energy deployment.
The nominal 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power has severely hampered their ability to drive on the absolute limit.
Because the systems are fundamentally energy-starved, competitors are forced to employ extreme recovery techniques even during crucial qualifying laps.
A proposed adjustment aims to shift the energy bias to a 60-40 split in favour of the internal combustion engine.
This critical adjustment would significantly decrease the demanding management requirements that have heavily frustrated the grid.
Manufacturer divide stalls progress
While Mercedes and Red Bull strongly advocate for the revised regulations, several other major constructors remain staunchly opposed.
Audi has cited cost concerns, whereas Ferrari reportedly fears losing out on extra development opportunities granted under current rules.
Intense negotiations continued throughout the Canadian Grand Prix weekend to persuade dissenting manufacturers to change their stance.
The Dutch driver had previously hinted at a long-term stay if the racing returned to normal, expressing happiness with his current squad’s progress.
Following qualifying in Montreal, the Red Bull star remained cautiously optimistic that a swift solution could still be found.
“Of course some people at the moment that maybe have a bit of an advantage will try to be difficult about it, but if the FIA is strong, and also from the F1 side, they just need to do it.”
Canadian teenager Anna Huang has become the youngest player to win three Ladies European Tour events after securing a one-shot victory at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.
The 17-year-old started the final round on Royal Dar Es Salam’s Blue course sitting six shots off the lead.
However, a stunning closing round of 66 that included six birdies and a crucial eagle allowed her to leapfrog overnight leader Kelsey Bennett.
The Australian ultimately finished on 13 under par, narrowly missing out on the title as her young rival surged to 14 under.
Record-breaking teenager continues stellar season
By capturing her third crown, the North American prodigy shattered the previous age record held by Jeeno Thitikul, who achieved the feat at 18.
This latest triumph follows her back-to-back victories in September at both the La Sella Open and the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.
I’m honestly just so shocked right now.
To get my third win on tour in only my second year is incredible. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment!
Anna Huang
Recent form points to major ambitions
The historic result in Rabat caps off a remarkably successful period for the rapidly emerging golfer.
She recently successfully qualified for the US Women’s Open and arrived in North Africa on the back of a strong tied-third finish at last week’s Amundi German Masters.
Meanwhile, English defending champion Cara Gainer ended her tournament tied for sixth place on eight under par.
Girona have been relegated from La Liga following a 1-1 draw with Elche, ending their top-flight status just one season after competing in the Champions League.
The Catalan club needed a crucial victory on the final day to secure survival in Spain’s premier division.
However, they could only manage a stalemate against their opponents, sealing a devastating drop to the second tier.
It marks a dramatic fall from grace for the squad that achieved a historic third-place finish two campaigns ago.
Mallorca drop down despite final day victory
Mallorca will join them in the Segunda Division despite securing a commanding 3-0 triumph over bottom-placed Real Oviedo.
The islanders finished the season on 42 points, tying with both Osasuna and Levante in a tense relegation scramble.
Unfortunately for the club, an inferior head-to-head record in the three-way tiebreaker consigned them to the drop zone.
European qualification and Carvajal farewell
Elsewhere, champions Barcelona suffered a 3-1 defeat at Valencia, though Carlos Corberan’s victorious side ultimately missed out on continental qualification.
Celta Vigo claimed sixth place and a coveted Europa League spot by narrowly beating Sevilla 1-0.
Getafe also secured European football, with their 1-0 win against Osasuna guaranteeing seventh place and Conference League entry.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-2 with goals from international stars Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.
The entertaining fixture carried immense emotional weight as veteran defender Dani Carvajal made his 451st and final appearance for Los Blancos.
Harry Kane scored a spectacular hat-trick to fire Bayern Munich to a 3-0 victory over Stuttgart in the German Cup final, securing the club’s first domestic double since 2020.
The prolific forward opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half to put Vincent Kompany’s side firmly in control at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
After striking the crossbar late on, the England captain quickly made amends by combining with Luis Diaz to fire home his second of the evening.
He then completed his treble from the penalty spot following a handball by Angelo Stiller, taking his extraordinary season tally to 61 goals across all competitions.
Record-breaking season for the forward
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker has now netted 10 times in this season’s tournament, the highest tally in a single German Cup campaign since the 1976-77 season.
His phenomenal milestone places him in elite company alongside legendary figures Dieter Müller and Gerd Müller.
It also marked consecutive hat-tricks for the 30-year-old, having struck three times against FC Cologne in the Bundesliga finale just last weekend.
“So proud of the team for a tough season, a lot of efforts,” Kane said in an on-pitch interview following the final.
“We wanted to finish with the performance that we did today, and to win 3-0, and play the way we did is credit to everyone.”
Fans protest amid jubilant celebrations
The victory ends a six-year drought in this competition for the Bavarian giants, whose players celebrated passionately with their supporters in the east end of the stadium.
However, the showpiece event was briefly overshadowed by coordinated fan protests against the German soccer federation (DFB) regarding planned security increases.
Supporters from both clubs displayed banners and orchestrated huge pyrotechnic displays during the second half, temporarily covering the pitch in thick smoke.
Despite a strong first-half showing from Stuttgart, who forced stand-in goalkeeper Jonas Urbig into a superb save, the reigning Bundesliga champions eventually overpowered their opposition.
Briton Hamzah Sheeraz has claimed his first world title by stopping Germany’s Alem Begic in the second round to win the vacant WBO super-middleweight crown in Egypt.
The 26-year-old Londoner dominated the brief contest from the opening bell against his overmatched opponent.
Sharp straight jabs and punishing uppercuts quickly broke down the veteran fighter’s defences.
Begic ultimately had no answer to the British fighter’s superior accuracy and relentless pressure.
Devastating body shot secures victory
The decisive moment arrived when a brutal left hook to the body sent the 39-year-old crashing to the canvas.
Unable to recover from the crippling blow, the beaten man failed to beat the referee’s count.
The official promptly waved off the contest to confirm a spectacular stoppage victory.
A landmark moment for the new champion
Securing the WBO belt marks a significant career milestone for the highly rated super-middleweight.
This impressive performance in North Africa firmly establishes the newly crowned champion as a major force within the 168lb division.
The Iranian Football Federation has confirmed that their national team will relocate its 2026 World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico to avoid potential visa and security complications.
The Asian nation was originally scheduled to prepare for the tournament in Tucson, Arizona, before geopolitical tensions prompted a logistical rethink.
Mehdi Taj, president of the governing body, announced the decision on Saturday following high-level discussions with global organisers.
FIFA approval secures Tijuana switch
Team Melli will now be stationed in the border city of Tijuana, located just south of San Diego, ahead of the expanded global showpiece.
According to federation officials, entering the co-host nation via Mexico will help circumvent potential entry hurdles for players and coaching staff.
“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by FIFA.”
“Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”
Taj also noted that this newly approved relocation might allow the travelling contingent to utilise domestic Iran Air flights for their transatlantic journey.
Group G fixtures and tournament history
Despite the change in preparation venue, the squad will still play all of their group-stage matches on American soil.
Their campaign begins against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on 15 June, before they face Belgium six days later at the same stadium.
The team will then travel up the West Coast to Seattle for their final Group G fixture against Egypt on 26 June.
This summer marks a fourth consecutive World Cup appearance for the Middle Eastern side.
However, they will be looking to make history as they have never managed to progress beyond the first round in seven previous attempts.
Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness has emphatically ruled out the prospect of winger Michael Olise joining Real Madrid this summer, despite reported scouting missions from expected new manager Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho is widely anticipated to take charge at the Bernabeu at the end of the current campaign.
The Portuguese coach was recently spotted in Berlin ahead of Bayern’s German Cup tie against Stuttgart, sparking rumours of a scouting mission.
However, Hoeness was quick to dismiss any suggestion that the 24-year-old French international would be allowed to depart the Allianz Arena.
“José Mourinho is in the stadium tonight to keep an eye on Michael Olise for Real Madrid? He can keep 5 eyes on him, he still won’t get him.”
Sensational season sparks widespread interest
The former Crystal Palace attacker has enjoyed a phenomenal season in Germany.
He has registered 22 goals and 30 assists across all competitions, cementing his status as one of Europe’s premier attacking talents.
That exceptional form has inevitably drawn attention from several elite clubs, including Liverpool.
However, Bayern’s hierarchy remains resolute, with sporting director Max Eberl recently stating they are not considering a sale.
“Absolutely. Yes. We’re not having a second to think about anything,”
Gerrard’s Liverpool plea falls on deaf ears
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard previously urged his old club to pursue a deal for the highly-rated wide man.
Despite his admiration, Gerrard conceded that prying the player away from the Bundesliga giants would be incredibly difficult.
“All day long. But the problem is, why would he leave Bayern? A big club, challenging for the big honours, and they are probably the strongest Bayern Munich team we have seen for a while.”
The coveted winger remains under contract with the Bavarian club until 2029.
He is now preparing to showcase his talents on the global stage after being selected in the France squad for the upcoming World Cup.