The Rock Chalkboard

Former Jayhawk Joel Embiid wins NBA MVP - KU Sports
The 29-year-old from Yaoundé, Cameroon, averaged 33.1 points to win his second straight scoring title, averaged 10.2 rebounds and tied a career high with 4.2 assists per game. He played in 66 games, the second-highest total of his career, but again has been hit with injuries in the playoffs. Embiid has been sidelined with a sprained right knee that cost him one game of the playoff sweep against Brooklyn and the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, which was won by Philadelphia on Monday night.

Rooting for Embiid: KU would become fourth college program in history to have multiple NBA MVPs, if he wins tonight - KU Sports
If former KU big man and current Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid hears his name called when the NBA announces its Most Valuable Player Award tonight, Kansas will become just the fourth college basketball program to have produced multiple winners of the NBA MVP award.

Bits o Chalk

Anthony Davis’ huge night helps Lakers win playoff series opener against Warriors | NBA | The Guardian
LeBron James no longer has to do it all against Stephen Curry on the big stage, not even close. Anthony Davis plugs the middle and takes away the easy chances inside. Dennis Schröder has the energy to help chase No 30 all over the court. D’Angelo Russell can hit a big shot with a hand in his face.

Joel Embiid wins 2023 NBA MVP. How 76ers star beat out Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo - The Athletic
The “process” finally reached its most valuable stage.

Joel Embiid, 29, of the Philadelphia 76ers, is the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player, beating Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo by a comfortable margin.

Shaq Offers Blunt Reality Check for Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks - Sports Illustrated
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday that the Memphis Grizzlies would not be bringing Brooks back next season “under any circumstances.” During the latest episode of The Big Podcast, the 15-time NBA All-Star bluntly expressed that he believes Brooks will struggle to find another team willing to sign him.

Eraser Dust

‘Not how white men fight’: Tucker Carlson text reportedly worried Fox bosses | Fox News | The Guardian
Carlson allegedly described the encounter as “three against one, at least. Jumping a guy like that is dishonourable obviously. It’s not how white men fight.”

Judge Allows Abortion Clinics to Remain Open in Utah for Now - The New York Times
A Utah state judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new law, one day before it was scheduled to take effect, that would have banned abortion clinics and potentially put a halt to most abortions in the state.

Judge rejects Zooey Zephyr bid to return to Montana House floor | AP News
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the transgender state lawmaker silenced after telling Republicans they would have blood on their hands for opposing gender-affirming health care for kids, was barred from returning to the Montana House floor in a Tuesday court ruling that came just hours before the Legislature wrapped up its biennial session.

Fed likely to hike rates and signal a pause i
After its most aggressive interest rate hikes in 40 years, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to approve a final quarter-point increase and signal a long-awaited pause, economists say.

Pat Finnerty: “I knew millions of people were gonna get What Makes This Song Stink ’cause millions watch Rick Beato, and maybe 10% know how ridiculous this man is” | Guitar World
All this has led up to his most elaborate stunt: offended by the awfulness of Machine Gun Kelly’s Emo Girl, Finnerty wrote and recorded his own pop-punk LP under the name August Is Falling. Finnerty had a simple plan: first write the awful song, then play the Warped Tour and then buy a hot tub. (In a followup video, Finnerty was dismayed to learn the Warped Tour is now defunct.)

Second Richest Man on Earth Settles Defamation Suit for a Measly $10,000
Elon Musk has agreed to settle in a three-year-old defamation lawsuit brought against him by an outspoken critic of Tesla. The billionaire will pay out $10,000 to Randeep Hothi, concluding the drawn out court proceedings, according to multiple reports and a tweet from the plaintiff posted Monday.

Texas mass shooting suspect caught hiding under laundry and multiple people arrested, officials say - CBS News
A man suspected in a mass shooting near the Texas town of Cleveland last week that left five people dead — including a 9-year-old boy — has been captured and multiple people were arrested following an extensive manhunt, authorities said.

Star Wars Just Set Up the Live-Action Debut of a Surprising Jedi
Now, three years and a lot more Star Wars TV later, the recent sequel to Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor, looks to rectify this confusion with some firmer ties to the newly-coined Mando-verse, the growing span of stories told in the decade after the original trilogy. And one key cameo in the game could mean a big Jedi cameo on Disney+.

Man accused of exposing himself at Kidsports Complex | Daily Inter Lake
Kalispell Police officers responded to the youth athletic fields on Parkway Drive about 6:30 p.m., April 29 for a report of a man revealing his genitals in public near the lower baseball diamonds, officials said in a press release. Confronted, the man allegedly fled to the softball fields, grabbed a bicycle and left headed toward Hutton Ranch.