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Adobe (ADBE) will be a major winner from the build out of the metaverse, says one widely followed Wall Street analyst.

"Adobe is the best software play for the metaverse its creative tools will enable the next generation of the internet," said Jefferies tech analyst Brent Thill in a new research note Thursday.

Thill reiterated a Buy rating and $680 price target on Adobe. Shares of Adobe were relatively unchanged in pre-market trading Thursday. It closed down 7% at $514.43 on Wednesday.

The metaverse arguably burst into the public lexicon for the first time in 2021 as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has hyped the digital world's potential (and changed its holding company name to Meta in a show of support). Microsoft (Yahoo Finance's 2021 Company of the Year) has also talked increasingly about the metaverse and how it will play in it moving forward.

In its simplest form, the metaverse is an online world that includes augmented reality, virtual reality, and 3D avatars. As this world takes form, how things are done stand to change dramatically.

CHINA - 2021/12/09: In this photo illustration the American multinational computer multimedia and creativity software company Adobe logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an economic stock exchange index graph in the background. (Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Street expects a host of companies to cash in on the metaverse such as gaming bigwig Roblox and music maker Warner Music.

"A single metaverse could be more than a decade away, but as it evolves it has the potential to disrupt almost everything in human life that has not yet already been disrupted," said Simon Powell, Thill's colleague at Jefferies, in a recent note.

As for Adobe, investors will have to balance the potential for the metaverse with slowing growth at the software player.

Adobe posted a disappointing quarter and outlook several weeks ago. The stock is down 25% from its Nov. 25 high, technically putting it in a bear market.

"After disappointing Q4 earnings and FY22 guidance, digesting COVID impact may last through the first half of 2022," acknowledged Thill.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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This tech giant will shape the future of the metaverse, buy its stock: analyst - Yahoo Finance

The Sacramento Kings are having a rough go with clock operators this week.

The NBA announced on Thursday that it's fining the Kings $50,000 and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox an additional $15,000 after he approached the scorer's table during Sunday's 115-113 win over the Miami Heat.

Per the NBA, "Wilcox left his seat to confront operations personnel at the scorers table about their handling of a clock procedure during a jump ball." This appears to be the play that Wilcox took issue with:

Interim head coach Alvin Gentry was heated with the delayed start to the the shot clock after the Heat won the tip. So, apparently was Wilcox, and he let the scorer's table know about it at the next timeout.

It's not clear exactly what Wilcox said, but the league hammered home in its news release that: The clock procedure at issue was, in fact, administered correctly by the shot clock operator." The league apparently contends that Miami's Omer Yurtseven didn't actually possess the ball when he initially fumbled the tip.

Regardless, Wilcox is out $15,000. His salary's not public information, but that likely stings a bit more than your average five-figure player fine. The fine continues a comedy of clock errors that have plagued the Kings this week, most notably during Tuesday's 122-114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Alvin Gentry didn't sign up for this. (Dan Hamilton/Reuters)

With 24.8 seconds remaining and the Lakers leading 119-114, Lakers guard Malik Monk missed a free throw. Kings guard De'Aaron Fox let the rebound fall in front of him in an effort to preserve game time as every other player ran to the other side of the court.

The clock operator mistakenly started the clock, which isn't supposed to start until the ball is possessed. Fox correctly pointed that fact out, and game play stopped. Officials talked it out and correctly reset the game clock. They also called a jump ball because nobody took possession of the loose ball. The Lakers won the jump ball and the game.

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Gentry, again, was irate. The ball obviously would have belonged to Sacramento if not for the clock-operator error. But the rules didn't allow for officials to apply such common sense. Gentry let the NBA know in no uncertain terms how he felt after the game.

"It's a horses*** rule in the NBA," Gentry told reporters. "The referees did what they were supposed to do. Its the rule that needs to be changed. We didnt start the clock. It wasnt our error. We got punished for a dumbass rule."

Which brings us to Wednesday. The Kings trailed late again, this time at home to the Atlanta Hawks. Fox, like he did against the Lakers, looked to preserve game time by delaying touching the ball, this time on an inbounds pass.

Guess what happened (see the second video below):

Yes, that's Gentry irate once again proclaiming his displeasure at a clock error for TV microphones to pick up. Here's hoping for his general well being that the Kings escape Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets without any clock issues.

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NBA fine of Kings executive piles on brutal week of clock issues for Sacramento - Yahoo Sports

Antonio Brown released a statement on Wednesday blaming his "coach" for his midgame exit from the field on Sunday that preceded his still-pending release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The statement released through his lawyer Sean Burstyn was the first time Brown has directly addressed the incident in public. He doesn't reference Bruce Arians by name, but makes multiple references to an interaction with his "coach," whom he says pressured him to play with an injured ankle during Sunday's win over the New York Jets.

He wrote that when he told "coach" that he couldn't play, the coach didn't call for medical attention but told him "you're done." He also said that he was injected with a painkiller on gameday. He didn't specify what painkiller was used.

He wrote that he has since had an MRI that shows broken bone fragments, a torn ligament and loss of cartilage. It will require surgery, according to Brown.

"Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured," Brown's statement reads. "Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it all for the team.

"I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities. On top of that, the pain was extreme. I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted Whats wrong with you? Whats wrong with you?'

"I told him its my ankle. But he knew that. It was well-documented and we had discussed it. He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, Coach, I cant. He didnt call for medical attention. Instead he shouted at me, YOURE DONE! While he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didnt play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs.

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"I didnt quit. I was cut. I didnt walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out.

Antonio Brown says he needs surgery on his injured ankle. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Brown then described the extent of his ankle injury.

What they did not know until now is that on Monday morning I had an urgent MRI on my ankle," Brown continued. "It shows broken bone fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone and cartilage loss, which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside. But that must and can be repaired.

Brown also accused the Bucs of an "ongoing cover-up" and pressuring him to see one of their doctors after Arians announced that he was done with the team. The entire statement can be read here:

Burstyn released his own statement claiming that he's seen the MRI which showed "a piece of loose bone ... pressing into his ankle joint and a ligament snapped clean off the bone." He also called any discussion of Brown's exit from the field on Sunday being related to "mental health issues" a "false rumor."

On Thursday morning, Brown tweeted several screenshots of what appeared to be texts shared between him and Arians just a few days before Brown's on-field exit, in which they discussed Brown's ankle.

The Bucs didn't immediately respond to the statements which were released late Wednesday evening.

Arians told reporters on Monday that Brown didn't tell him that he was injured on gameday and declined to go into detail about his conversation with Brown.

Despite his actions on Sunday, the NFL has said that Brown won't be disciplined for his bizarre on-field departure. A spokesperson for the NFLPA said on Thursday that they intend to investigate Brown's claims of medical mismanagement, though Brown has not reached out to them with any details.

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Antonio Brown says Bucs pressured him to play with severe ankle injury, accuses them of 'ongoing cover-up' - Yahoo Sports

One year ago, supporters of Donald Trump carried out a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol based on false claims of a stolen election. That day, 147 Republican lawmakers voted to overturn the election results of at least one of the states that voted for Joe Biden.

Major U.S. corporations responded by vowing to halt donations to Republicans who objected to certifying Joe Biden as president. But the money began trickling back to those lawmakers within months. Now, a host of new research around the one-year anniversary of the attack finds that millions of dollars are once again flowing freely to these Republicans from businesses as well as individuals.

"The way that has played out over the past year has not been necessarily in line with what all of the companies promised," Anna Massoglia, investigative researcher at a transparency group called OpenSecrets, told Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday.

She adds that some "have gone back to political giving somewhat entirely over the past year."

Her group a DC-based nonprofit that has tracked money in politics for decades finds that election objectors are among the top fundraisers overall among Republican lawmakers heading into this years midterm elections.

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who voted against certifying Arizonas vote before visiting Trump in Florida a few weeks later raised nearly $9.1 million in the first nine months of 2021, according to the group. That puts him as the highest fundraiser in the House Republican conference.

OpenSecrets is not the only group looking into funding of election objectors. A self-described nonpartisan, progressive group called accountable.us released an interactive report around this weeks anniversary focused on 30 corporations and trade groups from Chevron to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association whose promises were broken when they funneled millions of dollars to election objectors in Congress.

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The group says that over $8.1 million in corporate or trade group donations have flowed to the 147 members of Congress in recent months. Topping the list of givers is the American Bankers Association with $203,000 in donations. The publicly traded companies high up on the list include Boeing (BA), Raytheon (RTX), and UPS (UPS). The group says $1.2 million flowed to the lawmakers last November alone.

Another report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) pegs the total much higher. CREW says 717 corporations and industry groups have sent a full $18 million towards these members of Congress since the insurrection based on the fact that it counts donations directly to lawmakers as well as the money flowing to their leadership PACs and party committees that support them.

And even $18 million is not a complete accounting, Massoglia says. "[Companies] have a number of other ways to flex their political muscle, such as giving through what are called dark money groups," she added, referring to those organized as 501(c)(4) nonprofits that don't have to disclose their donors.

"There may be a lot more happening behind the scenes," she says.

Accountable.us also looked at the issue from the perspective of employees. The group surveyed full-time white collar workers in November and December and found 62% said they would be more favorable to their employer if they knew it publicly opposed the insurrection. Over half of those workers would be less favorable to their employer if they knew it donated to a lawmaker who supported the Jan. 6 attack.

"I think the message to businesses is that they can't ignore or avoid these consequential issues," Matt Canter of Global Strategy Group, which partnered on the survey, told Yahoo Finance.

The pressure has had some concrete effects. Toyota (TM) made headlines last year for its donations to election objectors but then announced in July it was suspending donations to those 147 lawmakers.

But it remains a tricky balance for companies. A wave of media polling released this week found a committed number of Americans still falsely believe Trumps claims of widespread election fraud.

In just one example, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that only 9% of Trumps voters think Joe Biden won fair and square. Similarly, the Accountable.us/Global Strategy Group survey found that Republicans are largely split on their companies and donations. Thirty-three percent of Republicans said knowing their company donated to a Jan. 6 candidate would actually make them more favorable to them compared to 31% who would feel less favorable.

Ben Werschkul is a writer and producer for Yahoo Finance in Washington, DC.

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Corporations have reverted back to donating millions to election objectors - Yahoo Finance

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Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Apple (AAPL) on Monday made history by becoming the first publicly traded company with a market cap of $3 trillion. Its now seesawing back and forth between the mark for the thrill of it.

Its a remarkable feat for a company that needed a cash infusion from rival Microsoft in 1997 to stay afloat. But $3 trillion is Mondays news. So where does the company go from here?

Theres the obvious more iPhones that get people into the companys ecosystem and accessories like the Apple Watch and AirPods to keep them hooked. But the company will also need to take big risks on its way to $4 trillion.

Apple needs to assume that the sort of market power that they've enjoyed with the App Store and in the price of the iPhones, that's going to disappear, explained Duke University Fuqua School of Business professor Campbell Harvey.

Thankfully for Apple, it already has a track record of jumping into established device and services categories and outshining its competitors with ease. Need proof? Look no further than the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods to name a few of its products Apple developed by cribbing notes from competitors before leaving them in the dust.

But the companys most anticipated upcoming products its mixed reality headset and long-rumored Apple car will be different from anything Apple has offered before.

Ive used headsets ranging from the Oculus Quest 2 to Sonys PlayStation VR, and besides making me sweat like an animal after 15 minutes, the on-screen content is relatively pixelated.

But Apple has a knack for taking problematic products and making them hits. The iPhone wasnt the worlds first smartphone when it launched in 2007. And the Apple Watch and AirPods werent the first smartwatch and wireless earbuds when they debuted in 2016. But theyve all gone on to be bestsellers, because Apple improved on the design and capabilities of its competitors.

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Facebook parent Meta is already plunging into the world of AR/VR and the metaverse. Apple will need to catch up. (Photo by Dmitry FeoktistovTASS via Getty Images)

When it comes to headsets, however, Apple will not only have to improve comfort and image quality it will also have to ensure plenty of apps can take advantage of the hardware. After all, while current consumer headsets are largely geared towards gamers, Apple is looking for volume sales, and that means offering apps that appeal to non-gamers too.

And even when Apple launches its headset, it might be some time before the mainstream gets on the bandwagon, if it ever does, according to Loup Ventures Gene Munster.

The initial headsets demand when they first come out is going to be muted at best, Munster explained. I think it will grow into something that we use all the time. But to put that into perspective we're talking about a $2,500 to $3,000 headset that is still going to be uncomfortable for a lot of people to wear.

However, the headset could evolve into an essential product. Apple has managed this before with the Apple Watch, which had a chilly reception before the company shifted its focus to fitness and saw sales explode. And if Apple can do the same with the headset, Munster explained, it could eventually rival the iPhones sales.

While its easy to see where Apples headset fits into its product portfolio, the rumored Apple car is about as far afield from its base expertise as it gets. But if Apple can pull off a car of its own, it could dictate the companys future as much as the original iPhone did.

The cars journey has had its fits and starts with Apple originally opting for its own electric self-driving vehicle, then switching to producing just the self-driving technology to power a car, and back to an electric self-driving car of its own again.

Apple will enter a crowded EV space with fellow tech giant Sony entering the fray. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

As Tesla has proven, building a car brand is no easy task. Whats more, Apple is entering a crowded space with companies like Rivian (RIVN) bringing its trucks to market and contenders like Vinfast bringing its electric cars to the U.S. Traditional automakers like Ford (F) and GM (GM) have also jumped into the EV space. Even Sony is getting in on the game, revealing a second electric vehicle prototype and plans for an electric vehicle company at CES 2022.

Still, Apples own car will immediately be desirable because its made by Apple. In October, the company began selling a polishing cloth for $19, which sold out in days. No, a polishing cloth isnt the same as a car, but brand loyalty can go a long way.

For Apple to pull any of this off, and more, it will have to continue to invest heavily in research and development. In 2021, the company spent a staggering $21.9 billion on R&D. For comparison, Microsoft, the closest company to Apple in market cap, spent $5.6 billion.

I think part of the stock price today being so high, is that investors actually have the confidence that Apple is going to do something really innovative again in the future, Harvey said.

That, he explained, will be key to preventing Apple from becoming complacent with its current profit drivers, its iPhone and services, and ensure it stays ahead of the competition.

Do you really believe that in 10 years people will be carrying around a clunky iPhone? Or anything like what we've got today? Harvey asked.

Its clear that Apple understands how to change with the times. It successfully pivoted from selling computers to iPods to iPhones to Apple Watches. But its foray into the still-unproved headset market and push into the automotive arena will be its biggest test yet.

By Daniel Howley, tech editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him @DanielHowley

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Apples road to $4 trillion starts with its rumored headset and Apple car - Yahoo Finance

ESPN football reporter Adam Schefter missed the opportunity to break the news about his own injury. Schefter tore his meniscus and believes the injury occurred while he was doing "The Griddy" before "Monday Night Football."

Schefter, 55, spoke about the injury during an appearance on "NFL Live" on Thursday. He did not know the extent of the injury at the time, and thought it could be a torn ACL.

Schefter said he's not 100 percent sure doing "The Griddy" caused the injury. But said his knee started hurting shortly after that performance.

He later confirmed he tore his meniscus, and will retire from doing "The Griddy."

Schefter will still appear on ESPN while dealing with the injury.

Schefter attempted the dance before the Chicago Bears took on the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football" in Week 15. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson popularized the dance.

Schefter did the dance to try and show off in front of his coworkers. His attempt led to laughter, particularly from Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss, but it also resulted in significant pain for Schefter.

Adam Schefter tore his meniscus dancing. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

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ESPN's Adam Schefter tears meniscus, believes doing 'The Griddy' led to injury - Yahoo Sports

The University of Georgia football program plays inside an iconic, hedge-lined 92,000-seat stadium that has been sold out for 125 consecutive games. It is located in an idyllic college town, is an easy drive from Atlanta and boasts one of the most talent-rich recruiting areas in the country. It competes in the sport's most formidable league, the SEC.

Georgia's football facility cost $80 million to build, its coach $7.1 million to employ. It has made 25 consecutive bowl games (or playoffs). Over the past 40 years, it has produced 367 victories, 49 All-Americans, 31 first-round NFL draft picks and just four losing seasons.

Its not easy being better at college football than Georgia.

This is the big time.

It just never seems to win the big one.

Despite sizable advantages and immense investment, Georgia hasnt won a national title since 1980, a practically prehistoric time for the sport where media voters determined the champs (not that the 12-0 Bulldogs were a poor choice).

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart greets Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban before the SEC championship game on Dec. 4, which resulted in another W for Saban against a former assistant on his staff. (Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)

Since then, perhaps no one has been as consistently excellent, or as incredibly close (14 seasons with 10 win in the past two decades alone), only to fall just short time and time again. The title drought is almost inexplicable. Georgia has, and has had, everything it needed to win multiple titles. It just hasnt.

Worse for Bulldog fans is that while their team wasnt winning it, nearly everyone around them has been. Instate or border-state rivals the kinds of teams neighbors, coworkers or cousins root for have dominated the sport.

Alabama (7 national titles), Clemson (3), Florida (3), Florida State (3), Auburn (1), Tennessee (1) and even Georgia Tech (1) have all won it all.

The Crimson Tide have most recently stood in the way, with Nick Saban riding a seven-game win streak against Georgia that includes three triumphs in SEC title games and, most crushingly, a come-from-behind overtime victory in the 2017 season national title game.

And so now comes Monday, the latest, best chance to change it all. The two teams meet again with the national title on the line, this time at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

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No one is denying the stakes immediate and historic.

To be the first since the drought, I tell people, you'll be a Georgia legend no matter if you're from inside the state of Georgia or outside of Georgia, you're going to be a Georgia legend, said linebacker Nolan Smith. We came in to be legendary, be special I want to leave my mark. I dont just want to be another University of Georgia player.

And so the pressure falls on Kirby Smart, the coach the Bulldogs hired off Sabans Alabama staff to duplicate the juggernaut of Tuscaloosa in Athens. Smart has nearly done it.

His relentless recruiting has given the Dawgs arguably the better roster. His system of development has maxed out the roster. His coaching style has delivered a 57-10 record the past five seasons. Its just that four of those losses have come to Bama, including a month ago in the SEC title game.

Saban, 70, is 24-1 all-time against former assistants, a run that was first blemished earlier this season when Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M upset the Tide. Alabama is the immovable force in the sport.

As Smart, 46, points out, the Tide aren't just a Georgia problem.

"They've also been a problem and a thorn for any team they've played besides ours," he said.

So Smart, smartly, tries to push the individual coaching battle aside. It serves no purpose.

It will never be about he and I, Smart said. I know he won't make it that and I won't make it that, because that's for you guys to do that.

It's about the players, he continued. It's about those guys making plays and putting them in a position to be successful. [Its about] the players that make the meaningful plays, the plays that are conversions the red areas, the turnovers or not turnovers, the explosive plays that determine the outcomes of games, not he and I.

They may not make the plays, but the coaches will design the schemes that will put two evenly matched clubs in position to succeed or fail.

Can Georgia get a pass rush on Alabama QB Bryce Young this time? Can the offense win a shootout with former walk-on Stetson Bennett at quarterback? Can Georgia simply find a way to beat a program that almost always finds a way to not get beat?

We know weve got to play one of our best games, Smart said.

They didnt in Atlanta, watching their 12-0 season get dinged in a 41-24 Alabama rout. The Bulldogs are so talented though, BetMGM oddsmakers installed them as 3-point favorites anyway.

In a season with a loaded roster and a perfect regular season and every reason to think this, at least, will be different, there is no second place for Georgia or Kirby Smart. It has been too long. There are too many who care too much.

Is it just another game? Bennett said. No, I'm not silly I know it means a lot to a lot of people."

Bennett and his teammates arent responsible for the past decades of Bulldog frustration. Its just on them to end it.

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There are no excuses for Kirby Smart and Georgia to extend Bulldogs' title drought, even with mighty Alabama in the way - Yahoo Sports

Raheem Mostert celebrates with his son Gunnar after winning the NFC Championship game on January 19, 2020.(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Devon Mostert, the wife of San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert, posted on Instagram Wednesday that she called 911 to send an ambulance for their young son who had developed a 103.5-degree fever.

She urged people to take COVID-19 seriously while describing the ordeal as "SO SCARY."

"If you think COVID is a joke, this is our sweet G man in an ambulance today after I called 911 because he was lethargic, skin was gray, lips were purple, and had a 103.5 temperature. I'm crying even typing this ... this is all SO SCARY.

"We are thankfully back home, but my family is very much in the thick of it. I'll update you more soon. But this is literally my CRY for you to take COVID seriously."

The 49ers placed Raheem who's missed all but one game this season with a knee injury on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday. He's repeatedly expressed a cautious attitude about COVID-19.

He withdrew from an autograph session on March 4, 2020, citing COVID-19 concerns. That was a week before the NBA suspended its season amid its first known coronavirus case, an event that signaled the beginning of the U.S. pandemic shutdown.

Their son Gunnar was 8 months old at the time and is presumably the "G" who Devon wrote was hospitalized. Devon has since given birth to their second son Neeko in September 2020.

Raheem told the Sacramento Bee after Neeko's birth that he was isolating himself from his young children in an effort to protect them from COVID-19 while he was traveling with the 49ers.

"Right now, its definitely difficult just being away from my family, he told the Bee in October 2020. When we had our first son, I was able to hold him and stuff like that, just hold him with one hand, hold his little butt right on my chest. For me not to be able to do that with my second son is kinda rough on me. And I talked with my wife about it last night. We just had a long talk and shared those moments because shes doing it for me.

The Mosterts announced last week that Devon is expecting their third son. The family hasn't provided an update on Gunnar since Devon's initial Instagram post. Their ordeal is relatable to other parents of young children as a COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 years old and younger has yet to be approved amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

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Raheem Mostert's wife says young son was rushed to hospital with high fever, COVID-19 - Yahoo Sports

Lance Stephenson threatened to spoil Kyrie Irving's NBA return on Wednesday.

But the Brooklyn Nets, armed with their Big 3, were too much for the Indiana Pacers as they rallied from a 19-point third-quarter deficit for a 129-121 win. Irving shook off a slow start in his first game of the season and scored 22 points, including some key baskets down the stretch.

After the game, Irving found his dad to give him his jersey to celebrate his first NBA game since June 10.

Irving looked rusty early, missing a midrange jumper on the first shot of the game en route to a scoreless first quarter. Meanwhile, Stephenson, playing his third game back with the Pacers on a 10-day contract, erupted for 20 points as the Pacers opened a 37-32 first-quarter lead.

But Irving found his rhythm when he returned to the court in the second quarter, starting with a pull-up jumper in the lane.

He then flashed his handles and his scoring skills while taking a defensive rebound full court for a layup in traffic.

Irving hit several pull-up jumpers down the stretch as Brooklyn surged ahead. He finished 9-of-17 from the field to go with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kevin Durant led the Nets with 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while James Harden added 18 points and six assists. Stephenson led the Pacers with 30 points along with five assists.

It was a rare appearance from the Nets with all three of their All-Stars playing in the same game. According to YES Network, the Nets got 202 total regular-season minutes and 132 minutes in the playoffs with Durant, Irving and Harden on the court at the same time last season. They were 6-2 in the regular season and 5-1 in the playoffs in those games. They're now 1-0 with their Big 3 this season after Irving's Wednesday return.

Kyrie Irving (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Irving hadn't played previously because of a New York City mandate requiring players to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to access Barclay's Center. The Nets recently decided to allow Irving to play in road games, which he will presumably do moving forward.

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They return home for a game against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Friday that Irving will miss. New York's mandate remains in place. Because Canada doesn't welcome unvaccinated athletes across the border, he'll presumably also miss road games against the Toronto Raptors, a potential first-round playoff opponent for the Nets.

Irving addressed his vaccine stance when speaking with reporters postgame.

Im just taking it one day at a time, Irving said. "Like I said earlier in the season, its not an ideal situation. Im always praying that things get figured out and were able to come to some collective agreement, whether it be with the league or just things that's going on that can help kind of ease what were all dealing with, with COVID and the vaccine.

"I think everybody is feeling it. So I dont want to make it simply about me and simply about someone lessening the rules for me. I know what the consequences were. I still know what they are. Right now Im just going to take it one day at a time, like I said, and enjoy this time that I get to play with my guys. However it looks later in the season, then well address it then.

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Nets rally in Kyrie Irving's return after Lance Stephenson threatens to steal the show - Yahoo Sports

Ralph Neely, seen here durig his final season in 1977, is dead at 78 years old. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

Ralph Neely, a two-time All-Pro whom the Dallas Cowboys called "one of the first great offensive linemen in team history" died this week. He was 78 years old.

The Cowboys announced Neely's death on Wednesday. They did not release the cause of death.

Neely played 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the Cowboys from 1965-77. He was a full-time starter in Dallas from Day 1 after the Cowboys traded for his contractual rights following his Round 2 selection by the Baltimore Colts in 1965. He played his first five seasons at right tackle before transitioning to left tackle, where he protected Roger Staubach's blindside.

By the time he retired after the 1977 season, Neely had started in 168 of the 172 games he played. He made two Pro Bowls in addition to his three All-Pro honors and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-1960s team. He played in four Super Bowls, including Cowboys wins over the Miami Dolphins after the 1971 season and Denver Broncos after the 1977 season. The Super Bowl XII win over the Broncos was the final game of his career.

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Former Cowboys All-Pro Ralph Neely, who played on 70s Super Bowl teams, dies at 78 - Yahoo Sports