Kobe Bryant death: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says No. 24 will be retired following loss of NBA legend


No player will ever wear the No. 24 for the Dallas Mavericks again. Following the tragic news that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and several others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday morning, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced that the organization would be retiring No. 24 in honor of Bryant. "We are shocked and saddened by the devastating news of the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna," Cuban said in a statement. "Kobe was an ambassador for our game, a decorated legend and a global icon. Above all, he was a loving and dedicated father. "Kobe's legacy transcends basketball, and our organization has decided that the number 24 will never again be worn by a Dallas Maverick... Our hearts go out...

Koshak leaves Invictus


Anton "Koshak" Platko has left Invictus, the player announced via VK.com. According to the post on the social media website, the 23-year-old has decided to part ways with the Chinese organization in order to return to play in Europe and the CIS region, where he had spent most of his career. Koshak was acquired by Invictus in August alongside the rest of the former 8EASY lineup. His tenure there ends after just five months, during which the Chinese-Russian mixture most notably qualified for and attended StarSeries i-League Season 8 in Turkey, where they lost series to Vitality and mousesports en route to a last-place finish. Koshak is set to return to Europe after departing Invictus The roster had been down to four players since the departure of QingHui "FIOURN" Kong in November, with their coach, MinHui "sPiNacH" Sun, standing in for...

Dendi introduces his new Dota 2 organization, B8


Former Natus Vincere player Danil “Dendi” Ishutin has officially formed his own organization, B8, in what could be the start of a player empowerment era in Dota 2.The reveal came in the form of a short skit filmed and posted to the new team’s YouTube channel, which features Dendi as an old man going fishing with his grandson. But with Dendi being Dendi, there are obviously dozens of Dota references sprinkled in, even during the parts that have nothing to do with the game. The surprisingly well-shot video has the older Dendi reflecting on his time with Na’Vi and talking to his grandson about how things were never the same after The International 2013 before the child asks if that...

Ceb steps down from OG’s Dota 2 roster


In the past few days, the magnificent OG Dota 2 roster has seen a few of its players leaving the ranks, now it seems as though another player is moving on as Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs announces his departure. Just two days ago it was confirmed that Anathan ‘Ana’ Pham, one of the amazing, double TI-winning players from OG would not be returning for The International 2020 later this year, moving to inactive on the teams’ roster. Following this, Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka decided to leave the roster, pushing them down to only three. But now, another day later, Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs has announced that he will also be moving to inactive on the roster. https://twitter.com/OGesports/status/1221827164355596288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1221827164355596288&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vpesports.com%2Fdota2%2Fnews%2Fog-down-to-two-as-ceb-leaves-the-active-roster In a statement released by the...

TNC lead the DPC rankings after the second Major


The second Major of the 2019-2020 DPC season is already over (season seems to fly, doesn’t it?!) and we are now in the territory of predicting who has sealed their ticket to Sweden for a spot at TI10. TNC Predator, who won the first DPC Major lead the rankings with 5300 points but are closely followed by Vici Gaming and Team Secret. Both, TNC and Vici have played in both Majors of the 2019-2020 season whereas Team Secret have just played in one, but are still up there owing to their first place finish at the DreamLeague Season 13 Leipzig Major. 2019-2020 DPC rankings (source: Liquipedia) The question now looms: Have these teams done enough to secure a spot at...

Due to coronavirus outbreak, the Leipzig Major players can’t join their families


Chinese government extended the weeklong Lunar New Year until the end of next Sunday in order to limit the travel traffic and prevent as much as possible new infections with the coronavirus. However, for the Chinese players that fought for the Leipzig Major trophy last week in Germany, this is not good news. All Chinese teams managed to travel back in China, Aster leaving a few days before the tournament ended, while Invictus and Vici Gaming landed safe today, January 27. DreamLeague Season 13: The Leipzig Major was held during the Chinese new year. VG, for instance, had games to play on New Year’s Eve, January 25 and on the first day of the New Year, January 26. They finished...

Kobe Bryant death: NBA teams honor Lakers legend with 24-second, 8-second violations to start games


Word of Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning shook the NBA world to its core. As many struggled to process and comprehend the tragedy, the NBA's slate of Sunday games carried on as scheduled Multiple afternoon games tipped off shortly following the news. The Rockets and Nuggets were the first to tip off in Denver, with an extended moment of silence being held in memory of Bryant. Players in that game could be seen grieving with one another before and during the game. The Spurs and Raptors got underway later, and those two teams found a unique way to honor Bryant's memory. As the game started, both squads dribbled out the shot clock and voluntarily took back-to-back 24-second violations as a nod to Kobe's No. 24...

Pacers vs. Blazers odds, line: 2020 NBA picks, Jan. 26 predictions from advanced computer model


The Portland Trail Blazers will take on the Indiana Pacers at 9 p.m. ET tonight at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Portland is 19-27 overall and 10-11 at home, while Indiana is 30-16 overall and 13-11 on the road. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season, and Portland swept the two-game series in 2018-19. The Pacers are 25-19-2 against the spread this season and are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games. The Blazers, meanwhile, are just 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games. Portland is favored by 2.5-points in the latest Blazers vs. Pacers odds, while the over-under is set at 220. Before entering any Pacers vs. Blazers picks, you'll want to see the NBA...

Kobe Bryant death: Trae Young wears No. 8 to honor Lakers star, commits eight-second violation on opening play


Kobe Bryant was the favorite player of millions of NBA fans, but a member of her own family had taken on a current player as her new favorite in recent years. Gianna Bryant, Kobe's daughter, considered Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young to be her favorite player. The elder Bryant attended only three games this season. Two of them involved Young. After one of them, he took Gianna to meet her favorite player. On Sunday, both Kobe and Gianna Bryant tragically died in a helicopter accident in California. The news shook the entire basketball world, but Young was especially devasted following his meeting with the Bryants. https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1221538701353848834 A number of tributes to Bryant took place around the league as games went on following the news,...

7.24 Gameplay Update just after DreamLeague Major


Right after the conclusion of DreamLeague Season 13: The Leipzig Major, Valve released a new patch bringing map changes, a rework of the neutral items mechanic, a plethora of nerfs to the couriers, hero buffs and nerfs, and the addition of Void Spirit and Snapfire to Captain’s Mode. Shrines and Outposts Some of the most important things to note in the new patch are that the Shrines no longer exist, while the Outposts have been moved to each team’s primary jungle. Outposts now start as owned by the respective teams, and can be captured at any time, the experience reward remaining unchanged. Neutral items Ever since the addition of the new items, the Dota 2 community hasn’t stopped on giving...

Team Secret are crowned victors of 2020’s first Major


DreamLeague Season 13 came to an end today with the grand finals featuring Evil Geniuses and Team Secret fighting for the first Major title in 2020. The third place curse was lifted once again for Evil Geniuses as they ripped through Vici Gaming in the lower bracket final in an epic three game series. In winning, EG got their revenge for the ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational and the MDL Chengdu Major as they stormed passed the Chinese team into a massive grand final series against Team Secret. Coming off their brilliant victory over VG, EG looked like an amazing squad, playing in ways we’ve seen from them throughout much of the entire tournament.  From their draft to...

Vanity joins Chaos EC CS:GO


Chaos have announced that they have secured the services of former Swole Patrol and eUnited member Anthony "vanity" Malaspina. The 21-year-old joins the roster as a replacement for Maxim "wippie" Shepelev, who was unable to move to Chaos' team house, located in Arizona, due to what the North American organisation described as "complicated visa issues." This is the second roster change undergone by Chaos since the organisation signed the roster known as Ben's Anime Team, just two months ago. Earlier in January, former BIG member Owen "smooya" Butterfield was brought in to fill the gap created by Gage "Infinite" Green's benching. The announcement is likely to throw a spanner into the works of TSM's potential return to Counter-Strike. A report from Rush B Media had claimed that the prestigious North American organisation, who notably housed in 2015 the Danish team that would...

NBA Legend Kobe Bryant killed in deadly helicopter crash


According to CNN report, retired basketball star Kobe Bryant and four other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning. https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1221528347668369409 The Los Angeles County Sheriff said on Twitter that five people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Los Angeles, and that there were no survivors. It did not identify the victims. First responders put out the flames of the crash site, the sheriff's department said, posting a picture of a fire truck and smoke emerging from the brush in a ravine. Bryant, 41, was known to use a helicopter for travel dating to his days as a star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, when he commuted...

BIG WIN DREAMHACK OPEN LEIPZIG OVER RENEGADES


In the offline debut of their new roster, BIG claimed the title at DreamHack Open Leipzig defeating Renegades in the grand final 2-0. https://twitter.com/BIGCLANgg/status/1221489302934380544 The German side came into the tournament as the lowest-ranked team, sitting in 46th place, but went through the tournament without dropping a single map to claim the title. This is their first tournament win since ESEA MDL Global Challenge Season 27 in May of 2018. The grand final was the rematch of the Group A winners' match, where BIG was victorious, 16-8, on Nuke. That map was banned out in the BO3, with the German side selecting Mirage to start off. It was Renegades who had a 4-1 lead at the beginning, but then Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş' double entry with the Deagle on an eco turned...

OG JerAx says his decision to retire from Dota 2


Shortly after OG announces their plan to return to competitive Dota for the ESL LA Major, they drop the news first that Ana will continue to stay on vacation, and now that Jerax has chosen to retire from playing professionally. https://twitter.com/OGesports/status/1221428618569691138 Jesse decided that it was time for him to pursue new things in life, and we couldn’t be prouder to have worked so many years with such an amazing, creative, smart and wholesome guy. Here are his words that are posted on OG's page. “Why am I quitting dota? I love being creative and have a huge urge to bring ideas to life. I’ve found video games to be an amazing platform for this, as there are truly no limits and you...

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