Lakers return to court amid wildfires, but normalcy must wait: ‘The fight isn’t over’

LOS ANGELES — A few hours before tip-off between the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul called JJ Redick. The two started in the backcourt together for four years with the LA Clippers nearly a decade after competing against each other in the ACC (Redick as a Duke Blue Devil and Paul…

Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs card markets thriving thanks to NFL’s running back renaissance

Vintage always seems to make a comeback. Hence why the top two seeds in the NFC playoffs’ march into the divisional round are succeeding by making old strategies new again. And it’s having an impact on football card collectors.  Which two players from the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles could put the biggest scare in…

Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. to receive replacement medals after losing originals in L.A. fires

As Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. evacuated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, he only had time to grab the insulin needed for his Type 1 diabetes, a painting of his grandfather, a religious wooden piece from his daughter and his dog, a pug-chihuahua mix named Puddles. The 10 medals he…

Los Angeles teams, Fanatics donate $11 million in money, merchandise to wildfire victims

Twelve professional sports teams in the Los Angeles area are donating $8 million to support victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. Fanatics, the apparel company, is distributing $3 million worth of merchandise to people evacuated from their homes, along with individual teams donating items to victims. The destructive fires, which have been burning since Jan….

Topps invents trading card holiday celebrated by everyone from Emma Roberts to a rival company

The first day of the year seems like such an obvious day to create the trading card hobby given how Jan. 1 signifies the imprint every collector dreams of holding: 1/1.   Any card possessing the “1/1” or “one of one” branding induces instant excitement and jubilation for the owner, and typically the heftiest value for…