Are the Hornets the buzz of the NBA? Their 8-game winning streak is franchise's longest since 1999

There's finally NBA buzz in Charlotte again. That's because the Hornets, amid the league's longest active playoff drought, have won eight games in a row for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

They extended that head-turning streak with a109-99 road winover the Houston Rockets, despite Kevin Durant scoring at least 30 points for the fifth time in his past eight games.

In their first game sinceacquiring Coby White in a trade with the Chicago Bulls before the deadline, the Hornets (24-28) pulled away from the Rockets (31-19), causing the Western Conference's fourth-place team to pull its starters for the back half of the fourth quarter in a game that wasn't even as close as the 10-point differential suggests.

Continuing his standout rookie campaign, Kon Knueppel poured in a team-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting. LaMelo Ball made five 3s and wasn't far behind with 20 points.

White didn't play, and he's not expected to until after the All-Star break due to a lingering calf injury, but the former UNC star is excited for this new chapter of his career.

"Every time I come back to Charlotte to play, I would just tell people it just felt different,"White, a Goldsboro, North Carolina, native told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday.

"I just felt the love every time I was in the building just being there, it was just weird. ... Something triggers every time I was in there. So I'm excited I get to play there more."

White was talking about the Spectrum Center. The guard averaged 22.5 points per game in his two outings there with the Bulls earlier this season.

It's also where Hornets fans will anxiously await their up-and-coming squad on Monday, when Charlotte returns home to host the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.

That matchup will mark the first of four consecutive home contests for the Hornets.

But first they'll head to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Saturday. With a win there, they'll officially match that 1999 surge, which occurred during a strike-shortened season that saw the late Paul Silas take over as interim head coach afterDave Cowens resigned in the wake of a 4-11 start.

That Hornets team lost eight of its first nine games. Similarly, the 2025-26 Hornets recorded only three victories in their first 10 games and were a meager 4-14 by late November.

This time, a coaching change hasn't precipitated the turnaround.

In his second year on the job, Charles Lee has overseen the midseason transformation.

The Hornets are getting production from an assortment of young players. In addition to the 20-year-old Knueppel and 24-year-old Ball, Brandon Miller is making a sizable impact. In his third season, Miller, 23, is leading the team in scoring at 20.4 ppg. Plus, it helps that big man Moussa Diabaté, 24, has become a reliable rebounder for the group.

Miles Bridges is still doing his thing, too. The Hornets' future is bright, and they're suddenly 1.5 games back of the Hawks for ninth place in the East — prime play-in position.

Charlotte plays Atlanta twice in the next three games, starting on Saturday night.

byCosmopolite

in

February 06, 2026

Are the Hornets the buzz of the NBA? Their 8-game winning streak is franchise's longest since 1999

There's finally NBA buzz in Charlotte again. That's because the Hornets, amid the league's longest active pla...

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LA Olympics chief faces calls to resign after flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell are revealed in Epstein files

The head of the coordinating committee for the 2028Olympic Games in LosAngeles is facing calls to step down after emails released by the Justice Department last week show he exchanged racy messages with Ghislaine Maxwell more than 20 years ago.

The messages between Casey Wasserman – who, along with chairing LA28, is also a prominent entertainment and sports agent – and Maxwell were included in themillions of documents released by DOJlast week related to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

They show that the pair exchanged several intimate messages in 2003, prompting calls from city officials that Wasserman step down.

Duringone exchange in March, Wasserman asks Maxwell: "So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?"

In another email, datedApril 1, 2003,Wasserman, who was married at the time, says to Maxwell: "Where are you, I miss you," before asking to book a massage.

Wasserman has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. Messages for Wasserman left through his talent management company and a crisis public relations firm that represents him were not immediately returned on Thursday.

In a statement to other news outlets, Wasserman apologized for his communications with Maxwell while adding he "never had" a personal or business relationship with Epstein.

Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, was convicted of sex trafficking and other crimes in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

While some aspects of Wasserman's association with Epstein were already known, the emails show a deeper and far more intimate relationship with Maxwell than had previously been revealed.

Wasserman's communications with Maxwell took place years before she was convicted of a crime.

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The messages between the pair threaten to create a major distraction as Los Angeles gears up to host the 2028 games, whichare forecasted to generatebetween roughly $13.6 billion and $17.6 billion in additional gross domestic product for the region and create tens of thousands of new jobs.

Several local officials in Los Angeles have called for Wasserman to step away, describing the stakes of the Olympics as too great to be put at risk.

"Los Angeles cannot trust our financial future to someone connected with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell," City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a post on X, calling for Wasserman to "take accountability and resign."

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who also called for Wasserman to step aside, saidin an interview with Spectrum Newsthat she was "incredibly disappointed" to learn of Wasserman and Maxwell's close relationship, adding it "really undermines the legacy of what these Games are supposed to represent."

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, also calling for Wasserman to resign, said her opposition to his leadership in LA28 was "not about shaming him for his past indiscretions."

"This is about the message we are sending to Epstein survivors and to the world about our values — especially as we work to combat any sex trafficking associated with the Games," Hahn told CNN. "I worry Casey Wasserman's continued leadership almost guarantees that our Los Angeles Olympic Games will be tied in subsequent press coverage to his association with a notorious sex trafficker."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that it is "critical to be 100% focused on making our city shine and ensuring the 2028 Games are the best in Los Angeles' history," but did not go as far as asking for Wasserman's resignation. Instead, the mayor added that any decision pertaining to the leadership of LA28 must rest with its board.

Several members of the LA28 board, which includes nearly three dozen prominent names in business, entertainment, sports and politics, also did not respond to requests from CNN asking if they maintain confidence in Wasserman's ability to lead.

Both the International and US Olympic committees did not respond to requests for comment, but when asked during recent press conferences about Wasserman, leaders of both committees referred to his earlier statement and said they would have nothing to add.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byCosmopolite

in

February 06, 2026

LA Olympics chief faces calls to resign after flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell are revealed in Epstein files

The head of the coordinating committee for the 2028Olympic Games in LosAngeles is facing calls to step down after emails ...

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Felony charge against Gavin McKenna, potential No. 1 pick in 2026 NHL Draft, dropped by Centre County District Attorney

A charge of felony aggravated assault against Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna has been withdrawn by the Centre County, Pennsylvania district attorney.

McKenna, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the2026 NHL Draft, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, plus summary offenses for disorderly conduct and harassment following an altercation Saturday,according to Onward State.

The 18-year-old Penn State freshman forward was reportedly at a downtown State College, Pennsylvania, bar with the team and friends and family following theNittany Lions' outdoor game at Beaver Stadium against Michigan State. It's unknown how the altercation began, but McKenna reportedly broke the jaw of an unidentified individual.

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"A review of the video does not support a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or with reckless indifference to the value of human life," District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said during a press conference on Friday,via StateCollege.com.

"In order to establish probable cause for the crime of Aggravated Assault, the Commonwealth must establish that a person acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or acted recklessly under circumstances showing an extreme indifference to the value of human life," Cantorna explained.

According to thePennsylvania court docket, McKenna is awaiting a preliminary hearing on Feb. 11 at Centre County Courthouse.The State College Police Department confirmed the charges in a statement released Wednesday night, adding that McKenna was released on $20,000 bail.

The Penn State athletic department released the following statement to Onward State a few hours after the arrest was reported:

"We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment."

In July, McKenna announced that he would be attending Penn State following three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, one of three leagues that makes up the Canadian Hockey League. The move was made possible after theNCAA's ruling that allowed CHL players to play collegiately.

Through 24 games this season, McKenna has 11 goals and 32 points for the Nittany Lions, who are in third place in the Big Ten. He was recently ranked as theNo. 1 North American skater by NHL Central Scoutingahead of June's NHL draft.

byCosmopolite

in

February 06, 2026

Felony charge against Gavin McKenna, potential No. 1 pick in 2026 NHL Draft, dropped by Centre County District Attorney

A charge of felony aggravated assault against Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna has been withdrawn by the Centre Count...

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What Bad Bunny’s halftime show means for Puerto Rico

For three hours last summer, Wilfredo José Burgos-Matos felt like he didn't have to leave Puerto Rico again after moving away from the island 11 years ago.

Bad Bunny's residencyin San Juan last August hit Burgos-Matos like a wave of nostalgia, from the plena-style rhythm mixed with reggaeton and salsa filling "El Choli" coliseum to the pink casita and mountains built for the stage, bringing him back to his hometown of Aibonito, Puerto Rico.

"It just very honestly made me kind of realize, or even dream a little bit, about staying and not having to live again and go through this diaspora mourning, or this grief of always being in constant movement outside of the island," the 33-year-old said. "It's some sort of a gift that that Bad Bunny gave to Puerto Ricans."

Now,Bad Bunnyis bringing that same energy to one of the biggest global stages this weekend: theApple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. Bad Bunny has repeatedly centered Puerto Rico in his music and his career, including his latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," and his recent 31-date"No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí" residencyin San Juan that generated millions into the island's local economy.

Bad Bunny accepts the album of the year award for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny poses with the album of the year, best música urbana album and best global music performance awards during the 68th Grammy Awards.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs onstage during the first show of his 30-date (which ended up being 31 in total) concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 11, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny thanked his fans for "letting me sing in my home in front of my friends, my family and my people" on what was the final night of his residency in September 2025. "Thank you for that," he said. "I love you, thank you for being a part of this."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> On top of his Puerto Rico residency, Bad Bunny was also juggling life as a Hollywood actor attending the premiere of "Caught Stealing" on Aug. 26, 2025, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny starred alongside Austin Butler in the movie.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Earlier in summer 2025, Bad Bunny was spotted at Netflix's "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere on July 21, 2025, in New York City, which he starred alongside Adam Sandler.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny at the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025. Bad Bunny gave a playful Puerto Rican twist to the Black dandy theme with a crisp espresso brown suit. He paired the custom-made Prada ensemble with a brimmed hat resembling a pava, a traditional straw hat made from leaves of the Puerto Rican hat palm.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> In February 2025, Bad Bunny attended "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs during his Most Wanted Tour at the Kaseya Center in Miami on May 24, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny attends the Dior Homme Menswear spring/summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs at the Crypto.com Arena during his Most Wanted tour in Los Angeles, March 13, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />  Cardi B, Chencho Corleone, Ivy Queen and reggaeton duo Jowell y Randy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> declaring Oct. 1 as the official Bad Bunny Day. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> two new wax figures at Orlando and New York's Madame Tussauds on April 19, 2022. The figure at Madame Tussauds New York is wearing the iconic all-silver look from the Grammy-winner's 2020 Super Bowl performance alongside Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and J Balvin, complete with the same silver jacket he wore. The wax figure in Orlando is wearing an outfit originally from his WWE Royal Rumble performance and is featured in his "Booker T" music video. For the figure, Bad Bunny donated his trenchcoat, vest, trousers, and pants. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny is set to portray the title role in "El Muerto," making history as Marvel's first Latino lead in a live-action film. He calls the film the "perfect role" for him.

Before suiting up as the super-powered wrestler, the Puerto Rican rapper will make his big-screen acting debut in the neon-drenched "Bullet Train" (in theaters July 29), doing battle with Brad Pitt. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> April 2021 at WWE's WrestleMania 37. In this photo, taken Jan. 29, 2022, Bad Bunny jumped into the ring again during the Royal Rumble match at The Dome at America's Center. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 22nd Latin Grammy Awards. That night he took home the award for best rap/hip hop song for "Booker T" and best urban music album for "El Último Tour del Mundo." " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Bad Bunny makes history at the Grammys. The Puerto Rican star's career in photos.

Bad Bunny accepts the album of the year award for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles

Bad Bunny, whose name isBenito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has hinted his performance will be about unity during the trailer for the halftime show, where he danced with people from various ages and from diverse backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities.

But it will also, undoubtedly, be about Puerto Rico.

"Benito speaks first and foremost to Puerto Ricans, and so he doesn't really care what other people think, and I think that's part of the formula for his success," said Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, associate professor of Latin American and Caribbean History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Bad Bunny leans into Puerto Rican pride

Over the past decade, Bad Bunny has skyrocketed to one of the world's biggest superstars, going from a local supermarket bagboy-turned-SoundCloud-rapper to themost streamed artist across the globe.

Through it all, he's leaned into his Puerto Ricanness.

Boricua slang like perreo (a type of dance linked to reggaeton music), janguear (to hang out) and bichiyal (a stylish woman) are sprinkled throughout many of Bad Bunny's songs. He's worn a pava, a traditional Puerto Rican straw hat, on red carpets and in the promo for the Super Bowl.

He highlighted the struggles Puerto Ricans experienced on the island following the devastating back-to-back hurricanes, including Hurricane Maria, in 2017, during adocumentary-style music videofor his hit, "El Apagon." He's highlighted the ongoing gentrification in Puerto Rico, including in his song "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" on his latest album.

"When you have a Puerto Rican, like Bad Bunny, appear on this massive platform, it is some sort of a reminder to viewers that Puerto Rico exists," Burgos-Matos said. "That Puerto Ricans are not just consumers of U.S. culture or passive participants of the U.S."

The rapper has also boostedtourism to the island. His residency last summer alone brought in estimates of$200 millionto more than$700 millionto Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny shines a light on Puerto Rico's history

But Boricuas in the United States and on the island are hoping that viewers of the halftime show will do more than just Google tickets to visit the island. Instead, some are hoping it will shine a light on the island's deep history – and its complicated relationship with the United States.

Burgos-Matos, who left Puerto Rico more than a decade ago to further his education and now has a doctorate, currently lives in the Bronx, "an extension of Puerto Rico," he said. His journey is one that many in the diaspora take.

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Roughly 5.8 million Puerto Ricans live in the United States, according toPew Research Center. Another 3.2 million live on the island, which is a U.S. territory, according tothe U.S. Census Bureau.

"There is a lot of trauma that Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans have been enduring for the past years with, not only with the ongoing colonial status, but also the economic crisis, the mass migration, the unpayable debt," he said. "This…is a form of asserting some sort of cultural survival."

Mikey Cordero, an artist living in Santurce, Puerto Rico, a neighborhood in the island's capitol, said that Puerto Rico often "gets pushed to the side" politically and in media.

Specifically, Cordero hopes the performance will open a conversation about "colonization" and how laws in place, like the Jones Act, affect Puerto Rico's economy. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, and has long been the subject of the debate on whether the island should become a state or an independent country.

"He's giving you breadcrumbs into the Puerto Rican experience," Cordero, 42, said. "I think if it brings more attention and more eyes on our story and our fight and our struggle – that's what I think even Bad Bunny wants – for you to like walk away with, to have that sense of prioritizing the Puerto Rican story."

'The more local Bad Bunny gets, the more universal he becomes'

Puerto Rico's story is a relatable one.

And some Boricuas anticipate that people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds won't feel excluded. Instead, they'll feel seen.

Meléndez-Badillo, who collaborated with Bad Bunny by writing historical narratives for videos for the artist's latest record, said the reggaeton superstar explores themes around displacement, gentrification, and longing for home.

"Those are things that people can connect with regardless if they're from Puerto Rico or not," he said. "Those are the things that people from the Global South have been dealing with for a long time."

Dámaris Otero-Torres, an associate professor at Rutgers Universitywho is teaching a class on the Puerto Rican star, said Bad Bunny's message in his music is universal and can create solidarity, even as he makes "sure that people understand the richness of Puerto Rico and all the things that it has to be, not only the U.S. and its community, but the world."

Him being chosen as an artist who sings and speaks almost entirely in Spanish is also a political act, Otero-Torres said, especially at a time in the United States where she says knowing another language is seen as a "liability."

"Why can't you open yourself to learn of the richness of the vastness of the culture? … The United States is an incredible melting pot," she said. "Speaking another language is not a liability. It enriches you. It allows you not only to understand other cultures, but to understand your own culture in deeper ways."

The more local Bad Bunny gets, the more universal he becomes, Otero-Torres, who is from the Río Piedras neighborhood in San Juan, recalled reading recently.

"I think that's true," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bad Bunny's halftime show – What it means for Puerto Rico

byCosmopolite

in

February 06, 2026

What Bad Bunny’s halftime show means for Puerto Rico

For three hours last summer, Wilfredo José Burgos-Matos felt like he didn't have to leave Puerto Rico again after mov...

Read More