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NBA Finals: Toronto Raptors Beat Golden State Warriors To Win First Title

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The Toronto Raptors celebrate their NBA finals success over the Golden State Warriors
The Toronto Raptors were making their first appearance in the NBA Finals

The Toronto Raptors beat defending champions the Golden State Warriors 114-110 to win their first NBA title.

Kawhi Leonard was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, averaging 28.5 points, as the Raptors won the best-of-seven series 4-2.

“It was heck of a 12 months,” Toronto head coach Nick Nurse said after his side clinched a first title in their 24-year history.

“This is why I play basketball; this is what I work hard for,” added Leonard.

The Warriors, who headed into the finals with back-to-back wins and had won three of the past four NBA titles, were without the injured Kevin Durant and lost Klay Thompson to cruciate knee ligament damage in the third quarter.

Steph Curry had a chance to tie the series with a missed three-pointer when the Warriors trailed 111-110, before Leonard sealed the victory for the visitors.

The Raptors are the first Canadian club side to win a major North American sports title since the Toronto Blue Jays captured Major League Baseball’s World Series in 1993.

Leonard becomes a Toronto legend

Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard was named Most Valuable Payer in the NBA Finals for the second time in is career

Leonard – the Raptors’ leading scorer in his debut season – joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players to be named the NBA Finals’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) with two different teams.

The forward, MVP with the San Antonio Spurs in their championship-winning 2014 season, is the only player in history to receive the accolade in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

From Derby, Birmingham & Brighton to the NBA Finals

Nick Nurse
Nick Nurse has coached Manchester Giants and Brighton Bears

Nurse’s triumph came one day short of the first anniversary of his appointment as head coach.

The 51-year-old, from Iowa, had been the team’s assistant coach since 2013, before being promoted on 14 June last year.

“It was heck of a 12 months,” said Nurse, who has coached extensively in the British Basketball League, with stints at Derby Storm, Birmingham Bullets, Manchester Giants, London Towers and Brighton Bears.

He led the Bullets and Giants to the league title and twice won the BBL coach of the year award, working on a £100,000 budget – in contrast to the $150m (£120m) he has to spend at the Raptors.

Injuries devastate Warriors

Klay Thompson
Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Thursday night

In game five, an injury-riddled Warriors side welcomed back Durant – the two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player – after a month-long absence, only for him to rupture his right Achilles tendon.

Thursday’s game six then saw three-time NBA champion Thompson – who had already scored 30 points – forced off in the third quarter with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Both Durant and Thompson could be free agents next season, meaning the Warriors’ roster may change drastically.

“Injuries are always part of the NBA season. It’s just the severity of these injuries,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

“What matters is Kevin Durant is going to miss next season with an Achilles tear and Klay suffered a knee injury. It’s just brutal what these guys are dealing with right now.

“When Klay goes down and is out for the game, it’s just sort of: ‘You got to be kidding me, this has to stop.’ But it’s just the way it has gone.

“I don’t know if it’s related to five straight seasons of playing 100-plus games and just all the wear and tear, but it’s devastating.”

Brothers make NBA history

Marc and Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol (left) with his brother and former Memphis Grizzlies player Marc

On a historic night, Marc and Pau Gasol became the first brothers to both win an NBA championship.

Pau, 38 won back-to-back titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, and has made six NBA All-Star appearances.

Brother Marc, 34, who joined Toronto in February, beat his Milwaukee Bucks sibling in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“It’s a dream to have achieved this,” Spanish center Marc Gasol said. “I’ve never worked so hard.”

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca before game six, Pau said: “Marc and I have been so lucky throughout our lives to have achieved things that we would never have imagined in our wildest dreams as kids.”

Warriors bid farewell to Oracle

Oracle Arena
The Warriors have played at the Oracle Arena for 47 years

It was the Warriors’ final game at the Oracle Arena – their home in Oakland, California, for 47 years – before they move to the $1bn (£789m) Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Warriors had been hoping to mark the occasion with a win to force game seven.

Golden State forward Draymond Green, who scored 11 points, said: “Everybody on this team played with a lot of heart. We just came up a little short.”

The end of the ‘Drake curse’?

Drake
Drake celebrated the win in Toronto’s Jurassic Park

Superfan and Raptors ambassador Drake, regularly seen courtside at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, opted out of a trip to the West Coast, choosing to watch game six back home in Maple Leaf Square – nicknamed Jurassic Park – with thousands of fans.

Previously, the rapper has become notorious for the ‘Drake curse’ – his unfortunate habit of being photographed with some of the world’s biggest sports stars just before they lose.

Most recently, he was pictured alongside British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua… and we all know how that ended.

But after a historic Raptors win, has the curse finally been lifted?

Entertainment Gists

Josh2Funny’s Album Has Fans Talking — But Should He Stick To Music Or Skits?

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Josh2Funny’s Album Has Fans Talking — But Should He Stick To Music Or Skits? 😂🎶

 

 

Nigerian comedian and content creator Josh2Funny has taken his comedy game into music, and Nigerians are definitely having something to say about it.

The comedian released his 15-track album, “On Behalf of Josh,” on July 10, 2026, but instead of fading away after release, the project has continued to generate conversations on X.

And the big question now is:

Should Josh2Funny continue with music or go back to skits? 😂

Fans have been divided. While some listeners openly criticized the album and told him to return to comedy, others found songs they genuinely enjoyed.

One X user joked:

“Josh2Funny stopped doing skits and started music, Everybody wan chop this music money 😂”

Another simply said:

“This Josh2Funny Album no enter make he just go back skit abeg 😂”

But then came “Lembe.” 🔥

The track caught fire on X and eventually became a trending topic in Nigeria. The #LembeChallenge also gained momentum as creators began jumping on the song.

Josh2Funny later announced ₦1 million for winners of the challenge, giving the song another major push.

And it didn’t stop there.

‘INTERNATIONAL’ FT. ICE PRINCE ALSO TRENDED

On another day, “International” featuring Ice Prince generated its own buzz on X.

One fan even called it their favourite song from the album, while praising the collaboration. The post itself pulled thousands of views, showing that people weren’t only talking about Lembe.

From album criticism to trending songs and challenges, “On Behalf of Josh” has kept Josh2Funny’s name in the conversation.

Whether you love the album or think he should return to skits, one thing is clear:

Josh2Funny has succeeded in getting Nigerians talking. 😂🔥

So, let’s settle this once and for all:

Should Josh2Funny continue with MUSIC 🎶 or return to SKITS 😂?

Music or Skits? Drop your answer! 👇

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Entertainment Gists

RUAN-Badkid.96: The Unfiltered Voice Recommitting African Sound to Truth

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RUAN-Badkid.96 is a Nigerian recording artist whose music refuses to live inside a single genre. Blending Afrobeat, Afrofusion, trap, hip-hop, melodic rap, R&B, and global influences, he creates records that move effortlessly between raw street energy, soulful storytelling, and infectious melodies. Whether delivering hard-hitting bars, emotional love songs, or rhythm-driven African records, his sound is defined by authenticity rather than limitation.

Inspired by both African culture and international music, RUAN-Badkid.96 embraces the confidence and ambition of global hip-hop while staying deeply connected to his roots. His lyrics explore love, heartbreak, betrayal, friendship, social injustice, hope, and the everyday realities of life. He doesn’t create music to follow trends, he creates music to reflect truth, emotion, and human experience.

Behind his fearless image is an artist who believes in kindness, equality, justice, and genuine human connection. His appearance may be intimidating, but his message is rooted in compassion and authenticity. Every record carries a piece of his journey, proving that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same voice.

For RUAN-Badkid.96, music is more than entertainment, it’s a language, a testimony, and a lifelong mission to connect with people through honesty, versatility, and unforgettable sound.

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Entertainment Gists

Meet the Man Who Turned Hype Into a Science: Emmy Blaq, Nigeria’s G.O.A.T. of Hype

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If you have ever been at a Nigerian event and found yourself on your feet before the main act even stepped on stage, there is a good chance a hype man was responsible. But not just any hype man. Emmy Blaq, born Ikechukwu Emmanuel Chima and raised in Auchi, Edo State, has spent the last few years quietly becoming the most talked-about name in that profession, and the Nigerian press has taken notice. Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian Nigeria, The Nation, and Independent Newspaper have all sat down with him, and every conversation leads back to the same thing: this man does not just make noise; he makes moments.
What makes Emmy Blaq different is the journey behind the energy. Before the stages, the collaborations with Waje on her “Waje 2.0” album, DJ Consequence, and DJ Kaywise on the massively streamed “Joor Party Mix” series, he was repairing generators, cutting hair, and sewing clothes in Auchi. His first professional hype gig happened at a local fast food spot called Valchi, and the crowd response that night changed everything. He told The Nation directly: “My passion for entertainment and desire to make people happy led me into the craft.” Punch also captured his bigger mission when he said that hype men deserve more than what they currently earn, a statement that sparked a real conversation across Nigerian entertainment circles.
With over 1.7 million TikTok followers, 23.6 million TikTok likes, a viral “Wife Material” challenge that landed on Pulse Nigeria’s top ten social media moments of 2021, and an international performance at the Cameroon International Music Festival that Cameroonian media described as electrifying, Emmy Blaq is not building toward something. He is already there. The G.O.A.T. of Hype is not a title he gave himself and hoped would stick. It is one the rooms keep confirming every single time he grabs the mic.

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