BETRAYAL

NBA superstar Luka Dončić has reportedly reached out to former All Blacks fullback Christian Cullen in an effort to process the unthinkable—being cast aside while still in his prime.

The 25-year-old NBA superstar from Slovenia was shockingly traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, a move that sent shockwaves through the basketball world. 

Struggling to come to terms with being discarded, Dončić said he began researching athletes who suffered similar fates. That’s when he discovered Christian Cullen, the legendary All Blacks fullback who was ruthlessly dropped by coach John Mitchell in 2003 at the age of 26, while still performing at the peak of his powers.

“I saw the tape of him carving up teams from the back, running like a gazelle, scoring test tries for fun,” Dončić said. “Then I read how he just… wasn’t wanted anymore. That hit deep.”

When pressed by our reporters to what he said, Dončić explained the dialogue.

“I just asked him, ‘Hey, man, how do you cope with knowing you were still at your best but the people in charge decided you weren’t worth it?’” Dončić said. 

Cullen, now 48, and arguably the greatest fullback to ever play the game of rugby, confirmed the exchange.

“Yeah, Luka messaged me out of the blue. I didn’t even know basketball players got dumped like that—I thought only rugby coaches did that sort of thing.

“I told him, ‘Mate, at least you got traded. You’ll probably go win a ring with LeBron in LA. But for me, I’m often waking up at 3 a.m. thinking, ‘How the hell did John Mitchell drop me in my prime?’”

More to come. 

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LEAPING INTO ACTION

The Government’s bombshell decision to ban greyhound racing in New Zealand has left many Kiwis grappling with the fallout, none more so than 29-year-old Corey O’Connor from Christchurch.

O’Connor has spent the better part of his weekends at Addington Raceway and sporadically dabbling on random greyhound races in Palmerston North, where he’d watch online via the TAB website.

Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced the Government will phase out greyhound racing in the country by 2026, with the aim of rehoming some 2900 greyhounds.

With today’s news it means Corey will have to find other ways of blowing parts of his small paycheque each weekend, and he looks to be settling on the chaotic world of NBA multis.

“It’s the same vibe as the dogs,” he insisted. “You’ve got no idea what’s going on, but you’re hoping for the impossible. Just like trying to nail the First4, I’m hoping to pick 15 straight winners in a day’s play of the NBA” said O’Connor enthusiastically, despite having watched a minimal amount of NBA to date.

“I’ve got no idea who half the players are either,” Corey admitted. “But the thrill of putting a tenner on some dude from the Memphis Grizzlies to score exactly 17 points? Mate, that’s the same rush as backing Opawa Pawsome in the third race at Addington.”

More to come. 

This story was brought to you by the good bastards at Fat Bastard Pies. Order some of their hefty pies online and have them delivered fresh overnight, anywhere in NZ.

The post GREYHOUND RACING BAN: Bloke Forced To Start Blowing His Chump Change On Random NBA Multis appeared first on The Whakataki Times.