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What Had Happened Was: 12/8/17

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    Pittsburgh Steelers v Cincinnati Bengals
    Ryan Shazier #50 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts as he is carted off the field. John Grieshop/Getty Images
    Rhiannon Walker By @InstantRHIplay

    Game. Blouses.

    • We may not ever see Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier play football again. That was the news ESPN’s Michele Steele reported after a phone interview with neurologist Dr. Anthony Alessi, who consults with the NFL Players Association. “It’s not good,” Alessi said of Shazier’s condition. “We’re not going to see him this season. He may not play football again.” Surgery is needed, the doctor continued, when the “bones around his spinal cord are dislocated. This is a more severe injury [than a contusion]. … This is a much more severe situation on our hands than we thought.”
    • LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball have signed with agent Harrison Gaines, their older brother Lonzo Ball’s agent, and will move forward with plans to play on a pro team overseas, their father, LaVar Ball, told ESPN on Thursday. This ended speculation that LaMelo Ball would play at UCLA, or any other college for that matter, in 2019. Gaines has been fielding interest from clubs in both Asia and Europe, LaVar Ball said.
    • Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won his fifth career Ballon d’Or award, and his second in back-to-back years, beating out Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who was the runner-up. Messi’s ex-Barcelona teammate Neymar, who is now playing for Paris Saint-Germain, was third. Ronaldo led Real Madrid to victory in the Champions League and to the team’s first La Liga title since 2012. Ronaldo also won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2016 and now joins Messi as a five-time winner of the award.

    Top three tweets

    1. HOLD THIS DUNK FOR ME

    2. THREE SHOES, TWO SHOES, NO SHOES, WHATEVER TO WIN

    3. THESE PLAYERS EXPOSING Y’ALL

    ICYMI

    On this day in sports history

    On Dec. 8, 1961, Los Angeles Lakers forward Elgin Baylor dropped 63 points in a 151-147 triple-overtime victory over the Philadelphia Warriors. In a losing effort, Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain dropped 78 points and hauled in 43 boards while playing every minute of the contest. Baylor said Chamberlain would’ve had to score 100 points for Philadelphia to win that game — which, coincidentally, he did three months later against the New York Knicks.

    Picture-perfect

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    This Story Tagged: NBA What Had Happened Was Pittsburgh Steelers LaVar Ball LaMelo Ball … View All LiAngelo Ball Ryan Shazier