Good morning sunshine. It is Friday, June 28th and we are headed into the last weekend of June and rolling right into that 4th of July holiday. Here are some quick key conversation starters for your weekend ahead. We are in the midst of the US Olympic team trials for gymnastics and of course we're all watching the oldest entrance who is still top for game Simone Biles. She is part of the 26 men and 16 women. She's part of the 20 men and 16 women who will vie for Olympic births this weekend.
Simone Biles is all but a lot. This is sort of a formality, but we'll see who else joins her on the team in Paris. They run through the 30th. Moving on to the unexpected hero of the season, Grimace. That's right, Grimace from McDonald's threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game just about two weeks ago. and the Mets have put together an 11 -2 record since then.
If you're wandering around New York and you see a lot of people dressed up like Grimace, they're probably going to a Mets game because fans are dressing up like Grimace, chugging beer dressed like Grimace. The Empire State Building even went purple for Grimace's birthday. Moving on to the knockout stage of the Euro Cup. That's right, that's soccer, single elimination segment of the tournament. Slovenia made history by qualifying for the knockout stage. of the tournament for the first time.
Georgia, who was in their first ever Euros, beat Portugal to make it to the knockout stage. Austria won their group for the first time ever and Spain, Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium are all on the same side of the bracket in the knockout stage. So we'll see who comes out on that one.
Moving on to the NBA draft, LeBron is going to get his dream to play with his son in the NBA, Bronny James or Bronny Jr. Bronny James was drafted by his father's Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft after going unselected in the first round. If the pair take the court together, it will be the first time a father and son have played together in NBA history. And last quick point on this one, golf galaxy employee Nick Beans never played a PGA Tour sanctioned event.
He never played in an event bigger than a state open. He ended up qualifying for the Rocket Mortgage Classic after drinking three beers to calm his nerves before a playoff and he will be playing in a PGA Tour sanctioned event. Okay, two big events this weekend. The Tour de France kicks off on Saturday in Florence, Italy. It's the unusual route this year. It starts in Italy for the first time ever to honor 100 years since the first Italian victory in the Tour.
Also due to the 2024 Summer Olympics, The tour will not finish in Paris for the first time in event history. Now it's been three years since an American has even won a stage in the tour and there are three Americans in the race this year, Nielsen Palace, Matteo Jorgensen and Sean Quinn. Now last but certainly not least, the NHL draft starts today in Las Vegas and it's at the Sphere, which is going to host a one -of -a -kind event in Las Vegas.
You may know the Sphere as the giant ball in the strip that is visible from all over and it will be the first time that an event happening inside the venue will also be incorporated into the exosphere in real time.
Now San Jose Sharks have the number one pick and it's pretty much a consensus that they will take Macklin Celebrini from Boston University and this is a marketing bonanza for the San Jose Sharks because he once played for the Junior Sharks while his father Rick worked for the Golden State Warriors. Austin Moline hopes to hear his name called in his hometown of Las Vegas and it would be the first Vegas local drafted into the NHL.
He has committed to play for Northern Michigan afterward should he not be drafted. That's what we have for your weekend ahead. Check us out at lastnightsgame .com or follow us on social for any more information. Have a great weekend.