• Seattle Partners Group Pulls Out Of Bidding To Renovate KeyArena
• ESPN Bringing Back Hank Williams Jr. For Iconic "MNF" Intro
• San Diego City Council Vote Could Be Crucial To MLS Effort
• Hubie Brown, Al Attles Receive NBCA's Lifetime Achievement Award

The Seattle Partners group in a "surprising move" yesterday withdrew its $521M offer to renovate KeyArena. This comes on the "eve of an expected announcement this week that rival bidder Oak View Group" and its $564M proposal "will be selected" by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Murray's recommendation "will be forwarded" to City Council, which "would choose between renovating KeyArena or having entrepreneur Chris Hansen build a new arena." Sources said that city staffers "had reservations about the financing and design" of the SP project. The group – consisting of AEG and Hudson Pacific Properties – in a letter to Murray and the council said that it "never got a fair shake from the city" (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/5).

ESPN is bringing Hank Williams Jr. back to "MNF," with a new version of Williams' song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night" to air prior to a Sept. 11 Saints-Vikings game. A new music video was "filmed in Nashville Sunday and includes two additional contemporary music artists to freshen the song's presentation." ESPN "dropped Williams from the program" in '11 following remarks the singer made after a golf outing between President Obama and then-Speaker of the House John Boehner (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/5).

The possibility of San Diego landing an MLS franchise and "building a stadium that could also be home" to SDSU football "could conceivably die" today, when the City Council votes on an '18 budget submitted by Mayor Kevin Faulconer. The budget includes $5M for a November special election "intended for a public vote on convention center expansion and/or the proposed SoccerCity development." MLS "will choose two expansion sites by the end of this year and plans to choose its final two" before November '18. MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott said, "There is a very significant risk that San Diego would lose the opportunity if the vote is postponed to 2018" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/3).

Longtime NBA figures Hubie Brown and Al Attles "have been named co-recipients" of the National Basketball Coaches Association's '17 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. They were presented with the honors last night at NBA Finals Game 2 in Oakland (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/5). The two join a "prestigious list of honorees including Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, Tommy Heinsohn, Jack Ramsay, Dick Motta, K.C. Jones and Tex Winter" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/5).

#Warriors former coach Al Attles and #ESPN broadcaster Hubie Brown, recipients of Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement award with Rick Carlisle pic.twitter.com/Wmli4qS2VF

— Ryan Leong (@RyanLeong) June 4, 2017

"Tebowmania" was on display during this past weekend's Single-A South Atlantic League Columbia Fireflies-Hagerstown Suns series in Maryland. With Tim Tebow in uniform for the Fireflies, Thursday night’s attendance of 6,217 was a "larger total even" than Nationals RF Bryce Harper’s debut for the Suns in '11 or P Stephen Strasburg’s "rehab start later that same year." A "near-sellout crowd" of 5,894 was on hand Friday night at Municipal Stadium, and "still more people packed in Saturday," when attendance was 6,351 (WASHINGTON POST, 6/5). More than 4,000 "turned out for Sunday's finale" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/5).

The "worst rift in years among some of the most powerful" Arab states "threatens the international prestige" of '22 FIFA World Cup host Qatar. In a "diplomatic broadside," Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain today "severed ties" with Qatar, "accusing it of supporting terrorism." Persian Gulf expert Kristian Ulrichsen of the U.S.-based Baker Institute said that if Qatar's "land borders and air space were closed for any length of time 'it would wreak havoc on the timeline and delivery' of the World Cup" (REUTERS, 6/5).

The Bucks are "finalizing a list" of GM candidates to meet with ownership early this week in N.Y. Sources said that Bucks co-Owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens are "expected to be part of this round of interviews" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/4).

Michigan State AD Mark Hollis is "scheduled to brief" the school's BOT today. The session is "focused largely on the school's budget," but will include a "briefing on 'athletic issues'" from Hollis and football coach Mark Dantonio. The work session is "not open to the public" (MLIVE.com, 6/2).

The Miami-Dade County Commission is "set to vote" tomorrow on Miami Beckham United paying $9M for a "three-acre county truck depot next to six acres the partnership already owns in Overtown." After that, the Beckham group needs "zoning approval from Miami to build its proposed home" for an MLS club (MIAMI HERALD, 6/2).

Last weekend's Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship at Talen Energy Stadium outside Philadelphia broke the event's two-day attendance record with 37,518 on hand. The number bested last year's record of 27,224. Saturday's crowd of 14,973 set the one-day attendance record (THE DAILY).

More than 8,200 people were in attendance at the Jordy Nelson Charity Softball Game Saturday on a "warm and humid afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium" in Grand Chute, Wis. The event featured several Packers players (JSONLINE.com, 6/3).

"I feel like I'm back to the baseline of where I was during the regular season when I coached every game" – Warriors coach Steve Kerr, on his return to the bench yesterday for Game 2 of the NBA Finals (OHIO.com, 6/4).

"I definitely have concerns about the deal and what they’re getting out of it. ... At this point it would be difficult for me to support the lack of commitment around community benefits that would directly impact Detroiters" – Detroit Council Member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez, on the council's planned vote tomorrow regarding agreements needed to propel the Pistons' move downtown (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/5).

"I didn't get to that thought of: 'Oh, should I go? Should I not go to London with myself, my family?' Because it can happen anywhere" – Novak Djokovic, dismissing concerns about playing at Wimbledon despite recent attacks in London (AP, 6/4).

"(It’s) an odd thing for a superstar player because it forces the media into a scrum situation. Generally speaking, it’s uncomfortable for everyone involved, which is why they have the podiums set up" – NBA TV's Matt Winer, on Cavs F LeBron James speaking to the media at his locker instead of at the podium after Game 2 (“NBA Live at the Finals Postgame,” NBA TV, 6/4).

In the WALL STREET JOURNAL, Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock writes under the header and sub-head, "C'Mon, LeBron, Your Emmett Till Analogy Is Simply Cavalier: The Cleveland star likens graffiti vandalism to the brutal murder of a 14-year-old boy."

Also: 

• Stanley Cup Final disrupts Nashville's bachelorette party scene.
• Gold cloth is the standard for T-shirt giveaways in NBA, NHL Finals.
• The Ball family is in uncharted territory with its Big Baller Brand.
• The late Frank Deford wrote the book on sports storytelling.
• How one sneakerhead is making huge money selling rare Jordans.
• Company profile highlights 15SOF's work with Indians, Cavs.

Tom Brady's Best Buddies weekend raised more than $6 million. Best turnout ever.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) June 3, 2017

Cavs locker room has a strong reefer aroma to it tonight. Hey, it's Cali. You're down 2-0 and it's all about pain control. #NBAFinals

— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 5, 2017

ESPN always has money for ex-athletes and coaches. It's their meth. https://t.co/DKMn9C1E3l

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) June 5, 2017

The fight as LeBron was leaving the court has been more entertaining than the NBA Playoffs so far.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 5, 2017

A 3-minute hit on the stories you need to know ... Subscribe on iTunes ... Check out our podcast home.

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Social and Sports Barriers.”

“Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina businesswoman Darla Moore became the first female members of this in 2012.”

A special edition of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” aired once again prior to NBA Finals Game 2, with host Jimmy Kimmel noting it is the 10th year of airing the special pregame shows: “We’ve done one for every year Steph Curry has been alive.” Kimmel began his monologue by saying, “Thank you for coming to our special Sunday show for Game 2. ... It is basketball night in America, Oakland versus Cleveland, a battle of the Southwest Airlines regional hubs.”

Kimmel: “One show I look forward to every year during the playoffs, and really all season long, is ‘Inside the NBA.’ This is the show with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. They really go at it, it’s a fun show to watch and it inspired me to do something. We took the audio from ‘Inside the NBA’ and we combined it with video from the old cartoon series ‘Fat Albert,’ and what we made is basketball magic.”

The show also aired a “game show” segment called “College Knowledge.” Kimmel: “Professional athletes take great pride in their alma maters, and tonight we’re going to give four of them the opportunity to defend their schools with their brains.” Pacers G Glenn Robinson III and ESPN’s Jalen Rose represented the Univ. of Michigan, while Pistons C Andrew Drummond and former NBAer Caron Butler represented the Univ. of Connecticut (“Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night,” ABC, 6/2).

“What is the Augusta National Golf Club?”