At long last, Dallas Mavericks Media Day arrived on Friday, meaning that training camp will begin soon after, and the NBA preseason and regular season are officially right around the corner as well.
One key storyline for the Mavs this season is the return of Kyrie Irving, who missed the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. During that missed season, Irving took on more of a player-coach role, and he spoke about that experience on Friday morning.
“It was quite interesting coming into practice and not being able to raise the level of the intensity or just the competitive drive [with my play]. I feel like whenever I walk into a gym, not only do I feel like I’m one of the best to be out there, but I also feel like I can raise the level of play and just bring out the best in people. If I’m playing with kids or if I’m playing with adults, it’s just a joy,” Irving said.
“Sometimes that could look like aggression or competitive drive. So the coaching came naturally to me this year or last year, just being able to be on the sidelines, coming to games a little bit later rather than coming to games four and a half hours or three and a half hours early. See it from different vantage points, get an appreciation for guys’ tangibles and their skill sets, and learn how to bring out the best in them.”
Last season was a tough one for both Irving individually and the Mavs as a whole. The team finished 26-56 and ended up in the NBA Draft Lottery (ultimately drafting national champion Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick), and there wasn’t much Irving could do to help aside from keeping the guys focused on the long-term big picture going forward.
“Last year was tough. It was a tough season, just record-wise, just emotionally,” Irving said. “And I’m not just only going to speak for myself, but just walking around the building, you can tell we have a lot of winners here, and no one likes losing. … I think you want to see guys that are putting in their best work, and they’re putting their best foot forward in practice and in games. … That’s what I was here to do, just to reiterate the culture we’re building here, and also the trust that we have to have for one another.
“I think the biggest learning takeaway that I had, or the biggest learning lesson was, what does patience look like when you really want something? I really wanted to be on the court, but I still had to learn what patience felt like and giving my teammates grace.”
Although last season was a lost one as far as competing for a playoff spot goes, it was an effective year due to the development of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who ended up winning Rookie of the Year and is now looking to take a big leap into year two. Irving having to sit out last season helped him spend more time guiding Flagg through his first NBA season.
“We had a lot of young guys, including Cooper, that have a world of talent but need that guidance, need that leadership, and I feel like I tried to fill in that void as much as possible,” Irving said. “But now, as we sit here and we have our team set, we have our coaching staff set, really confident that we’re going to be able to do great things and looking forward to continuing to bring the best out of each other. So that player-coach role was fun. I enjoyed it, but I think I’m ready to go out there and kick some butt.”
On paper, Irving and Flagg appear to be a perfect on-court fit with each other, despite the 15-year age gap. We’ll get our first look at what that dynamic duo can do during the Mavs’ first preseason game against the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Cotai, Macao on Oct. 9.
WILMINGTON, DE - OCTOBER 20: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers smiles during an open practice on October 20, 2024 at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo byJesse D. Garrabranty/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Sixers’ Blue X White Scrimmage has become a fun annual tradition for fans.
While the intimacy of the Chase Fieldhouse in Delaware, the home of the G League affiliate Blue Coats, was a nice treat, the obvious demand with the new-look Sixers has forced the team to move the event to South Philly. This year’s scrimmage will take place at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Oct. 3.
Your first chance to see LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Sixers uniforms will happen then, though player participation in the event is always an unknown until the day comes. Barring injuries, you’ll likely see all the players doing on-court work in some capacity, even if they don’t take part in the scrimmage itself.
Those looking to get tickets can do so this coming Monday, Sept. 28. If you’re a Society 76 Member, you can take part in a special presale at 1 p.m. The rest of the tickets will be released to the general public. They’ll cost $10 a ticket with 100% of that money being donated to the the Sixers Youth Foundation. (For what it’s worth, because the donation is required in order to receive admission to the event, no portion of this donation is tax deductible.) Parking will be complimentary.
Sixers media day will take place on Monday as well. Training camp, which will be held at the team’s practice facility in Camden this year, will begin the next day. The Sixers’ first preseason game will take place on Oct. 5 when they host the New York Knicks. They’ll open the regular season against the defending champs at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20.
In 2024, a time that feels like a lifetime ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves were in Sacramento for Game 2 of the new season. With 3:29 left in the first quarter, Keegan Murray was subbed out for Trey Lyles, a player I mostly remembered from his one year in college with the Kentucky Wildcats. That was all the way back in 2014-15, or roughly six lifetimes ago.
Lyles was part of the Fab Freshmen team, featuring longtime Wolf nemesis Devin Booker and former (and current, let’s be honest) Wolf beloved Karl-Anthony Towns. Those Wildcats would go on a historic 38-0 run before falling to none other than – checks notes – Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker in the 2015 Final Four.
Upon first seeing Lyles enter this Wolves-Kings game, I did a bit of a double-take, because, and here’s the confession…
I had completely forgotten that he was still in the league.
Not to defend my very wrong thought as reasonable, but Lyles is exactly the type of player to go unnoticed and eventually be forgotten. A player who already has a decent amount of miles on him, now somewhere in the middle of the pecking order on a middling team and one of the least nationally recognized franchises?
That sounds like a recipe for obscurity. Almost like a ghost, but not the scary kind that causes one to let out a shriek. Instead, just an “Oh, huh. It’s that guy,” followed by the I-guess shoulder shrug.
A ghost would be insulted by such a response, and honestly, so should Lyles.
The thing is, I actually really like the idea of Lyles. Specifically, on this Wolves team.
Based on what Will Griffith of The King’s Herald had to say in a fun Q&A with our very own Leo Sun, Kings fans not only liked the idea of Lyles. They straight up liked him, for real. By all accounts, he’s a pretty cool dude.
Griffith: In the Mike Brown years, the Kings would hand out a Defensive Player of the Game chain and crown, and the whole team would take a picture, and Trey, no matter where he was in the picture, flashed fours on his hands. It took all of like 3 games into the gimmick where the entire team was hitting this pose, holding four fingers out on each hand, and despite a lot of bad times in the seasons that followed, he was well regarded enough that players still held up fours out of love for him. On the off chance that the Wolves suddenly have a gimmick like that, or start popping locker room pictures after the game, Trey will throw up those fours, and you will ask yourself, what the hell does that even mean?
It means “4 Life”. It was just a thing he started in high school and has kept it going ever since.
It would seem that Lyles is a likable enough person and capable enough player, or at least a player with certain capabilities – he can shoot the three well enough and drive the ball well enough and rebound well enough. I loath to turn this into a positive affirmation piece all of a sudden, but I don’t care; Trey Lyles is clearly enough!
Whilst on the Kings, his own teammates liked him, and the fanbase seemed to have nothing outright bad to say about his game, though you would be hard-pressed to find any superlative-adorned comments on his list of competencies (but there is a list).
So, if you’re not a Kings fan, it wouldn’t have been egregious to be like me and think twice about Lyles’ existence in the league, but he did exist. He was very much an NBA player. A professionally employable, consistently fine, effectively visible NBA player.
Last year, however, Lyles shed the last remaining threads of his visibility cloak. He was no longer in the NBA. He didn’t retire. He wasn’t exiled. Adam Silver didn’t disappear him. Instead, Lyles made a voluntary decision to leave. He also left the country entirely, marking his foray into La Villa y Corte. Madrid, Spain.
Was he looking for a clean slate? A fresh start? To watch the running of the bulls in Pamplona? To become the bull himself and stampede back to the NBA with horns painted in blood spelling out “SEE ME NOW”? Metaphorically speaking, it’s possible.
Expedition “Bring Back Swagger”
Playing for Real Madrid, one of the most prominent teams in European history, Lyles came on strong right away and never really let up. He was able to leverage his 6’9” and 234-pound frame, slow-cooking on post-ups, using his lower body to seal away smaller players, and utilizing his 7’2” wingspan to steal boards and flourish above the rim. All that combined with what he was predominantly known for: a steady hand from deep.
The EuroLeague final four championship game was Lyles’ curtain call, where he came out like a bat out of hell, punishing the Olympiacos defense for 21 first-half points. Though he would slow down considerably in the second half and Madrid would bow out in defeat, Lyles’ 24-point, eight-rebound performance was a nice capper to a year that reminded everyone what he’s capable of.
By season’s end, Lyles would average 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in just over 21 minutes of play, while shooting a staggering 45.9% on threes. It would appear Lyles had gotten his swagger back.
It remains to be seen how much of that swagger found in Europe carries over to the NBA and actually manages to manifest results. The EuroLeague and NBA are not the same league, and it would be fanciful to expect a one-to-one translation in performance.
In Madrid, only 40% of Lyles’ shot attempts were from three. Compare that to his previous two seasons in the NBA that saw his shot distribution largely favor shots from deep – 66% of his diet, to be exact.
Here, the role is going to be different, the spacing different, the competition different, and with that perhaps a little less comfort and a slight slippage of swagger. It’s an adverse league, the NBA, and to survive it and truly succeed, it pays to either be blind to its punches or just straight-up frothing mad.
But the idea of Lyles on the Wolves remains an exciting thought, and one worth exercising. He is the perfect tweener archetype for this team. With the downhill proclivities of both Ayo and TJ, and Beringer poised to mostly occupy space down low, Lyles has a real opportunity to provide second unit lineups with inverted potency. He’s not going to backfill the Naz Reid-shaped hole – and, to be fair, no one can – but with his particular skill sets and this team’s dearth of power forwards, there is an opening for a player of his kind to thrive. It’s up to him, though, to seize the moment.
A reason for optimism, and a reason for grace
Every team is a puzzle where certain ancillary pieces might not fit, while others do so perfectly. It can take years, several even, for those connections to click, but when they do, it can define careers.
Journeymen are finally able to make their names known. Think Shane Battier and Mike Miller, whose sharp-shooting prowess helped the Miami Heat win back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. Or Boris Diaw, Danny Green, and Patty Mills, vital pieces of the “Beautiful Game” San Antonio Spurs and their unconscious 2014 title run. There’s Shaun Livingston on the Golden State Warriors dynasty. Or most recently, Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet on last season’s NBA champion New York Knicks.
Not all roles are created equal, but if you can complement your team and help contribute to winning possessions, games, and beyond, then you’ve exceeded your expected value and proven that you are more than enough in this league.
When you consider the 450 active players, with 100 or so more waiting in the wings, from a relative small number of bonafide star players to the many key rotation pieces to the more populous distribution of playable and passable bodies whose job for a majority of the season is just to keep the bench warm, it is clear that every team is in fact greater than the sum of its parts. And to be a part of that sum is a privilege.
To be a part of something special is an honor.
Lyles once again finds himself somewhere in the middle of that large, expansive sea of NBA contracts, and because of that, I guarantee he isn’t the only player that people forget about from time to time. And hey, no matter how his career rounds out, at least he can say he made it longer than Frank “the Tank” Kaminsky.
Time will tell whether Lyles can play his part well enough to be remembered outside of the Wolves fandom. Maybe he becomes a de facto glue guy. Or he has to settle as an emergency fill-in, to find contentment in being the new team sage, a steady voice if not a steady hand, riding the pine like the owl in the tree. Sometimes, that alone is enough.
Truth is, if an organization wants you here and your teammates are happy that you are, then in a way you’ve made it. And so Lyles isn’t alone. Everyone in this league is necessary. If you’re here, clearly you’re doing something right.
On July 11, 2026, Lyles signed a one-year deal with the Wolves. I don’t know if he’s in Minneapolis at the time of this writing – that’s not important. For a while he was somewhere else, and now he’s here. To be here is to be present is to have value is to be enough. Only time will tell if he can be anything more than that, but for now, it’s good to have him here.
Although the Los Angeles Lakers signed a slew of wings this summer — Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle — to pair with incumbents such as Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt, it doesn’t feel like most of the minutes are spoken for yet. There should be an opportunity for plenty of candidates to stake their claim and bolster Los Angeles’ rotation.
Among those hoping to do so is second-year forward Adou Thiero. Selected 36th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Thiero played sparingly as a rookie, logging just 183 minutes across the regular season and playoffs. He did, however, flash imposing athleticism and dominant interior scoring during his South Bay Lakers stint.
In seven regular season G League games, he averaged 15.4 points on 74.6 percent true shooting (62 percent on 2-pointers). In three Tip-Off Tournament games, he averaged 15.0 points on 73.7 percent true shooting (66.7 percent on 2-pointers).
Thiero hardly played in year one partly due to separate knee injuries. Swelling in his left knee caused him to miss all of preseason and the first 13 games of the regular season while a sprained MCL in his right knee sidelined him for six weeks from late December to mid-February. But Thiero is healthy now and head coach JJ Redick said this prolonged stretch of availability this summer has done wonders.
“Adou has had an unbelievable last two months of development,” Redick told reporters Thursday. “It’s the first stretch he’s had since we’ve drafted him where he’s had uninterrupted time in the gym and his body’s been in great shape and he’s just gotten better.”
Much of the Lakers’ projected rotation isn’t particularly athletic, so if Thiero can break through, he’d provide a welcomed, novel dynamic with his speed, strength and above-the-rim finishing.
We’ll have a better idea of just how much his healthy summer might pay off when the Lakers begin their preseason slate Oct. 5 against the Sacramento Kings.
On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo react to a new skipper and new voices in the front office.
The guys cover the news that Andy Green is interim Mets manager no more, as he signed a three-year deal to be the permanent bench boss.
Connor and Joe also discuss the addition of Derek Falvey as senior advisor, baseball operations, the promotion of Kris Gross to assistant GM, scouting, and whether or not there will be more new names added to the front office in the near future.
The Mets Pod Answering Machine takes a call about the next steps for the organization, the guys take one more Scoreboard swing for the season, and the Mailbag delivers one more look at what "could have been" last offseason.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
With the NHL regular season beginning on Tuesday, an unusual number of unrestricted free agents are without contracts.
Among those is Vladimir Tarasenko, a Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers and one of the NHL's best snipers throughout the 2010s.
It's surprising to see Tarasenko without a contract right now. He posted 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games with the Minnesota Wild in 2025-26 despite playing in a middle-six role. He's a power-play specialist and clearly still has plenty of gas left in the tank at 34 years old.
Hence why the Panthers are reportedly interested in bringing him back to Florida.
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Panthers and Tarasenko are “eying each other,” considering a reunion.
Tarasenko was acquired by the Panthers from the Ottawa Senators at the 2023-24 trade dealine. He posted six goals and 14 points in 19 regular-season games before adding five goals and nine points in 24 playoff games.
Tarasenko would win his second Stanley Cup of his career with the Panthers, after winning his first in 2018-19 with the St. Louis Blues.
Tarasenko's best individual moments came with the Blues. Drafted by the club in the first round (16th overall) in 2010, Tarasenko scored 30 goals six times and set a career-high of 40 in the 2015-16 season. Tarasenko would play 11 seasons with the Blues before being dealt to the New York Rangers in a deadline trade.
Since then, Tarasenko has bounced around, never playing more than one season with any of the five teams he's joined since the Blues.
With Brad Marchand injured, Tarasenko could fill a spot on the Panthers' third line. But if the Panthers are healthy, the question is where Tarasenko fits.
Another factor is that Sandis Vilmanis has looked strong in pre-season, and coach Paul Maurice is inclined to give him a go on the wing with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen until Marchand returns from injury.
Whether this moves beyond interest in a reunion is the question, but with less than a week until the season starts, Tarasenko will likely look to lock down a contract sooner rather than later.
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Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid were the people who brought LeBron to Philly, LeBron says.
"I love the way [Brown] approaches the game, too. You know, both sides of the floor, what he brings to the game, his insight on the game. I watched him kind of [be] misunderstood, and that is absolutely okay. I think we're all individuals for a reason. Everyone's always trying to put everybody in the same box, and I love what he stands for and what he brings to the table.
"And one of the most important [reasons], to be honest, is the big fella [Embiid], and the only thing he has not done and that's win a championship. And I want to try to help him get that first one. He's been an MVP of our league, has a gold medal, All-Stars, signature shoes, bunch of money, beautiful [family]. He has everything. He has a city on his back.
"It's been the process, you know, for what 10 years, 12 years, or however long he's been there. I think it's time now that we even dig even deeper into the process, and I hope that I can be kind of that final little piece that can help him get over the hump and maybe just see it a little bit differently than he's seen it in his career, as far as like the day-to-day process, the day-to-day what it takes to get there."
LeBron's longstanding relationship with fellow Klutch client Tyrese Maxey also played an outsized role.
"My relationship with Tyrese Maxey goes beyond the court... I just love everything about Tyrese Maxey, man. Like every day, you get the same person, and that is very rare in sports, and obviously super rare in life. And I've always talked about how great of a person that he is, and obviously we know what he brings to the basketball court. He was definitely, when I became a free agent and we decided to let the Lakers know that I wouldn't be returning, he was one of the first people that was on my line calling me, "Yo, what we doing? Yo, what's up? What's up, OG? What's up? What's up, old head? You know, come on down here, man. We can use you down here."
That process with Embiid and the entire 76ers roster starts next week when training camp opens. How those people LeBron trusted come together — and if they can stay healthy — will determine if Embiid really has a shot at that ring.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 11: Avery Hayes #85 and Kevin Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in action during the game against the Washington Capitals at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 11, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Penguins made another round of roster cuts on Friday, including one of the first notable ones for players on the edge of making the team. Avery Hayes was among eight players trimmed from the NHL roster. 2026 draft picks Markus and Liam Ruck will return to their WHL junior team and five more are headed to AHL Wilkes-Barre. Goalie Colin Delia has been released from his tryout.
The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
F Atley Calvert F Avery Hayes F Tanner Howe F Mikhail Ilyin
Forward Oliver Okuliar has been designated as injured non-roster and will continue his rehabilitation process in WBS.
Hayes appeared in two preseason games, scoring a goal. The Penguins have a spate of injuries up front, plus the absence of Andrei Kuzmenko who headed back to Russia to join his family following his father’s passing. It wasn’t enough to open the door for Hayes.
As of now, by my count (possibly dangerous) the Penguins have 37 players still in camp.
Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon
Defenseman (13): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Jake Livanavage, Owen Pickering, Chase Pietila, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalies (4): Joel Blomqvist, Cam Johnson**, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs
‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve ‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons
They’ll need to drop down to a maximum of 23 players by the start of the league season on Monday.
The Pens had a practice on Friday with some lines that might be close to showtime for the start of the season.
Brazeau remained out being evaluated for his lower body injury on Friday. None of Joel Blomqvist, Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Owen Pickering, Jake Livavanage and Chase Pietila took part in practice, per Pens Inside Scoop, which suggests unfavorable upcoming news about all of their statuses with the NHL team in the immediate future.
Given the center injuries to Lizotte and Kindel, extra centers were a part of the practice – Zonnon and Gustafsson being notable participants. As of now, it looks like Dewar might shift temporarily to center until injured players return but it looks as if the team is taking a longer look at more centers if they want to go in a different direction from Dewar and/or Lapierre. It remains to be seen if either Zonnon or Gustafsson will break camp with the NHL team but their chances have certainly increased given the rash of injuries to centers that the Pens are dealing with right now.
It’s a big move up the board for Koivunen, where the absence of Kuzmenko has opened up an opportunity for someone to play on Rust’s line. Koivunen may have been on the outside looking in about 48-72 hours ago, but the situation can and did change.
Defensively, everything remains about the same since the start of camp, outside of Brunicke departing from playing with Pickering and getting a further look with the NHL group. Solovyov, who can play both sides of the ice, probably still figures in to be the reserve defenseman on the NHL roster but that battle could be worth watching.
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 18: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks is defended by P.J. Washington #25 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at American Airlines Center on March 18, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the better stories in the East last season. They won 46 games, finished sixth, and finally started to look like a team with a clear direction.
The case for Atlanta is difficult because I genuinely like what the Hawks did this offseason.
This is not a team I think is bad. I don’t even expect them to take a step backward.
The argument is simply that 44 wins in this version of the Eastern Conference might require more things to go right than people realize.
Atlanta Hawks: Over/Under 44.5
Last Season: 46-36
Over: -105 Under: -125 To Win NBA Championship: +4000 To Win Eastern Conference: +2200 To Win Southeast Division: +250
Losses: Zaccharie Risacher, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield
Atlanta has almost everything I want in a modern roster.
Flemings gives them a young backcourt piece with real upside. Johnson and Alexander-Walker already give them a strong foundation. Dort, Finney-Smith, Daniels, and Wiggins give them wing depth rivaling almost anyone in the league.
The problem is that I still do not fully trust what is happening at center.
Okongwu is talented, but at his size, asking him to anchor the position all season is a lot. Against bigger, more physical teams, Atlanta could run into real problems on the glass and around the rim. Ejiofor is intriguing, but he is still a rookie, and Veesaar’s injury removes another option they hoped to develop.
That weakness matters even more because the East is crowded.
Philadelphia loaded up. New York is still elite. Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando, Boston, and Miami all have legitimate reasons to believe they can win a lot of games. There will be very few easy nights at the top of the conference.
The Hawks can be really good and still finish around 42 or 43 wins simply because the margin for error is small.
If Okongwu holds up and the young bigs develop faster than expected, I think Atlanta clears this number. If the center spot becomes a real issue, the under becomes very live.
Cooper Flagg one-of-one Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card on display Aug. 11 at the Baseball Cards of Rhode Island. (Erica Denhoff / Associated Press)
A Friday morning rush hour of intense bidding sent the one-of-one Cooper Flagg Topps Rookie Debut Patch Card skyrocketing at auction, selling for a record-setting $8.04 million. The price more than doubled during the feverish close of the auction presented by Fanatics Collect.
The card of the Dallas Mavericks star forward became the third-most expensive NBA card ever, trailing only the dual Kobe Bryant–Michael Jordan and Jordan–LeBron James cards that each sold for more than $10 million last year.
It also ranks as the fifth highest sports card sale, according to Card Ladder. A Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card sold for $12.6 million at a Heritage auction in 2022, and an ungraded Shohei Ohtani 2026 Topps Chrome Gold Logoman patch autograph card fetched $11 million July 30 in a private sale.
Flagg, the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft out of Duke, was Rookie of the Year at age 19 and set an NBA record for teenagers by scoring 40 or more points four times, breaking the record of three set by James in the 2003-2004 season.
At a Fanatics Fest in New York in July, Flagg signed the Rookie Debut Patch Autographed (RDPA) card then took the stage with ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi.
“I was a little nervous,” Flagg told Negandhi. “I’ve signed a lot of cards, but that one was a little nerve-wracking.”
Why? The card features a patch that Flagg wore on his Mavericks jersey during his first NBA game. Pairing the game-used memorabilia with a rookie’s signature has almost overnight made the RPDA cards the most sought after by collectors on the market.
The previous high paid for a Flagg card was $366,000 — a mere 4.55 percent of $8.04 million.
Two RPDA cards besides Flagg’s also sold for millions at Friday’s auction: San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper‘s card went for $2.88 million, and Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel’s card fetched $2.34 million.
RPDA cards are the latest brainstorm from Fanatics, which acquired the Topps sports and entertainment trading cards and collectibles business for approximately $500 million in January 2022.
The company leveraged partnerships with the NBA, MLB, NFL and Union of European Football Associations by announcing in 2023 that MLB rookies would wear a Debut Patch on their jersey sleeve during their first game. The patch is removed, authenticated and packaged with a trading card autographed by the player.
The existence of the Debut Patch cards spurred immediate excitement from the NBA when Topps resumed printing licensed cards for the NBA in October 2025 for the first time since 2010. Introducing Debut Patches to rookies and producing RPDA cards was a no-brainer.
“You know it’s such a simple idea, but fits perfectly into sort of like the ethos of the trading card world,” Matt Holt, NBA vice president of merchandising partnerships Matt Holt told the Athletic.
Rather than risking damage to the cards, a redemption card bearing a code serves as a placeholder in the pack. The result is that the Flagg card was graded a PSA Gem Mint 10 with a 10 autograph grade — as close to perfect as possible.
The Flagg card was randomly inserted in a pack of Topps 2026 Chrome Basketball Update Series and placed on the market Aug. 6. Jason Williams, 50, of Clover, S.C., acquired the card after spending $515 to land a spot on RhodyBreakers, a retail shop affiliate that opens boxes of trading cards on a livestream.
Williams was watching the stream on a television as his wife and son were getting ready for bed when a life-changing fortune became theirs.
“They slid that card over, and I just slid to the floor crying,” Williams told ESPN. “It took me about five seconds to realize what I was looking at on that screen.”
Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the last several weeks, we wrote columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions about every player on the Lakers. Today, we wrap up with JJ Redick.
It’s been a while since the Lakers employed a coach who has stayed with them for more than three seasons. A coach the organization genuinely believes in and doesn’t constantly put on the hot seat. JJ Redick has been everything the Lakers hoped for since they hired him in June 2024, as he has become the franchise’s best coach since Phil Jackson departed in 2011.
Redick has led the Lakers to 50 wins each season. The 29th head coach in franchise history is a big reason why Los Angeles hasn’t been in play-in territory over the last two years — a sight they saw a little too often before Redick’s arrival.
What has made Redick’s tenure with the Lakers so productive is the way his strengths have consistently shone through. He may have his flaws — we’ll get to what he has to improve later — but it’s no coincidence the Lakers have had a high-powered offense since the proud Duke University alumnus took over.
Redick’s attention to detail has also stood out based on the structure the team abides by and the way they run their sets. He’s a great communicator who can connect with his players, which is why he often has the group’s buy-in. He’s competitive and has shown he can respond to adversity. These are the foundational qualities of a championship coach.
That said, the incoming third-year coach still has a lot to prove. This year, he no longer has his former podcast co-host and captain LeBron James on his side. He’s also won just one playoff series since becoming the Lakers coach and the team’s defense has been below average over the last two years.
While Redick may not be in the hot seat, there’s always pressure on him to be better and deliver at a high level.
What is his best-case scenario?
The best-case scenario for Redick is to lead the Lakers to a championship. This expectation may be extremely high, but it’s also what happens when you have arguably the toughest coaching job in the league.
In order to achieve that, Redick needs to coach the team to at least a top-five finish in the Western Conference, which is achievable provided they stay healthy. In the playoffs, he has to show that he can indeed hang with the best coaches in the NBA right now.
The best-case scenario for Redick is also that he figures out how to fill the void LeBron left and bring the best out of this new roster, consisting of nine new faces following a major offseason roster overhaul. The good news is that this challenge isn’t new.
If Redick can continue to keep Lakers’ offense at an elite level while at the same time improving their defense to above average, then that’ll be extremely good for his success. In terms of in-game management, Redick has faced criticism for overplaying Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves last regular season, hence the soft tissue injuries to both that lasted until the playoffs. How he manages his two superstars as well as everyone else’s minutes will be a point of emphasis this season.
Every season brings its share of twists and challenges. For Redick, navigating those moments and guiding the Lakers through them into contention will be key to his success this year.
What is his worst-case scenario?
The worst-case scenario is JJ underperforms to the point that it affects the team’s overall performance. That would mean the Lakers finishing below the top five in the Western Conference and barely being competitive in the playoffs. A lot would have gone wrong if that’s the case come April.
Another horrible scenario is if the team doesn’t buy into Redick’s system and principles or in short, if he loses the locker room. That’s what happened to the Lakers’ previous two coaches and it led to their jobs being taken away from them.
Lastly, it would be unfortunate if Redick’s relationship with his superstars turn sour because that’s the most integral one for his success on this team.
What is his most likely role on the team?
As the head coach, Redick is both the leader and the connector of the team. He is responsible for establishing the system, principles and core beliefs that give the Lakers the foundation to compete for a championship. He also serves as the bridge between the front office and the players, while remaining the face of the team through the highs and lows that come with an NBA season.
Redick has shown he can handle the responsibilities that come with the job. Now, the challenge is taking the Lakers from a team with championship aspirations to one competing for it.
LOS ANGELES — The San Diego Padres are back in the postseason for a franchise-record third consecutive year.
Now, they want to win a World Series for the first time, having been there twice only to lose.
Manny Machado fielded Mookie Betts’ groundout to third base for the final out in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that clinched a playoff berth, and the celebration was on.
“I was feeling nice,” Machado said in the cramped visitors’ clubhouse, his bare chest soaked with a mix of beer and Champagne. “We’re clinching!”
The Padres (89-70) partied inside and then came out on the Dodger Stadium field in matching black T-shirts to pose for photos. It’ll be their third straight postseason as a wild-card team.
“I’ve never won a championship,” Machado said. “I know what winning looks like. It takes a whole village to do it and we’ve been showing it this year. There’s been a lot of guys contributing in so many ways. It’s awesome to see it being done.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. stole two bases for the fourth time this season and extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a walk in the fourth against the Dodgers. He was 2 for 3 with an RBI.
“Let’s celebrate!” he screamed above the din in the darkened clubhouse. “We’re here for a reason. We’re ready to compete. We’re here for the long run.”
The Padres made franchise history under rookie manager Craig Stammen, a surprise pick by general manager A.J. Preller to replace Mike Shildt, who suddenly retired less than two weeks after the Padres were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in the wild-card round last season.
The 42-year-old Stammen was hired less than three years after retiring as a player despite having no coaching or managerial experience at any level. He’s been with the organization since 2017 and is best known for starting the deciding Game 3 of the 2020 Wild Card Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who at the time were managed by Shildt. He pitched 1 2/3 innings as the first of nine pitchers the Padres used in the 4-0 win, which clinched their first postseason series victory since 1998.
The Padres popped half a game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 18 after Michael King struck out nine and Miguel Andujar hit a solo homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a 1-0 win at Petco Park on May 18. But they lost the next night and fell behind the two-time defending World Series champions by double digits by late June.
They were 48-48 at the All-Star break and in third place in the division and have gone 41-22 since then. They came up with a “pitching chaos” game plan to get them through a difficult period with their rotation, which is still thin without Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, who have missed the whole season. Nick Pivetta only recently returned from a long stint on the IL.
Pivetta fired 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his eighth career start against the Dodgers, allowing four hits and striking out seven.
Perhaps the biggest pickup of the offseason was first baseman Ty France, who was signed to a minor league free agent deal and made the team out of spring training, his second stint with the Padres. He is from West Covina, California, and played for Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. He’s hit a career-high 21 homers and played solid defense.
“I still felt like I had a lot left in the tank and a lot to offer to a team,” France said. “Very grateful and fortunate that it’s here.”
Tatis had an unfathomable home run drought to start the season. He didn’t hit his first home run until May 30 at Washington, his 56th game. He’s now recorded his fourth 25-homer season and has 38 stolen bases.
“We’re one, we’re one,” he said of the team unity. “It’s been that way for the whole year and we’re going to keep it that way.”
Infielder Jake Cronenworth has come on strong after missing significant time after getting grazed on the jaw by a 96 mph fastball at Anaheim on April 18, and center fielder Jackson Merrill, like Tatis, is a 25-25 guy.
Stammen hasn’t been afraid to experiment with the starting lineup, including moving Tatis from right to second for several games after Cronenworth was hurt.
Back in right field, Tatis had one of the biggest games of his career on Aug. 18 at the New York Mets when he robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam and hit two home runs.
The Padres were 58-54 going into the trade deadline on Aug. 3 and Preller not only kept All-Star closer Mason Miller, but added starters Robbie Ray and Casey Mize.
“You can never count them out,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week. “They’re just too talented.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — The mood had changed completely for the Texas Rangers by time they got back to the ballpark for their home finale while still trying to get in the playoffs.
“Coming into today, it just felt like ... we still have a heartbeat, still have a pulse and felt like we’d come out and play the game with our chest out and our chin up,” manager Skip Schumaker said after a 3-1 win in their series finale against the New York Mets.
That kept the Rangers (79-80) tied for the AL West lead with Houston going into the final weekend of the regular season. Texas plays three games at Minnesota, and has two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (11-10) scheduled to start the series opener.
The Astros (79-80), who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas for the AL’s last available playoff spot, opened a four-game series at the Athletics with a 7-5 win.
When Texas players were leaving their clubhouse after a 7-2 loss to the Mets, their third defeat in a row, the Astros already had a 4-0 lead in the third inning in Seattle. They appeared on way to a one-game division lead, really a two-game edge since the Rangers have to finish ahead of them. But the Mariners rallied to win in 10 innings.
“It really keeps you in it. (The Astros) win last night, it’s definitely an uphill battle. So you take advantage of it, and fortunately we were able to,” shortstop Corey Seager said.
“Everybody’s eyes were in Seattle last night,” third baseman Josh Jung said. “I know we were all texting about it on the group chat. So definitely came in revitalized this morning.”
Jung, who has played only 11 games since missing nearly two months with a left calf strain, had a two-run homer in the first inning that put the Rangers ahead to stay. Seager snapped an 0-for-15 slide with his 19th homer leading off the sixth.
In this season when it will never be more than three games out of the division lead, Texas has to try to finish one game ahead of Houston.
When the Rangers won their only World Series title in 2023, they went into the postseason as the second wild card after Houston matched them at 90-72 on the final day of the regular season. The Astros also had the tiebreaker then, but this time there will not be a postseason spot for a second AL West team.
“I’m not even thinking about that. I’m thinking about tomorrow, winning tomorrow. That’s it,” said Schumaker, the first-year Rangers manager who took Miami to the NL playoffs as a wild card in 2023. “Jacob deGrom’s on the hill, and we have Corey Seager playing short, and JJ playing third, and I’m really excited about what the lineup looks like.”
BOSTON — Jo Adell isn’t much of a sparkling wine guy.
“I am tonight,” said the outfielder with a smile from inside a joyous visitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park, as the Cleveland Guardians celebrated after earning their third straight trip to the playoffs with a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Acquired by Cleveland from the Los Angeles Angels in advance of the trade deadline, the power-hitting Adell is heading to the postseason for the first time in his seven-year MLB career.
While it’s becoming a familiar refrain, seeing the Guardians play meaningful games in October, manager Stephen Vogt specifically noted Adell as one of the cool developments of the franchise’s latest postseason clincher.
“What I love is that we have a number of guys who have never been in this position, playing meaningful games in September or playoff baseball,” Vogt said. “It’s just so fun to watch Jo Adell celebrate. To me, that’s so special. He’s been a great player in this league and I’m excited to watch what he’s doing to do.”
The Guardians were 57-56 when they traded for Adell and trailed the Chicago White Sox by three games in AL Central. Chicago also is postseason-bound after defeating the Kansas City Royals 9-1.
“The Champagne is burning my eyes, and that’s a good thing,” said Adell, who has 22 home runs and 93 RBIs this season. “When I came here, I was so psyched with the ability to be who I am and help this team make a push to this point. We’ve had a lot of games where we’ve had to grind and try to figure it out, but to win a 1-0 game with the pitching performances we got is amazing.”
What does it mean to lead a team to three consecutive trips to MLB’s second season?
“Our fans get to watch playoff baseball. This is why we play. We play for our fans and we’re proud that we’re going again,” Vogt said.
A year ago, Cleveland rode a 20-8 record in September to earn an invite to the postseason. After Angel Martínez homered for the game’s lone run and All-Star closer Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth inning for his MLB-best 41st save, the Guardians improved to 14-8 this month with three games remaining.
“I think we’ve been positioned all three years, but with our pitching and our lineup, we have the opportunity to hit with people (in scoring position). That hasn’t always been the case. I really like the way this offense has been clicking over the last couple of months, and we’re pitching well,” Vogt said. “You got hot at the right time, and this team is getting hot in September.”
The postseason berth might be secured, but the AL Central is still up for grabs. Cleveland heads into the final series of the regular season with a one-game lead over Chicago. The Guardians will play three games at Kansas City while the White Sox host the Colorado Rockies.
The winner of the Central will clinch the No. 2 seed in the American League bracket and won’t have to worry about the best-of-three Wild Card Series.
“We’re not done,” Adell said.
“One pitch at a time, one day at a time,” Martínez said. “Right now, it’s about enjoying. Tomorrow is another day.”
A championship isn’t stopping bulletin-board material coming in for Jalen Brunson and the Knicks.
ESPN’s analytics guru Dean Oliver, widely considered the godfather of basketball analytics as a pioneering statistician and data scientist, rated Jalen Brunson “around the No. 25 range” among NBAers.
Brunson’s standing has entered the spotlight after ESPN revealed its top-100 rankings as voted on by seven panelists, although Oliver did not have a vote.
Jalen Brunson isn’t a top 20 player according to ESPN’s analytics guru. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
That panel ranked Brunson No. 6 overall, behind only No. 1 Nikola Jokic, No. 2 Victor Wembanyama, No. 3 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, No. 4 Luka Doncic and No. 5 Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Ben Golliver, Vincent Goodwill, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, Dave McMenamin, André Snellings and Matt “Stats” Williams composed the group of voters.
To Oliver, the key cog in inflating the NBA Finals MVP’s overall ranking is the “New York media bias.”
Oliver, who has published two basketball analytics books and was an assistant coach for analytics on the Wizards before returning to ESPN in 2024, adds that Brunson’s size limits his upside and defensive metrics.
However, that did not stop Brunson from winning the NBA Finals MVP in leading the Knicks over the Spurs in five games.
Oliver did not list anything specific that explains the disparity between Brunson’s rating in his models and the general consensus.
Jalen Brunson won NBA Finals MVP. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Brunson has averaged at least 26 points per game in each of his last three seasons with the Knicks, while shooting at least 46.7 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3.
Oliver does list multiple advanced metrics and player rating systems that he says “provide a useful counter perspective to the humans, with their good eyes but occasional biases.”
Oliver, who received an engineering PHD from the University of North Carolina, also listed Jaylen Brown far below the consensus pollsters.
Brown ranked between No. 9 and No. 23 according for the panelists, though he says his model placed him around No. 60.
Dean Oliver’s picture in his ESPN bio. ESPN
Most NBA teams probably agreed on that one, since many didn’t want to trade for Brown and his big contract this offseason.
Brown was traded between rivals as the Celtics moved him to Philadelphia in exchange for a first-round pick and Paul George.
