Category: Basketball

The shocking sale of the Los Angeles Lakers drew headlines for its reported $12.5 billion valuation. But it’s also notable for another reason: Assuming the sale is approved by the NBA Board of Governors, Mark Walter's tenure would rank among the shortest controlling ownership spans USA TODAY identified in the histories of current MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises.

USA TODAY reviewed ownership histories across the four major U.S. leagues and found just four completed qualifying tenures shorter than Walter's 289 days through Aug. 15. Historical ownership records — particularly from the early 20th century — can be incomplete or ambiguous, so the findings reflect the shortest qualifying tenures USA TODAY was able to identify and verify.

The shortest such spans USA TODAY uncovered were the back-to-back flips of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1980.

In February that year, Lou Mitchell bought 155,000 shares in the Cavs from Nick Mileti for an announced $1.4 million. After 31 days, Mitchell sold about 275,000 shares to Joe Zingale for an estimated $2.4 million after realizing the difficulty of running the Cavs and another business 125 miles away. Then, 22 days later in April, Ted Stepien bought those shares from Zingale for $2 million to become the franchise’s controlling owner with a 37% stake in the Cavs. Stepien remained owner until 1983.

Following that pair is John P. Harris, controlling owner of the Boston Doves — the franchise now known as the Atlanta Braves — for 35 days in late 1910.

The next shortest span was William D. Cox, who owned the Philadelphia Phillies for 253 days from March 15, 1943, to Nov. 23, 1943.

Cox bought the club from a cash-strapped Gerald Nugent. His tenure was quite raucous and ended when commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned him from baseball for betting on the Phillies.

Walter’s current 289-day span comes next among the qualifying tenures USA TODAY identified. However, his sale is awaiting approval, which means his official ownership tenure could still extend.

Recent NBA ownership sales have varied widely in how long they took to receive league approval. Walter’s purchase of the Lakers last year, for instance, took 134 days between announcement of the sale and board approval.

However, the sale of the Dallas Mavericks in 2023 took just 28 days.

Such a range means that Walter’s final tenure length could end up anywhere from roughly 315 days to 420.

Should the sale not finalize until after Oct. 4, Walter will drop below William Hepburn Russell, who bought the Boston National League franchise from Harris and owned the club for 339 days until his death in November 1911.

If the transaction does not close until after Oct. 14, Walter would further drop below Art Williams, who owned the Tampa Bay Lightning for 349 days from July 1998 to June 1999.

There are also a few ownership swaps that resulted in short tenures with a specific team.

For instance, Robert Irsay briefly held the Los Angeles Rams before swapping franchises with Carroll Rosenbloom and taking control of the Baltimore Colts in 1972. USA TODAY excluded franchise swaps because they did not represent a standalone acquisition and subsequent transfer of controlling ownership.

Methodology: USA TODAY reviewed controlling ownership tenures of current MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises. Tenures were measured from the effective acquisition date of controlling ownership to the effective transfer or end of control. Franchise swaps, inherited or interim ownership, group ownership changes in which control remained with an existing owner, and ownership periods outside of the four major leagues were excluded.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Lakers’ record sale has another twist: Mark Walter’s brief tenure

This week’s question asked which Rocket is the most important for the upcoming season.

When the Houston Rockets entered the 2021 draft, they were entering a new era for the franchise. The Rockets had just traded away their longtime franchise star, James Harden, the season prior and were looking to start a new phase of Rockets basketball after finishing with one of the worst records in the NBA.

Most attention focused on the Rockets’ second overall pick and who they would select. The Rockets ultimately selected Jalen Green to lead the franchise for the next decade as Harden’s heir apparent. The Rockets did manage to trade for another pick later in the first round a pick that would ultimately become the Rockets defining move of that draft.

The Rockets made a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder that landed them the 16th pick of that draft, Alperen Sengun. Even though scouts and some fans knew of the Turkish star and what he had already accomplished, many were just hearing his name for the first time. We soon learned that Sengun should have gone much higher in the draft, as he would eventually become one of, if not the, best players on the team in a short time.

Now, going into his sixth season and a two-time All-Star, Sengun has established himself as one of the best centers in the league. For Sengun, it’s no longer about individual accomplishments; it’s about leading the Rockets past the first round for the first time since 2020. Now, with Fred VanVleet coming back after missing last season and Kevin Durant entering year two as a Rocket, we asked the SB Nation community for their opinion on who is the most important.

This is what you said:

Sengun topped the list with 35 percent, while Durant and Amen Thompson tied for second at 21 percent. VanVleet came in a distant third with 12 percent.

On one hand, this is a bit of a surprise considering Durant’s star power and what we saw from the Rockets in the playoffs without the future Hall of Famer. Also, with most of last season’s talk centering on VanVleet’s absence, some would have expected his number to be higher.

On the other hand, Sengun has been the Rockets’ hub for almost his entire career and even more so as his game has developed. Sengun averaged a career high in assists last season while still averaging over 20 points a game as he became the Rockets’ point center with VanVleet missing the entire season.

Even with VanVleet’s return, the offense will flow mainly between Sengun and Durant, as they are the Rockets’ two best offensive players. Sengun is entering a critical part of his career, on the borderline between becoming a top-15 player and reaching superstar heights or staying a notch below that plateau.

Dont forget to check out our sponsor FanDuel for all your basketball odds. The Rockets are a +3000 to finish with the number one seed in the Western Conference next season, which means if you bet 100 and the Rockets finish first in the Western Conference, you win 3100 dollars.

Thank you to the SB Nation community for voting!

A federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by Charles Oakley against Madison Square Garden, saying the former NBA player has not proved that he was assaulted before he was kicked out of "The World's Most Famous Arena" during a 2017 game.

During the Feb. 8, 2017 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Oakley was arrested after an incident with security while seated near New York Knicks owner James Dolan.

Oakley's first attempt at suing MSG was filed in February 2020, and this is the third time the lawsuit has been thrown out.

In court documents filed in the Southern District of New York and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Judge Richard J. Sullivan detailed at least six reasons why he dismissed the latest appeal, in part saying Oakley "has produced no evidence to support his claim that he was assaulted by MSG security guards."

Sullivan also said Oakley's objections are overruled based on those six factors stemming from Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky's ruling on Oct. 31, 2025, that Oakley must pay $642,337.65 in attorneys' fees and costs filed by MSG Networks, Inc., Sphere Entertainment Group, LLC, and Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. to the defendants.

"We are disappointed with the Court’s rulings. We believe there are conflicting accounts and only a jury can decide what exactly happened. We are hopeful that the Second Circuit will agree for a third time and remand the case for an immediate jury trial," Oakley's attorney Douglas Wigdor said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.

"Ample evidence – including videos from multiple angles and the unanimous testimony of every witness (even, to some extent, Oakley himself) – shows that Oakley had a reasonable opportunity to depart the Garden, that he instead resorted to physical violence, and that he was never pushed to the ground," Sullivan wrote in his ruling.

MSG, in a statement, ripped Oakley and his legal representation, saying they knew their claims against them were frivolous and that MSG is "pursuing legal action against Douglas Wigdor, and his unscrupulous law firm, to hold them accountable for years of frivolous litigation and their blatant abuse of the judicial system."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Oakley's assault case against Madison Square Garden dismissed

There isn’t much in the wide world of sports that you can look at and genuinely call a “travesty”. Especially when you consider all of the instability in the world at large, sports are merely entertainment. They’re designed to provide an escape, a distraction, and something for us to care about for a few hours before returning to the things that actually matter.

But much like “sports hate” is different from real hate, I think there’s room for “the sports travesty”. It’s something that isn’t a true tragedy in any meaningful sense of the word, but within the strange little universe we’ve created around games, statistics, legacies, and the people who play them, it feels egregiously wrong.

Tom Chambers not being in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame falls into that category for me.

I’m not alone. Granted, the results of the polling we’ve done here are most certainly biased. Asking a community of Phoenix Suns fans whether Tom Chambers belongs in the Hall of Fame isn’t exactly a scientific exercise conducted under the watchful eye of Gallup. Still, the response showcases that there is some merit to the argument. Tom Chambers should be in the Hall, and 79% of the Bright Side community concurs.

Why? I’ll start with something that occasionally gets lost in these conversations. This is the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. It isn’t the NBA Hall of Fame. It isn’t the College Basketball Hall of Fame. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame encompasses all aspects of the sport. It exists to honor, recognize, and celebrate the history of basketball in its totality. Careers are supposed to be viewed through that wider lens, which makes Chambers’ absence increasingly peculiar the longer you stare at it.

Start with 20,000 points. Chambers scored 20,049 of them during his NBA career, and he is one of only four eligible players in NBA history to cross the 20,000-point threshold and remain outside the Hall of Fame. The others are Antawn Jamison, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joe Johnson. That’s the list. How many of those guys hold the all-time single-season points per game record for a franchise? Still, Chambers isn’t among the names ESPN’s Ben Golliver identifies as being on the waiting list for the Hall of Fame. Joe Johnson is, as is LaMarcus Aldridge.

Of the 156 NBA players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, 43 scored at least 20,000 points. Chambers did something that has historically served as one of basketball’s great monuments to longevity, production, and sustained excellence, and somehow he remains standing outside the gates. That doesn’t automatically make him a Hall of Famer. No single statistic should. But when you’re searching for historical oddities, places where the numbers make you stop, scratch your head, and wonder how the hell we arrived here, Tom Chambers scoring more than 20,000 points and never receiving the call from Springfield is a pretty damn good place to start.

Going a step further, Chambers played during an era of basketball loaded with stars, and he still found a way to thrive offensively. Perhaps his career average of 18.1 points is viewed as some kind of gatekeeper, a number that doesn’t quite scream “Hall of Fame” when you first see it. Once you start digging through the players who are actually in Springfield, however, that argument begins to lose some of its weight. Chambers averaged more points for his career than Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, Scottie Pippen, and plenty of other players whose Hall of Fame credentials have never been questioned. In fact, 80 of the 156 NBA players currently in the Hall, or 51.3%, averaged fewer than Chambers’ 18.1 points.

There will always be another side to the argument, especially when discussing the Hall of Fame. Chambers never won a championship. He never made an All-NBA First Team. His résumé lacks that one obvious achievement you can point to and declare the conversation over.

Still, we’re talking about a player who was a quality and effective forward for more than a decade, scored more than 20,000 points, was a two-time All-NBA Second Team recipient, made four All-Star teams, won an All-Star Game MVP, and averaged more points than half of the NBA players who have already been enshrined. At some point, the accumulation of accomplishments has to matter.

Then there is Chambers’ place in NBA history, and this is where I believe his case becomes even more interesting. Tom Chambers was the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history, and his decision to sign with the Phoenix Suns in 1988 represents a seminal moment for the league.

Think about how much of the modern NBA revolves around free agency. Think about the television specials, the airport tracking, the social media detectives, the cap space clearing, and the annual hysteria surrounding where the biggest names are going next. There had to be a first domino, and Chambers was it. A star player exercised his newfound freedom and chose to leave Seattle for Phoenix, helping usher the NBA into an era that now defines how teams are built and how players control their careers.

And yet, he’s probably not going to make it. I’m not sure what the FanDuel odds are, but Basketball Reference gives Chambers a 5.2% probability of reaching the Hall of Fame, which feels remarkably low when you stack everything together. The 20,000 points, the 18.1 points per game, the All-Star appearances, the longevity, the production, the historical significance as a pioneer of unrestricted free agency. Individually, perhaps you can poke holes in each piece of the argument. Collectively, they tell the story of somebody who mattered to the NBA, both in what he accomplished on the court and what he represented off of it.

For a place tasked with preserving and celebrating the history of basketball, you’d think that would matter. Apparently, it hasn’t mattered enough. And that’s a damn shame.

The idea of playing a balanced schedule is a rarity in American professional sports. An NFL team that finishes in first place in their division one year draws other first-place teams on the schedule the next year. NHL calendars lean heavily on divisional matchups and regional rivalries. MLB moved to a more balanced schedule in 2023, reducing the number of division games and increasing interleague play to even things out.

The NBA does not play a balanced schedule, but the biggest factor in an individual team’s success often feels like it has more to do with the travel arrangements than who they’re playing on a particular night. Trimming the NBA’s 82-game regular season schedule always felt like a silver bullet for many of the league’s most pressing problems. Until that happens, teams are still jetting around the country every night to try to sell out as many arenas as possible.

The 2026-27 NBA schedule came out this week. Read our take on the league’s 10 biggest rivalries for the upcoming season. With a little help from Shamit Dua’s NBA Schedule Dash Board, these are the teams who got hit the hardest by the schedule makers this year.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics’ 16 back-to-backs are in a five-way tie for the most in the NBA. They play 22 times in a stretch of three games in four nights, which ranks as the eighth hardest in the league. They are -4 in “net rest” games, which measures who the more tired opponent is in a given game. The Celtics aren’t just dealing with the loss of Jaylen Brown this season, they’re also needing to navigate one of the league’s hardest travel schedules. I still think the Celtics will be a regular season wins machine, and I wouldn’t count them out for grabbing the No. 1 seed in the East, but the road to get there looks more daunting after the schedule release.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans have the hardest schedule in the NBA this year. New Orleans plays a league-leading 16 back-to-backs, they’re the only team in the NBA with 27 ‘three in four nights’ stretches, and they have a -5 net rest disadvantage. The Pelicans already had the league’s seventh-lowest over/under at 29.5 wins coming into the season, and it feels like it’s going to be an uphill climb to even hit that number. New head coach Jamahl Mosley has his work cut out for him. After years of believing in Zion Williamson, I’m finally giving up the dream that he can be one of the NBA’s best players. At this point, I’m more interested in seeing what Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen can do together.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are one of the league-leaders with 15 back-to-backs this season. They play a stretch of three games in four nights 24 times, which is the fourth most in the league. They’re -3 on “net rest,” which is third-hardest in the league. The Bulls also have five time zone crossings on no rest, which is the fifth-most in the league. The first 15 games of the season are especially brutal for Chicago, with two games against Boston, two games against the Knicks, two games against the Sixers, and one game each vs. San Antonio, Minnesota, and Cleveland. The Bulls are starting yet another rebuild, but it’s going to be difficult for this fanbase to be patient when the team has the third worst cumulative record in the NBA after the last nine seasons. This year is more about figuring out if they have a future star in Caleb Wilson, and seeing how Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey develop in their third year together. The Bulls actually have a decent bench led by Leonard Miller, Jalen Smith, and Tre Jones, and they’re going to need it with this type of schedule.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs missed out on LeBron James and got a tough schedule to boot. Cleveland is tied for the league-lead with 16 back-to-backs. They have 23 ‘three in four nights’ games, which is the sixth hardest in the NBA. They’re a -2 in rest advantage, also sixth hardest. The Cavs have done a whole lot of nothing this summer coming off the world’s least convincing conference finals run, but there’s still time to potentially land Peyton Watson or swing a big trade. I just get the sense that Cleveland’s Eastern Conference rivals are passing them by … unless Evan Mobley has another leap left in him.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks have 16 back-to-backs (tied for the most in the league), and they’re at a -3 net rest advantage. It will be fascinating to see how Dallas manages Kyrie Irving as he returns from a torn ACL at age-34. The team will also have to manage Dereck Lively II, because the 22-year-old big man still hasn’t been cleared to run after having foot surgery in December. I could see a world where Cooper Flagg takes a big leap and carries the Mavs to playoff contention, but it’s important to remember Flagg won’t turn 20 years old until just before Christmas. It might be wise for Dallas’ new front office to take a more long-term view around their franchise star.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers play 15 back-to-backs. They face three games in four nights 26 times, which is the second most in the league. There’s so much riding on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves this year. Both of them dealt with injuries last year, playing 115 out of a possible 164 games. That’s not going to cut it this year. Doncic and Reaves need to carry this offense every night without LeBron James around, and the Lakers probably don’t want to know what happens when Quentin Grimes needs to be their first or second option for a night. Will the Lakers have a plan to save Luka in some back-to-backs? It’s going to be a battle in the Western Conference every night, but the Lakers really just need him healthy for the playoffs, unlike last year.

The 2026-27 regular season schedule has been released, and it isn’t necessarily kind to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have 16 sets of back-to-backs — which is tied for the most in the league. On top of that, their schedule is incredibly difficult out of the gate, with most of their marquee matchups happening in the first two months of the season.

With that in mind, let’s run through the 10 games I’ll be looking forward to most this season.

10. March 1 vs. 76ers

We could get into all the storylines that make games with the Philadelphia 76ers must-watch TV. However, those aren’t necessarily what make this matchup interesting.

Cleveland’s schedule is front-loaded. As such, there aren’t many opportunities against great teams down the stretch, aside from a few West Coast games during their annual MAC Tournament road trip at the beginning of March.

This game against the Sixers will serve as a good litmus test for where the Cavs are at this point in the season. It comes a few weeks after the trade deadline, meaning both teams should have their playoff rosters set. And, it’ll be far enough away from the end of the regular season where teams start resting players. As such, we should get a good preview of what could be a playoff matchup.

9. Jan. 5 vs. Raptors

The Toronto Raptors pushed the Cavs to the brink last postseason. This upcoming season, they should be even better — assuming the Kawhi Leonard deal actually goes through.

This will be their first of four meetings. Toronto proved to be a tough matchup for the Cavs last season. Will that still be the case by the time they meet in the middle of next regular season?

8. April 1 vs. Celtics

The Boston Celtics only come to Cleveland once this upcoming season, and we have to wait until the very end of the year for that to happen.

Late-season matchups can be great tests or completely inconsequential. We won’t know which one this will be until right before the game. But this has the potential to be a preview for what we could see in a postseason series.

7. Nov. 20 vs. Pacers

We never got to see a rematch of the Cavs and Indiana Pacers after their 2025 playoff series. Tyrese Haliburton missed all of last season with injuries, causing Indiana to go from title contenders to a lottery team.

This upcoming season’s Pacers won’t resemble that 2025 team much. Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin aren’t in the picture anymore. Instead, they will be built around a much more imposing front line featuring Ivica Zubac.

This will also be an important NBA Cup group stage game. I know the in-season tournament doesn’t mean much, but it would be encouraging to see the Cavs fare well in a difficult group with the Sixers, Pacers, and New York Knicks.

6. March 9 at Pistons

This will be the Cavs and Detroit Pistons’ final matchup of the season. Last year, they met in the playoffs for a seven-game series. Could the same happen this upcoming year?

5. Nov. 29 at Knicks

The Cavs play the Knicks four times before Christmas. This matchup will actually be their third time facing off.

Each of Cleveland’s home games are the second leg of a back-to-back, so I’m not going to highlight either of those. I chose this late November meeting over their first trip to Madison Square Garden because it’ll be an NBA Cup group stage game.

Again, whether or not you think the in-season tournament matters is up to you. What I will say is that it would be meaningful if the Cavs could advance out of the group stage for the first time in franchise history. And as the Knicks showed last year, winning the NBA Cup can actually lead to playoff success.

4. Dec. 15 vs. Spurs

Victor Wembanyama has only played in Cleveland once during his career and is winless in three total meetings. We’ll see if that changes when the Cavs host the San Antonio Spurs for their annual trip.

Wemby vs. Cleveland’s frontline of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is an intriguing matchup. Both Allen and Mobley have size and speed to make life difficult for Wemby. That’s incredibly important in a league that could be dominated by Wemby for the next decade.

3. Dec. 31 vs. Clippers

Darius Garland made a huge impact on the Cavs during his seven seasons here. He helped turn what was a rudderless team when he was drafted in 2019 into a legitimate championship contender. This includes being the lead ball handler for the 2024-25 team that put together the second-best regular-season record in franchise history.

This will be Garland’s first game back in Cleveland since he was traded away for James Harden last deadline. Seeing him back in Cleveland will be bittersweet, even if the marriage ending when it did was best for both sides.

2. Oct. 22 at 76ers

The adrenaline is always a little higher on opening night. It coinciding with LeBron James’s first home game with the Sixers should up that even more.

There were presumably many in the organization who thought LeBron would sign with Cleveland at some point this summer. His spurning them for a conference rival likely makes this sting worse. Fortunately, the Cavs won’t have to wait long to show James that he made the wrong choice.

1. Nov. 6 vs. 76ers

LeBron’s annual visit over the last eight years has served as an opportunity for Cleveland to show their hometown hero how much he means to them. That joyous atmosphere won’t be here when he returns this time around after he chose to likely end his career with a conference rival instead of his hometown team.

There won’t be close to the anger and vitriol there was for James’s first game in Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat in 2010. However, there will be more than a handful of boos, which would’ve been hard to fathom at this time last year.

On top of that, this will be another matchup between two of the top teams in the East and an NBA Cup game. If the Cavs want to advance in the group stage, they’ll likely need to take care of business here.

Which game are you most looking forward to this season? Let us know in the comments below.

Bill Plaschke should have consulted with his colleague Laurence Darmiento before writing his ill-informed column on the sale of the Lakers. Had he done so he would’ve realized that Joshua Kushner, who is co-buying the Lakers, is a lifelong Democrat, and therefore President Trump‘s showing up for a Lakers’ tip-off as suggested by Plaschke is off the table.

Jack Wishard
Los Angeles

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In 2025, when Mark Walter acquired his majority stake in the Lakers, he said, “It’s a privilege to work alongside Jeanie Buss as we maintain that excellence and set the standard for success in this new era, both on and off the court.”

That era concluded quickly, undone by his hubris and deceit. Did he mean to say “error” both on and off the court? That he did quite well.

David Griffin
Westwood

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Like in real estate, the Lakers were flipped by Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter after only 10 months of ownership. One person took a “flip in his grave,” previous owner Jerry Buss, who died in 2013. The Lakers as an organization have never been the same since his passing.

Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos

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Former Disney head honcho Bob Iger, et al., owning the Lakers? Can’t wait to see Goofy and Mr. Toad as ushers at the Crypt!

Jack Wolf
Westwood

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Lakers previous owner Mark Walter is under federal investigation for possible loan fraud, and new Lakers owner Joshua Kushner’s company, Thrive Eternal, participated in the recent FIFA private equity scandal. Why can’t NBA owners avoid financial shenanigans? Thank God for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. … Oh, wait.

Jonathan Curtiss
Sherman Oaks

Pros and cons

The WNBA has seen a very positive increase the last few years in viewership, ratings and salaries, which is good for them. Not so good for them, the poor image of themselves they are presenting to the public. They need to act like professionals and stop acting like contestants on a reality show. It seems like every game a player (and or coach) has to issue a racial slur, a sexual slur, a flagrant foul or something similar.

They are getting headlines for the wrong reasons and setting bad examples for the young women in middle school and high school who emulate them.

The league office needs to send a directive to all team owners, coaches, players and referees, to stop this behavior and play like professionals.

Russell Morgan
Carson

Celtic touch

Don Nelson’s record, as a player and a coach, speaks for itself. For the last 57 years, however, I have found it impossible to forget Nelson’s shot off the back rim at the very end of Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals that went 10 feet into the air and dropped through, thus once again defeating the Lakers.

Now, however, I am a senior citizen who can look at events with the benefit of perspective and hindsight, and thus I have decided to forgive Don Nelson.

Someday.

Ronald O. Richards
Los Angeles

Spoiler alert

I came home from an event and thought I would watch the Dodger replay that is shown after the actual game. However, I noticed that they gave the final score every five minutes on the lower screen so I had to close my eyes each time. What’s the point of watching the replay if they show you the final score? I hope that they eliminate the scores in the future.

Jeff Hershow
Woodland Hills

Line of sight

I highly recommend that Andy Pages get a referral for the same ophthalmologist that Max Muncy saw a few years ago. It really helped Max with his hitting and would most definitely help Pages with the untimely ABS challenges he makes to no avail in the early innings.

Peter Schwab
Marina del Rey

No relief here

The Dodgers’ loss to Milwaukee on Thursday will prove to be the worst of the season, come October. The question must be asked is why manager Dave Roberts using Edwin Díaz in the ninth inning? Because he’s the best he has or the most expensive?

Fred Wallin
Westlake Villlage

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Edwin Díaz enters from the bullpen to the trumpet track “Narco.” The trumpeter should be playing “Taps.”

Tom Moore
Los Angeles

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In one year, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has successfully achieved signing two of the biggest free-agent busts of all time: Kyle “Can’t Hit” Tucker and Edwin “Blown Save” Díaz. The combined salary of these underachievers is $309 million. These two signings alone will be one of the catalysts for a salary cap. See y’all in 2028. Thanks, Andrew!

John C Borrego
Safety Harbor, Fla.

Revolving door

MLB rosters are set at 26 players, but it seems the Dodgers are playing with, in essence, 28 to 30 men each week. They continually call up guys, have them make one appearance and then no matter how successful they are sent down for a “fresh arm.” Over the past few days, Seth Halvorsen was called up, pitched brilliantly and then sent down and replaced by Landon Knack, who recorded a multiple-innings save (wish Edwin Díaz could do that), was lauded by the manager and The Times for saving a tired ‘pen and immediately replaced by Jonathan Hernández.

Sadly or maybe justly, the Dodgers have drifted into ineptitude of late, while the Tarik Skubal-less Tigers have suddenly gotten hot and leapfrogged several teams to move into the last wild-card slot.

Mike Dudnikov
Union, N.J.

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Email: sports@latimes.com

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

On Saturday, August 8th, the Spurs hosted the fifth annual Back to School Bash. The event supported over 3,000 local students as they prepared for the 2026-2027 school year with school supplies, haircuts, and a variety of health screenings as well as information booths for extracurricular activities and support services.

Spurs Sports and Entertainment shared some images from the event.

Jayden Quaintance, Maliq Brown, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie all helped greet the students and hand out supplies including Spurs notebooks and water bottles.

While Victor Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes are halfway across the world working out with the French Rigby Team, the newest members of the Spurs are brightening the day and setting a tone for local youngsters as the new school year approaches.

It’s been a busy summer for the Spurs draftees, and it is about to get busier. The Spurs schedule has been released and preseason is just two months away.

The SS&E Back to School Bash has drawn 17,000-plus attendees over its five years. Over the past two, the addition of screenings has reached 2,500 patrons while distributing an excess of 23,000 school supplies.

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Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

I’m definitely biased, but I’ve long held the opinion that roster-building in the NBA is more difficult than in the three other major sports. Sure, finding the right quarterback could be the difference between a Super Bowl appearance and not even making the playoffs. An ace or a big bat in your lineup can swing a baseball season by 10-15 games. Having a dynamic scorer can shift the geometry of the rink for every 45-second shift.

But in the NBA, teams only have 15 slots in their roster — seventeen if you include the two-way contracts — and every single player needs to contribute to winning. Because of the limitations of the current collective bargaining agreement, you might need to rely on your 10th or 11th man at some point of the 82-game gauntlet and in a year or two, they could be contributing regularly in the rotation.

Last season was proof positive of that trust in development. Last season, Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh were pleasant surprises. This summer, they were both extended with new contracts and will be mainstays in Joe Mazzulla’s lineups.

Still on rookie deals, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman are in the same boat.

But once in a while, an opportunity comes up to buy low on a potentially high outcome player. Last week, there was reporting that former #1 pick Ben Simmons was mounting a comeback for a return to the NBA after a sabbatical year of getting his body right and competitive fishing. While they weren’t listed as one of the several teams considering the Aussie, Boston still has a 15th roster spot available and might be the perfect situation for Simmons.

However, despite what many might consider a rocky offseason, the Celtics have a good thing going and only 23% of our readers thought that taking a flyer on the mercurial Simmons was a good idea. So, even if Boston misses on Simmons’ upside, our friends at FanDuel still have the Celtics (+1400) with the fifth highest odds to win a championship behind the Thunder (+230), Spurs (+280), Knicks (+950), and Sixers (+1000).

Basketball’s Hall of Fame opens its doors. The chosen few enter with drop steps and post spins.

These latest additions to Springfield range from the fiery rim-running of Amar’e Stoudemire to the dexterous grace of Candace Parker. Saturday’s proceedings show love to MVPs, gold medalists, head coaches and even one referee.

Here’s what fans of the game need to know ahead of the momentous occasion.

How to watch the 2026 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Venue: Symphony Hall — Springfield, Mass.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 15

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: NBA TV

Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)

NBA TV is also available in the NBA app.

Hall of Fame induction ceremony coverage

NBA TV’s broadcast runs for two hours, from 7-9 p.m. ET, and features podium speeches from the new members. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to attend the enshrinement.

In recent years, these speeches have produced some of basketball’s most enduring moments. An emotional Dwyane Wade invited his father up on stage in 2023. Vanessa Bryant gave a tearful tribute to Kobe Bryant, her late husband who was posthumously inducted in 2021. And the internet was never the same after Michael Jordan’s 2009 address.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees

The 2026 class comprises one NBA player, three WNBA players, three coaches, one referee and one whole team.

Players

Elena Delle Donne led the NCAA in scoring at the University of Delaware, then was an MVP for both the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics. She also won a scoring title with the former and a WNBA title with the latter.

Chamique Holdsclaw starred for the University of Tennessee and won three straight national championships from 1996-98. As a pro, she earned six All-Star nods and three All-WNBA honors in a career that spanned from 1999 to 2010. Holdsclaw led the league in points per game once and rebounds per game twice while with Washington.

Candace Parker was a two-time national champ at Tennessee. She made history as the first WNBA player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (2008). Parker spent 13 of her 16 W campaigns with the Los Angeles Sparks. She also got a ring at all three of her pro stops: with the Sparks in 2016, the Sky in 2021 and the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.

Amar’e Stoudemire was a six-time All-Star and made five All-NBA teams during his playing career. His best seasons were as a member of the Phoenix Suns, who drafted him No. 9 overall out of high school in 2002. He averaged 21.4 points and 8.9 rebounds across eight years in Phoenix.

Head coaches

Mike D’Antoni was a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, with the Suns in 2004-05 and the Houston Rockets in 2016-17. He helped pioneer the ultra-fast “Seven Seconds or Less” style, and was nominated by the Contributors Committee for his role in developing modern offense.

Mark Few is a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year with 773 victories at Gonzaga. His current .832 winning percentage is the best mark in Division I men’s basketball history.

Doc Rivers won NBA Coach of the Year in 1999-00 as the leader of the Orlando Magic. He lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Rivers just coached the Milwaukee Bucks through the 2025-26 season.

Referee

Joey Crawford officiated NBA games for almost 40 years. He reffed 374 playoff contests from 1977 to 2016.

Team

The 1996 United States Women’s National Team won gold at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Coached by Tara VanDerveer, that squad included legends like Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes and Dawn Staley.

The Hall of Fame presenters

Inductees choose other Hall of Famers to introduce them. The player-coach duo of Stoudemire and D’Antoni will do the honors for each other. Here’s everyone who will be called on during Saturday’s ceremony:

Joey Crawford — Danny Crawford and Rod Thorn

Mike D’Antoni — Jerry Colangelo, Bob McAdoo, Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire and Rod Thorn

Elena Delle Donne — Sylvia Fowles and Marianne Stanley

Mark Few — John Calipari, Grant Hill and John Stockton

Chamique Holdsclaw — Tamika Catchings, Tina Thompson and Teresa Weatherspoon

Candace Parker — Tamika Catchings, Allen Iverson, Cheryl Miller and Dwyane Wade

Doc Rivers — Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce

Amar’e Stoudemire — Jerry Colangelo, Mike D’Antoni, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Steve Nash and Rick Welts

1996 United States Women’s National Team — Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Katrina McClain, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes and Tara VanDerveer

New Hall of Famers in the New York Times archives

Elena Delle Donne

After she was mobbed by teammates, Delle Donne sneaked a quick glance toward the stands. She found perhaps her two biggest fans, five rows back, in their usual seats: Ernie, her father, and Gene, her brother. Like the rest of the crowd, they were fist-pumping and exchanging high-fives. “There you go!” Ernie shouted, pointing an outstretched arm at his daughter. — Ben Strauss, 2013

Mark Few

“I know that after the tournament, when I’m out throwing a line on the stream, I’ll start laughing,” Few said. “I always do. To just think that back in 1989, I was a high school basketball coach and now all of this. This is a special place and I’m grateful for that.” — Joe Drape, 2002

Candace Parker

While Parker admits to some physical and mental fatigue, she is attempting to use these Olympics to do more than help the United States win its fourth consecutive gold medal in women’s basketball. With her resplendent smile and transcendent game, Parker is close to becoming the first international icon in her sport. — Pete Thamel, 2008

Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers has a trophy that bears Red Auerbach’s likeness and the words “Coach of the Year,” an award that has nothing to do with Rivers’s success with the Celtics, but perhaps foreshadowed it. Rivers made his N.B.A. finals debut Thursday because he successfully coaxed three All-Stars into sharing the glory and blending their talents for the greater good. — Howard Beck, 2008

Amar’e Stoudemire

Amar’e Stoudemire was on the Madison Square Garden marquee, wearing a white Knicks jersey with a No. 1 on the chest. His image filled electronic billboards across the premises. A large banner inside bore a slogan, “Stat City,” that played on his nickname, STAT (Standing Tall and Talented). Finally, early Monday night, Stoudemire emerged with a blue Knicks cap on his head and proclaimed, “the Knicks are back.” — Beck, 2010

1996 United States Women’s National Team

They were already unique, coming home from their professional exile to play basketball in America in an unprecedented 10-month effort to regain an Olympic gold medal. Now, and forever, they are golden. The United States women’s team, pushed throughout its harsh winter and spring of preparation, defeated Brazil, 111-87, this evening to win the Olympic tournament. Before a raucous crowd of 32,997 at the Georgia Dome, the final trip of the demanding worldwide tour was a victory lap around the edges of the court. — Malcolm Moran, 1996

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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2026 The Athletic Media Company

Not an impressively overloaded post, but one with some spicy topics.

• The Knicks’ full 2026-27 schedule is out, and Michael Zeno has you covered on that front with everything you need to know.
• New York, as well as the Spurs, Lakers, and Sixers, just received royal NBA treatment.
• In worse news, the Knicks are losing assistant coach Jordan Brink to the Bulls. Brink, in case you didn’t know, was the mastermind responsible for New York’s replay challenges under both Tom Thibodeau and Mike Brown.
• Jalen Brunson could be headed to your nearest streaming service, Mariska Hargitay teased on the “Today” show.
• Miles McBride and the Knicks did not agree to an extension before the important Aug. 11 deadline, making a new deal before the season increasingly unlikely, as he wouldn’t be able to be traded before the deadline. According to the New York Post’s Jared Schwartz, it’s not that the Knicks tried that hard to complete that extension. Keep your eye on the rumor mill, folks.

“But agreeing to an extension now would deprive the Knicks of one of their best trade assets, given McBride’s age, production, low salary and walk-year status. If they want to make a midseason trade to reinforce other areas of need, McBride would be one of the best candidates who could actually get them someone valuable in return.

“And clearly, the Knicks weren’t hell-bent on getting an extension done before that deadline. For as important of a contributor as McBride has been, it will be difficult to keep him long-term. He averaged 12.0 points per game on stellar 41.3 percent shooting from 3-point range last season, and has also been one of the Knicks’ best perimeter defenders since breaking into the team.”

• Andre Drummond’s recent lack of availability — he’s missed 61 of the last 164 games — should create some urgency in the Knicks’ search for a third center, Kento Kato warns.
• That’s obviously because the Knicks’ center depth remains their clearest roster weakness mid-August, as Kris Pursiainen broke down on Friday.
• Yet another woman has been charged with aggravated robbery after allegedly robbing two Knicks fans at knifepoint in downtown San Antonio during the NBA Finals. Sheesh…
• Charles Oakley’s lawsuit against Madison Square Garden and James Dolan was dismissed… for a third time, continuing a legal saga that dates back to Oakley’s 2017 ejection from MSG.
• Amar’e Stoudemire is officially a HOFer, and he got words for the Knicks.

“I did embrace it. Going to New York at that time, the team was in a deficit. [One] playoffs in 10 years, no All-Stars … A lot of players did not want to go to New York during that stretch. But me, I loved the challenge. That brings out the best in me.

“I wanted to bring players to New York to experience what I experienced in the city. We were able to bring in Carmelo and I think the energy of having me there showed the rest of the league, hey, New York can be a destination place.”

Amar'e Stoudemire in Knicks Finals hat at his Hall of Fame press conference: "Going to New York at that time (2010)…one playoffs 10 years, no all-star starters since Patrick Ewing (14 years), a lot of players did not want to go to New York…but I love taking on a… pic.twitter.com/TiOPv0h2P2

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) August 15, 2026

• The Lakers are changing ownership again after they did so less than a year ago.
• Speaking of the Lakers, Empire Sports Media’s Alexander Wilson reasons their latest sale at a $12.5 billion valuation makes the Knicks “impossible to price.” Will a gaudy offer see James Dolan finally surrender?
• Former Los Angeles resident Chris Paul could move from retirement into an NBA front office. Funnily enough, ESPN reported on Thursday that the word around the league suggests CP3 is a possible candidate the Lakers might consider to hand an executive role once the sale is completed and pending further changes. No need for reminders of the Lakers’ love for Paul, amirite?
• Out of the blue, Russell Westbrook is retired for good after 18 NBA seasons. Don’t stop watching the announcement clip.
• Shaquille O’Neal said on the “Boardroom” that he does not miss playing in today’s NBA because modern players are all “cupcakes.”
• Dillon Brooks is already looking forward to facing LeBron James and the 76ers on Dec. 30, which happens to be James’ birthday. “That’s more ammunition for me to win that game,” Brooks said. Asked whether he was disappointed that James’ move East means they will meet less frequently, Brooks replied, “Not at all, but I’ll build up for the games that we play.”
• A New York pizza shop has turned the Knicks’ Finals victory over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs into a first-aid joke.

This choking hazard sign in soho featuring Wemby is incredible 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/8eHga6EnIe

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) August 13, 2026

For what feels like the first time in some time, the excitement is palpable for the upcoming Utah Jazz season. With the addition of Darryn Peterson in the lottery, the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr., and the clear goal of pushing for wins, Jazz fans are excited for a season like they haven’t been since the height of the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert days. Our most recent Jazz Reacts survey shows they’re probably more excited now than even then.

In the history of all the polls we’ve done, I’ve never seen one this lopsided. The fact that 96% of fans are excited for this season is remarkable. The diehard fans know how good this team will be too. FanDuel has the Jazz at 36.5 wins, but that seems extremely low for this team. I think an over/under around 45 is much more accurate to what Utah will do.

There’s no doubt that there’s always a level of optimism for fans when a season starts, but this feels different. This feels like the beginning of something special. There’s a lot of hope riding on the shoulders of Darryn Peterson as the pick that Utah tanked for. It might be too much pressure for a lot of players, but Peterson looks like he has the demeanor to take the Jazz to another level. All we can do now is wait for the season to start. All our questions will be answered very soon.

Charles Oakley’s lawsuit against Madison Square Garden and owner James Dolan was dismissed for a third time Friday, concluding another chapter to the legal battle involving the former Knicks star that dates back to when he was ejected from the Garden following an altercation with security guards in February 2017. 

MSG said in a statement that the claims were dismissed by the court “in their entirety” and that it planned to pursue legal action against Douglas Wigdor — Oakley’s lawyer — and “his unscrupulous law firm.” Wigdor, in a statement to The Post, expressed disappointment with the court’s ruling and still hoped for a jury trial. 

“For more than nine years, Mr. Oakley’s lawyers have pursued claims they knew were false,” MSG said in its statement. “Those claims have now been dismissed by the Court in their entirety — for a third time. We are pursuing legal action against Douglas Wigdor, and his unscrupulous law firm, to hold them accountable for years of frivolous litigation and their blatant abuse of the judicial system.” 

The case was initially tossed in early 2020, revived later that year, tossed again in 2021 and then revived for a second time in May 2023. 

“We are disappointed with the Court’s rulings,” Wigdor said in his statement to The Post. “We believe there are conflicting accounts and only a jury can decide what exactly happened. We are hopeful that the Second Circuit will agree for a third time and remand the case for an immediate jury trial.” 

Oakley, who spent 10 years as a player for the Knicks and was a key piece of the franchise’s success in the 1990s, was arrested and removed from the Garden during the Knicks game on Feb. 8, 2017, and while the charges were dropped, he filed a lawsuit later that year — alleging, in part, assault, false imprisonment and defamation. That lawsuit was dismissed in February 2020. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of the battery and assault claims in November 2020. When the appeals court reversed it for a second time in 2023, it ruled that the “question of whether the use of force was reasonable under the circumstances is generally best left for a jury to decide.” 

But more than three years later, a third dismissal followed. In circuit judge Richard J. Sullivan’s opinion and order, he wrote that “no rational jury could conclude that Oakley reasonably feared himself at risk of wrongful physical contact — let alone that MSG intended to stir such an apprehension.” 

“Even though the alleged assault occurred in the middle of Madison Square Garden in front of 19,000 and scores of cameras, Oakley concedes there’s no other witness — besides himself — who says he was pushed to the ground,” Sullivan wrote on the first page of his opinion and order. 

Oakley’s public feud with Dolan has loomed over the Knicks since it began. The Post’s Jared Schwartz reported in 2025 that the team was willing to welcome Oakley back as a “celebrated team alumnus” if he dropped the lawsuit. An initial ban instituted by Dolan in 2017 had been lifted. Oakley attended playoff games on the road during the Knicks’ championship run in the spring. 

“Ample evidence — including videos from multiple angles and the unanimous testimony of every witness (even, to some extent, Oakley himself) — shows that Oakley had a reasonable opportunity to depart the Garden, that he instead resorted to physical violence, and that he was never pushed to the ground,” Sullivan wrote.