MILAN (AP) — Jordan Stolz wins his 2nd Olympic speedskating gold medal by adding the 500-meter title to the 1,000.
Ireland grinds out a shaky Six Nations win over Italy in second half fightback
DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland got relief from a 20-13 home win over Italy in the Six Nations on Saturday, coming from behind at halftime and grinding out an unconvincing result.
Coach Andy Farrell wanted his slumping side to muzzle the doubters and make a statement after being blown away by France 36-14 last week, Ireland’s worst Six Nations loss in 16 years.
Instead, Italy reaffirmed it is no longer the tournament doormat, backing up its 18-15 opening win over Scotland by contributing daringly to a compelling match and being unfortunate. Italy had a try ruled out and another try missed by an unlucky bounce of the ball.
Way past 80 minutes, Italy's last attack was broken by an intercept by James Lowe, who took it to the Italy 22 and got a penalty. But instead of taking three points to rob Italy of a losing bonus point, Ireland went for a bonus-point fourth try and kicked the ball dead, ending the match.
Ireland's performance won’t worry England before their clash at Twickenham next weekend, when Italy goes to title favorite France.
From the kickoff, Ireland showed the intent that Farrell wished he'd seen more of in Paris last week. The attack flowed with wingers Robert Baloucoune — playing his first test in more than three years — and Lowe prominent.
Italy's defense was equal to the task, making two ruck turnovers. An Irish tap penalty was wasted when hooker Dan Sheehan was penalized for a high jump.
It took Italy winger Louis Lynagh's yellow card for a so-called deliberate knock-on to open a gap that Ireland exposed. Center Stuart McCloskey offloaded for fullback Jamie Osborne to score untouched. The easy conversion attempt was badly missed by Sam Prendergast.
As much as Ireland dominated the first 20 minutes, the second 20 was Italy's.
Fullback Lorenzo Pani spoiled a beautiful chip and chase when he offloaded too low for Michele Lamaro, who had only grass between him and the tryline.
After Ireland scrumhalf Craig Casey took a yellow card and bloodied nose from a passive high tackle on Italy's Lorenzo Cannone, Italy kicked to the corner, mauled the lineout and hooker Giacomo Nicotera scored. Paolo Garbisi's sideline conversion gave them a 10-5 lead.
Italy tighthead Simone Ferrari continued to have the edge on Ireland loosehead Jeremy Loughman and, near halftime, Italy's scrum shattered Ireland's. Italy waived the three points to gamble on seven. But the maul was stopped and the attack held up.
Still, Italy led at halftime in Dublin for the first time ever and was halfway to a first Six Nations win in the Irish capital.
The halftime lead lasted less than three minutes. Ireland sent a kickable penalty into the left corner and the lineout ball was used for Jack Conan to burrow over. Prendergast missed the conversion attempt badly again.
Italy should have retaken the lead thanks to sublime back play. Osborne had to make a try-saving tackle on counterpart Pani, then a Lynagh try was canceled after center Tommaso Menoncello ruined his lovely break with a forward pass.
That was Ireland's cue to send on Jamison Gibson-Park followed by Jack Crowley. The new pivots were decisive and sparked Ireland to attack from all parts. They earned the lead for the first time in 25 minutes when Baloucoune backed himself to beat two defenders to the tryline.
Crowley converted, added a penalty and Ireland was 20-10 up and rampant.
But Italy rallied again, and the scrum produced the rare sight of lifting Irish and Lions tighthead Tadhg Furlong off his feet.
Nothing else by Italy in the last 14 minutes was as stunning, and the visitor fell to its narrowest loss in Dublin in 18 years.
___
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Iglesias rescues 2-2 draw for Celta Vigo at Espanyol despite VAR call
MADRID (AP) — Borja Iglesias scored in stoppage time, after having another seemingly good goal ruled out through VAR, to salvage a 2-2 draw for Celta Vigo at Espanyol in the Spanish league on Saturday.
A rueful Iglesias shook his head and smiled after having a 77th-minute goal disallowed when a long check determined there had been an offside infringement.
His frustrations grew when Ramón Terrats pulled the ball back for fellow substitute Tyrhys Dolan to score what he thought was the winner for Espanyol in the 86th minute.
But Iglesias equalized in the third minute of stoppage time when Pablo Durán set him up with his heel after a good run from Sergio Carreira.
“I think we’re doing a lot of things well,” said Iglesias, who felt he should have been awarded a penalty for the goal he had ruled out.
Celta’s Ferrán Jutglà broke the deadlock in the 38th after being set up by right back Javi Rueda, and Espanyol ’keeper Marko Dmitrovic made a flying save to thwart Carreira after the break.
Espanyol coach Manolo González made a triple substitution to rejig the home team, and it paid off when substitute Kike García equalized with a brilliant strike inside the post.
Terrats and Dolan thought they’d engineered a memorable comeback only for Iglesias to have the final say.
Espanyol remained sixth and Celta a point behind in seventh.
Real Madrid is hosting Real Sociedad later and aiming for an eighth successive league win to pressure Barcelona before the leader’s match at Girona on Monday.
After 23 rounds, Barcelona is leading Madrid by a point.
Also Saturday, fourth-place Villarreal is playing at mid-table Getafe, and Sevilla faces Alaves in a duel between two strugglers.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Darryn Peterson injury update: Kansas freshman expected to to play vs Iowa State
The recurring question of the season surrounding Kansas basketball has become the availability of freshman star Darryn Peterson.
The projected top pick in the 2026 NBA draft has missed 11 games this season for the Jayhawks, including missing the Monday, Feb. 9 win over No. 1 Arizona. Questions have been raised about Peterson's presence on the team's bench against the Wildcats, despite being listed out due to flu-like symptoms.
When the freshman guard has seen action this year, he has been fantastic: In 13 games this season, he is averaging 20.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 48.9% shooting.
Here's the latest on Peterson's playing status as the Jayhawks go for their second top-five victory of the week:
Kansas vs Iowa State: Will Darryn Peterson play?
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self said on Thursday, Feb. 12, was hopeful Peterson would be available "full speed" to play against No. 4 Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 14, while also dispelling narratives about his playing status this season.
“Is he better today? Yeah, he was out there yesterday,” Self said. “Was he full speed? No. Was he full speed today? No. I’m hoping he can be closer to full speed tomorrow, and hopefully, he can be full speed on Saturday. But that’s what he’s dealing with, and it’s a lot, I would think, when you’re 19 years old and you’re dealing with everybody having a narrative about everything that’s going on.
"Or, you’re sitting on the bench, and you’ve got heat warmers on your legs or whatever, and now everybody’s got a narrative about a heat warmer. I mean, come on. But that’s what he’s dealing with, and that’s the world he’s getting ready to enter. But the narratives haven’t been accurate.”
What channel is Kansas vs Iowa State basketball on today?
- TV channel: ABC
- Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Kansas and Iowa State men’s basketball will face off in a nationally televised matchup on ABC.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
REQUIRED READING: Mid-major power rankings: VCU enters top 10, Gonzaga remains on top
Kansas vs Iowa State basketball time today
- Start time: 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 14
- Location: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa)
The Jayhawks and Cyclones are scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT) on Saturday, February 14 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Darryn Peterson play vs Iowa State? Latest on Kansas freshman
Poll: Most NBA fans don’t understand the All-Star Game format
With the NBA All-Star Game this long weekend, fans get to see an exhibition of the biggest stars in the league. As Washington Wizards fans, well, we know that our team won’t be in it. But at least it’s an interesting game to watch when players choose to put forth a decent effort.
Anyway, this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey was about how you felt about whether you understand the tournament format of the game. Only 42 percent did.
This year’s format is a four team affair with three teams, two made up of American players (Stars, Stripes) and one of non-Americans (World). There is a round robin before the final match.
I like the format of USA vs. the World, especially with the NBA’s best players all coming from outside the USA. But I agree that the format is confusing.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
FanDuel is an SB Nation/Vox Media partner.
Open Thread: Carter Bryant and the Spurs history in the Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk Contest is taking place today as part of All-Star Weekend and for the second consecutive year, the Spurs have a participant.
Last year was Stephon Castle. This year, Carter Bryant, the fourteenth pick of the most recent draft class, is joining the contest.
Originally created in 1976 by the ABA to gain viewership from NBA fans, the inaugural competition featured two San Antonio Spurs- George Gervin and Larry Kenon. Julius Erving, “Dr. J,” won the contest. They repeated the following year (without any members of the Spurs) before shelving the event.
In 1984, the NBA relaunched the Slam Dunk Contest as a part of their All-Star festivities. Edgar Jones represented the Spurs but did not make it out of the first round.
Three years later Johnny Dawkins participated in the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest. Dawkins, recently drafted by the Spurs, spent his first three seasons with the Silver & Black.
The following year Greg “Cadillac” Anderson competed in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest. Like, Dawkins, Anderson was in his rookie season after being drafted in the first round by the Spurs.
After three participants in five years, it was another thirty-seven years before the San Antonio Spurs had representation in the competition. That was Stephon Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year.
Thus far, the Spurs have never had a player win the contest. Carter Bryant represents the seventh player, but only the fifth since the NBBA commandeered the competition, and only the second in this millennium.
the Slam Dunk Contest takes place at 4PM CST on NBA and Peacock.
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Knicks Bulletin: ‘I don’t even know where we’re at’
It’s All-Star Weekend.
Give us a break.
Not really, we’ll still watch whatever happens at those events.
Mike Brown
On Diawara’s small details and flashes:
“There’s just a lot of little things when you see Mo play that make you go, ‘Oh my gosh, wow.’ And all those things, when you add them up to a possible opportunity, it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there and say, ‘OK, let’s see what’s going to happen.’”
On Diawara’s feel and instincts:
“In the summertime, you started to see his feel. His feel for the game is uncanny for a guy who is 6-foot-8 or however big he is and how young he is. Everything you try to teach him, he tries to absorb it and works very hard. He’s long and a pretty good defender … getting better. Just a lot of little things that you watch and go, ‘Oh, wow.’ All of those things, when they add up to a possible opportunity, it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there.”
On Diawara’s offensive freedom:
“If you’re wide open, let that thing fly. If not, try to touch the paint and kick it out. He doesn’t have the leeway that obviously the other cats on the floor have to be able to go create a shot for himself. Now, having said that, one of the things that Mo has, and I’m amazed at for a young guy, he has a pretty good feel of where his open teammate is. Like, he’ll drive and it’s not like Chris Paul or Magic Johnson where they’ll drop a dime and everybody says, ‘Whoa.’ But if he touches that paint, that pass is getting there on time, on target and it’s like a laser. So he’s got a really good feel of where everybody is and his height and passing ability, he’s able to make timely passes that look simple, but are really hard, especially for a young guy. So he’s got a little more freedom in terms of drive and kick than a lot of younger guys might have at that time.”
Mohamed Diawara
On the relationship with his sister, who drew him into basketball:
“We never played one-on-one. When I started really playing basketball, she stopped. We were never on the court together.”
On choosing basketball over soccer once he discovered hoops:
“I was like, ‘That’s the perfect match.’”
On specializing to stay in the NBA:
“I felt like if I wanted to have a long career in the NBA, I had to be good at something. So, I got to specialize in something. Three-point shooting and defense. Those are things that are going to make me stay in the league for the longest.”
On believing in his progression:
“Because I trust my work, and I’m not working for nothing.”
Josh Hart
On the Knicks’ situation at the ASW break:
“I don’t even know where we’re at.”
On Diawara’s training camp impression:
“In camp, I thought he was going to be real good. He’s young, raw and inexperienced. He’s good defensively, and he’s an even better shooter than I thought. It always looked good, but now it’s going in. I think he’s a good decision-maker in the pocket. He’s athletic and can finish at the rim, get guys involved. I love where he’s at, and he’s continued to work.”
On Diawara’s improved shooting:
“He’s an even better shooter than I thought. I always thought the shot looked good, but now it’s going in.”
On Diawara coming out of shell:
“Now that (Yabusele) is gone, he doesn’t really … all he did was speak French to him. Now that (Yabusele) is gone, hopefully that forces him to come out of (his) shell a little bit more. He’s part of the guys. We’ve got to get him more acclimated to rookie duties.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On missing his pregame ritual after the passing of his mother:
“Usually, her ritual with me was, I’d be doing my warmup lines, we’d run out, we’d go into our two lines, and we’d start doing our layup lines. My mom made it her thing to stand next to the stanchion and just wave at me. It felt great, being your mom’s there, nothing can be wrong. She got me. I remember that first game back in Minnesota, I kept looking and kept thinking someone’s gonna show up, and no one’s gonna show up, so it was a different feeling.”
Which Celtic will make his 1st All Star game next season?
This year’s NBA All Star game will be Jaylen Brown’s 5th. Jayson Tatum has been in 6 himself. Newcomer Nikola Vucevic appeared in two.
If they are back at normal health next season, I would expect to see Brown and Tatum back in the game. But will there be a 3rd member of the team to join them? And if so, who might that be?
The obvious choice would be Derrick White, who has been knocking on the door of the honor for a few years running. He’s clearly deeply valuable to this team, but too often his best attributes are subtle and don’t get the attention that they deserve. His shooting touch was a bit off early this season, so that probably doomed his chances. Perhaps a hot shooting winter next season could earn him a spot.
Next up is Payton Pritchard, who has thrived now as both a starter and reserve for the Celtics. He scores at multiple levels despite his comparatively diminutive size. He takes care of the ball and has a knack for getting buckets when the team most needs it (in particular at the buzzer in dramatic fashion).
Or could someone else leapfrog both of them? Neemias Queta perhaps? Sam Hauser? Perhaps one of the young wings takes a major step forward. What about Hugo Gonzalez? I know these are all long, long shots, but you never know. Ok, any of those guys sniffing the All Star game next season is a bit of a reach next season, but what about in a few years?
So what do you think? Who’s at the All Star game next season?
The Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid: The Core Contributors
The Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid was never going to be an easy exercise. I knew that going in. What I did not fully appreciate was how much mental real estate it would occupy. I have gone back and forth on pieces of this for a month and a half, revisiting names, shifting thoughts, second-guessing myself at odd hours.
And nothing, in my opinion, was tougher than the bottom tier.
The five tiers above it have some natural guardrails. Lines of demarcation you can point to. Rules you can apply. Tenure. Accolades. Impact that feels settled over time. The bottom tier does not offer that kind of comfort. This is where bias walks right through the front door and sits on the couch. This is where statistical cases can be made for players who got in and players who did not. This is where personal preference starts driving the car.
Maybe you value rebounding more than I do. Maybe you think awards should carry more weight. Maybe longevity matters less than peak. All of those arguments live here. That is why Tier 6 was a grind. Not because it lacked importance, but because it had too many plausible answers.
So let’s get into it.
I will briefly touch on the honorable mentions first, fully aware that I am going to leave someone out. That is unavoidable. That is how projects like this work. But before we start debating names, let’s take a look at the updated version of the Phoenix Suns All-time Pyramid, now with Tier 6 filled in.
Honorable Mentions
There can only be 21 names in the group, which means there are always going to be players left standing outside the door. Some of those omissions feel obvious. Others are going to spark arguments, and honestly, that is part of the point.
I think Boris Diaw, Mikal Bridges, Leandro Barbosa, Mark West, and even Goran Dragic all have legitimate cases to land in that bottom tier. If you want to put any of them there, I truly have no problem with it. If P.J. Tucker is your guy, I get that, too. I am not here to shut that down.
Where I ultimately landed is rooted in impact. What did you give the organization while you were here, and how did that show up over time? Sometimes that impact came through winning basketball. Sometimes it came through culture. Sometimes it came through stability in moments where stability mattered.
I believe the players I slotted into that tier did more for the Suns than some of the other names that get floated in this conversation, even if that contribution looked different from player to player.
And that is where we get into it. Because those differences matter, and those capacities are worth unpacking.
Tier 6: The Core Contributors
You know how the NCAA Tournament can invite nearly seventy teams and still find a way to argue about the last four in and the first four out? It is a little ridiculous on its face, but that tension is baked into the exercise. With only 21 players making this pyramid, the same thing applies. There is always a last guy in. There is always a first guy out.
For me, that line landed with Grant Hill.
And I love Grant Hill. His resurgence in Phoenix, what he brought night after night, the professionalism, the steadiness, the feel for the game, all of it mattered. That version of Grant Hill was a gift. But when I got down to the final decision, I went with Goran Dragic for the sixth tier.
Games played mattered. Time invested mattered. And then there was that season. The Most Improved Player campaign in the 2013-14 season, the same year he earned his lone All-NBA selection. He averaged 20.3 points per game, led a surprising Suns team to the edge of playoff contention, and did it as the engine, not a passenger. If the Play-In tournament existed back then, who knows how far that group would have gone? Goran was the reason it even became a conversation. He also handed out 5.9 assists per game, balancing scoring with control, pressure with pace.
Dragic spent six total seasons in Phoenix across two stints, and along the way gave us one of the most unexpected and iconic playoff performances in franchise history in the 2010 postseason against the Spurs. He dropped 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting and went a perfect 5-of-5 from deep. Even more absurd, 23 of those points came in the fourth quarter alone, while the Spurs managed only 24 as a team.
That night still lives in the Sun’s lore. It still feels unreal. And for me, it is enough. That is why Goran Dragic gets the final spot in tier six.
Eddie Johnson was on the team when I first started watching basketball, and there is one thing you need to understand right away: the guy was an absolute bucket.
To this day, he still sits third all-time in free-throw percentage in franchise history, shooting 87% during his three-and-a-half seasons in Phoenix. That alone is impressive. What really jumps off the page is how much damage he did in a relatively small role. He averaged 18.4 points per game across 222 games, and he only started 70 of them.
That is the definition of instant offense.
Eddie Johnson came off the bench and kept the scoring pressure relentless. There was no let-up. That is why he won Sixth Man of the Year in 1988-89 and then finished third in the same voting the following season. Those Suns teams ranked second in offensive rating in 1988-89 and third in 1989-90, and that did not happen by accident.
In 1988-89, Johnson averaged 21.5 points per game. He played in 70 games. He started seven. Seven! That tells you everything you need to know about how devastating he was in that role. You could not stop the offense, and Eddie Johnson walking off the bench was a massive reason why.
Most people today know him as the colorful voice on Suns broadcasts. The guy with stories. The guy with opinions. But when he played in Phoenix, he was a real problem. And if you were on the other side when he checked in, you felt it immediately.
If you are under 30, you are probably still wrapping your head around how much one defensive player can tilt the temperature of an entire team. What Dillon Brooks has done this season feels jarring if you have not lived through it before. It looks like an anomaly. It feels like culture shock. But this is not new around here.
You have to go back to 2005 to find the closest parallel, when the Suns signed Raja Bell as a free agent and quietly changed the personality of the roster. That team needed to get tougher. Full stop. And while I still disagree with the decision to trade Quentin Richardson for Kurt Thomas, and while I will always carry a soft spot for Joe Johnson and his size and shooting, the addition of Raja Bell was a direct response to the San Antonio Spurs. That was the problem to solve. And Raja personified the answer.
This is one of those cases where I had to let the player override my personal bias. Because if I am being honest, I was never a huge Raja Bell guy. I was a scorned fan. I wanted Joe Johnson to stay. I thought the offense would keep humming if you trusted that core and let it grow. And to Raja’s credit, the offense did keep humming. He did not break it. He enhanced it.
Over three and a half seasons in Phoenix, Bell made two All-NBA Defensive Teams. He currently ranks fifth all-time in three-point percentage at 42.2%. He sits third all-time in three pointers made per game at 2.4, with Grayson Allen now holding the top spot. That is real production layered on top of real defensive value.
And then there is the moment, the one that never fades. Raja Bell taking down Kobe Bryant. Something every Suns fan has fantasized about. Something almost no one ever actually gets to do. He did it and it lives forever.
So no, I was not waving the Raja Bell flag at the time. But respect is earned, and he earned every ounce of it. What he brought to Phoenix shaped teams. It changed tone. And whether I liked it or not, he belongs in this conversation.
This is one of those names that lives before my time, but the impact is impossible to ignore once you dig into it. Larry Nance was drafted 20th overall out of Clemson in the 1981 NBA Draft, and he spent seven full seasons in Phoenix from 1981 through 1988. That is not a footnote. That is a real stretch of meaningful time.
Over those seven years, Nance averaged 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. At his peak, he climbed to 22.5 points in 1986-87and 9.9 rebounds in 1987-88, numbers that still hold weight when you place them in context. He sits tenth all-time in minutes played in Suns history, fourth in total rebounds, and he remains the leading shot blocker the franchise has ever had.
Those were not always stable years for the organization. The Suns went through turbulence, uncertainty, and stretches where winning was not guaranteed. And through all of that, Larry Nance was the steady presence. The constant. The guy you could count on to show up, play above the rim, and impose himself on games in ways that numbers alone do not always capture.
He made an All-Star team in 1985, which feels right when you look at his body of work. And then there is the dunk contest. In 1984, he went toe-to-toe with Julius Erving and beat him. The next year, he came back and lost to Dominique Wilkins. That alone tells you the kind of air he lived in and the kind of athlete he was.
When you step back and look at the Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid, it becomes hard to justify leaving Larry Nance out. He bridges an era and covers a gap in the franchise timeline that was not always defined by success. He was a player who rose above the chaos, played above the clouds, and left a permanent mark on the organization.
Now here is where I fully admit my bias, because I absolutely loved Stephon Marbury, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. He was not in Phoenix for long, just two and a half seasons, but his impact landed hard and stuck. He bridged the gap between the Jason Kidd and Steve Nash eras, and at that moment, he felt like a breath of fresh air for a franchise searching for its next identity.
Marbury played differently than what came before him. He attacked the basket with force, almost like a fullback hitting the hole, barreling down the lane while cradling the ball and finishing with that soft, patented floater that felt automatic once he got inside.
When you go back and look at the roster from that first season, it is almost jarring. That was Dan Majerle’s final year. Anfernee Hardaway was on the team. But it was the young, electric core of Marbury and Shawn Marion that really grabbed you.
Then the next year, the Suns drafted Amar’e Stoudemire, and the connection was instant. You could feel it. That team was fun in a way that felt like it was pointing somewhere. Playing with Starbury and STAT in NBA2k3 was the way I spent my summer before shipping out to basic training. That’s my bias remembering fondly what that duo could do.
I still remember losing my mind when Marbury hit that miraculous overtime game-winner in the first round against San Antonio. They lost that series 4-2, but it did not feel like a dead end. It felt like the beginning of something.
And the numbers back it up. His 21.3 points per game rank seventh all-time in Phoenix Suns history. His 39.8 minutes per game sit second all-time, which tells you how much responsibility he carried. He won Player of the Week three times in a Suns uniform, made an All-Star team, and earned an All-NBA Third Team selection.
So yes, my bias is absolutely part of why he is on this list, but that bias does not erase the case. It reinforces it. Stephon Marbury was a vibe in Phoenix. Coney Island’s finest remains one of my favorite Suns of all time, and he earns his place in this conversation without apology.
If you want to talk about players who truly made an impact, you do not have to look much further than Dennis Johnson, because what he brought to Phoenix on the defensive end was rare, difficult to replicate, and ultimately irreplaceable.
Johnson arrived in Phoenix already wearing a championship pedigree, having won it all with Seattle in 1979. His arrival signaled a real transition for the franchise, especially considering he came over in the trade that sent Paul Westphal out the door, which alone tells you how significant the moment was.
He only spent three seasons in Phoenix, but those three seasons carried real weight, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where his presence changed the texture of games night after night.
You can make a strong case that Dennis Johnson was one of the most impactful players in Suns history relative to time spent with the organization. In his first season in Phoenix, he averaged 20.5 points per game while also pulling down 1.9 steals. Across all three of his seasons with the Suns, he was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team, and he earned two All-Star selections.
Yes, he would eventually move on to Boston and win two more championships, adding even more shine to an already impressive career, but that does not diminish what he was in Phoenix. For a short window, Dennis Johnson was the defensive backbone of the Suns, a player who brought toughness, intelligence, and an edge that the team needed at that point in its evolution. His imprint on the franchise remains one of the most dominant defensive stretches the organization has ever seen.
Whew. Tier 6 done. Tier 5 tomorrow.
So, what do you think? Who would you have as your 6 players in Tier 6? Let us know in the comments below.
'I always had a mission': How LeBron James has maintained peak performance
Slowly, LeBron James put on a pair of ice bath toe booties and dipped his left foot and then his right foot into a bucket that had been prepared for him following a Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena. His longtime personal trainer and athletic performance coach, Mike Mancias, next wrapped both of James’ knees and his back in ice.
James closed his eyes for a few seconds and leaned back in his chair as the media gathered around him for his postgame interview.
This was just another step in the process of how James has taken care of his body, a step that shows the lengths he takes in the maintenance of his body that has helped him have an illustrious 23-year career, longer than any player before him.
“Obviously I didn’t know it would be 23 years. I didn’t know that, but I know I didn’t want to have no six- or seven-year career. I can’t become legendary in six or seven years,” James told The Times. “I always had a mission. When I knew I could play this game at a high level, like, going to Chicago and playing with MJ [Michael Jordan] and all those guys when I was a sophomore [in high school]. And then when I went up to Cleveland and played against the Cavs when I was a junior and I was like, ‘Oh … I belong. I belong.’ I knew I still had to learn and I still had to continue to get my body right, continue to learn the game and nuances.
“But I was playing against NBA guys for a long time and I was like, ‘If I get the opportunity to crack the league, if I get the opportunity to showcase what I’m able to do, the only thing that can stop me is if I don’t take care of my body. The only thing that can stop me from being the greatest or one of the greatest to ever play this game is if I do not take care of myself.’ I did take care of my body. That’s it.”
James’ dedication at health maintenance has become legendary in the sporting world.
Read more:LeBron James becomes oldest NBA player with a triple-double in Lakers' win
He is known to invest over $1.5 million annually for a comprehensive approach to keeping his body fine-tuned.
He talked about the biohacking he uses to maintain elite performances and longevity at the age of 41.
He talked about using Normatec leg compression boots, hyperbaric chambers to restore oxygen, cryotherapy, red-light therapy and any other cutting-edge technologies.
He talked about prioritizing sleep and nutrition, such as avoiding artificial sugars and fried foods.
When he missed the first 14 games this season because of sciatica, James cut back on drinking wine, one of his passions, in order to get his body back to full health.
“Obviously it’s gotten even more detailed as me and Mike have built a program,” James said. “It’s been 22 years of our program.”
More so, it has worked to the highest order for James.
For one, he has become the leading scorer in NBA history with 42,975 points.
Though his streak of being voted as a starter to the All-Star team was snapped at 21 in a row, James still extended his league record to 22 when the coaches voted him onto the Western Conference team as a reserve for the game that will be played Sunday at Intuit Dome.
Over the course of time, James said, he’s received plenty of offers to try different ways to do his therapy.
For the most part, he has said no.
“It’s all type of [crap] that is presented to you,” James said, smiling. “[People] are always trying to get you to do [crap]. But once we got the connection, it wasn’t really many people that we allowed to come and be in what we do. We had a couple of guys obviously throughout the process that helped along the way. But, nah, we knew what we wanted to do.”
When James was a young kid growing up in Akron, Ohio, and it became obvious then that he was athletic, he said his uncle, Curt James, encouraged him to start taking care of his body immediately.
His mother, Gloria James, supported him and advised James to listen to uncle Curt.
“I probably was 10, 11 years old,” James said. “I used to stretch before I went to bed and when I woke up, when I was like 10 or 11years old. My uncle Curt, my mom’s younger brother, used to make me do a 100 calf raises a day and he used to make me do 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups a day.”
James shook his head and laughed recalling those moments as a kid.
“He told me I had to get my calves stronger if I wanted to be great,” James said, smiling at the thought of those conversations from years ago. “I never knew what that meant, whatever. But, yeah, my uncle used to tell me to do that and then a good friend of mine used to always tell me to stretch before I got in the bed and after I got out of the bed when I woke up the next morning. I don’t know man. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
At no time during all this did James know what all that advice would mean in the future.
“No, but I had people that I trusted,” James said. “I was icing after every game my rookie year. I was 18 years-old. I was icing after games when I was a high school senior, a high school junior. Like, I was lifting [weights] my senior year.”
James told a story about playing in an AAU tournament with Kendrick Perkins when he was 14 and how some of the players were sitting in the stands eating fast food.
But not James. Even then he ate right.
“They were eating McDonald’s,” James said, smiling, “and I was eating fruits.”
Read more:Complete coverage: NBA All-Star Weekend 2026
Jason Kidd is the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, but he was an assistant coach with the Lakers when James led them to the 2020 NBA championship and the two of them were teammates on the 2008 USA Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal at Beijing.
Kidd has watched how James is averaging 22.0 points per game on 50.2% shooting this season, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds and can’t help but marvel at how James continues to be a highly effective player with so many miles on his body.
“Physically, LeBron, he's had some injuries, but he's taken care of his body, he's always prepared himself for the marathon,” Kidd said. “But I think it's the mental side. I think that's the hardest part is to wake up and say, ‘Do I need to go play against a 20-year-old or a 19-year-old?’ He's won championships, he's been MVP, he's been the face of the league. He's a billion-dollar company.
"So, it's the mental side. Understanding that he loves competition and he loves the game of basketball. So I think for him to do it at 41 is incredible.”
When the Lakers faced Kidd’s Mavericks on Thursday night, James was back in the lab early getting his body ready for the contest and he did so about six hours before game time.
It didn’t matter that it was the last game before the weeklong All-Star break.
In James’ eyes, if you take care of your body, it will take care of you — at all times.
“Like for instance this morning. I woke up this morning, went straight downstairs, got a stretch, did a little activation, like a little small lil' lift [of weights],” James said after the game Thursday. “Then I iced after that. Then I used the Normatec to pump my legs for an hour. Then I took a nap in the hyperbaric chamber for an hour-and-a-half. Then I got in the cold tub, again, before I came here [to Crypto.com Arena]. So, I started my process here when I got here at 1:15 and prepared for a seven o’clock game. It’s just around the clock.”
And as it turned out, all his work led to yet another milestone for James.
His triple-double of 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds made James the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat, pushing him past Karl Malone for the record.
And now comes another record appearance in an All-Star Game.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Twitter Gold: A Man Way Ahead Of His Time
We’ve talked before about how Connie Hawkins was mistreated by the basketball establishment. He came out of New York City’s Boys High School and accepted a scholarship to Iowa in 1960, only to get caught up in a point shaving scandal that he clearly had no part of.
It was based in and around New York though and he was ultimately expelled from Iowa and no other school would take him, and the NBA blackballed him when he was eligible for the 1964 draft.
He played in the ABL, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the ABA for several years before moving to the NBA in 1969 when the league concluded it would lose a lawsuit he had filed against it.
People had seen bits and glimpses of his genius, and in the videos we’ve seen and shared here, we’ve seen some of it.
This video really shows how far ahead of his time he was. One of the more amazing things in this video comes about :15 seconds in. Look at what he’s doing here. We’ve never seen anyone do that. Not Wilt, not Dr. J, no Michael, not anyone.
Part of that is because of his enormous hands and part of it is just his innate creativity that NBA players weren’t prepared for in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
It’s tempting to wonder what might have happened had he been drafted with his class in 1964. The first pick of that draft went to the Los Angeles Lakers who took UCLA’s Walt Hazzard.
If the Lakers had taken Hawkins, they would have added him to to a team that had Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. Those guys were good enough to challenge the Boston Celtics dynasty. If they had had another freak athlete to pair with Baylor, they might have broken the dynasty.
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest: Time, how to watch, participants and winners
The most anticipated event during the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend arguably is the AT&T Slam Dunk contest.
The showcase is a combination of showmanship and athletic prowess as four competitors put on a dunk-a-thon to impress judges and basketball fans in Los Angeles and around the world.
It's the finale of Saturday night events that include the State Farm 3-point shootout contest and Kia Shooting Stars.
The Saturday showcase includes the Kia Shooting Stars, a showcase of legends teaming up in competition to knock down a host of seven different shots on the court in shortest time under 70 seconds.
The AT&T Slam Dunk contest places the winner's name amongst some of the best high-flying, showstopping players the NBA has ever seen.
Here's what you need to know including when the slam dunk contest starts, how to watch and more:
What time does the 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest start?
The 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk competition for NBA All-Star Saturday Night during NBA All-Star Weekend happens Feb. 14 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The string of Saturday events will start at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) on NBC and Peacock, beginning with the Kia Shooting Stars challenge. The dunk contest is the third and final event of the day.
How to watch 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest
Here's everything you need to know to tune into the 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
- When: Saturday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) -third event
- Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock
Watch the NBA AT&T Slam Dunk Contest on Peacock
2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contestants
Here are the participants competing in the slam dunk contest:
- Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs
- Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
- Keshad Johnson, Miami Heat
- Jase Richardson, Orlando Magic
What to know about the participants going into the event
This current group of participants are competing in the NBA slam dunk contest for the first time in the careers.
The dunk contest includes two rookies with Carter Bryant, the 14th overall by San Antonio in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Jase Richardson, who was selected 25th overall by the Orlando Magic. Richardson is also the son Jason Richardson, a former back-to-back slam dunk champion who won in 2002 and 2003.
Bryant stands a 6-foot-6, while Richardson the shortest competitor, stands at 6-foot-1. Keshad Johnson is a forward in his second NBA season. He toggled between the Miami Heat and its G-League affiliate the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The competition's tallest participant is Lakers 7-foot center Jaxson Hayes.
2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Judges
Here are the five judges for this year's slam dunk contest presented by AT&T.
- Brent Barry,1996 NBA Slam Dunk champion
- Dwight Howard, 2008 NBA Slam Dunk champion
- Nate Robinson,3x NBA Slam Dunk champion (2006, 2009, 2010)
- Dominique Wilkins,2x NBA Slam Dunk champion (1985, 1990)
- TBA
The fifth judge will be decided by fans via a vote using NBA ID Members. Fans will decide the fifth and final judge who will score dunks from 40 to 50 points. Potential judges include content creators Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews, actor and comedian Druski, or co-founder of Dude Perfect Tyler Toney.
One of the three will represent the fan vote as a judge. The NBA ID Member Rep will score each dunk as the average of all scores submitted by the NBA ID members for the dunk. NBA ID Members can submit their scores via the NBA App or NBA.com.
2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest Rules
The rules to dunk contest are simple. Four dunkers. Two rounds. Two dunks per round. The two highest scores advance.
Each dunk is scored either a 40 or 50 by the five judges.
Each player has 90 seconds and three maximum attempts to complete the dunk. If time expires before completing a dunk, the contestant will get one final attempt. Missed dunks result in a 40-point score.
An attempt is defined as the player controlling the basketball while airborne and moving it toward the rim. Not to be confused with a try, which is an action taken by the player, other than dribbling or running, in an effort to attempt a dunk. For example, a player tossing the ball to himself, or a player becoming airborne whether controlling the basketball or not.
There will be a referee to judge whether a player has made an attempt or try and whether a dunk is considered a made dunk or a missed dunk.
Once a dunk is made, it's the next person's turn. Made dunks cannot be “replaced,” even if the dunker has remaining attempts.
Players using any props or other people have to be preapproved, prior to competition to the NBA Basketball Operations Department.
Like the three-point shootout, instant replay can be used at the discretion of the referee for rules compliance.
How to determine a dunk champion
In the first round, the order of competition for the first dunk is decided by NBA Basketball operations Department.
The second dunk of the first round is decided by points from the first dunk. The person with the least points from the first dunk attempt will go first for the second dunk. Whoever had the most points on their first dunk will go last on dunk No. 2.
The two with the highest scores from the first two dunks in the first round will advance to the championship round.
In the event of a tie to determine the top-two finishers, the five judges will select an "advancing dunker". The dunker with the most votes to advance will go on to the final round.
In the final round, the dunker with the lower score from the first round will make his attempt first. The order of the second dunk is determined by the score of the first dunk in the final round. The player with the lowest score on their first dunk in the final round will go first for their second dunk in the final round.
The person with the highest points wins. If there is a tie, the competitors will face-off in a one-dunk dunk-off to be crowned champ. Each dunker has one attempt during the Dunk-Off.
If there's still a tie after a dunk-off then the champion will be determined by "Judges' Choice" and each judge would be asked to choose a winner. Best of five selections wins.
NBA Slam Dunk Contest History
The first ever slam dunk contest was held on January 27, 1976, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver during halftime of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, the league's final All-Star game before the completion of the ABA–NBA merger. Julius "Dr. J" Erving would be crowned champion and changing All-Star weekend as we know it.
The event returned the followed the next season as former ABA player Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman was named the winner in 1977. As the NBA and ABA would merge leagues, there wouldn't be another dunk contest until 1984.
Here are all of the winners from previous NBA slam dunk competitions:
- Larry Nance, Phoenix Suns, 1984
- Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks, 1985
- Spud Webb, Atlanta Hawks,1986
- Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, 1987
- Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, 1988
- Kenny Walker, New York Knicks, 1989
- Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks, 1990
- Dee Brown, Boston Celtics, 1991
- Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix Suns, 1992
- Harold Miner, Miami Heat, 1993
- Isiah Rider, Minnesota Timberwolves, 1994
- Harold Miner, Miami Heat, 1995
- Brent Barry, Los Angeles Clippers,1996
- Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, 1997
- Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors,2000
- Desmond Mason, Seattle Supersonics,2001
- Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors, 2002
- Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors, 2003
- Fred Jones, Indiana Pacers,2004
- Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks,2005
- Nate Robinson, New York Knicks,2006
- Gerald Green, Boston Celtics,2007
- Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic, 2008
- Nate Robinson, New York Knicks,2009
- Nate Robinson, New York Knicks,2010
- Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers,2011
- Jeremy Evans, Utah Jazz,2012
- Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors,2013
- John Wall, Washington Wizards, 2014
- Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves,2015
- Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves,2016
- Glenn Robinson III, Indiana Pacers,2017
- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz,2018
- Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City Thunder,2019
- Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat,2020
- Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers,2021
- Obi Toppin, New York Knicks,2022
- Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers,2023
- Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers,2024
- Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers,2025
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest: how to watch, participants
NBA All-Star Kia Shooting Stars: Time, rules, how to watch, players
The Shooting Stars Challenge returns as a part of the NBA's All-Star Weekend today. The event will feature four teams of three competing against each other until a winner is decided.
Each of the teams consists of two current NBA players and an NBA legend. There's a general theme for each of the teams, including a team made up of family members and teams based on an affiliation to a college or team.
Dylan Harper scored the final points to give Team Melo a victory over Ron Harper Jr. and Team Austin in Game 1 of the Rising Stars Challenge. The brothers will be teaming up along with their father, Ron Harper Sr., for the Shooting Stars contest.
The Duke Blue Devils will be well represented with Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette, who make up Team Cameron. The name is based on Duke's home arena, called Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren and Richard Hamilton will make up Team All-Star. With all three players having the opporunity have called thsemvles an All-Star during their respective careers.
Team Knicks will consist of current teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, teaming up with Allan Houston. Houston was named to two All-Star games during his time in New York in 2000 and 2001.
How to watch Kia Shooting Stars
- When: Saturday, Feb. 14, 5 ET
- Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
- TV / Streaming: NBC & Peacock
Shooting Stars Challenge Rules
The Shooting Stars Challenge will have a two-round format with all four teams competing in the first round. The top two teams will compete in the final round.
The teams will compete one at a time and have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court.
All three players on the team shoot at each spot in a set order. The team that finishes with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the challenge champion.
Who will compete in Shooting Stars Challenge?
Team All-Star: Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren and Richard Hamilton
Team Cameron: Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette.
Team Harper: Ron Harper Sr., Dylan Harper and Ron Harper Jr.
Team Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star Kia Shooting Stars: Time, rules, how to watch, players
2026 NBA All-Star Game will show if the league still cares | Opinion
Kevin Durant said the question bothered him because everybody’s been talking about it, so he used his answer to take aim at others.
When asked if he and the “old heads” team, which also features LeBron James, would play hard in this year’s NBA All-Star Game, which is once again debuting a new format, Durant called out Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic for their efforts in recent All-Star games. He wondered why they don’t face the same criticism his generation of Americans do.
“They don’t care about the game at all. These dudes be laying on the floor, they shoot from halfcourt, but you’ve got to worry about the ‘old heads’ playing hard,” Durant told reporters in Houston on Wednesday, Feb. 11. “I can read between the lines.”
How about reading the room, first?
However accurate Durant’s whataboutism concerning his European counterparts may well be, one of the NBA’s greatest scorers is completely missing the point. They learned it from somewhere. But Durant's not alone here, and it’s threatening the very product that made all these NBA players, executives and owners so rich over the years.
It's long overdue for the NBA to show it still really cares – about the fans, about the quality of its regular season, about the integrity of the entire enterprise. The NBA’s check engine light is flashing as the league commences its annual All-Star break, and those with any kind of power should be looking under the hood. The paint job from that lucrative new media rights deal can only hide the issues for so long.
The NBA All-Star Game was once a cultural event unlike anything American sports could deliver. Basketball stars crossed over with the music world and Hollywood, with celebrity sightings and parties that made the whole weekend seem like an invitation-only event oozing with cool.
But the NBA All-Star Game returns to Los Angeles in 2026 not as a celebration of basketball, but instead as a convention for complaining about the state of the league. Just consider the potential questions and controversies NBA Commissioner Adam Silver could have to address when he speaks to reporters, any one of which is a big problem on its own.
- Tanking has gotten so egregious this season, and started so early in the schedule, that Silver had to fine the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers this week. There are at least eight NBA teams who won't be actively trying to win games over the next two months. Even the players are beginning to question what’s happening publicly, with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green noting on his podcast, ”It’s more blatant than it’s ever been. It’s ridiculous and it’s killing the product.”
- A current NBA player (Terry Rozier) was indicted by the federal government for allegedly faking an injury and removing himself from an NBA game for gambling purposes and a current head coach and Hall of Fame player (Chauncey Billups) was indicted for his alleged involvement in illegal poker games with Mafia ties.
- The NBA still hasn’t completed its investigation into the September 2025 report from Pablo Torre that the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the salary cap by facilitating a $28 million "no-show endorsement contract" for Kawhi Leonard under the table when it signed him in 2019.
This doesn’t even take into account that one NBA owner could be supplying the Russian Army with wireless communications during its war against Ukraine, or that several people with NBA connections were mentioned in the Epstein files, or that so many of the league’s stars are out injured right now, or that one of those stars recently became a minority investor in a major predictions market, or that the analytics revolution in the NBA has begat a generation of league executives beholden to numbers instead of fans.
But that all means what Silver says is far more important this weekend than whatever takes place on the basketball court.
It’s a good thing the players don’t care about the All-Star Game anyways.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star Game will show if the league still cares
When Olympic dreams hit the ice: Photos of falls, flips and hard landings
Ilia Malinin fell in the men's free skate program, ending his medal hopes. Lindsey Vonn crashed and broke her left leg during a women’s downhill race while Liu Jiayu was injured in a crash in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe qualifications. This photo gallery highlights some of the most dramatic falls at the Milan Winter Olympics.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics