Category: Basketball

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania shared a strange “wrinkle” regarding the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes during a July 9 appearance on ESPN.

“All of the information has funneled through agent Rich Paul with LeBron James. So [interested teams] have been in the process of gathering information. One interesting wrinkle has occurred… some of the leading suitors for LeBron James… have been able to send a voice note to Lebron James, via Rich Paul,” Charania said.

Latest on the LeBron James free agency for NBA Today — including voice note pitches from some interested teams: pic.twitter.com/6FcEKTEasr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2026

“Whether it’s an owner, a president, or a general manager, being able to record a voice note, I’m told, send it to Rich Paul, and that makes his way to Lebron James. That’s a part of LeBron James’ process,” he added.

Shams added that LeBron isn’t expected to make a decision any time soon, and noted that it’s “unclear” whether the Cleveland Cavaliers of the Miami Heat — who are seen as favorites to land LeBron at this point — are among those who’ve sent LeBron a voice note.

While the prospect of sending voice notes themselves isn’t inherently strange, the fact that NBA front office and executives must resort to that in order to communicate with LeBron — not directly, but instead through LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul — is enough to raise eyebrows.

LeBron is clearly being tough to access on purpose, which is making the process to sign him more difficult than usual.

But these interested teams (which Shams mentioned were the Heat, the Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers) will do whatever it takes to sign James — even if it risks coming off as a clingy or desperate.

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The Toronto Raptors have put the brakes on acquiring Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers, announcing Thursday that the trade is on hold until the NBA investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules is complete.

“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”

The trade sent Leonard to Toronto for forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, a pick swap and two second-round picks. Leonard has spent the last seven seasons with the Clippers after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship.

The probe was triggered in September when the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast aired an episode detailing a contract Leonard received from Aspiration, a self-described “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $60 million in the now-defunct company that in turn agreed to pay Leonard $28 million for endorsements he never fulfilled.

The investigation is being conducted by Wachtell Lipton, a high-powered New York law firm the NBA has frequently used when attempting to determine off-the-court wrongdoing by team owners, players or referees. There is no timetable for its conclusion, and the league had no comment Thursday.

Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021. A month later, the Clippers announced a $300-million sponsorship deal with the company. Ballmer nearly granted Aspiration naming rights to the team’s new $2-billion venue as well, but instead chose financial services firm Intuit.

Read more:NBA probe of Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard and Clippers at forefront after Aspiration fraud sentencing

Two years later when Aspiration was experiencing severe financial difficulties, Ballmer made an additional $10 million investment and Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong — Ballmer’s former college roommate — invested $1.99 million in Aspiration nine days before Leonard received a $1.75 million payment from the company. Leonard ultimately was paid $21 million of the $28 million agreed upon in his contract with Aspiration.

Leonard averaged 25.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals over six seasons with the Clippers and was selected to four All-Star teams, four All-NBA teams and two All-Defensive teams while in L.A. Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points while playing 65 games last season.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the Raptors said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Welcome to the PretenDBA, Ebuka Okorie. The Detroit Pistons’ first-round pick will get his first official run as a professional basketball player as the Detroit Pistons face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on opening day of the Las Vegas Summer League. In an offseason that saw the Pistons add a lot of shooting (welcome, Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince, and Gary Harris (for now). What they didn’t address was their critical need for a ball handler, self-creator, and secondary playmaker. Those are some of Okorie’s signature skills, and he might be the second-best player on the team at all three. No pressure, Ebuka!

Game Vitals

When: 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada
Watch: Prime Video

Analysis

All joking aside about just how important a rookie might be to a team coming off of 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Okorie should have all the tools to absolutely show out in Summer League. This is a league built for ball handlers and playmakers, and selfishness is often rewarded if not encouraged. Not that anybody is trying to be selfish, per se. It’s just that you can only expect so much of “the beautiful game” among a group of guys who have barely shared the floor together.

Also, there are tons of fouls in Summer League, and Okorie is an ace at drawing them. I would anticipate Okorie to score a decent amount of points via drives to the rim and trips to the free-throw line. If his outside shot is also falling, watch out.

There isn’t much else to write home about regarding the Pistons roster or the visiting Sixers. Chaz Lanier, a second-year guard and second-round pick is on the very periphery of the roster. If he doesn’t show he belongs, he might be in danger of losing his spot. The Pistons have 16 guaranteed contracts presuming everyone currently on the roster plus the return of Jalen Duren. That might come down to Lanier vs. veteran Gary Harris. That is very much in favor of Lanier right now, I would think, but we shall see.

Two-way guys Isaac Jones and second-round pick Ugonna Onyenso will be on the roster. The Pistons also just signed Elijah Harkless to its third and final two-way spot. He’s 26 and already played in the NBA for the past two years in Utah. No official word on whether they plan to add him to the roster.

The New York Knicks are still basking in the glow of their NBA championship, alleviating 53 years of disappointment and frustration as the team and its fans continue to celebrate weeks after their title run.

But the Knicks' feel-good news stories amid that championship appear to be short-lived.

According to a Wired article, celebrities and other dignitaries who have attended home games at Madison Square Garden have been assigned "risk" scores. The database also tracked celebrities’ race, gender identity, and sexual orientation; even labeling nearly 100 people as “LGBTQIA." There are nearly 40,000 entries in the “talent” database, each with specific labeling designations.

Wired reported in April that security staff for Knicks owner Jim Dolan tracked a trans woman's movements using that surveillance and spying on her for the better part of two years. On June 12, ShinyHunters, a hacking group, said it would leak nearly 26 million records if MSG didn't fork over a ransom demand. Four days later, they released those records and are now facing three class-action lawsuits alleging the publishing of personal data, whicn was stolen from the World's Most Famous Arena.

USA TODAY Sports has reached out to Dolan and Madison Square Garden for comment.

This newly reported database is hardly surprising, as it was reported years ago that the arena was using facial recognition technology on those entering the facility.

The database is part of a much larger trove of documents published last month by ShinyHunters, a criminal hacker collective.

Some celebrities who have a “DO NOT HOST” tag include hip-hop producer Pete Rock, actor Will Harrison, comedian Adam Pally, and actress Julia Fox.

The database lists rapper Lil Tjay, who got into a fight with security at The Theater during a boxing match in February 2025, as “BANNED FROM MSG."

Some of the "low risk" people on the list include actors Mariska Hargitay, Edie Falco, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, musicians Ice Spice, Selena Gomez, and Benson Boone, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.

The "medium risk" folks include actors Lily Allen, David Harbour, and country singer Morgan Wallen. A few hip-hop artists appear on the "high risk" side of the database, including Freddie Gibbs, Lil Jon, DaBaby, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Madison Square Garden alleged to track and assign risk scores to celebrities

Why Dell Curry believes Warriors need LeBron James to win another championship originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Is LeBron James the Warriors’ missing piece? Dell Curry certainly believes so.

Steph Curry’s dad joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe, and the former NBA guard shared his perspective on Golden State’s pursuit of James in free agency.

“You’re still trying to win championships,” Dell Curry told Poole on “Dubs Talk” when asked what he thinks about the Warriors chasing James. “I think the the Warriors need a player like [James] to get over the hump, with also the young core that they have. But they’re trying to win right now. You know, Steph, he’s on the tail end. Draymond [Green], all those guys [at the] tail end of their careers like LeBron, and that tells me that they’re still trying to win another ring.”

Steph Curry has made it clear he’s not done playing yet, but entering his 18th NBA season at age 38, the clock is ticking on how much longer he has to win a fifth ring. The same goes for Green, 36, who recently opted out of his contract for the 2026-27 NBA season to allow Golden State the financial flexibility to pursue James. The team also eagerly awaits the return of Jimmy Butler, 36, from a torn ACL.

The Warriors’ top free-agency target has yet to make a decision, but it’s no secret James enjoyed winning a gold medal alongside Steph Curry at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Perhaps he’s envisioning himself reaching the NBA mountaintop alongside the Warriors star, too.

“We’ve obviously talked,” Steph Curry recently told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick about James. “He deserves all the patience and space to figure out what he wants to do as his career winds down. We all understand and appreciate that. I would love to play with him, and hopefully that will be a reality soon.”

The Warriors remain interested in James, along with teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, though ESPN’s Shams Charania stated Tuesday that he does not believe Golden State is among the top suitors for the 22-time NBA All-Star.

Regardless of whether or not James comes to the Bay, Dell Curry believes Steph and the Warriors still can make another run at the Larry O’Brien Trophy despite their aging core.

“Yeah, it’s all about managing those bodies of your core guys, your older guys, and then getting into the playoffs,” Dell Curry told Poole. “I think a team like that has to stay out of the [NBA play-in tournament] because the play-in requires so much energy and intensity to get to the playoffs, and then you’re facing one of the top teams in your conference. So, I think you have to be top 16 to get in, and then it’s about luck of the draw. It’s whoever you come up against, and how well you match up against that team.”

Could the Warriors be doomed to another play-in berth next season? Or, will another superstar join the fray and indeed help them get over that hump? Only time — which they don’t have much of — will tell.

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Thursday marks the day that previously agreed-upon trades in the NBA can be finalized with the start of the new league year, but one deal isn’t taking place — at least not for now. The the massive trade for Kawhi Leonard between the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors is on hold, and won’t be completed until the NBA has completed its 10-month investigation into the star and the Clippers for alleged cap circumvention.

That investigation began after bombshell reporting by Pablo Torres seemingly uncovered a scheme by the Clippers to pay Kawhi Leonard money in addition to his NBA contract through “Aspiration Partners,” a company the Clippers invested in. This company would pay Leonard as a no-show employee, which Torres said was a way for the Clippers to pay him above and beyond his max-level contract.

The Clippers continue to deny any wrongdoing, while remaining confident the trade will eventually go through, releasing a statement to ESPN:

For the past 10 months, our organization has fully cooperated with an NBA investigation, participating in dozens of interviews, providing tens of thousands of documents, and facilitating access to our staff. While the process has been challenging, we have remained committed to transparency.

On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. We have since been informed that the trade can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.

At the heart of this investigation are Joe Sanberg and Aspiration. We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. Like many sophisticated investors, financial institutions, and business partners, we were victims of a fraud initiated by Sanberg, who has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues.

We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing.

Meanwhile the Raptors released their own statement from the other side, seemingly also hopeful the trade will go through.

Regarding our planned trade with the LA Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, the NBA League Office informed us that as a result of an ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation regarding Kawhi.

In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.

The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans.

It appears as though Toronto has put the brakes on the deal for now until it knows exactly what it is getting itself into. The predominant risk for the Raptors would be to broker this massive trade, send away their players and draft capital — only to have the NBA then void the remaining years of Leonard’s contract, or suspend him for a significant time as a result of their investigation.

It’s expected the deal could be completed as early as Tuesday of next week, when the league is set to hold its Board of Governors meeting.

There has been a curious delay in the formal announcement of the Kawhi Leonard trade that is shipping him to the Toronto Raptors. Now, the teams involved are clarifying why.

Although the new NBA league year began Monday, July 6, neither the Raptors nor the Los Angeles Clippers, Leonard’s former team, have consummated the trade agreed to June 30 that is conveying Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks back to Los Angeles.

On Thursday, July 9, the Clippers and Raptors each issued statements to disclose the delay, indicating the deal would not be completed until the ongoing NBA investigation into the Clippers is finalized.

“On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors,” the Clippers said in their statement. “We have since been informed that the trade can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.”

In their own statement, the Raptors acknowledged this assumption of risk and indicated that they will also wait until the league’s investigation is complete.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the Raptors said.

In spite of the optimism from both sides that the deal would be executed upon the conclusion of the investigation, which began in early September 2025, the language in Toronto’s statement suggests that it could change its mind if it deems any potential discipline stemming from the investigation to be too severe.

The NBA has contracted a New York City-based law firm to look into allegations that the franchise circumvented the salary cap when it courted Leonard in 2019. The investigation revolves around an alleged $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal for Leonard with a now-bankrupt sustainability company called Aspiration.

The Clippers have repeatedly maintained their innocence in the matter and have stressed that the executives running Aspiration were at fault.

“At the heart of this investigation are Joe Sanberg and Aspiration,” the Clippers continued. “We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. Like many sophisticated investors, financial institutions, and business partners, we were victims of a fraud initiated by Sanberg, who has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.”

Leonard, 35, remains one of the elite two-way players in the NBA, when healthy. A seven-time All-Star, Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games last season. He’s also a versatile defender whose length and instincts make him a problem, even for the more gifted offensive players in the NBA.

“We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues,” the Clippers concluded. “We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kawhi Leonard trade from Clippers to Raptors stalls over NBA investigation

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site that visit other fan sites.

Summer League hit different less than a month after going to the Finals. It feels like just yesterday that the Knicks walked off with the trophy in the Frost Bank Arena, and personally, I’m still nursing my wounds a bit. I mean that I loved that the Spurs made it that far, but I’m not happy that they played so poorly in the Finals, meeting a much more poised and experienced team and learning some hard lessons along the way.

Now the Silver and Black is in Las Vegas, where the draft picks get to get a little bit of experience in the Spurs system and play something that almost looks like basketball for a couple of weeks. The Spurs have four games scheduled, and will play at least one more game once the teams who make it into the championship tournament are chosen. The winners of the semifinals will play an additional game for the Summer League championship, which comes with some nice swag and a little bit of money, which is kind of a big deal for the G-League players who form the bulk of most team’s Summer League rosters. Other than that, it’s kind of a hard watch for fans to see Summer League basketball, because these squads are mostly guys who aren’t quite good enough to make an NBA roster who have been playing together for a few days. Mostly you’ll want to watch the draft choices to see if they can impress and hope for an unknown to catch on and have a great week that impresses an NBA organization enough to give them a training camp invite or even a roster spot, like David Jones Garcia last summer.

The Spurs will play again on Saturday at 5:00PM against the Knicks, which would be a revenge game except for the fact that Carter Bryant will be the only player who saw any action in the Finals who might play for the Spurs. Additional games will be played on Sunday at 8:00PM against the Bucks and Wednesday at 8:30 against the Jazz. Also, there will be a consolation/playoff game next weekend. Frankly, if you watch all of the games, you’re probably a real sicko. Welcome sickos!

Game Prediction:

Carter Bryant scores 20 in the first half and leaves the arena to catch a plane back to San Antonio at halftime, because Corliss Williamson has seen enough.

San Antonio Spurs vs Atlanta Hawks (Las Vegas Summer League)
July 9, 2026 | 3:30 PM CT
Streaming: ESPN
TV: ESPN2
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.

Join us live on Friday evening for the show where DBB’s own Robbie Bettelon will join the show to discuss the Pistons’ offseason, Detroit’s first Summer League game and more. What were your first impressions of Ebuka Okorie? How about Ugonna Onyenso? Was the Caris LeVert trade to set up another move or free up more space for Jalen Duren?

Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.

The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.

The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Vitals:

When: Friday July 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Detroit Bad Boys YouTube Channel

How to submit questions:

• Detroit Bad Boys Website: Comment section of the weekly Pindown episode articles.
• Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message to 45 seconds or less.
• Twitter: @detroitbadboys, @blakesilverman or @therealwesd3
• YouTube: Chat section of The Pindown live recording — Subscribe here

As always, leave any questions or topics you want to be discussed in the comment section below.

Top international recruit Nikola Kusturica signed with UCLA basketball on Thursday, July 9, landing coach Mick Cronin arguably the best prospect of the 2028 NBA Draft.

Kusturica, from Serbia, is 17 years old and will play college basketball for at least two years, as he's two years away from being eligible for the NBA draft. The 6-foot-9 forward is the youngest player to ever appear for FC Barcelona's senior team.

REQUIRED READING: Derrick White, other NBA stars join college basketball front offices. What do they do?

He chose the Bruins over Kentucky, Michigan and Gonzaga, according to reports.

“Nikola is an elite prospect with great size, skill and a competitive fire which is hard to find," Cronin said in UCLA's announcement. "As a 6-foot-9 guard, he can play all over the floor. He impacts the game as a scorer, playmaker and shot blocker. For a very young player, Nik has had a decorated career with the Serbian national team and his club team in Barcelona.

"UCLA appreciates the support of his international team and his club for their cooperation and development of Nikola."

Kusturica averaged 24.6 points with 6.9 rebounds in the FIBA Under-17 World Cup from June 27 to July 5 in Turkey. He also won Best Defensive Player after averaging 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, and scored 37 points against the United States in Serbia's gold-medal game loss.

Kusturica was also named MVP of the 2025 FIBA Under-16 Eurobasket tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia, after averaging 20 points with 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading Serbia to its first title at the tournament since 2007. He scored 18 points with 14 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in the championship game.

One of he youngest players in college basketball will likely play a huge role from the start for the Bruins, which has signed multiple European recruits in the past year. Cronin signed Mississippi State transfer Sergej Macura and Auburn transfer Filip Jovic in the transfer portal this offseason, and also announced Kusturica's signing with fellow incoming freshman Gunārs Grīnvalds from Latvia and Real Madrid.

Nikola Kusturica highlights

Here are Kusturica's highlights from his 37-point game against the United States in the FIBA Under-17 World Cup:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikola Kusturica, potential No. 1 pick in 2028, signs with UCLA basketball

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Observations after Philon and Broome help Sixers win summer league opener  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers are up and running with a victory to kick off their summer.

The team earned a 101-93 win over the Pistons on Thursday night in its first game of the Las Vegas summer league. 

Dante Maddox Jr. scored 21 points and Isaac Johnson added 20.

Johni Broome tallied 19 points and 13 rebounds. No. 22 pick Labaron Philon Jr. had 18 points and seven assists. 

The Sixers’ second game of the summer will be Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET against the Pacers. Here are observations on their opener:

Philon on his game off the bat 

Philon couldn’t have started any better. He drilled a three-pointer on the game’s first play. 

.@LabaronPhilon for threee! pic.twitter.com/CBVyLGWF5U

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 9, 2026

On the Sixers’ second possession, Philon assisted a Broome pick-and-pop jumper. Next time down, Philon grabbed a long offensive rebound and swished another three-ball to put the Sixers up 9-2. 

Philon’s ball handling appeared to be at a different level to everyone else on the court. He displayed an advanced ability to string together moves and was ultra-confident using all sorts of crossovers, behind-the-backs and tricky changes in paces. Even when the end product wasn’t a highlight, Philon’s handling allowed him to consistently create space and be comfortable. 

The 20-year-old’s passing was another plus. He regularly recognized when he’d drawn the defense’s attention and could feed an open teammate. 

Philon cooled off as a shooter (6 for 19 from the floor, 4 for 10 from three-point range), but his offensive skills certainly popped and he helped the Sixers ice the win by canning a jumper in the final minute.

Maddox and Johnson show off shotmaking 

Maddox split point guard duties with Philon and had a hot start as well, sinking two early three-pointers and scoring 10 first-quarter points. 

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Maddox was MVP of the BNXT League last year, posting 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for Belgian team Okapi Aalstar. He shot 44.5 percent from beyond the arc on nearly seven attempts per game in a highly productive first professional season. 

Once the Sixers turned to their bench, Johnson was a standout. He racked up 14 points in the first five minutes of the second quarter and nailed three triples. 

.@Isaac_Johnson33 on a heater

3-3 from three. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OWr1mcujLA

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 9, 2026

Johnson is clearly a skilled center. The 7-footer played his final college season at Hawaii last year and averaged 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. Strong first impression of the summer. 

Broome does his thing to start Year 2 summer

Broome began the game at center and later shared a frontcourt with Johnson. 

It remains obvious that Broome won’t win many battles with conventional athleticism, although he did throw a dunk between two defenders late in the second quarter off of a Philon dish. 

that dime. that slam. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/A9y7Xq5Huz

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 9, 2026

Broome usually has most of his success via instincts and physicality. The No. 35 pick in the 2025 NBA draft has proven that those traits enable him to post big numbers in the G League and summer league.

Of course, the major question is whether Broome can become an NBA contributor. He’s surely below Joel Embiid, Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti on the Sixers’ current center depth chart.

Sean Miller and Texas men's basketball have picked up a big win on the recruiting trail.

Marcus Spears Jr., the top-ranked player in the 2027 recruiting class, announced on Instagram on Thursday that he has committed to the Longhorns and will reclassify into the program's 2026 recruiting class.

"The next chapter," Spears Jr., the son of former NFL defensive lineman Marcus Spears, wrote in an Instagram post that also had the Texas "HookEm" hashtag.

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He chose Texas over the likes of Arizona, Arkansas, LSU and Alabama among other power conference programs.

"Texas basketball is becoming a big thing again, and I am excited to be part of it," Spears Jr. told ESPN. "The Texas fans can expect a worker with a lot of energy. I will be trying to bring Texas a national championship."

As noted by ESPN, Spears Jr. was the only player to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring, averaging 20.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. He additionally helped lead USA Basketball to a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Men's AmeriCup in 2025.

He becomes the second member of the Spears family to play at Texas as his older sister, Cari Spears, is a member of the Longhorns' volleyball team. Cari Spears started all 30 matches for the Longhorns this season and earned AVCA Third Team All-American honors.

Miller lands his second five-star recruit to the Longhorns' 2026 recruiting class, with the other being Spears Jr.'s fellow Dynamic Prep teammate, five-star strong forward Austin Goosby, the No. 18 best player in the class according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings.

Coming off an improbable Sweet 16 run, Texas is expected to have one of the top rosters in the country next season, as they landed Isaiah Johnson, Amari Evans and Elyjah Freeman in the transfer portal this past offseason.

Here's more on Spears Jr.:

Marcus Spears Jr. 247Sports

• Stars: Five
• National: No. 2
• Positional: No. 2
• State: No. 1

247Sports' Composite Rankings had Spears Jr. listed as a five-star recruit and the No. 2-ranked player in the 2027 recruiting class. He was additionally the second-ranked power forward and the top-ranked player in the state of Texas in the class.

Marcus Spears Jr. highlights

Here's a compilation of highlights of Spears Jr.:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marcus Spears Jr. commitment: 5-star picks Texas, reclassifies to 2026 class

Amidst the excitement of the last week or so in Sixers land was a small cloud hanging over things.

After president of basketball operations Mike Gansey pulled off a stunning blockbuster trade to acquire Jaylen Brown, it didn’t take long for many Sixers players to react. Even Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe joined Brown’s first live stream following the deal.

The one player we didn’t hear from was Joel Embiid. The former MVP didn’t have a social media post greeting Brown nor did we hear anything about the two stars interacting. Some folks ran with the idea of Embiid being upset or him not being long for Philadelphia.

Gansey poured cold water on that as a guest on 97.5 The Fanatic Thursday afternoon:

“He’s excited. He’s in a really good space right now. First offseason where he is really healthy going into it… He’s fired up. I called him right after the trade, and he is excited. Surprised, but he was excited… It’s obviously going to be a big change, but I think they’re welcoming it and they’re kind of excited to get the group together.”

Mike Gansey shares a conversation he had with Joel Embiid after the Jaylen Brown trade 💪 pic.twitter.com/6JWXY3mStt

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 9, 2026

There’s no doubt the addition of Brown complicates things a bit offensively. Brown was a Second Team All-NBA pick and had one of the highest usage rates in the NBA last season. With that said, we’ve seen what he can do in a more complementary offensive role when he helped the Celtics win a championship in 2024 and took home Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP. Sacrifices will need to be made, but such is the case for every championship team.

What could make things even more interesting is if the Sixers are able to sign LeBron James. We’ve all seen the reports and it appears the Sixers are on The King’s shortlist. Gansey, a fellow Ohio native who crossed paths with James during their time with the Cavaliers, didn’t keep the team’s interest a secret.

Mike Gansey has a connection to LeBron James going back to them both playing high school basketball in Ohio. And he talked @975Unfiltered about the Sixers' interest in signing James.

"I have known LeBron for a long time. I have a ton of respect for him. Obviously, I think he… pic.twitter.com/7Yc5m14m2W

— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) July 9, 2026

So, there you have it straight from the POBO’s mouth. Joel Embiid is here and he’s excited to be here.

You can now go back to focusing on LeBron Watch.

Nate Ament is officially a pro, signing on Thursday with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ament, a former 5-star, top five overall player in the class of 2025, went to the Bucks with the 13th overall pick in the NBA Draft. He went one and done with Tennessee, continuing a recent string of NBA Draft success under Rick Barnes.

We have officially signed Nate Ament. pic.twitter.com/FrLKYxIb8g

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 9, 2026

Ament signed a four-year contract with Milwaukee, where he will make $25.9 million. Annually, Ament will make $5.5 million as a rookie, with that money increasing up to $8.6 million in year No. 4 of the deal. He will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2030-2031 season.

At Tennessee, Ament signed as Rick Barnes’ highest ever rated player. To beat out Duke and several other top schools, the Volunteers paid Ament somewhere in the $4 million range. Following a slow start to his time in college, scouts and executives were split on his pro prospects. There was some chatter about a potential return to Tennessee, but ultimately Ament declared and felt comfortable enough about his draft slot.

His decision turned out to be the right one, and now he’s set to take on a massive opportunity — replacing Giannis Antetokounmpo. Tennessee did just fine too, likely ending up using that money to land Juke Harris to put the cherry on top of an outstanding transfer portal class.

Ament’s Summer League debut comes on Friday (July 10) at 4 p.m. ET on Prime. Ironically, he’ll take on the Miami Heat.